Justin Nuoffer
CONCERT REVIEW + PHOTOS
Mushroomhead
10/16/24 – Apollo Theater AC – Belvidere, IL
©Justin Nuoffer/NuofferMedia.com
The evening was warm and the line outside the Apollo Theatre AC in Belvidere, IL was busy as fans lined up outside waiting to enter the 102-year-old Opera House turn banquet and music hall to catch Cleveland, Ohio alt-metal giants Mushroomhead. There venue has a classic orange brick facade with two doors in the middle. Once you walk inside, the room opens to reveal a hardwood floor, a sky-high ceiling, and a large stage straight ahead. Above the back half is a balcony with physical seats if you upgrade your tickets. Off to the left are two doors on the front and back of the room that lead to a large bar room that was packed with patrons. Inside the theatre room, fans filed in quickly. Underneath the balcony, the four touring acts have their merchandise stands full of items, with shirt racks full of tour gear and vinyl littering the tables.
The first act of the evening was Mind Incision. The Denver, Colorado-based five-piece took the stage early and proceeded to impress with a seven-song barrage. Over the quick thirty-minute time slot they maneuvered around a stage full of gear. Many moments grabbed the fan’s attention. From a cell phone light waving to simply jumping up front to the barricade rail. Mind Incision came to play. They even performed their two YouTube tracks “Final Warning” and “Left Behind”. All in all, the Nu-metalers were a pleasant surprise.
There Is No Us took the stage next and their setup was fairly similar to their predecessors – dark and full of gear. However, these Arizona goth metalheads brought out a strobe tower set up that ran along the back of the stage and left two upfront. These lights were it. Nothing more. They didn’t need anything else. Their music did the talking. Famed music photographer Jim Louvau was out front on the microphone. His grisly growling vocals were made for the industrial metal end of the spectrum. Paired with his fellow songwriter on guitar, Andy Gerold, their sound was a flashback to the nineties with modern production. The material resonated with the Mushroomhead faithful as the bodies on the floor started moving around. Armed with a cover of Rage Against The Machine’s legendary track, “Killing In The Name” they made it their own and paid homage to its roots. The crowd ate it up. Those familiar with the band’s material screamed the lyrics to “Get Fk’d” and “Fame Wh*re”. There Is No Us was steadfast in its style and unwavering in its charge. They were beyond impressive.
The proudly Texan deathcore maestros, Upon A Burning Body, arrived in Belvidere to lay waste. The unrelenting face punches started instantly. “Texas Blood Money” and its intro hit right away with “deep in the heart of Texas” chants and the Texas flag being waved. The crowd was firing on all cylinders the moment the first note hit. With every break down the floor shook and vibrated. Vocalist and founding member, Danny Leal, pushed the envelope with every note. His style and gripping growls were captivating. He paced the entire length of the stage and unloaded everything his voice box could handle.
To his left, his fellow band co-founder, guitarist Ruben Alvarez, head banged in a typical cowboy bucket hat. His fingers danced across his six and seven strings all night. He laid out groove after groove. “Killshot” from the EP of the same title from 2023 was a perfect encapsulation of the band’s direction from deathcore to a melding of deathcore, groove, and metalcore. Their setlist was loaded full of their fan favorites, but “A New Responsibility” smack dab in the middle of the set had a massive reaction. The lone track from Fury broke open the pit unlike any track before. The bodies spun around the circle pit and two steppers slammed their feet. This led to the latest single “Another Ghost”. The track is a melding of metal genres and allows Leal to use his full vocal range. This only served as a warm-up to the final two songs of the night, “Sin City” and “B.M.F.”. An explosion across the room came swiftly.
Bassist Thomas Alvarez and drummer Tito Felix were working as one and consistently pounded one’s body with repetitive low-end blasts and snare snaps. Upon A Burning Body had one mission to accomplish, destroy as much as possible. Body blow after body blow left the condensation rising from the floor and the stage covered in sweat. If you were ever looking for a good old-fashioned beat down they delivered tenfold.
The Ohio act Mushroomhead are no strangers to those within the Midwest. They are a dedicated touring act that has rocked some of the largest stages and smallest rooms. They have no fear and play where their fan base wants them to. The crowd inside the Apollo Theatre AC walls were eager and rearing to go. With every random light change during the set changeover, the hooting and hollering kicked up. Kids and adults were decked out in their favorite Mushroomhead masks and costumes.
On each side of the stage percussionists Jordan Gannon and band founder Steve “Skinny” Felton had their drums set up with a Mushroomhead banner draped along the front of them. They are a major component of the live performance. Mushroomhead are known for their varying masks and water drumming. From the first note of “12 Hundred”, the water sprayed sky-high and over the front row. Up front, the dual leads Scott “Strike” Beck and Steve Rauckhorst played back and forth. Their antics were a thing of beauty. Rauckhorst delivered haunting choruses that the fans ate up. Beck, however, was relentless. He flew off the stage and jettisoned himself into the waiting arms of the crowd time and time again. Mushroomhead started with a bang and it only kept going.
The intensity was clipping out at the high end and they delivered a truly career-spanning setlist. Jackie LaPonza is the lone female vocalist associated with the band and even she was given her moments. the brand new single “Fall In Line” allowed her to first appear and she wasted no time meeting the faithful flooding the floor, jumping onto the security barricade delivering line after line. Then without a moment’s notice, she pulled herself into the crowd and stood on their hands and shoulders. LaPonza seemed to float across the top of the eager crowd. Her spots were off and on throughout the set and each time it was a blast of energy shooting through the venue. “The Heresy” only proved her impact. While staying on stage the voices from in front of her filled the room. Her lyrics were filling the air. It left a massive impression on everyone.
For the long-time fans, Mushroomhead didn’t forget to stockpile the classic songs and vintage masks. Despite the turnover of members, the songs were given renewed life. They sounded fresh and awaiting more love for the nu-metal resurgence happening. The popularity of “Qwerty” hasn’t slowed down, but that crawling pace paired with low grumbling vocals felt like a comfortable old home. The old heads in attendance ate it up. The mosh pit was active as could be. The hardwood flooring shook and the dust floated about the outstretched arms surrounding it. With two tracks from their XX compilation, the grindingly heavy and grooved riffs were full of life and dispersed around the room. The vocals were absolutely nailed. You couldn’t have imagined how well-oiled this machine was.
Closing the night out without an extended encore was a nice touch. The feeling never left the room. Mushroomhead were ready to pour everything they had left. A medley of “Empty Spaces” by Pink Floyd, “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath, and “Born of Desire” captivated everyone in the room. The blend was flawless. Up front, the fans on the security barricade screamed the words back to them. The moment wasn’t lost on Mushroomhead either. You could often catch one of them taking it all in. Then just like that it was over and the fun came to an end. The band made sure to stay a little later and hand out guitar picks and set lists, and to shake hands and give out high fives. Those who started to walk away were all smiles, grinning from ear to ear.
This billing of bands was a perfect mix of metal genres. It gave you a little bit of everything. In the end, there was no chance of not being satisfied with spending one evening at the Apollo Theatre AC. The historic venue playing host to road-weary music veterans will never be old. The workman-like attitude is a perfect encapsulation of the artists and the city of Belvidere itself. Hard to put a better spin on such a surreal and fun time.
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