A Tuesday Night in Kansas City With The Menzingers Was One to Remember
4.7.26 - Kansas City, MO
Hello there, lovely reader. Before I get to the important part (the show!), I’m going to take you on a little adventure and explain how this was one of the most important shows of my year, and also one of the most stressful.
To start out, this was on a Tuesday in Kansas City, a little over two hours from where I live. Work started out busy and didn’t let up until Friday, adding to the chaos. What was usually only one day of getting up at 4:30-5am had turned into three, one being Wednesday, the day after. For this specific show, doors were at 6:30pm, music started at 7:30pm, and with only two bands playing, it was a race to make it on time since I didn’t walk out the door of work until 5:15pm. This was also my first time at this venue (Warehouse on Broadway—already excited to be back this weekend!), so the fight for parking and getting myself situated added to the time crunch. I made it, but just barely, and then the fun started.
I Am The Avalanche had already started their set when I got inside, and the crowd was already in full motion. I managed to get to the photo pit for a song, and security let me stay a little longer since I had missed the first couple, which was so sweet of them. Now, I’ve seen IATA once before, a few years back, while they were touring with Bayside. Was it coincidence that between songs they referenced a different past tour with Bayside? While I have seen them twice now, I will admit that I’m guilty of still not knowing their discography well (I am changing that now!). Even with being unfamiliar with the songs they played, they still put on a hell of a good show, and I loved every second of it.
After IATA finished their set, I discovered that I had forgotten one film camera in my car, and the battery in the other seemed to have chosen that moment to die. I’ve since found out that it may not be the battery, but a bigger issue, but that’s for future me to figure out. Given that, I realized I was running on 1/3 of my normal gear, and that I’d still make it work.
Now, for The Menzingers. They’re one of those bands that I think everyone can enjoy regardless of their music taste. Would I introduce family to most of the bands I listen to? Absolutely not. The Menzingers? Yes, yes, and also yes.
This was my third time seeing them and second time photographing them. I was already prepared to lose it a bit in the photo pit because my favorite song of theirs, “The Obituaries,” is usually an opener. For this tour, they opened with a very relatable choice in current times, “America (You’re Freaking Me Out),” so I had a chance to snap some shots before singing and dancing my little heart out to my favorite. During their set, the band played songs old and new, including their newest and an instant favorite of mine—"Nobody's Heroes.” I may or may not have cried a little when it started, as it’s the perfect anthem for anybody struggling with big or small battles. “Just can’t make this shit up, gotta keep your head up, I know it’s easier said than done. You can always reinvent yourself, you can be whoever you are.”
I spent a big part of the show running all over with my camera, fighting the battle to take photos or just enjoy the moment. I found myself doing both and found myself in the middle of the pit for a good part of the night. The vibes were great, the fans in the crowd were living their best lives, and we were all there enjoying every minute of it. I had my camera on burst shooting for the night, and most of the shots I wound up with were blurry, out of focus, or just straight up of the ceiling or floor because I was dancing too much to see what I was photographing.
The Menzingers closed their set with one of their most popular songs, “After The Party,” but gave us an encore of “Lookers” and “In Remission” to end the night. I laughed, cried, sang until my voice was gone, and nearly broke another camera in the process but had one of the most memorable nights and can’t wait for the next opportunity I have to see them.
