BAD WOLVES, FROM ASHES TO NEW, DIAMANTE & THROW THE FIGHT bring us back to the Varsity!

BAD WOLVES, FROM ASHES TO NEW, DIAMANTE, THROW THE FIGHT
VARSITY THEATER in MINNEAPOLIS
JUNE 6, 2018

First off, it was nice to be back in the Varsity Theater again. It’s a great venue in the heart of the University of Minnesota and oh, how Dinkytown has changed since the last time I was at the Varsity.

This show was a do not miss from the moment it was announced. A chance to see 3 bands in a 950 capacity room before they moved on to venues much bigger. BAD WOLVES was just coming off an arena tour with Five Finger Death Punch and Shinedown. FROM ASHES TO NEW just did all the Danny Wimmer festivals in May including Northern Invasion. DIAMANTE is just about to release her debut album next Friday. Add in local opener Throw the Fight who just recorded their next album and you have a great night of music on your hands.

THROW THE FIGHT won the opportunity to open the show, they played to a good sized crowd and put on a very tight set from what I was told. I didn’t make it in on time to catch their set unfortunately.

Brett and I barely made it in time for DIAMANTE’s opening number “Kind of Love” which is a number not to be missed, a stand out on the new album. The band tore thru a killer version of Skid Row’s “Youth Gone Wild” that half way thru went in to Heart’s “Crazy on You”! The latter is included on her record. The band ending their set perfectly with “War Cry”. DIAMANTE is full of energy on stage which was infectious and she definitely made new fans at the Varsity! This was a great 30 minute intro set from a band that you need to know. Check DIAMANTE out, she’s gonna be big. I look forward to repeated listens of her debut album.

This is now the 3rd time in a month that I’ve seen FROM ASHES TO NEW technically in 3 different cities and 3 different states! Somerset, WI at Northern Invasion, Columbus, OH at Rock on the Range and now Minneapolis, MN at the Varsity Theater. They are a tight, energetic band that mixes elements of rock, hip hop and even a little bit of metal in there too – perfectly tying together everything you were going to see tonight and more. The crowd erupted from the beginning and didn’t stop until the final song. The band made use of the entire stage jumping around feeding off the crowd. A couple of my favorites from their new record were early on in the set opening with “The Future” and “Forgotten” not far behind. The sing alongs were huge for their single “Crazy” along with their mash up tribute to Chester from Linkin Park of “Papercut” and “Heavy.” FROM ASHES TO NEW excel as a live band and live up to it on their new album “The Future.” Keep an eye on this band.

BAD WOLVES came out to a huge response from the crowd. My estimate at this point in the time was the place was about ¾ full which is an excellent turnout for a Wednesday night. (Remember this only an estimate) Opening with “Officer Down” it was time for the heavy and this crowd was ready for it! From there, they went straight in to “Learn to Live” and then “No Masters”. Calling this band fine tuned could easily be an understatement. These were 3 of the best tracks from the album to fire off this show.

BAD WOLVES as individuals have all paid their dues and slung it out on the road for years in their prior bands. Their debut Disobey is a well oiled machine. The band took their time, made sure everything was right and released a damn fine debut album. Just like on the record, the live show has a little bit of something for everybody. It’s not all head bangers. There’s grooves, there’s hooks, there’s even slowing it down into a hard rockin ballad territory.

DIAMANTE has returned to the stage for “Hear Me Now” and of course, the show wasn’t over until the crowd sang along with “Zombie”. In their 60 minute set, you heard almost the entire album which is going to be a rare thing in the future seeing this band in this small of a venue.

Hopefully you caught this show and if not, you’ll be paying more for a ticket the next time they are in town. These 3 bands are on the rise!

Hit the jump to see more of Brett's photos from BAD WOLVES, FROM ASHES TO NEW and DIAMANTE at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis!