REVIEW: The Devil Wears Prada, Fit For A King, Counterparts, AVOID at The Paramount | 01.27.2024

Show Reviews

Jan 31

Written By

After a successful co-headlining tour in the Fall, metal veterans The Devil Wears Prada and Fit For a King are back on the road for the second semester of their Metalcore Dropouts Tour. Joining them for the winter leg are returning openers Counterparts as well as Seattle-bred metalers AVOID.

The two-month tour kicked off a couple weeks back in Kansas City before making its way to The Paramount in Long Island this past Saturday night. The line was down the block when the doors opened; a preview of the fan excitement in the air which later became indisputable by their roars of approval throughout the evening.

I was excited too. It was Dangit Bee!’s first show of 2024 after all, and the lineup consisted entirely of bands that I’d be seeing for the very first time. My familiarity with their catalogues was limited to boot, so I had fresh eyes and fresh ears going in. Don’t get me wrong, The Devil Wears Parada and Fit For A King are names I’ve been familiar with for years - I’m no stranger to their well-deserved success - I just haven’t ventured down the paths of their catalogues. What better way to dive in than by experiencing a live performance.

THE SHOW

The night got off to a fun start with AVOID. Opening with "Whatever" from their 2022 album, Cult Mentality, the band’s short-but-sweet 30 minute set delivered chaos and aggression aplenty.

Vocalist Benny Scholl has a guttural scream that sneaks up on you. You almost don't expect it given the lighter, more inviting melodies that often precede it; but when it comes, you can't escape the brutality. “Does anyone here like weed?” Scholl asked the crowd before the band played their too-stoned tune, “Blast Off"; the smell of fresh cannabis smoke offered confirmation to his inquiry.

The crowd was having a blast and wasted no time starting up the circle pit, which the band ensured kept spinning for the duration of the set. AVOID closed with "Song About James," leaving the fans more than adequately hyped for the night that lay ahead.

Counterparts were up next and delivered a set as passionate as it was heavy. The band gave it their all from the start; guitarist Tyler Williams showcasing an impressive ability to simultaneously shred on guitar while partaking in a full cardio workout by way of spin moves and guitar flips. Vocalist Brendan Murphy was always on the move as well; casual in his stage presence but powerful in his delivery.

Counterparts' epic breakdowns got the pit nice and rowdy, the reverberating echo of the snare bouncing off the fans as the fans bounced off each other. A sea of crowd surfers made their way in succession toward the band. One fan greeted me with a friendly kick in back of the head as he came over the barrier and into the photo pit.

Given my inexperience with the bands' discographies, I’d done some setlist spoiling during my drive (or so I thought) by listening to a Spotify playlist with all of the bands' setlists – I later realized that the playlist was reflective of the fall leg of the tour. Alas, the show remained unspoiled. Still, I managed to get a vibe for each of the bands before going in. For all four acts, Fit For a King in particular, while the power of their heaviness was present on their records it was truly unleashed in a live setting.

Fit For a King upped the ante as they brought us into the home stretch with their set. Opening with "End (The Other Side)," the band fired on all cylinders, showcasing tunes from their 2022 release, The Hell We Create.

Ryan Kirby put forth an impressive vocal display, at one point holding out a scream for an ungodly duration that forced me to put my camera down to watch in awe. Equally impressive was bassist Ryan "Tuck" O'Leary's jumping abilities and the consistency with which he was able to get some massive air.

Fit For A King's set came to a midway halt when a fan was injured in the mosh pit. After receiving attention from The Paramount's always-awesome staff, the fan stood on his own and raised a set of horns into the air defiantly as he was placed onto a gurney. As if that moment wasn't rock and roll enough, the crowd's chanting of "you fucking rock" while the fan waved and blew kisses as he was being wheeled out certainly sealed the deal.

After returning to the stage, Kirby expressed relief that everything was ok and shared his gratitude to the staff for their help and the fans for their patience. Then, without missing a beat, Fit For a King picked up right where they left off and recommenced their shredding while the circle pit revved itself up again. The band closed their epic with "God of Fire" before turning over the stage to their co-headlining counterparts.

The Devil Wears Prada opened their set with “Exhibition,” the opening track from their 2022 album, Color Decay. The crowd collectively played the part of backing vocalists as they sang along to frontman Mike Hranica’s every word at the top of their lungs. Color Decay was favored heavily during the set, with seven songs making an appearance, along with singles from the bands nearly two decades of prior album releases.

The set was dynamic, with heavier tunes like "Watchtower" balancing out the more alt-pop vibes offered by songs like "Chemical." It showcased the range that The Devil Wears Prada's catalogue has to offer, with a common ground of catchy riffs and old school metal influences.

The Metal Dropouts Tour continues through the end of February, where the bands will have a brief stint in Canada before returning to the U.S. to end with a performance at The Fillmore in Minneapolis.

THE SHOOT

Man, I don't know sometimes. There are nights where I feel like I'm getting some of the best shots of my life. There are nights where I feel like everything is going wrong. Then there are nights where I just kind of get what I get – nothing awe inspiring but enough to consider the job complete. Always unrealistic in my expectations, any night that doesn't feel like my best shoot yet feels like a miss.

I struggled a bit at this show. Though I came away with a few shots per band that I'm proud of, I felt like I missed the mark more often than not this time around. I can't put my finger on why. I did almost pass out at one point – we'll get to that – but that wasn't the reason. In simplest terms it was just an off night; in a deeper sense, I think I'm in a bit of a creative rut. I'm overthinking everything. Even writing this paragraph right now is a challenge.

Why am I mentioning this? I suppose I am because I think it's important for anyone reading to know, and for me to remind myself as well, that creativity can ebb and flow. Swimming against the "creativity current" won't get you back on track more quickly; it'll often just discourage you and wear you out. Just go with the flow, they say.

Easier said than done, but I'm trying to embrace the mindset by taking a step back to consider ways in which I can rejuvenate my creative approach to concert photography, and to Dangit Bee! as a whole. Should I start editing in color too? Perhaps. Should I only shoot concert photography by way of double exposures? That's a bit extreme. These questions and more, I ponder.

Through it all, the one thing I do not question, however, is my love for concert photography and dedication to it. As this show would have it, the heat from an increasingly packed room of people mixed with my stubbornness in refusing to check my coat set me on a course for dehydration that peaked in the minutes prior to Fit For a King taking the stage. I knew when my vision started fading and I broke out in a cold sweat that I needed to take quick action before I literally passed out. Thankfully, one of the security staff at the barricade gave me a bottle of water and it brought me back to life just in time for Fit For A King's set.

I share this anecdote because what makes me laugh now and even did so while it was happening is that I couldn't shake the self-questioning of "if Fit For A King goes on right now, could I at least get one song under my belt before I collapse?" I had a plan ironed out before I even realized I should find water. That's a level of dedication that no doctor would recommend, but I think the scenario illustrates how I truly feel about the art of concert photography. On the good days and the bad, on the creative days and the days that are a struggle – even while on the verge of losing consciousness – I love what I do.