LIVE: L7 – Charlotte, NC, USA – October 19, 2026
Venue: Neighborhood Theater
City: Charlotte, NC
Dates: October 19, 2026
Review and Photographs by: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur (www.toddstarphotography.com)
I still remember when my friend Sean turned me onto L7. There was a lull in rock and metal coming out of Hollywood, so he recommended Bricks Are Heavy, and it was all over from there. Next thing, I was grabbing some of their older materials, bootlegs, and other releases as they came out. Here we are 30+ years later and I still have never seen the band live… until tonight. Celebrating their legacy, the band is out on a tour called The Last Hurrah and I wasn’t going to miss this one. Kicking off the show in Charlotte was a group of young punk rockers Vial. They hit the stage and wasted no time getting into the music. True to punk form, the songs were short and hit you head on. The band mixed things up well, with vocals coming from vocalist / guitarist KT Branscom and vocalist / drummer Katie Fischer. They had a new bass player in tow as well as a second guitarist to help fill out the sound and these guys killed it. From first note to last, they won over a lot of the crowd, myself included. Their songs were tight and the banter between songs engaging the crowd added to their overall vibe. Don’t miss these guys while they are still building steam.
Soon the time came for headliners L7 to grace us with their presence and a set of killer tracks. Kicking off the evening with “Deathwish” and morphing the energy and focus to “Andres,” the headliner portion of the evening was off to an amazing start. Seeing guitarists Donita Sparks and Suzi Gardner on stage cranking through hit after hit, as well as other fan favorites and deep cuts was an amazing moment that wasn’t lost on me and won’t be forgotten any time soon. While I would have to wait a little bit, they leaned the most into that first album that drew me in. It was a perfect way to present the band’s catalog with Bricks Are Heavy tracks surrounded by other L7 classics over the course of their 90-minute set. Drummer Demetra Plakas anchored every track with precision and every bit of heavy-handed sound we have come to know and love over the last 3 decades. First off my fav album was “Monster,” but a couple of songs later the song that started my fandom – “Wargasm” hit after Donita explained they didn’t plan on playing that track on this tour but couldn’t get around it. With the recent loss of Jennifer Finch, the band got Janis Tanaka to pick up her bass and help carry the show for the remainder of the tour and to build on Donita’s sentiment, Janis Tanaka likes to Rocka and does it well. Another track from Bricks – “Mr. Integrity” – went off without a hitch before some technical difficulties caused them to start and restart “Bitter Wine.” While the setlist is pretty static from show to show, we were treated to an additional track tonight after “Livin’ Large” when they tossed “I Came Back To Bitch” at us, and we took it all in. Another killer track, “Freak Magnet,” popped into the set before the one-two punch of “Slide” and “Shitlist” from Bricks helped close out the set on a phenomenal high note, with the packed crowd singing along to every word, just as they had done all night long. After a brief exit from the stage, the band came back to end the night with “Pretend We’re Dead” and to tie the show together, they closed with “Fast And Frightening,” which was pulled from the same disc as the show opener. The worst part of the evening was when the house lights came up and the night was over. I’ll always have ethe memories of the show, some cool photos, and my copy of Bricks Are Heavy to get me through.
Setlist: Deathwish – Andres – Fuel My Fire – Monster – Stadium West – Wargasm – Off the Wagon – Uppin’ the Ice – Shove – Mr. Integrity – Bitter Wine – Drama – Must Have More – Bad Things – Livin’ Large – I Came Back to Bitch – Freak Magnet – Slide – Shitlist – Pretend We’re Dead – Fast and Frightening
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Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries
About the Author (Author Profile)
ToddStar - that's me... just a rocking accountant who had dreams of being a rock star. I get to do the next best thing to rocking the globe - I get to take pictures of the lucky ones that do. I love to shoot all genres of music and different types of performers. If it is related to music, I love to photograph it. I get to shoot and hang with not only some of my friends and idols, but some of the coolest people around today.Subscribe
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