Mesa’s Club Red flooded with an odd mix of music fans on Wednesday, as both halves of the venue housed very different shows midweek. Atlas joined the black-clad 30-somethings for The Menzingers, along with Tigers Jaw and Culture Abuse, for a concert that hummed with as much energy as can be mustered by this demographic after 8 p.m.
Culture Abuse opened the show, playing fast and loose to a crowd that surprised the band by singing loudly along with most of the songs. Frontman David Kelling used his time onstage for their version of artistic expression which mostly involved imploring attendees to put away all phones and cameras. The band’s rowdy set was brief but definitely pumped up the audience for the rest of the night.
Tigers Jaw share a small hometown in Pennsylvania with The Menzingers, and spent much of their stellar set thanking the band for taking them on this current tour- their first proper run together. The dual vocals of Ben Walsh and Brianna Collins soared throughout the venue, prompting their audience to enthusiastically join in. The band’s indie-punk sensibilities brought out plenty of stored up energy from the fans before the evening gave way to The Menzingers.
The Menzingers are on a hot streak, with their latest album drawing in old and new fans alike. The band celebrated their career with a set that seemed to please everyone in attendance, along with showcasing the true joy that each member feels at being onstage. Greg Barnett and Tom May traded off on vocal duties on new tracks “Anna” and “Strawberry Mansion”, while also injecting old favorites like “Casey” and “I Don’t Wanna Be an Asshole Anymore”. They closed their lengthy set with “Lookers” before returning to end the night properly with an encore of “In Remission” and “After the Party”.
Check out photos from the show!
Story and photos by Olivia Khiel
