Louder Than Life day two was a sold-out day full of incredibly talented artists and crazy performances. Around 5 p.m. on the Main Stage, it was announced that My Chemical Romance would headline next year’s Louder than Life as well as Sonic Temple in Columbus. The University of Louisville Cardinal Marching Band came out to play a rendition of the band’s famous song “Welcome to the Black Parade.” The announcement ended with seven planes flying over the Kentucky Exposition Center. Headliners of the day included Avenged Sevenfold, Breaking Benjamin, Sleep Token, Spiritbox, All Time Low, and Hollywood Undead.
Florida-based heavy metal band Nonpoint were second to perform on Main Stage 1. The band consists of founders Elias Soriano on vocals and drummer Robb Rivera, as well as rhythm guitarist Rasheed Thomas, bassist Adam Woloszyn, and lead guitarist Jaysin Zeilstra. The band began their musical journey back in 1997 and has continued to create music since. The band had the crowd rocking and crowd surfing all thru the set especially during “What A Day.”
Static-X, an industrial metal band brought their unique techno metal beats to Main Stage 1. Lead vocalist Edsel Dope AKA Xer0 wore his signature white mask and mohawk made of wires as he sang out his harsh vocals while strumming on a red guitar. The band is celebrating the 25th anniversary of their debut album Wisconsin Death Trip and has released a limited-edition box set that features art and media that has never been publicly shown. Visually this was one of the best of the day with a giant pumpkin head and franken-static appearing onstage throughout the set.
Pop rock band PVRIS is one of the few rock groups with a woman, Lynn Gunn, as its lead vocalist. Women in the crowd created an all-girls circle pit to the bands’ hardcore electronic sounds. The band performed songs that included “Good Enemy” and “Animal.” Their fourth and latest album Evergreen was released in 2023. They are currently celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their debut BP-Gold certified album White Noise.
Juggalos and juggalettes in face paint dominated the crowd as Insane Clown Posse took to the main stage mid-afternoon in their signature getup, splashing buckets and bottles of Faygo all over the audience. Their set included all the usual chaos of an ICP concert and included 12 songs with multiple Faygo breaks. Fans continuously crowd surfed to popular songs “Hokus Pokus,” “In My Room,” and “Boogie Woogie Wu.” There is never a dull moment during an ICP show.
Mudvayne returned to the LTL stage with lead singer Chad Gray dressed in blood covered baggy overalls, a blue mohawk, and white face paint with a fake bullet hole on his forehead. The band rocked out to many songs from their debut album L.D. 50, which is celebrating its 25 year anniversary. The band also performed a high-energy run through of their new song “Hurt People Hurt People.”
We had to go check out one of our favorite female harsh vocalist Courtney LaPlante of Spiritbox on Main Stage 2. They opened with the heavy song “Fata Morgana,” LaPlante delivering harsh and clean vocals together effortlessly. Her vocals and the band’s heavy breakdowns were to die for, especially during fan-favorite songs like “Jaded,” “Circle With Me,” and “Soft Spine.”
LTL saw some familiar faces when Breaking Benjamin brought out a large number of fans to the stage. The band is composed of vocalist and guitarist Benjamin Burnley, lead guitarist Jasen Rauch, rhythm guitarist Keith Wallen, bassist Aaron Bruch, and drummer Shaun Foist. Burnley, in an all black outfit, opened with “Awaken” followed by “Until the End.” The band was met with cheers as they ended their set with the hit song “The Diary of Jane.”
Avenged Sevenfold closed out the night on Main Stage 1 at 10 p.m.. The band formed in California in 1999 and has become a staple band in the world of heavy metal music. Band members M. Shadows, Zacky Vengeance, Synyster Gates, Johnny Christ, and Brooks Wackerman absolutely dominated the stage. Songs like “Hail to the King” and “A Little Piece of Heaven” had fans headbanging and throwing their hands in the air. The band truly put on an unforgettable show for longtime fans.
Come back tomorrow for a breakdown of day 3 at Louder Than Life.
Words by Emily Cigan @emily.cigan and Amy Harris @thetraveladdictig