Show was at the Fiserv Forum. Only other show I saw here was Foo Fighters a couple years back and they set a very high bar for experiences at this venue. Concession prices here are a bit higher that some others but I don’t drink when flying solo so who cares about spending an extra dollar on a Diet Coke.

Seat was Sec 102, Row 12, Seat 1. This was the aisle seat just left of the center section. I have no gripes about the location itself – frankly I usually prefer about this level to be even with the stage height and to be just high enough so that everyone below doesn’t get into my sight line since I’m short. View of the control booth below to show some reference. However these seats are angled so your body is positioned facing like 30 degrees from the stage center view, and the seat cushion (at least of my seat) was so worn out I was having leg pain unless I sat in the perfect way. Plus the entire seating risers wobbled every time someone stomped or walked down the row making me feel like I was being shaken in a mild earthquake. Very weird, not enjoyable, will hesitate on this venue going forward.

The Barbarians of California

Opening band was The Barbarians of California. Setlist here. The nicest thing I can say is that they announced during the set that this was like their 9th show together as a band. Didn’t care much for their material, that’s just me. Couldn’t really get good photos during this part, think it was due to heavy smoke machine use and lighting color choices.

Phantogram

I’m not sure how to classify Phantogram as a musical style or genre (electronica dream pop?) but it isn’t my typical go-to style. They have always been in my periphery though and they’ve had some big hits that likely most people have heard even though they may not know them as a household name (see: “When I’m Small“). But they’ve got some interesting material and I can see how they fit with Deftones even though they probably dovetail better with Chino’s side-project Crosses. Then again it does seem Deftones’ fan base are trending younger lately which is interesting to see and I think that demographic overlaps better than, for example, old geezers like me that cut our teeth on Adrenaline. Setlist here.

Really hard to get photos during this set. Above the control booth was a thin bar of lights that were programmed to blind the fuck out of the audience other than the pit/floor. Frankly I only actually saw half this set because of this poor design. Had they just left that one tiny strip of lights completely off it would have improved things immensely. Not that the band will ever see this but honestly y’all should axe that lighting engineer for detracting from your show. Another weird thing that started a few songs into the set was that sound levels for everything got jacked up by like 20 decibels to the point I was getting ear pain and the sound mix got muddled. Not sure if that’s from the band’s audio engineers or the house but again took away from an otherwise great set.

Deftones

Not much to say other than I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a bad Deftones show. They bring it. Setlist here. They started off and ended the show with the old school jams and had a good mix in between including the new album material. Their lighting and A/V were almost identical to the first leg of the tour but nothing wrong with that – they have some great visuals and the lighting was top-notch (and thankfully there was no more blinding goofy lights like the Phantogram set).

Fairly sure this was Digital Bath. Animated green ripples that were moving like audio waveforms, gave off a Matrix-type vibe.

Can’t recall specifically when this was from (maybe Entombed?) but the giant woman bleeding from her eye was one heck of a visual. Audio quality was getting a bit loud/muddy again causing my ears to feel like bleeding but it didn’t take away much from the show since their brand is often loud and aggressive anyways.

Space scenes during Hole in the Earth. I learned during the January show in Chicago that lots of younger fans know this one from either TikTok or some video games but not sure which. Always interesting to hear how people get into their music.

Couple shots of the crowd. I did notice a very diverse age range here in Milwaukee and the show earlier this year in Chicago. Plenty of senior citizens and a much larger number of kids young enough to be with their parents (many even being their first concert ever). Wait…I think I’m in that old head group now? Suppose it has been 30 years next year since my first time seeing them. Just typing that sentence makes my back hurt, ow…

And that caps another great show. My neck and back hurt from all the head-banging but it’s worth it. Can’t wait to see them again.

Glassjaw

Glassjaw was one of the first bands I saw – and by accident, openers for Deftones at Summerfest in 1999. While I don’t follow them super close, whenever I get alerts from things like Bandsintown I always consider it. Setlist here.

Good to see they are still rocking the Glassjaw Nation / green Puerto Rico flag as a backdrop. I’m in the raised high-back theater seating section but views are not bad by any means. All the crazy lighting effects and overall low light conditions were hell for photography, you’ll just have to trust me the show was more exciting than these few static shots.

They played a great show. Wish they were still active, last time I saw them was 2013 and last new music was in like 2018(?) but I’m still here for it.

Poison The Well

Speaking of things from 1999, Poison The Well are headlining in celebration of the 25th anniversary of their first album The Opposite of December… A Season of Separation. Damn…am I getting old? Nah. Setlist here.

I’m not a big metalcore scene guy so I hadn’t heard of them before. Talking with a few other people in my seating area it seems most people are here to see them and from different areas of the country. Huh. This image had favorable lighting to show how this venue is the old Morton Salt warehouse (indoor are seen here is “The Shed”). Acoustics are actually much better than I expected them to be.

I can see how they would be popular and while it’s not my thing they do have skills. Crowd was pumped especially when they announced they are working on new material. Pretty good set.

For those who are unaware, X-Ray arcade is basically a small concert venue with a bar and some arcade games attached. Dive bar feel and very Wisconsin. Looks like a house from the outside. Directly across the street from Patrick Cudahy (now Smithfield Culinary?) meat factory.

Sneak peak of the stage and as always the rad zombie artwork on the backdrop. Grab your favorite beverage and earplugs, it’s time!

Islander

Openers were a band called Islander that I hadn’t heard of before but apparently they’ve been around since 2011 and toured with some pretty big acts. I hate describing bands in terms of musical genres but they are somewhere in the alt-metal (nu-metal? ugh) spectrum. Kind of made me think if P.O.D. and Chevelle had a baby that had the same melodic singing but screams/guitar are more metal. Lead singer dude is rocking some rad pro-wrassler style face paint and has good presence. Not bad. No setlist but I know they played a song called Coconut Dracula because the name stuck with me and they got some hand waving movement from the audience (song has 1M views on YouTube, wow).

Silly Goose

Middle child of the lineup was Silly Goose who are a rap-rock band. This one young girl who locked down front & center of the stage (and who was dressed in a ridiculously skimpy outfit and very aggressively trying to get the attention of the lead singer) described the band’s style as, and I quote, “Temu-brand Limp Bizkit.” Very accurate and very much not my thing. Respect though they did have a following and the crowd was energized during the set. Even got a small mosh pit going. Kudos for the kids doing things. Setlist here.

’68

Main reason I’m here is for ’68 which is fronted by former The Chariot vocalist Josh Scogin. I was able to see The Chariot back in 2013 before they called it quits and I have to say it was one of, if not the best, live performance I’ve seen. This was…something else. I’d call it more performance art with a soundtrack. I expected this but someone not knowing beforehand would probably be confused. And that’s what makes this fun. Plus face-melting rock noise.

This duo is very firmly in the noise/experimental rock class. Lead singer with vocals and guitar, a drummer, both dressed in tuxedos, both facing each other and not looking at the crowd. Not your typical act. Setlist here (though incomplete).

Backdrop has some interesting graphics that are jittery, flashing, occasionally in style of stereoscopic 3D making me wonder if those old red/blue cellophane glasses would make them come alive.

Their lighting sucks but I think it’s intentionally aggressive to match the musical style. Just two super bright blinding LED work lights. Most of my photos ended up pretty blurred and trashy and that fits. Oh yeah, that thing that looks like a radio on a mic stand is a theremin – for those that don’t know, it makes spooky ghost sounds, basically the digital equivalent to playing a hand saw.

End of the show they had big graphics just saying “THE END” and during the song started removing pieces of the drum kit and other stage items before the song was over. Again, think art performance. Major points for originality. My ears kinda feel like bleeding too so a successful night.

It’s March in the Midwest which means weather can be unpredictable but today it was relatively warm for the season and all the snow and ice are currently melted. Traffic was awful though which is usually to be expected given the time of day. I did snap a quick shot of the skyline from a distance as the daylight was fading and turning some pink colors (that car in front of me has white paint).

I had parking reserved in a garage about a mile away and hoofed it the remaining distance. By the time I reached the gate it was night but honestly the UC looks better that way with the exterior lights.

Fleshwater

Unfortunately due to the sucky traffic I completely missed the opening act Fleshwater. Had not heard them before, but after the show I checked them out – not bad at all, kinda upset I didn’t get to hear them live. Their sound brings me back to mid-90’s MTV grunge garage band days and that is a good thing.

The Mars Volta

Over the course of many years and many beers in many bars, myself and my past compatriots have put a healthy amount of coin in the jukeboxes playing The Mars Volta catalog (much to the dismay of other patrons/drunks that just want to hear pop diarrhea). That being said I fully admit I don’t follow them like a die-hard and didn’t know what to expect here since – far as I remember – this is TMV’s first tour in quite some time. Turns out they played entirely new stuff and nothing else which confused pretty much everybody seated near me.

I was definitely digging the sounds but it was a lot to absorb. Definitely slower and less chaotic than the old stuff, less of an acid trip and more art rock. The lighting was similar to putting a lava lamp into a blender – cool to watch, but a nightmare for me to capture any reasonably good photography. No big deal – you don’t get to see what I saw or hear what I heard, but go listen to their album Lucro Sucio; Los Ojos del Vacio (which was released a week after this show) and pretend you were there. Setlist here.

Deftones

As would be expected for a pretty big famous rock band like the Deftones, their setup is astonishing even from way up in the cheap seats where I am sat. Setlist here. Photos were tricky due to the outrageously large video screens and lighting. Sound quality was good. Way up in the nosebleeds I found myself amongst the old heads and we probably all had sore necks from headbanging – sign of a good show. I’m pretty sure this first photo is from Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away) to open things up.

Fairly certain this was during My Own Summer (Shove It). The way camera phones are unreliable with focus sometimes you get happy little accidents, and this one pulled focus on the crowd quite sharply which was kinda neat.

Sextape had a giant lady with sparks shooting out slow motion like from an angle grinder.

Rosemary had these crazy anime-style movie clips and those big light bars had what I can best describe as a “sizzling” effect.

The rest was all blown out by wild lighting, and honestly I gave up trying and just enjoyed the damn show. Lots of headbanging, so much headbanging. Overall great show by the band. Audio in my seats was a little bit blown out but still passable (if not a little too loud…wait, am I getting old?!).

Final view as everyone was making their way to the exits. I was directly in the center line but pretty high up the arena. Stage is basically where the opposite side hockey goal would be for a ‘Hawks game. Don’t be shy about the cheap seats (but maybe bring some binoculars).

The Natchez Trace Parkway is a scenic highway that follows along the historic Natchez Trace, a 440 mile woodland trail used by Native Americans for centuries. Bynum Mounds is the oldest mound site along the Natchez Trace and dates back to 100 BCE-100 CE. A sign details how descendants of the mound builders, including the Chickasaw, still observe the spiritual and heritage connections to the site.

A small interpretive shelter houses several educational signs and a view across the site and the mounds. For those unaware, these mounds are burial mounds that exist as part of Indigenous peoples spiritual culture. If you visit one of these sites, please be respectful and only observe from a distance and do not walk on or disturb the site.

One of the signs details how the various cultures from the Woodland era traded goods across vast distances, including the Trempeleau Hopewell from my home state in the Great Lakes region 1,000 miles away.

Another sign detailed aspects of Woodland culture in the Bynum village including gardening, mound building, pottery, and semi-permanent villages.

An artist’s depiction of what life may have looked like at the Bynum village. There is a button on the display that I think is supposed to play audio but not sure it was working on my visit.

Directly past the artwork is a small grassy clearing and the mounds at the far end of the park.

A small paved trail runs in a loop through the park and allows for closer views of the mounds. The mounds range in height from 5 to 14 feet tall.

Some small signs along the walking path detail how shelters changed through the seasons from lean-tos in summer and then timber and thatch houses in winter.

Another view of the mounds as we return closer to the parking area. I was the only person here this morning through my entire visit. Although it is a small site, I enjoyed the solitude on a quiet and crisp autumn morning.

I decided from here to follow the parkway as far north as I could or at least until I found something that pulled me off in a different direction. Not a bad way to start my first real exploration of a state new to me!

Note from the author: If you think this post isn’t super exciting you are correct – my main purpose is to drop a marker on my interactive geomap which you can find here and see all the places I’ve been.

Weather is a little warmer today but still very pleasant. I was still watching my trans temps and in the most hilly areas I still only hit 190°F on acceleration so everything still looking very good. Not much traffic along AL-24 and MS-25, just a nice little country drive.

Note from the author: If you think this post isn’t super exciting you are correct – my main purpose is to drop a marker on my interactive geomap which you can find here and see all the places I’ve been.

Next morning I visited Knoxville, Tennessee briefly to finish loading the trailer with items for my mom that belonged to my grandfather who passed away in 2022. Some curious things in there. He used to deliver for Pepsi many years ago and had a ton of old soda-related antiques, glass bottles, and other interesting junk. Trailer is now full as is the bed of my truck.

My trusty Tacoma was now sitting a little lower with the extra weight. I have an 11″ drop hitch and it’s sitting about 19″ from the ground at the ball now which makes the truck almost perfectly leveled out. I think one extra inch would have been more perfect but it’s darn close as is. Pleased with my preparation.

Out of curiosity I stopped at a CAT scale at the nearby Loves travel stop. Truck weighs around 5500 lbs as I’ve weighed on other trips. Total weight today with the U-Haul trailer is 9,360 lbs. Empty trailer weight is a hair over 1,900 lbs meaning I’ve got about 2,000 lbs of cargo (not including me sitting in it). Well within all specs and room to spare.

One new gadget I was testing is an OBDII reader that outputs data to custom gauges so I can monitor transmission temperatures. This way I have a better idea how healthy things are while towing. All in all it was better than expected and temperatures only topped out around 170°F which is excellent. Credit to the OEM trans cooler, it does it’s job well. Toyota’s 4.0L powering my Tacoma tows this load with almost zero effort. Downside to towing is limiting speeds to around 55-60mph but it’s no problem at all, just a slow cruise south. Onward to Mississippi to unload.

Note from the author: If you think this post isn’t super exciting you are correct – my main purpose is to drop a marker on my interactive geomap which you can find here and see all the places I’ve been.

Exhibit A: a fun storm of snow and freezing rain during the very hours I am first hooking up and loading the U-Haul trailer. Hooray…

Later on in the day everything melted and snow turned to rain which was better than snow but still not my favorite conditions for this type of task. These 6×12 dual axle trailers are pretty heavy even when unloaded which is actually not bad for me as it makes the Tacoma ride like an old cushy Cadillac just floating down the highway. Aftermarket leaf springs I installed with the lift have it riding nice and high so my headlights aren’t blinding anyone. Basically zero droop with the trailer hooked up at this weight.

Trailer is only loaded about one third full. I’m stopping briefly in Kentucky to sleep, then on to Knoxville, Tennessee to get some more things before heading through Alabama then on to Mississippi.

If you think this post isn’t super exciting you are correct – my main purpose is to drop a marker on my interactive geomap which you can find here and see all the places I’ve been.

A quick car wash and full tank of gas and it’s back to normal life and dreaming up the next expedition.

Nothing too exciting in this post – I’m mainly creating it to drop a pin on my geomap. Click the link to see all the places I’ve been!