Nuoffer Media

Less Than Jake

07/06/2022
Less Than Jake
The Rave
Milwaukee, WI

LTJ performed at The Rave for their 18th time in direct support of Bowling For Soup.

Setlist:
1. Automatic
2. Lie To Me
3. Last One Out of Liberty City
4. Gainesville Rock City
5. Johnny Quest Thinks We’re Sellouts
6. Plastic Cup Politics
7. History of A Boring Town
8. The High Cost of Low Living
9. Look What Happened
10. The Science of Selling Yourself Short
11. Rock-N-Roll Pizzeria
12. Nervous In The Alley
13. The Ghosts of Me and You
14. My Very Own Flag
15. All My Best Friends Are Metalheads

Don’t Panic

07/06/2022
Don’t Panic
The Rave
Milwaukee, WI

Don’t Panic opened for Bowling for Soup on their “Back On The Attack Tour”.

Setlist:
1. Watership Down
2. Let It Go
3. Woe I
4. No Time For Second Chances
5. What’s A Guy To Do?
6. Ramona 
7. Fall of ‘99

The Melvins

07/05/2022
The Melvins
High Noon Saloon
Madison, WI

The Legendary Melvins arrived at the High Noon Saloon in Madison, WI in the middle of their “The Electric Roach Tour”. The venue is an intimate space with hardwood floors and rustic visuals littered across the room. When entering the area the merch is direct to your left next to the front entrance. The Melvins have various items available such as shirts and vinyl. The two-foot-tall stage stands all the way at the back of the room. As you walk towards it the bar is off to your left. It has horseshoes and other various cowboy images tacked to its walls. To your right is another bar that lies empty, but buried into the wall. The stage may be small and the lighting may stink, but it makes a perfect recipe for a metal show. The stage setup is simplistic. Guitarist Buzz Osborne has his two stacks on the far left of the stage, drummer Dale Crover has his kit at the back of the stage in the center, and off to the far right bassist Steve McDonald had a single stack tucked back. That it is. No cheap scrims or band banners. A traditionally stripped-down visual. The way these shows should be. 

This show was for the long-time Melvins fans. The setlist encompassed pretty much the dark and sludgy history of the band. Mostly a best-of compilation. Most prevalent were the songs from their early 90s albums “Houdini” and “Bullhead”. Having a discography with 25 full-length releases they have plenty of songs to dish out, but keep it to the heart of the band’s origins. With the theme of the “Sanford and Son” TV show pouring out through the overhead speakers, The Melvins took the stage. There was no greeting the audience or talking to them over the PA. It was simply grabbing their instruments, plugging, and making sure they were tuned because as anyone who has seen them before knows they will not stop in between songs to make sure they are. They most notably make adjustments as they go. Point in case, a small microphone glitch during the start of “Oven”. The soundboard lost Buzz’s microphone about halfway through, so they adjusted and started the song over again from the beginning. It was gold. 

The crowd surged forward multiple times over. The room was packed. There was barely any breathing room. Buzz and McDonald spent nearly the entire show living in the middle of the stage or right on the edge in front of patrons’ faces. So close you could feel the heat from their string picking. Buzz was doing what he does. Decked out in a full-body Mumu with a skull and bones over it he was whipping his hair around and swaying around the room with a stern look. Dale Crover on drums had his head down and was completely focused on the task at hand. Twice during the set, Dale had small drum solo-like interludes that seamlessly transitioned into the next song. His performance was a master class. Bassist Steven McDonald was perhaps the most engaged with the crowd. Often he leaned into and over the audience in front of him while playing. He danced around his microphone and delivered high leg kicks while decked out in what looked like spiritual robes. Their uniqueness has really shown through just as it always has. Musically, they couldn’t be any more cohesive. The songs performed sounded like they did when written. Every once and a while there were little nuanced differences, but it was for the betterment. Time does that. 

It was once said that the Melvins were the godfathers of the grunge movement. What a load of crap. The Melvins clearly are an influential metal/rock band that paved the way for more radio-friendly sounding artists to capitalize. Through it all, they still produce high-quality art at breakneck speeds for their fan base. Their live show hasn’t slowed down either. The band is royalty and continually shows it. This show was amazing. They ripped through their set and you couldn’t look away. My ears were filled with musical perfection. Luckily, enough for those of us in Wisconsin they often make stops. All in all, they are everything modern metal and rock needed to be. It was about the music and the performance. No fluff or nonsense. There was so much to appreciate. It is easy for me to say this, but their shows need still to be seen. 


Setlist:
1. Oven
2. Lovely Butterfly
3. It’s Shoved
4. Anaconda
5. Lizzy
6. Electric Charlie (Redd Kross cover)
7. Euthanasia
8. Mr.Dog
9. Never Say You’re Sorry
10. Evil New War God
11. Hooch
12. Honey Bucket
13. The Bit
14. With Teeth
15. Ballad of Dwight Fry (Alice Cooper cover)


Harsh Mellow

07/05/2022
Harsh Mellow
High Noon Saloon
Madison, WI

Harsh Mellow is the touring opener for the Melvins. The band also features the Melvins Dale Crover on drums.

Setlist:
1. Save Me
2. Run From You
3. If You Knew
4. Wrong From Right
5. It’s True
6. Wrong From Right
7. Debu Chan

Helms Alee

07/05/2022
Helms Alee
High Noon Saloon
Madison, WI

Direct support for the Melvins. Also quite possibly one of the more rad sets I have seen this year.



Boundaries

06/21/2022
Boundaries
The Annex
Madison, WI

Touring in support of Spite.

Setlist:
1. My Body Is A Cage
2. Carve
3. Kill Me Patiently
4. My Strength
5. Get Out
6. Behind The Bend
7. Is Survived By
8. I’d Rather Not Say
9. Reign of Pain

Saliva

06/19/2022
Saliva
High Noon Saloon
Madison, WI

After 26 years as a band, founding member and lead guitarist Wayne Swinny has Saliva firing on all cylinders. This metal machine stormed its way into the rustic-looking High Noon Saloon on a gorgeous Father’s Day. The High Noon Saloon is a personable venue. The stage sits maybe 2 feet off of the ground. There are no barricades in front of the stage either. The room is hardwood flooring with a bar on one side and a soundboard on the other. The decor is just as expected, western. Horseshoes and painted canvases are nailed above the bar. It was almost fitting for the Memphis-formed band. 

The band provided no frills with their stage setup. It was simple. 3 metal risers at the front of the stage and both the bass and guitar amps are wrapped in the same metal grating but the Saliva “S” in white is welded on top of it. There was no doubt though, they were there to rock and play their hits. Not only that, Saliva, dropped a couple of new tunes into the set as well. Vocalist Bobby Amaru was ever so present. He moved around the entirety of the small High Noon stage. There wasn’t a nook he didn’t get into. Vocally, he was precise and forcefully projected across the room. The few hundred in attendance ate it up.  Drummer Paul Crosby and Bassist Brad Stewart were one cohesive unit. They snapped and thundered with high efficiency. The two genuinely looked like they were having the time of their lives up on stage.  It was rather refreshing considering the genre and the “I don’t care” attitude that is all so common within it. Swinny, though was all over his half of the stage. He was very animated while delivering those classic riffs that everyone has enjoyed for over a decade now. He loved walking up towards those in front of the stage and shredding. At one point he was playing and reached out and fist bumped the kids watching. Eventually, those children were brought up on stage.

This band laid out the greatest hit setlist with 2 new songs included. “Crows” is currently being played across mainstream rock and metal radio stations including our own WJJO here in Madison. Another surprise within the setlist is the theme song for WWE superstar Dave Bautista, “I Walk Alone”. The song is powerful and had the room bouncing around. It gave flashbacks of Wrestlemania 23. It was nothing but an incredible evening reminiscing and enjoying what the future holds for the band. 


Setlist:
1. Ladies and Gentlemen
2. Superstar
3. Survival of The Sickest
4. Revelation Man
5. All Because of You
6. I Walk Alone
7. Crows
8. Doperide
9. Always
10. Your Disease
11. They Don’t Care About Us/Lose Yourself/Get Ur Freak On (Covers medley)
12. Click Click Boom

Nothingmore

06/08/2022
Nothing More
The Sylvee
Madison, WI

The Sylvee was the place to be on this Wednesday night. The line to get into the venue was the length of a football field and wrapped around the corner and down East Washington Ave. Nothing More was the focal point. The original billing already had Atreyu and Eva Under Fire as support. The co-headliner Asking Alexandria had to cancel the rest of the tour over medical issues. To most in attendance, it didn’t matter as they were there to see the firey foursome headline their 2022 US tour in support of their yet-to-be-released or titled album. 

The Sylvee is a gem of a venue. The relatively new building was built to maximize the audience’s experience. As you walk in through the security checkpoint you are right by the merchandise booths that are built into the wall. In that area, Nothing More had an array of very cool shirts. Arguably the best thing for sale were the used drum heads signed by the band. They had quite a few of them with different scribbles on them. After stocking up on goodies you turn around and the full-service bar runs the entire length of the back wall. The main floor is actually a sub-level area. You have to walk down a small set of stairs and onto the floor. The stage runs the entire length of the venue. It is a roomy performance space. That space will have every single inch of it used up.

Between foot-tall lighting strips lining the front of the stage guitarist Mark Vallelunga appears in front of his microphone and stands. Across the stage, on the right bassist, Daniel Oliver walks out waving to the crowd. Ben Anderson was perched behind his drum kit which was just off-center. The stage lights began lifting into a red haze. The backdrop lit up revealing a large banner with “Nothing More” in an old English-type text stretched across the stage. The band kicked into “Turn It Up Like”. This was the lead single off of their upcoming release. Jonny Hawkins was in fine form from the beginning. With spastic movements and pure energy dripping from his pores, he gave the fire to get the room to bounce around. He even used his “Scorpion Tail” keyboard and drum kit then rode and moved it around through the duration of the song. While Hawkins was up there, Vallelunga provided a very tasty and slick guitar solo while leaning into his foot stand. The intense grins were only elevating the impact of his playing. They couldn’t have had a more impressive kick-off to a show.

The setlist was an amalgamation of butt-kickings that were performed at a rapid pace. More heartening than one could have ever expected as well. It was a fantastic way to maintain that adrenaline rush you first receive from the start. Their set included two brand new songs, the aforementioned opener and “Tired of Winning”. In addition to that, it was an impeccable combination of their two previously released full-length albums. All of their fan-favorite songs made the cut. “Tired of Winning” allowed the band’s full creativity to be placed on display. Hawkins’s vocals fluctuate with total ease and push out the full strength of his vocal cords. Laying underneath it all were picked bass lines that released a spring-sounding effect. There was so much happening. “Jenny” was also one of the many highlights. A “Song about my sister” as proclaimed by Hawkins turned into arguably Ben Anderson’s stand-out portion of the evening. He sat back during the intro and sang along. While mouthing the lyrics he hit snare and toms to build up and lead into the main verse. There was no doubt his emphatic playing added to the pure heart-wrenching content. The atmosphere surrounding the song itself while being played was eye-opening. The audience sang the lyrics in the same emotional cadence. Clearly, their message has been sent out about mental health and bipolar disease. To those of use that are also fans this also includes charities, they are very active with.

Lifting the mood back to an all-out rock extravaganza, “Don’t Stop” whipped the crowd back into an absolute frenzy. There weren’t any crowd surfers, but there for sure were quite a few circle pits stomping around The Sylvee floor. Dust kicking up. Shoes are being flung around. Blasting vocals and vibratos creates a unique listening experience that can only be matched by their incredible talents of the strings. Laying out riffs that are unlike most items in their catalog, Vollelunga, and Oliver, fire off with such intensity. Giving riveting moments of interaction with those in the front row. Flicking picks and standing on the risers in front of their microphones were complimented by finger points and screaming out the lyrics. These pair are a must-see. 

With the final song of the evening being “This Is The Time(Ballast)”, the band smashed every little nuance within the song so well and were floor-shakingly heavy throughout it. The intro provided us all with a perfectly synced and soulful harmony. As soon as the strings kicked in Jonny Hawkins screamed, “Everyone up”. The audience obliged and surged forward. From there it turned into a sing-along. Every chorus filled The Sylvee and echoed across the venue. Oliver, playing his Ernie Ball Bongo 5-string bass, plucked out some filthy and body rattling riffs. Probably the most intensity he had all evening and that is saying something considering he thrash his headstock around and screamed at every opportunity. Towards the end of the finale, Hawkins was once again perched on “The Scorpion Tail” smashing the drums before standing straight on top of it yelling “Wisconsin, I can’t hear you”. Which in turn unleashed a deafening response from the crowd. The outro was very fun. Left on stage Vallelunga and Oliver hit on their own drums elevated to their height. That led to the both of them jumping into the photo pit and greeting every fan they could along the security barrier. They handed out picks and drumsticks to the very animated crowd. 

Overall, this was a culmination of a multitude of great things. The first was blatantly obvious, Nothing More are top-tier performers. The passion for their art is ever so present. The lighting, banner, and the Scorpion Tail drum kit with keyboards are finely detailed items that the band themselves designed. Their stage setup is built for efficiency and performance impact. Whatever the word “rockstar” means these days they for sure have it. The lyrical content of their music alone is gripping and thought-provoking. Lined with hugely intelligent verses that are backed by heartaches and emotions within the choruses. These sentiments were easily sensed through Hawkins’ singing. His bending of notes and vibratos only added to the live experience. Nothing More provided everything and more to those there to witness it. Easily one of the best performances of the year. No doubt a perfect example of showmanship and musicianship. Now, all we have to do is wait for another tour and a full-length album. The anticipation for those things overwhelmingly grew after tonight.

Nothing More Charity partners:

To Write Love on Her Arms - http://twloha.com

The Jed Foundation – http://www.jedfoundation.org

Bring Change 2 Mind - http://bringchange2mind.org

International Bipolar Foundation - http://www.ibpf.org

Young Minds - http://www.youngminds.org.uk


Setlist:
1. Turn It Up
2. Let ‘Em Burn
3. Christ Copyright
4. Mr.MTV
5. Do You Really Want It
6. Tunnels
7. Jenny
8. Don’t Stop
9. Go To War
10. I’ll Be OK
11. Tired of Winning
12. Fade In Fade Out
13. This Is The Time (Ballast)


Atreyu

06/08/2022
Atreyu
The Sylvee
Madison, WI

Atreyu performed as direct support to Nothing More on Nothing More’s 2022 US Tour.

Setlist:
1. Baptize
2. Becoming The Bull
3. Right Side of The Bed
4. The Time is Now
5. Ex’s and Oh’s
6. Save Us
7. Falling Down
8. I Wanna Dance WIth Somebody (Whitney Houston cover)
9. Warrior
10. Blow


Eva Under Fire

06/08/2022
Eva Under Fire
The Sylvee
Madison, WI

Eva Under Fire performed as tour openers for Nothing More on their 2022 US Tour.

311

05/29/2022
311
Epic Event Center
Green Bay, WI

The positivity warriors of 311 have finally made their way to Green Bay, WI. An event nearly 32 years in the making. The Epic Events Center held this rally of good vibes. The venue sits just blocks from the legendary Lambeau Field. Home of the Green Bay Packers football team. A team that Nick Hexum proclaimed during their set to be his “favorite football team”. The anticipation for this performance was feverous. The fans arrived early hoping to meet the band by the buses. Others stood in line for hours just to be the first through the door and right in the middle. The venue is a remodeled box store. Walking through the front doors and security, you realize it is anything but that. The room is large and spacious with a fully staffed bar running along the entire back wall. The stage is large and takes up nearly the size of the length of the room. 

Anticipation filled the room. If there is anything that is well known about 311 it is their setlist always changes. A rather brilliant feat in this era of musical performances. It also adds to the excitement. Their propensity to perform uplifting lyrical content never wavers.  Opening the performance with “Homebrew” was the first glimpse of perfect transitions and tempo changes to come between MC SA Martinez and Frontman Nick Hexum. Hexum was front and center nearly the entire show. He had very little downtime to rest. He often stood at the front lip of the stage engaging with the fans at the rail. His stage presence commanded your attention. Vocally, he was precise and filled the air with positive feelings. His vocal counterpart Martinez, delivered the hip-hop flows mixed with robot-like dancing. Truly a jack of all trades instrumentally, he performed with a multitude of instruments. These frontmen bounced back and forth with each other rather freely. Seasoned road warriors generally do.

Tim Mahoney lays out a quick intro riff while head bobbing and surrounded by his effects pedals on the stage floor he set the standard for the power radiating from the stage. The riff master established a heavier sound than any of the previous shows I have ever attended. Maybe it was the attitude needed to finish off their Spring tour. Regardless, he had flames off of his fingertips. On the low-end bassist, P-Nut stood on the opposite end of the stage. He has a very distinctive performance style. While he plays, he sways and takes awkward steps within an arm’s length radius. Rocking back and forth he drops bass lines and plucking that gives 311 their unique vibes and P-Nut wide acclaim for his creativity. When paired with out of this World drummer, Chad Sexton, they blend genres easily and open up the listener to a vast array of musical styles. Sexton is known to be an upper-tier performer. This is flaunted quite freely during the show with a 5-minute solo. The best part of this solo is it is always different and never the same. In fact, the rest of the band come out on stage and perform along with him towards the end on their own single-floor tom kits. A cohesive unit that displays vast levels of ingenuity and brilliance for their crafts.

This performance setup was extremely simple, but the lighting was not in any way, shape, or form. Across the back of the stage were 8 light panels that were paired. They stood roughly 10ft by 2ft wide each. Above them were lights that rotated around and stretched along with the panels. Uniquely, these panels were synched to each song and fit the mood of the set to perfection. No song fits that level of precision better than “Beyond The Grey Skies”. The overall atmospheric sounds and feeling associated with the song, to begin with, were only enhanced by the mood lighting and visual aesthetics on the panels. Much like their final song, “Down” the blue lighting that opened up into bright colors paid homage to their landmark self-titled album with a simple blue cover. Everything was of superior quality. 

Having witnessed such an amazing achievement on the night, it was hard to come back down to Earth from the feeling of being on Cloud 9. These guys are every bit as great as they ever have been and continue to produce fantastic albums. The date custom posters, shirts, and setlists, being designed specifically for your pleasure will never stop being a huge draw. The only constant from them is their level of professionalism and quality. 


Setlist:
1. Homebrew
2. Beautiful Disaster
3. All Mixed Up 
4. Stainless
5. Prisoner
6. Come Original
7. What The?!
8. Loco
*Bass Solo*
9. Don’t Stay Home
10. 8:16 
11. Too Late
12. Love Song (Cure Cover)
13. Applied Science
14. Beyond The Grey Sky
15. Silver
16. Amber
17. You Wouldn’t Believe
18. Creatures (For A While)
ENCORE
19. Omaha Stylee
20. Down

Teenage Wrist

05/29/2022
Teenage Wrists
Epic Event Center
Green Bay, WI

Teenage Wrists performed as direct support to 311 on their 2022 Spring tour.

Setlist:
1. Taste of Gasoline
2. Stoned, Alone
3. New Emotion
4. Mary
5. High Again
6. Sunshine
7. Silverspoon
8. Earth is a Black Hole


Gojira

05/26/2022
Gojira
The Eagles Ballroom
Milwaukee, WI

Gojira was direct support for The Deftones. This event was covered for Concertcloseups.com

Setlist:
1. Born For One Thing
2. Back Bone
3. Stranded
4. Flying Whales
5. The Cell
6. Love/Rememberance
7. Hold On
8. Grind
9. Silvera
10. L’Enfant Savauge
11. Amazonia
12. The Gift of Guilt

Carcass

05/22/2022
Carcass
Majestic Theater
Madison, WI

Death Metal legends Carcass steamrolled into the Majestic Theater in Madison, WI. With a quick 13 stops on this stretch of shows, it was a must to have made the trek into beautiful Madison, WI. Majestic Theater is a multi-level room on the lower level creating various viewpoints all around. Above the floor is a balcony. The balcony has booths and decks with chairs and tables. It creates a bit more comfort for those willing to pay for it. Normally, a show of this type would never stop here and that is part of the reason it turned out to be so fantastic. The sound at the Majestic Theater is always precise, crisp, and loud. 


All of that might’ve been the reason they placed this tour here. Carcass is out touring to support their latest album “Torn Arteries”. “Torn Arteries” was released on September 17, 2021. The album itself is a no-nonsense and innovative metal classic. They perfectly blend every subgenre of metal across 10 brutal songs. From the very beginning of the album, they force one masterful riff after riff down your throat and demand you enjoy it. Lyrically, we all know their open support of various causes was strewn within cheeky  This is their seventh LP and has shown a huge leap in maturity. Their songwriting and lyrical mastery have expanded over the last few releases. Even with that growth they still pay homage to their roots. This is well displayed within their live performance. 

The stage had a brilliant setup. The white/silver backdrop was imprinted with a skeletonize rib cage. An obvious homage to their extreme and grindcore legacies. Set up just right of center, Daniel Wilding has his piece drum kit sitting on top of a riser. The front of his kick drum illuminates in unison with two televisions on stands that are perched on each side of him. The lighting over the stage was a hazy white. The televisions projected a “Carcass warning” on them. Reminiscent of old-time television while channels would tune out or broadcasts flipped into an emergency broadcast beacon. Quick fitting for the brutality that laid ahead. 

From the start, Carcass was there to melt faces. With a slow intro, members entered the stage one by one. Jeff Walker was the last to appear. As he walked out he was screaming out to the already whipped-up crowd. Lead guitarist Bill Steer starts singing “Exhume to Consume” as Walker places one foot up on the monitor and provides backing vocals. From there the carnage kicks off. Carcass was nothing but business. Pushing out every ounce of aggression they could harness. Playing such brain scramblers as “Kellys Meat Emporium” and “Under The Scalpel Blade” from their most recent release, the temperature of the room rose and create a foggy haze naturally. Just a bit more to the visual aesthetics.  

“This Mortal Coil” provided the explosion of intricate guitar work that most who love their “Heartwork” album were waiting for. With an ample amount of fingers twirling back and forth in front of Steer while laying down the intro he smiled and leaned into the crowd with every downstroke. He ate the attention up. This was a common occurrence.  This was also the first time I have ever seen a circle pit within the Majestic’s historic walls. The pure savagery of the back half of the setlist provided that gritty and dirt feel a metal show should have. Providing the merciless mosh pit below with gems produced from before the band’s hiatus. Three songs from “Necroticism” were perfectly placed. “Corporal Jigsore Quandry” may have been the best of the bunch. Drummer Daniel Wilding’s best performance outside of a small solo after “Heartwork”. Wilding was the main catalyst without his pace and abilities the whole song would have fallen apart. Lucky for us all, this finely tuned machine is known for its technicality.

Heading into the final song “Captive Bolt Pistol” Walker pointed to a raucous audience right up front and commanded him to get his “lazy ass into the pit”. The crowd made an opening for him to stand in the middle of the pit. Once there the strident character raised his arms. The slow guitar strokes set in and Steer unleashes a deep rumbling growl of the beginning lyrics “Desensetiser.” The circle pit slashes its way around in its most brutal fashion yet. For 3 minutes and 20 seconds, straight chaos ensued. And with a breakdown on the count of 3, arms were raised in victory before leaving the stage for the last time that night. 

Carcass gave all of the metal heads an amazing performance. The age range of the band’s faithful fans spanned at least 40 years further proving that no matter how marvelous their catalog of music is the live shows are where the magic remains. Having circle pit after circle pit could never be wrong. 

Setlist:
1. Exhume to Consume
2. Buried Dreams
3. Kellys Meat Emporium
4. Incarnated Solvent Abuse
5. Unfit for Human Consumption
6. Under The Scalpel Blade
7. Genital Grinder
8. This Mortal Coil
9. Dance of Ixtab
10. Keep on Rotting in The Free World
11. The Sychte’s Remorseless Swing
12. Tools of the Trade
13. Corporal Jigsore Quandry
14. The Sanguine Article
15. Heartwork
16. Carneous Cacoffiny (with a short drum solo intro)
17. Captive Bolt Pistol


Immolation

05/22/2022
Immolation
Majestic Theater
Madison, WI

Immolation performed as direct support to Carcass on their current US tour.

Setlist:
1. An Act of God
2. The Age of No Light
3. Majesty and Decay
4. Noose of Thorns
5. When the Jackal Comes
6. Father, You’re Not a Father
7. Blooded
8. Swarm of Terror
9. Rise of The Heretics
10. Broken Prey
11. The Distorting Light
12. Kingdom of Conspiracy
13. Let The Darkness In
14. Immolation

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