The Menzingers with Lucero and The Dirty Nil
Mercury Ballroom
Louisville, KY
June 21st, 2024
The Menzingers brought their Some Of It Was True 2024 Tour to Mercury Ballroom on June 21st to a nearly sold-out crowd. The venue was packed full of fans, from the floor to the balcony, with everyone ready for a fun and rowdy evening! Starting out the evening was Canadian rock band The Dirty Nil. The best way to describe this trio is fun and high energy! The band was in high spirits as they started their set, with the energy of the crowd keeping those spirits high. Since forming in 2006, the band has released 5 full-length albums, releasing Free Rein to Passions last year, as well as some singles and EPs. With a set list that included tracks such as “That’s What Heaven Feels Like”, “Am I The Menace?”, “The Light, The Void, and Everything”, “Celebration”, and “Free Rein To Passions”, they kept the crowd dancing throughout the set. Lead guitarist/vocalist Luke Bentham and bassist/backing vocalist Sam Tomlinson were a continuous burst of energy on stage, rounded out by drummer Kyle Fisher, and were the perfect start to the evening!
Next up was alt punk/country/rock band Lucero. These guys have been rocking out and garnering an ever-growing passionate fan base for nearly 3 decades and it is easy to see why. They have a magnetic energy on stage, with singer/guitarist Ben Nichols cutting up with the crowd throughout their set. These guys have performed countless times in Louisville and have developed a devoted fan base here, with many regulars who attend every Louisville show to sing their hearts out. Nichols chatted quite a bit this evening and laughed and joked with the crowd, and like with many shows they perform, took a shot during their set with a “Cheers” to the crowd. Lucero has had a pretty solid line up for years and it is clear to see the band has a rapport with each other, engaging often during the set with each other and the crowd. The band released their latest album Should’ve Learned By Now last year, performing songs from the album this evening that included “”Buy A Little Time” and “One Last F.U.”, along with a variety of songs from their extensive catalog. They performed some longtime fan favorites, as well, for which the crowd went wild. One, “That Much Further West” was performed early on in the set, and the band ended their set with their hit tracks “Nights Like These” and “Tears Don’t Matter Much”. For these last two songs, it was hard to distinguish between the sound of the crowd singing at full volume, with their fists shaking in the air, and the sound of Nichols. It was an incredibly fun and energetic set.
Closing out the evening was The Menzingers. These guys are so much fun to watch and have tons of energy and crowd engagement, which always makes for a fun set! The band released their latest album, Some Of It Was True, in October of last year, with the deluxe edition being released in May of this year. Starting off their set with “Try” from the new album, they performed a wide array of tracks that included “Anna”, “Hope Is A Dangerous Little Thing”, “Tellin’ Lies”, “House On Fire”, “Good Things”, and “Burn After Writing”. Early on, singer/guitarist Greg Barnett asked the crowd who was here last time, with many people cheering! He went on to say how bassist Eric Keen, who wasn’t able to be with the band on their last tour (a year ot two ago), was with them again and how happy they were to have him back! He went onto say how it was technically their third time in Louisville and how their first show here was (he thought) in 2010 with a bunch of hardcore bands in an art space, or church, or someplace like that. “We thought it was awesome but for some reason it took us a while to come back! Now we come back all the time! Sorry for the long wait!”. He later said “We put out a record called Rented World ten years ago and it feels like a middle child, the odd ball middle kid that didn’t get enough attention.” He went on to say how “It spawned the band and that’s when we started to get bigger and get more attention. We’re really proud of the album. The songs don’t get played as often, so we’re going to play a few deep cuts from the album.” The band then performed “Nothing Feels Good Anymore”, “My Friend Kyle”, and “I Don’t Want To Be An Asshole Anymore”. Performing a 21 song set list, they had the crowd singing, dancing, and having a great time from the first song sung to the last. I even saw a crowd surfer towards the end of the set! The band finished the evening with “Lookers” and “Casey”, leaving the crowd wanting more and buzzing with energy long after the music had stopped!
The Dirty Nil
Lucero
The Menzingers
