Falling In Reverse Brings the Heat to Toyota Music Factory

The Toyota Music Factory was filled to the brim last Thursday as Falling In Reverse brought their 'Popular Monster Tour II' to Irving, TX. With support from fellow emo-legends Dance Gavin Dance and Black Veil Brides, along with rapper Tech N9ne, and genre-bending musician Jeris Johnson, fans were in for a wild ride.

As the Texas sun began to set, Black Veil Brides took the stage and the audience erupted in cheers. The band started off their set with the energetic 2014 classic “Faithless,” which had fans singing along and jumping up and down. As they continued on with their set, each member brought tons of energy and charisma to the show. I haven’t been to a Black Veil Brides show since the Warped Tour days, but despite about a 10-year difference, it felt just as exciting and lively as it did when I was a teenager. When the symphonic opening of “In the End” began blasting through the venue speakers, the fans, both new and old, started to sing the song at the top of their lungs. The enthusiasm that came from the closing song morphed into something almost euphoric. It was clear that this song resonated with many fans, based on how the crowd's singing began echoing throughout the venue, making it an amazing song to close out the band's set.

Next up was Dance Gavin Dance. I’ll admit, I am not as familiar with DGD as I am with the other bands on this tour, but despite not knowing many of the songs, I truly enjoyed their set. The performance was just as chaotic as it was quirky, as the first mosh pits of the night opened up during “Lemon Meringue Tie.” One of the most entertaining parts of the set was watching a fan dressed in one of those inflatable T-Rex costumes crowd surf, not once but three times during the band's set. But he was not alone, as he was quickly followed by a crowd surfing Spiderman as well. The whole experience of Dance Gavin Dance’s set was a fun ride and brought very good vibes to the whole audience.

Finally, it was time for the main event—Falling in Reverse. As massive LED screens lit up with cinematic images from the band's most recent music video, singer Ronnie Radke stepped onto the stage, kicking off the set with the rapped verse from the recently released song "Prequel." The band wasted no time kicking it into gear as pyro erupted onstage as the song came to its climax, illuminating the venue and revealing the ecstatic grins of the fans. Many of the tracks played during the set were from the band's most recent album, Popular Monster, which was only released about two weeks before the day of the show. Even then, fans screamed along almost every single word of the new songs as much as they did with older fan favorites, such as “The Drug in Me Is You” and “I’m Not a Vampire.” To close the night off, Ronnie brought their tourmate, Tech N9ne, out onto the stage to perform the self-titled song “Ronnie” with him. Ending the performance with one last scream and one more enormous blast of fire to heat up the night, the band thanked the crowd and wished everyone goodnight.

There is no denying the level of entertainment and showmanship that is presented at a Falling In Reverse concert. The visuals alone could sell the show. With the scenes from the band's action-packed music videos up on screen mixed with the bright lights and crazy spurts of fire, you almost feel as if you are in some kind of action movie yourself when you’re in the audience. Couple that with a very well-done musical performance from the band, and you are in for a very fun experience.