FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, CODY JINKS, EVA UNDER FIRE In The Woodlands, TX With Photos!

Saturday, October 3, 2026 at 1:02 PM

By Larry Petro @petrofyed

Las Vegas Rockers Bring Their 'Legacy' To The Woodlands Pavilion On September 27th

Live Photos By Larry Petro / Petrofyed Photography
Band Photo By Chad Martel

When talking to rockers and metalheads about FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH you'll find that people either love them or hate them. There isn't much gray area in between but for the better part of two decades the Las Vegas group has just continued to churn out album after album, garnering 18 #1 hits on the Mainstream Rock charts along the way. And with the release of the aptly titled new album, 'Legacy', the band hit the road to celebrate their 'Legacy', both literally and figuratively. Houston loves some 5FDP and with the added bill of CODY JINKS and EVA UNDER FIRE it was sure to be a hot night at the Woodlands Pavilion just north of the Houston metro.

It's no secret to anyone that knows me that I have a soft spot for female-fronted metal bands, not necessarily the ones who growl like Cookie Monster, but the ones who have complete vocal range and can belt out beautiful melodies, and tour openers EVA UNDER FIRE fit right into that category. Having gotten an advance of their newest album, 'Villainous', and playing it nonstop for the past couple of weeks, it has earned a spot in my Top Ten releases for the year and the more I listen to it the more I like it. And as a photographer in the barricade more often than not you will catch me singing along with the band while I'm shooting and that's exactly what took place as the band took the stage in the heat of the Texas afternoon with the album's lead-off track, "Awakening". Combining the vocal styles of an Amy Lee (EVANESCENCE) with those of Lzzy Hale (HALESTORM), frontwoman Eva Marie was in top form as she showed off her vocal chops, proving that she isn't just a pretty face. The highlight of the evening for me took place during the second number, "My Own Name", during which Eva took notice of my singing in the barricade and came down closer to give me a fist bump (see photo below).

Though their set was far too brief for me at just 7 songs, they performed 5 from the new album including the title track (which features Maria Brink of IN THIS MOMENT), "Don't Say I'm OK" and "Murder Scene". The band did one cover, the song that first got them on my radar in the JOURNEY cover of "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" which Eva absolutely nails. They also performed their big previous hit in "Blow" to close out their set.

Having seen and covered 5FDP previously I was still amped to cover them again, but EVA UNDER FIRE was the one I was most excited to finally catch live and they did not disappoint! Would love to see them on a small venue headline affair and maybe then they can play my favorite track from the new album, "Gasoline". Houston promoters, book this band!

Setlist:

"Awakening"
"My Own Name"
"Don't Say I'm Ok"
"Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" (JOURNEY cover)
"Murder Scene"
"Villainous"
"Blow"

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Next up on the bill was Texas native and 'Outlaw Country' artist Cody Jinks. I have to admit that I was scratching my head about this one. If he was a Country Rock artist or even Southern Rock I could probably understand his inclusion on this tour, but I really didn't even see much in the way of 'outlaw' in his performance. That isn't to say that he wasn't good in his own right. I mean he's been around for close to 20 years himself and has had several albums reach the Top 5 on the Country Music charts and though I am not a fan of Country music in any way, I can appreciate a good performance when I see one, and it was clear that a good portion of the audience was there to see him as he kicked off his set with "Fast Hand" from his 2008 album 'Collectors Item'. Jinks did a solid job of including songs from across his career, performing ones from
7 different releases including "Ain't A Train", "Hippies And Cowboys", "Mamma Song" and "Must Be The Whiskey".

However, even with all of that I was still hoping for something a little more raucous, more upbeat and rocking and when they started the AC/DC cover "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" I thought maybe, just maybe I'll finally get to rock out a little but alas, even that song fell short of expectations without much oomph behind it. Still, the crowd enjoyed his set, including my youngest son who attended the show with me. He was familiar with Jinks' material and told me how popular he currently is and even went as far as to tell me that the next time he comes through he'll be headlining his own tour. And he probably isn't wrong. But personally for this reviewer, he would have been better as the opener instead of sandwiching him in between two metal acts. Jinks himself even acknowledged the many people that questioned his being on this tour but at the same time noted how accepting the metal fans have been to him and his band, a testament to just how cool metal fans really are.

Setlist:

"Fast Hand"
"David"
"Ain't a Train"
"Hippies And Cowboys"
"Found" (Ward Davis cover)
"Heavy Load"
"Mamma Song"
"Which One I Feed"
"And Again"
"Must Be the Whiskey"
"It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" (AC/DC cover)
"Loud And Heavy"

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Reviewer's Note: Unfortunately you will not see any photos of his performance with this review because I refused to sign the ridiculous rights grab photo release his management had put forth. I'm sorry but if you want the rights to use my photos forever however you please, for whatever purpose you want, and the right to alter them in any way you see fit without any consideration to me, then you can pay me for them. Thanks but no thanks.

As for 5FDP, anyone who's seen the band perform live can attest to the fact that they are very entertaining, especially if you're a photographer. And in keeping with a band that does things their own way, instead of getting to photograph the first 3 songs of their set, we got to shoot songs 4, 5 and 6, which meant we got to stand off to the side and watch as the band launched into "Welcome To The Circus". Indeed, watching a 5FDP show is much like a circus with guitarist Zoltan Bathory and bassist Chris Kael taking on the role of the clowns. I mean that in the best way possible, as the two of them in particular are engaging, both with the fans and us photographers. As we stood ready to get our chance in the barricade we watched as they performed two in a row from the new opus 'Legacy', "Eye of The Storm" and the title track before we entered the pit for "Lift Me Up" and the clowning around began. Bathory and Kael were posing and hamming it up for us every chance they got. I can't tell you how satisfying it is when the artists onstage not only acknowledge your presence but interact with you in this way, but that's how 5FDP makes you feel like you're a part of the show.

After "Jekyll And Hyde" and "Wash It All Away" the band launched into the great cover of "Bad Company", followed by "De Oppreso Liber", the other new song from 'Legacy'. Vocalist Ivan Moody for his part didn't move around too much nor did he stray too far from his mic stand at center stage. He would address the crowd mid-set to let them know that he was suffering from vertigo and a migraine which made belting out their songs extremely challenging for him. I did notice from that point on as I focused on his facial expressions that performing was causing him a good amount of discomfort but to his credit, he soldiered through the rest of the set that included hits like "Burn MF", "Wrong Side of Heaven", "IOU" and "Never Enough". The band would return for a three song encore of "Under And Over It", "Sham Pain" and "The Bleeding".

20 years on the band continues to do what they do best: releasing great music and giving the fans their money's worth in live shows. They have certainly earned their place among the elite groups of metal.

Setlist:

"Welcome To The Circus"
"Eye of The Storm"
"Legacy"
"Lift Me Up"
"Jekyll And Hyde"
"Wash It All Away"
"Bad Company" (BAD COMPANY cover)
"De Oppresso Liber"
"Burn It Down" / Drum Solo / "Burn MF"
"Far From Home" (Ivan a cappella)
"Wrong Side of Heaven"
"IOU"
"Enter Sandman" / "Last Resort" / "Livin' On A Prayer" (Snippets with Chris Kael on vocals)
"Trouble"
"Never Enough"

Encore:

"Under and Over It"
"Sham Pain"
"The Bleeding"

The 'Legacy' Tour continues through October. Check out a show in your area!

Legacy Tour Remaining Dates:

10.3 – Kansas City, MO – Morton Amphitheater
10.5 – Biloxi, MS – Mississippi Coast Coliseum
10.7 – Huntsville, AL – Orion Amphitheater
10.8 – Franklin, TN – FirstBank Amphitheater
10.10 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
10.11 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
10.13 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
10.14 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
10.16 – Charlotte, NC – Truliant Amphitheater
10.17 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
10.19 – Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena
10.21 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena
10.23 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live

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