PAM WHISENHUNT | Go Venue Magazine
Fit For A King (FFAK) brought a mega metalcore show to the Bourbon Theatre in Lincoln, NE, April 18th, 2024.
The last time I’d seen FFAK they were opening for I Prevail. This time they were headliners with the supporting cast of Chelsea Grin, Kingdom of Giants and Soulkeeper. I hadn’t seen the other bands live, but if the font on the t-shirts were any indication, it was gonna be a heavy night of music.
Soulkeeper based out of Minneapolis, MN started things off. I couldn’t put my finger on their sound. I wouldn’t say it was traditional metal-core. Soulkeeper mixed in some electronic, techno sounds, giving it an industrial feel. Their sound was uniquely their own.
Next up was Kingdom of Giants from Northern California. Kingdom of Giants have been around since 2011, playing festivals and touring the world for years. They had some pretty significant technical difficulties early in their set, but kept their cool, the crowd engaged and addressed the issues like pros. Overall, Kingdom of Giants sounded great. They had a perfect mix of clean vocal from Jon Reeves and screams from Dana Willax. Not sure who was filling in on guitar, but loved watching his hair flips and animated expressions. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for these guys next time they roll through the region.
Masters of deathcore, Chelsea Grin took the stage next. The 4 piece from Utah play a super heavy set and the crowd seemed to loved it. There was plenty of surfing and moshing throughout the set. The breakdowns were so heavy, items were vibrating off the table. Chelsea Grin kept the energy levels high and the crowd hyped, making them the perfect precursor for the main event.
Finally, the headliner Fit For A King (FFAK) was up. They entered the stage to a loud applause and horns in the air kicking the set-off with “End (The Other Side)”. Ryan Kirby (lead vocals) acknowledged those who checked out Setlist.fm before the show might be upset as the setlist changed. Kirby made a few Nebraska references, stating he “keeps wanting to say Nebraska Furniture Mart”. Kicking off the next song, he screamed “Let’s hear it, Nebraska Furniture Mart”! Also added “come on Cornhuskers, make some noise”. FFAK, nearing the end of the set played “Vendetta”, getting the crowed to chant the chorus. Kirby would shout “This is my” and the crowd screamed back “Vendetta”. Everyone knew the chant and the sound filled the Bourbon Theatre. FFAK finished the set with their biggest, mainstream song, “When Everything Means Nothing”. FFAK walked off the stage. Not taking FFAK for an encore band, they did return to the stage when the crowd refused to leave. Kirby said they didn’t have anything planned for an encore, but landed on “God of Fire”. I did look it up on Setlist.fm, and they have been doing “God of Fire” as an encore, so I guess they fooled me. FFAK tried to get a wall of death going for the encore, but it just ended up one big mosh pit. Still a fitting end to the heaviest show the Bourbon Theatre has seen in very long time.
Fit For A King
Chelsea Grin
Kingdom of Giants
Soulkeeper
All images © Pam Whisenhunt
Follow our socials, only take a second and is free by finding us on:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Publisher: Source link
