North America 2022 Tour
The Waiting Room
Omaha, Nebraska
August 25th, 2022
Its so rare nowadays to stumble upon a group of bands that I’ve never heard of before, and then find the opportunity to see them live, especially when one of the bands is from halfway across the world. I had only heard of Alpha Wolf a few weeks prior, and it just so happened that they were on their first official U.S. tour and making a stop in Omaha.
I’ve never been to an authentic hardcore scene show, so I had no idea what to expect from tonight’s show. Now that’s I’ve survived the experience I want more of it.
Georgia natives Vatican opened the show with a brutal set and set the standard for the evening. I knew nothing about the band. Didn’t know a single word to any of their songs. Its been a long time since I’ve been that impressed by a band that I’m seeing for the first time. Their set was tight and laser focused. Get to know these guys now before they become everyone’s favorite.
Florida’s Bodysnatcher wasted no time pummeling the crowd once they took the stage. Grindcore? Deathcore? How about just fucking heavy metal. Another band that I knew nothing about before walking through The Waiting Room’s front door, and another band that I will make the time to see the next time they roll through Omaha.
I’ve been to a lot of shows with an odd line-up. I know you know exactly what I mean. The bands are all cool but their genres just don’t seem to mesh. Who decided it was a good idea to put Seether on tour with 3 Doors Down, or Poppy (whom I adore) on tour with Bring Me the Horizon (which is probably my favorite band). Each of them were great shows but just odd line-ups musically. This was not the case with Alpha Wolf’s first headlining U.S. tour. The chose the perfect bands to tour with. Vatican layed the initial foundation, Bodysnatcher built on that foundation, and then Alpha Wolf dominated it.
Omaha welcomed Alpha Wolf with an enthusiasm I’ve rarely seen, and the band’s hour long set proved they are one of the world’s most underrated groups currently touring. For their first time in Omaha, the Melbourne, Australia natives commanded the stage like they built it from the ground up. I’d only started listening to the band a few weeks prior, so I knew enough to sing along to most of their set but there were fans in the crowd who sang along to every single word while thrashing around in the circle pit.
If you weren’t there then you missed out. If there’s one thing the Global Pandemic taught me its to appreciate the things that are easiest to take away from us, and live music is one of those things.
