Avenged Sevenfold and Deftones burn down Klipsch Music Center

Avenged Sevenfold may just be one of the fastest-rising bands in rock and metal right now. Their latest record, Hail to the King, is their second straight no. 1 album and shows the band paying homage to their influences with a classic rock-infused record. Known for their intense and flashy live show, the band recently hit the road to support their recent release with support from Deftones and Ghost B.C. With the weather having produced an intensive amount of rain the day before and a torrential downpour all day and stopping just before the show, the stage was set for one hell of a night. Ghost kicked off the show, leading mass with the perfect opening set and awing the crowd with their hypnotizing Swedish occult rock. The congregation of Ghost undoubtedly and undeniably grew with authority after the show. Following them were the legendary Deftones, who made for an interesting situation as the fans in attendance were split- half were excited about Avenged Sevenfold while the other half thought Deftones should have headlined the show. Deftones kicked off their high energy set with “Rocket Skates” and “Diamond Eyes” and frontman Chino Moreno commanded the crowd with complete and decisive force. The energy the crowd gave to him, threw right back at them and absorbing every bit of adrenaline in the air. [lg_slideshow folder=\”2013/Hail to the King Tour- Avenged Sevenfold and Deftones/Deftones/\”] The rest of the band was just as energetic-jumping, running around stage and taking over the stage and giving Avenged Sevenfold a run for their money. The bar was set high and it would be hard for A7X to top Deftones. Finishing up the night was headliner Avenged Sevenfold who are notorious for bringing a stage of fire with them and torching the place. Opening with “Shepherd of Fire,” “Critical Acclaim” and “Welcome to the Family,” Avenged Sevenfold brought the heat- and literally- with the stage transformed into a practical inferno. They played a great combo of tracks from every single record, which just doesn’t happen anymore and had something for every fan in the house. The only downside was the finale of “Unholy Confessions,” which seemed like the band slowed down quite a bit when playing- there wasn’t the quick and powerful Avenged sound that once was there. Rather it seemed as if they were struggling through the song. Despite that, the band was on their game the entire night. They brought more pyro than they’ve ever used, played just enough new material to please the fans, a good amount of Nightmare and a great handful of City of Evil, the self titled record and Waking the Fallen, and interacted with the crowd on an impressive level. -Reggie Edwards [lg_slideshow folder=\”2013/Hail to the King Tour- Avenged Sevenfold and Deftones/Avenged Sevenfold/\”]