Show Review: Take Action Tour (Birmingham, AL)
Photo Credit: Alternative Press
Dangerkids, a heavier version of Linkin Park (think Hybrid Theory and Meteora) were a perfect choice to open the Take Action tour. Their catchy songs and Innerpartysystem vibe kept the crowd excited and energized. The band was very grateful for the crowd's support (including mine) and were excited to see such amazing feedback for the opener. Their drummer Katie Cole killed it (yes they have a girl drummer). Their singers Andy Bane and Tyler Smyth kept the crowd engaged while jumping around and singing/rapping/screaming their hearts out. You should check out their debut album Collapse if you haven't already. This is a band to follow and keep an eye on. To anyone who is lucky enough to get this band for Vans Warped Tour should definitely check them out.
Setlist:
Dust
Countdown
Paper Thin
We're All In Danger
Hostage
Light Escapes
Waking Up
Australian powerhouse I Killed The Prom Queen began with their vocalists screaming their Beginning of the End intro from their new album Beloved was a great beginning to their surprisingly short set. The guitars on Thirty One and Sevens and Sharks in Your Mouth were on point. There was a problem with the sound so the vocals could barely be heard but from what I could hear but none-the-less, the set was full of energy and excitement. To the disappointment of myself and the other members of the crowd, their set was cut short after Calvert Street due to them taking so long setting up but I still enjoyed their set.
Setlist:
Beginning of the End
Sharks in Your Mouth
Thirty One and Sevens
Calvert Street
The Ghost Inside: with their opener being their most popular song Engine 45, the crowd was pumped from the start. With the whole room was screaming "If it's a war you came to see you will never see a waved white flag in front of me" how could you not be excited. Playing some old school favorites like Chrono and Faith and Forgiveness made this a great tour to see The Ghost Inside. While they skipped This is What I Know About Sacrifice due to timing concerns, was still an amazing experience. Remember to catch The Ghost inside on all the dates of the Vans Warped Tour this summer!
Setlist:
Engine 45
Unspoken
Chrono
Between The Lines
The Great Unknown
The Conflict
Thirty Three
Dark Horse
Faith and Forgiveness
As a household metalcore name, The Devil Wears Prada never disappoints. From the very beginning with the green lights and the fog machines spilling pancake smelling fog (yes, you read that right, the fog smelled like pancakes) truly set the mood. The band comes on stage without a normal intro and dives into the first song of the night, Sailor's Prayer. When Escape (the intro to 2011's Zombie EP) began, the lights switched to red and created the effect of zombies and blood which was really amazing. After a few more songs, Mike Hranica (lead vocalist) went offstage and grabbed a guitar and dove into Kansas which is the instrumental interlude from 2012's Dead Throne. The band then went into a jam session of sorts which was different from anything id heard from them previously. The session led perfectly into War and the crowd was still settled down so you could perfectly hear Hranica scream "I'm fighting the war, rather than war itself. Jeremy DePoyster (clean vocalist/rhythm guitar) never disappoints with his amazing choruses that have whole venue singing along. Fast forward to the band's encore which consisted of Mammoth (From Dead Throne) and a fan-favorite Danger:Wildman which consists of Mike Hranica screaming "I know a ghost" for the beginning of the song which would give anyone chill bumps. Prada's performance was by far the best of the night and remember to check them out the entire summer on the Van's Warped Tour!
Setlist:
Sailors Prayer
Escape
Untidaled
Assistant To The Regional Manager
Gloom
Care More
Martyrs
Outnumbered
Kansas (with Outro Jam session)
War
Born To Lose
8:18
First Sight
In Heart
-Encore-
Mammoth
Danger: Wildman