The Nile was packed! No one was expecting it to be as busy as it was because on this night The Cure was playing in Phoenix. It was refreshing to see a show so busy! That nights lineup was going to be memorable!
The first band to go on stage was Edge of Paradise. This female fronted band brought a ton of energy to start the night. The band formed in 2011 in Los Angeles. The band’s current lineup consists of Margarita Monet-vocals, Dave Bates-lead guitar, David Ruiz-rhythm guitar,Kenny Lockwood-bass and Jamie Moreno-drums.
The audience was installs entrapped in Edge of Paradise’s performance. Monet has a unique and melodic voice that is captivating. She also mixes in screaming into her clean lyric that add more depth to her sound. She also has amazing stage presence and interacts with the audience often. On top of all this her band mates are constantly moving all around the stage;keeping everyone entertained. Monet also had a couple pieces that would be hard to forget. The first being her light up shoulder pads that sat on top of her cape. The second being a light up crystal looking microphone stand with an elf or fairy face on it. Fans were singing a long and clapping every chance they got.
The stage was being set up for the next band, Blind Chanel. Blind Chanel is a nu-metal band that classifies themselves as “violent pop”. They formed in 2013 in Oulu, Finland. The band members are Joel Hokka–vocals, Niko Moilanen–vocals, Joonas Porko–guitar, Olli Matela-bass,Tommi Lalli-drums and Aleksi Kaunisvesi-samples/percussion/DJ. What makes this band unique was in 2021 they participated in the Eurovision Song Contest with their song “Dark Side”. They finished in sixth place while representing Finland in this contest.
Blind Chanel hit the stage hard. Their energy was hitting hard. The band never stayed still and was constantly moving all around the stage! The singers have a unique sound, it’s almost a mix of metal and rap. They sung and screamed some parts of their songs while others are almost rapped. They really got the crowd to engage and move around. At one point they got the crowd to create a giant pit that started when the beat dropped! They also asked fans to crouch down and once the beat hit everyone jumped up and began jumping in their place! Moilanen said “Can you repeat after me Whoa” audience repeats what he said and then Moilanen says “cut my life into pieces” and the audience then replied “this is my last resort”. Moilanen then says again “Whoa” and the audience finishes with “we’re half way there,Whoa oh, livin’ on a prayer”! “holy shit you guys are fun! We didn’t come from Finland just to do this we have some more for you!” Moilanen screamed
The band then left the stage except for the drummer and keyboardist; the keyboardist came to the center stage and began to clap his hands together. The rest came back onto the stage and said that they needed “everyone be to put their middle fingers up for the last song”! The fans screamed and everyone flipped the bird and be tan to sing along.
As the stage crew set up for the next band some members of the audience went to grab drinks while more fans crammed into the venue. The next band was The Birthday Massacre! This Canadian female fronted band had returned to the Nile where they headlined last year and fans were ecstatic! The band opened with their song “Red Stars” and the audience sang along. Sara and Rainbow moved all over the stage, making sure their fans could see them from every angle. Fans would reach their hands out and Sara would make contact, she would even throw heart hands up into the air to show her fans in the back the love she had for them. Sara had announced their next song was “Blue” but it really was “Pins and Needles”. Sara then said as she laughed “I said the last song was ‘Blue’ but it’s clearly not cuz this song is ‘Blue’!” Their set had finally come to an end and Sara addressed the audience one last time “We’re the birthday massacre thank you so much again! Give it up for lacuna coil”! The fans cheered in happiness but also with sadness as The Birthday Massacre left the stage.
It was finally that time of the night, time for the headliner to hit the stage! Fans screamed in anticipation for Lacuna Coil to come onto the stage. The audience began to chat “Lacuna, Lacuna, Lacuna”!
Lacuna Coil formed in Milan, Italy in 1994. This gothic metal band’s current member line is Andrea Ferro-vocals, Marco Coti Zelati-bass/keyboards, Cristina Scabbia-vocals, Diego “Didi” Cavalotti-guitars and Richard Meiz-drums.
As the lights dimmed Meiz took to the stage first and when the crowd noticed they went ballistic! They were screaming their ears off and pushing forward to get as close as possible. The band opened up with their song “Blood, Tears, Dust”. The audience sang to each song, throwing up their horns. The fans farther in the back started a small mosh pit, enjoying the show in their own way. There were some fans in the far back standing away from the crowd and enjoying the show in peace. A fan held out his Italian flag and Scabbia took the flag and draped it over her shoulder as they performed.
The band then began to play “Our Truth”, one of their most popular songs. The audience lost it! They began to sing every note as loud as can be. This song really energized the crowd more than anyone could have thought possible. This bands every matched the audience and they kept everyone entertained and interacted with the fans. This night was full of fun and enjoyment.
Lacuna Coil
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The Birthday Massacre
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Blind Chanel
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