Header image

Category: Concert Reviews

Alkaline Trio and Rise Against – MGM Music Hall

Posted on by Mikey

Tour: Ricochet 2026

Venue: MGM Music Hall

Date: Thursday, October 1st

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/alkaline-trio/2026/mgm-music-hall-at-fenway-boston-ma-23766407.html

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/rise-against/2026/mgm-music-hall-at-fenway-boston-ma-33766401.html

Doors: 6:00 PM

Start Time: Alkaline Trio: 7:50 PM and Rise Against: 9:30 PM

Opener: Teen Mortgage

Review:

I have been an Alkaline Trio fan for as long as I can remember. Their album From Here to Infirmary is a favorite of mine, and I would love it if they toured it sometime for an anniversary. I’d only seen them one other time, on October 12, 2018, at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, Colorado, during their Is This Thing Cursed? tour. They headlined that show, so I was a little disappointed to find out this tour with Rise Against wasn’t a co-headlining tour. It didn’t matter much, though, because they still packed in a full set.

The Chicago rockers didn’t spend much time talking between songs, often going straight from one into another. They played some great hits like “Private Eye,” “Stupid Kid,” and “Radio.” With so many songs I love, it was great hearing that much music packed into their time onstage.

I really have a lot of respect for trios, especially when they can tour as just three people. Seeing bands like blink-182 and Alkaline Trio fill a stage with only a guitarist, bassist, and drummer is really cool. There’s something impressive about watching three people recreate the sound of those albums live without extra guitarists onstage.

Something else I love about that setup is how much room it gives the bass guitar to be heard. Matt Skiba and bassist Dan Andriano share vocal duties, often harmonizing, and I really love both of their voices. Their different sounds are such a big part of what makes Alkaline Trio work for me.

I love emo music and pop punk, but there’s a lot to appreciate about seeing some good old-fashioned punk rock played live. Three people up there playing their hearts out and running through great songs. There’s a lot to dig about that.

Rise Against is a band I’ve never listened to too consistently, but I’ve seen them a few times when they were playing with another band I wanted to see. I’m always impressed by these guys. They make some great music, with every song sounding like an anthem. Early in the set, Tim McIlrath walked around with a megaphone during one of the songs.

I really appreciated the brief acoustic set featuring both “Hero of War” and “Swing Life Away,” with the full band joining in for the latter song. It was a nice change of pace and a chance to appreciate a different side of their sound.

I really should listen to these guys more. Alkaline Trio and Rise Against recently released a split featuring each band covering one of the other’s songs. You can find it on Spotify and other streaming platforms, and it’s a pretty cool way to bring these two bands together.

Follow Here:  https://alkalinetrio.com/ and https://riseagainst.com/

Tour Dates: https://riseagainst.com/tour

Merch:

Pictures:

Videos:

Chance the Rapper – MGM Music Hall

Posted on by Mikey

Tour: Coloring Book 10 Year Anniversary

Venue: MGM Music Hall

Date: Thursday, August 20th

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/chance-the-rapper/2026/mgm-music-hall-at-fenway-boston-ma-437053bf.html

Doors: 7:00 PM

Start Time: 9:15 PM

Opener: La Reezy

Review: Coming soon!

Follow Here:  https://linktr.ee/chancetherapper

Tour Dates: https://chancestuff.com/pages/tour#coloring-book-tour

Merch:

Pictures:

Videos:

The Wallfowers – The Range

Posted on by Mikey

Tour: Bringing Down the Horse 30th Anniversary 

Venue: The Range

Date: Friday, August 15th

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-wallflowers/2026/the-range-mason-nh-7371e241.html

Opener: Early James

Band Members:

Jakob Dylan – lead vocals, rhythm guitar

Touring musicians: 

Chris Masterson – guitars, backing vocals
Aaron Embry – keyboards, backing vocals 
Whynot Jansveld – bass, backing vocals 
Ben Peeler – guitars, backing vocals
Mark Stepro – drums, backing vocals

Review: Coming soon!

Follow Here:  https://linktr.ee/thewfnetwork?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=3f0da33b-0077-4b2b-be1a-e1a065ee8c80

Tour Dates: https://www.wallflowersmusic.com/tour

Merch:

Good Charlotte and Avenged Sevenfold – Xfinity Center

Posted on by Mikey

Tour: North American Tour 2026

Venue: Xfinity Center

Date: Wednesday, August 12th

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/good-charlotte/2026/xfinity-center-mansfield-ma-434c77b7.html

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/avenged-sevenfold/2026/xfinity-center-mansfield-ma-534c77b9.html

Opener: Jayden Hammer, Statica

Band Members:

Good Charlotte:
Joel Madden – Lead vocals
Benji Madden – Rhythm guitar, backing and lead vocals
Paul Thomas – Bass guitar
Billy Martin – Lead guitar, keyboards
Current touring musicians
Matthew Koma – guitars, keyboards, backing vocals
Stacy Jones – drums, percussion

Avenged Sevenfold
M. Shadows (Matthew Sanders) – lead vocals, keyboards
Zacky Vengeance (Zachary Baker) – rhythm guitar, backing and occasional lead vocals
Synyster Gates (Brian Haner Jr.) – lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Johnny Christ (Jonathan Seward) – bass, backing vocals
Brooks Wackerman – drums

Review:

I swore off Xfinity Center a few years ago. I went to a few shows where I went up. Getting stuck in so much traffic. I missed the openers. And these weren’t just small openers. They were big Artist on a big tour.

I want these Tickets while on vacation. I knew I would be tired of that next week going to shows, but had one of these Tickets and wanted to finally see Good Charlotte live. I took my aunt who was a big fan of Avenged Sevenfold and learned the reason why at the show.

We managed to skip the exit that gets so many people stuck for an hour or more. We found a back route in, but still had to park in a far back lot. I wish that we had paid for VIP parking. So we could easily leave at the end of the show or paid for parking at an outside location, which also allows quick and easy exits to get back on the highway after a show.

The other good thing we did aside from avoiding the crazy exit. Was we decided to upgrade our Tickets. When available, you can upgrade tickets for $100 each to go down to the box seats that are almost upfront. Each section accommodates for people. We were with two other people who were super friendly and stoked for the show. There are chairs and a table and also a pretty comfortable couch you could sit back against. you also have a server who takes care of you the whole time so you never have to get up. I didn’t take quite a while to get our first order, but it was all good

I had never seen either band before and I was a big fan of Good Charlotte growing up. They put on a really fun show. They played mostly older songs, knowing what people wanted to hear. There were pyrotechnics and throwback conversations with the crowd.

I knew of Avenged Sevenfold, but hadn’t heard much. I was extremely impressed by them. You don’t often see two lead guitarists just shredding together.

And thanks to @weeisports for the free tickets! WEEI-FM #goodcharlotte #avengedsevenfold #avengedsevenfoldfans #xfinitycenter #concertreview

Follow Here:  https://linktr.ee/avengedsevenfold

Tour Dates: https://www.goodcharlotte.com/tour
https://www.avengedsevenfold.com/tour

Pictures:

Ripe – Lowell Summer Music Series

Posted on by Mikey

Tour: No name, supporting Play the Game

Venue: Board House Park

Date: Sunday, November 9th

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlists/ripe-43cfbfe7.html

Opener: Seven Suns

Band Members:

Robbie Wulfsohn – Lead vocals
Jon Becker – Guitar

Christian Saint-Louis – Bass
Sampson Hellerman – Drums
Calvin Barthel – Trombone

Review: First off, a big thanks goes out to 92.5 The River! I won these tickets through them. I had just gotten back from vacation the day before this concert, but I knew I couldn’t miss this show.

I became a big fan of Ripe last year. They play dozens of shows in Massachusetts every year and I still had not been able to find a show yet that worked for my schedule.

I win a decent amount of concerts, but this was one of the best. Lowell Music Series offers four front rows of provided and assigned lawn chairs and I won two tickets for this section.

From the start, Ripe was entertaining as hell. The singer, Robbie, has so much charisma. John, the guitarist and backup singer spent a good amount of time dancing on stage while rocking out. The horn section had their own choreographed dance moves and were very in sync throughout the show.

At one point, the band announced that it was a fan’s birthday. This was followed by wishing a “Happy birthday” to their “35 year old friend, Scott Stapp.” I I immediately knew was was next: A cover of “Higher” by Creed.

Follow Here: https://www.ripetheband.com/links-1

Tour Dates: https://www.ripetheband.com/tour

Pictures:

Passion Pit – House of Blues

Posted on by Mikey

Tour: Pretty Penny

Venue: House of Blues

Date: Friday, July 24th

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/passion-pit/2026/citizens-house-of-blues-boston-boston-ma-b7389d2.html

Opener: Arden Jones

Review: Almost every night, I spend around 30 minutes entering contests to win concert tickets. It’s a nice way to wind down the end of the day, do something in the background, while watching TV, you can do something mindless while also having the chance to do one of my favorite things: going to concerts Over the past two years, I have probably won 20 concerts. I don’t attend all of them. But it’s pretty cool to see so many people for free.

I was pumped when I found out Tickets to passion pit things to 92.5 The River. I saw passion pit one other time, back in 2017 when I lived out in Denver. Like so many people, “Sleepyhead” and “Little Secrets” were a big part of my formative years and I would love to see them played live again.

I knew that this would be a good show because they are a Boston band, originally meeting at And getting their start at Emerson College.

The shows started off with a representative, giving Michael, the man being Passion Pit, an official document stating that July 24 would now be known as Passion Pit to a in the city of Boston.

A big part of the tour was about how Passion Pit was back and touring with a full live band. And this held up to our expectations. The drums were really great, the longer intros leading into hit songs which lead the crowd into eruption was awesome.

The set, before the encore, ended with “Carried Away” and was followed by “Little Secrets” and “Sleepyhead.” The crowd lost their minds when “Carried Away” started and they kept that energy going for the rest of the set.

The band played some new, unreleased songs like “Everything’s Stephanie,” a song that I can’t wait to play on repeat once it’s streaming.

Follow Here: https://linktr.ee/passionpit

Tour Dates: https://passionpit.com/home

Pictures:

Videos:

Josiah and the Bonnevilles – House of Blues

Posted on by Mikey

Tour: The Redline North America Tour

Venue: House of Blues

Date: Wednesday, June 17th

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/josiah-and-the-bonnevilles/2026/citizens-house-of-blues-boston-boston-ma-2b72a0da.html

Opener: Max Alan, Brenna MacMillan.

Review: I usually find it obnoxious when people tell you to manifest your destiny. I’m not one for motivational quotes. But few have pursued their dreams as relentlessly as the man behind Josiah and the Bonnevilles.

After appearing on American Idol, Josiah Leming signed a deal with a major label, but things eventually fell through. Instead of giving up, he kept chasing his dream of making music full-time.

A few years back, the Tennessee native was working as both a bartender and in an Amazon warehouse. Determined to make music work, he doubled down, releasing as much music as possible and growing a devoted following online. Covers like Justin Bieber’s “Ghost” introduced him to an entirely new audience and eventually allowed him to leave those jobs behind and make music his full-time career once again. And we are all lucky that happened.

Josiah and the Bonnevilles is currently on the Redline tour, named after one of the songs on the latest album, As Is. Both the album and tour find Josiah backed by a full band.

I saw him solo two years ago at the Paradise in Boston and the show was so intimate and special. It felt like just hanging out in a living room while a friend plays guitar. And even though this tour found him at House of Blues with a live band, it still had that same feeling.

The whole band crushed it on stage. It further confirmed that Nashville has some of the best musicians out there. One thing that makes me truly love a concert is seeing the musicians up on stage giving it their all. Not there to collect a check. There to live out their dream and put on the best show each night. And that’s exactly what this was. Josiah thanked the crowd after every song and told the crowd how much he loved them. And that the crowd will always be the Bonnevilles.

Upcoming Tour Dates: https://josiahandthe.com/#tour

Pictures and Videos:

Merch:

Bilmuri – MGM Music Hall

Posted on by Mikey

Tour: Kinda Hard l

Venue: MGM Music Hall

Date: Sunday, May 17th

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/bilmuri/2026/mgm-music-hall-at-fenway-boston-ma-3b4b1cf4.html

Band members: 

  • Johnny Franck — vocals, guitar
  • Gabi Rose — saxophone, vocals
  • Reese Maslen — guitar
  • Josh Manuel — drums
  • — bass
  • Joe Compton — pedal steel / banjo (touring

Opener: Gang!, The Home Team

Review: Bilmuri put on a fantastic show at MGM Music Hall in Boston. The full, live band is extremely talented and Gabi Rose just destroys on stage, as usual. And Johnny always seems to be just having a blast doing this every night for crowds all over the world. He thanked the crowd multiple times throughout the show and mentioned recently being signed to Columbia. He made a great observation that when you visit their website now, he is sandwiched between Beyoncé, Billy Joel, Blink-182, and Bob Dylan.

They played a lot of newer songs, most of the best tracks from American Motorsports, and some deep cuts.

I was joined by two friends who went for The Home Team and walked away telling me they will definitely be joining me next time Bilmuri is in town.

Upcoming Tour Dates: https://www.bilmuri.com/tour

Pictures and Videos: 

The Head and the Heart – Wang Theater

Posted on by Mikey

Tour: The 15th Anniversary Tour

Venue: Wang Theater

Date: Thursday, May 14th

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-head-and-the-heart/2026/wang-theatre-boston-ma-2b490486.html

Band members:

  • Jonathan Russell — vocals, guitar, percussion
  • Charity Rose Thielen — violin, guitar, vocals
  • Matt Gervais — guitar, vocals
  • Chris Zasche — bass
  • Kenny Hensley — piano, keyboards
  • Tyler Williams — drums, percussion

Opener: The Brudi Brothers

Review:

The Head and the Heart have been one of my favorite bands for a long time now. Back when I lived in Colorado, I saw them at Red Rocks Amphitheatre a few summers in a row. I even caught one of their super intimate pop-up shows at a small venue in Denver with maybe 1,000 people packed in.

Since moving back east, I’ve seen them at Leader Bank Pavilion, but I was especially excited when I saw they were coming to Boston’s Theater District and playing their first album in its entirety. I honestly have no idea how that album is already 15 years old.

The whole night felt incredibly intimate. Everyone was seated in this beautiful theater, and the stage was set up like a living room.

For the first song or two, the crowd mostly stayed seated, probably just because of the theater setting. But the second “Lost in My Mind” started, the entire crowd stood up almost in unison, and most people stayed on their feet the rest of the night.

The band played through their debut album before jumping into a second half packed with songs from the albums that followed. You could feel the energy increase even more when “All We Ever Knew,” “Aperture,” “Missed Connection,” and “Shake” kicked in.

Between songs, the band shared stories, danced around the stage, and even lounged on the couch set up behind them.

There were nonstop sing-alongs, clapping, and those big crowd “ohs” and “ahs” bouncing back and forth between the band and an incredibly receptive audience.

This stop was the end of this leg of the tour, but they will be doing more anniversary shows, so get tickets for one of those!

Upcoming Tour Dates: https://theheadandtheheart.com/tour

Pictures and Videos: