The Devil Wears Prada & Fit for a King Co-Headline at Palladium Times Square
The Devil Wears Prada brought their co-headline Metalcore Dropouts tour to Palladium Times Square in New York City on Friday, September 29th. They are co-headlining with Fit For A King, and many have said this is the tour of the Fall. I still remember when this tour was announced and how excited I and all my friends were.
There was a lot of flooding on Friday, with fans frantically asking whether the show will go on. There even was a state of emergency in New York. Public transportation was delayed and canceled, and many fans were still determining how they would make it. Luckily, the show continued, and I am so happy I could make the trip.
LANDMVRKS hit the stage first and is a band from France that fits the tour’s name of Metalcore that has been together for almost ten years. They do a great job bouncing around the stage and hyping the crowd. The frontman does a fantastic job of screaming and always puts his hands up. Their breakdowns were very unique and lasted long. I enjoyed how the band went from screaming a deep breakdown to doing clean vocals.
The band released a complete edition of their Lost in the Waves album last year. It had guest features from multiple artists and a complete live-stream set. They have amassed a significant following since releasing their first album, Hollow, in 2016. The band has toured worldwide and is an excellent addition to this tour.
Counterparts came on stage second and are a hardcore band from Canada with a hardcore sound and are no strangers to touring. Their set blew me away! They had a circle pit and mosh pit throughout, with crowd surfers. They explained the significance of their songs and definitely connected with the audience. While I had never heard their music or seen them live, I definitely would see them again!
The band dropped an album called A Eulogy for Those Still Here last year. They just finished a headlining tour this past summer. They have a unique sound and message for every one of their songs in the album. The lead singer, Brendan, explained that these songs are about saying goodbye while the person is still here. The band has been together since 2007, which is a very long time. This album is their best yet, and as a new fan, it was great to hear them play some live. They also played some older songs, which fans always love a mix of.
Fit For A King was up next, and they released their seventh album, The Hell We Create, last year. This album showcases experiences that they had during the pandemic. It was their most personal album yet. Their unique hardcore but metal sound hooked fans and kept them coming back. This album has such excellent artwork, and I was happy to see it as a banner behind the band. It really stands out compared to other band’s album artwork. One of their songs featured The Ghost Inside, which I love to see live.
The band had a stage presence unlike I had ever seen before. Their bassist jumped up multiple times, which made for some fantastic shots. He was also in the back swinging his guitar around at another point, which looked so cool. The lead singer, Ryan Kirby, felt passionate about the lyrics, making it easy to see his performance. Fit For A King is from Texas and was formed in 2011, so they have been together for over 10 years.
The Devil Wears Prada, or TDWP for short, came on last; it was the moment fans were waiting for. I overheard many fans saying they hoped that they were headlining this evening but weren’t sure because it’s a co-headliner. Thankfully, they were because while the other bands put on a great show, they are one of my favorite bands, and I was happy to have them close out the night.
TDWP has a unique sound because they combine screaming with clean vocals and uses keys, synths, and programming. The band has six members, which is more than your typical band. I’ve listened to them since 2005 and am impressed with their music. TDWP has such a distinct and individual sound, making them stand out. I’m so proud of how far the band has come and of their most recent album.
The lead singer, Mike Hranica, is such an excellent frontman. At one point, he pulled his shirt over the top of his head with a microphone in front of his face, which was funny. He acknowledged that we all traveled during a big storm with a lot of rain. He said that he hoped everyone got home safe. I overheard a fan say how happy she was that he acknowledged the weather. He also said there was a hard curfew, so instead of leaving the stage and returning for an encore, they would just play the song so they didn’t run out of time.
They played a mix of new and old songs, mainly from their Color Decay Deluxe album, which came out in May of this year. They also played songs from my favorite album, With Roots Above And Branches Below, which came out in 2009. I was shocked and excited when I heard them play Reasons, a new song featuring Excision and Wooli that came out this year. I love Excision’s music, even though it’s a different genre, so it’s cool to see and hear them collaborate.
The band also released a new EP around their newest single, "Salt," which came out in August and did multiple renditions. One was acoustic, another was with Dayseeker, and a third with Fairlane. I was happy they included the original one in their setlist for the tour.
They also played "Chemical" off their The Act album, which came out in 2019. This is an emotional song for many fans, and I even heard one say she would cry during it. "Outnumbered" is another favorite they played off their 2010 Zombie EP. The encore was "Hey John, What’s Your Name Again?" off their second album, which came out back in 2007, called Plagues.
Overall, this tour was excellent and worth facing the bad weather for. I’m sure every fan who attended would agree they would do it all over again. Make sure to get tickets to the tour here. It’s selling fast!
