Texas Chaos in Hollywood: Kublai Khan TX Level the Palladium
Kublai Khan TX gave LA a Texas-style beatdown with support from Guilt Trip, Gideon, Throwdown and DRAIN. Each band delivered crushing breakdowns that sent the room into jaw-breaking, blood-dripping hardcore chaos. The 4,000-cap Hollywood Palladium turned into a barnhouse brawl. Front to back, the venue was one continuous circle pit. Fans two-stepped, windmilled and surfed their way across the room while security worked overtime to keep the med tent from overflowing.
Guilt Trip opened with ‘Burn’ and an immediate circle pit. Beer and bodies flew as Jay Valentine ripped into thrash-heavy shouts. They pushed the room into high gear, especially mid-set with ‘Severance’, which sparked another massive pit. For ‘Thin Ice’ the room split in half, exploding a moment later as both sides collided. After their farewell, the lights dropped and Gideon took over.
A big-rig backdrop and an airhorn blast set the tone as Gideon made it clear the next 30 minutes would be an Alabama-style takedown. They opened with ‘Wrong One’ then seamlessly rolled into ‘No Love/No One’. ‘Til the Wheels Fall Off’ delivered another wall of death mid-surge while crowd surfing continued nonstop. Closing with ‘Cursed’ and ‘Bite Down’ back to back, the set turned the floor into a storm of sweat, drinks and broken hats.
Throwdown made a special LA appearance and kept things tight with some of their strongest tracks. Bathed in red light, they launched into ‘Walk Away’ and ‘Holy Roller’ followed by ‘Burn’ and ‘You Can't Kill Integrity’. Dave Peters proved he still owns the stage, cutting the music during ‘To Live is to Sacrifice’ to showcase raw vocal grit. After bringing his kids onstage to thank LA, he introduced closer ‘Forever’. Their performance honored Kublai Khan TX, fueling yet another huge circle pit.
After a short reset, DRAIN delivered a warning across their banner: “DRAIN is NOT responsible for anything you do for the next 30 MINUTES”. Blue lights dropped and chaos began. The Santa Cruz hardcore-punk group asked the crowd to unleash tidal-wave-style pits. Sammy Ciaramitaro demanded three separate “tidal waves”, a giant circle tsunami and nonstop crowd surfing. They detonated into ‘Feel the Pressure’. People were used as mops, sharks surfed across the room and bodies shot in every direction. They kept the pace with ‘Stealing Happiness From Tomorrow’, ‘FTS (KYS)’ and new track ‘Who's Having Fun?’. Anyone in costume was ordered up to surf and tossed toward the stage. They ended with ‘California Cursed’ leaving the room soaked in sweat, beer and everything else shared on that floor.
Kublai Khan TX showed why they are Texas royalty. A boxing-match announcer marched in to introduce the night as a heavyweight final between the crowd and the band. Round 1 began as Matt Honeycutt led with ‘Supreme Ruler’ while a ring girl held signs and sparklers above the pit. They kept the punishment coming with ‘Darwinism’, ‘Swan Song’, ‘Antpile’ and ‘Theory of Mind’. ‘Antpile’ stood out as the banner swapped and a bell signaled the next round. Highlights included new track ‘The Mountain of Corsicana’ and ‘Cannibal’ with Dave Peters joining for a full-circle moment as Honeycutt credited Throwdown as one of their biggest inspirations. They finished with ‘Antpile 2’ accompanied by another round-two banner and bell. The pit grew so large it nearly spilled into the bar.
Kublai Khan TX’s final tour stop felt like a roadhouse brawl. It showcased some of hardcore’s best acts and delivered a raw, brutal night that left the room battered and still begging for more. If you’re not already hailing the supreme leaders of Texas, you will be soon.