Unfortunately for them, it was out of their control. Vocalist/guitarist Matt Heafy even mentioned that if a few more people would stand up, they’d play better. I wish I could say more good things about the performance, but it simply wasn’t a comfortable experience for anyone in attendance. It was borderline painful as the speakers, or my ears one, we’re cracking and popping with the load. Trivium’s volume was so incredibly loud that people were actually heading to the lobby. Tonight though, that adage was blown away. You see, I live by the old adage that if it’s too loud, you’re too old. Their energy was infectious and their playing was spot-on. Trust me when I say it wasn’t the bands fault. In all honesty, it wasn’t until Black, roughly five songs into Trivium’s set that I saw much crowd involvement. That was not necessarily surprising, but it didn’t really correlate to the crowd reaction. I’d say a roughly 60/40 split in favor of Volbeat. Before their set, It was intriguing to see the crowd as it was a pretty decent mix of shirts. Clint Lowery from Sevendust was involved with the track Forget You. Several assured me they would dig deeper, especially after I told them that Mr. Yeah, the one in the band who just collectively kicked their ass. I was happy to share my insight on the band and also mention the kid behind the kit.

With my knowledge of Digital Summer, it seemed I was in the minority, as those around me began buzzing immediately after the set. Their energy was great and I’m certain they left Louisville with quite a few new fans. The band was fully aware of the tremendous opportunity they’ve been given and they gave every ounce of themselves to the Louisville crowd. Immediately their dedication to bringing a high energy set was obvious. Standing on risers, all lit in blue, the band played on as Kyle finally made his entrance. Starting off, the band took to the dimly lit stage playing an instrumental track sans vocalist Kyle Winterstein. Intrigued, I made sure I was there in plenty of time to see for myself, just what all the hype was about. If you follow the site, you may remember an interview we did with their 13-year old drummer Austin Rios. Starting things off were the Phoenix, AZ rockers Digital Summer. I for one was ready for things to heat up. In the most beautiful venue imaginable, Volbeat rolled into town with Trivium and Digital Summer in tow. That’s the situation I left outside the Louisville Palace.

Volbeat album anthology