(Photos by Julianna Iovino)
On November 24, 2022, I went to see the third leg of the Trinity of Terror Tour, a tour featuring the bands Black Veil Brides, Ice Nine Kills and Motionless in White at the Hulu Theater in Manhattan, NY. I had previously seen the first leg of the tour back in April of this year when they played at the Paramount in Huntington, NY, and because I loved it so much, I knew I had to go again. Luckily, the tour had another date near me. Both times I saw these bands perform were amazing, but I believe this third leg was even better than the first.
The first time I saw the tour, the bands changed the order they played each night, and my night's order was Motionless in White, Ice Nine Kills and then Black Veil Brides. This time, however, the concert started with Black Veil Brides, then Ice Nine Kills and ended with Motionless in White. I believe this change in the order made a huge difference, and one for the better. An issue with the first order was that many of the fans were there for Motionless in White and especially Ice Nine Kills, so after those two acts performed, many people left the concert. While this benefitted me, allowing me to move closer to the stage, it still was disappointing to see attendees not supporting each band. By having Black Veil Brides first this time, almost everyone stayed for all three acts, and the excitement and energy stayed consistent for the entire show. I also believe that Ice Nine Kills as the middle act is the best way to go since the band no doubt has the most riled-up pit of the three groups. As the middle act, fans are warmed up for what was to come, but not too exhausted for anything that might happen.
Breaking down the acts in order, I first would like to look at the American rock band Black Veil Brides. I am no doubt a fan of all three groups, but before attending the first leg concert in April, I was going just as a fan of Black Veil Brides. I am now an avid enjoyer of all three and even had Motionless in White and Ice Nine Kills in my top 5 artists of the year on Spotify.
With that in mind, I felt that Black Veil Brides had the weakest set, song-wise, of the three groups. I did enjoy the set, especially with the band's callbacks to their first album, but many of the songs they also chose to play are not ones I would consider their most popular or their best. Granted, I understand that Trinity of Terror is a three-headliner show, and only so many songs can be played, but I would have loved to see some different songs make the cut.
Some highlights of Black Veil Brides' setlist were first the choice to have their song Fallen Angels go into their song In The End and then have In The End be the last song. That combination alone made for the best energy and most fun as a viewer. I know everyone around me was having a great time during those songs as well since they responded by jumping along and yelling back lyrics. Another highlight was the moment when the band's guitarist, Jinxx, switched to playing the violin for one of the songs. When I saw him pull out the violin and heard him play the song's intro, I lost my mind!
Songs aside, I always enjoy seeing Black Veil Brides perform on stage. The band has great energy and is tons of fun to watch. Vocalist Andy Biersack especially is always a pleasure to see as he is always kind and thanks fans for coming out.
Next to play was the American heavy metal band Ice Nine Kills. From my observations, I felt that the majority of the people at the concert were there for Ice Nine Kills alone. I cannot deny that I was most excited for this band as well since, after the first leg of the tour, I fell in love with their songs and stage presence.
I have seen many concerts this past year, and no one does it quite like Ice Nine Kills.
Ice Nine Kills is the only band I have seen dress up in the nicest, most professional or fancy clothes, that then proceed to scream into the microphone and sing about some gruesome horror movie-inspired topics. It is a unique sight to see and sound to hear, and I love every minute of it.
My only criticism of Ice Nine Kills' performance would be the order of their set. I loved the songs they played and enjoyed, even more, the songs they added in to play for this leg. However, I found it a weird choice to end their set with their song Welcome to Horrorwood instead of opening with it, as they had done previously. Although it is not a big issue, it was definitely more of an exciting experience when the band started with this.
Last to play, but certainly not least, was the American heavy metal band Motionless in White. Since seeing Motionless in White the last time, I absolutely fell in love with their music, but I also genuinely came to love the band members. I was excited to see them again, not only, to headbang to their great songs but also to watch the members and see frontman and vocalist, Chris Motionless, interact with his fellow bandmates and the crowd.
Motionless in White is one of the bands I've seen this year with the best crowd interaction. Whether it be by singing to fans, grabbing flags handed to them from the pit or just paying attention when something goes wrong, no other band was doing it like them. When someone had gone down in the pit during the show, the band quickly stopped and made sure help was there for the person. They did not start again until they knew the person was okay.
Looking at the setlist, I am happy with some of the songs they added compared to the last set I saw, but I am also disappointed by some of the songs they removed. In summary, I am neutral about most of the songs on the setlist and greatly enjoyed the rest.
My only major criticism of Motionless in White's set is regarding their stage effects. During one of their songs, two background performers came out with sparkler-like machines to add a sparking effect behind Chris Motionless. Right after the song, one of the spark pieces was kicked off the stage and went directly into my eye. This was extremely painful, and the spark piece had to be taken out by hand by my friend who was there with me. Even my fellow concertgoers around me were very concerned and annoyed that this happened. I understand this was just a freak occurrence and an accident, but I still urge the band to have a little more safety with their onstage effects. Luckily, everything was okay once the piece was removed, and no medical help was needed.
Altogether, I truly enjoyed the Trinity of Terror tour, and I am happy that I had the opportunity to see this tour live again. The date of the concert was also perfect, as it was a fun night out before Thanksgiving the next day. I am very glad I got to experience this.
My biggest takeaway from the Trinity of Terror tour is that I am beyond grateful to see all of these bands in one night, but I would love even more to see them in their own headlining shows. I believe that the fun I had would be elevated if I saw each band with their own show, longer setlists and being surrounded by fans of only that group.
I am sad to see that this third leg is the last for the Trinity of Terror tour, but if you have not checked it out yet, you still have some chances left! You can check out the remaining dates here. There are about five more shows in December before this tour lays to rest for good.
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