Volbeat have been growing in popularity over the last 10 years or so, at a rapid pace and their latest record- God of Angels Trust has already spawned a few hits, and their summer tour with Halestorm and The Ghost Inside recently hit Noblesville’s Ruoff Music Center for The Greatest of All Tours.
The Ghost Inside have crossed over into a whole new level of popularity with their latest single- “Wash It Away” making noise on Sirius XM’s Octane and the Indiana fans showed up early to make sure they saw the band.
The band acknowledged that a lot of fans may not be familiar with them yet, but they won over them over quickly with a heavy set that showed the band genuinely appreciative of the fans who were singing and screaming along to every song. They were the perfect choice to open up the tour.
Halestorm were up next and, with their latest record- Everest having just released a few weeks before the show, the band had a lot of new material for fans and they balanced it well with the Halestorm classics that so many fans have grown to love.
Eight of the band’s 14-song set were new tracks, including set opener “Everest” and fans acted like they had known the songs for years, singing along to every word. Lzzy Hale lurked around the stage while screaming with ferocity but also hypnotizingly serenading the crowd at the same time.
Halestorm always sounds flawless onstage and this show was no exception.
Finally, it was time for Volbeat to hit the stage. As the dramatic, cinematic music played over the PA, the band walked onstage and ripped into “The Devil’s Bleeding Crown,” and the crowd began chanting back at the band to the cadence of the song.
They played just enough new material from their new album to keep it fresh and fun, while sprinkling in the Volbeat classics at just the right time.
The band was full of jokes too, mentioning that they didn’t just use Johnny Cash for inspiration, they just stole “Folsom Prison Blues” to make “Sad Man’s Tongue,” which they played early in the set. Singer Michael Paulsen had an acoustic guitar on stage and asked the fans what they wanted to hear, joking that he couldn’t play Slayer with the acoustic.
Fans were chanting, singing, fist-pumping and more in the crowd from start to finish and making sure they turned the show into the heavy metal party of the summer.
-Reggie Edwards