BRING ME THE HORIZON BRING ASCENSION TO ST. PAUL

CONCERT REVIEW :: BRING ME THE HORIZON, THE PLOT IN YOU, AMIRA ELFEKY
Grand Casino Arena - St. Paul, MN
May 13, 2026
Review & The Plot in You photos by Brett Zisler
Bring Me the Horizon photos by Matty Vogel

A perfect Wednesday spring evening in St. Paul, MN was the setting for one of the final dates of Bring Me the Horizon’s Ascension Program 2 in the US. Even though it was near the end of the tour, Bring Me The Horizon showed nothing but massive energy and prowess. Looking back, it’s hard to believe at times that Bring Me the Horizon has been going now for over 20 years and has built their fanbase up in Minnesota from playing some of the smaller venues, Cabooze, Epic (RIP), & Station 4 (RIP). The Twin Cities has seen them grow from being kids to full fledged arena headliners. That was the biggest takeaway from this show.

Bring Me the Horizon launched their headlining set with a massive response from the St. Paul crowd as they kicked into DArkSide & House of Wolves with loads of confetti raining down from the elaborate stage and screen setup. Frontman, Oli Sykes, proved why he is regarded as one of the top entertainers in rock music as he worked the crowd as they recited back every lyric. Guitarist, Lee Malia had tones that sounded so absolutely raw, it was hard to believe it was an arena rock show. Bassist, Matt Kean & Drummer, Matt Nicholls rounded out the band as they drove the momentum as Bring Me the Horizon weaved their way through their 16 song set.

One highlight was how Bring the Horizon utilized their screens on stage and cameraman to turn them into almost digital avatar like characters at times. It added such a different perspective to the show as the cameraman would be right up in Oli Sykes face as he had his back to the crowd, giving you an inside look as the what the bands saw. With having 7 album releases dating back 20 years, it easy to see why Bring Me the Horizon can walk out and deliver such a pounding set. This band has experience and swagger unlike ever before. And they’ve worked for it all. Thinking back to those early days of the band playing tiny Minnesota venues and runs on the warped tour, they paid their dues. To eyewitness the rise of Bring Me the Horizon from the small band for Sheffield, England to international festival headliners has been a treat. The best part? It feels like Bring Me the Horizon is just getting going.

THE PLOT IN YOU

SEE MORE of BRETT's PHOTOS of THE PLOT IN YOU HERE!

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 05/15/26 - HELD.

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 05/15/26
GUESTS :: HELD.

HOUR 1
JOHNNYROOK – “counting cards” // within the crystal house
EXACTLYNO – “2sad 2serious” // 2sad 2 serious
RAD OWL – “growl” // rage gracefully
SELF-EVIDENT – “fraid” // self-evident
SHORT TIMER – “free” // rock ice out comp
ANGRY WATERS – “ours to be had” // angry waters III
THE ODD GOODS – “sappy happy” // the odds are good but the goods are odd

SHINEDOWN – “safe and sound” // ei8ht
COHEED AND CAMBRIA – “searching for tomorrow” // the father of make believe
NOVELISTS – “coda” // coda
ARROWS AT DAWN – “let live” // pieces
CROBOT – “foot off” // supermoon
ODDS OF AN AFTERTHOUGHT – “beneath my skin” // beneath my skin – single
POPPY – “have you had enough” // negative spaces

HOUR 2
THE SLEEPING – “don’t hold back” // questions and answers
HELD. feat FRANK IERO – “new you anthem” // grey
HELD. feat HIGH VIS – “knifepoint” // grey

HELD. – “broken spacesuit” // grey
POISON THE WELL – “weeping tones” // peace in place
CONVERGE – “doom in bloom” // hum of hurt
PERIPHERY – “talk" // a pale white dot
ORBIT CULTURE – “the storm" // death above life

**SPECIAL THANKS to DOUG from HELD. for zooming in to the Midwest Beatdown this week! HELD.'s awesome debut record "Grey" is out now via MNRK Heavy!

Midwest Beatdown · Held interview

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 05/08/26

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 05/08/26

HOUR 1
NONPOINT - "is it" // the last word
WAGE WAR – “song of the swamp” // it calls me by name
BRING ME THE HORIZON – “happy song" // that's the spirit
AMIRA ELFEKY – “tonight (demo)" // skin to skin
MOTIONLESS IN WHITE – “afraid of the dark” // decades
SELF-EVIDENT – “everything all at once” // endings
RAD OWL – “double play” // double play - single
SHORT TIMER – “free” // rock ice out comp

ANGRY WATERS – “dead flowers” // the tequila incidents
THE ODD GOODS – “sappy happy” // the odds are good but the goods are odd
SEVENDUST – “construct" // one
CROBOT – “foot off” // supermoon
BACKHAND BLUE – “grow a pear” // grow a pear – single
JOHNNYROOK – “last little hurt” // last little hurt – single
HOT WATER MUSIC feat TURNSTILE – “remnants” // vows

HOUR 2
LOVEBITES – “silence the void” // outstanding power
ODDS OF AN AFTERTHOUGHT – “beneath my skin” // beneath my skin – single
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE – “the fall of us" // this consequence
MACHINE HEAD – “choke on the ashes of your hate" // atonement
LOATHE feat NOWHERE2RUN – “revenant” // a stranger to you
SLDG – “crickets" // of my own design
EVERNORTH – “prevailer" // silver tongue

CONVERGE – “doom in bloom” // hum of hurt
CONVERGE - "hum of hurt" // hum of hurt
ROMAN CANDLE – “bite harder than you bleed" // unadulterated
DYING WISH – “I don’t belong anywhere” // flesh stays together
GUILT TRIP - "no love lost" // armour of angels
HARVEST - "epicure" // transitions
DISEMBODIED - "anvil chandelier" // diablerie
CAGE FIGHT – “oxygen” // exuvia
DRAIN - "nights like these" // ...is your friend

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 05/01/26

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 05/01/26

HOUR 1
SEVENDUST – “construct" // one
FIT FOR A KING feat CHRIS MOTIONLESS – “witness the end" // lonely god
BELUAH RUE – “over the line" // you said
DEADLANDS – “die in paradise" // seven
ELECTRIC CALLBOY – “hypercharged” // tanzneid
POLARIS – “with regards" // fatalism
BACKHAND BLUE – “grow a pear” // grow a pear – single

JOHNNYROOK – “last little hurt” // last little hurt – single
EXACTLYNO – “wait” // 2 sad 2 serious
SPEED OF LIGHT - "inch by inch" // inch by inch - single
ICON FOR HIRE – “make a move" // scripted
LAUREN BABIC – “breathe you in" // breathe you in - single
EVA UNDER FIRE feat MARIA BRINK - "villainous" // villainous - single
MADAM DRIVER - "a different side of me" // static valley
LOST ISLAND SOCIETY - "fine" // fine - single

HOUR 2
LOATHE – “revenant” // a stranger to you
AUGUST BURNS RED feat JAMIE HAILS – “sonic salvation" // season of surrender
BOUNDARIES – “easily erased" // death is a little more
WAGE WAR – “4x4” // it calls me by name
ARMORED SAINT – “hit a moonshot” // emotion factory reset
KORN – “reward the scars” // reward the scars – single
KAMI KEHOE - "psycho" // psycho - single
HELLYEAH – “say when" // blood for blood

KITTIE – “eyes wide open" // fire
ROMAN CANDLE – “can we watch something happy” // unadulterated
PERIPHERY – “everyone dies alone” // a pale white dot
AFTER THE BURIAL - "hum from the hollow" // hum from the hollow - single
BY THE THOUSANDS - "mirrorborn" // mirrorborn - single
TERROR feat HOT WATER MUSIC - "fear the panic" // still suffer
CAGE FIGHT feat JULIEN TRUCHAN – “pick your fighter" // exuvia

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 04/24/26 - CASTLE RAT & ROMAN CANDLE

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 04/24/26
KMSU SPRING PLEDGE DRIVE
GUESTS :: CASTLE RAT & ROMAN CANDLE

HOUR 1
EXACTLYNO – “wait” // 2 sad 2 serious
KORN - "reward the scars" // reward the scars - single
BULLETS AND BUTTERFLIES - "when you lie" // when you lie - single
CASTLE RAT – “wolf I” // the bestiary
AMON AMARTH – “we rule the waves" // we rule the waves - single

CASTLE RAT – “siren” // the bestiary
DETHKLOK – “aortic desecration" // dethalbum IV
CASTLE RAT – “wizard” // the bestiary
ARMORED SAINT - "hit a moonshot" // emotion factory reset
ANGRY WATERS – “ours to be had” // angry waters III

HOUR 2
ROMAN CANDLE – “gaslighting isn’t real” // discount fireworks
ROMAN CANDLE – “fire in the night sky forever” // unadulterated
SPIRITWORLD – “waiting on the reaper” // helldorado
ROMAN CANDLE – “blasphemous act” // unadulterated
PERIPHERY – “everyone dies alone” // a pale white dot

ROMAN CANDLE – “how to be considered when you’re not in the room” // unadulterated
SHOWING TEETH – “rip” // rip – single
SLAYER – “raining blood" // reign in blood
HATEBREED – “looking down the barrel of today" // the concrete confessional
REAPING ASMODEIA – “nothing remains” // nothing remains - single

**SPECIAL THANKS to RILEY from CASTLE RAT and PIPER from ROMAN CANDLE for zooming in to the Midwest Beatdown tonight! CASTLE RAT's latest album "The Bestiary" is out now via Loma Vista Recordings! CASTLE RAT is currently out on tour with AMON AMARTH and DETHKLOK! ROMAN CANDLE's brand new album "Unadulterated" just came out on Sumerian Records! ROMAN CANDLE will be out on tour with SPIRITWORLD in May!

You can still support KMSU Radio by becoming a Radio Hero and pledging your support to our KMSU Spring Pledge Drive! We need your help to get to our $45,000 Goal to keep KMSU commercial free and ran by volunteers who eat, sleep and breathe the music they play! CLICK HERE TO BE A RADIO HERO! THANK YOU!

Midwest Beatdown · Castle Rat interview

Midwest Beatdown · Roman Candle interview

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 04/17/26

MIDWEST BEATDOWN PLAYLIST :: 04/17/26

HOUR 1
ELECTRIC CALLBOY – “hypercharged” // tanzneid
MADAM DRIVER – “alive” // static valley
MOLS – “wolves” // wolves – single
TONY WILLIAMS – “masked” // destined to be real
SEVENDUST – “is this the real you?” // one
EXACTLYNO – “capitalist punishment” // rock ice out comp
CLUTCH – “D.C. sound attack” // earth rocker

BIFFY CLYRO – “hunting season” // futique
DIVIDE THE FALL – “burn it down” // burn it down - single
DEAD PONY – “freak like me” // eat my dust
AS EVERYTHING UNFOLDS – “denial” // did you ask to be set free?
LYLVC feat BOBBY AMARU – “starless” // starless – single
ICE NINE KILLS feat MCKENNA GRACE – “twisting the knife” // twisting the knife – single
THE PRETTY RECKLESS – “love me” // dear God
THE PRETTY RECKLESS – “when I wake up” // dear God

HOUR 2
WAGE WAR – “4x4” // it calls me by name
NEKROGOBLIKON feat REEL BIG FISH – “secret elephant” // the boiling sea
GUILT TRIP – “no love lost” // armour of angels
CHAMBER – “vanity” // this is goodbye
SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL – “Russian grizzly in America” // grizzly
WHITECHAPEL – “elitist ones" // mark of the blade
EVERNOIR – “derecho” // derecho – single
CASTLE RAT – “siren” // the bestiary

DETHKLOK – “thunderhorse” // dethalbum
AMON AMARTH – “find a way or make one” // the great heathen army
DAEDRIC – “undone” // as the light left
DAEMONAUT – “ticking” // frame dragging
HARM’S WAY – “devour” // common suffering
DEVILDRIVER – “dig your own grave” // strike and kill
BABES IN TOYLAND - "bruise violet" // fontanelle

GWAR and Gor-Gor make a splash return to First Ave!

CONCERT REVIEW :: GWAR, SOULFLY
First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN
April 7, 2026
Photos by Brett
Review by Nick

What can be said about GWAR that already hasn’t been said? The gold standard of intergalatic warriors returned to First Avenue in Minneapolis on Tuesday night to a beyond packed house waiting for their white shirts to turn colors. Surprisingly, there was only one white GWAR shirt on sale at the merch booth.

Having seen GWAR quite a few times now, I think this might be the most soaked I’ve seen a GWAR crowd. Saying that they’ve upped the ante on this tour would probably be an understatement. Gor-Gor returned! Though I’m told this was a much smaller Gor-Gor than previously used.

The legendary Max Cavalera returned to the First Ave main stage as well with SOULFLY bringing all the riffs before GWAR knocked it all down. Coming out full steam with the classic “No Hope = No Fear”, the band was musically on fire ripping thru a dozen songs in a short 40 min set. “Storm the Gates” from the new album Chama fit in perfectly between “Prophecy” and “Back to the Primitive”. While I wish there was more new material in the set as it brings back the classic Soulfly rippers but you can only play so much in 40 mins. We did get “No Pain = No Power” in between “Bring It” and the riffs of the Deftones collab “Headup” before closing out the set with a crowd sing along for the classic “Eye for an Eye”. The set was definitely a victory lap for Max. Hard work pays off and he’s got the catalog to show for it. Remember this riff? What about this riff? Bet you forgot about this one! Max please come back with a longer set!

We could talk about who crossed GWAR’s path on this tour but I don’t want to spoil anything. Let’s just say GWAR was equal opportunity taking to both sides of the aisle. I can’t believe I’m typing this but because of the size of the stage at First Avenue, which normally is pretty big, I got to see a little more of what it takes to pull off a GWAR performance as there were some things more out in the open than normal. It makes you really appreciate what GWAR is able to pull off night after night. After 40 years, GWAR makes this big production in a club setting look like a fine tuned machine when really anything could go wrong at any moment during their almost 90 min set. It was fantastic watching fans come off the main floor looking exhausted and excited at the same time. Most of them high fiving whoever they were with as they saw how much goo they each got on them.

GWAR has always done a great job of switching up their set lists for each tour to keep things current and topical while making sure the classics are always there. Opening their set perfectly with “Fu*k This Place” sets the bar high before Gor-Gor arrives during “Crack in the Egg”. When you have a catalog that spans 40 years, hearing a song pop up again like “Have You Seen Me?” is just as exciting for the old fans as the new fans giving them something they may not have heard before, let alone seen live before. I think this is the first tour I’ve seen (or maybe it was just more noticeable) that pretty much all of the members of GWAR talked in between songs poking fun at the crowd, current events and especially themselves. Guitarist Grodius Maximus even took a lap around First Avenue once during the main set and once again during the encore giving a good chunk of the crowd a chance to get up close with an axe shredding intergalactic warrior.

A perfect 3 song encore began with a straight and to the point “Mother Fu*king Liar” into their new cover, a soon to be classic GWAR reimagining of “Pink Pony Club” that even Chappell couldn’t have predicted would be this glorious. Closing out the show, GWAR took out a couple audience members to everyone’s favorite anthem “Sick of You”! One day I would like to know how many gallons of fluid GWAR goes thru during each show to bring fans an experience that only GWAR can deliver. The goo never stopped during that song with the whole cast coming out to bring one last crescendo to the evening.

No one goes away from a GWAR show having a bad time. The happiness and excitement is contagious no matter if you go on to the main floor or are watching from the sidelines. Especially in times like these, the world needs GWAR. GWAR, never change.

SEE MORE of BRETT's PHOTOS of GWAR and SOULFLY HERE!