Ears and walls rattled alike on Saturday night at Fargo, where four Illinois rock bands turned the intimate venue into a grunge-fueled mosh haven.
The show, held from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the venue within the indoor skatepark and skateshop, brought the audience covers of songs from bands like Nirvana, Chevelle and Deftones, as well as hard-hitting originals giving the crowd a taste of multiple sub-genres throughout the night.
THE CRYING SUNS
The Crying Suns kicked off their debut show with their original song “If Only.” Drummer Elijah Delrisco passionately moved with the beat of his drum along with guitarist and vocalist JaCoby Shaddix. A guest bassist and guest guitarist joined the duo for the set.
Shaddix and Delrisco described The Crying Suns’ sound as slow sludgie rock; coming from a mix of stoner rock and heavy metal – genres that influence the artist’s music individually.
“He (Shaddix) was more of a heavy metal guy, like he wanted more of an intense band. And my band stuff feels intense too, but it’s more rock and stoner rock, a little bit sludgier and slower, but still heavy hitting,” Delrisco said.
For their second number, the band transitioned into their cover of Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box.”
The chilling opening riff immediately grabbed the room’s attention, Shaddix’s vocals started off stagnant but grew intense with each rendition of the chorus, successfully capturing Cobain’s tension and angst.
The crowd nodded along with the beat of Delrisco’s involved drumming, inching toward the stage, feeling the flow of the set.
“I find that I like a lot of drumming, so the groove really helps. I like bobbing a lot. It’s very thrashy,” Charlie Evinger said, a Genoa resident in the audience.
Even without playing guitar for this number, Shaddix’s stage confidence grew and Delrisco’s connection with the crowd was clear, showing light to the band’s philosophy.
“We just kind of let the music, you know, do its thing, and it’s why we’re here and why we love doing it,” said Shaddix.
With no backstage separating performers from the audience, other artists waiting to play mingled with the crowd, enjoying the music alongside everyone else.
AFTER DAWN
After Dawn took the stage after The Crying Suns, performing their first ever public show.
Featuring guitarists and vocalists Carolyn Crespo and Azra Efe, bassist Maya Doyle and drummer Jade Demonteverde, After Dawn got its start with the members playing in a high school talent show.
Despite three of the members still attending Streamwood High School, the group performed with strong instrumentation and impressive vocals.
Starting off with a cover of Chevelle’s “Send the Pain Below,” the band had a sturdy intro with a crisp beat coming from Demonteverde.
The crowd slowly nodded along to the moody melody as Efe and Crespo alternated lyrics. In the final moments, Efe’s voice soared into a gritty scream, driving the song’s energy straight to the audience.
The band’s performance reflected their musical inspirations
“We really like bands like Chevelle, Title Fight, anything of that sort,” Crespo said.
Doyle added that local bands also shape After Dawn’s sound.
“Also, the little bands, like Frontega, are a huge inspiration for me. We look up to a lot of local bands,” Doyle said.
For their second song, After Dawn performed a cover of Deftones’ Mascara.
Crespo, also playing guitar, delivered deep, smooth vocals while looking onto the audience. Her cloudy stare emphasized the song’s heavy atmosphere.
The crowd, now larger with more attendees gathering toward the back, slowly nodded along to melodic rhythm as Efe’s guitar carried a haunting melody with clarity and precision.
The band ended off with an original called “Incorrigible Liar.” The track opened with an expressive guitar riff from Efe, then Crespo took the spotlight with her smooth vocals.
Efe remained connected to the music throughout, delivering challenging vocal segments. The song had a grungy and emotive Deftones feel to it aligning with the rest of the band’s set.
Among those in the audience were friends and classmates of the band, who first met After Dawn’s members in high school. After reconnecting at another local show, they were excited to come to Fargo and cheer them on for their first performance.
“The fact that they’re still in progress and they’re just starting as a band, but their originals are already that solid, they’re that freaking good,” Azriel Angeli said, a Carpentersville resident. “The crowd was moving, everyone was vibing with them. It was so much fun, they’re so good.”
For many in the audience, part of the thrill was simply seeing this group of young female presenting women owning the stage together.
“I’ve never been here before, but I would drive any distance to see an up and coming all femme band. They were phenomenal, especially for them being all femme, it’s like, my favorite thing about them,” Kade Davis said, a Rockford resident.
STATIC EMPRESS
Taking the stage third, Static Empress amped up the room with a bold and energetic sound, a sharp contrast to After Dawn’s subtler approach, commencing what would be their last performance as a band.
Their opening number “Year of the Snake” burst in with a sharp guitar intro from guitarist Jose Leon, an NIU senior early elementary major.
Vocalist and bassist Patrick Curran led with confidence, his voice, reminiscent of Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers at times, carried the set and hooked the audience in.
During the second number, “Brought Back,” Curran stepped off stage to dance on the floor with his bass, while Leon shredded his guitar in a frenzy. The audience danced and kicked closer and closer to the stage.
Curran reflected on the magic of live performances, noting how music can bring people together in unexpected ways.
“You could have a band admittedly as unkempt and uncut as Nirvana, and people are like, pulling the f— up and just having an awesome time, you know, that’s what music is about,” Curran said.
The drummer Josue Mara, though more relaxed in demeanor, drove the songs with heavy cymbal accents that when combined with Curran’s bass tones revved through the venue like an engine.
Their camaraderie was clear, they teased each other on stage, traded riffs and laughed between songs. The set felt like both a farewell and a celebration.
KOZMIC KICKS
The last band to take stage was the Kozmic Kicks. Starting out with “Get it on,” guitarist Leif Dierks raised his guitar into the air before jumping directly into the crowd dancing along with the audience as bassist JM Graveside flipped his hair back and forth to the beat. Robert Harrison aggressively drummed along, not slowing down once throughout the entire set.
In a punky nature, Dierks kneeled down to the floor and interacted with the audience as he aggressively riffed through the chords.
With Dierks back on the stage now during the third number, “ATF,” Harrison exclaimed to the audience.
“Either you guys come up or I’m coming to you,” Harrison said.
Dierk’s added to Harrison’s threat.
“The next song is 500 BPM,” Dierks said.
An enthusiastic audience member welcomed the fast pace.
“If my ears aren’t ringing by the end of this song, you guys didn’t do your job,” B. Leni said, a junior theater tech major.
As the audience came forward Dierk followed through on Harrison’s warning and dove back into the crowd, taking a lap through the audience before stopping in front of the stage.
The crowd formed a half circle around the guitarist, thrashing their heads and pushing their bodies toward the stage where Harrison’s stamina was powering through; drumming at full force.
As the Kozmic Kick’s shirt posted to the drum moved from the vibration, so did the crowd, jumping and moshing along with Dierks on the floor, bringing the feeling of the tight venue even closer in the name of sound.
Eventually, JM Graveside joined Dieks on the floor leaving just Harrison on the stage.
For Dierks, interacting with the crowd helps with performance.
“I just like feeding off other people’s energy. When people get wild, it helps me feel like I can let loose a little bit too,” Dierks said.
Krystal Miranda, a Chicago resident, has seen the Kozmic Kicks before and enjoys the band’s energy.
“Oh, the Kozmic Kicks, super high energy, a lot of crowd interaction, lots of unique moves. I’ve been to a lot of their previous shows, so there’s a lot of, like, Leif will crowd surf as he’s playing, or get up on the bar, and it’s just so much fun,” Miranda said.
UP NEXT
Upcoming events at the Fargo Venue, located at 641 E. Lincoln Highway, include the Mis Fits Drag Show at 8 p.m. Oct. 3. The venue’s next concert will be a halloween show, Hallowsrock II, at 7 p.m. Oct. 10.
