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See the Photos! Summer of Loud Fest!

by Steve Brazill

Sometimes, as soon as a tour is announced, you know you have to see a show. That was the case with Summer of Loud. Eight bands, including Beartooth, I Prevail, Parkway Drive, Killswitch Engage, The Amity Affliction, The Devil Wears Prada, Alpha Wolf, and Kingdom of Giant, and every one of them is amazing live. So, when I saw that the tour was coming to Great Park Live in Irvine, I knew I needed to go and photograph it. This was a long day of great music, and even with a few issues – more on that later – this is a tour you don’t want to miss.

Let me start with this, while I have seen it said that this tour has four “headliners”, I’d argue it you could say that six of the eight bands could headline this show, it’s a stacked lineup. That said, closing out the show was Beartooth, This is a band that has to be seen live to fully appreciate how great they are, and even then it’s hard to describe the presence they have on stage. Vocalist Caleb Shomo is a force. It’s an energy level that simply leaves other bands in the dust. I don’t know what’s in the water in Columbus, OH, where the band was formed back in 2012, but I want some of what ever it is.

Musically, the band is a the top of their game. Rhythm guitarist Will Deely is joined by Zach Huston on lead guitar. and I’d argue that musically these two are the driving force. Tight musicians, with talent beyond most bands in the genre, and you can see by the smile below, they’re having a blast playing.

Then you have the back line of bassist Oshie Bichar, and drummer Connor Denis. This is the power of the band, holding down the groove in a way that allows Shomo to perform with such mesmerizing energy that there were times I almost forgot to take pictures. Their 11 song set included everything you’d want, from “Doubt Me” and “In Between” to “Riptide”.

This was my 3rd or 4th time photographing this band, and I wish I could do it every damn day. Again, every band on this tour is at the top of their game, so you may hear me say this more than once, but go see Beartooth when they’re near you. Just trust me.

Beartooth Setlist

The Lines
The Past Is Dead
Sunshine!
ATTN.
Disease
Doubt Me
I Was Alive
Might Love Myself
You Never Know
Riptide
In Between

The Devil Wears Prada

This was the band I really wanted to see and photograph, and it was also one of a few issues I touched on earlier. Let me address those here, since The Devil Wears Prada didn’t perform on Saturday due to an illness.

Right after we walked into the venue I noticed that the crew was still working on the barricade, trying to secure it. That appears to be one of the reasons the gates opened later than expected, and it set the tone for the start of the day. There were VIP ticket holders in the venue at this point, but the general admission tickets were still out in line. By the time the doors did open it was about 2 pm, which was when the first band was supposed to kick off the show. That’s when we were told that the lead band would be at 2:45, and the second band would then also be delayed, but because TDWP wasn’t going to perform, the rest of the set times would be on schedule.

It was about this time when someone also noticed that there was no pyro setup on the stage… and that was a bit of a surprise. I had seen photos from previous shows on the tour, a lot photographers I follow on Instagram had photographed other dates, and it was clear that almost every main band had lots of pyro, and that’s a huge part of the reason I was so excited for the show. Well, it ends out that the City of Irvine wouldn’t let them have pyro. I’ve been told various explanations as to why they made that decision, but I can’t confirm any of them, so I won’t speculate here. Suffice it to say that THIS was a bummer from a photo point of view. Still, the fans seemed like they couldn’t care less. We still got seven amazing bands throughout the day.

I Prevail

Next up was I Prevail, and once again… this is a band that is so good live. The current lineup is Eric Vanlerberghe on vocals, Steve Menoian on lead guitar, Dylan Bowman on rhythm guitar, Gabe Helguera handling drums, and Jon Eberhard on bass and keys. Over an 11 song set, they lit up the venue, partially from the giant bright white screen behind them, and I have to admit that I sang every word during their version of Taylor Swift’s Blank Space. If you’re not familiar with the band, go look that up, you’ll be choked at how good it is. Going into the day I was wondering about the order of the bands. Honestly I might have shuffled them around a bit, but when I Prevail hit the stage it all made sense. Again, six of the eight bands on the tour could be in any order…. they are all stars.

I Prevail Setlist

Bow Down
Body Bag
Self-Destruction
There’s Fear in Letting Go
Violent Nature
Blank Space (Taylor Swift cover)
Into Hell
Bad Things
Choke
Hurricane
Gasoline

Parkway Drive

The last time Parkway Drive was in Irvine at Fivepoint Amphitheater (NOTE: I really miss that venue, and no, Great Park Live just isn’t the same on many levels). When they were at Fivepoint, they had more pyro than most every band I have ever seen, and the drummer was rotating in circles! So, I was excited for the chance to see and photograph them again, and they lived up to the memory. This is one of those bands that will leave you tired. Through their 9 song set, the crowd surfing took off, as the band led everyone through songs like “Wild Eyes”, “Glitch”, “Bottom Feeder”, and “Crushed”. This Aussie band is not to be missed.

Parkway Drive Setlist

Glitch
Prey
Vice Grip
Soul Bleach
Carrion
Sacred
Bottom Feeder
Crushed
Wild Eyes

Killswitch Engage

I have only seen and photographed Killswitch Engage once, maybe twice before, and this is a band I wanted another shot at. Their energy is right up there with the rest of the Summer of Loud bands, but in a different way. I am trying to figure out how to explain it, but these guys are much more blunt force. The whole time they’re on stage you feel like all your muscles are tight, and you just need to scream – in a great way. And closing out their 12 set with a cover of Ronnie James Dio’s Holy Diver was brilliant. It’s another example of how special music, in general, is. Some songs defy genre, and defy time. A great song, done at this level, is always a great song. “The Signal Fire” and “Aftermath” were also highlights for me.

Killswitch Engage Setlist

Rose of Sharyn
In Due Time
This Fire
I Believe
Hate by Design
Forever Aligned
The Signal Fire
My Curse
Aftermath
The End of Heartache
My Last Serenade
Holy Diver (Dio cover)

The Amity Affliction

The Amity Affliction is another band I have only seen once before, and this band was clearly a crowd favorite. Kicking off their 8 song set with Pittsburgh set the tone, and then they never let up. And let me say this, when you see a band have as much fun on stage as these guys, you’ll be a fan for life. Just look at the smile on vocalist Joel Birch’s face above. He’s such a blast to watch, and man can he sing.

Going back to the issues I mentioned earlier for a minute, The Amity Affliction suffered one of them… During “It’s Hell Down Here”, vocalist Joel Birch broke two bones in his left foot, and honestly some people didn’t even notice. He kept going with his foot in a cooler! Hoping he feels better quick.

The Amity Affliction Setlist

Pittsburgh
Like Love
Drag the Lake
All That I Remember
All My Friends Are Dead
Death’s Hand
I See Dead People
It’s Hell Down Here (Joel Birch broke two bones in his left foot during this song)
Soak Me in Bleach

Alpha Wolf

Alpha Wolf is one of the bands on this tour I had not seen before, and wow. They fit right in with the rest of these great bands. Lochie Keogh on vocals is a joy to listen to, and watch. The band is fun, tight, and definitely worth going to see. Their seven song set opened with “Mangekyō”, and included “Pretty Boy” and “Creep”. Again, and yeah, I’m repeating myself, but the fun all these bands are having on this tour shows with every performance, and Alpha Wolf helped start that feeling on Saturday.

Alpha Wolf Setlist

Mangekyō
Pretty Boy
Sucks 2 Suck
Sub-Zero
Haunter
Creep
Akudama

Kingdom of Giants

Kingdom of Giants is a band I had not seen before Saturday, which is something I like. It’s such a great thing to go to a show expecting to see the great bands you already know, only to come away having found a new band you like. And I shouldn’t really use the word “new” here. This band from Sacramento has been around since 2010. As the opener, they only did a six song set, but it was awesome. In fact, this is a great example of why I tell people they shouldn’t just show up for the headliners. Catch the opening bands, because they are hungry to be the next headliner, and at least with Kingdom of Giants it shows.