GalleryDitch This MagazineOctober 21, 2026gallery, live, melbourne, Louie Mosscrop, Destroy All Lines, Green Day, Bullet for My Valentine, The Devil Wears Prada, John Cain Arena, While She Sleeps

Avenged Sevenfold + Coheed & Cambria @ John Cain Arena 20-10-26

GalleryDitch This MagazineOctober 21, 2026gallery, live, melbourne, Louie Mosscrop, Destroy All Lines, Green Day, Bullet for My Valentine, The Devil Wears Prada, John Cain Arena, While She Sleeps

photos: Louie Mosscrop @louie.mosscrop

Twelve years is a bloody long wait, but closing out their Australian tour at Rod Laver Arena, Avenged Sevenfold made sure every single year of absence was erased in one night.

Local heavyweights Thornhill got things rolling early, setting a filthy, atmosphere-thick tone as the arena floor began to swell. By the time Coheed and Cambria took over, the room shifted into pure prog theatricality. Dropping into "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3" ("Man your own jackhammer!"), Claudio Sanchez and the boys showed exactly why they belong on stadium stages. Their set swung wildly between full-throttle aggression and quiet, sombre lulls—heavy on dramatic pauses before slamming back into massive, neck-snapping restarts. Framed by a killer light show and a static backdrop, Claudio eventually pulled out his iconic double-neck guitar to close out a masterclass of a set, leaving a packed-out floor primed for the main event.

Then Avenged Sevenfold took over.

Well, fuck!

It started with an absolute assault on the senses… freaking lasers everywhere and wall-to-wall visual production. At times, the screen visuals were almost too huge, occasionally taking away from the band's physical stage presence even with M. Shadows and the guys constantly pacing and maximizing every single inch of the stage. But behind the giant production, the core of the show was raw, unfiltered connection.

They paused the madness mid-set to interact directly with the crowd, stopping the entire arena momentum just to sign a fan’s…. Sign.

They brought a heavy, beautiful emotional weight to the room with "So Far Away”, a moving ode to late drummer Jimmy "The Rev” Sullivan which offered a momentary breather before the floor dissolved right back into absolute chaos as massive circle pits kicked off.

Proving they aren't a band on autopilot, they kept the setlist fluid for the final night of the tour. Digging deep into their catalog, they pulled out early fan-favorite "Chapter Four" to an ecstatic roar from the long-time headbangers, before steamrolling through the iconic, high-octane heavy hitter "Bat Country.”

The giant screens and lasers made for a massive spectacle, but it was the setlist surprises, the nod to their history, and the sheer energy on stage that proved A7X haven't lost a single step. Twelve years away was far too long, but what a way to wrap the tour.