REVIEW BY DAVID TAYLOR AND PHOTOS BY PAM WHISENHUNT | Go Venue Magazine
On Saturday, March 16, Avenged Sevenfold returned to Pinnacle Bank Arena. A couple of thousand rock fans made the trek to the downtown Lincoln arena to witness one of the greatest modern hard rock bands. It was an incredible night for live music.
Vended was the first band on the bill. This was a one-off support gig, so this was a special show for them. They are from Des Moines, so they didn’t have to drive far to get here. Led by Griffin Taylor, if you recognize that last name and hear him scream, that is indeed Corey Taylor’s son. I had seen these guys play Knotfest Iowa in 2021, so I am familiar with their live show. But they have gotten much bigger, touring with bands like Bullet for My Valentine and even getting to tour Europe. Slipknot played here before the pandemic, so seeing this full-circle moment for the sons of Corey Taylor and Shawn Crahn was amazing. It was fast and heavy. They were a very energetic group of young guys. Check out their latest single, “The Far Side”.
Poppy was the direct support for the night. Initially a YouTuber, she shifted her creativity to music. Poppy, I wasn’t familiar with your game. With Avenged Sevenfold evolving their music, it makes sense to invite Poppy to this run of shows. She was so much fun to watch live. No banter in between songs which was interesting. She was playing the bass guitar, dabbling with some electronics, even drumming a little. She continues to be a mystery to me. But she has full control of her image and creativity, and you have to respect that. Her guitarist and drummer were equally talented. She is in her own league of playing heavy music. She was blending genres. It kinda of reminded me of the Japanese metal act, Babymetal, mixed in with some Bjork. It was incredible to watch.
Finally, the mighty Avenged Sevenfold was ready to take the stage. I know Life Is But a Dream… broke fans’ brains for better or worse, but I don’t blame them for evolving. Their production was massive with these giant video boards. I love their stage setup where they are so close to each other, which makes for strong musicality. M. Shadows, lead vocalist, was shocked and in awe to hear how loud the audience was, especially for a smaller market like Lincoln. They played a bunch of hits and some deep cuts. My favorite moment of the night was when they busted out “Save Me”, their nearly 11-minute opus from Nightmare. I was like, “They did it!”. They have so much fun on stage, and you can see that amongst the members. They ended their set with “Cosmic”, a visual spectacle that was a strong caper for the night. There was such genuine love for this band in the room and that is telling how strong the music is.
Avenged Sevenfold
Vended
All images © Pam Whisenhunt
Follow our socials, only take a second and is free by finding us on:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
