Mushroomhead Delivers a Visceral Performance in Milwaukee

Mushroomhead Give Milwaukee A Performance to be Reckoned With at The Rave’s Bar Stage October 24, 2025

On Friday, October 24, 2025, the Cleveland industrial mixed theater metal icons, Mushroomhead, returned to Milwaukee with a stacked lineup and a stage show that turned the historic venue into a high-energy fever dream.

The night kicked off early with supergroup band, Mind Incision. The Northern Colorado based band specializes in pushing together modern and traditional nu-metal sounds that drew in the early arrivers. Their energy gave the growing crowd exactly the jolt it needed to shake off the cold autumn air with heavy breakdowns along with an obviously well received rendition of, “Blind,” by Korn.

Next came Black Satellite, the New York band led by vocalist Larissa Vale and guitarist Kyle Hawken. Despite a warning from Vale of low energy due to a recent leg energy, she took the show in strides, and obviously knew how to lead the band. Known for blending industrial tones with melodic hooks, Black Satellite’s dark, sleek stage presence and powerful vocals offered a strong transition between Mind Incision’s raw aggression and the zanier antics of the next act.

Then came Psychostick, who turned the pit into a comedy show wrapped in metal riffs. Songs like “Beer!”, “Dogs Like Socks”, and recently viral, “Numbers,” had fans laughing and moshing in equal measure. Their absurd humor, dubbing themselves as “humorcore,” and audience participation, (if that’s what you can call throwing a hat into the crowd and watching it get ripped up for fun?) finally fully woke up and loosened the room before Mushroomhead’s set.

Mushroomhead: Twenty-Five Years of Mayhem, Still Unrelenting

Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, Mushroomhead emerged in the early 1990s as a unique force in alternative metal. Known for their theatrical live shows and distinctive masks, the band, founded by drummer Skinny in 1993, blends metal, rock, and atmospheric elements. And boy, do they not disappoint.

When the lights finally dimmed, fans went wild. The faint sound of industrial ambience morphed into pounding percussion as Mushroomhead emerged, a group of 8 various musicians masked and ready to play to the eager fans that filled up the room.

As always, the visual elements were integral to the show. As they opened with, “Eye to Eye,” the water drums, large barrels lit from below and iconic for the band, began spraying mist across the rail, catching the light during breakdowns. Under flashing strobes, the droplets looked like liquid fire, soaking the front rows.

Within no time, singers, Scott “x” Beck and Steve Rauckhorst climbed up the rail to interact with fans, (with Beck and a later joining vocalist, Jackie LaPonza, fully throwing themselves into the thrilled crowd after.)

Longtime fans roared loudest for the classics. When the band launched into “Sun Doesn’t Rise”, the entire venue shook, fists pumping in time with the chorus. “Solitaire/Unraveling” also offered a cathartic anthem that reminded everyone why Mushroomhead became an underground phenomenon in the first place. The newer material from 2024’s Call the Devil, particularly “Fall in Line” and “From Below,” fit neatly alongside the old hits just as well.

Final Thoughts

For all the talk about aging acts and nostalgia tours, Mushroomhead’s 2025 Milwaukee show proved they’re far from done. Their set combined spectacle, musicianship, and crowd connection in a way that few bands maintain after three decades. The openers set the tone, but Mushroomhead owned the night, delivering a ferocious, visually striking performance that justified every drop of sweat and water mist coating the crowd by the end.

If this tour is any indication compared to last years, Mushroomhead is still as unpredictable and inventive as ever, and Milwaukee is always ready for it.