Bullet For My Valentine Concert Review Archives

The Stage World Tour Avenged Sevenfold with Breaking Benjamin and Bullet For My Valentine
Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, Illinois

The Stage World Tour sold out the Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois. Just when I think that I cannot be any more impressed with a live show, Avenged Sevenfold sets the bar even higher. The stage was set with a storybook led screens staggered across the stage projecting video of the band and other videos coordinated with the music. The stage also extended with a catwalk. They consulted with Cirque Du Soleil directors for the stage presentation.

Avenged Sevenfold released their seventh studio The Stage in October 2016. They were nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Song for “The Stage”. They are not attending the awards show in protest since the presentation for Rock is only shown online instead of during the televised ceremony. Rock fans do not understand the Grammy Awards for excluding a huge population from interest in watching the Grammys.

The night began with Bullet For My Valentine is from Wales. They are known for their breakup rock songs. Their Metalcore style is punctuated by searing rock riffs from guitarist, Michael “Padge” Paget and poetic lyrics sung or screamed by Matt Tuck. Bullet For My Valentine fans showed up early to see the band. They performed an abbreviated set including new song “No Way Out” from their latest album Venom. Their full setlist:

Your Betrayal
No Way Out
The Last Fight
4 Words (To Choke Upon)
Worthless
Tears Don’t Fall
Waking the Demon
Don’t Need You

For more about Bullet For My Valentine: BMFV Website

Bullet For My Valentine

Breaking Benjamin returned to the central Illinois area for the third time since their return after re-configuring.
They have just released the song “Red Cold River” which they performed at the show. Their new album Ember set for release on April 13, 2018. From the songs released so far, it will be a harder album than Dark Before Dawn. Breaking Benjamin has a simple stage set up with lighted boxes with the Celtic knot symbol they are known for on each side of the stage. Ben Burnley, lead vocalist, was more energetic than usual.

So Cold
Angels Fall
Sooner or Later
Blow Me Away
Red Cold River
Never Again
Failure
Breath
The Imperial March/Schism/Smells Like Teen Spirit/Walk/ Drum Solo
I Will Not Bow
Intro
The Diary of Jane

The crowd sang along to “Breath” and it was a great version. Breaking Benjamin dedicated “I Will Not Bow” to the military and first responders. They brought up young kids to show the future of rock is alive. The lucky kids got to sing along to “The Diary of Jane” and take selfies with Ben Burnley.

Make sure to see Breaking Benjamin this time around: Breaking Benjamin Website

Breaking Benjamin

The band everyone stayed up to see was Avenged Sevenfold. The band came close to disbanding when their drummer, Jimmy “The Rev Sullivan” died of an accidental prescription drug overdose in 2009. A7X persevered and grew their fanbase by putting on phenomenal live shows and drawing on their influences for their music. Their albums always have a theme and are interesting. Their sound is signature to them. This tour is an amazing display of videos coordinated with the music and lights.
Their setlist:

The Stage
Afterlife
Hail To The King
Paradigm
Beast and The Harlot
Buried Alive
So Far Away
Nightmare
God Damn
Burn It Down
Exist
Higher
Wish You Were Here
Bat Country
Critical Acclaim
A Little Piece of Heaven
Unholy Confessions

I know that I was not the only person to get a little teary eyed when the screens lit up with video of The Rev talking about the band. He talked about the band and what it meant to him. The side screens showed the iconic photo of the band huddled together. Then the band sang “So Far Away” the song that Brian aka Synyster Gates wrote as a tribute to him.

Avenged Sevenfold

During the song “Higher” a huge astronaut was raised from the stage in front of screens showing scenes from space.

Avenged Sevenfold

During the encore, the video for A Little Piece of Heaven played on the screens and it is a morose song and video in cartoon. Overall, the live performance was breathtaking with two hours of entertaining, skillfull and amazing metal music.

See more about the tour: Avenged Sevenfold Website