KEMIKALFIRE PLAYS FIRST NASHVILLE SHOW TOGETHER

Review And Photography By Ashley Reyes

Kemikalfire was only formed in 2022 and together have only played a few shows, but seeing them live, you would think that they have been at it for years The drummer of Lit, Taylor Carroll, and the drummer of Halestorm, Arejay Hale, joined forces to create Kemikalfire, where Carroll plays guitar and sings, and Arejay sings while drumming They played their first Nashville show at The Basement East on May 3rd, with locals Winona Fighter starting the show with a bang and energizing the crowd.

Doors opened at seven and fans were lining up outside to get spots up front, eager to see the duo, most for the first time The energy was there from the band and fans from the second they took the stage Arejay is a beast on the drums It’s rare to see a drummer that also sings, but for Kemikalfire, it works. Their voices fit well together in the screaming and singing, creating incredible songs Both have incredible stage presence after years of being in their own bands In a special surprise, Ajay Popoff, the vocalist of Lit, joined the band during their third song

Since the band has only released one song, Dead and Gone, fans didn’t have words to sing along to, but the love they felt for the band and the excitement they felt to be there could be felt throughout the room With solid production and chemistry, Kemikalfire has a wealth of potential to grow from here, with big things coming their way Their songs sounded incredible live, prompting excitement from us and fans for more releases, hopefully soon They will blow up, so make sure to catch them when they eventually tour in your area

S C E N E Q U E E N B R I N G S B I M B O C O R E T O N A S H V L L E F O R T H E F I R S T T I M E

RIVALS In Her Own Words

Following Scene Queen since 2020, I was thrilled when she announced she’d be on tour with Set It Off, and it would head to Nashville, TN on May 14th Since the start of her gaining traction on TikTok, I had waited three years to see her live and have the chance to photograph her. It was entirely worth the wait

RIVALS and In Her Own Words opened the night with a sold-out crowd at Eastside Bowl They both put out killer performances that clearly captivated the audience The room was filled to the back, and the mezzanine up top was filled with the overflow of people. You could hear people excitedly singing along with the openers

In Her Own Words

Rivals

When Scene Queen’s band started to take the stage, screams followed She opened up with her song Pink Whitney and played a plethora of songs named after her favorite color, pink. She performed her recent song 18+, which has been a big hit on TikTok, and Cody Carson of Set It Off joined her to perform their collaboration song, Barbie & Ken Before her third song, she told the crowd about her famous twerkle pits, asking them to join in during her song and demonstrating the proper form One of the most inspiring moments of the show was when she used her time on stage to speak against the state’s proposed drag ban, her bandmates even changed into dresses before they performed a cover of Katy Perry’s I Kissed A Girl With her stage presence and confidence, she comes off as a natural-born performer, and hopefully, more tours are on the horizon She’s not afraid to call out the hardships women face in the music industry and her music is unique, refreshing, and hard to replicate correctly

T A Y L O R S W I F T L I G H T S U P N I S S A N S T A D I U M O N S O L D O U T T O U R

Review And Photography By Ashley Reyes

The chaos around Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour started in November with millions seeking tickets within minutes of them being on pre-sale Her stadium tour broke many records, the first being the highest single-day ticket sales in history When she brought her tour to Nissan Stadium in Nashville on May 5th, she broke the record for the highest single-day attendance.

The Eras Tour started in March and will continue to August, bringing various artists as openers for different dates, with Gracie Abrams and Phoebe Bridgers starting off the night in Nashville They both did a fantastic job at making sure the night started off right, engaging with their fans in the crowd as they sang along Gracie made sure to wave and blow kisses at fans while full of smiles, and Phoebe went off stage to greet the crowd, stopping in front of a jumping and screaming fan.

Fans at the concert knew the song that played before Taylor planned to take the stage, as they immediately screamed and leaped into the air when they heard Lady Gaga through the speakers After the song, a countdown started, which lead to dancers walking down the catwalk with giant fans attached behind them. Eventually, a vibrant, smiling Taylor Swift appeared in the middle of the fans

She immediately jumped into her Lover era, donning a sparkling one-piece suit After her first full song, Cruel Summer, she transitioned into The Man with two dancers placing a dazzling blazer on her, quickly transforming her outfit in her first of many outfit changes

I knew that a Taylor Swift show would come with an amazing night and high-quality production, but it went beyond any expectations I had set To start, it was evident that her setlist and costumes were meticulously planned with the other in mind, given her ability to change on the spot during one of her albums to keep the vibe for the album but change to match the song Her massive stage had a moving platform towards the middle which was able to display graphics, including a car shown during Blank Space that dancers hit with a glowing golf club. The most impressive part of the thoughtful planning was the synchronized bracelets that lit up the stadium on tens of thousands of people’s wrists. The gigantic screen behind her not only showed her performance to people in the back but also displayed visuals that helped the aesthetic of her songs, which were incredibly fun to watch and added to the already mesmerizing performance. During album changes, when she was changing behind the scenes, the screen played videos that hinted at the next album which kept the fans guessing which album was being performed next.

Her three-hour performance had several memorable moments While performing marjorie, a song written for her grandma, the room teared up with Taylor, and the stadium was lit by phone flashlights Fans showed their support after by screaming so loud that Taylor couldn’t talk for several minutes afterward Instead, she smiled at the audience and showed appreciation through her joyous facial expressions while soaking in the crowd’s love She talked about writing songs as a young teenager while in school and being supported in her career by her mother before performing a beautiful piano rendition of Teardrops On My Guitar At one point, fire was puffed into the air through a machine seemingly by the lighting, shocking fans with the fun, unexpected surprise She brought Phoebe Bridgers on stage to perform Nothing New and they looked at each other with such love and admiration At another point in her performance, her dancers rode bicycles on the stage while she stood above them on her raised platform, showing more proof of her crew’s talent and dedication Shortly before her surprise performance songs, she stunned and excited the audience with the news of Taylor’s Version of Speak Now which will be released on July 7th

Through all forty-five songs on her setlist, Taylor Swift’s talent and passion shined in every move she made and every word she sang There was never a dull moment during her performance and despite singing and dancing for three hours straight, her energy kept up the entire night until the show ended with unexpected fireworks Seeing her live is truly an experience that everyone needs to see once in their life