Avenged Sevenfold Life Is But A Dream… Concert: A Review

Sharing my concert experience of seeing Avenged Sevenfold on their Life is But A Dream.. Tour live at the Kia Forum on June 9th, 2023!

The Venue

When my sister & I arrived at the Forum, it was a very chill entrance since there wasn’t a crowd waiting for merchandise. At the merch tables, there was a wide range of items available (t-shirts, hoodies, wall flags, limited edition posters), all following the Life Is But A Dream… color scheme of beige and black, which I LOVED.

I bought a hoodie with all the Life Is But A Dream... artwork by artist, Wes Lang, screen printed all over the hoodie and it’s absolutely beautiful. There are even some parts of the hoodie that are misprinted with ink markings which I think looks very cool. All the grim reaper imagery in the album artwork is my favorite. (Artwork images are all credited to Wes Lang and Avenged Sevenfold)

After securing our stylish merch, we photographed all the wall art, including the sold-out concert signs at the Forum, which offered great photo opportunities on the pillar walls. Once inside, we realized how crowded and tightly packed it was, with fans everywhere. Despite being on the opposite side of the venue, we navigated through the crowds to reach our section quickly.

The Concert

We thought the concert started at 6:30 pm, but the opening acts actually took the stage at 7:00 pm. The first act, Co-defendants, was unfamiliar to me. Their set was extremely loud, which was different from my other concert experiences at the Forum and other venues. Despite wearing earplugs, my inner ears were already ringing during their performance. As a concertgoer, I usually research and approach artists with an open mind, but at that point, I was eager for them to finish their set. (sorry Co-defendants)

Falling In Reverse’s Set

The next opening act was Falling in Reverse, and I was actually surprised at how good it was. Having listened to Falling In Reverse since high school, I always wanted to see them live outside of festivals or really expensive events. Despite not keeping up with anything beyond their music (given Ronnie’s consistent controversies, Twitter fights and likely personal issues), their performance was absolutely breathtaking. (Author note since posting: I do not support Ronnie Radke)

They played twelve songs, which was unexpected for openers. The set featured newer singles and classic hits. The production was impressive, with stunning lights and clear audio. Newer singles included “Zombified,” “Voices In My Head,” and “Popular Monster” which I was extremely glad to finally hear live. Classic hits included I’m Not A Vampire,” “Raised by Wolves” and “The Drug In Me Is You.”

During their set, Falling In Reverse expressed gratitude to Avenged Sevenfold for the tour and musical support. In a recent TRAX podcast episode, Avenged Sevenfold’s lead singer, Matt, praised Falling In Reverse’s unique #1 singles and hinted at adopting a similar approach. Matt emphasized the importance of not imitating others’ success, stating “You don’t chase the ambulance.” Copying what someone else is successful at doesn’t always guarantee success for you. Avenged Sevenfold plans to find their niche by releasing singles more consistently.

Avenged Sevenfold’s Set

Around 9:30 pm, Avenged Sevenfold began with “Game Over” from Life Is But A Dream. Their setlist included sixteen songs, so it was a full-packed show from start to finish. In this part of the blog post, I’ll go over a few favorites I enjoyed hearing live.

Mattel

After “Game Over” came “Mattel” which followed their album track list. With the Barbie movie coming out next month, seeing “Mattel” on the track list was amusing. “Mattel” features lyrics with a theme that we’re all just in a toy world and that this world is, in fact, hell. Along with “Nobody,” this song stood out as exceptional, blending uniqueness with the Avenged Sevenfold sound. I loved the stage production imagery of burning down the toy houses & the concert was off to a great start.

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Hail To The King

Next, I was eternally grateful that I got to hear THE very song that made me an Avenged Sevenfold fan. Hail To The King starts with an intricate guitar riff leading into the first verse, and playing throughout the entire song. Every time I hear it, I tell myself I’m gonna learn how to play it. As one of the only songs they played from their Hail To The King album, this track stands out with 400M+ Spotify plays. (Yes, I did verify this statistic on Spotify)

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Buried Alive

Buried Alive also features another intricate intro by the guitarist, Syn Gates, which I also aspire to learn. As soon as his solo started on his solo, I thought “Wait I know this song!” and it didn’t fully register in my brain that I was about to hear Buried Alive live in person. The intro solo perfectly captures wandering without direction as the song approaches the first verse and Matt’s vocals kick in. I absolutely love it and can’t believe I can say I heard it live. Syn absolutely tore it up on the guitar in all his solos.

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The Stage

Avenged Sevenfold announced this song, by stating they couldn’t have a show without playing “The Stage.” It was the lead single on their 2016 album with the same name The Stage. At nearly 8.5 minutes long, it’s about how some lack critical thinking and just take everything they hear and see at face value. When I first heard it in 2016, I didn’t like it that much since it was so much different from their older sound. But now, it’s an absolute banger with lyrics such as “I found my heart for the first time and I awakened in me”.

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So Far Away

Honestly, if I could experience the entire concert again, I’d just want to hear this song another sixteen times. Avenged Sevenfold released “So Far Away” on their 2011 album Nightmare as a tribute to the band’s late drummer Jimmy ‘The Rev’ Sullivan who died in 2009. The lead singer, Matt, announced this song by sharing with the audience that the band is still close with Jimmy’s family and that they were even in the audience that night. “So Far Away” is a beautifully written song that truly captures the feelings of wanting to talk to someone who’s gone. It also captures coming to terms with going on with your life without them.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

A Little Piece of Heaven

I wish I could’ve recorded the shock on my face when I realized that they would play this honestly wild eight-minute song. It’s very creepy and dark with clown music samples since it was meant for a Halloween album in 2010. Without getting too graphic about the premise of the song, two people supposedly in love haunt each other after death over horrific things they did to one another. A point of the song I found hilarious was that it features background vocals and maniacal laughter from their late drummer, Jimmy and during the concert, the production on his vocals were so loud, it was wonderful.

My Review

I rate this concert a solid 8/10. This concert was the first night of the tour, which continues in July all the way through mid-October. High points just for the fact that the LA show was night one. One of the most shocking parts of the concert was that they have never played the Forum before. They’ve been a band since 1999, so I was shocked that this was the very first time they played this indoor venue. Also, high points for the setlist and every song was perfect like the studio versions. I rate it two points lower than absolute perfect because there were points in the concert where the audio blended together, so it was harder to hear the instruments.

If I could make my own dream setlist, I would’ve included “This Means War,” “Natural Born Killer”, “Scream” “God Damn” and “Coming Home” with a harder setlist. Those are songs that are more hidden gems to me, that Avenged Sevenfold either doesn’t play live, or it’s not a crowd favorite. So many rock publications & fans consider “This Means War” a Metallica “Sad But True” ripoff & although there are song similarities, I think Avenged Sevenfold’s song is still one that could get the crowd hyped up.

In the end, I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful concert. There are songs I would’ve added to my own setlist, but other than that it was a super fun & hype experience that I absolutely loved and am extremely grateful I got to experience it! Thank you Avenged Sevenfold for such an amazing event!