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Photo by Tommy Mann Jr.

Metal quintet Five Finger Death Punch, featuring vocalist Ivan Moody, at left, and guitarist Zoltan Bathory, returned to Beaumont for the first time since 2011 with a spectacular 16-song, 85-minute set of hard rock and metal to the roaring approval of several thousand fans this past Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, inside Ford Park Arena in Beaumont.

The Record

For the better part of four-and-a-half hours on Sunday night (Nov. 10, 2019), several thousand hard rock and heavy metal music fans enjoyed what could arguably be classified as the best rock show in Southeast Texas this year.

Metal titans Five Finger Death Punch returned to Southeast Texas on Sunday, for the first time in eight years, as the band continues touring in support of its May 2018 release, “And Justice for None.” The tour, which began Nov. 1 in Las Vegas, includes fellow rock acts Three Days Grace, Bad Wolves and Fire From the Gods.

Five Finger Death Punch hit the stage at full throttle and didn’t let up once during its spectacular 16-song, 85-minute long set of tremendous hits, such as “Wash It All Away,” “Sham Pain,” an acoustic version of “Wrong Side of Heaven,” and “Under and Over It,” and fantastic covers “Bad Company,” “Blue on Black,” and “Gone Away.”

As if the music wasn’t good enough, the stage production included easily the best light show in Southeast Texas for all of 2019 with multi-color laser lights, huge amounts of pyrotechnics and even confetti bombs mid-set.

With the show being held prior to Veterans’ Day, patriotism was on full display from the bands and the fans, and Ivan Moody, the charismatic vocalist of Five Finger Death Punch was no exception as he expressed how privileged he, and those in attendance, are to live in a country where you are able to make your own choices, speak your mind and vote your conscious.

Moody and company were in fine form all night and full of smiles between songs, when not snarling full-on metal-style during songs, and it was obvious the band was enjoying being on stage in Southeast Texas, as Moody referenced from a conversation he had with a fan during the pre-show meet and greet.

“I was talking to a fan backstage and that person asked me ‘why not Houston?’” Moody told the audience in reference to performing in Beaumont instead of the much larger Houston market. “Look around you. This is why,” he exclaimed with arms wide and a smile as the crowd roared with approval.

Hopefully, based on the turnout and overall feel of the show, Five Finger Death Punch will not wait another eight years to return to the area.

Rock act Three Days Grace served as main support for the show and wasted little time with banter and got right to the heart of the matter with a dazzling 10-song, 50-minute set of rock hits. This quarter has a ton of songs which can still be heard on rock radio daily and nearly each one was performed this night.

The band opened the show with “The Mountain,” a song from the group’s March 2018 release, “Outsider,” and then went back to its 2003 self-titled debut record with a performance of the song, “Home.”

After that it was full steam ahead as the band broke out the big hits to a chorus of thousands with popular tunes “The Good Life,” “Break,” “Animal I Have Become” and “Never Too Late.” Great lighting and a strong stage presence combined with great songs are why this four-piece unit can still headline arenas as well.

Los Angeles-based metal act Bad Wolves made its first trip to the Beaumont-area, and the band quickly met the approval of those who had arrived early. Whether it’s full-on metal or a great radio hard rock tune, this band covered the bases and did it well.

Vocalist Tommy Vext was in fine form and full of energy as he regularly sprinted the width of the stage during songs, while never missing a note. He also displayed his patriotic spirit and suggested, in a bit of an expletive-laden rant that was met with roars of approval, that those who aren’t proud to be American citizens leave the country as soon as possible, and also thanking those who have served in the armed forces of the United States of America.

The group performed songs from its new album, “N.A.T.I.O.N.,” released in October, such as “No Messiah,” “Killing Me Slowly” and “I’ll Be There,” as well as songs from its debut record “Officer Down” and The Cranberries cover, “Zombie,” which the audience sang word-for-word with Vext while lighting the arena with cell phones.

A pleasant surprise by the group was an all-too-brief inclusion of the song “Chop Suey” by System of a Down.

Vext also spoke about mental health and being kind to one another and how a small gesture can make a huge difference in someone’s day. Kudos!

The Austin-based band “Fire From the Gods” opened the show with a brutal and entertaining 30-minute set. Although the majority of fans who arrived early may have been unfamiliar with the band, it didn’t take long for A.J. Tanner and company to win them over. Hopefully this band will make a return appearance to Southeast Texas very soon.

Five Finger Death Punch setlist

Lift Me Up

Trouble

Wash It All Away

Jekyll and Hyde

Sham Pain

Bad Company (Bad Company cover)

Got Your Six

Wrong Side of Heaven

Battle Born

Blue on Black (Kenny Wayne Shepherd cover)

Coming Down

Never Enough

Burn MF

Gone Away (The Offspring cover)

Under and Over It

The Bleeding

Three Days Grace setlist

The Mountain

Home

The Good Life

Painkiller

Break

Pain

I Hate Everything About You

Animal I Have Become

Never Too Late

Riot