I Prevail, Halestorm bring powerhouse collaboration to Scranton

I Prevail and Halestorm's collaboration track asks, "can u see me in the dark?"

One thing's for certain, you can see the co-headliners, along with special guests Hollywood Undead and Fit For A King, July 24 in Scranton.

The summer tour comes through the Pavilion at Montage Mountain, giving rock fans a little bit of everything in the genre.

"I wanted to have something that’s reminiscent or close to a tour like the Family Values Tour where it was such a wild lineup of all these bands together, but it worked," I Prevail co-lead vocalist Eric Vanlerberghe said in a phone interview. "Not directly comparing us to theirs, but I wanted to have something that if you looked at this rock Venn diagram, all these bands are around it and I know there’s that middle section that overlaps with everybody from Halestorm’s fans to Hollywood Undead to Fit For A King.

"If you just like rock, you just love a rock show, you’re going to have fun no matter what band is up there."

Scranton is the 11th stop on the 27-leg tour. After experiencing night one of the tour July 9 in Raleigh, North Carolina, Vanlerberghe knew the four groups hit on something special.

"Getting to go watch every band, it was awesome," Vanlerberghe said. "It feels like a little traveling festival."

He also experienced singing live alongside Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale, one of the best vocalists in rock, for the bands' collaboration track — "can u see me in the dark?" — which was released June 6.

"We had a couple days of rehearsal, and it was just like kind of walking through singing the song, but we’re not doing it 100%," Vanlerberghe said. "So, we played the show, (Hale) comes out and full sends, 100% and I’m like, 'I gotta keep up.' She’s so good. It was a really cool moment to share with a legend. It’s crazy that we could call them peers, much less our friends. It’s awesome."

"Can u see me in the dark?" combines Hale's booming voice with Vanlerberghe's heavy vocals, while seamlessly blending Halestorm's hard rock sound with I Prevail's electronic-produced style in a song that builds toward a powerful finish. It's a great result, especially for two bands creating a song as both toured separately. However, the bands developed a quick bond when they met at a festival in Belgium a year ago.

"We hung out right before they were getting ready to take off for their flight, so we got to hang for like 45 minutes or an hour or so and it was just a great time," Vanlerberghe said. "It felt like old friends connecting."

After that, the bands only talked through Zoom, but Vanlerberghe said it proved a fluid process. It also pushed the boundaries of each band's full potential.

"I think it’s really doing what it’s meant to do, which is to bring two worlds, two opposite ends of the spectrum of rock together," Vanlerberghe said. "I love seeing all these collabs in the rock world right now, and it feels cool to have one ourselves that we’re very proud of."

Prevailing

The collaboration is also a continuation of I Prevail's growth as the band members, which include Vanlerberghe (heavy vocals), Brian Burkheiser (clean vocals), Steve Menoian (lead guitarist), Dylan Bowman (rhythm guitarist) and Gabe Helguera (drummer), look to broaden their horizons with every album.

Formed in Michigan, I Prevail released its EP, Heart vs. Mind, in December 2014, and gained popularity with its metal cover of Taylor Swift's "Blank Space." In October 2016, the band released its stellar debut album Lifelines with Burkheiser taking the lead on most songs with his phenomenal melodic voice. Vanlerberghe also showed his talent, especially with his powerful vocals in the heaviest song on the album, "Come and Get It."

In between albums, Burkheiser suffered a vocal injury he recently found out is Eagle syndrome. Instead of taking a step back, the band continued to push the limits of what it could accomplish. Vanlerberghe took on more of the vocals, Burkheiser fought through his injury and I Prevail released its second album Trauma, which brought the best out of each band member, in March 2019. The record earned Grammy nominations for Best Rock Album and Best Metal Performance for hit single "Bow Down." Three years later, the band built off Trauma with its latest album True Power, evoking many emotions by blending heavy metal, emo and rap. Now, I Prevail is collaborating with Halestorm with Vanlerberghe leading the way on the vocals.

"To try to expand my range, I’m very grateful the band had the trust in me to take shots like that and I think it does a lot for our band to be able to have a wide range of vocal heavy stuff, melodic, sprinkle in a little bit of rap into parts just so it’ll never feel to us like we’re stuck in one lane," Vanlerberghe said.

Burkheiser is still struggling with Eagle syndrome and had to miss shows earlier this year to recover from surgeries. Vanlerberghe and Bowman picked up singing responsibilities during that stretch. Burkheiser is back for this tour, and at full strength there's no limit to what I Prevail can accomplish.

"Now to me and hopefully our fans, it feels like nothing really is too out of pocket for us," Vanlerberghe said. "But to have two vocalists to do all of the above essentially I think is a big tool in our toolbox."

Mental health

The importance of mental health isn't lost on the bands in this tour. Halestorm is a partner with mental health organization Sound Live Mind, and I Prevail has had its mental health struggles, which are conveyed through some of its music. When Vanlerberghe was younger, music helped him cope with his problems. Some albums that influenced him include Linkin Park's Meteora and Senses Fail's Still Searching. Now, he's honored that I Prevail's music helps others with their struggles.

"We’re so appreciative of our fans," Vanlerberghe said. "To be able to put something out that touches on harder topics to discuss or is very open from a personal point and have our fans react to it the way they react to it, that they connect with it or it’s helping them get through something, it’s crazy that we’re able to do that. It’s all come full circle."

One of its emotionally powerful songs, "Breaking Down," ends with the lyric, "I don't really like myself."

"I felt that was an important message to put out that it’s not always going to be OK, but to know that you’re not alone and you’re still dealing with it. Hey, I’m dealing with it, too," Vanlerberghe said. "You’re not alone in that. We’re going to get through it together or we’re going to get through it in some way, but whatever feeling you’re feeling, you’re not alone in that."

Scranton experience

I Prevail came to Scranton in 2017 as part of Warped Tour, but that's not the only time the band found itself in the city.

"We had an off day, surprisingly. I found out last minute and we pulled up and I was like, wait a minute we’re in Scranton," Vanlerberghe said. I’m a huge “Office” fan. I’m sure you all over there get that a lot. I went to the bowling alley that has the bar (Poor Richard's) and now I need to go to Cooper’s Seafood.

"It was sick. I was like, 'When am I ever going to be in Scranton? Hell yeah! Three years later or two years later, we’re like, 'Oh, we’re playing Scranton? Hell yeah!"

Halestorm most recently played in Scranton at the Pavilion at Montage Mountain two years ago for its Back from the Dead tour with The Pretty Reckless, The Warning and Lilith Czar.

For tickets to the July 24 show, visit montagepavilion.com.