Summer of Loud 2025

Summer of Loud 2025

Great Park Live / Irvine, CA

Saturday July 5, 2025

What, a whole show stacked head to toe with metalcore bands?? Yeah count me in. But I didn’t just wanna go, sing some songs, complain about parking, then go home; I can do that at any show. I wanted to do something different this time around. And with such a special show, I thought I’d keep a running diary of my day.

__________________________________________

2:30pm - Arrive at Great Park Live. I’ve never been to this venue before. Probably because it’s relatively new. I think this is where the Five Point Amphitheater used to be.

2:40pm - Enter venue. I was pretty impressed with how everything was set up. One main stage, large grassy area, perimeter lined with vendors. Beelined straight to the bathroom, because the cost of hydrating yourself during a summer festival is having to pee a lot.

2:50pm - The first band, Kingdom of Giants, took the stage and started their set. Lineup says show was supposed to start at 2:00pm, so something is up.

3:01pm - Kingdom of Giants are okay, but I’m getting bored so I start people watching. Props to all the goths that commit to the lifestyle and keep gothing, even in the summer. The makeup, the boots, the stockings, all the black, the sunburns….I see you and respect you. Shout out to all my chubby goths.

3:02pm - Dude from KOG says they’re about to play a new song. They’re all new to me.

3:08pm - Oh shit, lead singer of KOG just called for a Wall of Death. A wild request at 3:00 in the afternoon, outside, in July. Current temperature is 91 degrees. Pretty sure it’s too early for that. The crowd did it anyway. Not me though, fuck that, I was standing by the mixing board.

3:15pm - KOG finished their set, so I go walk around and check out this place. Good amount of tables and benches with umbrellas in the grassy area behind the board. Merch booths lines are getting long. Thought about getting a shirt, but remembered that the only thing worse than wearing a black shirt all day outside in summer is carrying a black shirt all day outside in summer.

3:30pm - Alpha Wolf is the next band up. I’ve heard the name before but don’t remember any of their songs.

3:44pm - Lead singer is burning off a lot of stage time by talking. Normal singer stuff. Gotta keep your set tight when you only have 30 minutes.

3:50pm - First t-shirt love of the day. I’m wearing my orange Glassjaw shirt, dude fist bumps me and reminds me how rad GJ is. Yeah man, I’m aware. Nothing better than a guy with great taste.

4:00pm - Alpha Wolf set ends. I take off and walk around some more. Speaking of shirts, lots of good ones around. I saw more than 1 CM Punk shirt. I’m guessing Killswitch Engage will be playing “This Fire” today.

4:20pm - The Amity Affliction takes the stage. According to the extensive research I did before the show, The Devil Wears Prada was supposed to be before Amity. Hmm…

4:26pm - Girl walks past me in a shirt that says “Don’t hate me, it turns me on.” Let’s go to therapy and work that out, girl.

4:49pm - Saw some vato throw up. I get it, it’s hot and the Modelo’s are flowing but you gotta pace yourself ese, we’re not even halfway done.

4:50pm - I missed it but I think the lead singer of Amity take a nasty fall and hurt himself. “I fucked around and found out.” Yeah, looks like it.

5:00pm - Amity finishes their set, I see singer limping and being helped off the stage. Brutal.

5:02pm - Per Instagram, The Devil Wears Prada is not performing today because of “illness.” I love me a good vague, cryptic post. Hope it’s not serious. Sucks, I was kinda looking forward to seeing them live.

5:06pm - I moved closer up to be in a sweet spot for shade. Also, Killswitch is next and they are one of the few bands I’ll get close to the front for.

5:09pm - As I’m waiting for Killswitch, I’m realizing that I might not be at this show if it weren’t for Killswitch. They kicked off my metalcore journey in 2002 when I saw them open for In Flames at the Glass House in Pomona, and they blew me away with their songs and energy. And they’ve been one of my favorite bands ever since.

5:20pm - Killswitch Engage starts their set with “Rose of Sharyn.” That song reminds me of my mom.

5:25pm - They’re playing “This Fire.” All the CM Punk shirts are stoked.

5:31pm - Guitarist Adam D says he’s been drinking since 9:00am. I’m sure he’s kidding but I wouldn’t wager actual money on it. I think one of the reasons Killswitch resonates with me so much is that I relate to Adam D’s silliness and dick jokes just as much as I do singer Jesse Leach’s sincerity and vulnerability. I can’t be one without the other.

5:46pm - Seeing a lot of fights break out near the pit. Nothing escalated but shit is getting rowdy. Be safe out there kids.

5:56pm - Killswitch ends their set with “Holy Diver.” It’s a cool cover, I like it, but other fans were really into it. Nothing wrong with a pro-Dio crowd. It worked out, since everyone else was celebrating the other Black Sabbath singer at their show halfway across the world that same day.

6:08pm - I was trying to see how long I could go without buying anything, but I had to cave and get some water. One thing this venue is missing is a water refill station.

6:19pm - Back to the crowd and getting ready for Parkway Drive. Another thing I’ve noticed is how everyone’s farmer’s tan game is on point today. T-shirt, tank top, and hat tans were out in full force today. Take off everything above the waist, today is the day to even that shit out. Although I saw some people who will need a thousand outdoor festivals to get right. Keep up the good work.

6:33pm - Parkway Drive enter the stage. I’m spending too much time trying to remember if I’ve seen Parkway Drive live before.

6:43pm - Parkway singer says that when they first moved to the United States from Australia, they moved to Irvine first. That cannot be true. How does an Australian metal band end up in Irvine? I can’t think of a more sterile, un-metal city than Irvine, CA. They must’ve wondered why all the homes look the same and why every place closes at 7:30pm.

7:15pm - Parkway ended with their song “Wild Eyes.” I think I have seen them before. I have a vague memory of them and August Burns Red at the Palladium. If only there were a way to keep track of this stuff…

7:45pm - I Prevail is next. I should mention that this show was advertised as having 4 rotating headliners - Killswitch, Parkway Drive, I Prevail, and Beartooth. Meaning that each show those 4 bands rotate and play in a different order at each show. I like the idea, until the band you wanted to see plays last and you have to sit through other bands to get to them. If I were super sweaty and cranky I would’ve just went home after Killswitch and be in bed before it was dark. Luckily I was not that sweaty or cranky yet, so all the bands are safe for now.

7:58pm - I don’t know much about I Prevail, but they came out swinging. Their songs are heavy as shit. If the crowd was tired, they aren’t showing it. Am I the only one that’s tired? I wanna sit down.

8:11pm - They’re doing a cover of “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift. Don’t ask me how I recognized a Taylor Swift song.

8:29pm - They’re finishing up their set, and now I’m wondering how much of Beartooth’s set I wanna check out. I’m gonna have to play it by ear.

8:50pm - Beartooth comes on as the headliner. I don’t know much about them either, but they must be popular because the crowd hasn’t thinned out as much as I thought it would.

9:03pm - Beartooth is cool so far but the day is catching up to me. I don’t think I can make it through their whole set. Can I make it to 9:40pm?

9:12pm - The answer is no, no I’m not. But I’m gonna hang out for another song or so just in case they play “Bad Listener,” which by default is my favorite Beartooth song.

9:26pm - I decide to head for to the car and just listen to the end of Beartooth’s set on the way there. One of their last songs (editor’s note: the song was “Riptide”) has a chorus that sounds a lot like the chorus of a recent pop song. I can’t think of who does it or what the song is called. But I know it sounds familiar. Someone please help out grandpa Charlie with this one, kids.

9:36pm - This might be Beartooth’s last song, and I recognize it (editor’s note: the song was “In Between”). It’s definitely catchy. A little too catchy maybe? Wondering how “metalcore” Beartooth is, but that’s a different discussion for a different day. And no “Bad Listener” either. I get to my car a few minutes after their set ends and book it outta there with no wait. Like a true SoCal, I don’t care who wins or loses I just wanna beat traffic.

_________________________________________________

So there you have it, Summer of Loud 2025 is in the books. Hey let’s do this type of show annually, I would absolutely go again. Great Park Live was a great host, although it wouldn’t hurt to mix in some water refill stations. The bands were great, they made their most of their allotted time and kept the energy going throughout the day. I got to hang out with my drunkest, sweatiest peers. And most of all, we learned that I can only last at a concert for 6 hours, max.

“The light will guide my way

I won’t be lead astray

And nothing will stand in my way

I believe, I believe that there is hope

I believe, there is hope for better days”

-Killswitch Engage / “I Believe”