LIVE PHOTOS: Fame on Fire, Ice Nine Kills, Black Veil Brides, Motionless in White
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By Greg Maki
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Arguably the hottest metal/hard rock concert ticket of spring 2022, the Trinity of Terror Tour saved its most ambitious booking for last: the 9,000-seat Chartway Arena on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. And while not sold out, an impressive crowd filled the venue for the last chance—for now—to see Ice Nine Kills, Black Veil Brides and Motionless in White on the same stage on the same night.
Before getting to the three headliners, Florida-based Fame on Fire took the stage at the early time of 6:30 p.m. While initially gaining traction with covers of pop songs from the likes of Ed Sheeran and The Weeknd, the band now is starting to make waves with its own music, releasing its debut album, “Levels,” in 2020 and garnering airplay with its latest single, “Plastic Heart.” Playing hard rock laced with pop and hip hop, the band got the night off to an energetic start, with a cover of Linkin Park’s “Numb” and closer “Headspace” going over particularly well.
FAME ON FIRE SET LIST: “Welcome to the Chaos,” “Her Eyes,” “Lost in Doubt,” “It’s Okay,” “Plastic Heart,” “Numb” (Linkin Park cover), “Headspace”
Ice Nine Kills was the first of the headliners to the stage and, based on my own unscientific survey of merch among the crowd, seemed to be the most anticipated act on the bill. Riding high on the success of last year’s “The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood” (review), INK presented its most theatrical stage show to date, with frontman/mastermind/evil genius Spencer Charnas portraying many of the killers in the horror movie-inspired songs. The band—guitarist Ricky Armellino, bassist Joe Occhiuti, drummer Patrick Galante and touring guitarist Chris Kelly—was absolutely on fire, tearing through a far too brief 50-minute set.
The theatrics and the strength of the songs themselves made each one feel like an event, with highlights including the Rammstein-esque “Würst Vacation” (inspired by “Hostel”), “Hip to Be Scared” (“American Psycho”), the deathcore bloodbath “Take Your Pick” (“My Bloody Valentine”), the jaunty “Ex-Mørtis” (“The Evil Dead”) and what I think could be the band’s next smash single if they choose to push it, “The Shower Scene” (“Psycho”).
ICE NINE KILLS SET LIST: “Welcome to Horrorwood,” “Würst Vacation,” “Hip to Be Scared,” “Stabbing in the Dark,” “Rainy Day,” “IT is the End,” “Take Your Pick,” “Ex-Mørtis,” “The Shower Scene,” “Funeral Derangements,” “The American Nightmare”
Black Veil Brides had the unenviable task of following Ice Nine Kills. While the band members still look like they stepped straight out of “Shout at the Devil”-era Motley Crue, they’re basically a meat-and-potatoes hard rock band when it comes to live shows. Relying solely on its songs, the band kept its fans happy throughout its set, though a muddy mix somewhat lessened the impact. It was clear a large portion of the crowd had been following the band for some time, as songs from the early years received as enthusiastic a response as those from last year’s release, “The Phantom Tomorrow” (review). The real highlight of the set was frontman Andy Biersack’s sincerity when thanking the fans, acknowledging that in the often elitist world of hard rock and metal, it’s not always easy to be a Black Veil Brides fan. (Be warned, trash-talking keyboard warriors: Andy sees you.)
BLACK VEIL BRIDES SET LIST: “Faithless,” “Coffin,” “Crimson Skies,” “Shadows Die,” “Wake Up,” “Scarlet Cross,” “Knives and Pens,” “The Legacy,” “Fallen Angels,” “In the End”
Motionless in White, gearing up for the June 10 release of its sixth album “Scoring the End of the World,” closed this final show of the tour and, based on crowd reaction, was neck and neck with Ice Nine Kills for favorite act of the night. Frontman Chris Motionless brought a playful, good-natured vibe to the stage despite the band’s dark image, telling the fans he wanted them to have a “bangover” the next day after headbanging with him. Highlights of the set included the hit single “Brand New Numb,” “Thoughts & Prayers,” new single “Cyberhex” and the closing “Eternally Yours.”
MOTIONLESS IN WHITE SET LIST: “Disguise,” “Reincarnate,” “Necessary Evil,” “Voices,” “Brand New Numb,” “Thoughts & Prayers,” “Rats,” “Cyberhex,” “Another Life,” “Somebody Told Me” (The Killers cover), “Eternally Yours”
LINKS:
www.fameonfireband.com
www.iceninekills.com
www.blackveilbrides.net
www.motionlessinwhite.net
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