X Fest 2025: Chevelle/ Asking Alexandria/ Dead Poets Society/ Venus Love
- Phantom Light Media
- Oct 4, 2025
- 2 min read
The weather the night of the Chevelle tour in Nampa, ID at the Ford Idaho Center Amphitheatre could not have been better. The pre-show kicked off with Venus Love, winner of the Xfest Battle of the Bands back in September. It was brief set to warm up the growing crowd.
Dead Poets Society came on the stage after a quick introduction from the 100.3 the X Rocks DJ's. This band was well composed and solid. They brought an almost Emo vibe to show. I have really enjoyed listening to this band on the radio and my usual streaming services. This was no different. They were nice on the ears and a pleasure to watch. Finishing there set off with their hit "Hurt" no this is not a NIN cover.
Next in line was Asking Alexandria. There was no pressure when a colleague said take great photos since they weren't able to make it. This being one of their favorite bands. They made it easy for me to shoot. The drummer sitting high on his throne and the guitars and singer bring all the energy. Red and later being green were the colors of the first 3 songs but washed right...*chefs kiss* gave beautiful contrast on the subjects. The LD tonight was on it. Although I was out of sight, I remained in ear shot of the remainder of the set. To say the least, the sound engineer didn't miss a note; they sounded great.
The headliner tonight was the one and only Chevelle. This was my first Chevelle show along with the other two bands in the tour package. They also brought some great energy. Something a bit different though was the drums lived to the side of the stage. It did make it kind of tricky to get a shot of the drummer but I think I pulled it off. The energy was there especially from the bassist, which is always a pleasure to me. Again the lights were on point. Prior to the show I looked into what kind of production I might witness and all arrows pointed to something along the lines of minimalist. Which wasn't wrong at all. This is what you get. not to say minimalist meant lacking. Everything was well lit. The emphasis was on the artist more than it was on the production itself. This did lead to me hearing a few gripes about the band's energy in passing. This mostly just went in one ear and out the other. I know that these guys are 2 shows away from going home from this tour and I would have to dig deep to find the level of energy they gave the crowd. Good job and great show.
All in all this was a wonderful October night for one of the last outdoor shows in the Treasure Valley of Idaho. Glad I could be a part of it. The Ford Idaho Center is a blessing of a venue. From the staff to the fans the energy is always there to make for a great show.
Photos & Review By: Justin Webb
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