The Summer of Loud Tour turned the noise up to eleven this week as the traveling festival landed at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre in Arizona. Headlined by Killswitch Engage and Beartooth, there was a heavy band for every taste on the stacked lineup and the music had hundreds of fans bracing themselves for a sweltering evening of headbanging, moshing and plenty of crowd surfing.
Music began when the sun and the heat were at all time highs for the day, with every band commenting on the temperatures but also the boundless energy from the audience. The Devil Wears Prada was already collectively sweating through their clothes but they gave Phoenix everything they had for 30 minutes. That included “Watchtower”, “Broken” and the closer “Sacrifice” that really kept the hype going long before sunset.
The Amity Affliction was up next, making use of the amphitheatre’s large stage to show off their setup and give singer Joel Birch room to prowl. The band slammed their way through a litany of favorites like “All My Friends are Dead” and “Soak Me in Bleach” and triggered a wave of crowd surfers that opened the floodgates for more general chaos as the night rolled along.
Aussie legends Parkway Drive brought the literal heat with their sunset performance, bathing the stage and most of the pit in flashy pyrotechnics. The band acknowledged that Arizona was the hottest show they’d played to date but the crowd’s resilience powered them through the circumstances. Singer Winston McCall growled and screamed but could also be found grinning ear to ear at the audience’s response to their set. More than a few young fans were spotted in the audience and McCall endearingly shouted them out- alongside the rocker parents that are raising their kids on this style of music. The performance also included a fiery, spinning drum kit and loads of effects to back up Parkway’s incredible music. For a hardcore set, it was surprisingly wholesome and fans left the pit smiling and ready for more.
After the sun finally dipped below the horizon and the temperatures dipped below 110 degrees, the audience gathered their strength to scream along to Beartooth’s direct support set. Caleb Shomo emerged in a crop top, dedicated the set to The Devil Wears Prada and proceeded to tear the roof off the venue. Backed by a giant inflatable snake and another wall of fire, Beartooth once again proved their uniqueness and longevity in this scene. The set was fun and theatrical while also staying true to the roots of the band– they closed with “Riptide” and “In Between” to conclude a ripper of a set.
After over seven hours outside, it was finally time for Killswitch Engage’s headlining performance. They kept their set design simple, instead projecting visuals on the massive LED screen at the back of the stage and letting the music do the talking. As with the bands before them, Killswitch made use of flashy pyrotechnics and dizzying spotlights while jamming to “I Believe”, “My Curse” and more. Jesse Leach even left the stage to get up close to the fans on the barricade during “In Due Time”, encouraging a tsunami of crowd surfers to crash over the barricade as one last hurrah for the day. It was indeed a Summer of Loud and these hardcore heavyweights are keeping this party rolling for many shows to come.
