MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 11/15/24

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 11/15/24

HOUR 1
HALESTORM & BROOKS & DUNN - "boot scootin' boogie" // reboot II
LINKIN PARK - "two faced" // from zero
WEEKEND PICNIC - "follow me down" // follow me down - single
RAD OWL - "growl" // rage gracefully
ANBERLIN - "the runaways" (livestream 2020) // tear us apart
COPELAND - "no one really wins" // in motion
MADINA LAKE - "here I stand" // from them, through us, to you
CHILDREN 18:3 - "even sleeping" // children 18:3

POPPY - "push go" // negative spaces
BULLETS AND BUTTERFLIES - "abandon ship" // abandon ship - single
AMIRA ELFEKY – “will you love me when I'm dead" // will you love me when I'm dead - single
PAPA ROACH - "born for greatness" // crooked teeth
RISE AGAINST - "ready to fall" // the sufferer and the witness
UNDEROATH - "teeth" // teeth - single
IN THIS MOMENT - "next life" // beautiful tragedy
GORE. - "babylon" // a bud that never blooms

HOUR 2
MACHINE HEAD feat IN FLAMES, LACUNA COIL & UNEARTH - "these scars won't define us" // these scars won't define us - single
IN FLAMES - "end the transmission" // foregone
LACUNA COIL - "oxygen" // sleepless empire
UNEARTH - "the wretched; the ruinous" // the wretched; the ruinous
ODDS OF AN AFTERTHOUGHT - "bearer of bad news" // where dreams go to die
MAKE THEM SUFFER - "venusian blues" // make them suffer
EVERNOIR - "eater of worlds" // eater of worlds - single
BETTER LOVERS - "future myopia" // highly irresponsible

OPETH - "paragraph 3" // the last will and testament
FUTURE PALACES - "rays of light" // distortion
BETTER BROKEN - "queensberry" // tundra
SLDG - "1000 yard stare" // predicaments
SOULKEEPER - "heavy glow" // holy design
OUR COMMON COLLAPSE - "languish" // languish - single
SALTWOUND - "severance" // the temptation of pain
HATEBREED - "last breath" // satisfaction is the death of desire

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 11/08/24 - 24th Anniversary Show

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 11/08/24
24th ANNIVERSARY SHOW

HOUR 1
SPIRITBOX - "soft spine" // soft spine - single
ALIGN - "worth 3 scene points" // some breaking news
REVILWEN - "those who control" // follow the money
DIESL - "back home" // the failsafe
BURNING BOTH ENDS - "every reason" (live acoustic) // midwest beatdown acoustic session
ARROWS AT DAWN - "save love" // save love - single
AVADO - "death express" // viscera

THE BURN VAULT - "even rock stars die too" // ignite
LOST ISLAND SOCIETY - "living the meme" // living the meme
HOUSTON - "cover" // overhead
BEULAH RUE - "hospital bed" // aftermath
ONLY TIME - "the pull" // compassion fatigue
RAD OWL - "aladdin's castle" // madison beast
ANGRY WATERS - "invasive species" // hold the high ground

HOUR 2
MAKE THEM SUFFER - "epitaph" // make them suffer
ODDS OF AN AFTERTHOUGHT - "where dreams go to die" // where dreams go to die
SLDG - "1000 yard stare" // predicaments ep
VENDED - "the far side" // vended
DESTROPHY - "monarch" // the way of your world
DISKORD - "who am I?" // distance to nowhere
AFTER ALL - "red is your color" // demo
OLD TOWNE GHOSTS - "trve" // the end

LACUNA COIL - "oxygen" // sleepless empire
BLACK FLOOD DIESEL - "chasing the atrophy" // new asylum
REAPING ASMODEIA - "shattered leviathan" // shattered leviathan - single
DISEMBODIED - "anvil chandelier" // diablerie
HARVEST - "epicure" // transitions
KILLING STARES - "for the record" // for the record - single
BETTER LOVERS - "love as an act of rebellion" // highly irresponsible
SLIPKNOT - "all hope is gone" // all hope is gone

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 11/01/24 - GORE.

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 11/01/24
GUESTS :: GORE.

HOUR 1
SKILLET – “fire inside of me" // revolution
HOT WATER MUSIC - "undertow" // Hot Water Music/Quicksand split
WEEKEND PICNIC - "running out of time" // running out of time - single
MADAM DRIVER - "through the trees" // negative ghostrider
POPPY - "the cost of giving up" // negative spaces
BULLETS AND BUTTERFLIES – “abandon ship” // abandon ship - single
GREYWIND - "antidote" // antidote ep
JOHNNYROOK - "anything that'll sink" // the more things change

DEVIN TOWNSEND feat JAMEY JASTA – “powernerd" // powernerd
INDEX CASE - "for nothing" // index case
JINJER – “kafka” // duel
GHOST – “if you have ghosts" // if you have ghost
MVRROW - "hope" // fever dream
THROW THE FIGHT - "obey" // strangeworld
BETTER LOVERS – “love as an act of rebellion" // highly irresponsible
TURNSTILE - "big smile" // time and space

HOUR 2
GORE. - "pray" // a bud that never blooms ep
GORE. - "babylon" // a bud that never blooms ep
GORE. - "angels like you" // a bud that never blooms ep

GORE. - "Heaven is above me" // a bud that never blooms ep
KNOCKED LOOSE feat POPPY – “suffocate" // you won't go before you're supposed to
DRAIN – “living proof" // living proof
EVERNOIR – “eater of worlds” // eater of worlds - single
ENTHEOS – “return to me” // an end to everything
BY THE THOUSANDS – “the flood" // the descent
REFLECTIONS – “deva" // deva - single
REAPING ASMODEIA – “shattered leviathan” // shattered leviathan – single

**SPECIAL THANKS to HALEY from GORE. for zooming in to the Midwest Beatdown tonight! GORE.'s excellent new EP "A Bud That Never Blooms" is out now on Spinefarm Records!

Midwest Beatdown · Gore. interview

KORN and GOJIRA stun on the last night of the tour in St. Paul!

CONCERT REVIEW :: KORN, GOJIRA, SPIRITBOX
Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN
October 27, 2024
Photos by Brett Zisler
Review by Nick

KORN brought a fantastic lineup with them to celebrate 30 years of KORN with GOJIRA and SPIRITBOX! KORN had a huge stage with a minimalist set up utilizing screens that monuevered all over the stage. KORN brought out all the hits for the set including a few that haven't been played for a while, which is always a bonus when you've been seeing this band for the last 25 years. Coming out swinging from the moment they took the stage with a fiery (no pyro) "Here To Stay" and you knew the band was not going to mess around tonight.

KORN was in top notch form tonight with vocalist Jonathan Davis taking full advantage of a big stage, guitarists Head and Munky whipping their hair around like they haven't aged a day, bassist Ra Diaz throwing down the low end and the phenominal Ray Luzier with his massive drum center holding court on a Sunday evening. The two screens that moved all over the stage made the stage look clausterphobic for "Blind" and "Ball Tongue" a great nod to the smaller stages they would play during the first album tour cycle. Following it up with "Clown" made it a great mini set of songs from the debut record.

You can about imagine that they couldn't play every one of their hits or every song a KoRn fan would want to hear but throwing "Good God" and "Ball Tongue" in the set tonight was well the price of admission alone. KORN played just as hard tonight as they did back on the Sick and Twisted Tour or the Family Values tours and the sold out crowd was here for it singing along with "A.D.I.D.A.S.", "Got the Life", "Twist" and "Y'all Want a Single". The biggest surprise of the night had to be "Oildale (Leave Me Alone" from KoRn III, kind of a deep cut that was a single for the hardcore KoRn fans played in between arguably two of their biggest songs "Falling Away from Me" and "Freak on a Leash."

KORN and the crowd both came to play and to have a blast celebrating 30 years on a Sunday night! Here's to many more years!

GOJIRA took full advantage of being on an arena tour and put the money in to not only give long time Gojira fans something they've never seen before but also to bring in as many KoRn fans as possible in their hour set. GOJIRA had a beautiful stage set up with drummer extraordinare Mario Duplantier bashing in the drums in to submission on top of a good 10 foot riser with screens below it and to both sides of him. GOJIRA brought the pyro and weren't afraid to use it during much of the set cementing future arena headliner status for themselves.

Vocalist and guitarist Joe Duplantier demanded everyone's attention front and center while guitarist Christian Andreu and bassist Jean-Michael Labadie commanding stage left and right respectively. GOJIRA know how to deliver a show and they have taken that and turned it to 11, everything was bigger, better and louder. The set list had something for every fan including a blistering versions of "Born for One Thing", "Backbone" and "Stranded".

GOJIRA brought out a punishing version of "L'enfant Sauvage" before tearing in to their contribution as the first metal band to ever play the Olympics this past Summer in France with "Mea culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)". "Silvera" was a big hit with the crowd and you couldn't have asked for a better closer with an epic "Amazonia"! GOJIRA dominated their hour long set and set up KORN to deliver the home run win for the evening.

SPIRITBOX had a solid 30 minute opening set that was highlighted by their newest slugger "Soft Spine" that made for Spiritbox at their heaviest tonight. Their set sounded awesome, just wish they had a little more time to play with to get in more than 6 songs. Overall, making this a night not to forget for any fans of the 3 bands, well worth the money spent to get in to the show and buy some merch!

SEE MORE of BRETT's PICTURES of KORN and GOJIRA here!

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 10/25/24 - BETTER LOVERS

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 10/25/24
KMSU FALL PLEDGE DRIVE
GUESTS :: BETTER LOVERS

HOUR 1
THE WARNING – “automatic sun” // keep me fed
BULLETS & BUTTERFLIES – “rabbit hole” // rabbit hole – single
GORE. – “angels like you” // a bud that never blooms ep
RAD OWL – “always eyes” // rage gracefully
HOT WATER MUSIC feat TURNSTILE – “remnants” // vows
MADAM DRIVER – “through the trees” // negative ghostrider
ANGRY WATERS – “golden (gone on a binge)” // distilled in Judson, MN

GOJIRA, Marina Viotti & Victor Le Masne – “mea culpa (ah! ca ira!)" // mea culpa (ah! ca ira!) – single
KORN – “forgotten” // requiem
SPIRITBOX – “soft spine” // soft spine – single
EVERNOIR – “eater of worlds” // eater of worlds – single
JINJER – “kafka” // duel
SLDG – “calcify” // predicaments ep

HOUR 2
SOULKEEPER – “heavy glow” // holy design
BETTER LOVERS – “a white horse covered in blood” // highly irresponsible
BETTER LOVERS – “future myopia” // highly irresponsible
BETTER LOVERS – “at all times” // highly irresponsible

BETTER LOVERS – “love as an act of rebellion” // highly irresponsible
VENDED – “paint the skin” // vended
GWAR – “sick of you” // scumdogs of the universe
ENTHEOS – “return to me” // an end to everything ep

**SPECIAL THANKS to GREG from BETTER LOVERS for zooming in to the Midwest Beatdown this week! BETTER LOVERS’ new album “Highly Irresponsible” is out now via Sharptone Records. BETTER LOVERS will be LIVE at The Lyric @ Skyway Theater in Minneapolis on Nov 21 with FULL OF HELL, SPY and CLOAKROOM (18+ show)!

Midwest Beatdown · Better Lovers interview

SEETHER & SKILLET BRING THE HITS TO THE ARMORY!

CONCERT REVIEW :: SEETHER, SKILLET, TIM MONTANA, ROYALE LYNN
October 20, 2024
The Armory - Minneapolis, MN
Photos by Brett Zisler
Review by Nick

SEETHER and SKILLET brought the finale of their 2024 co-headline tour to The Armory in Minneapolis, MN for a fun filled evening of shenanigans. Both bands have been actively releasing new music for more than 20 years and easily could fill a set list and then some with their rock radio hits. SEETHER just released their new album "The Surface Seems So Far" last month and SKILLET is releasing their new album "Revolution" on Nov 1.

SEETHER was first of the two at the Minneapolis show coming out with their opener “Gasoline” from their debut album Disclaimer and then after a wall of guitars in between songs went right into “Fine Again” and then “Broken” with an assist from opener Royale Lynn. SEETHER seemed to really enjoy their time on stage from the jump but the band clicked into overdrive with a storming version of “Wasteland” and from that song til the end it was SEETHER at their strongest.

SEETHER only played one song from their very strong new album The Surface Seems So Far, “Judas Mind” sounded fantastic live and went over really well with the crowd. The intro to “Illusion” was played just before they ended their set with “Remedy”. I would rather have had them play “Illusion” in full as that song is one of the heaviest on the new record and taken out any of the Disclaimer era tracks. But I get it, there’s just some songs you have to play live.

Tim Montana and his band dressed up as ladies and came out to play a little joke on Seether during “Fake It”. The fun was not over yet! During “Remedy”, Seether’s road crew came out and took over for the band on the last half of the song to have a massive jam to end the set and this tour. Here’s to hoping SEETHER comes back on their own headlining tour in 2025 where they can come back and play more songs from their new album.

SKILLET was the evening’s final act and they upped their game complete with video screens and perhaps the tallest drum riser The Armory has ever seen. SKILLET stormed in right out of the gate with “Feel Invincible” and the crowd was singing along from that moment on. SKILLET’s high energy feel good show that is all about the “hits” everyone knows. Vocalist and bassist John Cooper runs around stage like a mad man making sure everyone in the crowd is getting in to it while guitarists Korey Cooper and Seth Morrison lay down the riffs and drummer Jen Ledger is electrifying bashing the drums 10 feet above the band.

SKILLET's lone new song of the evening their latest single "Unpopular" fit very nicely in the set and the crowd ate it up. Which led into the crowd favorite "Awake and Alive" which saw both guitarists on top of rising platforms from the already high in the air drum riser. I wouldn't be surprised if they were level with the attendees in the 3rd level. "Hero" crushes live and is definately a highlight of the set. Closing with "The Resistance" is a no-brainer, one of Skillet's best songs and possibly the heaviest as the song builds to it's final moments!

TIM MONTANA and ROYALE LYNN were both solid openers for the evening, each new to the scene. TIM MONTANA played a 7 song set from his album Savages with a tight band. If you're looking for some good straight up hard rock, look no further. ROYALE LYNN opened with a 6 song set that included a cover of Flyleaf’s “All Around Me” and her breakout singles “Deathwish” and “Six Feet Deep”. ROYALE LYNN has a great country meets hard rock flair that will make for a intriguing debut album when it arrives. Excited to see where they both go from here.

Overall, this is a show with nothing but the hits. They songs everyone wants to hear live were almost all represented so that even the most casual fan has a blast.

SEE MORE of BRETT's PHOTOS of SEETHER, SKILLET, TIM MONTANA and ROYALE LYNN here!

TILL LINDEMANN INVADES MINNESOTA

CONCERT REVIEW :: TILL LINDEMANN
Myth - Maplewood, MN
October 5, 2024
Photos and Review by Brett Zisler

If there is one thing to know before heading into a show that features TILL LINDEMANN, its to expect the unexpected and be prepared to be visually stimulated. That’s exactly what the crowd in Maplewood, Minnesota got on a Saturday night when Til’s tour rolled its way into town.

The line stretched around the Myth and down a couple of blocks with the crowds’ anticipation while wearing face paint clad with Rammstein shirts. There is something about Till Lindemann and the aura he brings to a show. This crowd showed up in droves early to claim their spots for a show they knew they would never forget. After openers Aesthetic Perfection and Twin Temple got the crowd perfectly warmed up, the moment everyone was there for was finally here.

As soon as those house lights went down, the frenzy in the crowd began. With the band silhouettes appearing in front of the screen behind them, everyone knew it was on from there. Till, painted all red, made his way towards the front of the stage dawned in a general’s hat and furlike coat as the band took their spots. The roar of the crowd was deafening as Til uttered his first words to “Zunge.” This proved to be the perfect lead into his set as everyone was ready to finally rock out. Watching Till and his intense and over the top band perform their next songs “Schweiss” and “Fat” was truly a sight to behold. The energy given out by the band along with the pounding riffs and drums is a combination unlike anything else. With drummer, Joe Letz, draped in attire that is not suitable for work and keyboardist, Constance Antionette’s stage presence, there is always something and someone to watch during the performance. Adding Danny Loehner on bass and guitarists Emily Ruvidich & Jes Paige only adds more raw energy and power to the show.

Till worked the crowd perfectly in the way only he can. Between the graphic videos/images on the screens behind him during songs like “Golden Shower” or bringing red cakes out to throw in the crowds faces. The fans loved every minute of it. How many shows have you been to where the band shoots real fish with a gun into the audience and people fight over it so they can take it home? Probably not many. Till along with Constance Antionette became part of the crowd as the made their way out onto the main floor during “Platz Eins.” Seeing him up close for so many fans was definitely a highlight for most.

As the night came to a close and Till finished out his set with “Ich Hasse Kinder,” it was clear that he had accomplished the goal for the evening. Deliver a show that the fans will NEVER forget. The count of how many times “holy sh*t!” by random people in the crowd during the duration of the show was too much to count. Till once again proved, you can watch bands performances on the internet & youtube, but nothing will ever compare to his live performances.

SEE MORE of BRETT's photos of TILL LINDEMANN HERE!