Ice Nine Kills / Milwaukee, WI [Night 1]

Ice Nine Kills decided to visit select cities for their “Scream-a-Thon Tour.” This tour is a special two-night, double-feature, in each city planned, for their albums: The Silver Scream and “Welcome to the Horrorwood,” where their album is performed in its entirety. Night 1 was completely sold out in advance, and the crowd was packing it in at the very start. Both nights feature a different lineup of openers to ensure each night is individually special to each audience. 

It was a beautiful evening for a show. With such nice weatherin the mid-60s in May, this was also the first night of the year where The Rave/Eagles Club had their front patio open to the public before the show with an array of bar tables where you could enjoy a nice drink or grab a taco from the local, Pig Tailz food truck! The venue’s patio is decked out with fun lights and umbrellaed tables & chairs, as well, to sit down instead. Warm weather is right around the corner, so buckle up for another humid concert season!

Night one featured Melrose Avenue, The Funeral Portrait, and The Word Alive. Each group brought something different to the stage, and the crowd responded with full enthusiasm. Melrose Avenue came from Australia to join this tour, and while not everyone in the crowd was familiar with their music, it did not stop them from having a good time in the pit. The band engaged with the crowd as they leaned over the edge of the stage towards the crowd. Their vocalist’s smooth voice paired well with his gruff screams that kept the crowd’s energy amped up even more! The energy was deafening from the very start and only grew as the night of screams continued. When The Funeral Portrait took the stage, several people up front were very clearly here for this act. Vocalist Lee earned an eruption of cheers as he took the stage. He could be seen clearly from all points of the room with his head of neon green hair. From his high kicks to fun props throughout the night, they got that crowd moving. The last opener to take the stage was The Word Alive, and out of everyone opening, it appeared that many were the most familiar with them. Which makes sense, knowing that The Word Alive has played at this venue several times before that night. Up until this point, there had been a mosh pit and just a small handful of brave souls who crowd surfed. 

The crowd surfers continued steadily, almost as soon as Ice Nine Kills took the stage. Attendees were seemingly saving their energy for the main act. Ice Nine Kills did not come to mess around; their show was top tier from start to finish. Each song had a little on-screen video montage introduction that paired with each song’s horror movie inspiration. The band took time to ensure that this was more than any night of music; it was a full show of theatrics. From every movement from the moshpit to the steady wave of crowd surfers and everyone screaming along, it was a night of pure chaotic energy. The crowd loved every moment. It was a night to remember in the best way possible.

Photos and Review by Carrie Bergan