M. Shadows took the stage at KROQ’s Red Bull Sound Space Friday night and looked out onto a crowd of ghouls. Attendees were encouraged to dress in costumes for the “Day of the Dead”-themed show, which resulted in a mob of classic horror villains and frights of every kind, clad in Avenged Sevenfold gear from tours past. The excitement was palpable as people elbowed and nudged their way to the front, desperate to get just a little closer to the boys from Huntington Beach, Calif.
The love turned out to be mutual, as Shadows stepped to the very edge of the stage.
“I’m just going to hang out up here with you guys. That sound good?” he said.
Roaring applause was the response, drawing a mischievous grin out of the singer. Cymbals crashed and the band jumped into “Nightmare,” the first of its seven-song set.
The boys have been doing this for a while, which is not to say the act was, in any way, stale. Like veterans snapping to attention, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Zacky Vengeance and lead guitarist and backing vocalist Synyster Gates stood in seemingly unmovable power stances, ironic, in a way, as it was the audience that should have been bracing for impact.
Avenged Sevenfold brought song after song in rapid succession, keeping the energy high throughout the set. Shadows joked with drummer Arin Ilejay during a rare gap in songs, surprised that they pulled off an actual ending for “Hail to the King,” the debut single from their summer 2013 release of the same name.
“That was actually a pretty solid ending. We don’t ever really end songs, we usually just launch right into the next one,” Shadows said.
Ilejay, formerly of heavy metal band Confide, stepped in after the death of Avenged Sevenfold’s original drummer James “The Rev” Sullivan on Dec. 28, 2009. While it’s still common to hear “Long Live the Rev” at an Avenged Sevenfold show, Ilejay has been embraced by the band’s voracious fan base as well as his new band mates, something he touched on in the band’s brief Q&A with KROQ DJ Stryker after the show.
“I’m humbled. I mean in the end I know that if they could have it their way I wouldn’t be here, like Jimmy would still be, but we all love each other.” Ilejay said
The band dipped into its back catalog for the final three songs of the set, playing “Afterlife,” “Unholy Confessions” and “Bat Country.” Shadows recalled the band’s early days playing on the Vans Warped Tour.
“We’ve had some crazy times with Stryker. We’re going to take you back with this last song, back to the first time we heard ourselves on KROQ, which was fun. Pretty big for a little band on Warped Tour,” Shadows said.
The crowd sang along with every word, all the way from the song’s opening, throat tearing scream, a description that finds literal meaning with Shadows, as he underwent vocal cord repair surgery back in 2003, to its crescendoing demise.
For the past two years, the garage-sized Red Bull Sound Space has been providing unique concert experiences; with room to accommodate only roughly 200 fans, the space facilitates more interaction between artist and audience. Attendees were given the opportunity to ask the band questions, which ranged from “When does Arin get an official band name?” to “How does it feel to be a new dad?” The later of which was directed at Shadows.
While an official stage name hasn’t presented itself for the new drummer, Shadows beamed with pride as he bragged about his 16-month-old son.
“I’m just a proud daddy with a little munchkin running around now. And yes, I do change diapers.”