A cool summer night to enjoy the horror of the Trinity of Terror II tour at Azura Amphitheater in Bonner Springs, KS.
We Came As Romans (WCAR) kicked off the evening with high kicks and jumps from lead singer Dave Stephens and bassist Andy Glass. If you have never seen these guys, expect nothing but high energy and gnarly guitar riffs and vocals. “Darkbloom” off the soon-to-be-released album Darkbloom, kicks off their heavy-hitting setlist.
Also on the setlist is “Lost In The Moment.” Dave took time to share a story about the devastating loss of Kyle Pavone and the impact he had on the band. They struggled with releasing the song but decided it best to pay tribute to Kyle. Dave reminded the fans to “enjoy your happiness in the moment.” WCAR finished their set with “Black Hole” and demanded Kansas fans show them how we do it. A big circling mosh pit broke out in the center of the pit.
Ice Nine Kills (INK) brought an impressive horror production show to the amphitheater. The slaying began with an old-style movie marquee displayed on the massive video wall. The marquee served as a setlist for the night. Video graphics pay homage to the horror movies, which inspired the albums The Silver Scream and Welcome To Horrowood: Silver Scream 2.
Butchers, Jason, oh my! The production begins with body parts being chopped off. It’s just an arm and then a head. The circus entertainment kept fans in awe as Georgie lost his boat below. The set was a fantastic ever-changing production. It was indeed a show production and not just a jam session. The storyline kept fans engaged with sing-a-longs and the sublime of the unknown.
Welcome to Horrorwood is a must-see show if you’re a horror movie fan from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and current characters. It’s energic and comical at times, and if you are close enough, you just might catch a murderous look from Spencer as he sings the story. Don’t let the suits fool you. Spencer has extensive wardrobe changes and props throughout the night, and the cast of characters is just as energetic as the gruesome hell-raising storyline.
Christian greets the crowd to begin the Black Veil Brides set and heads to his riser for the night. Jinxx followed, and they started the set with “Faithless,” from their 2014 self-titled album Black Veil Brides.
Kudos must be given to the Black Veil Brides guys and fans. Into the second song, Andy spotted fans screaming for help in the mosh pit area. Andy quickly stopped the set to check that everyone was okay and to send in help. Thumbs up were given and Andy thanked the fans for watching out for each other. Andy demanded a “Coffin” redo, and the set went on. The mosh pits and crowd surfing resumed without any more injuries.
The BVB set was a mix of heavy-hitting tunes that covered the band’s entire catalog to create what felt like a metalcore opera. They even pulled out “Knives and Pens” from their 2010 album We Stitch You These Wounds. Newer songs “Crimson Skies” and “Scarlet Cross” from The Phantom Tomorrow also made the night’s setlist. BVB closed out the set with “In The End” off their 2018 album Vale.
As the set changed, fans became eager to hear Motionless In White and began chanting loud and long for the group to start their set. The intro music seemed to go on forever, making the fans more eager to hear Motionless.
As the set started, Chris invited all concertgoers down into the pit area, and the band began their set with “Disguise.” The fans sang along and didn’t miss a word. Even when the band stopped playing, the crowd queued up louder than before vocals.
Chris declared storytime with fans to share a milestone between the venue and the band. Motionless In White played on the Warped Tour for many years. They played on the smaller stage in the parking lot every year. Chris would come to check out bands playing on the big amphitheater stage. He often wondered what it would be like to play on it. This concert marked the first time Motionless in White has played on the venue’s big stage. Chris handed out a big thank you from the band to their fans for all the years of support and for helping them get to the big stage.
“Sign of Life” energized the crowd to jump up and down and form the most enormous mosh pit of the night. At the end of “Voices,” the mosh pit was getting fast and aggressive, and a few fans went down. The crowd yelled for help. As Chris stopped the set, he asked the crowd to step backward and asked fans to form a pathway so support and fans could safely get out.
A cover of The Killers’ “Somebody Told Me” found its way onto the setlist. Groovy synth sounds and drumbeats take you back in time, but with a killer metal twist. Not many were left sitting in their seats. The set finished with “Eternally Yours” from their 2017 album Graveyard Shift.
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