'The Beautiful Human Tour' feat Escape the Fate, Slaves, Set to Stun, Picturesque, Famous La

The Beautiful Human Tour, featuring co-headliners Escape The Fate and Slaves, kicked off at Vinyl Las Vegas on September 6th. In support was a trio of bands that truly complemented the headliners: Set To Stun, Picturesque, and Famous Last Words. Silence Speaks and A Perfect Being, Vegas metal scene regulars, were added to round out the lineup. These two bands can be seen at local venues on a regular basis and have strong followings. They had the task of warming up the crowd and did the job admirably, ramping up the venue with their metalcore sound, and getting the room moving. A Friend, A Foe vocalist, Juan Gutierrez, made a special guest cameo during A Perfect Being's set, and his appearance drew loud cheers from the crowd as he traded off vocal duties with APB singer Danny Acenas.

Set To Stun are a self proclaimed "three-piece sci-fi-post-hardcore band from Southern California", with Damien Wong on Vocals/Guitar, Taylor Wong on Bass/Vocals, Marcus Molina on Drums. Without the limitations of genre, their music and high energy live show has gathered a devoted cult following. Tour experience has included "playing main stages at festivals across the country such as South By So What, Unsilent Night, and even spots on Vans Warped Tour" (via the band's Facebook page). Their vocalist, Damien, is a wildly energetic front man who is all over the place, jumping over the rail to run through the crowd, writhing around on his back while jamming on his guitar, or bending over backward singing while down on his knees. He certainly garners a lot of attention and is extremely entertaining. I can see why this band has a 'cult following'.

Set to Stun Photos from Randy Udell / R U Rocking' Photos

Picturesque is a rock band from Lexington, Kentucky, and they were next to fill the stage, with Kyle Hollis on Vocals, Dylan Forrester on Guitar, Zach Williamson on Guitar, and Jordan Greenway on Bass. While this band was new to me, they obviously were familiar to many in the venue. As I watched the crowd in the front and center I could see that everyone was singing along loudly, and knew every word to every song being played. They play a very progressive style of rock, and singer Kyle Hollis has an incredible, high-pitched voice that carries well over their hard-hitting sound. This is a band that I will continue to follow and I certainly hope that they make it around to Vegas again.

Picturesque Photos from Randy Udell / R U Rocking' Photos

Famous Last Words followed Picturesque, and was another pleasant surprise for me. They are a post-hardcore band from Michigan, known for creating concept style albums, and feature JT on Vocals, Craig Simons on Drums, Tyler Myklebust on Guitar, Matthew Bell on Bass, and Evan Foley on Guitar. I have always enjoyed bands that do this concept approach (as long as it is done well), and it seems that Famous Last Words is a band that executes it quite well. Their first full-length album, Two Faced Charade (2013), is a great example of this. In fact, it was so well done and well-received, that the band decided to make it into a short film, with singer JT in the lead role. Quite an interesting way to expand on the original storyline. JT is another singer with fantastic high-pitched, melodic vocals, that often end in deep, guttural screaming. Again, there was a large contingent in front of the stage who knew every word of every song, and for good reason. These guys rock!

Famous Last Words Photos from Randy Udell / R U Rocking' Photos

Slaves is another American post-hardcore band, formed in Sacramento, CA.(2014) They are fronted by a very talented singer with a troubled past, Jonny Craig, along with Colin Vieira on bass, Weston Richmond on guitar, Felipe Sanchez on guitar, and Zack Baker on drums. While it seems that Craig has tamed his inner demons, it has done nothing to diminish his powerful and passionate vocals. This guy has a mind-blowing vocal range and if you have not had the opportunity to hear him sing live then you are missing out on something truly special. Slaves is a quality musical group and Craig's voice is worth the price of admission on its own. They put on a great performance and showed that they are more than worthy to co-headline such a solid lineup, and share top-billing with the well-established Escape The Fate.

Slaves setlist:

Burning Our Morals Away

Fire Down Below

Let This Haunt You

Patience

Warning From My Demons

True Colors

I Know A Lot Of Artists

My Soul Is Empty And Full Of White Girls

I'd Rather See Your Star Explode

The Pact

Slaves Photos from Randy Udell / R U Rocking' Photos

Escape The Fate had the honor of closing out this first night of The Beautiful Human Tour. They are an American rock band from Pahrump/Las Vegas and got their start back in 2005, and feature Robert Ortiz on Drums, Craig Mabbitt on Lead Vocals, Kevin "Thrasher" Gruft on Guitar/Vocals, TJ Bell on Guitar/Vocals, and Erik Jensen on Bass. Kicking off this tour in their hometown was an obvious choice, and Vinyl at the Hard Rock was the perfect venue for it. Small and intimate enough to feel like a club, but large enough to handle the large following that they have accumulated over the years. Tonight they chose to kick off their set with a new song from their recent 2018 release I Am Human, titled "Beautifully Tragic". They immediately followed that up with one of their most popular songs from their self-titled 2010 release, "Gorgeous Nightmare", then jumped back to I Am Human for another new track, "Do You Love Me". They made it clear from the start that they were there to showcase their new music, playing a total of 7 tracks from I Am Human. Vocalist Mabbitt really commanded the stage from start to finish, and seemed to be truly enjoying himself. I don't think his engaging smile ever left his face. I was really impressed by ETF on this night. From Mabbitt's presence and strong lead vocals, to TJ's backing vocals, Kevin's ripping guitar skills, and Robert's energetic drumming, they put on an outstanding performance.

Escape The Fate setlist:

Beautifully Tragic

Gorgeous Nightmare

Do You Love Me

Remember Every Scar

On To The Next One

Empire

I Am Human

One More Light (Linkin Park)

If Only

Ashley

Just A Memory

Digging My Own Grave

Ungrateful

This War Is Ours

Broken Heart

One For The Money

Escape the Fate Photos from Randy Udell / R U Rocking' Photos

The Beautiful Human Tour is off and running with dates all over North America. It is a brilliant lineup with some of the most talented vocalists in post-hordcore today. If you are lucky enough to catch one of their shows you are definitely in for a treat.

Thurs Sept 6 – Las Vegas, NV – Vinyl at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

Fri Sept 7 – Ponoma, CA – The Glasshouse

Sat Sept 8 – Fresno, CA – Strummer’s

Sun Sept 9 – Sacramento, CA – Holy Diver

Tues Sept 11 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex

Wed Sept 12 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theater

Thurs Sept 13 – Merriam, KS – Aftershock

Fri Sept 14 – Indianapolis, IN – Emerson Theater

Sat Sept 15 – Grand Rapids, MI – The Stache at Intersection

SunSept 16 – Joilet, IL – The Forge

Tues Sept 18 – Columbus, OH – Skully’s Music Diner

Wed Sept 19 – Lakewood, OH – The Foundry