Concert Reviews

Avatar: Dance Devil Dance Tour Silver Spring MD Review

Published

2 years ago

May 27, 2023

Ron

The Filmore at Silver Spring MD smelled like a freakshow last night with Avatar being the ringleaders.

Avatar returned to Maryland bringing with them fellow Swedes Orbit Culture and Chicago’s Veil of Maya.

Orbit Culture opened up the show with their unique blend of heavy, melodic, and atmospheric elements. Their captivating live performance and energetic stage presence was lead by vocalist Niklas Karlsson. These Swedes did not disappoint and showcased their ability to engage the audience. Orbit Culture’s lyrical exploration of human nature, the state of the world, and existential contemplation was the perfect fit for the tour support slot.

Veil of Maya were up next and got the crowd all nice and rowdy waking up the crowd surfers. Veil of Maya were a great mix of super heavy and melodic clean vocals. Their newest album [m]other was just released on May 12th via Sumerian Records. They pulled three songs from this new release for this performance including: “Red Fur”, “Godhead”, and “Synthwave Vegan”. They preformed a set that was fun to watch and great to see the crowd digging them. Closing out their set was the crowd favorite “Makasa” form their 2015 album Matriarch.

Avatar is always a fun show to watch, between the great lighting, the crazy antics on stage, and how each member of the band are so unique and weird, it is just a great time. Led by Johannes, who is one of the best front-man in all music at this point. He embodies what a showman should be and has gotten his interaction with both the band and the fans down to an art form.

At one point during the show Johannes appeared in the balcony and played a little trumpet and made a balloon animal. He also played on a piano and drank from his infamous “trust” gasoline container. Avatar played a set that clocked in at just over two hours, which I believe is the longest set I’ve seen them play. It kicked off with “Dance Devil Dance” and “The Eagle Has Landed”. The songs were a good mix of all their albums. During the songs “Colossus” and “Let it Burn” they brought out the small drum kit to the edge of the stage which amped up the stage show even more.

As an encore the chose “The Dirt I’m Buried In”, “Smells Like Freakshow”, and Hail The Apocalypse.

This was perhaps one of my favorite Avatar shows to date, and I’ve seen them at-least seven, or maybe eight times now. We had all things you would expect (or maybe not expect) from and Avatar show: crazy stage antics, balloons, confetti, a masked man, a dance party that ended very oddly with an appearance from the King and even a little strip tease action.

About Author

Ron

Ron has keen eye for new talent, a love for the underground, and a tremendous passion for music of any genera. You’ll probably bump into him at a horror convention or some seedy club checking out the next need-to-know band.

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Concert Reviews

NEVER EARLY FESTIVAL BALTIMORE MD SHOW REVIEW

Published

12 hours ago

June 6, 2025

Ron

Never Early Fest in downtown Baltimore at Power Plant Live was a great experience and fun event that was held on May 31st. Having 5 stages, the main stage in power plant live , one stage at the old tin roof, one stage at angels rock bar, another stage at PBF and one at the Beer Garden.

Never Early Fest had a good mix of all types of genres. If you’re into punk rock, ska, metal core, rock, acoustic sets and everything in between, this was the place to be in Baltimore.

Some of the highlights were the headliners Deep Blue Something and Sumo Cyco( both of which I got to interview. Check out Below)

Sponge was great, along with Bikini Trill and The PieTasters on the main stage.

At Nutter Stage (Tin Roof) I really enjoyed The Upside, Skitzo Calypso, Tristan Tritt and Emily Wolfe.

Empire Tattoo Stage (PBR) highlights were When the Sun Sets, Act109 and Keep Flying. Punk Rock Saves Lives stage (Beer Garden) I enjoyed Distance to Dawn with an acoustic set, and LoveBoxx.

Dark Stage (Angels rock back) was probably my favorite stage only because it had the most metal/rock bands that I enjoyed. With Allswell, Lives Lost, Devil in Disguise, Awake at Last , A skylit drive and Sumo Cyco all killing it on that stage.

Overall I thought the fest was fun. We had a little rain that went by quick then some nice sunny weather with occasional crazy winds. The band were all great, the food and food trucks were great. The fans from all walks of life were enjoying the diversity of the music.

Huge shout to Nic Rappolla and His Team for putting on a great event.

About Author

Ron

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Concert Reviews

JET 930Club DC Show Review

Published

2 days ago

June 5, 2025

Marley Hein

Last night, the 9:30 Club got a full-force blast of rock ‘n’ roll straight from the Gold Coast — JET touched down in D.C., and they did not come to play. They came to remind us why they dominated the early 2000s and why rock will never die as long as they’re around.

You know the hits: “Are You Gonna Be My Girl,” “Cold Hard Bitch,” and “Look What You’ve Done.” But hearing them live? It’s a whole different beast. JET brought every ounce of raw power and swagger they’re known for, and the crowd was right there with them — screaming every lyric, fists in the air, living for that gritty garage-rock goodness.

Opening the night was U.K. trio Band of Skulls, and they didn’t hold back either. With tracks like “Death by Diamonds and Pearls,” they delivered a moody, grungy set that set the tone perfectly — dark, loud, and ready to erupt.

And let’s be real: JET flying all the way from Australia to give us this show? That’s commitment. These guys don’t tour the States often, so when they do, it’s a big deal — and they made sure this night was unforgettable. The guitar riffs were sharp, the vocals hit just right, and the energy? Off the charts.

If you weren’t there, you seriously missed out. And if you were there… you might’ve spotted me in full glitter mode, rocking my mermaid sequin pants and repping Empire Extreme loud and proud. Not to flex too hard, but I even got a shout-out from JET’s lead singer mid-show. Iconic behavior all around

About Author

Marley Hein

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Concert Reviews

Ministry brings the squirrelly years to Baltimore Soundstage

Published

3 weeks ago

May 16, 2025

Ron

Ministry on tour now with Die Krupps and Nitzer EBB stopped into Baltimore to bring us the early years of Ministry.

German industrial band Die Krupps opened up the show and got the crowd pumped and ready. With a good mix of synth , guitars and booming bass, Die Krupps was a great opener. With songs like Metal Machine Music, Robo Sapien, and Bloodsuckers.

Nitzer EBB was up next. Armed with just vocalist Bon Harris and his keyboardist , Nitzer EBB set was full of energy and life, Bon was all over the stage dancing and just living his best life. With songs like Blood Money, Hearts and Minds, and Join in the Chant, Nitzer got the goth crowd up and moving.

Ministry was up next and it was gonna be a fun and weird night. I’ve seen Ministry many times but this would be the first time I’ve seen them without them playing either Thieves or NWO. That’s because we got blasted back into the in 1983 and 1986 with albums “With Sympathy” and “Twitch”.

The band sounded and looked amazing with AL supporting a disco fever fuzzy hat and glasses. Now like I’ve said I’ve seen Ministry many times and they have been heavy as all hell, but apparently the old school set with much bass in it was too much for Soundstages speakers as the band blew them out many times during the set.

The fans didn’t care they stuck in full force and watched one of the most fun Ministry shows. It was great to hear all the old songs with a little bit of a modern twist to them. If you get to go and see this tour I encourage you to do so.