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The Summer of Loud tour hit Irvine with a more simple version of the fest. No pyro, no big stage props, and The Devil Wears Prada had to drop due to illness. Still, the seven remaining bands delivered a monster night of pure force. The crowd fed off it with nonstop pits, crowdsurfing, and walls of death that carried through the marathon schedule.
The Amity Affliction brought pure chaos to their Irvine set, with Joel Birch’s vocals cutting through heavy breakdowns and the crowd screaming every word back. Despite not having pyro or stage props, they utilized every inch of the stage and did a phenomenal job. The crowd surfers were non-stop flooding in, feeding off the band’s energy the whole way through. Right after the set, word spread that Joel had actually broken his foot, a wild ending to to their set!
Next up was Killswitch Engage, who never fails to put on an unforgettable performance. Powering through with some of the best screams.
Lead singer/screamer Jesse Leach even jumped off stage and started singing into the crowd. He really knew how to give the audience an unforgettable show.
As the day continued, Parkway Drive was next and boy did they deliver! Despite not having their drummer rig and pyro, they really put on an insane performance. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a crowd sing as loud as they did during Parkway’s set!
Something that caught my eye was the amount of kids in the crowd and the fact they really knew almost every song of Parkways! There were kids crowd surfing left and right, even a kid only mosh pit, which I thought was the cutest thing!
As the night started heading towards the end, iPrevail took the stage and it’s safe to say they crushed it! iPrevail was one of my personal favorites as I’ve been a long-time fan.
I wasn’t the only one obsessed with their set either, the entire crowd was loving every minute. From them singing at the top of their lungs “Violent Nature” to everyone belting out their iconic cover of Taylor Swift’s hit “Blank Space”.
Closing the night was Beartooth and they definitely made the night end with a bang! Caleb Shomo had the crowd on their feet jumping, dancing, singing at the top of their lungs despite the long day coming to a close. They knew exactly how to keep the energy going and they did not disappoint.
Beartooth has always had my immense respect with how much they advocate for mental health and seeing them live was other worldly. Caleb’s vocals were clean and powerful bringing several fans to tears during songs like “Might Love Myself” and “In Between” which even had me tearing up a bit. I love how much you can see that the band truly loves what they do and want to make sure the fans have the night of their lives. Beartooth created such a safe and comforting space during their set for people to be exactly who they are and not feel like they had to pretend.
It is safe to say after attending two dates of Summer of Loud that it was by far THE festival of the summer!
From a industry standpoint, this festival was so well thought out and put together. They really made sure to create a safe space for people of all walks of life to come together and enjoy metal music! Personally, I hope they bring it back in 2026 and make this a yearly reoccurring festival. I know all the fans would agree with me on that!
If you get the chance to go to Summer of Loud this year, take it! You won’t be disappointed.
https://summerofloud.com/
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