Falling in Reverse headline explosive God is a Weapon Tour stop at Bank NH Pavilion joined by Tech N9ne, Wage War, Sleep Theory.
Summer is winding down as most students in New Hampshire are officially back to school, but that didn’t stop elementary kids to seasoned metalheads from descending upon the Bank NH Pavilion for a night of pure chaos. The God is a Weapon Tour, featuring Sleep Theory, Tech N9ne, Wage War and Falling in Reverse, was the perfect sendoff to summer, drawing fans of all ages eager to scream, sing and thrash the night away. By 6:15, the extended GA pit was already packed and fans filled seats all the way back to the lawn. With such a stacked lineup, it wasn’t surprising that people showed up early.
The first band to take the stage was Sleep Theory, a fast-rising act from Memphis, Tennessee. Before they even appeared, Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the U.S.A.” blasted through the PA system, instantly transforming the Pavilion into a massive singalong. Fans raised their hands, shouted the lyrics and laughed at the unexpected choice before the music cut and Sleep Theory ripped into their first song. The opening set the tone for their entire set, which blended heavy riffs with pop-infused hooks and kept the energy high from start to finish.
Their set pulled heavily from their 2023 debut EP Paper Hearts. They opened with the fiery Fallout, moved into the brooding “Numb” and the soaring “Gravity”, before shifting to “Stuck in My Head” and “Words Are Worthless”, both released as singles in 2022. They closed with “Static”, the fan-favorite single that first put them on the map in 2021. Each track kept the crowd engaged, with Cullen Moore locking eyes with fans and pushing them to jump, clap, and scream the choruses back at the band. By the time they walked offstage, the Pavilion was buzzing, cheering long after the last note faded.
At 6:50 it was time for hip hop royalty Tech N9ne to take the stage. His presence was no shock, as his collaborations with Falling in Reverse have helped bridge the gap between hip hop and metalcore, making him a natural fit for the tour. Tech, born Aaron Dontez Yates in Kansas City, Missouri, co-founded the independent powerhouse Strange Music in 1999 and has since built one of the most respected careers in hip hop. Known for his rapid-fire “chopper” style, theatrical personas and relentless touring, he has released more than twenty studio albums and remains one of the most successful independent rappers of all time.
He launched into the night with “Roll Call”, firing off verses with his trademark speed as the Pavilion lit up with raised hands. The energy surged during “Riotmaker” from Everready (The Religion) in 2006 and Straight Out the Gate from Something Else in 2013, before darkening with “Am I a Psycho?” from All 6’s and 7’s in 2011.
Midway through, a blistering drum solo shifted the momentum. Tech reemerged in a clown mask with a megaphone, unleashing “Blackened the Sun” from Anghellic (2001) and “E.B.A.H.” from his 2012 EP. It was the perfect showcase of what he calls “The King, The Clown, and The G.” The King commands the stage with authority, the Clown disrupts with chaotic theatrics, and the G grounds his music in gritty reality.
The crowd roared through the machine-gun delivery of “Midwest Choppers” (2007), “Worldwide Choppers” (2011) and “Speedom (Worldwide Choppers 2)” from Special Effects in 2015, each track reminding fans why Tech is considered one of the fastest rappers alive. The set then shifted into his party-ready side with “Caribou Lou” from Everready and “Hood Go Crazy” from Special Effects, both sung word-for-word by fans. By the time he closed with the relentless “Stamina” from Anghellic (2001), the Pavilion was buzzing, fully primed for the chaos that Falling in Reverse would soon unleash. The only question left hanging in the air was whether Tech N9ne would return to the stage later in the night to join Ronnie Radke for their explosive 2024 collaboration “Ronald.”
Wage War took the stage next, shifting the night’s energy back into full-throttle metal. The Ocala, Florida band, formed in 2010 under the name Empires, has steadily carved its place in modern metalcore since releasing their debut album Blueprints in 2015.
They opened with “Tombstone” before tearing into “NAIL5,” instantly whipping the Pavilion into motion. From there the set became a study in contrasts: “Godspeed” from Manic (2021) and “Low” from Pressure (2019) pulled the crowd into soaring choruses that were impossible not to sing, only to be snapped back into pit-thrashing chaos once the breakdowns hit. By the time “Circle the Drain” rang out, the Pavilion had become one massive choir, voices carrying the melody from the front rail all the way to the lawn.
The balance continued with the brutal punch of “Stitch” from Deadweight (2017), followed by “Blur,” where Briton Bond and Cody Quistad fed off one another’s vocals, trading screams and cleans in a way that blurred the line between melody and raw aggression. “The River,” another Deadweight cut, kept the crowd moving, proof that their older catalog still commands as much power as their newer hits.
As the night reached its fever pitch, Wage War unleashed “Magnetic” from their 2024 album Stigma. It is as catchy as it is crushing, with a chorus built to stick in your head long after the song ends. The Pavilion shouted back every word, swept up in a hook that felt arena-sized, while the breakdowns slammed hard enough to shake the stage.
They closed with the title track “Manic,” layering electronic grit over devastating riffs and ending with a final scream that echoed as the audience roared it back. Wage War showed why they’ve become one of metalcore’s most reliable live acts: they can deliver hooks that stick, breakdowns that devastate, and an intensity that never dips below one hundred.
Falling in Reverse closed the night the way only they can, with fire, chaos and full-blown spectacle. Before the band even stepped out, the screens lit up with a video of Donnie, Radke’s muppet alter ego, teasing the crowd that the band was not going to play at all. Fans laughed, some booed, and then the feed abruptly switched to live footage of the band walking toward the stage. The Pavilion erupted as the lights hit and the opening notes rang out.
Falling in Reverse launched straight into “Prequel,” immediately snapping the crowd into focus. “Zombified” followed, and then came “God Is a Weapon,” The Pavilion erupted as fans knew this was more than just another song, it was the mission statement of the entire night. The staging hit hard, but it was Ronnie’s voice that pushed the performance into another realm. Midway through the song, he slipped from snarling screams into an operatic, almost theatrical singing style that echoed across the venue. The switch was jarring in the best way, one moment pure aggression, the next soaring elegance, before crashing back down into guttural growls that rattled the floor.
“Trigger Warning” kept the pit swirling. When “I’m Not a Vampire” hit, it was pure time travel back to 2011, the Pavilion so loud that Ronnie’s voice nearly disappeared beneath the chorus of thousands. He smirked, letting the fans carry it. “Losing My Mind” from Coming Home (2018) turned into a massive clap-along, hands raised in rhythm, before “F*ck You and All Your Friends” sent fists and middle fingers into the air.
The visuals pushed everything over the top. Flames roared across the stage during “Bad Guy,” smoke poured during “The Drug in Me Is You,” and Ronnie leaned into the nostalgia, acknowledging just how far the journey had been. “Situations,” the Escape the Fate track he recorded years before Falling in Reverse, drew one of the loudest singalongs of the night. Ronnie told the Pavilion that anyone who could sing the entire song had been there since the beginning and knew his story. Then he spotted a kid in the front row holding a poster that read my first concert and grinned, calling it “adorable” before thanking the crowd for carrying his history forward with him.
The show carried into “Just Like You,” and Ronnie turned it into a full-on crowd moment. He told the Pavilion to raise their hands if they knew an Ahole, then told them to raise their hands if they were the Ahole. Middle fingers flew into the air, both onstage and in the pit, and the energy doubled when the video screens cut between the band and the crowd, showing kids and adults flipping off the camera while laughing and screaming along. It was not just a performance of the song, it was Ronnie pulling the audience directly into it and making the chaos feel communal.
Then came one of the night’s funniest twists. “All My Women” started with Donnie back on the big screen, Ronnie bantering with him before calling him down to help sing it. Moments later, Donnie appeared at the side of the stage with a microphone, and the Pavilion erupted. Fans laughed and cheered as Ronnie leaned into the bit, trading lines with his muppet alter ego while the crowd shouted the chorus back at them. It was equal parts absurd and unforgettable, a moment that showed how Falling in Reverse can twist humor into the chaos of their set.
From there the show rolled into “All My Life,” with Ronnie tossing on a cowboy hat and yelling “Yeehaw!” as the Pavilion echoed it right back. Momentum only grew as the band slammed into “NO FEAR,” followed by the heavy hitters “Popular Monster” and “Voices in My Head.” Both songs felt like communal release, every lyric shouted back at the stage, the band feeding off the raw energy radiating from the pit all the way to the lawn.
Then came the answer to the question left hanging since Tech N9ne left the stage earlier in the night. Would he come back out for “Ronald”? At the start of the song Ronnie leaned into the mic and asked, “What’s next?” The crowd immediately shouted “Ronald!” and he laughed, shocked. “How do you know that?” he cracked, before shifting into character: “Hi guys. Ronnie’s not here right now… you can talk to Ronald though.” Fire erupted across the stage as the track kicked in, Ronnie’s crushing screams melting faces. Just as his verse peaked, Tech N9ne walked onto the stage wearing a crown, right on cue for his part of the song. The Pavilion exploded as the two powerhouses commanded the stage, trading lines with unstoppable energy. Live, “Ronald” felt even bigger than the studio cut, a perfect collision of fire, fury and pure spectacle. For fans, it also felt like foreshadowing. The tour’s next leg will bring Slaughter to Prevail into the lineup, and their collaborations with Ronnie on “I’m Dead” and “Ronald” featuring Alex Terrible promise to push the chaos even further.
The chaos carried straight into “Watch the World Burn.” Before launching into the final assault, Ronnie paused, his voice cutting through the noise:
“Thank you. Put your hands in the fing sky for the last time tonight. Because this time, it means the most. You know why? Keep them up. Keep them up. You’re from New Hampshire. You have just joined the cult of Ronnie Fing Radke.”
The Pavilion erupted, reaching a fever pitch with the entire crowd screaming “WATCH THE WORLD BURN” back at the stage. Ronnie rolled it back and demanded they do it again, this time shifting his range into something almost operatic before plunging back into guttural growls. Fire shot from every section of the stage, leaving fans stunned, cheering, and in awe of the spectacle.
As the flames died down, Ronnie blurted, “Holy f**ing sht,” shaking his head at the sight of the packed Pavilion. He asked everyone to hold up their phones, the flashlights lighting the venue like a galaxy as the band snapped a photo with the glowing sea of fans behind them. Only then did Falling in Reverse launch into Queen’s “We Are the Champions.” Ronnie held a wrestling belt high in the air as thousands of voices carried the chorus, closing the night on a mix of gratitude, spectacle, and celebration.
Radke and Falling in Reverse put on a show. Ronnie’s range is an incredible thing to witness live, shifting from guttural screams to soaring cleans to operatic highs in the same breath. Radke works relentlessly to bring the vision in his head into reality on stage, and on this night, that vision roared to life in full force.
FALLING IN REVERSE
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WAGE WAR
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TECH N9NE
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SLEEP THEORY
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BANK NH PAVILION
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