LIVE: COMEBACK KID – Winnipeg, MB, CAN – February 22, 2025

Venue: Burton Cummings Theatre

City: Winnipeg, MB, Canada

Date: February 22, 2025

Review and Photographs by: Alejandro Penner (https://www.alejandropenner.ca/)

This night was destined to be unforgettable, with a stacked lineup featuring Pinksnot, Meantime, Orthodox, Cancer Bats, and, of course, Winnipeg’s very own Comeback Kid!  Touring in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Wake the Dead – their most iconic album – Comeback Kid brought the party to the Burton Cummings Theatre, which quickly filled with punks eager to mosh and stage dive.  But before the main event, the crowd was treated to a solid mix of openers.  Pinksnot and Meantime set the tone with high-energy performances, followed by Orthodox, a metalcore band from Nashville, Tennessee.  This was my first time seeing Orthodox live, and let’s just say, I was instantly hooked.  Next up was Toronto’s Cancer Bats, a band I hadn’t seen in nearly a decade.  Watching them tear up the stage again was a nostalgic thrill.

Then came the main course – Comeback Kid.  Taking the stage in front of a massive backdrop featuring Wake the Dead artwork, they launched into the album’s tracklist almost in full.  When it came time for Track #3, “Wake the Dead,” they playfully teased the intro, only to shake their heads and rip into “The Trouble I Love” instead—saving the anthem for a show-stopping finale.  They powered through Wake the Dead from “False Idols Fall” to “Final Goodbye,” bringing out original vocalist Scott Wade for a few songs, sending the crowd into an absolute frenzy.  After wrapping up the album, the backdrop dropped to reveal a giant COMEBACK KID logo, shifting the night into their other records starting with Symptoms + Cures and tracks like “G.M. Vincent and I” and “Do Yourself a Favour”—one of my personal favourites.

The energy never let up as they tore through tracks from Turn It Around, Broadcasting, Heavy Steps, and Outsider, before closing the night with the long-awaited “Wake the Dead.”  The moment it kicked in, the venue exploded—stage dives, circle pits, and unrelenting chaos.  Comeback Kid never fails to deliver one of the most intense, high-energy live shows out there, and with incredible support from Cancer Bats and Orthodox, this was a night for the books and a perfect way to celebrate 20 years of “Wake the Dead”!

Setlist: False Idols Fall – My Other Side – The Trouble I Love – Talk Is Cheap – Partners in Crime – Our Distance – Bright Lights Keep Shining – Falling Apart – Losing Patience – Final Goodbye – G.M. Vincent & I – Do Yourself a Favor – Heavy Steps – Step Ahead – All in a Year – Absolute – Broadcasting… – Wake the Dead

[Show as slideshow]

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Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries