Five Finger Death Punch and Shinedown w/ Sixx:A.M. and As Lions
Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, WA
11.05.16
Schizophrenic fall weather wasn’t about to dampen the spirits of the 11,000-plus rockers who came to witness the well-rounded tour package of co-headliners Five Finger Death Punch and Shinedown with special guests Sixx:A.M and As Lions. Once huddled inside the massive Tacoma Dome, the lineup brought an incredible night of live music to the masses.
Touring in support of their new EP, Aftermath, the UK’s As Lions kicked off the evening in style. Front man Austin Dickinson formed this band from the ashes of Rise To Remain. If the surname sounds familiar, it’s because his father is none other than Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson. The younger Dickinson and his new group easily step out of the shadows, and are carving a new niche for themselves.
Sixx:A.M. is about to release their second album this year, Prayers for the Blessed, which follows up their early 2016, Prayers for the Damned. The band consists of some well-known musicians: singer James Michael (songwriter/producer), guitarist D.J. Ashba (ex-Guns ‘N Roses), and ex-Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx. While Mötley Crüe might be no more, Sixx:A.M doesn’t know the meaning of “retirement” as the band that started off as a side project has become a full-time force to be reckoned with.
Opening with “This is Gonna Hurt,” their set was a ride from start to finish. The band members never stood still. Utilizing the extension on the stage, they constantly interacted with each other, working the crowd to frenzy. They will have a long career ahead filling arenas with their anthems. They closed out their set with well-known song, and a theme of the night, “Life Is Beautiful,” then thanked an adoring crowd, and bowed out.
Next, Shinedown brought the heat with an explosive start of “Adrenaline.” The Jacksonville, Florida quartet have earned their place on the arena stage, which guitarist Zach Myers and bassist Eric Bass proceeded to use as a giant playground. All the while front man Brent Smith was the ever engaging host of positivity and inspiration. Drummer Barry Kerch oversaw the festivities from his elevated riser, surrounded by the ever-present pyro that lit up 8 of the band’s 12-song set.
All in suits, Shinedown came dressed to kill and delivered an uplifting, smile-inducing rock show that engaged the crowd to be kind to one another. Smith at one point told the entire crowd to “turn to your left, and turn to your right… introduce yourselves to the person you may not know.” Then he reached into the crowd and the photo pit to shake our hands. The power of music was alive and well in the arena, as the crowd lit up their phones, sending spine-chilling vibes, before Shinedown broke into crowd-pleaser, “Simple Man,” that had fans singing louder than the PA system.
Closing out the night was Five Finger Death Punch, who kicked off their riff-laden set with “Lift Me Up.” The stage was massive, with drummer Jeremy Spencer towering high above everyone on his riser. His red devil skeleton makeup was something to witness, as was his punishing playing style. Ivan Moody has to be the most pissed off and dynamic front man out there today. So much hate and poison spewed forth, but with a smile. Guitarists Jason Hook and Zoltan Bathory, along with bassist Chris Kael laid down groove after groove. It was a spectacle of light and sound that came from the Las Vegas five-piece.
5FDP’s songs were pure arena rock, with hooks that dug deep. The crowd was on fire and there were several “knuckleheads” (5FDP fans) singing along to every song, wearing the trademark 5 Finger face paint. 5FDP allow fans to get their frustrations out through their music. It was so great to see the smiles and love for the band all around the arena. Moody was so blown away by the enthusiasm that he constantly said he wanted to move to Washington, and at one point started a giant “wave” through the packed arena. He brought his daughter out on stage to share the love.
Moody was all about family, spotting a young boy on his father’s shoulders, and motioning them to come to the front. He stopped the show to get them to come and watch the show from the side of the stage, which must have been a great experience for the young concertgoer. During another song, they lined the stage with several kids picked from the crowd, representing the next generation of rockers. The band saved crowd favorites “Under and Over It” and “The Bleeding” to close out the evening. Moody jumped into the crowd and was lifted up till his security were able to get him out and back onto the stage, then the band showered everyone with guitar picks to end a fun filled night of rock!
One of the biggest rock packages out right now, this tour has been filling arenas since October 18 and runs through December 10. It is so worth it for every single band on the bill. Whoever said “rock is dead” will always be proven wrong at shows like this, where the power of music is alive and well.
Five Finger Death Punch Set List
Lift Me Up
Never Enough
Wash It All Away
— Segue —
Got Your Six
Bad Company
Jekyll & Hyde
— Drum Solo —
Burn MF
Wrong Side Of Heaven
— Segue —
Coming Down
— Encore —
Under and Over It
The Bleeding
Shinedown Set List
Adrenaline
Fly From The Inside
Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay-Boom-Lay Boom)
Unity
How Did You Love
Enemies
Call Me
State Of My Head
Second Chance
Cut The Chord
Simple Man
Sounds
Sixx A.M Set List
This is Gonna Hurt
Rise
When We Were Gods
We Will Not Go Quietly
Everything Went To Hell
Prayers For The Damned
Lies Of The Beautiful People
Stars
Life Is Beautiful
Review and photos by Neil Lim Sang
Five Finger Death Punch
Shinedown
Sixx:A.M.
As Lions
