Avenged Sevenfold returned to Latin America with a tour that reaffirms the band's enduring relationship with its audience. With tickets sold out, the band landed last Saturday, the 31st, in São Paulo, at Allianz Parque, with the Life Is But a Dream Tour , with opening acts Mr. Bungl and A Day To Remember.
This tour was initially announced for 2025 with dates in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, but was rescheduled for early 2026 after a hiatus decided by vocalist M. Shadows due to a vocal injury , and it finally happened.
Mr. Bungle stood out for his irreverence
Mr. Bungle's tour of Latin America marked the return of one of the most exotic bands in experimental rock. After ceasing activities in the early 2000s, they resumed performing in 2019, making their Brazilian debut in 2022 as part of the Knotfest Brasil .
Now, the band has returned to the country for the second time with a tour promoting their current phase, where they performed a solo show in São Paulo, at Cine Joia, last Monday, the 26th, and in Curitiba, opening for Avenged Sevenfold. The Curitiba and São Paulo shows featured Andreas Kisser , replacing Scott Ian , as the guitarist had to return to the United States to perform with Anthrax on the 70000TONS OF METAL 2026 cruise .
As the opening act, the setlist was short but heavy and intense, with a packed house thanks to the early arrivals of the audience who came to see all the bands perform that day. With only 13 songs and no stage props, the band captivated the audience with its intriguing sound, as well as the instrumental performances of renowned musicians from the scene. Adding a Brazilian flavor thanks to the participation of Andreas Kisser – a fact that further energized the crowd, leading to frequent mosh pits – the highlight was Mike Patton , who occasionally swore in Portuguese, sporting his anything-but-discreet red outfit, multiple necklaces, and the ever-popular whistle. The musician drew laughter and bewildered looks when he declared, "We're old, macumba practitioners, and foreigners."
It was clear that the young audience didn't know the band, but they got into the groove under Mike Patton's direction, especially when the band launched into a version of "I'm Not in Love," a famous ballad by the band 10cc , and the audience embraced the atmosphere, raising their hands in the air. One of the best moments was the cover of "Refuse/Resist" by Sepultura ; despite the euphoria and Andreas Kisser's instructions, the audience clearly didn't know the song.
Finally, Mike Patton celebrated Pomba Gira, an entity worshipped in Afro-Brazilian religions, which caused a stir and criticism. The speech took place moments before the cover of "All By Myself," famously sung by Céline Dion, which gained the refrain "Go F*ck Yourself" in the group's performance.
A Day To Remember, almost a headliner
When A Day To Remember took the stage, promptly at 7 pm, they were greeted by a fuller and more emotional audience, as this was the band's only stop in São Paulo on their current tour. The group came to Latin America solely for shows in Brazil. Besides opening for Avenged Sevenfold in São Paulo, they had a date in Belo Horizonte – cancelled due to flight problems, which delayed the band's arrival – , Curitiba, where they played last Thursday, the 29th, and will finish in Porto Alegre next Tuesday, the 3rd.
This is A Day To Remember's fifth visit to the country, with the most recent occurring as part of the I Wanna Be Tour lineup in 2024. Known as one of the most consistent names in melodic metalcore, the show was part of a tour focused on revisiting different moments in the group's career, combining recent songs with tracks that marked their consolidation in the 2000s.
Unlike his solo shows, this one had a shorter setlist of 15 songs, where the highlights were always the tracks most familiar to the audience, with the hits sung in chorus. The performance was a grand spectacle, starting with "A Downfall of Us All," one of his most well-known songs, which showcased his energy and connection with the fans from the very beginning.
The reception was warm – and everything got even hotter thanks to the pyrotechnic effects – with lots of moshing, intense choruses, and an immediate response to vocalist Jeremy McKinnon – who called for a mosh pit during the song "Paranoia" and was surprised by the fans' immediate response. And of course, something constant at the band's shows was present: the famous crowdsurfing.
The band doesn't need to interact much; the connection with the fans is almost spiritual, and even those unfamiliar with the band felt this energy. During the song "Mr. Highway's Thinking About the End," a member of the band's crew, dressed as Mario Bros., threw t-shirts into the audience, a moment that has become routine at their shows. Towards the end, the ballad "If It Means a Lot to You" transcended the audience, who illuminated the stadium with their cell phone flashlights.
In just over an hour and a half, A Day To Remember delivered an intense, heavy, and melodic show that was flawless, delivering a performance worthy of a headliner.
Avenged Sevenfold played their biggest solo stadium show ever
The time has come for one of the most anticipated names of the night: Avenged Sevenfold and their return to Brazil with their current tour, based on the album Life Is but a Dream… (2023), but not limited to it. The shows have drawn large crowds and featured a setlist that mixes different phases of the band's career.
With tickets sold out, their sixth visit to Brazil proved the relevance and popularity of the band formed in the early 2000s in California. They can be cited as one of the leading names in contemporary metal, and it's no wonder they headlined Rock Day at Rock in Rio 2024, a landmark event for the band as their first time performing at a festival in Brazil. For this reason, the production company made the right decision in bringing them back for their own stadium show, making it the biggest solo show in the band's history.
Avenged Sevenfold has built a discography marked by sonic changes and technical ambition, and although their success began when the genre was at its peak with the album Waking the Fallen (2003), there were already many comments comparing the band to Metallica – and of course, the more conservative fans get excited when they hear this. This was confirmed after vocalist M. Shadows confessed, via a Twitter post, that the album Hail to the King (2013) was heavily inspired by Metallica – notably the track “This Means War”. Some time later, the band opened for Metallica, showing their acceptance of the biggest metal band in history.
Despite this, Avenged Sevenfold suffered backlash from the heavy metal community, but even so, they managed to forge their own path and build a solid career, reflected in the setlist, marked by hits and songs that fans had been eagerly waiting to see. The show featured 17 songs, including well-known classics such as "Afterlife," "Hail to the King," dedicated to the Brazilian audience – and marking an unusual moment when a fan threw a red bra on stage – "Bat Country," "Nightmare," and "A Little Piece of Heaven," ending the show majestically.
In addition to more recent tracks like “Game Over” and “Nobody”—the latter of which was paused after an accident in the audience, and M. Shadows only restarted after the fan was helped—a moment that caught attention was during “Gunslinger,” which, after much insistence from the fans, Avenged Sevenfold finally played. In “So Far Away,” the usual tribute to drummer The Rev was made, with M. Shadows asking the audience to turn on their cell phone flashlights to dedicate the song to all those who have passed away: “This is for those special people who are in heaven.” In the finale, before the performance of “Not Ready to Die,” there was another pause to help fans who had fainted, and M. Shadows took the opportunity to hold another gender reveal party, as he did in Curitiba. The vocalist revealed that a couple of fans were expecting a girl: “You must be very happy.”
In a show marked by a unique stage structure, with more side screens providing a unique visual experience, Avenged Sevenfold proved their power by conquering a packed stadium, singing along to all the songs, and with an undeniable stage presence. The audience was one of the central points of the band's visit to the country, with constant energy and quick responses to M. Shadows' interactions, while the most engaged fans distributed pieces of cellophane paper to put on cell phone flashlights, making the band's reception even warmer. It's no wonder that Shadows thanked the fans: "you have always been the number one fans".
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