Killswitch Engage
Killswitch Engage + Exodus + San Francisco … a potent combination for sure. Throw in a couple of recent stellar releases from each band and a crazy opener in Unearth (who unfortunately skipped their customary on-stage beer bong this time around) and the Regency Ballroom didn’t stand a chance.
The Thursday night crowd was somewhat light but arrived early and brought their energy for Exodus’s hometown set which featured Gary Holt (who’s been doing double-duty with Slayer) back on guitar. The pit consumed most of the floor throughout the brief but pummeling set which was highlighted by Blood In, Blood Out, The Toxic Waltz and Strike of the Beast which closed out the set.
It takes a brave and confident band to have Exodus support them on tour, much less in their hometown of San Francisco. Would the crowd, and more importantly, Killswitch Engage be up to the challenge? San Francisco music fans can be fickle so this was only going to go one of two ways. but as KSE took the stage at 10 pm to My Curse, it became quickly clear that both the band and the audience were up to the task.
Guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, looking like he was dressed for some calisthenics and ever light on his toes, hopped and bounced across the stage as vocalist Jesse Leach unleashed. The opposite side of the barricade? Fists in the air, voices singing loudly and a return of the pit that had swallowed much of the floor for Exodus. Evidently, there was plenty of energy left to rampage through the full set. A band like Killswitch wouldn’t have it any other way, in fact they demand it!
Setlist:
- My Curse
- Strength of the Mind
- Beyond the Flames
- Alone I Stand
- This Fire Burns
- Rose of Sharyn
- The New Awakening
- This Is Absolution
- A Bid Farewell
- Numbered Days
- Hate by Design
- Always
- Until The Day I Die
- My Last Serenade
- The End of Heartache
- In Due Time
Supporting acts: Exodus | Unearth
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