BADFLOWER / SLOTHRUST / MISSIO – BOSTON HOB

By Rick Fleck

The Boston stop for Badflower’s 2024 No Place Like Home tour was The House of Blues on venerable Lansdowne Street. Long home runs from adjacent Fenway Park sometimes land on Lansdowne. Little did I know that Pearl Jam was playing at Fenway Park the same night. The neighborhood was practically impassable. I was thrilled to be going to the Badflower concert. I would rather see a band that speaks to the current zeitgeist than a legacy act performing songs written decades ago, regardless of how good the legacy act may be. Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” and Badflower’s “Teacher Has a Gun” illustrate why.

“Jeremy” is an amalgamation of two stories of school-related gun violence that Pearl Jam singer/songwriter Eddy Vedder wove into one impactful song. “Teacher Has a Gun” by Badflower is “Jeremy” for a new generation. In the song, the protagonist’s teacher has a gun. His sister has a gun. Everyone has a gun. The threat is no longer the lone outcast in a black duster. The threat comes from everywhere and is inescapable. There are no safe havens left.

Photos Rick Fleck

Badflower’s show was a revelation. They commanded the stage like the rock stars they are. They took their songs, already arresting, emotional, and sonically flawless, and brought them to life with an explosion of sound, light, and showmanship. Badflower is singer/guitarist Josh Katz, lead guitarist Joey Morrow, bass guitarist Alex Espiritu, and drummer Anthony Sonetti.

One can hear the influences of bands like Cage the Elephant in their song melodies and vocal delivery. There are nods to My Chemical Romance in both styling and songwriting. Stepping back in time, there are elements of pioneering post-punk/new wave bands like the Cure. Badflower also wears its emo credentials on its sleeve. But don’t be mistaken, they are their own singular, unique beast and that was on full display at The House of Blues.

Badflower opened the show with the aforementioned “Teacher Has a Gun,” wisely bursting onto the stage with a fan favorite. “Heroin” was a show highlight. It’s not a drug song, but a song about an obsessive relationship. Badflower has the ability to imbue any tempo with drama and gravitas. It was evident with “Heroin.” “The Jester” is a powerful song lyrically and induced a boisterous sing-along while Morrow’s guitar playing harkened back to the sound of vintage southern rock. Katz held the crowd in the palm of his hand all night.

“Ghost” was a showpiece and “30” resonated with me on a personal level. Lyrically, clear comparisons can be drawn between “30” and Radiohead’s “Creep.” Many of us go to concerts to make these emotional connections with the music. We’ve gotten to know and love these songs by listening on our headphones. Now we have the chance to experience them in person.

“Family” was the last song before the encore. Simply put, “Family” is heart-wrenching. “I don’t deserve this family, you’re better off without me.” You have to wonder what headspace Katz was in when he wrote these lyrics. As he performs the song, your heart goes out to him. He transports you back to a place of pain and anguish. Katz was a surrogate for the audience, giving voice to their collective anxieties and providing them with catharsis.

Other standouts included “Fukboi,” “Detroit,” and the unreleased “Snuff.” “Detroit” speaks to the Baby Boomer’s desire to give their kids everything they never had. But they end up neglecting them emotionally. The night ended with “Girlfriend,” another crowd pleaser and a fitting choice to bring down the curtain. There isn’t a decade from the 1970s to the 2020s where Badflower couldn’t walk out on to stage and own it.

This past May, I saw Slothrust headline in Cambridge, Ma. at The Sinclair celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their landmark album Of Course You Do. I was eager to see that they were on the Badflower tour. Slothrust is guitarist/singer/songwriter Leah Wellbaum and drummer/percussionist Will Gorin. Joining them was bassist Annie Hoffman of Weakened Friends, who played with them on the “Of Course You Do” tour.

Photos Rick Fleck

Wellbaum filled her side of the large stage with theatrical gestures and honest displays of emotion. Hoffman is an ever-smiling whirling dervish. The two of them make any size stage feel intimate. Wellbaum interacted with the audience employing a sense of humor that was simultaneously cynical, satirical, and self-effacing. Highlights of their set were “Double Down,” “Cranium,” and their show-stopping cover of the Ginuwine hit “Pony.”

Missio opened the night taking the stage like a band that hails from the live music crucible that is Austin, Tx. Made up of the duo of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist/producer Matthew Brue and engineer/multi-instrumentalist/producer David Butler, they are being joined on this tour by drummer Joey Castro and guitarist Scott Garrett Graham. Missio is hard to define in the best sense of the word. Taking at times the industrial wall of sound that is Nine Inch Nails, the hard biting edge of Korn, the chaotic energy and thick riffs of System of a Down, and the brain-worm beats of Gorillaz, this alchemically creates their own signature sound.

Photos Rick Fleck

Opening with the single “The Higher You Climb,” they proceeded through a cohesive, well-structured set that included some of their most popular songs. The set included their hit single “Twisted” that ignited the crowd. “Everybody Gets High” is a stark and engaging look at addiction. They closed with the mighty “Good Vibrations.” The set was highlights, first to last. The generous stage allowed all three bands plenty of room to perform, but I would love to see Missio as a headliner playing a full set. However, as the old showbiz axiom states; “always leave them wanting more.”

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