- Turnstile w/Haywire & Texas is the Reason
- 09/09/2026 - Eagles Ballroom - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- ©Justin Nuoffer
On a warm and comfortable Wednesday evening in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the city was alive and bustling. With the workday just ending, traffic was heavy everywhere, but it couldn’t dampen anyone’s mood. The Brewers were facing their rivals, the Chicago Cubs, just across the way from the Historic Eagles Ballroom. Outside the venue, the line to enter started extremely early, with fans lining up hours beforehand. Stretching down the block, people took joy in chatting with fellow fans. In the parking lots, small groups of people huddled around their car trunks, having beverages and blasting some tunes. The spirit was lively, and the anticipation began to heighten.
Once the doors opened, security split the lines, allowing one group in at a time. Walking into the side of the building and down into the Rave 2 room for a quick security check, fans were then ushered up the stairs into the foyer and box office area. The ticket scanning was in front of the massive doors, leading you into the courtyard where food trucks and all three bands had their merchandise set up. If you were anxious to get a spot on the barricade, you re-entered and headed up flights of stairs into the massive Eagles Ballroom. If you wanted a quick drink, the Craft Beer Lounge on the main floor was open and busy.
Kicking off the night was Haywire. The hardcore band is from Boston, Massachusetts, and has become one of the fastest-rising groups out there. With only three years of existence under their belts, they’ve managed to become the next big name in the genre. With a relentless work ethic leading the way, they pick up tour after tour and spread their version of hardcore to the masses.
With the legendary “Sweet Caroline” kicking things off, the band was on stage singing along and getting the crowd fired up. Haywire is extremely proud of their heritage and shows it every chance they get, but their hardcore lore is something even more impressive. If you ever wanted to feel what it was like back in the early years of the genre, this was it.
Pumping out tracks like “Hang Up The Telephone,” “Summer Nights,” and “Boston Boot Boys” to start the show, the already elevated bliss the Milwaukee crowd was in hit even higher levels. Frontman Austin Sparkman is a high-flying man of the people. In an instant, he is in the crowd or standing on the security barricade, singing with the people. This felt old school. It felt like this was how it is supposed to be.
Check out the Haywire concert photo gallery here:
The positivity and togetherness expressed through his commentary were strong. Singling out many of society’s shortcomings, his words blended with the meaning behind many of the songs performed. Songs like their first released single, “Poser Disposer,” “Love Song,” and “Like A Train.” Haywire is so old school that they stood in the courtyard after their set and handed out T-shirts to fans for free. It wasn’t about capitalism or money. It was about the brotherhood of man. The Us vs. Them that is placed on us today.
Next came Texas is the Reason. The post-hardcore band is out of New York City, and their sound is a familiar one if you are a fan of the genre. The band’s history is a shaky one, with multiple breakups and reunions shaping their existence over the last thirty years, and that is why this is so special. Fronted by Garrett Klahn, whose voice carries across the room, he sings with a smile on his face. The crowd came prepared as they sang along. The contrast in styles between them and the other two bands on the bill didn’t matter. Opening with “If It’s Here When We Get Back It’s Ours” and “Johnny on the Spot,” the Eagles Ballroom lit up.
Bassist Scott Winegard was center stage, bouncing and jumping around while he laid the low end down. Their energy was contagious. The songs were known, and “The Magic Bullet Theory” and “The Drinking Song” sat mid-set. Most of the setlist was from their lone studio full-length, Do You Know Who You Are?, from 1996. Klahn spoke about how proud they are of the album, how it impacted their careers, and the pride they feel in people hearing it once again.
Check out the Texas is the Reason concert photo gallery here:
Texas is the Reason brought a different vibe and a more mature sound than one would have expected. Ending the evening with “Antique” and “Back and to the Left” was a high note. The band re-established their spot in post-hardcore. That New York City music sound is alive and well, and if you are a fan of Quicksand, then these gentlemen are right up your alley.
Easily said, one tour leg was never enough for the gang known as Turnstile. Kicking off their freshest tour with a stop in Milwaukee is just what the world needs right now. The Eagles Ballroom, packed out to its 4,000-person capacity, was a hot and sweaty room. The chants of “Turn. Stile” rang out over and over until “Fly Like An Eagle” by former University of Wisconsin student Steve Miller blasted through the venue’s speakers. The lights dimmed further, and the slow-building intro of “BIRDS” started. Then bam! The song kicked in, and it was like a bomb dropped on the timeless wooden floors. The balconies shook, and the walls rattled. One of the hottest bands in the world was here in Cream City, unleashing all of that pent-up energy they gathered while waiting for their tour.
They fired through “Real Thing” and “ENDLESS,” but frontman Brendan Yates made himself intimately familiar with the fans along the security barricade quickly. He launched his body onto the rail and stood on top of the Turnstile faithful, singing with them arm in arm.
The performance is split up into multiple sections, and in between each, they play videos created around the venue and city, many featuring those in attendance. The entire back wall lining the stage was a video screen that featured these videos and live cuts of the crowd. The constant running of these cameras was a fantastic effect to help witness the chaos that is Turnstile.
With their hardcore roots pinned to their sleeves, Turnstile manages to deliver songs from across their discography. With a blending of “I CARE” and “DULL,” the band ignited the action on the floor once again, and from this point on, the audience never let up. Songs like “DONT PLAY,” “I Don’t Wanna Be Blind,” and “Drop” kept the anarchy of the main floor pumping, and even more impressively, when the band performed “WILD WRLD,” the atmosphere became a dream state.
That dream state they create was perfection. The out-of-body experience held as a video acted like an interlude with “UNDERWATER BOI” sandwiched between another video. The blue lighting from the backing screen softly illuminated the arms and hair flying and waving in the crowd. Voices filled the air. The moment of togetherness was welcomed, and it became a reprieve from the fast-hitting action that Turnstile is known for. Despite being a short-lived section, it set up the rest of the night.
Coming out of the video break with “MYSTERY” was a nice way to ease into the meat and potatoes of their setlist. Guitarist Meg Mills bounced around the right side of the stage while her counterpart Pat McCrory stomped his feet on the left side of the stage. Next to Mills, Franz Lyons stood on bass. He threw his body around while laying down the low end. On top of a drum riser, Daniel Fang sat behind his kit. The man crushed his kit. His arms were loose and slung the sticks down smoothly. He is an incredibly skilled drummer whose accuracy and speed are key for the tempo of “SUNSHOWER.” The ripping track opened up multiple massive pits with 2-stepping, slam dancing, and even crowd killers going to town.
Then came what long-time fans waited for: a series of songs from Step 2 Rythm. The EP from 2013 is some of the band’s earliest work and something from a different life of the band. The songs are back to the roots of hardcore before they cultivated their style and added layers of sound to their music. Tracks like “7,” “Keep It Moving,” and “Canned Heat” hit hard. Frontman Brendan Yates was everywhere. He launched himself off the drum risers multiple times but routinely went to the front barricade to join the fans while singing. Crowd surfers flowed over the top of outstretched hands holding them up. Yates slapped hands and gave fist bumps to those passing by. To end this section, “SOLE” and a track making its live debut, “MAGIC MAN,” brought back that atmospheric sound and feeling.
We know and understand the levels and dynamics that make Turnstile great, but when they hit the final stretch of songs after the short encore break, this is where they set themselves apart from the rest. We all know the hits, but Yates singing “LOOK OUT FOR ME” through it was different. It was the club’s energy that kept him going as the band left the stage. His aura radiated from the stage.
Check out the Turnstile concert photo gallery here:
Then, with a ton of thank-yous and well wishes, the shoegaze hardcore act dove into their pockets to grab some of their most notable tracks from their breakthrough album GLOW ON. Starting with “HOLIDAY,” that familiar explosion of joy filled the room. The same feeling as the opening track. It is a testament to the crowd’s youthful aggression and joy. Progressing through “BLACKOUT” and a quick video break to land on “Never Enough,” one of the lead singles from the latest release of the same name. That slower pace the song brings gave the band one more opportunity to thank the crowd and bask in the happiness a bit longer. Milwaukee came to let loose and feel free. Turnstile simply supplied the reason and soundtrack, but closing with “T.L.C. (Turnstile Love Connection)” wrapped the entire experience up in a tight two-minute timeframe.
This was an adventure of a lifetime and something that will forever be left in the memory banks. The pure power of their songs was evident and the reason they are at the upper tier of performers. With all of their success over this decade, there is no doubt that this is only the beginning. The Eagles Ballroom does not sell out often, and it is an impressive accomplishment. As fans leave the venue begrudgingly, the courtyard fills up as the merchandise tent lines grow. That keepsake is meaningful, but the time spent with Turnstile is unmatched.
Catch Turnstile on the Road…
