Just Some Shows-US Tour MMXXII
Stir Concert Cove
Council Bluffs, Iowa
August 14th, 2022
Bad Omens, Beartooth, A Day To Remember
This was definitely a show to remember, and I feel badly for everyone who missed out. I heard more than a few people say how tonight would be them reliving the best of their High School years (which kind of made me feel old), and just as many people saying this was the show they had been waiting all year for. For me though it would be the chance to once again get familiar with a few bands that I’ve not had the chance to see live since before the Pandemic.
This story is going to take a few detours, so bear with me as we take this journey of memory together.
Stir Concert Cove isn’t really known for hosting heavy metal shows, at least not as much as the rock, pop, and country shows they usually host. Stir Concert Cove hasn’t been rocked this hard since 2015’s Mayhem Festival which was headlined by Slayer. The best way to ruin any concert is for the bands to look like they’re not having fun or just on stage for the sake of being on stage. Sadly we’ve all been to those types of concerts. That was not the case with Beartooth, A Day To Remember, or Bad Omens performances tonight.
My first time seeing A Day To Remember was at the 2016 incarnation of Northern Invasion 2016. That years festival was a massive two days worth of the heaviest rock and metal artists from across the globe. With so many British bands playing the festival, some even jokingly called in British Invasion. While festivals are a great chance to see some of your favorite bands live, they are also the catalyst for limiting the amount of music each band is able to play during their set.
ADTR’s set for Northern Invasion was the normal amount for a festival, 8 of the bands heaviest songs picked from 5 of their albums. Tonight’s headlining show would be a massive 20 songs, 16 for the main set and a 4 song encore, covering 6 albums, one single, and their collaboration with Marshmello. The band’s festival setting was also just a simple backdrop with their logo. As the band played pretty early on in the day, there wasn’t a need for a fancy light show. Tonight’s concert integrated a massive LED screen and utilized Stir’s intricate lighting system to enhance the overall experience of their music. ADTR’s headlining set wasn’t just a mess of cuts from across their lengthy career though, the band played more of a fan-favorites set that focused on their heaviest and most memorable tracks.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a rabid A Day To Remember fan. I know just enough about the band’s music to be able to sing along when they’re played on the radio. Thankfully the Cove was filled with several thousand ravenous ADTR fans to make up for my lacking.
Speaking of Northern Invasion 2016, that was also my first time seeing Beartooth in concert. On the flip side I’ve not had the chance to see Beartooth since 2018’s The Disease Tour when the band slammed through Omaha. A lot can change in 4 years, and a lot did change with Beartooth. While the touring line-up has changed, the band’s sound has tightened with the release of their fourth album, BELOW, and their stage show has gone from unbridled chaos to a more finely tuned and focused aggressive chaos. Vocalist and founder Caleb Shomo has had years to finely craft his authentic stage presence and it really shows.
I know this story is in reverse line-up order but I told you this was going to be a journey of memory.
We all have that one band in the line-up that we’re most excited to see. For me that was Bad Omens. I’ve been a fan of the band since around 2018 after having missed several chances to see them live. The band were set to play Northern Invasion 2017 but had to back out when vocalist Noah Sebastian got sick, and I missed the chance to see them here in Omaha in 2016 and 2017.
Bad Omens are one of the most underrated bands currently touring so those of you who’ve not seen them live need to get off your asses before they graduate to sold-out arena tours. The band has mastered the art of luring the crowd into a sense of calm by opening their set with THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND before smashing their collective teeth in with the band’s heaviest tracks. Was I brave enough to dare the “Wall of Death” during Nowhere To Go? No, I was not. Do I regret it? Not in the least but it was really cool to watch happen for a relative safe distance. Make no doubt about it, Bad Omens will continue to push the boundaries of a music genre that they are not helping to redefine.
The entire evening was bombastic. It was great to hear each band make mention of them not knowing what to expect from tonight’s show and how the fans were some of the loudest and most active so far on this tour. Don’t underestimate the Omaha Metro Area. We know how to rock.
