Tuesday night August 20th 2013 the Carnival Of Madness Tour rolled through Pittsburgh, PA and blew the roof off the First Niagara Pavilion. This tour features bands We As Human, In This Moment, Papa Roach, Skillet, and headliners of the night Shinedown. The entire concert had a different feel to it from the start. There was certainly something different about this show from the start. Could it be the crazy circus performers roaming the grounds or the $13.00 beer? Only the people there will really now? We As Human started the show off with an outstanding set with a surprise performance by Skillet’s own John Cooper. Next out was In This Moment to deliver a show that really made me wanting more. From the white faced dancers covered in blood on the stage, to the all mighty vocals of Maria Brink. They played the popular song “Blood”, and their current hit “Whore”. To me this set was rival for set of the night. Out next was the ever so famous Papa Roach. Papa Roach did what Papa Roach is known to do and deliver an energy packed performance. These guys have been around for what I believe is 20 years and you would never believe that from their on stage presence. They fly around the stage full of energy like a bunch of teenagers and put on a hell of a show. Highlights of the set were “Scars” and the hit that started it all “Last Resort”. Skillet took the stage next and absolutely blew everyone away. This is the second time I’ve seen them. The first being at Creation Festival 2013 where they headlined. They had a production at Creation that might be the biggest I’ve seen to date. I was wondering on the way in if they would have the same presence on stage without that kind of setup. They absolutely did. Smaller production does not mean smaller performance to these guys and gals. They sounded better than they did previous times and delivered. If anyone went home that night and said Skillet didn’t impress anyone, they weren’t watching the same show I was. Finally out last was the all might Shinedown. What can really be said about this group that hasn’t been said before. The insane amount of pyro that went off to start their set was incredible, and the set to follow was even more impressive. Here are some shots from the performances!
Photos by : Jason Hann
All Photos © Pittsburgh Music Magazine / Jason Hann