Alpha Wolf, Gideon, Mugshot, Resolve
LET IT RIP USA Tour
Saturday, May 30th, 2026
The Waiting Room, Omaha, Nebraska
Doors: 5:30 pm // Show: 6:30 pm
Alpha Wolf Brings Chaos to Omaha on the Let It Rip USA Tour at The Waiting Room
For the first time in four years, Alpha Wolf returned to Omaha, bringing the Let It Rip USA Tour to a packed and energetic crowd at The Waiting Room Lounge on May 30. Joined by Gideon, Mugshot, and France’s Resolve, the night showcased a lineup that spanned multiple corners of modern metalcore and hardcore while reinforcing a point that Alpha Wolf vocalist Lochie Keogh would make very clear before the night was over: Midwest crowds deserve far more attention than they receive.
Opening the evening was Resolve, making their first-ever appearance in Omaha. The French metalcore outfit wasted little time winning over the audience, blending soaring melodies with crushing breakdowns and proving why they’ve become one of Europe’s fastest-rising heavy bands. While many in attendance may have been seeing Resolve for the first time, their performance felt less like an introduction and more like the beginning of a long overdue relationship with Omaha’s heavy music community.
Mugshot followed with one of the most aggressive sets of the evening. Their blend of hardcore intensity and metallic groove transformed The Waiting Room floor into a constant collision of movement. The California outfit fed off the crowd’s energy from start to finish, delivering a relentless performance that left little opportunity for anyone to catch their breath.
Gideon then took the stage for their first Omaha appearance since 2019. The Alabama veterans were welcomed back like old friends, and they responded with a set full of the swagger, heaviness, and Southern groove that has defined the band for more than a decade. Six years away did nothing to diminish their connection with Omaha fans, as the audience shouted lyrics back with the same enthusiasm that greeted them the last time they rolled through town.
When Alpha Wolf finally took the stage, it immediately felt like the event everyone had been waiting for. The Australian metalcore powerhouse has steadily grown its fanbase since their last Omaha stop, and the crowd’s reaction reflected that growth. From the opening moments of Sub-Zero, the room erupted into nonstop movement, with fans crowd surfing, moshing, and screaming every word back at the band.
One of the night’s most memorable moments came when Alpha Wolf invited their tour photographer onto the stage during Bleed 4 You, creating a unique moment that perfectly captured the close-knit atmosphere surrounding the tour. Rather than feeling like a carefully planned production, it felt like a genuine celebration between the band, their crew, and the fans who had packed the room.
Perhaps the most telling moment of the night came when vocalist Lochie Keogh paused between songs to praise the audience. He openly questioned why so many tours continue to skip the Midwest, pointing out that crowds like Omaha’s are among the best in the country. Looking around The Waiting Room as fans threw themselves into every song, it was hard to argue with his assessment.
As the final notes of AKUDAMA rang out, Alpha Wolf’s return felt less like a routine tour stop and more like a reminder of why Omaha continues to be an important destination for heavy music. Between Resolve’s Omaha debut, Gideon’s long-awaited return, Mugshot’s relentless intensity, and Alpha Wolf’s triumphant headlining performance, the Let It Rip USA Tour delivered one of the most memorable heavy shows The Waiting Room has hosted this year.
If the energy inside the venue was any indication, hopefully it won’t take another four years before Alpha Wolf finds their way back to Omaha.
About Alpha Wolf:
In the ever-evolving sonic landscape of Alpha Wolf, their music transforms like a shapeshifting beast, defying expectations and breaking through boundaries with the weight of wrecking-ball dynamics and captivating off-kilter hooks. The Australian quintet—Scottie Simpson [guitar], Sabian Lynch [guitar], Lochie Keogh [lead vocals], John Arnold [bass], and Mitch Fogarty [drums]—maintains their intensity on their third full-length offering, Half Living Things [SHARPTONE].
“We never want to write the same album twice,” explains Scottie. “Half Living Things is still heavy, but we’re venturing into new territory. Lochie sounds like a force of nature on this too. We considered the live show more than ever, creating parts specifically for crowd involvement. These songs are built to ignite the stage.”
With a decade of sparking visceral reactions from audiences, Alpha Wolf crashed into the Top 30 of the ARIA Albums Chart with Mono [2017] and followed up with the Fault EP two years later. A Quiet Place To Die [2020] debuted at #6 on the ARIA Albums Chart, earning a nomination for “Best Hard Rock or Heavy Metal Album” at the ARIA Awards. KERRANG! rated it “4-out-of-5 stars,” and Hysteria hailed it as “a mosh-worthy record that puts high hopes on the band’s future.” Distorted Sound called it “one of the great extreme/hardcore records of recent memory.” Their journey included North American tours with Motionless In White and Knocked Loose and a performance at KNOTFEST Australia alongside Slipknot, Parkway Drive, Megadeth, and more.
In 2023, they meticulously crafted Half Living Things, self-producing and weaving together a visceral vision after years on the road. The album title perfectly encapsulates their state of being.
On the album’s essence Lochie comments, “There can be no inner conflict without the constant tug of war between desire and disdain, the things you want versus the things you need, or the things that make you feel alive against the parts of it that do not. You cannot grow new parts without leaving the dead ones behind. You cannot be settled until you have truly known the opposite. Find out what makes you tick and just keep running around the clock until you’re happy enough to die.”
The album kicks off with the neck-snapping chug of the opener and first single, “Bring Back The Noise,” where gnashing harmonics and Lochie’s high-pitched screams punctuate waves of distortion. Scottie grins, “The lyrics fit how we perform live. The more we tour, the more fun we have on stage. ‘Bring Back The Noise’ encapsulates everything we are.”
“Sucks 2 Suck” hinges on a head-nodding groove, giving way to a bludgeoning bounce on the bridge. Lochie, the vocalist, adds depth to the track with his perspective, “It’s about biting back at anyone saying you didn’t work hard for the shit you have. If you had the ethic and tenacity, you’d have it too, but you suck so you don’t.”
The legendary rapper Ice-T pulls up with a vibrantly venomous verse, and in his instantly recognizable delivery, he warns, “You coming for me? You gotta come better than that!”
“It’s the perfect crossover of hip-hop and metalcore,” Scottie goes on. “We decided to shoot for the stars and reach out to Ice-T. We gave him no reference, but he did exactly what we were hoping for! It’s classic.
In their own terms, Alpha Wolf continues to progress, and Scottie leaves off with a message: “We hope it connects. We’re incredibly proud of this record. It’s everything we want Alpha Wolf to be. These songs are heavy, but they’re fun. Jam it in your car, show it to your friends, and come out to a show.”
