Alkaline Trio • Drug Church • Worriers • March 21, 2024 • The Complex

Reviewed and Photographed by Mike Ferguson

Thursday, March 21st is a night that I will not soon forget! Alkaline Trio’s Blood, Hair, And Eyeballs, The Tour came in through Salt Lake City. It was a night of great music, good friends, and a lot of fun!

If anyone has not been to The Complex before, it is a venue in Downtown Salt Lake City that was established in 2010. It has played host to some of the biggest acts in the world from all music genres like Billie Eilish, Billy Idol, Slayer, Travis Scott, and Vampire Weekend to name a few. So, to me, there was no better setting for Alkaline Trio to come back and bring this tour to us.

Worriers

The night opened with the band Worriers. This was a band that I’ve personally never heard of before. So as I arrived at the venue, I was excited to hear and learn more about their music! Worriers is a rock/melodic punk band from Brooklyn, NY. They are the songwriting project of Lauren Denitzio, the former vocalist/guitarist of The Measure. They definitely set a high bar with their dynamic set! With their introspective lyrics and powerful melodies that captured the attention of those coming to the show early. Hearing their music, my initial thoughts were that they reminded me of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs! Their set was really fun and chill, and after listening to them in this setting, I am excited to seek them out a bit more!

Drug Church

Following Worriers’ fantastic performance, Drug Church took to the stage. I was surprised to find out that Drug Church started as a side project for singer Patrick Kindlon of Self Defense! Musically the band mixes hardcore punk in the style of bands like Black Flag with alternative rock and grunge elements. The first thing I noticed about them was how extremely high-energy the band was! You could instantly tell they loved the music they played and the fun they were having on stage. They wasted no time in unleashing their own brand of unapologetically abrasive post-hardcore sound upon the crowd. With frenetic energy and blistering guitar riffs, the band tore through their set with a vengeance, leaving nothing but a trail of excitement in their wake. 

Throughout their set, the crowd was getting more and more loose and into their set. About 3 songs in, you could see a circle pit forming in the middle of it. I honestly loved to see it! It reminded me of the hot summer days of the Vans Warped Tour! A little while later, frontman Patrick Kindlon asked the pit to stop, and asked all of the fans to squeeze in together to encourage crowd surfers to come into the mix and make their way up. It was definitely a sight to see as, at one point, there were so many crowd surfers, you could hardly see the people standing! After their set came to a close, and we all had a chance to catch our breath, anticipation reached its peak, and Alkaline Trio emerged to a thunderous ovation from the crowd.

Alkaline Trio

Alkaline Trio’s style has been primarily described as pop-punk, punk-rock, punk, emo, and alternative rock. One can label them any of the above – if you are into labels – but what they really are is a high-energy, powerful, and creative musical force that continues to crank out fresh and vibrant music. And that was shown when they opened up the night with “Hot for Preacher” which is the lead-off track on their new album. 

Full disclosure – I had not seen Alkaline Trio since 2013, so I was completely unaware of what to expect with their show. However, these guys did NOT disappoint! I was very impressed with the melodic nature of the songs that really is a driving force behind their music! Music can have a very deep and lasting impact on our lives and it’s clear to see that this band resonates with a lot of people.

Touring behind its newest album, Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs, released in January, the trio opened with new song “Hot for Preacher” and played a healthy heaping of the record. The new music has the occasional moody and metallic touches, like on “Bad Time,” but never strays far from punk. Throughout the night they played a good mix of music spanning their 10 studio albums with hits like “Bad Time” to “Private Eye”, fans all around thought it was a well put together set covering several eras of Alkaline Trio. The wild audience sang along to every song, new and old. They reacted loudest for earlier tunes like “Mr. Chainsaw” and show closer “Radio.”

Overall, the entire concert was nothing short of spectacular. With incredible performances from Worriers and Drug Church to set the stage, and Alkaline Trio delivering a masterclass in punk rock, it was a night that will be remembered fondly by all who were fortunate enough to see the trio performing new music and fan favorites from their entire catalog.