KALEO performing at Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, IL on April 30, 2022. All photos taken by Samantha Monendo.
98ROCKFEST | Tampa
98ROCKFEST with Godsmack, Three Days Grace, Motionless In White, Black Veil Brides, Ice Nine Kills, and Wage War performing at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL on April 22, 2022. All photos taken by Mack Knox.
Johnny Orlando | New York City
Johnny Orlando performing at Gramercy Theatre in New York City on April 22, 2022. All photos taken by Elizabeth Feirstein.
Cancer Bats | Vancouver
Cancer Bats (with support from Comeback Kid, Misery Signals, and Chief State) performing at Rickshaw Theatre in Vancouver, BC on April 21, 2022. All photos taken by Emma-Jane Dotchuk.
tiLLie | Philadelphia
tiLLie performing at Theatre of Living Arts in Philadelphia, PA on April 20, 2022. All photos taken by Cami Liberty.
The Darkness | New York City
The Darkness performing at Webster Hall in New York City on April 18, 2022. All photos taken by Samantha Crowley.
Ashe | Atlanta
Ashe performing at Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta, GA on April 21, 2022. All photos taken by Chandler Bunzol.
Tempers | Los Angeles
Tempers (with support from LEYA) performing at Zebulon in Los Angeles, CA on April 20, 2022. All photos taken by Keion Hayes.
Knotfest Roadshow | Vancouver
After years of fans pleading for their return to Vancouver, BC, Slipknot did not disappoint on their last night with accompanying acts In This Moment and Wage War on part I of the Knotfest Roadshow.
A sea of leather and band tees could be seen surrounding the arena on Sunday night as fans of all ages anticipated the opening of the gates, those with floor tickets rushing towards their section to be first on the floor against the barricade, whilst others waited in line for merch. I asked one gentleman later in the arena how long he had waited as I noticed the line was beginning to wrap around the arena, to which he replied, “I missed the opening act and half of the second, so roughly and hour.” A dedicated, hardcore fan.
At 6:30 the lights surrounding the arena fell, the crowd erupting in screams and cheers as opening act Wage War took to the stage under the bright red lights, starting the show with “Relapse” off their most recent studio album Manic, released in 2021. Following their performance, several people in the crowd shared their thoughts with those they were enjoying the show with, uttering, “they’ve gained a new fan!” or, “awesome start to the show,” as crew worked both back and on-stage to prepare for Los Angeles-based In This Moment. The speakers were overpowered by the crowd as they erupted in song to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” before the curtain fell and vocalist Maria Brink hit the stage in a theatrical, engaging performance. Before leaving us for the evening, Brink explained the importance of their last song, titled “Whore,” her entire life she was told she would never amount to anything and that people always had something negative to say about her or to her. I really resonated with this as I believe most of us have been called a negative word, or been told that our dreams are useless to have and that we should just fall in line with everyone else. Work a 9-5, be secure. If I’m a whore, then so be it!
The moment we’d all been waiting for was moments from happening as fans anxiously awaited the final curtain drop. As I stood in the photo pit between the barricade and the stage, I spun slowly on my heel, taking in the energy and excitement of the crowd. The moment came full circle as I remembered sitting in this exact arena 18 years ago to see my very first concert. The curtain rose and the crowd behind me screamed as vocalist Corey Taylor took to the stage, the intro to “Disasterpiece” filling the arena. The floor turned into a mosh pit, crowd surfers floating toward the front of the stage one after the other.
Slipknot took the arena by surprise halfway through their 20 song set as Taylor informed the crowd that he’s been waiting “13 years to play this next song live” requesting that the crowd sing “Snuff” with him if they knew the words.
Taylor emphasized throughout the night, that “regardless of if you’ve been with Slipknot since 1999, or 20 minutes ago, regardless of your age, or skin color, religion, or how you identify, or who you love, we are all family!”
Thank you to Wage War, In This Moment, and Slipknot for an amazing Knotfest and truly unforgettable experience for myself and so many others. We hope to see you soon.
Words and photos by Emma-Jane Dotchuk
Trinity of Terror Tour | Philadelphia
Trinity of Terror Tour featuring Motionless In White, Ice Nine Kills, and Black Veil Brides (with support from Lilith Czar) performing at The Fillmore in Philadelphia, PA on April 16, 2022. All photos taken by Sophia Zucker.
Clairo | Atlanta
Clairo performing at The Tabernacle in Atlanta, GA on April 16, 2022. All photos taken by Chandler Bunzol.
Omar Apollo | San Francisco
Omar Apollo (with support from Deb Never) performing at The Warfield in San Francisco, CA on April 13, 2022. All photos taken by Brandon Lu.
Covey | Brooklyn
Covey performing at Elsewhere in Brooklyn, NY on April 9, 2022. All photos taken by Amélie Stoddard.
MØ | Atlanta
Live from Atlanta, MØ headlines at Terminal West with new up-and-comer, Tezatalks. The rap/afro-punk fusion artist energizes the crowd with her set, not missing a moment to wish her sister a happy birthday, and then passes the reigns over. Tezatalks ends her set with a message to the audience, “We may be the problem,” she began. “But we are also the solution.”
Dressed in all black , MØ is serving her fans with shiny chaps, a t-shirt, and shorts to match. With the hit track, “Youth Is Lost,” she is on the stage in no time at all. She’s flicking her hair, throwing her head back, and arching her body across the stage for each lyric. “Atlanta, how we doing?” She welcomes her crowd, warmly. As everyone cheers, MØ weaves into her next track, “Cool To Cry.”
“Thank you,” she smiles breathlessly. “[I’m] so happy to see you all — this is my first solo show in Atlanta.” MØ admits. Some may recall her appearance at Music Midtown back in 2019, but she was on a new venture. With the release of MOTORDROME out for the world to enjoy, MØ was riding the high of newly released music. She continues her set with “Nostalgia,” an iconic track from her 2018 release, Forever Neverland. Riding this wave of nostalgia, MØ rocks on with intense shoulder movements to “I Want You.” The 3-minute track ignites the crowd as fans sing along to some of their favorite classics.
As the set moves along, MØ remarks how grateful she is. The Denmark-native talks about life during the pandemic and how debilitating it was as an artist. “I don’t want to sound privileged,” she explains. “It’s just so nice to be able to play music together again.” The intro to “Nights With You,” plays out and the crowd sings “oh, oh, oh, oh,” along in unison. With tracks like, “Turn My Heart To Stone” and “Blur,” this concert was in full swing. As she thanks the crowd for coming out, she remarks that even though it’s Monday, we can still party. “I’m on tour so every day’s a party for me,” MØ laughs as the beat for “Lean On” begins.
The Motordrome Tour is lively and full of good music you can’t ignore. With tracks from her latest album, MØ nails her performances of “Brad Pitt” and “New Moon.” And, who could forget about her song with Snakehips? “Don’t Leave” becomes a heartfelt anthem in the thick of the night. MØ’s final song is no surprise as “Final Song” plays through the venue. She reminisces about “moments like these” — an opportunity to preform music that you love.
With her latest album, MOTORDROME, available now on all streaming platforms, you can expect some exciting things from MØ. If you want to stay up-to-date on her latest endeavors, you can find her on Instagram and Twitter (@momomoyouth) for more info on tour, merch, and (of course) her new album.
Words by Kaylee Pickens
Photos by Chandler Bunzol
Badflower | Philadelphia
Badflower (with support from ‘68) performing at Union Transfer in Philadelphia, PA on April 7, 2022. All photos taken by Cami Liberty.
Beach House | Los Angeles
Beach House performing at Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, CA on April 9, 2022. All photos taken by Shannon Williams.
Cannons | Fort Worth
Cannons performing at Tulips in Fort Worth, TX on April 9, 2022. All photos taken by Maia Tharp.
Jacob Collier | San Francisco
Jacob Collier performing at The Warfield in San Francisco, CA on April 9, 2022. All photos taken by Brandon Lu.
Touché Amoré | Vancouver
Touché Amoré (with support from Vein.fm, Militarie Gun, and Scowl) performing at Rickshaw Theatre in Vancouver, BC on April 8, 2022. All photos taken by Emma-Jane Dotchuk.
Caitlyn Smith | New York City
Caitlyn Smith (with support from Kassi Ashton) performing at Gramercy Theatre in New York City on April 6, 2022. All photos taken by Samantha Crowley.