Falling in Reverse rocked through Hartford, Connecticut Sunday night, bringing their “God Is A Weapon” tour to a packed crowd at XFINITY Theatre, proving that they’re still a force to be reckoned with in the rock scene.
Point North opened the show; the California pop-punkers started off the night with energetic bops like the heavy-hitting track “Bring Me Down,” as well two smash-hit collaborations: “Into The Dark” with Sleeping with Sirens’ Kellin Quinn and “Safe And Sound” with The Ghost Inside.
Rap-rock group Hollywood Undead followed, bringing their nostalgic, party-rock energy to the show. Throughout their set, each took turns on vocals, rapping and screaming along to newer tracks like “Riot” and their latest single, “SAVIOR.” At one point, they brought up a fan from the crowd to play along on guitar — after cheekily noting, “you suck.”
They transported the crowd back to 2008 with Swan Songs‘ cult-classic fan-favorites “Everywhere I Go” and “Undead.” A special touch: a rock rendition of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.”
Slaughter to Prevail came out swinging, donning horror masks as vocalist Alex Terrible belted out guttural screams to “Banditos.” Their set continued with insane, powerful riffs as all members simultaneously headbanged to tracks “Baby Yaga” and “Kid of Darkness.” The deathcore group delved into “Viking” for arguably the heaviest song of the night; Terrible went back and forth between high and low screams.
Terrible thanked the crowd for sticking around and supporting their band for all these years, noting he’s here today “because of you.”
“I’m 42 but still feel like a fucking kid,” he told the crowd.
The deathcore group ended their set with “Demolisher.” Even Terrible was feeling the heaviness of the riffs; he played air-guitar in-between screams, letting the energy of the room sink-in.
As the lights went down low once more for the night, Falling in Reverse frontman Ronnie Radke’s puppet Donnie appeared on the screen onstage, telling the crowd to buckle up for a show of their lives. The screen cut to Radke backstage, preparing for the set.
When Radke appeared, a certain presence filled the air as the words rang out to “Prequel” — the first track of his 2025 record Popular Monster. “I admit I’m a little strange / I don’t think that I’ll ever change / I survived a whole life of pain / you can say I Escaped My Fate,” he sang, paying homage to his former band. The track — just as its name suggests — set a prequel for the night ahead, touching on people hating behind his back, his unapologetic attitude, and a “broken system” that is “post-traumatic.”
Radke continued with the smash-hit “ZOMBIFIED,” sending flames dancing across the stage as he walked back and forth, belting out the catchy chorus. He continued to show-off his vocal range with “God Is A Weapon,” the newly-released track with Marilyn Manson. He simply stood in place and sang out the sultry lyrics: “My sinful confession / you’re my obsession” as smoke surrounded him. The entire performance felt ethereal.
While Falling in Reverse delved into their new hits off Popular Monster like the rap/nu-metal inspired “Bad Guy” and “NO FEAR,” Radke made sure to bring back the nostalgia with 2011’s “The Drug In Me Is You” and “I’m Not A Vampire,” as well as 2017’s “Fuck You And All Your Friends.” He told the crowd to put their hands up “if they’re an asshole” for 2015’s “Just Like You,” sending the pit into dance mode for the catchy, pop-punk hit.
“All that PTSD, depression, anxiety you have, you leave that shit here,” Radke told the crowd, and asked them to light up the amphitheater with their phone flashlights.
He delved into “Popular Monster,” reciting, “My doctor tries to tell me that I’m going through a phase / yeah, it’s not a fucking phase, I just wanna feel okay, okay?”
The general admission area on the floor was packed to the brim, seats were filled, and the lawn stretched wide across XFINITY Theatre, packing the entire venue. Radke has recently been criticized by publications for alleged low sales — which he has abhorrently refuted — though looking around, it seemed that the gig was nearly sold-out.
“Thank you for the support for 20 years,” Radke told the crowd. “I’ve been through a lot, everyone has, but I appreciate you for streaming my songs, buying merch, buying tickets, and supporting me online.”
He alluded to the next track, “Voices in My Mind,” followed by the heaviest track on Popular Monster, “Ronald.” The song delves into rap with a Tech N9ne feature, as well as screams by Slaughter to Prevail’s Terrible. The deathcore frontman joined Radke on stage and the two synchronized, head-banging side by side.
The night rightfully ended with “Watch The World Burn.” The track perfectly displays Radke’s versatility; he quickly raps “I actually battle my demons and shadows / they swim in the deep, and they creep in the shadows” before a spoken word segment: “I got people that don’t like me in the industry / I can feel your energy, you are not a friend to me.” Then, the track builds-up with gutturals and high screams to a single moment that encompassed the entire crowd: “Watch the world burn.”
Radke proved that after all these years, he’s still bringing in thousands of fans to a show; from the early, pop-punk days to the newer, heavier sounds, his versatility continues to serve him — and only make him more successful as an artist. He said it himself perfectly: “If you can sell this many tickets in rock, you’ve made it.”
