A fan sings along as Joyce Manor performs before a vibrant crowd at The Showbox.
The Showbox was an absolute pressure cooker on Tuesday night, packing in a vibrant, high-energy crowd that perfectly encapsulated the modern alternative scene. Dominated by 20-and-30-somethings sporting an array of piercings and plenty of neo-grunge era clothing, the venue felt less like a standard Tuesday night gig and more like a generational summit for heavy riffs and raw emotion.
Diving straight into the chaos, Teen Mortgage set a wild, theatrical tone early on. The standout moment of their explosive set featured a band member fully dressed up as the Grim Reaper. Cranking out blistering garage-punk, the Reaper playfully flipped off the crowd before fearlessly throwing himself off the stage to crowd-surf over a sea of upraised hands.
The momentum only amplified when Militarie Gun took the stage. Delivering a remarkably high-energy performance, the band proved exactly why they are one of the most exciting names in post-hardcore right now. Their lead singer spent the entire set jumping around the stage, radiating infectious positivity and clearly having the absolute time of his life, which instantly whipped the floor into a frantic, smiling mosh pit.
By the time headliners Joyce Manor walked out, the room was primed for a collective explosion. What followed was a masterclass in pop-punk and emo efficiency. The crowd didn’t just watch the show; they were a part of it, passionately singing along to literally every single song on the setlist. From the opening chords of “I Know Where Mark Chen Lives” to the driving rhythm of “Beach Community” and the absolute catharsis of “Constant Headache,” the audience’s voices occasionally threatened to drown out the PA system itself.
Closing out the night with a blistering run through “Catalina Fight Song” and “Heart Tattoo,” Joyce Manor capped off a flawless evening of sweat, community, and pure, unadulterated punk rock. If you walked out of The Showbox with your voice intact and your shirt dry, you simply weren’t doing it right.
The Afghan Whigs and Mercury Rev left no doubt that bands deep into their career can remain fresh, creative, and powerful rather than being merely content to rehash old glories while mining outdated work. Both bands effectively meshed the past with the current in front of a packed Showbox Sunday evening. I go back a good bit with both acts and was struck by their ability to integrate early material with current work while maintaining consistency throughout their sets.
I saw the Afghan Whigs a number of times back in the 90’s shortly after the band had signed to Subpop and relocated to the Pacific Northwest. They were frequent flyers at RCKCNDY and other now long-gone clubs in and around Seattle. The band both fit in nicely alongside and stood slightly apart from the then nascent grunge scene. No torn flannels and long johns for Greg Dulli, the lead singer and leader of the Afghan Whigs. Duli and his crew dressed a bit slicker than a lot of their peers (polo shirts and slacks? oh my!) and incorporated soul, R&B, and other black pop music idioms and influences into their driving guitar attack. The current tour marks the 40th year of the band’s existence (albeit with a lengthy hiatus in the early aughts). The Whigs have 10 albums under their belt and are on the cusp of delivering another. One would be hard pressed to find a more consistent catalog among recording acts of similar tenure.
The Whigs opened strong with ‘Parked Outside’ from 2014’s ‘Do the Beast’, countered with the harrowing ‘I’m Her Slave’ from ‘Congregation’ (1992), and drove it over the fence with ‘Light As a Feather’ from 2017’s excellent ‘In Spades’, all before Dulli paused to greet the audience. The band played a blistering 90 minute set drawing from all but their earliest album. While only Dulli and bass player John Curley remain from the band’s early days, the drum, lead guitar, and guitar/keyboard seats have all been filled with outstanding, complimentary players. Lead guitarist Christopher Thorn (Blind Melon) was of particular note.
Buffalo’s Mercury Rev have been active for 37 years and have 10 albums to their credit. 1998’s ‘Deserter’s Songs’ garnered the most critical praise and highest sales of the band’s career but one could reasonably argue that each successive album has exhibited additional proof of Mercury Rev’s continued growth and evolution. Their well-received set Sunday evening spanned the entirety of their career while feeling cut from a consistent sonic and thematic cloth. Mercury Rev lays on the reverb which, paired with their hushed and elliptical vocals, goes nicely with their trippy light and smoke effects. During some of the more extended instrumental sections I found myself being pleasantly reminded of mid period Pink Floyd. That’s a destination I’m always happy to visit.
While the Afghan Whigs and Mercury Rev are two entirely different beasts, I can’t help note that they seem to employ a similar approach to recording. Not content to revisit their past glories (although they certainly scratch that itch as well), both bands continue to create new music while evolving and refining their aesthetic. I would argue that this refusal to laurel rest allows each band to remain fresh and relevant. Whatever the reason for their continued excellence, I can’t argue with the results. 1,000 happy (and loud) fans at the Showbox last night seemed to agree with me.
Australia’s Chet Faker was in Seattle on May 7th, shortly after he gave fans a new album called A Love For Strangers in February ’26. Faker, whose real name is Nicholas James Murphy, is midway-through his tour named after the album, and he also co-directed the video for the track, “1000 Ways.” Ideas By Ab, a Minnesotan producer, opened the evening.
Queens of the Stone Age‘s Josh Homme – photo by Rachel Crick
Unplugged Queens of the Stone Age Electrifies Seattle
More dark cabaret than rock show, this angular, stripped-down performance was a far cry from the beefy, radio-hit-heavy Queens of the Stone Age concerts we’ve moshed through before. Tickets didn’t sell out in minutes – they vanished in seconds worldwide. The buzz around this tour, supporting their latest EP Alive in the Catacombs – recorded literally underground in a Paris ossuary lined with human skulls – is very real.
Josh Homme appeared trim and debonair, perfectly suited to the Paramount’s old-world glamour: tailored suit, gold watch, even a matching tooth. Swinging an antique lantern – casting slow, moody shadows or whipping up stark urgency – the band reimagined opening songs and deep cuts into something slippery and atmospheric, launching the first of three distinct acts with inky precision.
Weird? Yes. Cool? Absolutely. During “Suture Up Your Future,” Homme wielded an actual meat cleaver. The hushed audience hovered between enchantment and intimidation. Do we laugh? Pray? Cheer? Cry? All of the above. At one point, he slipped into the aisles, casually swinging the cleaver, crooning to a few lucky fans, even waltzing a few into a brief, swoony spin.
Josh Homme of QOTSA – photo by Rachel Crick
Act II lifted the curtain on a small orchestra – local players adding lush strings, horns, woodwinds, and even theremin. Paired with deep electronic bass triggers and Homme’s heavy guitar, the sound was anything but sleepy: modern, sleek, and intense. Think EDM festival meets avant-garde theater, minus the excess.
A pre-show call to “dress your best” paid off – less black band tee uniform, more chic and foxy. Still, the black band tee and merch line snaked up the stairs, wrapped the mezzanine, and climbed to the third floor. Those gold-foiled posters didn’t stand a chance.
By Act III, a tumbler of liquor and cigarette perched on the piano, Homme could have tipped into cliché. Instead, it read as effortless – cosmopolitan, not loungy. Mature, but still dangerous. Not too serious. Still unmistakably badass. Emphasis on the piano.
Josh Homme – photo by Rachel Crick
Even after an impossibly intimate a cappella duet with bassist Michael Shuman, it’s hard not to call this The Josh Show. As the sole remaining original member, he’s the gravitational center. Troy Van Leeuwen – five albums deep – remains a quieter genius. But every eye in the room tracks Homme. Four decades in, he’s grown into a towering rock figure: multi-instrumentalist, collaborator, headline magnet, complete with myth, feuds, and legend.
Back onstage, he spoke warmly about Seattle – his time on Capitol Hill at 24 (“a virgin”), attending Seattle Central, the invitation to join Screaming Trees. A little tequila in the mix, sure, but the affection felt genuine. The crowd roared when he recalled QOTSA’s first show at the OK Hotel. By the time he told us we were the best audience of the tour, the last reserved fan let loose. Connection achieved.
This tour hints at a new branch of rock performance – part residency, part theater, part reinvention. You can feel the lineage, the influence, the evolution. It’s still QOTSA at the root: a hard rock, platinum-selling band with stadium dates ahead. But this darker, more sophisticated offshoot? It’s going far. Turn and face the strange.
After a sing-along of “Long Slow Goodbye,” the band clinked glasses and waved goodnight, emotion just under the surface. A Mark Lanegan track played as the lights came up. The audience drifted out.
But the magic – of the music, the night, the Paramount, Les Catacombs de Paris – didn’t drift far.
It’s still right here.
Queens of the Stone Age – all photos by Rachel Crick
Deep cuts:
ACT I
Running Joke/Paper Machete
Kalopsia
Villains Of Circumstance
Suture Up Your Future
ACT II
Never Came
Someone’s In The Wolf/A Song For The Deaf/Straight Jacket Fitting
Mosquito Song
Keep Your Eyes Peeled
Spinning In Daffodils (Them Crooked Vultures cover)
