Psycroptic Omaha Concert reviews
I expected so much more
Psycroptic was playing locally for the first time ever and I was NOT going to pass up the opportunity to see them. Always a huge fan of their music, seeing Psycroptic has been on my bucket list for years. I rode my motorcycle from Indiana to the Pacific ocean last fall. The first thing I did when I hit HWY 101 was plug into Running On Empty. I called the world my own.
The opening act was GREAT! Let me start with this, apparently long-time friends with Psycroptic and they put on a very energetic and soulful show. A married couple I'd not heard of and really enjoyed their talent and songs. They should have a major record deal!!
The crowd went absolutely wild when Psycroptic took the stage, and they held us in the palm of their hand. Standing O after every song for the first hour. A few songs in, an audience member yelled for Shape of a Heart. Psycroptic, "You really want to hear that?" The crowd goes nuts. They actually took a request from the audience and played it outside of their setlist. I turned to my wife and told her this is going to be the best show ever! Unfortunately, it tanked from there. Though that gesture really energized the crowd even more, Psycroptic outright refused to play another hit (not counting Running on Empty for their closer or "Take it Easy" which I knew they had a hand in when that song was born). People yelled for Somebody's Baby. After repeated requests, Psycroptic sat at their keyboard and replied "Yeah, that's probably not gonna happen." It felt like a chastise. At one point a man 2 rows back from me literally screamed "Play a HIT!" Another called for Rosie, which generated a few chuckles. Psycroptic refused to play the songs that made them great and what I paid $125 times 2 for my wife and I to hear. If they want to play unrecognizable songs and tell a few thousand educated adults the oceans are literally turning to plastic (still trying to wrap my mind how mankind could pull this one off), great, go for it. But don't charge me $250 to listen to what played out like a one-hit wonder-forgotten song playlist while we're told what an honor it is for you to play for us. The highlight was the opening act. Perhaps Psycroptic should have opened for them. They performed with passion.
The fantasy of getting to witness The Pretender performed with soul was so much better than getting stood up and never even hearing it mentioned. Save your money and watch the YouTube vids. Do they still sound good? Yeah, not bad. Though they are more interested in getting a message across with songs no one knows than entertaining you with the music that made them famous and allows them to fill halls.