Avenged Sevenfold – Target Center – Minneapolis, MN – April 21, 2014

AEG Live and Target Center presents Avenged Sevenfold with special guests, Hellyeah.

Avenged Sevenfold opens their US tour in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Target Center on April 21, 2014.  Their newest tour, the “Shepherd of Fire Tour” promotes their newest album, “Hail to the King”, which spawned chart topping singles such as, “This Means War” and “Hail to the King”.

Hellyeah opens the tour, a band that has a considerably different tone than that of Avenged Sevenfold, making it an interesting opening choice.  The crowd seems more of an Avenged Sevenfold one, as they barely move to the Hellyeah set, one that normally draws incredibly large circle mosh pits and head banging to no end.  Vinnie Paul, of Pantera fame, is, as always, amazing.  Hellyeah plays an astonishing set, a metal head’s delight, one that we wish could last longer.

The stage show for Avenged Sevenfold is something that words cannot describe.  They open with “Shepherd of Fire” and the curtains drop to reveal a stage with a backdrop of church ruins.  Within the ruins are animated dancing skeletons.  As the music progresses, numerous pyrotechnics are used, shooting flames across the stage, behind the drum kit, and into the air.  Halfway into the set, a large mechanical skeleton is revealed above the center of the stage, staring down on the band and crowd.  The background of the stage continues to change throughout the evening, making for a memorable experience for any audience member.

The most moving moment of the evening came when the mention of The Rev’s name came up.  The band proceeded to play the song, “Fiction”, a track that included his vocals, which were illuminated through the PA.  M. Shadows informs the audience that the band keeps the tapes of The Rev singing the song with them on their tours so they can always keep him with them.  This proclamation resounds in a deafening chant of, “Rev! Rev! Rev!” from an audience holding lighters while watching a slideshow of numerous photos of The Rev while the somber song plays.

Immediately thereafter, the band picks up the set with “Nightmare”, a much faster an upbeat number.  It boosts the overall feel after “Fiction” and starts the fun again.  As the night continues, the band pauses for a moment to accept an award from Revolver, an award that is handed off to a lucky fan in the crowd, “…that guy with the tattoo on his arm…”.  It’s a great moment of the show, as it shows how much the band loves their fans.

The evening closes with two encores, “Unholy Confessions” and “A Little Piece of Heaven”.  The band is just as eager to return to Minneapolis as we are to have them back by the time the curtain closes.  If we can get a show that is half as good from them the next time they visit, it will still be nothing short of fantastic.

Set List: Shepherd of Fire – Critical Acclaim – Bat Country – Hail to the King – Doing Time – Buried Alive – Fiction – Nightmare – Burn It Down – Guitar Solo – Afterlife – Chapter Four – This Means War – Unholy Confessions – A Little Piece of Heaven