I’ve seen a lot of amazing shows so far this year, but this was by far one of the best: Falling in Reverse took the stage at Jiffy Lube Live on Friday night with an all-star line up that had my inner emo kid crying tears of joy.

Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, Jeris Johnson had to cut his set, which was probably the only disappointing moment of the night since I really wanted to see him perform his hit, “Damn,” at Jiffy Lube Live on Sept. 6.  

Instead, Tech N9ne opened the show, and while I wasn’t super familiar with their music, I absolutely loved their set and the energy that they brought to get the crowd hyped up and ready to go. I’ll definitely be adding him to my playlist with songs like “Straight out the Gate” and “The Beast”. 

Performing after Tech N9ne was Black Veil Brides, a band I’ve wanted to see since the 7th grade and was probably the most excited for at this show. Playing their latest single, “Bleeders” and fan favorites, “Knives and Pens” and “Rebel Yell,” I was singing and dancing in the pit while taking photos, enjoying everything about their set. While everyone there was singing and jumping to the music, The energy in the amphitheater kept growing, palpable in the air as we all became entranced and lost in the music and the people around us. 

Next up was Dance Gavin Dance, another band I was less familiar with, and they absolutely killed it. Another that I’m adding to my playlist with songs like “Spooks” And “Lemon Meringue Tie”, this band was about as upbeat as you could get, with one half of the duo screaming, and the other half hyping everyone up and doing the clean vocals. I found myself dancing and jumping around the amphitheater more and more during their set, infected by the upbeat more experimental post-hardcore sound the group is known for. 

Stream “Ronald” by Falling in Reverse featuring Tech N9ne and Alex Terrible on Spotify:

Finally, around 9pm, Falling in Reverse took the stage. While this was the third time I’ve been lucky enough to see them live, it was the first time I’ve seen them as the headliner and they completely blew my expectations out of the water with both the setlist they planned, and the production elements they incorporated.

With a fully pyrotechnic show, everyone was in awe as Ronnie Radke slowly made his way up on to the platform to start off the set with “Prequel”. From there they went straight into a fan favorite (and one of my personal favorites) “Zombified”. While he played songs from across their discography, everyone was excited to see them perform “Watch the World Burn” with the pyrotechnics that captured everyones attention, flames blazing higher and the band’s new song (which they closed the show with), “Ronald” which had everyone ready for more even though it was time to go, the band put on a hell of a show. Capitalizing on their catchy choruses, and the urge to fight against cancel culture and all it stands for, the band brought the audience together for a night, getting everyone to let some of the daily stresses melt away in good music and an experience none of us will soon forget. 

See pictures from the show below! All pictures copyright and courtesy of Carol Lowe.