Five Finger Death Punch, Papa Roach, In This Moment and From Ashes To New
Independence Events Center – Independence, MO
September 24th, 2015 saw Hurricane Ivan and crew tear through the Independence Events Center in Independence, MO. When I set back and actually thought about the lineup I was floored that In This Moment, Papa Roach, and Five Finger Death Punch were all gracing the same stage, not at a festival but in a smaller arena setting. I spoke with several people that drove in from a 250 mile radius to see this show, and why wouldn’t they. Not one but three headlining acts teaming up for a night of in your face Rock.
Getting the night kicked off on the right foot was From Ashes to New out of central Pennsylvania. They brought their brand of Rap/Rock to the IEC and blew the crowd away. Everyone was buzzing as their set ended. You could hear smatterings of “man those guys were awesome, “and “dude they were really good” just about everywhere you went in the arena. After the set they went out and signed autographs and took pictures with every one that wanted to meet them.
Next to the stage was something I can only describe as, if Marilyn Manson and Britney Spears had a love child, In This Moment would be the result. Now before anyone starts down the negative track with my comment, don’t. I make that statement with nothing but good intentions. This is the first time I had ever seen In This Moment live before, and I have to say I was blown away. Take the, and I use this term loosely, glamor of a Britney Spears show and the pure dark pageantry of an old school Manson show and there you have it. In This Moment delivers a sensory overload of mayhem. With small set changes for almost every song and costume changes for Maria Brink and her dancers, and four men that are delivering the sounds of madness. This is a set you need to see.
Papa Roach had a really tough act to follow, but mission accomplished. One of KC’s favorite bands, and I think the feeling is mutual, took to the stage and delivered a power packed set that kept the energy flowing throughout the IEC. Papa Roach provided many memorable moments throughout the show. One of my favorites was the acoustic performance of “Scars.” They delivered this song to the crowd from the center of the arena. As the purple and white lights lit up the center of the floor, a chorus of voices could be heard singing along with Jacoby Shaddix. Another great moment for the IEC audience was when Maria Brink graced the stage again and performed “Gravity.” Hitting the stage in her flowing white attire alongside Papa Roach really was a site to see live and really added more depth to the song than just hearing it on the radio. Papa Roach may have ended the night with “To Be Loved,” but not before “Last Resort “had the crowd yelling along at the top of their lungs and as a reward of sorts Mr. Shaddix finished the song as he dove into the front row and sang along while being passed around, surfing his way through the crowd.
Last but certainly not least was Five Finger Death Punch. I have seen these guys a few times and I have to say I am not sure I have ever seen them the way I did this night. From the moment the curtain dropped to when the house lights came back on in the end, there were five men on stage that were having the night of their lives. I am not sure how it is possible to have a smile on your face when you are playing a song like “Burn it Down” but those guys managed to do it. The energy and really just plain joy that they expressed on stage was felt throughout the entire arena. One of my favorite songs of the night was a new one. The title track to “Got Your Six.” Just such a display of power as they are preforming the song live. Another awesome moment was the acoustic version of “Wrong Side of Heaven” that transferred to an acoustic/electric version of “Battle Born”. The highlight of the night for many a young fan was when the band plucked youngsters from eight to about fifteen years old and brought them on stage. So what if the song they played was “Burn MF,” whether they were on the stage or in the crowd they were going to hear it any way. So to the people with their panties in a bunch I say Shut The Fuck up. I had the privilege of standing next to many of the kids parents as they were on that stage and I am not sure who was more excited, the kids or the parents because their kids had such a great opportunity. It was a great night for Rock and it was an even better night for all the fans that were in the building. I mean really, In This Moment, Papa Roach and Five Finger Death Punch. I really don’t need to say anything more….
Ace Sims
RockRevolt Contributor
