Chevelle Takes The Summer Stage Down The Rabbit Hole

Saturday, 8/23/25 — following the release of their 10th studio album Bright As Blasphemy — Chevelle took the legendary Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ down the Rabbit Hole with Asking Alexandria and Dead Poet Society.

If you’re from New Jersey, you’ve likely visited The Stone Pony for a concert or two. If not… the venue, although small, has hosted big names for more than 50 years. And the Summer Stage is the pinnacle — the blowoff to finish the summer the way only The Stone Pony can. When not in its Summer Season, the indoor venue hosts just 850 concertgoers. However, the Summer Stage multiplies that by more than five (4,500 fans!), situated right across from the Asbury Park beach. The cool ocean air breathes across the proverbial sea of rowdy fans, and this first evening was no different.

Dead Poet Society opened up the Summer Stage in spectacular fashion. The energy of bassist Dylan Brenner set the crowd ablaze. Starting off with one of their most recognizable hits off -!-, “In Too Deep”, followed by “I Hope You Hate Me” off their latest album Fission (2024, Spinefarm Records). The fuzzy grunge tones of guitarist Jack Collins and the light, airy vocals of Jack Underkofler complement each other in a way that can only be described as chaotic yet harmonious. Once Dead Poet Society launched into “Salt”, the energy shifted even more chaotically as drummer Will Goodroad locked into a beat, sending bassist Dylan Brenner into a frenzy, thrashing around on stage. Finishing with just as much energy as they began, they closed with “Hurt”, which was also a collaborative release with the band The Warning.

Dead Poet Society Setlist

.Intoodeep

I Hope You Hate Me

.Salt.

Lo Air

.CoDA.

Uto

Running In Circles

HURT

A cool wind blew over the Summer Stage as the sun began to set over the Asbury Park boardwalk and beach. The crowd hummed in anticipation of the next band. Asking Alexandria was up next. The band walked out onto the stage as the crowd roared, with singer Danny Worsnop in tow. After a brief instrumental intro, the words echoed across the sea of fans: “Never fucking good enough” — the opening line of “Things Could Be Different”. The lyrics seemed to hit differently in light of some of the criticism the band has recently endured. Transitioning into ”Dark Void”, the crowd didn’t let up. Crowd surfer after crowd surfer made their way to the front. At one point, Worsnop, seemingly a little emotional, remarked that he wanted crowd surfers for the next song — though he didn’t even need to ask.

By now, the band had finished “Alone In a Room” With the hot crowd hanging on. The band stepped offstage as Worsnop returned with an acoustic guitar and asked the New Jersey crowd if he could play for a little. He then launched into “Someone, Somewhere”, with the band returning partway through to finish. To send the crowd home happy — and maybe even some haters — they closed with “The Final Episode (Let’s Change The Channel)”.

Asking Alexandria Setlist

Things Could Be Different

Dark Void

Down To Hell

Into The Fire

Where Did It Go

Alone in a Room

Someone, Somewhere (Acoustic)

Moving On

The Final Episode (Let’s Change The Channel)

The sun had officially set. The lights dimmed. Fog filled the barren stage. Then the lights went completely out, and the crowd riled with anticipation. Bright lights and an LED wall cast shadows of brothers Pete and Sam Loeffler across the stage. The oh-so-familiar nu-metal riff and siren-esque vocals of Loeffler filled the ocean air, followed by a cymbal strike that kicked off ”Family System”.

The eighteen-song set had something for new and old fans alike. With fresh tracks from Bright As Blasphemy (BMG), including “Pale Horse”, “Rabbit Hole (Cowards Pt.1)”, and “Jim Jones (Cowards Pt.2)”, Chevelle also pulled out deeper cuts like “Prove To You” off their 1999 self-titled album. In typical rockstar fashion, they attempted to end the show after this song. Of course, the crowd yearned for more — and they even fooled some fans (Yep, someone stormed off on the boardwalk furious, thinking the show was over and missing the encore… yikes).

The band triumphantly reappeared to play “The Red” — because why wouldn’t they? It’s their most-played song. However, most of it was sung by the crowd, with Loeffler drifting in and out of vocals, soaking in the night. They closed with “Mars Stimula”.

Chevelle Setlist

Family System

Self Destructor

Rabbit Hole (Cowards Pt.1)

An Island

Joyride (Omen)

Face to the Floor

Pale Horse

Vitamin R (Leading Us Along)

Hats Off to the Bull

Jim Jones (Cowards Pt.2)

The Clincher