Summer of Loud made one hot and heavy stop at the York State Fair on July 19th as part of the fair’s summer concert series. What was different about this show? It had eight glorious metal bands. Not even all the carnival rides the carnies could cram into the fairgrounds contained this much metal. Yes, I’m really leaning into the state fair vibe. If you grew up in Central PA, you know how much we love a good state fair. I bet every single one of you still has one of those indestructible goldfish you won at the fair when you were 10. Anyway, let’s get to the music.
Dark Divine
Dark Divine started things off and instantly kicked the crowd into gear. It was early in the day, but they came out swinging, dressed to impress and scare your grandma, who was only looking for a corncob on a stick. Dark Divine is one of those bands you need to see before they blow up. The songs are solid, the aesthetic is strong and the live show is a blast. As far as I know, York was one of the first to hear “Better Start Digging” live, but the crowd wasn’t missing a note as they sang along.
Alpha Wolf
These guys may be from Australia, but they may as well be official US citizens at this point. I have seen Alpha Wolf more in the last three years than I have any other band. Every set has been better than the last, and aside from their headlining tour, I’ve always wished they had more time on stage.
Their stage presence was snappy, witty and full of rage. Sabian fit right in to Central PA with his camo shirt and hat. All he needed was an empty Mountain Dew bottle and a can of snuff. “Mangekyō” opened the set but had a stoppage early on due to a medical emergency in the pit. This would be the first of many stoppages in the day. Shoutout to Alpha Wolf for quickly noticing there was an issue and stopping their set. They were quickly back up and running, restarted “Mangekyō” and amped up the energy. “Pretty Boy,” “Sucks 2 Suck” and “Sub-Zero” quickly followed. “Creep” brought us the very first Wall of Death of the day and basically ended any stillness that was left in the crowd. It was all out mayhem until the end of the night.
The Devil Wears Prada
The Devil Wears Prada is just consistently excellent live. Their newer stuff has such a clean, tight edge live. For as much as these guys move around on stage, you’d think there’d be some mistakes, but these veterans of the scene sound like they’ve just recorded a live studio album. Flawless victories all around. “Watchtower” and “Salt” absolutely ripped, and the older fans in the crowd were losing their minds during “Danger: Wildman” (Hi, I’m the older fan in the crowd). It was new music with a classic tune baked right in the middle. Almost like the musical version of a deep fried Oreo.
The Amity Affliction
The Amity Affliction kept the energy going but in a more emotional direction. Their mix of heavy and melodic is always a vibe, and even in the heat, the crowd was all-in singing along to the choruses and opening up for breakdowns.
“Pittsburgh” was, predictably, their opening number. They’re in Pennsylvania and they value their lives, so why wouldn’t they start with it? “Like Love” and “Drag The Lake” followed and then their newest song, “All That I Remember,” was next. Jonny Reeves fits right into this band. He can handle the unique tone of their previous material while adding his own vocals to their new tracks as well. Joel was all smiles during their entire set, even with his broken foot and while singing songs like “I See Dead People” and “It’s Hell Down Here.” It was Hell up here too with the heat, but that didn’t stop the crowd from giving it their all.
Sorry, I don’t have a state fair reference to throw into this segment. I need to pace myself. We have four bands to go.
I Prevail
This set was wild. I Prevail had the crowd in the palm of their hand from the moment they took the stage in their face paint because who doesn’t get their face painted at the fair? People who hate fun, that’s who.
“Bow Down” opened and instantly turned the heat up. I mean literally turned the heat up. They had pyro and it was hot. “Body Bag” and “Self-Destruction” came next, and the crowd-surfers started flooding the photo pit. Mid-set, they dropped their heavy cover of Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space.” As vocalist Eric Vanlerberghe put it, “I’m pretty sure that’s the first mash up with Taylor Swift and ICP.” “Hurricane” was dedicated to the great Dave Shapiro, and the crowd sang along to be sure that Shapiro heard it. “Gasoline” then rounded out a perfect evening setlist.
Beartooth
If you need to follow up a headliner with another headliner, then you have to put Beartooth in the lineup. Caleb Shomo puts everything he has into every note. You feel the emotion when he screams, like you were the one doing the screaming. The sun was beginning to set, but the show was just getting started.
Beartooth was able to smash 12 songs into their set, which is pretty impressive considering Caleb had to stop and give security a little pep talk. The pit was severely understaffed and outgunned, but they were quick to fix the situation once it was brought to their attention. The pyro was burning off what little relief we were given from the sun setting. “The Lines,” “The Past is Dead” and “Sunshine!” (please, no more sun!) ripped through the fairgrounds as the massive rattlesnake on stage stared down the crowd. Beartooth brought the hammer down on the high striker and sent the energy levels up past the bell when they ended with “In Between.”
That high striker bit was really stretching the fair reference limits. I’m sorry, I’m running out of material.
Killswitch Engage
The legendary Killswitch Engage took the stage next. These guys need no introduction. That scared grandma I mentioned earlier? She’s even heard of Killswitch. She’s knocking back Miller Lite and showing the kids how we used to two-step in the pit. No hips were broken during this set, but I can tell you that some eardrums may have been.
Killswitch Engage is by far one of the most iconic heavy bands of my generation, but they are also one of the most fun. They don’t take themselves too seriously, and they just have a good time on stage. They’re heavy and lighthearted, which makes their playing seem effortless. “Rose of Sharyn” opened their set, followed by “In Due Time” and “This Fire.” Everyone’s favorite “My Curse” signaled the beginning of classic Killswitch, and the set concluded with “My Last Serenade” and a bold move ending on a cover with “Holy Diver.” Only Killswitch has the clout to end their set with a cover song.
Parkway Drive
Last but definitely not least, Parkway Drive destroyed the grandstand. Pyro, smoke, destroyed metal beams and a massive screen filled with the ruins of buildings made it feel like we were on the set of a music video. This was much simpler than their set from the Monsters of Oz tour, but it felt much more impactful. The contrast between the empty space around the props and the heaviness and size of the pieces really sucked you into the world they built.
It was finally dark and starting to cool down, and then Parkway Drive had to go and do Parkway Drive things and set everything on fire. Just like the flaming hot Cheetos walking taco bags you could get outside the grandstand, Parkway Drive brought a spicy setlist that started off with “Glitch,” “Prey” and “Sleepwalker.” They threw in their latest track “Sacred,” then ended with “Bottom Feeder,” the ultra catchy riffs of “Wild Eyes” and finally “Crushed.” You cannot deny that Parkway Drive knows how to put on one of the best live shows you’ll ever see.
And yes, they did the Parkway drum thing. Even without the drum schtick, the show is amazing. The drum wheel just takes it to 11, no 12. Yes, this one went to 12.
I am out of fair references, so it’s time to end this review. If you’re reading this on the day that I posted it, thank you, but also there’s still time to catch the Summer of Loud tour before it comes to an end! As of today there are five more stops in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Virginia and North Carolina. Will we get a Summer of Loud next year? Maybe a Monsters of Oz 2.0? Who knows, so you better catch this run now.