Ivan Moody, lead singer of Five Finger Death Punch, excites the crowd with his stage presence and energy by screaming into a microphone with brass knuckles attached. (Photo courtesy of Kj Mark)Metal fans of all ages were blown away at the Trespass America Festival at Comerica Theatre on Sunday.
Headliner Five Finger Death Punch was joined by Killswitch Engage, Trivium, Pop Evil, Emmure, God Forbid and Battlecross for the biggest traveling metal festival in America.
The vast age range at this particular concert made the Trespass America experience unique. From children under 10 years old to their parents and grandparents, there was something for everyone at Trespass America.
The event opened with Battlecross and God Forbid to a more subdued audience. The same could be said for Emmure’s performance. Despite the seizure-inducing light show, the majority of the crowd did not react positively to the band’s performance until vocalist Frankie Palmeri called for a mosh pit near the end of the band’s set.
Despite the relative calmness at the beginning of the show, Pop Evil brought a little more life to the evening with their rock-influenced set. The band was energetic to the point where drummer Chachi Riot actually stood up to play. The mood shifted later on, however, when the band decided to play an acoustic song dedicated to the members of the military — a common theme of the evening.
By the time veteran metal outfit Trivium took the stage, the audience was more than ready. The band’s unique stage setup and incredible light show, combined with their excellent vocals and musicianship, had the pit jumping for the duration of the set. Vocalist Matt Heafy had picked up on the crowd’s relaxed vibe at the start of the show and repeatedly screamed at the audience to “make it feel like a metal show.” The fans responded in kind and amped up the energy levels, and carried that to the end of the night.
Killswitch Engage took the level of excitement in the room and multiplied it by 10. Watching the pit fist-pump and sing along in perfect unison was definitely a highlight of the evening as the band played through a catalog of some of their most popular songs and even pulled out a new song to a hugely positive reaction from the audience. Midway through the band’s set, the massive banner hanging behind them fell to reveal the band’s new logo, drawing cheers.
Even though the audience had already watched six bands, the excitement only grew in intensity when Five Finger Death Punch exploded onto the stage. Flanked by massive video screens and blinding lights, the band had a mosh pit and multiple crowd surfers going before the first song even ended. Another special moment of the evening came when vocalist Ivan Moody brought several younger kids onstage to join the band for several songs. This caused some laughs when Moody had the kids put up their middle fingers, saying, “That’s called Bad Parenting 101.”
All the bands definitely brought the intensity expected from Trespass America and the crowd definitely walked away satisfied with the festival.
Reach the reporter at okhiel@asu.edu
