The metalcore giants took over the Five Point Amphitheatre in Irvine alongside an all-Australian touring bill that includes Make Them Suffer, Northlane, and The Amity Affliction.
Text, Photos by Maurice Nunez (@devilman.138) at the
Fivepoint Amphitheatre in Irvine, CA on October 6, 2023:
Seven albums in and the scope of Parkway Drive's prowess appears to be never-ending as the band delivered a truly incendiary showing as part of the now concluded Monsters of Oz Tour, which raged throughout festival and arena stages across North America. The tour's penultimate stop at the Fivepoint Amphitheatre was an audiovisual spectacle that maximized the band's signature live experience from beginning to end.
Openers Northlane, Make Them Suffer, and The Amity Affliction joined the festivities and excelled on their respective ends to make this one massive Australian celebration. Beyond it being a showcase for the land down under, it spoke highly of the contemporary strengths of the metalcore genre as a whole with exquisite instrumentation alternating from one band to the next. Northlane's tantalizing creativity, Amity Affliction's soulful use of melody, and Make Them Suffer's shape-shifting composition made this one staggering bill that set expectations high for a headliner who came out guns blazing.
Enter Parkway Drive, who remain on a victory lap in support of last year's critically acclaimed, Darker Still.
A commanding Winston McCall performance elevated the already vibrant Fivepoint crowd with roaring screams and pyro to boast alongside a career spanning set. Strong selections like Bottom Feeder, Prey, and Karma shined over the thousands in attendance, all of whom chanted and raised their arms in unison to the band's anthemic choruses. The Void, Vice Grip, and Chronos drew a frenzy throughout each track's bombastic playthrough. As the main setlist hit its end, drummer Ben Gordon astounded with his signature drum solo and Crushed performance while rotating 360 degrees within his "Cage of Death". Wild Eyes then put the finishing touch on this massive affair, one that thrilled visually as much as it did musically.
Parkway Drive is a premiere, "can't miss" act that expands upon an already grand studio production in electrifying ways. Though upcoming tour dates are yet to arrive, we have a collection of shots from the memorable night below for your viewing pleasure.
Parkway Drive Photo Gallery
Northlane Photo Gallery
Make Them Suffer Photo Gallery
The Amity Affliction Photo Gallery
