Concert Recap: Vana's "The Lady in Red" Tour in Greensboro, NC (April 21, 2026)

While it's better than it used to be, there still seems to be an astounding lack of female representation in the rock and metal music community. "Female-fronted" is unfortunately still a popular marketing term because it's still a novelty for some listeners, and it's almost impossible to find female representation in many tour announcements. Fortunately, there are some occasions in which there are exclusively "female-fronted" bands on an entire tour package, and earlier this week, I had the pleasure of covering one of those tours.

Vana has been making all sorts of waves online in recent years, with singles like "Pray" and "BEG!" going viral almost immediately after they'd been released. She was signed to Sumerian Records late last year, and her latest single "In Your Name" is an impressive display of her range, both musically and vocally. Her first US headlining tour kicked off last week, featuring support from RedHook, Deadlands, and Chandler Leighton, and I was lucky enough to catch the 4th stop of the tour at Hangar 1819 in Greensboro, NC on Tuesday.

RedHook hit the stage first, which already got the night started on a high note. I've been a fan of RedHook for a few years now, with their latest album Mutation being on heavy repeat since it was released, so it was great to have finally seen them live for the first time, especially as part of a bill as stacked as this one. I've been wanting to see RedHook live for a hot minute, and their set was worth the wait — I thought it would be a while before I'd get to see them, with them being from Australia and touring logistics here in the States being an absolute nightmare, but I knew I had to get to this show early in order to see them, and I'm so glad I did.

For the first band of the night, there was a surprisingly theatrical element to their live show, from costume changes to fake blood to sidestage bubbles. As an Alice Cooper fan, I love seeing bands bring some theatrics like this to the stage, so to experience that with the very first band on the bill was a great time. I don't know when they'll be back in the Carolinas, but I'll absolutely be on the lookout because this band is just as sick live as they are in the studio.

RedHook Setlist:

1. Bomb.com
2. Off With Your Head
3. All Panic, No Disco
4. HEXXX
5. Psych vs Psych
6. Jabberwocky
7. Dead Walk
8. Bad Decisions

Up next was Deadlands, which was one of my main reasons for attending. It's no secret that I'm a huge Deadlands fan — I've gotten to see them live on their first headlining tour a couple years ago, I've interviewed vocalist Kasey Karlsen on a couple different occasions, and I honestly can't say enough good things about the entire band in general. Kasey was also kind enough to give me a photo pass for this show, so we all have her to thank for these photos and this writeup.

Since they were only the second band of the night, Deadlands' set time was pretty short, but it was just enough time for them to play their SEVEN. EP in its entirety. Having heard just about every other song they'd recorded at the time when I saw them in Jacksonville, NC a couple years ago, it's nice to still be able to say I've gotten to see quite literally all of their songs in a live setting now.

This band is even better live than they were the first time I saw them in Jacksonville, NC — it's so awesome seeing their tour manager Andrew Gaudio now also playing drums for them, and having Niles Gregory Gibbs from Vana's band holding it down on bass for this run has also been super cool to see. The new songs sound amazing, the crowd seemed to love every minute of their set, and their performance just hit all the marks.

Deadlands Setlist:

1. Villain
2. Limbo
3. Die in Paradise
4. MORE!
5. Kundalini
6. Wither
7. House of Cards

Direct support was from Chandler Leighton, who was a short-notice replacement for Cloudyfield, who unfortunately had to cancel their involvement on the tour due to logistical issues. Leighton seemed ready to step in though, because her set was both impressive and well-received by the audience. Musically, her material is more moody and pop-inspired compared to the other bands on the bill, and it was a nice change of pace right in the center of the show. In all honesty, I had never heard her music until this show, but I quickly became a fan after watching her perform live.

Musically, I felt like the highlight of her set was the performance of her new single "Wasted Potential," but unfortunately this show will likely be forever immortalized as the one time a fight broke out during her closing song "Waiting For You to Heal." If the title doesn't give it away, this couldn't have been a more ironic moment for something like this to happen, but as they say, that's just rock and roll.

Chandler Leighton Setlist:

1. F Off
2. Poison
3. Wasted Potential
4. touchin' me
5. When You Say My Name
6. Say Less
7. Waiting For You to Heal

After Chandler Leighton's set, Vana took the stage and immediately set the tone with the opening track, "Pray." For a tour called the "Lady in Red" Tour, the lighting couldn't have been more appropriate, with the stage only being illuminated with red lights. From a photography perspective, the circumstances weren't ideal, but as a fan and someone who appreciates aesthetic continuity with an artist's work, I couldn't have loved it more.

Between her latest single, "In Your Name," and the classic "NOXIOUS," it's hard for me to pick a favorite Vana song, but thankfully both were included in the setlist. As a relatively new artist, they managed to fit a decent chunk of their material into the setlist, from the latest hit singles to older tracks like 2022's "Crawling." Vana even teased that they were about to play "Foggy Windows," only to admit that it was just a joke.

From ripping Pokemon card packs to making the audience bark between songs, Vana proved that she knows how to not just perform, but interact with her audience. Her band is incredibly solid too, with Niles Gregory Gibbs on guitar, Harlan Jones on bass, and Mathieux Davis on drums. How they were able to play and see through the masks they were wearing is beyond me, but they did so with seemingly no trouble. With this being their first headline tour, they definitely made a statement with the type of live show they're able to give fans in this capacity, and if it wasn't already obvious, it's safe to say that Vana and her band have an incredibly bright future.

Vana Setlist:

1. Pray
2. NOXIOUS
3. HARLEQUIN!
4. PLEASER
5. In Your Name
6. SERPENTINE
7. BITE BACK
8. Crawling
9. DIE FOR ME!
10. BEG!
11. Clandestine

This was an awesome tour all-around, with each band having epic performances and undoubtedly gaining new fans along the way. It was an absolute treat to be able to see this tour, and I'm so excited to see each of these bands again at some point down the line.

Support RedHook here

Support Deadlands here

Support Chandler Leighton here

Support Vana here