Wage war made The house of blues a battlefield.

On may 12 Wage war brought their 2026 tour to Chicago for a night that left was filled with intensity and excitement. 

Opening the night were Orthodox and Nevertel. A lineup that brought some cemented talent and some fresh energy ready to make a mark on the scene. Orthodox was one of those bands I have heard so much about, but I had yet had a chance to see them live. Oh man, let me tell ya. I was not surprised yet blown away by their performance. I really dislike comparing bands. To one another, but the easiest way to express what their set was like is to compare it to Harms Way.  From the aggression to the crowd feed back. They had it all. I have never seen the House of Blues move this way. Every single inch of the mosh pit was either moshing or crowd surfing. I don’t want to say too much since experiencing this is something everyone should do. All I would say is, be prepared for a rush of adrenaline you have not experienced before. 

Nevertel was next, and after a set like Orthodox, Chicago needed a breather, yet it did not come with Nevertel. This was my second time seeing them, and I won’t lie. They have grown massively to me in the past few months. Their newest album, Start Again, was very refreshing to hear, and it was a treat to hear some of their newer songs live for the first time. If Orthodox was all about energy, Nevertel was all about emotion. I could hear the whole House of Blues sing along to almost all their songs. Each person who I saw around me sang their hearts out. It was a good pacing idea to have Nevertel give Chicago a breather and let them sing as the fans and start gathering themselves for Wage War to make their entrance. 

It was time. Wage War was next, and I was just making my way to the photo pit. You could tell the fans were eager for the show to kick off. Everyone in the front row was cheering, excited. Once the lights went out. The house of Blues erupted into cheers. Louder than I have ever heard before in this venue.

I was a first time listener to Wage War, but I was told I couldn’t miss a show if given the opportunity. As promised, the show was far beyond what I could have ever expected. Crowd surfing, moshing, dancing, singing you name it, it was happening. It was very hard to shoot while the energy and excitement were so contagious. Wage War put on a show that had me talking about it for days after. Either seeing a person get caught after crowd surfing or how much emotion everyone was showing during the whole show. If they asked for singing along, they’d get it back 10fold. If you ever have the opportunity to catch one of their shows, please! As I was told! They are a must! And cannot miss!