Metalcore veterans The Devil Wears Prada made their way to NYC’s Palladium Theater on Friday, April 14th in support of August Burns Red’s 20th Anniversary Tour. Taking place several stories beneath the bustling Times Square, The Devil Wears Prada laid waste to the venue, delivering a ferocious set to a packed house.
The band are touring strong behind their excellent LP, Color Decay; released last September on Solid State Records, an album that arguably finds the band at their very best. From dynamic vocals, delivered via Mike Hranica’s iconic growl as well as melodic performances from several other band members, to the relentless riffs and creative breakdowns, it’s an LP that made its mark as one of the best metalcore records of 2022.
After bursting onto stage with opening track, and Color Decay highlight “Watchtower”, the band turned back the clock to perform “Danger: Wildman”, from 2009’s With Roots Above and Branches Below, followed by “Born To Lose”, from 2011’s Dead Throne. The two fan favorites sent the crowd into a frenzy, with waves of crowd surfers crashing towards the stage and mosh pits opening up on both floors of the multi-level theatre. The boys from Dayton harnessed the crowd’s energy and delivered it right back to them.
With more than half of the songs played coming from Color Decay, the band’s latest release played a big part in their performance. And playing those songs with such ferocity and passion, it was hard to imagine that they were not the headliners tonight. The raucous “Prada! Prada! Prada!…” chant from the crowd after another Color Decay highlight “Salt”, furthered that notion. Hranica paused for a moment here to convey the band’s appreciation to all of their fans who fought their way through the streets of Times Square to get to the show early.
Things slowed down a touch for the penultimate song of the set; the haunting ballad “Cancer”. Hranica strapped on a guitar for the song, leading a full-throated sing-along. Acknowledging they were about to play their last song, Hrancia implored the crowd to head bang along with them. As the main riff of “Sacrifice” dropped, the 2,000-capacity room head-banged in rhythm with the band as one big aggressive unit.
The Devil Wears Prada are slated to support the entirety of August Burns Red’s 20th Anniversary Tour, alongside Bleed From Within, which runs until early May in the United States before a short Canadian run. All three bands on the bill are a great draw but don’t miss the opportunity to catch The Devil Wears Prada, who are currently in the form of their lives.
