Slaughter to Prevail and Falling in Reverse Bring Fire to Hartford
I’ve always loved the buzz before concerts. And the energy outside the Xfinity Theatre in Hartford carried that same excitement before the gates opened for Falling in Reverse’s Connecticut stop on the God Is A Weapon Tour. The weather was forgiving for an ampitheatre show — slightly cloudy, not too hot, as from every generation filled the venue. Parents held the hands of kids barely old enough for school, high school and college students swarmed the merch tables, and longtime metalheads patiently waited to see two of the most talked-about acts in heavy music today.
POINT NORTH
Point North from Los Angeles opened with an energetic set that gave early arrivals reason to pay attention. Their clean vocals cut through clearly and they made full use of the stage both the frontman and tour guitarist playing it big and keeping you on your toes the entire set. It was a performance that matched the scale of the amphitheater and effortlessly set the tone for the rest of the evening. They closed with “Safe and Sound” as the crowd continued to settle into the venue.
HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD
Hollywood Undead brought their signature high energy and instantly turned the night into a party. They helped each other chug beers mid-song, pulled out an acoustic guitar for a raucous cover of “Sweet Caroline,” and kept the crowd involved at every turn. From pulling a fan named Nick onstage to play guitar to tossing the mic into the barricade for fans to belt out, their set blurred the line between performer and audience. By the time they wrapped, the house was full, the sun had set, and everyone was on their feet.
SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL
Slaughter to Prevail came next, and everything darkened. Their stage backdrop loomed with two bears, eyes glowing red, a fitting tie to their aptly named new album Grizzly. Then Alex Terrible’s guttural roars hit, shaking the amphitheater. It’s hard to explain the experience, because it’s not just his volume, it’s a beastly, primal force that you feel in your chest.
The set was unforgettable and an emotional release for the crowd. Alex didn’t hide behind the mask for long, but he didn’t need to, the sheer weight of his voice carried everything. Between songs, he spoke about his journey from screaming in his bedroom as a teenager to standing on arena stages around the world, showing gratitude. Maybe there was something symbolic in how quickly he shed his mask. For Alex, it felt less about mystique and more about growth, choosing to reveal himself rather than hide, a way of showing that he’s no longer defined solely by the reputation that once followed him, but by the music and presence he brings to the stage now.
At the barricade, one fan summed it up perfectly: “Came for Point North, but stayed for Slaughter to Prevail. What a f**king banger of a set. Legit did not stop bouncing, smiling, and headbanging their entire f**king set.” She walked away with a setlist and a guitar pick, something tangible to hold onto after a set that felt larger than life.
FALLING IN REVERSE
Falling in Reverse closed the night with stage production built to pull the crowd straight into Ronnie Radke’s world. The show opened with a video short featuring Donnie, Radke’s puppet son, welcoming the audience. As the screen faded, Radke stepped into a single spotlight and the night accelerated to full throttle, with bursts of pyro firing behind the band as he prowled the stage.
At one point he left the platform entirely, pushing into the crowd to meet fans face-to-face and hype them up. Midway through the set he stopped everything cold when a fan was injured, holding the crowd’s full attention until it was safe to continue. It was a reminder of the control he exerts over the room.
When “Popular Monster” finally dropped, the arena turned into a sea of raised phones as fans captured the anthem that’s become the band’s calling card. Radke remains one of the most talked-about figures in rock, his reputation is always part of the conversation. But what stood out to me was how he turned that intensity into performance, holding the crowd’s focus and pulling them into his orbit. Whatever people may feel about him, his performance in Hartford spoke for itself.
SPOTLIGHT: MAVERICK’S STORY
Despite the spectacle around me, my eye was drawn across the aisle to a young boy holding a sign “YOUR MUSIC HELP ME FIGHT MY CANCER.”
The young rockstar, Maverick was diagnosed with leukemia on September 13, 2024. This concert marked one year since his and his family’s lives changed forever.
Just days before his diagnosis, Maverick insisted on going to Falling in Reverse’s Popular Monster tour in Massachusetts. Even though he wasn’t feeling well, he begged to go and that night became one of his last moments before everything shifted. Since then, Falling in Reverse has been his anchor. His dad told me, “it is no exaggeration that Maverick asks us to “play Ronnie” every single day.
For Maverick, this night in Hartford was a celebration of his bravery and everything he’s endured this past year. He wasn’t acknowledged from the stage or even when Radke took to the crowd. But that’s okay, he didn’t need to be. Holding his sign in the crowd was enough. It was humbling reminder how music has saved so many of us.
FALLING IN REVERSE | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | YOUTUBE
SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | YOUTUBE
FALLING IN REVERSE SETLIST
Prequel
Zombified
God Is a Weapon
Trigger Warning
I'm Not a Vampire
Fuck You and All Your Friends
Bad Guy
The Drug in Me Is You
Just Like You
All My Women
All My Life
NO FEAR (Radke walked around the crowd during this song)
Popular Monster
Voices in My Head
Ronald
Watch the World Burn
SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL SETLIST
Banditos
Baba Yaga
Kid of Darkness
Viking
Russian Grizzly in America
Behelit
Demolisher
