By: jhs5150

Once proud for making the world-famous Hershey bar and other chocolate treats, the town of Hershey (otherwise known as “Chocolatetown, USA”) is now better known for its theme parks and roller coasters. When you’ve got street names like “Chocolate Avenue” and “Cocoa Avenue” and street lights made to look like Hershey’s Kisses, it not hard to see why the transition from manufacturing to entertainment was a natural choice. Like scenes from “Willy Wonka”, this is a confection lovers Disneyland. Taking a thrill ride doesn’t have to be on a rollercoaster, however. The Giant Center, located on the outskirts of town is the site of semi-pro hockey, baseball games and concerts, one of which was the Avenged Sevenfold concert I attended on May 8.

Like the transition over the years from wooden to steel coasters, A7X (as they are commonly known) blends a bit of old school metal and hard rock with modern riffs and pyrotechnics to match; the result is incendiary. Having been newly introduced to this band in the last year, I did not know their history or their catalog other than their most recent album: Hail to the King, so I was in for a bit of a thrill ride myself.

As if taking us up that first steep incline before the first big rush of adrenaline, the stage is at first pitch dark, only lit by a few subtle white lights and fans with cell phone cameras before a row of flames is lit from one end of the stage to the other as the band launches into “Shepherd of Fire”; a dark, gothic anthem that harkens back to the early metal gods such as Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. Replete with pyrotechnics, church bells, skeletons come-to-life behind steel bars in the roman arches on either side of the stage and gothic imagery, your senses come alive as the band tears into the song. A searing guitar solo by one of rocks newest guitar heroes — “Synyster” Gates in the middle of the song, reaches right down inside your soul for that “Hell Yeah” feeling that by all rights should be that first gut-wrenching emotion you feel when you hear a hard rock bands’ first song of the night.

Then, as if giving a brief rest before the first hairpin turn, the singer, M. Shadows addresses the masses before they tear into the second song of the night — Critical Acclaim. This is an in-your-face thrash aimed at power mongers and oligarchs that prey on the world’s youth to fight their wars and do their bidding. It’s intense and the song reflects it.

Next, feeling as through you are going a series of loops meant to catch you off guard, their third song — Welcome to the Family is a song about disenfranchised youth. Clearly a song from the band’s angry earlier days, as a live song their singer uses it to do just what the song title suggests – indoctrinate you into the A7X family. Shadows asks before the song, “Who here is new to the Avenged Sevenfold family?” Clearly there is a message here – you are not alone, you have others in your presence that stand with you and since you are here now, you are a friend forever. Stirring one’s sense of belonging is a powerful emotion and with this little gesture Shadows attempts to both grab your attention and your loyalty, then solidifies that bond which can never be broken; in effect, making you a A7X “gang member.” Of course this is all rock and roll theatrics but the inference is clear.

Ripping in the fourth song – “Hail to the King” from the new album, the band keeps you engaged with your arms in the air, high above your head while you shout “Hail” as the thrill ride continues. This is a straight ahead rock and roll anthem, complete with the twin guitar harmonies and a classically influenced guitar solo that would make Bach proud.   The fist pumping chants with the sounds of power chords and staccato marching sound of the rhythm guitars make this a stirring opus. This song is probably my favorite of the set list and the new album. Did it get our blood pumping? You betcha!

After that last burst of adrenaline, the band slows things down a bit to give you a chance to catch your breath by doing something I found entirely unique and touching and showed how this group truly is a fan friendly band. Being new to their shows I was not aware that they often will take a fan out of the audience and actually let him/her play or sing a song with the band. As I listened to Shadows talk to a member of the audience whom he found wanted to go onstage to play a song called “Holy Confessions”. He promised that they will play the song later and that he would in fact have him come up and play on the song. Sure enough, a few songs later he brought him up on stage. In a scene that seemed right out of the movie “Rock Star”, guitarist Gates gave him his guitar to play and calmly sat on the steps leading to the drum kit and the band launched into it, and damned if the kid (Steve from Philly, as he called himself) didn’t nail the song (see video.) I was duly impressed and so was the rest of the band. Here was this pudgy, nerdy kid from Philadelphia whose love for the songs of A7X obviously so touched a nerve with him that he learned all of the songs, most probably (I know because I learned the entire Def Leppard Pyromania album, back in the day), and was so inspired that he learned this one exactly. This is no small feat, mind you. He played the solo to the song too and while I was not familiar with the song, the reaction from the crowd obviously meant he played it correctly and with fervor. What a rush!

The band keeps you going though more twists, turns and loops as they run through more songs from the set list such as Doing Time, Buried Alive, Fiction and Nightmare. The entire set list can be found here: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/avenged-sevenfold/2014/giant-center-hershey-pa-4bc37fea.html

Just about the time you are ready for that final drop before the end of the ride, the band played two encores, led by another bone-crusher in an etude called “This Means War”, about the stark realism of war — in all of its ugliness, and “A Little Piece Of Heaven” — a tongue-in-cheek story about the twists and turns in relationships.

And so, the band brings us full circle, as we headed for the turnstiles feeling drained both physically and emotionally yet somehow wanting to go back for more.

It all made for one sweet ride. Get it? Sweet… chocolate… roller coasters? Nevermind…

Shepherd Of Fire – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIYAgPf7X88

Hail To The King – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVTUunhnvvE

This Means War – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe3XbXUqJ4k

Unholy Confessions featuring “Steve from Philly” –

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Footnote: Prior to the band’s playing of the song Fiction, Shadows led the band with a monologue about the passing of their drummer, Jimmy (The Rev.) Sullivan in 2009 due to a drug overdose. Fiction was the last song Sullivan contributed on and it was a stirring homage to the loss of their friend and bandmate. R.I.P Jimmy.