THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA AT MARATHON MUSIC WORKS IN NASHVILLE
The weather has finally turned cooler in Nashville with the arrival of fall, but inside Marathon Music Works on Friday night, October 6th, it was a hot night full of heavy music in front of a packed house. Bringing their blends of metalcore to Music City, USA- the “Metalcore Dropouts Tour” featuring Landmvrks, Counterparts, The Devil Wears Prada, and Fit For A King roared into town and blew the roof off one of Nashville’s favorite midsized venues. This wildly popular tour has been selling out venues all over the country, and their Nashville date, while not technically sold out, was packed to the gills with metal fans of all ages rocking out.
The night opened with Landmvrks. Coming all the way from France to join this tour, this band impressed with their heavy style and impressive lead vocals that switched from growling to cleans without missing a beat during their 25 minute set. Frequently blending French into their English while speaking to the crowd, they also performed one of their songs that was almost exclusively in their native language, that also boasted what I would call a hip hop beat to make for a truly memorable song mix.
Continuing the night, Counterparts took the stage next. This band came out ready to rock opening with their song “Love Me”, and the crowd was ready to join them. Boasting their signature heavy sound, the band played through their blistering set while taking time in between songs to encourage the crowd to start a circle pit and crowd surf. The audience happily obliged this request with person after person being passed from the back to the front throughout each song. They closed out their set with one of their songs that deals with loss of a loved one, “Whispers of Your Death”, and then closed out the evening with “The Disconnect”. For their last song, the crowd sang the entirety of the last chorus as the band watched on.
Co-Headliner The Devil Wears Prada took the stage next, and this already rowdy crowd was ready for it. TDWP knows how to put on a show, and this night was no exception. Beginning with “Exhibition”, the band launched into their set with the crowd singing along to every song. From the start of the set, there were waves of people crowd surfing to the front, which of course, the band continued to encourage as the night went on. Continuing on through favorite’s such as “Salt”, “Hallucinate”, and “Chemical”, the band’s energy never once wavered as they interacted with the crowd and moved through these heavy hitting songs. Many times as I looked out over the crowd from my vantage point at the side of the stage, you would see multiple people crowd surfing to the front at the same time. Each one singing along as they made their way to the front. At one point, I counted 4 people at once surfing to the front during “Chemicals”. They closed out their night with “Hey John, What’s Your Name Again”. Metalcore bands are known for being super energetic and active on stage, and TDWP lives up to the reputation and then some.
The night was closed out with the other co-Headliner, Fit For A King. This Texas based band also has quite the following, just as TDWP and Counterparts did tonight, and being the first time I have gotten to see these guys, I saw firsthand why that was the case. Bringing out the self-admitted heaviest setlist they ever put together, these guys came out to finish the job that was so well started by the other members of the line up. Beginning their night with “Annihilation”, it was clear these guys had come to do just that. Their super heavy set included crowd favorites like “Breaking the Mirror”. As was the case with most of the night, there was no shortage of singing along to be found among the crowd. Devil horns in the air, everyone was belting out right along with the band. Bass player Ryan “Tuck” O’Leary could be seen jumping off of his stage risers and flipping his bass around his body while never missing a note. They closed their set with “When Everything Means Nothing” and “God of Fire”, sending the crowd home happy and more than likely exhausted from all of the activity of the night.
This tour continues for a few more weeks finishing out in Las Vegas Nevada on October 19th. If you are a metalcore fan, this tour should be on your “do not miss“ list.