Summer Of Loud @ Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, Tinley Park (US)

PARKWAY DRIVE / I PREVAIL / BEARTOOTH / KILLSWITCH ENGAGE / THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA / THE AMITY AFFLICTION / ALPHA WOLF / KINGDOM OF GIANTS

Date: 13th July, 2025
Venue: Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
Ticket: $31/€27 - $346/€298 [fees not included]
Promoter: Live Nation

The older one gets, the wider their music taste becomes. Basically, you get past the point where your ‘die-hardiness’ prevents you from listening to genres beyond what dominates your music collection. Although, I believe the younger generations are freed from such silly restrictions and enjoy music regardless of style. ‘Summer Of Loud’ had an impressive collection of bands. with the common denominator being the power in the music and lyrics. The cloudy weather, and the slightly lower-than-usual temperatures and humidity, created ideal conditions for the audience to keep up with the eight-part-combo of powerful bands who were ready to challenge everyone’s energy levels. In fewer words: awesome.

With a massive screen showing the band’s logo as backdrop, KINGDOM OF GIANTS were the first to hit the stage and check the audience’s pulse around 3pm. Singer Dana Willax stepped on the riser and announced, “We got you for 25 minutes and we won’t waste a f*ckin’ second”, and then asked, “Are you with me?” Despite the early hour, the young-at-average crowd cheered and joined the band on “Asphalt”. The cloudy sky helped the stage lights support KINGDOM OF GIANTS’ up-tempo Metalcore with clean and growling vocals. Massive breakdowns and intense, often catchy, vocal melodies entered the menu, and wouldn’t leave for the entire festival. “Feeling alive out there?” Willax asked, then followed with “Any KINGDOM OF GIANTS fans in the house?”. Seeing hands raised, he dedicated “Bleach” to the band’s fanbase, and frankly to everyone who showed up early to catch the openers. Bassist Jonny Reeves handled the clean vocals for “Bleach” and, as I’d find out later, pulled double duty for THE AMITY AFFLICTION too. The melodic with a touch of Synthwave-tinged “Collide” went down great, blending Metalcore heaviness with nostalgic synths. “Tinley Park, you be been f*ckin’ incredible”, Willax announced, asking for some crowd-surfing action during closer “Wayfinder”. And that’s exactly what happened; we were off to a great start.

KINGDOM OF GIANTS setlist:

01. "Asphalt"
02. "Wasted Space"
03. "Bleach"
04. "Collide"
05. "Burner"
06. "Wayfinder"

KINGDOM OF GIANTS

I have to admit, the Australian music scene doesn’t get the attention it deserves, and that’s clearly our loss. ALPHA WOLF, coming from down under, proved in the loudest way why that continent is great resource for the Metalcore scene (though not limited to). Just like their predecessors, ALPHA WOLF hit the ground running with “Mangekyō”. Singer Lochie Keogh gave some festival-friendly instructions: “If you are in the pit, I still need to see you moving. If you’re in the sides, you are gonna headbang like the whole thing falls off”, with “Pretty Boy” as the proper soundtrack for this. The crowd, especially in the pit, didn’t hold back, and considering this was only the second band on the bill, I started wondering how long this energy would last. The strong lyrics about standing up marked the beginning of my realization that younger generations do read lyrics, but their focus has shifted. More on that later. Keogh was roaming the stage stepping on and off the risers showing zero signs of slowing down. “Sub-Zero” hit hard and before “Haunter” it was time to add an extra to the menu... “Wall of death, you know the drill”, the singer said and the pit split in two. So yeah, ALPHA WOLF saw what KINGDOM OF GIANTS did and raised the stakes with the last two “Creep” and “Akudama” making their 25 minutes feel shorter.

ALPHA WOLF setlist:

01. "Mangekyō"
02. "Pretty Boy"
03. "Sucks 2 Suck"
04. "Sub-Zero"
05. "Haunter"
06. "Creep"
07. "Akudama"

ALPHA WOLF

THE AMITY AFFLICTION were up next, keeping our focus on the Australian Metalcore scene. The flaming “Blair Witch”-styled cover artwork of the “All That I Remember” single lit up the back screen, amplifying the darkness that runs through the band’s music. Singer Joel Birch embodied the phrase “the show must go on” as he powered through the 40-minute set with a walking boot on his left foot, which was protecting a recent break. I’m sure it was uncomfortable, but I hope it wasn’t as painful as it looked. Either way, he didn’t flinch once.

Bassist/singer Jonny Reeves stood on stage right, the same spot he occupied during KINGDOM OF GIANTS, and started singing “Like Love”. The audience jumped in, fueling an already high-energy atmosphere. Just like the previous bands, THE AMITY AFFLICTION asked (and received) even more crowd reaction, which hadn’t dipped a bit. The groovy “Drag The Lake” got the claps going, creating a beautiful contrast with the heavier “All That I Remember.” “I need to see a f*ckin' circle pit out there right now”, Birch demanded. And just in case anyone needed more motivation, “All My Friends Are Dead” brought the ultimate push. The pit didn’t let up during the double-bass attack of “Death's Hand”, and “I See Dead People” wrapped up a fierce three-song streak.

I have to say, I loved seeing red dominate the stage, the banners, lights, and logo, for THE AMITY AFFLICTION. Reeves’ clean vocals on the line “Is it heaven up there? Because it's hell down here” hit hard, especially paired with the track’s Metalcore generous groove. “You have been so f*ckin' good to us, thank you so much”, Birch acknowledged, and this wouldn’t be the last time a band echoed that sentiment. Truly, the bands and the crowd were locked in for the entire festival. “Soak Me In Bleach” closed the Australians’ set and cemented it as one of the day’s standout performances.

THE AMITY AFFLICTION setlist:

01. "Pittsburgh"
02. "Like Love"
03. "Drag The Lake"
04. "All That I Remember"
05. "All My Friends Are Dead"
06. "Death's Hand"
07. "I See Dead People"
08. "It's Hell Down Here"
09. "Soak Me In Bleach"

THE AMITY AFFLICTION

The stage setup changed slightly to accommodate two riser levels, one front and one elevated, and this configuration hosted three members of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, who were up next. Amazingly, the energy continued to rise, and credit is due to whoever sequenced the day’s lineup. Brilliant.

Keyboardist Jonathan Gering, stationed at the top riser, wore a shirt that read: “Hating Pop music doesn’t make you deep,” which made me chuckle. All jokes aside, no matter what music you love, there’s no need to hate any genre. Just skip it, there’s no room for hate in music. After a short 15-minute break, TDWP stormed the stage, making it feel more like a continuation than a new act. Vocalist Mike Hranica and singer/guitarist Jeremy DePoyster roamed the stage hyping up the crowd. “I know a ghost”, Hranica shouted, dedicating “Danger: Wildman” to former drummer Daniel Williams, who tragically died in a plane crash.

“I know you know how to party because I lived in Chicago for ten years,” Jeremy said, greeting the crowd before launching into “Salt”. Watching the crowd and the band feed off each other, I nodded with satisfaction when Jeremy added, “I think this is the biggest show of ‘Summer Of Loud’ so far.” “Broken” followed, a groovy mid-tempo track that triggered a loud, shared chant: “I've got my problems, I know I've got my problems.” Kind of therapeutic to shout that in unison with thousands of others.

During “Ritual”, dancing joined crowd-surfing as synth-heavy keys and clean vocals lit up the moment. “Where are all my ladies?” Jeremy asked, dedicating “For You” with the follow-up, “If you know it, you sing it”. And sing they did, hands in the air, no lyrics needed for a good time. “You’ve got an awesome night ahead of you”, he added, and for once, a stage cliché was completely true. “Chemical” and “Sacrifice” closed out TDWP’s set, which was arguably the most energetic so far. And there was still more to come.

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA setlist:

01. "Watchtower"
02. "Danger: Wildman"
03. "Salt"
04. "Broken"
05. "Ritual"
06. "For You"
07. "Chemical"
08. "Sacrifice"

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

Noticing the tanks set on the floor of the photo-pit, I knew there would be pyro effects, but I was expecting to be for the headliners. Then again, this touring package hosted four headlining acts, with the last spot rotating. Anyways, I wasn’t prepared to see the first fire streams as KILLSWITCH ENGAGE kicked off their set with “Rose Of Sharyn”. It was hilarious to watch guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz standing to the left of any KILLSWITCH ENGAGE member, proudly wearing a t-shirt that read “I am with stupid” with an arrow pointing to his right. Adam’s energy level was already sky-high, and he would top that later on. No pause, straight into “In Due Time”, calling for some singing-along as swirling clock faces spun across the screen at the back. The powerful and fiery start was concluded with “This Fire”, during which the stage was bathed in red lights and more flames blasting off.

“What’s up Chicago?” asked Dutkiewicz and followed up with “Land of deep-dish and tornadoes, Metal as f*ck”, getting a loud cheer in response. Singer Jesse Leach added to the banter by announcing that “drink the pain away” should be the title of the next KILLSWITCH ENGAGE song. The uplifting “I Believe” was followed by Jesse’s growling announcement of the massive “Hate By Design”, as the crowd-surfing reached the front in streams. Jesse introduced “The Signal Fire” as a song about having each other’s backs during hard times, and about unity and love. He didn’t stop there and before “My Curse” he gave more context: “Those last two songs were about coming together in this world of division we’re living in” and concluded with “focus our energies to unite and fight the true enemy.” Somewhere in the middle of the song, Jesse stepped off the stage and mingled with the audience, walking around the seated section just off the pit.

It was powerful to read the quote “I’d give my life to change this” at the screen followed pictures showing he environmental destruction humans have caused during “Aftermath”. Under purple lights and pyros came “The End Of Heartache”, and voices from all corners joined Jesse in those gut-wrenching choruses. Before wrapping up, Adam cracked up the audience: “Well, f*ck yeah, motherf*ckers, this has been awesome” and added, “Thank you so much for supporting what we do. We’re nothing without you. I can’t believe I still got a f*ckin’ job”. Jesse took a moment to thank the road crew, dedicating “My Last Serenade” to them, and urged the crowd, “If you know this one, you are an old-school head so prove it”. Adam also stepped off stage, wandering into the seated sections, drinking beer and eating popcorn without missing a riff.

And finally, “Let me see those horns up in the air, this one goes in loving memory of Ronnie James Dio” Jesse declared, as they ripped into their mighty rendition of “Holy Diver”. Purple lights flashed, fists flew up, and a sweat-drenched crowd was left chanting for more.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE setlist:

01. "Rose Of Sharyn"
02. "In Due Time"
03. "This Fire"
04. "I Believe"
05. "Hate By Design"
06. "Forever Aligned"
07. "The Signal Fire"
08. "My Curse"
09. "Aftermath"
10. "The End Of Heartache"
11. "My Last Serenade"
12. "Holy Diver"

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE

Around 7:30pm, the lights shifted to an acid green, and Caleb Shomo roared, “Are you ready out there? Bang your head!”, and the band started the groovy “The Lines” with pyro effects adding to the summer heat, but in a good way. “I feel the need to ask you again; Are you ready for the craziest night of your life?” Shomo added, pushing further: “When I sing, you sing”, and the chanting vocal melody of “The Past Is Dead” followed as the perfect prompt. It was amazing to hear the audience singing along to every lyric. This made me eat my words as I’ve often claimed younger listeners don’t pay attention to the lyrics. Well, they do, just not always the ones I expected. It reflects the challenges facing younger generations, something we all need to take seriously.

“Sunshine!” detonated like a bomb and contrasted beautifully with the emotional keyboard melodies of “ATTN.”, as purple lights bathed the stage and turned CU1 into a Techno club for a moment. BEARTOOTH thrive on these unexpected shifts. Caleb was unstoppable, roaming the stage during “Disease” with the rest of the band following his lead. As the recorded intro for “Doubt Me” played, Caleb asked, “Anyone out there remember ‘Vans Warped Tour’?”, adding, “The last ‘Warped Tour’ we ever played was right f*ckin’ here, and it was one of the best shows of my life. Same with tonight.” It was another morale booster, especially as the crowd roared “Don’t even f*ckin’ doubt me!”

As he grabbed his guitar for “I Was Alive”, Caleb told Chicago: “You know, you are the best show of this tour so far”. Visibly moved, he added, “Thank you for giving us this chance”. That emotional moment turned into a pink-lit celebration with “Might Love Myself”, the backscreen now a glowing door to somewhere better, the crowd chanting “I am exactly who I wanna be” like it was gospel. Caleb praised Connor Denis as “the greatest drummer alive” and Connor followed with a short solo that led into a segment of “The Last Riff”. “You Never Know” was equally uplifting, and a brief taped interlude gave a much-needed breather before “Riptide” pushed the energy to the red zone.

The band left the stage and Caleb returned to the sound of the crowd chanting “BEARTOOTH, BEARTOOTH!” He looked genuinely amazed and emotional. If you watched the video screens, you could even see the goosebumps. A special moment, especially when he asked: “Should BEARTOOTH come back and headline a show in this venue?” Oh yeah, he didn’t really need to ask. The BEARTOOTH set ended with a bang as “In Between” fired up and a loud vocal game followed. In the final moment, Caleb ditched the mic and kept vocalizing without it. Absolutely killer.

BEARTOOTH setlist:

01. "The Lines"
02. "The Past Is Dead"
03. "Sunshine!"
04. "ATTN."
05. "Disease"
06. "Doubt Me"
07. "I Was Alive"
08. "Might Love Myself"
09. "The Last Riff" (Partial)
10. "You Never Know"
11. "Riptide"
12. "In Between"

BEARTOOTH

The stage was transformed with three-tier risers and three pillars on each side, a massive setting for I PREVAIL, who appeared onstage around 8:50pm. Singer Eric Vanlerberghe shouted: “Chicagoooooo!” as “Bow Down” hit hard as the opener. The backscreen lit up bright white with the band’s logo at the center, adding a haze across the stage, not ideal for photos, but undeniably striking. Eric stepped down from the riser and screamed: “Give me a circle pit”, adding a growl to introduce the pounding “Body Bag”. I think the pyro here hit harder than during any previous set, pushing the audience’s energy even further. Then came “Self-Destruction”, red lights bleeding across the stage as Eric commanded: “Repeat after me: If you don’t know the devil, then you don’t know me!” Chicago didn’t need to be told twice, the crowd erupted, and Eric roared: “Chicago, f*ck this place up!” before the breakdown hit like a sledgehammer.

Blue lights drenched the crowd for “There’s Fear In Letting Go”, with the band pushing hard until the hook “until you lose it all” rang out like a haunting echo. Then it was back to red for “Violent Nature”, with the band splitting the crowd down the middle before the drop launched a brutal wall of death. “Holy shit, that was easily the loudest “Violent Nature” of this whole tour. Do you like that heavy shit?” Eric grinned. The fans screamed back and he smirked: “Well... this is “Blank Space””. And before I even registered what happened, I was hearing my first Taylor Swift song live. It turned into a highlight; headbanging, crowd-surfing, and the “new breakdown we added”, as Eric mentioned. Who knew a Swift cover with pink lights and breakdowns, could prompt moshing? I hope she knows there’s room for improvement in her original.

The lights cut to black. “Into Hell” emerged from the darkness, a new bruiser that kept the pit moving. Blue lights returned for “Bad Things”, Eric telling Chicago: “This one is for a sing-along”, and sure enough, the whole venue became a mass choir. Things were heating up, and the singer pushed further: “I want this whole floor jumping!” The crowd obeyed with bodies bouncing as “Choke” lit up under bursts of flame once again. Lights dropped out again for a special moment. “This next song is very personal for us, very cathartic, one of my favorites to play”, Eric said, dedicating it to Dave Shapiro, who died in a plane crash. “Hurricane” swept through the venue, cell phone lights waving in unison, a sea of tiny tributes, with a loud sing-along to match the emotion.

Finally, time for the last strike. “We got one more for you. This is the time to take that energy out; this is “Gasoline”, motherf*cker!” The crowd-surfing peaked, bodies pouring over the barricades as the final notes rang out. I PREVAIL delivered yet another energy-draining set, making me wonder: how much fuel did this audience still have for PARKWAY DRIVE? We would soon find out.

I PREVAIL setlist:

01. "Bow Down"
02. "Body Bag"
03. "Self-Destruction"
04. "There's Fear In Letting Go"
05. "Violent Nature"
06. "Blank Space" (Taylor Swift cover)
07. "Into Hell"
08. "Bad Things"
09. "Choke"
10. "Hurricane"
11. "Gasoline"

I PREVAIL

The stage was once again completely transformed. For PARKWAY DRIVE, it looked like a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie. The drum kit was stage-right, surrounded by scaffolding that didn’t make much sense, until later. Under strobe lights, PARKWAY DRIVE appeared, and Winston McCall wasted no time: “What up, Chicago? Let’s go!” he roared as the mid-tempo groove of “Glitch” kicked in. There must be something in the Australian water, because, like the other Aussie bands on the bill, PARKWAY DRIVE hit the stage running. The only slight complaint was bassist Jia O’Connor being somewhat confined in a spot between the drum kit and the rest of the stage setup. Still, Winston moved like he was controlling the pyros with each growl, each gesture synced perfectly. Even if unrehearsed, it looked like choreography, and it worked. No introduction was needed when Jeff Ling started the riff of “Prey” and Winston demanded: “Up, up, jump, jump!” The crowd obeyed, even after seven bands and as many hours, Chicago was still all-in. The kind of magic that only happens when band, audience, and production are perfectly aligned.

“F*ckin’ hell, we are PARKWAY DRIVE from Australia”, Winston announced mid-song with a wide smile. “This is a good night”. No argument there. “Keep it coming”, he said, as “Sleepwalker” pounded under swirling blue lights and more bodies were thrown to the front rows. Deep growls and double bass drumming fanned the flames in the pit as more crowd-surfers sailed forward. Once in the ring, you have to keep fighting, right? “The Void” was round three with its groove turning CU1 into training grounds under red lights. “Swim on your friends!” Winston called, asking for more surfers to rise. After that intense stretch, the frontman bent a knee to catch his breath and thank the crowd: “How are your voices?” A roar answered. “Vice Grip” raised heartbeats to aerobic levels, and from stage left, I noticed Caleb from BEARTOOTH watching.

Then came a standout. “F*ck, that feels good. You sound amazing! Keep that energy coming. Take no space for granted. This one’s called “Sacred””, Winston declared. Fire streams kicked into high gear. He singled out the women in the pit: “Organize it, keep it spinning!” The crowd obeyed with a swirling vortex both brutal and joyous. “Few more left for you”, Winston promised. But first, he pointed out: “The seating tickets became standing tickets”, And he was right. For “Bottom Feeder”, he asked everyone to jump. When the riff kicked in, almost everyone, those who had any energy left, did.

Then came a pause. A real one. Winston took a moment to soak it in and speak honestly: “Thank you for all that energy. We never taking this for granted. The band builds on this connection. The energy you’re giving, the time you’re spending with us, is the shit that’s priceless to our life”. Then he rallied: “Let’s do this one together. Sing along!” And “Wild Eyes” exploded, with crowd voices nearly drowning Winston out.

Finally, that bittersweet moment: “We’ve reached that time in the evening where we have one more song left for you.” The intro to “Crushed” began, and the entire front riser line looked like it was on fire. The drum riser began spinning, making me realize what the scaffolding was for. Winston raised his hand, and the pyro stopped. Then “Crushed by the fists of god”, and it re-ignited like hell breaking loose. The edges of the riser also caught fire. Pyro streams launched from the wall. I could feel the heat from the seating section.

With a growl and a deep bow, Winston said goodnight. “Thank you, the pleasure was ours”, he added as PARKWAY DRIVE left the stage leaving behind a trail of smoke, fire, and happy, exhausted faces pouring out of CU1. What an amazing billing from start to finish!

PARKWAY DRIVE setlist:

01. "Glitch"
02. "Prey"
03. "Sleepwalker"
04. "The Void"
05. "Vice Grip"
06. "Sacred"
07. "Bottom Feeder"
08. "Wild Eyes"
09. "Crushed"

PARKWAY DRIVE