Love was in the air on this Valentine’s Day evening at the vintage Portage Theater in Chicago, IL. Snuggled in a small corner of the main floor next to the pit was an oddly placed VIP section that was set up with tables and a candle in the middle for those lovers who were in attendance. It was safe to say that this was a night where virtually no lovers who took advantage of the quaint set up but it was a nice little ambiance for the show that was about to take place.
Tonight’s show was headlined by metal gods Devildriver and supporting them on the bill were Death Angel, Winds of Plague, The Agonist and Azreal. Talk about a show that should have been billed as the 2017 Valentine’s Day Massacre.
The first two bands hit the stage early as fans started to make their way into the cavernous Theater, Azreal who hail from Australia and The Agonist who call Montreal Canada home put on wicked performances for the early attendees.
Third on the bill was the Los Angeles California metal lords Winds of Plague. As the band emerged beneath the dimly lit stage the heavy rifts began. Lead singer Johnny Plague and his daunting stage presences slays on the mic belting out favorites “Open the Gates of Hell”, “Left For Dead” and “California”. His intensity brings out the best in their live show and gets the circle pit to join in his feverish energy.
Death Angel then brought the passion. thrashing around on stage and making sure the masses enjoyed what was presented in front of them as the band gave them what they wanted.
Headlining the show was DevilDriver. If the throng of fans weren’t throwing themselves around the pit prior to this set or head banging, they certainly were during the final awe- inspiring performance. These guys have been at it for years and they sure aren’t slowing down anytime soon.
Tonight’s celebration of love, well actually the love of metal was in full effect, bringing together a genre of newer and established acts and melting the faces of those who witnessed the event.
