Tuesday, September 24, 2024, was an evening of high energy and awesome music. The crowd poured into The Fillmore in Downtown Detroit as doors opened with painted faces, neon beanies, and smiling faces, pumped and ready for some great music. The vibe in the historic venue was positive and upbeat, everyone excited to experience Badflower headlining, and either enjoy music they might know from the opening bands, or add some cool new music to their playlists and become new fans of Missio and Slothrust.

The first band on the bill was Missio, a duo from Austin, Texas, that can be classified into multiple genres with their eclectic sound. Matthew Brue (vocals/songwriter/producer) and David Butler (songwriter/producer), along with Joey Castro (drums) and Scott Graham (guitarist/keys), started their thirty minute high-energy set with “The Higher You Climb” which had the crowd nodding to the beat as Matthew danced across the stage. The setlist was packed with Missio’s hits, including their popular electronic track “Twisted”, “Everybody Gets High”, “Sing To Me”, and “Good Vibrations”, among others. There was no shortage of fun with this set, which pumped up the crowd for what was to come next with Slothrust. Entertaining doesn’t even come close to describing this group Tuesday evening. They really brought it to the stage and made new fans with their different sound, making them a perfect band to start the show.

Following Missio’s energetic set, Slothrust (an alternative band from Boston) took the stage with their colorful, fun, and positive vibe and style while playing funky jams such as “Surf Goth”, “Juice”, “Cubicle”, “Pony” “Cranium” during their thirty-minutes on stage. Lead singer and guitarist Leah Wellbaum with her spot on vocals and alt-feel brought Slothrust’s individual style to the stage. The atmosphere in the venue was so much fun and the ever-changing lights really added to the fun songs being played by the band, cohesive with the rainbow bass drum, psychedelic alternative sound and the vocalist’s bold blue tresses. The band made its way to Louisville following their trip to Detroit for the Louder Than Life Festival.

As the Badflower backdrop was exposed on the stage following the stage crew switching the equipment, the excitement in the venue began to ramp up and the lights dimmed. Dark figures emerged from stage right and the band was greeted by excited fans as the bright green lights illuminated Josh (vocals/guitar). Clad in a signature neon beanie, displaying his newly dyed hot pink hair done locally in Howell, Michigan, he smiled and the rest of the band (Joey- Guitar; Alex- Bass; Anthony- Drums) walked out behind him to the cheers in the venue. The highly controversial but well-loved song “Teacher Has a Gun” got the crowd bouncing as the first song of the night in their headlining “No Place Like Home” Tour, and the energy was immediately felt by everyone in the room. This was going to be an insane night. If you have ever been to a Badflower show, you know this band pushes the envelope with controversial and moving subjects, and vocalist Josh animates himself into this incredibly fun and unhinged character every show. Needless to say, this band gives their all.

From Josh’s hair all the way down to the lights, it was an incredibly fun and colorful set backdropped by the well-known daisy logo. The set of 15 of their hits, stemming back to their 2019 album OK, I’M SICK intertwined with new songs, as well as those from their 2021 release This Is How the World Ends, was the perfect mix of their powerful balladic songs that send us on an emotional rollercoaster. The setlist was formulated to take you through controversial subjects such as firearms, self-harm, stalking, military, breakups, intense feelings in relationships, mental health, and broken family dynamics. Badflower pushes the envelope and aren’t afraid of causing a stir, and that is something that is incredibly refreshing in modern music. “Don’t Hate Me”, “Fukboi”, “Stalker”, “Detroit” (written here in Detroit), “30”, and “Girlfriend” all had fans old and new moving in their seats and on the floor. Alex (bass) and Joey (guitar) moved across the stage with the energy of a set of teens playing their first show- Anthony (drums) was drumming on point and visibly enjoying every song. It was clear that not only the fans were having fun that night.

The crowd began surfing very early on, and a circle pit formed with Josh joining in and surfing along. If you didn’t enjoy yourself Tuesday in Detroit, you should get checked out. In between songs, someone threw a note and pen to Josh. He picked it up and joked with the crowd about passing notes, signed it, and threw it back to the crowd before continuing the high-powered set. Watching everyone bounce around on stage, you couldn’t help but join in- it was reminiscent of the high school years when you would rock out at a house party and have the time of your life without giving a sh!& about what is happening in real life. Songs such as “Move Me”, “Promise Me” (during which I believe there was an impromptu proposal on the floor, as Josh addressed the crowd asking if they said “yes” because there was pressure from all the people making everyone laugh), “Jester”, “Ghost”, “Machine Gun”, and “Family” had everyone who could relate to the deep and powerful lyrics emotional and releasing those feelings through tears and singing along. This was a night to remember forever, a therapeutic experience. A Badflower headlining show is fast-paced, high-energy, insanely fun, and leaves you craving more, and that is just what they gave at the end as Josh said they had more songs if the crowd made enough noise- in which they did.

The band’s encore and entire set was fire, and as a returning fan, had me looking forward for what is to come and excited to experience more of one of my favorites in the future. They debuted “Snuff” live, leaving everyone pumped for an upcoming release (not yet on streaming platforms). I feel strongly, and as someone with anxiety and panic and can relate to so many of their songs, it’s an incredibly cathartic feeling to be immersed in a favorite band’s show and feel part of something bigger than just yourself and your own life. If you have the chance to see Badflower (w/ Missio and Slothrust) on one of their stops during the 2024 “No Place Like Home Tour”, run, don’t walk, because you will be feeling that vibe for days following the show.

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