SMILE EMPTY SOUL-20th Anniversary of Self-Titled Album Tour with Special Guests The Stone Eye, and The Nocturnal Affair 06/03/2023

SMILE EMPTY SOUL-20th Anniversary of Self-Titled Album Tour with Special Guests The Stone Eye, and The Nocturnal Affair 06/03/2023

SMILE EMPTY SOUL–20th Anniversary of Self-Titled Album Tour
Smile Empty Soul, The Nocturnal Affair, The Stone Eye
June 3rd, 2023
Barnato
Omaha, Nebraska

Has it really been 20 years? It doesn’t feel like its been 20 years since the first time I saw Smile Empty Soul live but it has been. June 5th, 2003 in Des Moines, Iowa to be exact. Back then Smile Empty Soul opened for Trapt, and Seether on the Disclaimer tour and was heavily promoting their debut single, Bottle of a Bottle. Smile Empty Soul seems to be my “every ten years” band since the last time I saw them was with HURT back in 2012. Just because I haven’t seen the band in a few years doesn’t mean they halted touring or kept improving, quit the opposite actually.
The intimate performances, which I know is just a fancy way of saying “smaller venue”, were kicked off by Philadelphia natives The Stone Eye. Each of the three bands that played this evening’s show charmed and won over the crowd with a close-to-headlining set of at least 10 songs, something that’s rarely done on larger stages.
While the crowd was a bit subdued during The Stone Eye’s set, more of the crowd moved closer to the stage the further The Nocturnal Affair got into their set. While I expected Smile Empty Soul to put on a great life set, it was The Nocturnal Affair’s brilliant performance that was was a pleasant surprise. I’ve been going to concerts for a long time. I’ve seen close to 700 different bands and over 1500 individual performances. I’m not an easy fan to impress. Its been a long time since I’ve been this impressed seeing a band for the first time. The Las Vegas natives hammered through a 10 song set that highlighted cuts from their recent catalogue as well as an unexpected cover of Haddaways’ “What Is Love” and their current single, a stunning cover of Depeche Mode’s “It’s No Good”. The band’s stage performance was an amalgamation of so many bands that I grew up loving.
I know that we’ve all heard people say things like “You gotta check this band out,” or “They’re gonna be huge,” and “See them now before they get bigger,” but I am telling you right now that you cannot miss the opportunity to see The Nocturnal Affair. These guys will blow up and leave their mark on the rock and metal scenes.

Saint Jo got a better poster than Omaha did.