- Five Finger Death Punch w/Eva Under Fire
- 08/13/2026 American Family Amphitheater - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- ©Justin Nuoffer
On a Thursday night in the hot, steamy city of Milwaukee, the lakefront was alive with people making their way to the Summerfest grounds. Irish Fest had taken over the north end, while the courtyard for the American Family Amphitheater in the south was beginning to fill with Five Finger Death Punch faithful.
Fans entered early to grab a bite to eat from the various restaurants and drinks from the beer stands. The tables were full, and the lines to enter the pit access stretched far. The breeze flowing in from Lake Michigan did its best to cool things down, but it was a hot one, and nothing could ruin the excitement building.
As the gates to the amphitheater opened, the pit line was ushered up a separate path, followed by the regularly seated patrons. Entering the performance space, there are four levels: the pit, inner bowl with seats, upper bowl with aluminum benches, and grass seating at the very top. For tonight, the grass seats were closed, but those with grass tickets were given upper-bowl seating. Rather quickly, the facility filled, and the pre-show music pumped through the venue’s sound system. The mood was fun and lively.
Opening the entire evening was Eva Under Fire, a band that needs no introduction to Wisconsin. They are often in the state and have become a name that fans can trust to put on a great performance.
The band out of Detroit, Michigan, is led by Amanda Lyberg on vocals. Her voice is a force, and her mannerisms on stage only upped the excitement. The band started with a run of songs from their brand-new album, Villainous. The opening track, “Awakening,” did just that. It got the crowd out of their seats and standing.
Their sound is good old-fashioned hard rock. Lyberg bounced around the stage, making sure everyone along the front security barricade saw her belting out the lyrics. Often, she returned to a small platform, placing one foot on it and leaning down while unloading her powerful vocals. To her right, her husband, Rob Lyberg, walked back and forth, laying down the guitar riffs.
The tracks “My Own Name” and “Murder Scene” followed the very strong opener. Eva Under Fire had a full grasp on the American Family Amphitheater audience. Their presence was so strong it couldn’t be ignored, and adding songs from their last album, Love, Drugs & Misery, brought back that familiarity with tracks like “Heroin(E)” and “Comatose,” which took over radio in markets across the state.
Check out the Eva Under Fire concert photo gallery here:
On the other side of the stage, bassist Ed Gawlik was all over the place and had no issues jumping sky-high while dishing out the low end. Paired with drummer Dave Miller, they laid the groundwork for the entire set.
Their final two songs of the evening were “Villainous,” their current radio single, and “Blow,” their breakthrough song from 2022. All together, Eva Under Fire brings a highly energetic show with music that is gaining notoriety. Their future is bright, and this massive stage didn’t phase them in the least.
With the warm, humid air flowing over the top of the grass seating, the Lake Michigan air certainly wasn’t helpful anymore. The line at concessions was long, but the fans were cheerful and still enjoying their evening. Country act Cody Jinks filled the direct support slot.
He kicked out tracks like “Heavy Load,” “Wasted,” and “Must Be the Whiskey.” Despite being a full-on country act, Jinks managed to please the Milwaukee crowd and leave to applause.
With the sun’s rays setting behind the stage and the near-dark backdrop over the lake, the stars began poking out, creating a unique and tranquil view before all of the chaos and circus that was about to unfold. With a playlist of classic rock tracks pumping through the sound system, the bowl seating was packed. The anticipation for Five Finger Death Punch cut through the thick, humid air. The electricity buzzing through the atmosphere was incredible.
The stage lit up as video boards covered the entire back wall and stretched along the drum risers. The visuals featured steampunk-style machinery that pumped and moved to reveal the 20th Anniversary logo, with “Legacy” written across the bottom. Then the entire stage went dark, and the band took their spots and launched into “Welcome to the Circus.”
The massive video screen flashed the song title before moving into a scripted visual associated with the track. Each and every song had corresponding visuals until the very end. It was apparent early on that the band had curated every second of the performance to fit a specific aesthetic.
The high-energy, blood-pumping tracks “Eye of the Storm” and “Legacy” followed, creating an almost euphoric experience. Then came “Lift Me Up,” with frontman Ivan Moody taking off to walk around the stage. He managed to find a spot on a small riser and sing while throwing bracelets from his wrists into the waiting hands of fans pressed against the barricade. His smiles and pointing toward specific fans told the story. It wasn’t about their own pleasure but about the people in the venue.
Then, after a quick jacket change, Moody returned to the stage for “Jekyll and Hyde.” Waving a prop cane around while donning a fedora and a jacket that looked like the Necronomicon, he sang the words to the single from Got Your Six with assistance from the amphitheater. It wasn’t hard to jump in with everyone singing along. In fact, it was highly encouraged. Bassist Chris Kael, with his massive Cthulhu-like beard swinging freely, supplied the backing vocals that pushed the fandom to join in.
The night was fun and full of life so far, but “Wash It All Away” was a stepping stone to their well-known cover of “Bad Company.” That track alone had the fans singing so loudly their ears rang. This was everything Five Finger Death Punch seemingly came to expect by performing the song. Routinely, they encouraged the fans to join in.
Very few artists continually encourage this, and they bask in the participation. In fact, as they moved through “De Oppresso Liber” and “Burn It Down,” the time came for Charlie Engen to smash the skins with a short and impressive drum solo that beat against the chest like a sledgehammer. It also served as the lead-in to “Burn MF.”
Everyone but Ivan Moody left the stage, and he spoke to the crowd. He detailed his time growing up and visiting his grandmother in New Richmond, Wisconsin. Expressing his youthful energy about his love of the state wasn’t the only thing he spoke about. Changing the topic, he discussed songs they no longer perform and how critics say he can’t sing anymore. He didn’t deny the notion but expressed how age changes things.
Whether it was about his voice or maturity, some songs aren’t coming back. Fans rained down cheers and screamed song requests, and he launched into a solo rendition of “Remember Everything.” The a cappella version was only a few verses, but it felt important to the band themselves to get it out there.
With a slower pace created by the break, “Wrong Side of Heaven” and “IOU” felt like the perfect way to build momentum toward a small medley of “Enter Sandman/Last Resort/Livin’ on a Prayer.”
The testosterone pumping and rushing through the veins is the direct result of their hard rock and metal sound that is unique and explicitly theirs. A large part of that sound comes from founder Zoltan Bathory on rhythm guitar and Andy James on lead. James is the most recent addition, joining the band around the time of COVID. Bathory formed the band and created the groove that turned it into the metal machine it is today. Heading into the final run, the song “Trouble” led into “Never Enough” from their very first record. The track is one of those that set the tone for their entire career.
Coming out of the encore break, the applause was deafening because the band had a slew of hit singles they hadn’t played yet, and the anticipation of what was left to hear shook the body with excitement. That’s when the intro to “Under and Over It” kicked in, and the seats rumbled and quaked as fans jumped up and down. The entire seating bowl was once again alive. The sight couldn’t have been any more powerful.
Check out the Five Finger Death Punch concert photo gallery here:
Five Finger Death Punch hit on all cylinders. Just sitting back and watching the members interact with each other garnered an emotional reaction. They genuinely enjoyed being on stage in Milwaukee. With “Sham Pain” next in line, the spirit of their sound and being was pushed to even higher levels.
The whole night built to the heart-wrenching and emotionally taxing “The Bleeding.” Nineteen years later, the monster single from the very first album, The Way of the Fist, still connects with audiences. Everyone in attendance sang along, letting the words and pain in Moody’s voice sink in and transport them to a breakup or divorce. It was a powerful way to end the evening, but the band’s surreal nature is what makes them so great.
The evening couldn’t have been any more exciting or fun. The band very clearly tailored the experience to please the crowd and not their own needs. Five Finger Death Punch understands the importance of goodwill and inclusivity toward those who buy the tickets, and with a stage show and tunes to back it up, Five Finger Death Punch proved their “legacy” is alive and well twenty years on.
Catch Five Finger Death Punch on the Road…
