In Flames Shakes The Rust Off The Rust Belt

On May 13th The Rust Belt hosted the Swedish metal band In Flames during their 2026 tour and bringing along with them, Thrown. I'm a newer fan of In Flames as of exactly a year ago when they came to Chicago and I was invited to check them out and became and instant fan. I was excited at the opportunity to cover them this time around.

I had never heard of Thrown so was excited to see what they could bring to the stage. They came out hard and ready to stir up the crowd. They had a great stage presence and the fans were starting to get a little rowdy - in a good way. They hit loud and hard, and I was ready and amped for In Flames.

In Flames came onto the stage and immediately jumped into "Pinball Map." This one I wasn't as familiar with since I'm still a newer fan, but as soon as Anders started singing, I was pumped! The crowd started jumping and singing along, the heaviness of the whole building was intoxicating. My favorite part of metal concerts is the physical feeling of the music itself vibrating through my body, as soon as that hit me, the fan in me came out, but I had to remember I had a job to do!

When it was time for me to join the crowd with the rest of the fans, I found myself up front just a few people behind the barricade; I was in my happy place. I knew most of their other songs but couldn't wait to hear one of my favorites, "State of Slow Decay." As soon as that one started, my heart started pumping harder. The mosh pit was insane the whole show - only slowing down once or twice. Chris' guitar solos were even more amazing in person - his talent is unbelievable. There were a few times that Anders actually grabbed phones from fans and started recording himself, the rest of the band, and the crowd. I loved that he was so interactive and thanked the fans for allowing them to do what they loved. It was my first time at The Rust Belt and the whole building was awesome, and I can't wait to come back.