Escape the Fate – Out of the Shadows tour at Brooklyn Bowl

On September 30, 2023 Escape the Fate returned to Las Vegas to support their latest album release, Out Of The Shadows. This new record was released on Big Noise, produced by John Feldmann (Goldfinger), and is the first record to feature their latest lineup. 

Yeah, you read that right. There has been a lineup change with Escape the Fate since the last time we saw them 5 years ago. They also cut the band down to just one guitarist where if my memory serves me right, they almost always had two guitarists through their journey as a band. (touring members excluded of course, obviously live lineups are open for differences from time to time.) I was admittedly unaware of this until I saw the guys hit the stage. 

I was, however, hit with immediate nostalgia, as this version of the band slightly reminded me of their image back in the beginning of those emo/core/scene days. And if I’m being honest, I totally love the dramatic makeup from that time period, but everything else is pretty much… eh. 

Scene looks aside, new members and current lead guitarist Matti Hoffman and bassist Erik Jensen were more than adequate in keeping up with Craig Mabbitt and Robert Ortiz’s energy. Matti could be seen center stage on the front risers solo-ing with almost every song’s solo, while wailing the guitar up and down while Erik ran back and forth on the stage behind him.  I’ve seen this band in many forms through the last two decades and I was most entertained by this version of them. Craig also had a very silly energy radiating from him this evening, and it was hard not to smile at his banter on stage with his bandmates and pushing that happy energy into the crowd as well. 

Vegas is considered a hometown of Escape the Fate, and while it’s absolutely true for drummer and founding member, Robert Ortiz, I can’t say that holds much truth for the rest of the band. There was acknowledgement of the fact that this is where the origins are and I do love that despite all of the changes through the years, they haven’t disregarded any of the foundation of their movement and progress. 

All in all, I can’t say I’m disappointed in the slightest by Escape the Fate’s performance. And my previous assessment of them the last time I saw them still stands, they’re not the same band that busted onto the scene all those years ago. And though the Brooklyn Bowl wasn’t full this evening (literally going to boil that down to Motionless in White playing down the way at Virgin on the same night), the energy held by the crowd was ultra concentrated, happy fans could be seen singing and recording the performance while smiling ear to ear regardless. 

Will I go see Escape the Fate again in the future? All my own reasonings aside, yes. I will. They are a blast. 

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Setlist:

1. Forgive Me
2. The Flood
3. Live Fast, Die Beautiful
4. Ungrateful
5. H8  Myself
6. Gorgeous Nightmare
7. Onto the Next One
8. Picture Perfect
9. Ashley
10. Broken Heart
11. Pour Some Sugar On Me – (Def Leppard cover leading into a solo by Matti)
12. This War Is Ours
13. Cheers to Goodbye
14. One For the Money

Listen to the latest album below!

Additional comments:
I unfortunately missed the first two performances of this bill, Garzi and Stitched up Heart, but enjoy this gallery of Point North and D.R.U.G.S.

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Live photos by Courtney Ware for ZrockR Magazine 2023. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.