Fans of hardcore know that the energy of these shows isn’t exactly conducive to a passive or relaxed experience. So, having flown solo on this one (my most anticipated concert of the year, for the record, so it’s not like I was going to miss it for anything), I have no visual content for you all. I’m sorry - but also not sorry at all - because what a fucking show. It’s such a lovely thing to just be present...
We’ll see where it ends up in my 2026 Round-Up, but I’m pretty sure nothing’s gonna top this for the remainder of the year…
So, with the lack of visual content to accompany this, I’ll exercise some brevity and get straight to it:
BOUNDARIES
Whelp, things started at 100.
After a brief false start due to the apparent reconfiguration of the drum set by some unknown offender, bassist and co-vocalist Nathan Calcagno declared that if anyone touched their drums again, he would “rip their fucking head off and put it on a cross.” He also took this time to decry the venue’s choice to substitute the band’s pre-show playlist with the dad-rock-laden top 40 of yesteryear, which served to soundtrack the downtime before a performance that was decidedly the fundamental opposite by every conceivable metric beyond “is classified as music.” I won’t name names as to the specific band who was called out (OK, fine, it was one-hit-wonder and masters of irrelevance, Trapt - a big fuck you to them and their MAGA bullshit), but it was a pretty hilarious and energizing way to both showcase the “give-no-fucks” attitude that would encapsulate the evening and get the crowd rowdy from the get-go.
And then they proceeded to pummel us with an unrelenting onslaught of heavy riffs, massive breakdowns, and an apocalyptic hurricane of metalcore intensity.
And speaking of hurricanes, shortly into their set, the rain that was forecasted to be a tiny little blip started coming down significantly harder than that. Then, as if nature herself was conducting the band, the rain grew more ferocious in tandem with their intensity, matching the antics of both the band members and their captivated audience. Eventually, it came down sideways, soaking the raucous crowd to the detriment of absolutely no one in attendance. If anything, it amplified the theatricality of the performance in a way that made it feel like a shared moment in the thick of battle, more than just "a show." Plus, we settled on the ingenuity of wringing our soaked shirts and using the bathroom’s hand dryers for a quick laundry session between sets. Is it even a hardcore show if you don’t have to MacGyver your laundry in the middle of it all?
In short, this band absolutely kicks ass, and that’s all that really needs to be said.
SETLIST
Malconscience
Skies cast amber black
My Body Is a Cage
Kill Me Patiently
Turning Hate Into Rage
Torn wide open
Bitter ash, bitter love
Only endless
Easily Erased
SUPERHEAVEN
“Playing after them fucking sucks, I’ll be honest with you guys,” quipped frontman and guitarist Taylor Madison after giving a shoutout to Boundaries. ‘We’re Superheaven and we’re from right here.”
The band took the stage and immediately dove into the massive wall-of-sound riffage that defines their sound. While not metalcore by any stretch, the grunge-flavored alt-rockers and hometown heroes pack a significant punch with raw intensity and interplay between members. The riffs were huge, the drums hit like the beating heart of the earth itself, and the bass chugs along like a river that’s carved itself into the landscape for an unfathomable length of time. The most concise descriptor is simply epic.
And while Madison’s quip suggests an energy shift after the rapid fervor of Boundaries, I found their placement to be a perfect segue between the metalcore of the former and the energized rap of Denzel Curry to follow. While it was less moshing and more rhythmic headbanging, this band still injects a level of sustained intensity that in no way slowed the roll of the night’s four-act bill.
SETLIST
In on It
Youngest Daughter
Leach
Stare at the Void
Numb to What Is Real
Long Gone
Poor Aileen
DENZEL CURRY
I fucking love this man. Aside from the top-tier quality of his highly prolific artistic output (and easily ranking him among my top 5 rappers of all time), his level of energy seems to be a permanent fixture wherever he goes. The last time I saw him was not with metalcore, hardcore, or rock musicians. It was a showcase of rap genre-aligned acts (shoutout to Kenny Mason) and yet Denzel Curry somehow still managed to create an atmosphere of hardcore moshpit energy with the crowd.
When the single collaboration with Knocked Loose, “Hive Mind,” was released, it felt like a fever dream of highly specific, surreal, serendipitous alignment. A gift from the universe just for me. How the hell are these two collaborating in an official capacity? And yet here we are. Two of the far edges in my sandbox of musical passions have somehow found an Einstein-Rosen Bridge to each other, creating the gold medalist for banger of the year. Or, I’m apparently just out of the loop on how much crossover appeal Denzel has within the world of metalheads…
So, thank you, Gods of Music, for the gift that keeps on giving, since this whole-ass tour was born out of the track.
But, as I said, the biggest surprise to me all night was the level of Denzel-fandom overlap within the audience. In every direction surrounding me were countless fans rapping along to every bar. And it was the same people rocking their Boundaries, Superheaven, and Knocked Loose t-shirts. I saw no instances of people coming for one specific act. The crowd was all-in from start to finish. You love to see it.
Anyway, as per usual, Denzel Curry and his longtime live collaborator, DJ POSHtronaut declared war against the mundane with urgent and immediate effectiveness. From the Scythe-inspired inflatable characters acting as demonic guardians on each side of the stage to the intense backlighting, Denzel ran around like a madman, delivering some of his best material with the effortless flow of a true rap GOAT, complete with his standard and much-appreciated “fuck Donald Trump” declarations. The party may have shifted genres for a bit, but it sure as hell didn’t stop. If anything, Denzel’s energy elevated the crowd to an even higher plane.
Ending with a cover of “Bulls on Parade” with an intro snippet of "Killing in the Name” by his self-declared “favorite band of all time,” Rage Against the Machine, I’m now two for two this week with epic set-closing covers acting as segues into the headliner.
Never stop, Mr. Curry. You remain truly Ultimate.
SETLIST
HIT THE FLOOR
P.A.T.
RICKY
BLACK FLAG FREESTYLE
DIET_
Victory Lap Five (Fred again..)
Psycho (Denzel Curry & slowthai)
We On Go II (BIA, A$AP Ferg & Denzel Curry)
MUTT THAT BIH (Denzel Curry & The Scythe)
Walkin
CLOUT COBAIN | CLOUT CO13A1N
SUMO | ZUMO
SKED
HOT ONE
STILL IN THE PAINT
LIT EFFECT (Denzel Curry & The Scythe)
Ultimate
Killing In The Name / Bulls on Parade (Rage Against the Machine cover)
KNOCKED LOOSE
Another bucket-list item checked off for me this week. Hallelujah.
I knew I was going to love this show no matter what. Even if the electricity went out and they banged on pots and pans, I’m pretty sure it’d still be a 10 out of 10 performance for me. In fact, my only hope was that they would play my favorite song, “Deep in the Willow.” And they opened with it.
So, yeah, I’m good.
But it’s not about me. There was a crowd of absolute die-hards surrounding me, with a seemingly superhuman ability to decipher even Brian Garris’ most rapidly paced, screaming lyrics. From moshing and headbanging in perfect sync with the band members on stage to call-and-response audience participation, to an ability to follow Isaac Hale’s instructions on creating so-big-it’s-scary pits, the crowd was entirely here for it and locked in. From start to finish, the energy given by the band was reciprocated within the audience and, by night’s end, after the adrenaline wore off, I was completely drained.
One benefit of popular acts playing smaller (or, in this case, I guess mid-sized?) venues is that everyone in attendance really wants to be there. It’s the essence of the communal aspect of experiencing live shows, and I can pretty confidently say that Knocked Loose is emblematic of that, and I’d even venture to say that sentiment fully applies to the metal and punk scenes in general. Stateside Live! was packed with a definitive legion of superfans that felt like an extension of the performance rather than mere observers. And that’s a common facet in the world of hardcore performances, whether in a basement or opening for Metallica in a sports arena.
Anyway…
With the giant fluorescent cross that has been the visual theme since adorning the cover of their last record, You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To, acting as the stage’s focal point, the band was surrounded on each side by faux trees and featured a center stage riser that elevated drummer Kevin Kaine and bassist Kevin Otten. Lead guitarist and backing vocalist Isaac Hale and guitarist Nicko Calderon adorned the right and left sides of the stage, beneath each respective tree, while lead singer Brian Garris marched back and forth, commanding the crowd with his charisma, garnering the same level of unquestioningly dedicated loyalty as a cult leader. There were also some pretty sick pyrotechnics, synchronized to a select slew of songs and their heavy-as-shit riffage. It was a spectacle without being overkill and functioned more like a curation of dark vibes on a journey of Biblical terror. But with guitars.
The set was a healthy mix of their entire major-release discography, from now ten-year-old debut LP Laugh Tracks through tour namesake and latest single, “Hive Mind,” which Denzel Curry very obviously joined them for. And, while I am perhaps immensely biased, the fact remains that there isn’t a single “weak” track in their discography. So, no matter what the setlist ended up being, it was going to be rad.
In short, they delivered in every single way you could possibly hope for. And, as remains true for pretty much every high-energy metal, punk, or anything adjacent performance, you just had to be there…
So, I’ll end with one final request that you seek out each of these artists live and continue to keep the world of live and loud music thriving. You did your part, Philly. Godspeed.
SETLIST
Killing You (Breakdown only; Unreleased)
Deep in the Willow
Everything Is Quiet Now
Don't Reach for Me
Mistakes Like Fractures
Thirst
Piece by Piece
Oblivion's Peak
Billy No Mates
Where Light Divides the Holler
God Knows
Moss Covers All
Take Me Home
Sit & Mourn
Blinding Faith
Belleville
Hive Mind (w/ Denzel Curry)
Suffocate
Counting Worms (w/ ‘Everything is Quiet Now’ breakdown outro)
P.S. - shoutout to fellow solo-concert-goer, Cassie, who coaxed me into doing post-show cartwheels in the turf.
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