Coheed and Cambria • The Home Team • September 30, 2026 • The Complex
Reviewed and Photographed by Colton Kresser
Coheed & Cambria played their final headlining show of the year – minus a couple of festivals still left – here in Salt Lake City at The Complex, with direct and only support from The Home Team.
Coheed holds a special place in my musical palette, being that they were part of the first concert I had ever been to. I was 12 years old or so and in the 7th grade when my dad bought us tickets to see Linkin Park, Coheed & Cambria, and others on their Minutes to Midnight tour. Reflecting on it now, I’m having a hard time believing that will have been 20 years ago in 2027. At the time, Coheed didn’t have quite the musical catalogue that they do now. With three albums under their belts, including 2005’s Good Apollo I’m Burning Star IV Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness. – Anyone figure out what that means yet? No? Me either.
Being the only one to be released through a major label, it’s safe to say that booking a massive tour with industry veterans was a huge milestone for them. You could argue that it was some form or another of luck, knowing the right people, right place at the right time, etc. However, I was there when frontman Claudio Sanchez brought out the now iconic double-headed Gibson SG guitar to play the intro to their breakout song “Welcome Home,” and the arena went wild. Writing an absolute ripper of a song like that; luck has nothing to do with it. I have very fond and vivid memories of that night and have remained a, albeit casual, fan of Coheed; but a fan, nonetheless, and dabbling in their new releases here and there over the next almost 20 years.
Many years later, in 2024, I got the chance to meet up with some friends who were playing at the When We Were Young festival in Las Vegas, NV. They were the last band to go on their stage for the night, so I had the whole day to wander around and watch other bands I grew up loving. I made my way over to one of the main stages to catch Coheed’s set since I hadn’t seen them in so long, and was blown away by how great they sounded, how catchy and well-written their new music was, and the enthusiasm they still had while playing their music after all the time that had passed. For the flight home, I pretty much listened to their music and found many songs that are now on my daily playlist, and kept it in the back of my mind that the next time they came to Salt Lake City, I’d make sure to attend.
When I heard they were coming back on their latest run of the “This is Our War” tour, I knew that whether or not I would get to cover the show, I was most definitely going to be in attendance; little did I know that 2,600 individuals thought the same thing. That room was packed from wall to wall with many patrons wearing their Coheed and Cambria hats, wristbands, shirts, denim jackets they had made, hoodies, zip-ups, and tattoos of the band’s logo referred to as “The Keywork”. The merch line was long and wound around back and forth inside the smaller venue and spilled into the main area by concessions, with many fans carrying armfuls of items purchased with them. I peeked at the merch on display, knowing that I was leaving there with something that fits within the $20 or less budget I had given myself.
So far, the items were Coheed’s latest album, The Father of Make Believe on CD – that’s “Compact Disc” for the younger folk; we used to “burn” these back in the day. Where are my millennials at? – a poster and a novel written about “The Amory Wars”, the Sci-fi world in which most of the Coheed and Cambria records exist; signed by frontman Claudio Sanchez. I would be back for one of these items, but first I had to head up front to shoot my photos for the opener of the night, The Home Team.
The Home Team
The Home Team completely blew me away with their set. From the second their first song started until the last note rang out on their last, not a single member of that band stopped to take a break. Vocalist Brian Butcher was constantly running back and forth, jumping up and down, clapping, and throwing in some of his groovy dance moves that perfectly fit the vibe of their music.
The Home Team writes music that makes you want to get those hips moving, snap some fingers while you whip your arm in and out, and get your foot tapping the ground on beat. Honestly, it’s 80’s disco but for the more modern era that is 2026 music; smooth and bouncy bass riffs that raise your confidence and aura by a minimum of 100 points. If the bass is the venue, the guitar riffs layered on top are the fog on the dance floor, the bitchin’ light show, and the disco ball hanging from the ceiling, while the vocals are everyone that’s on the dance floor moving their bodies together as one communal experience.
The Home Team does an excellent job of writing and performing music that lifts everything in your world that has been weighing on your soul. Vocalist Brian controlled the crowd so effortlessly: “Put ‘em up like this!” From side to side, front to back, we’re all grooving and clapping along to the beat of “Brag”. With regard to the incredible crowd control, stage presence, and how tightly the band played, I remember thinking, “They have been killing it in the scene for a while now, I’m certain!” to which I was shocked when vocalist Brian took a moment to let everyone know that “We are a band that has played to very small crowds most of our career”. And in response, the crowd “gave them their flowers,” so to speak, by erupting with cheers and applause, letting everyone in The Home Team know that they deserve to be on that stage in this capacity.
One very noticeable thing was how much each member was truly enjoying their time not only on the stage, but together as a band. You could see them laughing, smiling, and engaging with one another in a way that felt genuine. Bass player Ryne Olson had this move where he’d spin around and then kick his leg way above his own head – something that my hamstrings could never let me do, by the way; I tore something just watching – during the entirety of their set.
One of the benefits of only having two bands on the bill is that both bands get an ample amount of time to fit in with plenty of songs during their allotted time. The Home Team had a great 11-song setlist, including previous song mentioned as well as “Right Through Me” from the 2021 album Slow Bloom, the record the band believes really defined their sound and helped them break away from being stuck as just “another pop punk” band and define a sound unique to the scene.
Halfway through their set, they played “Overtime” from 2025’s The Crucible of Life, to which the crowd absolutely went off for; cheering, jumping, singing, clapping to the beat, and getting expressive with their dance moves. In between songs, vocalist Brian took a moment to express his gratitude towards Coheed for taking them on tour, how they are one of his favorite bands, and how crazy it is to be out on tour with them, and then moved on to play a crowd favorite, “Watching All Your Friends Get Rich”. Then capped off the night with their number one played song on Apple Music, “Worthy”. It’s obvious to see that The Home Team loves what they do, loves their music and the fans, and I’d say they give the fans the most fun experience at a show of the year.
Coheed and Cambria
Before every show I cover, I try to look up the previous night’s setlist, not with the intention of spoiling anything but to give myself a little prep to know what songs to look out for and bits in the set I’d like to take notes of for my review. I, however, was completely unprepared for Coheed & Cambria’s setlist being as they switched up the setlist every single night. Probably to stop people like me from spoiling my own experience at their show.
For those of you that don’t know, when you cover a show, you’re only allowed to shoot photos of the band for the first three songs, and then you must leave the barricade. Luckily for me, Coheed opened with “In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3” an ambitious 8:12 epic. Normally, a band’s first three songs will total out to eight minutes or so; having that extra time, including the next two songs, “The Devil in Jersey City,” which had the crowd screaming and singing along so loud it easily overpowered frontman Claudio Sanchez’s vocals enough for him to take a step back from the mic and have the crowd take over during the chorus, and “Blood Red Summer,” which produced our first crowd surfers of the night.
Something I noticed right away and have grown to have a deep appreciation for as I attend these shows is that Coheed & Cambria had no screens on stage with video playing; the band had put a lot of effort into filling the stage with gear that put on an awe-inspiring light show. Perfectly synchronized to the beats and tempo changes of their music. I can’t remember the last time I saw a light show that incredible, and I wish more bands could recognize that just because screens and video walls are popular, it might not work for you. Lights and other types of stage productions might suit your band better.
Another thing I appreciate is that Coheed is all gas and no brakes, rolling from one song to the next with no breaks and minimal talking. Taking a break from the old tunes, Coheed played a favorite track of mine, “Searching for Tomorrow,” from their latest album, The Father of Make Believe. Crowd energy seemed to be at an all-time high, with roaring cheers as the solo played out and the song ended.
Guitarist Travis Stever took a moment to give SLC some praise: “YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING! Give it up for The Home Team! I gotta make this quick, we’ve got a ton of music to get through!” naturally producing even more rowdy behavior from the fans. The next song was one I’d consider more on the “heavy” side for Coheed, with a low, grungy riff to start off “Key Entity Extraction II: Holy Wood the Cracked” and following it up with its sequel song “Key Entity Extraction III: Vic the Butcher”. During this part of the set, vocalist Claudio was playing a sweet pink sparkle explorer of his own design and his own brand Evil Instruments.
A little halfway through their set, Claudio took a minute to “engage” with the crowd. He said, “Salt Lake, I have a question for you: have you ever told a lie?” he continued to then elaborate on how he and the band have felt pressure to “engage” online and how that word “engage” has become sort of derogatory in recent times. Alluding to the fact that it’s better for us to just be here and now. Encouraging the crowd to be present as they approach the end of their set with “The Liar’s Club” – another personal favorite of mine – and fan favorite “A Favor House Atlantic”.
In between, Claudio took another moment to tell the crowd, “Salt Lake! This has been one of, if not THE best show of the entire year!” He went on to praise how much fun the show was and how grateful they are to be playing in SLC. He briefly touched on the songwriting process of A Favour House Atlantic, reminiscing on how new he was to writing lyrics, touching on how the “bye-bye beautiful” line is one of his favorites, but the next line after he still doesn’t know “what the hell I’m talking about”. After Atlantic had ended, the lights went out, and the crowd began to cheer “COHEED! COHEED! COHEED!” before the band reentered the stage to put an end to the night. Everyone knew what was coming and erupted in cheers as Claudio walked back on holding the double SG guitar and playing the first notes of the iconic intro to “Welcome Home”.
The set had ended, and I made my way back to the merch table to snag my $20 or less item. By the time I had made it to the front, I noticed all my desired items were missing. I thought, “Huh, maybe they are just packed up, and I need to ask”. I inquired about the missing items, to which I was told that they had all SOLD OUT! It was equally awesome and disappointing; I was happy for the band but not for myself. So, I did the unthinkable. I broke my $20 budget and went home with a fully signed vinyl record of “The Father of Make Believe” that I will be putting under the needle for a spin today.
Do yourself a favor and put The Home Team and Coheed & Cambria into your daily playlist rotation for some music to pick up the beat of your life and spend more realistically with your $20 or less merch budget.