One of my goals when I decided to take Metalcore Night on the road as a touring party was to land a show in Las Vegas during the When We Were Young Festival weekend. The idea wasn’t unique—every touring Emo Night, Emo Karaoke event, and emo cover band had the same thought. But I figured that after a weekend of melancholy anthems, festival-goers might crave something different. For Vegas locals, it also provided an alternative to the predictable lineup of Taking Back Sunday and Dashboard Confessional songs.
Our former booking agent secured us a show at Sinwave in Las Vegas—one of my favorite venues in the US. It’s diverse, goth as hell, and has killer sound, video, and lighting. In my opinion, it might be one of the best small venues I’ve ever played.
Putting together a show with the right team was essential, and I had the good fortune of finding mine while touring as the DJ for the Virtual Chaos Tour. That tour was one of the worst experiences I’ve had in the music industry, but the friendships and connections I made made it worth enduring the chaos (you can read about it [here], watch videos [here] or [here], or just ask in the comments).
During the tour, I struck up conversations with Katie Figueroa, and we finally met at the Virtual Chaos show at the Whisky-a-Go-Go in Los Angeles. She quickly became a close friend and unofficial tour therapist, and it was clear we shared the same work ethic and drive. So, I brought her on board to handle operations for Metalcore Night. With her connections, including a longstanding relationship with Melrose Avenue, we were able to secure our headlining act.
The choice of opening acts felt natural. Given the way Virtual Chaos ended, I was hesitant to work with many of its associated acts again, but NEPTVNE and ONI INC. had become friends, fit our show’s vibe, and lived close enough to make it work.
Before reaching Vegas, I had a few shows out west. I rented a car through Turo (I like supporting individuals over corporations when possible) and found a Prius C available—50mpg was a lifesaver on a tight budget, especially given the sparse crowds at some earlier stops. I packed up my gear, merch (including 1000 buttons I stayed up late pressing), and a cooler, and hit the road.
The tour route was poorly planned, and last-minute show bookings led to some low-attendance gigs. The Annex in Madison, Wisconsin, is one of my favorite venues; with two months’ notice and a weekend slot, we probably could have packed it out. Minneapolis was rough too—a Wednesday night show downtown is a hard sell, but the venue was fantastic, and the city was so welcoming. I’m eager to return on a weekend and give them a proper show.
Our Denver show had to be postponed. The drive was brutal, we’d only sold three tickets in a week, and we were up against a Lorna Shore show. We’re already working on a make-up date and can’t wait to return.
From Minneapolis to Las Vegas, I broke the drive into two days, spending the night at a Red Roof Inn in Grand Junction, CO. I woke up early to catch the sunrise in the Utah mountains, getting about an hour of stunning views before being hit by a snowstorm. I stopped off the highway in St. George, Utah, for a haircut and lunch before making the final stretch to Vegas.
Katie and one of her friends met me there, and we grabbed In-N-Out before heading back to our hotel and calling it an early night. The long drive and excitement for When We Were Young the next day made sleep essential.
When We Were Young was incredible, and the day off before our Sinwave show was 100% necessary. I got to see some of my all-time favorite bands (Thursday, Taking Back Sunday, Jimmy Eat World) and spend a little team bonding time. After the festival, we found some 24-hour Mexican food, headed back to the room, and crashed.
Sunday was show day at Sinwave. We started early, got in a workout, prepped, and arrived at the venue. Shows don’t usually go this smoothly. We loaded in and waited for NEPTVNE, ONI INC., and Melrose Avenue. Except for a brief hiccup when NEPTVNE misplaced their ID (the show was 21+), load-in and sound check went perfectly. Doors opened, and I kicked things off with my set as the crowd filtered in.
I’m really happy with my first major Las Vegas set. The crowd was into it, and I kept things musically diverse with tracks from Bad Omens, Dealer, Sunami, Wage War, Silent Planet, Knocked Loose, and more. Having my friend Myk there made it extra special—he’s been coming to my DJ nights in Pittsburgh for 10 years.
By 10 p.m., the crowd was primed, and NEPTVNE delivered a flawless set with Paul Burns on drums and GRVNT and ONI INC. adding some killer vocal features. Being able to DJ for them brought a kind of closure to the Virtual Chaos tour madness. We’ll be performing together again soon!
ONI INC. followed with a high-energy, cardio-intensive set that had the crowd moving. It was great to reconnect and share a stage again. I can’t wait for his new album, dropping in January.
Melrose Avenue closed the night, and I wasn’t sure how the crowd would react since they were only doing a guest DJ set rather than a full-band performance. I couldn’t have been more wrong—their energy was through the roof, and the audience matched them beat for beat.
I spun a closing set and then hung out with the team, artists, promoter, and die-hard fans who stayed until the end.
Shows rarely go off this well. Everyone got paid, everything we advertised happened, and everyone left happy and eager to work together again. Three weeks later, I’m still riding a wave of gratitude.
After an excruciating 40-hour drive back to Pittsburgh, I returned the rental car and caught up on sleep before diving back into the Emo Night events here in town. These few weeks home have been spent managing Metalcore Night plans for our upcoming Black Friday show in Atlanta.
Stay tuned—we’ve got some big announcements coming up!