On Wednesday, August 21st, 2024, Five Finger Death Punch returned to Omaha, Nebraska, at the CHI Health Center Arena with a monstrous line-up of supporting acts, including Marilyn Manson, Slaughter to Prevail, and The Funeral Portrait.
Slaughter to Prevail came out with the energy of a classic deathcore show. Each member walked on stage one at a time, all wearing their signature masks. Low-lighting and visceral guitars built up the suspense before even playing a note. Once Alex Terrible hit the stage with his ferocious vocals, they kicked off the night with their song "Bonebreaker.” I’ve always wanted to catch Alex Terrible live to see if his vocals live up to the hype, and they might be even better in person than on the recordings. The whole band carried an energy you only get to see from a band riding the high of skyrocketing fame. Alex even stopped to thank the crowd for making his dreams come true. I highly recommend anyone who is a fan to catch them soon while they are in this era.
Marilyn Manson is back after a 5-year touring hiatus. His set started with a ton of smoke and a curtain drop, revealing the stage filled with inverted LED crosses and leather. I had seen Manson on one of his last tours before the hiatus, and it had disappointed me pretty badly. I thought I had maybe waited too long to see a good set from him, but this set proved me wrong. Manson brought his classic pasty white make-up, skin-tight leather, platform boots, and an almost horror-esque demeanor and transported us right back to the 90’s. Even though Manson is involved in a lot of controversy, you can’t deny that he is a natural performer.
The headliner always saves the biggest show for last, and as soon as the house music dropped, you could feel Five Finger Death Punch’s presence building. They also entered one at a time.
They began with a slow, suspenseful guitar buildup, sirens, and Ian’s voice repeating “This is not a test” on a loop. They wasted no time as they jumped straight into a drum solo accompanied by lasers, lasers, and more lasers. Behind the spectacular light show, an Ouroboros snake in the shape of an infinity symbol hung over the back of the stage. A small spot light formed on vocalist Ian Moody’s mic stand.
Their set began with the line “Welcome to the Shitshow” from their track “Welcome to the Circus.” The seasoned pros showed their experience by keeping the crowd on their feet from start to finish. One of the things I love most about 5FDP is that they have a knack for making their fans feel seen. There were a number of moments I could highlight to showcase this, but my favorite was after Moody shared a few moments with a little girl on her dad’s shoulders before bringing them both on stage for the remainder of the show. Whether it be original songs or covers, they effortlessly maintained a heavy, playful energy from their first note to last.
This tour had a great mix of different styles, sounds, and production. Each artist brought their own element to the show. Whether you live for extreme heavy music and guttural vocals, 90’s industrial, or today’s hard rock, there was a bit of something for everyone. Five Finger Death Punch always puts on a great show both in performance and production, but it’s clear they’ve grown and polished their act over the past few years. I urge anyone yet to see them or anyone who hasn’t seen them recently to get out and experience this tour.
