Avenged Sevenfold with Poppy and Sullivan King
Mohegan Sun Casino
Uncasville
March 21, 2024
The last time I wrote about attending a metal show, I talked about how I’d basically become a metal head despite myself. Nearly six months later, I’ve leaned all the way into the lifestyle. I might have been more excited to go see Avenged Sevenfold at the Mohegan Sun Arena than my son, who I ostensibly bought the tickets for.
That’s because I’ve actually listened to Avenged Sevenfold before I was introduced to them in a concert. And by “listened to,” I mean “They have one song I really like.” (I Won’t See You Tonight, in case you were wondering.) Still, that’s one more than most of the performers I’ve seen at metal shows.
Even though I’m enjoying going to metal shows, I’m still making rookie mistakes as a concert goer. I made one of the most basic mistakes yesterday: I didn’t check my tickets before the show. I assumed the start time of the concert, and as a result we arrived almost an hour late. We missed the opening act completely. I was disappointed, too, because my son had never listened to Sullivan King before, so it was a missed opportunity for us to experience a band for the first time together.
We did have quite an experience when the second act of the show came out. Poppy has had an interesting and eclectic journey through the world of music, releasing several albums with distinct and unique sounds. We were treated to her mix of downbeat pop and heavy metal growling throughout her set. Her song “X” doesn’t sound too far off what you might normally hear on a top 40 radio station:
The song “Concrete” gets decidedly heavy at points, with the growling and riffs expected of the genre. While artistically interesting, the whiplash of sounds and styles made it hard for the crowd to build any headbanging momentum. We all kind of stood there and swayed back and forth, unsure of what to do with our bodies.
There was no such confusion when Avenged Sevenfold came out. The crowd roared to life when the lights came back up, chanting “Sevenfold!” They launched into their set like a rocket. Before long the horns were in the air and a mosh had begun just a few feet from me.
After a long week at work, I decided to sit this mosh out. I glanced out of the corner of my eye through hazy vision to make sure the mosh wasn’t threatening to engulf me. I’d learned my lesson last time and left my glasses in the car, but kept my attention on the stage.
Speaking of which, the song “The Stage” stood out during the evening. Sevenfold isn’t always political, but they do dive into the waters from time to time. One stanza from the song caught me:
It took the birth of sin to snake-rattle the mind
Before a blow to the head by the gavel of time
To wake up
Won’t you wake up?
When did the walking apes decide that nuclear war
Was the only solution for them keeping the score?
Just wake up
Can’t you wake up?
The last song of their set was a throwback to beginning of their musical stardom: “Unholy Confessions” comes from their second album, released more than 20 years ago in 2003. I enjoyed listening to their “old” sound, and comparing it to the newer music in the band’s catalog.
Even though I didn’t mosh this time, I still had a great time sharing music with my son at the concert. I may need to look for more Monday concerts going forward, so that I have the energy to get in on the most next time and crack some skulls — metaphorically speaking, of course.
NEXT
The Mohegan Sun Arena hosts Tony Orlando, The Finale: A Memory Forever on Friday, March 22
Jamil is taking the weekend off. See you next week!
