Pop Evil return to the road with CD release show

Not many bands have risen to the top as quick as Pop Evil have. Sure, they’re set to release their fourth album this week, but their third album- Onyx­– spawned four no. 1 singles and took them to headline status and solidified them as a major player in the rock world. When you ask any major band who tours throughout the Midwest what some of their favorite venues are and 9/10 times, Piere’s Entertainment Center in Fort Wayne, Ind. will be near the top- if not at the top of their list. Most big names have come through the venue- Korn, Slash, Stone Sour, Hinder, Shinedown, Creed, Halestorm, Hollywood Undead, Anthrax, Slayer, Saliva, Hellyeah, Sebastian Bach and countless others have all played the legendary venue so it was a no brainer for Pop Evil to come back to Piere’s for the official release show for their fourth record- Up. They’ve played the venue numerous other times- most recently with Stone Sour in January 2014 on the House Of Gold And Bones Pt. 2 Tour and they brought Red Sun Rising and Screaming For Silence with them- Aranda was scheduled to play but had to cancel due to a health emergence. The show must go on, though, and that’s exactly how it went down. Screaming For Silence is out of Omaha, Neb. and they’ve been making a lot of noise this year- literally and figuratively. Back in May, they won the Ernie Ball Battle Of The Bands contest for a spot at Rock On The Range and Pop Evil took notice and rightfully so. With just a 30 minute set, they took full advantage of their time and worked the crowd into a frenzy. There’s no doubt Screaming For Silence left Fort Wayne with a grown fanbase. It wasn’t long before Red Sun Rising took the stage to keep the party going. Fresh off the release of their debut- Polyester Zeal– the band have been on the road for almost three years straight and shared the stage with Pop Evil last winter so they felt right at home. With Aranda unable to play, Red Sun Rising had room for a few more songs, which worked to their advantage, playing well over half of their debut album. When a band only has one album out and one that’s brand new, it can be hard for the crowd to get involved and feel comfortable but that wasn’t the case with RSR- they refused to let the crowd just sit idle, demanding every ounce of energy the crowd had. Red Sun Rising proved why Pop Evil keeps bringing them back on the road with them and showed that they are a band to watch and take seriously. If you missed them in Fort Wayne, they have numerous tours coming up and they’re playing this year’s Louder Than Life festival in Louisville this fall so catch them now. Before too long the lights went back down and Pop Evil took their place on stage for an hour-long set that was loaded with fan favorites and new songs as well. The band appeared on stage, entering from behind the stage and launched into “Last Man Standing” and “Goodbye My Friend” before introducing the Piere’s crowd to “Dead In The Water” from the now-released Up. With four albums out and this being their CD release show, they had to balance the number of new songs with the amount of hits and fan favorites and did so perfectly. Sure, there were a few songs they could have played but that’s always gonna be the case. Performance-wise, they were at the top of their game and a powerhouse as always. From the very onset of the set, they destroyed the crowd with the energy and adrenaline they had. The only downside was that frontman Leigh Kakaty seemed to be having some vocal problems. Rarely did he scream during the set and he utilized the diehard Pop Evil fans in the crowd, allowing them to sing more than he usually would. The band had to have been tired since they were plagued with travel issues all day- their bus broke down and the vehicle they got to pick them up also broke down so maybe it was just vocal strain and fatigue. It didn’t take away from the show, though. He quickly caught his stride and it was the Pop Evil show we’ve all come to know and love- complete adrenaline and maximized energy coming from the stage. What makes a Pop Evil show stand out from the rest of the shows isn’t just the energy the band gives out, but it’s also the energy and intensity the crowd gives right back. Some bands put on a show that’s worth going back to over and over and over again. Pop Evil are one of those bands. They ended the show with their lead single from Up in “Footsteps,” which made the crowd hit a second stride of adrenaline. It was like the show was just starting again and, in a lot of ways it was. From there they destroyed the rest of the fans with an encore of “Deal With The Devil” and “Trenches” to end the show. Pop Evil is back and their new music fits right into the show with the older material. Regardless of whether the show was loaded with all classic material or featured new songs- which it did- Pop Evil proved- as if you didn’t’ already know- that there’s a reason they’re one of the top rock bands coming up right now. -Reggie Edwards [lg_slideshow folder=\”2015/Pop Evil UP release show in Fort Wayne/Screaming For Silence/\”] [lg_slideshow folder=\”2015/Pop Evil UP release show in Fort Wayne/Red Sun Rising/\”] [lg_slideshow folder=\”2015/Pop Evil UP release show in Fort Wayne/Pop Evil/\”]