Concert Reviews

Concert Review and Photos: Fire From the Gods at Whiskey A GoGo

On-site photographer Brooks Robinson reviews and captures Fire From The Gods, For The Fallen Dreams, VRSTY, and Divide the Fall at the Whiskey A GoGo.

by Brooks Robinson

Updated February 22, 2026

The Sunset Strip’s legendary 62-year-old Whisky A GoGo has a rich history, with bands such as The Doors, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Van Halen, Guns N Roses, Motley Crue, and Metallica all gracing its stage. To properly set the mood, it’s a 500 capacity club with three bars, red leather booths lining the back wall, a main floor for standing/moshing/dancing/whatever leading up to the elevated 5’ stage, and an upstairs area overlooking the stage with tables and merch – it’s intimate in the best possible way. History aside, one never knows what one is going to get on a typical night – up to eight mostly pay-to-play bands hit the stage every night, each playing a 30-minute set until the headliner goes on sometime around 11:00 pm – some of the openers are incredible bands to be further researched and listened to, some not so much.

Fire From The Gods

Thursday night’s show was unique in that after the doors opened at 6:00 pm, and the first of six bands hit the stage a mere 10 minutes later, it was soon revealed that everyone on the bill was in top form and warranted being heard. The only disappointment was that there wasn’t a larger crowd in the venue to witness it – I’m not sure if it was because it was a weekday, the rain, fickle Los Angeles fans, or possibly Mercury in retrograde, but despite the current upward trend of Fire From the Gods’ breakout single “Human”, the Whisky was nowhere near capacity.

Small crowd aside, Fire From the Gods played an incredible set as though they were performing in front of 85,000 mud-splattered and rain-soaked screaming maniacs at Wacken Open Air rather than playing to a ½ capacity Whisky. The current lineup features vocalist Myke Terry, guitarists Jameson Teat and Drew Walker, and a rhythm section comprised of Bonner Baker on bass and Richard Wicander behind the kit. The band is winding down the last few dates of their headlining Human Tour before they start an April run with Atreyu. For the Fallen Dreams, VRSTY, and Divide the Fall provided support for all 24 dates on the current tour. The recently released single “Human” is a staple on SiriusXM’s Octane and is a good indicator of where they are as a band.

I don’t care for genre labels – metal/nu metal/rap metal – it feels lazy, and a way to put bands in a box, either to keep new potential fans out, or perhaps old fans in. Genre-defying Fire From the Gods is just a great band that is heavy enough for the staunchest of metalheads, but also accessible to those dabbling or dipping a toe in the water of heavy music. They put on a show that is both hard-hitting and entertaining, but also technically proficient with musicianship, showmanship, custom lighting, and a sound that hits hard. This is the second time I’ve seen them in 6 months, and I will be there the next time they roll through town.

For The Fallen Dreams

For the Fallen Dreams is heavy, and if you aren’t paying attention to what’s happening in the metalcore crowd around you, there’s an excellent chance you’re about to get pummeled by an elbow or body. These guys are no joke, and were excellent. I wasn’t familiar with them, but was definitely in the minority, as singer Chad Ruhlig repeatedly extended his microphone into the sparse but rabid crowd to be met with an immense surge of humanity towards the mic, followed immediately by a random diehard fan’s throaty scream of the lyrics. Eric Woolard’s guitar exuded raw heaviness, Brandon Kyle provided clean vocals and bass duties, while Ryan Shuman laid the foundation on drums. While waiting for the doors to open, someone behind me in line had a tattoo of the band, and had flown in from Nebraska just to see them play the Whisky show – their fans were stoked to see them, and were very committed to being there.

VRSTY

VRSTY – heaviness, melody, screaming, rap, and immense energy are the first impressions that strike you when these guys hit the stage. Vocalist Joey Tyler’s New York band really took charge with the twin guitar attack of Paul Gregory and the masked Jordan Gallant, with Mike Wilkinson on drums – there was nobody on bass, because, well, fuck the bass… Great songs and attention stealing performance made for a great set that blended perfectly with the other bands in the lineup.

Divide The Fall

Completing the Human Tour roster was Minneapolis-based Divide the Fall. Equal parts melody and mayhem, their songs were insanely listenable, with vocalist Ethan Weinaug easily getting his daily 10,000 steps in during their all-too-brief 30-minute set. A highlight was the new single “Burn it Down”, a song written in anger, and whose lyrical content was redirected to bring awareness to the current state of unwanted government involvement in Minneapolis. In continuing with the no bass theme, Jake Hankel and Matthew Demar both played guitar with Matthew also adding vocals, and Jack Mckoskey rounded out the lineup on drums.

Whoever put this tour together knew what they were doing. All four bands were outstanding, and each act absolutely complemented the one before or after. Each brought something new and unexpected to the famed West Hollywood stage, and the audience was treated to what I (as someone who has seen countless shows at the Whisky A GoGo) can confirm was one of the best top-to-bottom lineups in recent history.