Stitched Up Heart
May 23rd, 2016
Omaha, Ne
Shamrock’s Pub and Grill
Tonight’s show honestly started out a cluster fuck. For untold reasons, each of the band’s set times were pushed back, making an already late show even later. Having Butcher Babies play a show across town didn’t help either. It’s never a good thing when fans are forced to pick between their favorite bands. I imagine this is why the openers who played were chosen.
The opening local bands, Slow Stoics and Superman’s Hero, were not the openers I would have picked. Both were decent in their own rites, but, in my opinion, neither were a good fit to open for Stitched Up Heart. Slow Stoics are a psychedelic funk band, and Superman’s Hero are a covers band. Not the best that Omaha’s local music scene could have offered.
Thankfully though, the members of Stitched Up Heart hung out with their fans before their set and it made the time pass much quicker. Autographs were signed, selfies were taken. This was not the first time Stitched Up Heart had played the Omaha metro area, and the band has used every opportunity to turn fans into friends. Shortly before their set, I introduced myself to vocalist Mixi by extending my hand to offer a handshake. “We’re all Family,” she told me as she brushed aside my outstretched hand and pulled me in for a hug. I heard several stories from fans about how the band’s music helps them through the rough patches of daily life, and the appreciation that the band showed was sincerely genuine.
As the 10 o’clock hour approached, the band took the stage. But it wasn’t like the typical entrance. It was more of a homecoming. As Decker took his place behind the drumkit, he urged everyone in the bar to come up to the stage. “Even you all sitting in the back,” he told a small group. “Yeah. I see you. Get your asses up here!” Everyone complied.
From the opening chords of Finally Free, through Turn You On, and well Into Never Alone, the band bounced and thrashed around the stage. Mixi is the type of woman who embodies the feminine stage presence that so many musicians aspire too.
Shamrock’s is one of the smaller venues in Omaha, and make for the perfect spot to see an upcoming band. The size of the venue give a more intimate feeling for the bands and their fans. Several times during their set, Mixi would lean into the crowd or on to the fans as she sang.
Setlist:
Finally Free
Turn You On
Never Alone
Catch Me
Monster
Event Horizon
