Badflower’s “No Place Like Home” Tour and There’s no place we’d rather be
Badflower’s No Place Like Home tour made a stop in Chicago, Illinois at Park West Theatre on September 27th, 2024.
Fans lined up outside of the Park West Theatre hours before doors opened, many of which were doting merch from this tour as well as homemade pieces that are inspired by the band and their online antics. The anticipation was palpable and you couldn’t help but join in the ecstatic energy.
The barricade filled in quickly and within minutes, the floor all but disappeared underneath a sea of excited fans. And as with almost every Badflower show, everyone became friends with their neighbors. It’s nearly impossible to leave a Badflower show without making a new friend. The passion of their fanbase isn’t like anything you’ve seen before. It is one of the most welcoming and compassionate communities and it always feels like an honor to be a part of it.
This is heavily influenced by the passion of the band. They continuously give it their all at every show and make an effort to create not only an entertaining evening, but they try to create memories that the fans can cherish for a lifetime. One of those moments comes to fruition during their song “Stalker.” This is when lead singer Josh Katz brings the show to the crowd. Josh pulls the microphone off of the stand and makes his way down to the barricade. From there, he finds his target and hands them the microphone. The crowd member holds the mic for Josh as he sings and plays guitar for the 1st chorus of the song. This continues throughout the entirety of the song where he finds another victim to play the microphone stand. By the end of the song, he’s oftentimes shoulder to shoulder in the middle of the crowd with everyone screaming the lyrics back at him.
While this moment always feels chaotic but intimate at the same time, the most intimate moments of the show are when they play their most gut-wrenching songs like “Move Me,” “Machine Gun,” or “Adolescent Love.” It’s hard not to get teary-eyed when you can’t even hear Josh signing because the crowd is singing so loudly over him. And that’s the most magical part of being at a Badflower show. Whether it’s your first time seeing them or you’ve seen them a hundred times, this band and their songs mean the world to their fans. The lyrics speak to people and are a constant reminder that whatever you are going through, you are not going through it alone. It’s like everyone leaves a Badflower show a little more healed than they were before.
And then the rest of the show tends to be utter chaos. Singing, dancing, and a little bit of banana throwing takes up a majority of the show. And while the show at Park West was one of the only shows on the tour that didn’t feature a banana thrown from the balcony (I guess they ran out in the dressing room that night), it did however showcase the insane talent from the band, including a very impressive drum solo from drummer Anthony Sonetti. His bright green kit rattled endlessly throughout the solo and the crowd roared with encouragement and awe. Bassist Alex Espiritu and guitarist Joey Morrow also showed off their skills throughout the night, especially during their song “30,” and their new song “Teacher Has A Gun.”
Badflower is just one of those bands that everyone should see live. They always make you feel like you’re part of the show and leave you wanting more. Their shows are intimate and fun and you always leave feeling like part of the family.
The No Place Like Home Tour will continue through the end of October, showcasing an impressive lineup that includes Misso and Slothrust. This run also features a limited edition vinyl that is available every night of the tour at the merch table. You can only get this vinyl at the shows and they are only selling 30 per show. The vinyl comes in varying colorways and is signed by all 3 bands on the tour. It has 6 songs in total on it but it is all three bands covering each other’s songs. So Badflower covers a Slothrust song and a Missio song, Slothrust covers a Badflower song and a Missio song, and Missio covers a Badflower song and a Slothrust song. These covers are not available anywhere else so if you ever want to hear them, you need to get to a Badflower show and find that vinyl.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME TOUR
Tue Sep 03 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues ^
Wed Sep 04 – Houston, TX – House of Blues ^
Fri Sep 06 – Birmingham, AL – Iron City ^
Sat Sep 07 – Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues ^
Sun Sep 08 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Revolution ^
Tue Sep 10 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle ^
Wed Sep 11 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel ^
Fri Sep 13 – McKees Rocks, PA – Roxian Theatre ^
Sat Sep 14 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring ^
Sun Sep 15 – Boston, MA – Citizens House of Blues Boston ^
Mon Sep 16 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza ^
Wed Sep 18 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue ^
Fri Sep 20 – Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore Minneapolis presented by Affinity Plus *
Sat Sep 21 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee *
Tue Sep 24 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit ^
Fri Sep 27 – Chicago, IL – Park West Theatre *
Sat Sep 28 – Columbia, MO – The Blue Note ^
Sun Sep 29 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant ^
Tue Oct 01 – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium ^
Thu Oct 03 – Garden City, ID – Revolution Concert House and Event Center ^
Sat Oct 05 – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre ^
Sun Oct 06 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater ^
Mon Oct 07 – Seattle, WA – Neptune ^
Thu Oct 10 – Los Angeles, CA – Echoplex ^
Fri Oct 11 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues ^
Wed Oct 16 – Mesa, AZ – The Nile Theater ^
Fri Oct 18 – San Antonio, TX – The Aztec Theater ^
Sat Oct 19 – Fort Worth, TX – Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall ^
Tue Oct 22 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium ^
^ Slothrust and Missio
* Missio only
