Origami Angel, Pinkshift, & Sweet Pill in Milwaukee, WI

I’d been in COVID hibernation since my last pre-pandemic show in March of 2020. There were a few little music events here and there, but it had been years since I had been to a full on show. When I saw that Pinkshift was coming through, skipping my hometown of Chicago, but hitting the Milwaukee area at the Very Famous X-Ray Arcade, I was elated. X-Ray is one of the best venues that the Midwest has to offer.

The whole night went off flawlessly. I got the merch that I had been coveting months before. I got the perfect spot right up in front of the stage. And the crowd was filled with super nice, supportive, and even complimentary fans.

I wasn’t familiar with Sweet Pill before they took the stage, but I was left an instant fan. Pinkshift too the stage and absolutely killed it, like I knew they would. It was such a nice, cathartic experience to scream along to songs again within a crowd full of people. While there’s no substitute for actual therapy, I believe that this is its own form of healing for sure. I even was handled the setlist after their set was done!

While we were all waiting for Origami Angel to take the stage, I started talking to the people around me. As it turned out, I had been standing right next to someone from Chicago who decided to drive all the way to Milwaukee to see Pinkshift as well. In addition, we found out that we not only live in the same city, we live blocks from each other! When Origami Angel took the stage, they explained that singer/guitarist Ryland had lost his voice so the whole night would be a giant karaoke sing-a-long! It was so epic. Members of the other bands took the stage and the mic, but singers also included the X-Ray Arcade sound tech, a photographer who was traveling with the band, and others from the audience too! The floor was shaking from people dancing. Stage divers were flying off the stage and through the air. But everyone seemed to be taking care of each other and everyone was in an awesome mood. I could not have imagined a better reintroduction to shows after being gone for far too long.

Check out the gallery of the show below: