Concert Reviews

Tomahawk and Melvins Concert Review and Photos

by Brooks Robinson

Updated August 17, 2026

Tomahawk – August 15, 2026

In the press release announcing Tomahawk’s triumphant return to the stage after 13 long years, guitarist Duane Denison said “In the spirit of the Olympics, Team Tomahawk has decided to rise up and go for the gold once again”. Those lucky enough to attend the completely sold-out Los Angeles show would 100% agree with Denison’s assessment - Tomahawk was back in force, and well worth the wait.

Tomahawk

Saturday’s concert at the 100-year-old Belasco Theater in DTLA marked the first of two shows in Los Angeles, and the second to last outing of the “A Huge Waste of Your Time and Money” tour, a twenty-two-date musical road trip across America with the Melvins. Minimalist lighting and set design placed the focus squarely on the band, and their formidable musicianship and stage presence.

To say that the 1500 capacity Belasco Theater was full, doesn’t do the scene justice. Fans were lined up outside the venue hours before the doors opened at 7:00pm, and there was zero room to move on the main floor once they did. Upstairs on the balcony, people were several rows deep across the entire span, so your odds of catching a glimpse of the stage from up there were zero unless you arrived early to claim a spot.

One would assume that all of the attention was on vocalist Mike Patton, who skyrocketed in popularity with the rise of Faith No More’s 1989 album The Real Thing. Mike has always been known as an unrivaled and sometimes unpredictable performer, to say nothing of his six-octave vocal range, but he wasn’t the only one on stage. Guitarist Duane Denison (The Jesus Lizard), drummer John Stanier (Helmet), and the cowboy hat brandishing bassist Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle) were all in top form, and the combination of all four men working in perfect synchronicity is what made for an unforgettable evening.

Tomahawk’s nineteen song setlist drew from material spanning their entire 25-year career, but featured seven songs from 2021’s Tonic Immobility, which they weren’t able to tour at the time due to the pandemic. Fans eager to finally hear these songs live were treated to an incredible night of amazing music performed at the highest of levels.

Tomahawk is:

Duane Denison – Guitar (The Jesus Lizard)
Mike Patton – Vocals (Faith No More)
John Stanier – Drums (Helmet)
Trevor Dunn – Bass (Mr. Bungle)

Setlist:

1) Flashback

2) White Hats / Black Hats

3) SHHH!

4) Capt. Midnight

5) Howlie

6) Predators and Scavengers

7) Business Casual

8) Doomsday Fatigue

9) South Paw

10) I.O.U.

11) Fatback

12) Birdsong

13) Rape This Day

14) Sidewinder

15) Totem

Encore:

16) Hot Rod Lincoln

17) God Hates a Coward

18) Rise Up Dirty Waters

19) Point and Click

Melvins

Saturday’s show was a unique pairing of two incredible bands, and for their part, the Melvins exploded the moment they hit the stage at 8:00pm to an already packed venue. Los Angeles is known for many things, and late-arriving fans for sporting/music/theater events is one of them…however Saturday night was something special, and people arrived early and stayed until the end to see two legendary bands together.

The highly influential and pioneering Melvins always put on an incredible show – I’ve seen them in small clubs maxing out at three hundred people, and festivals with fields of thousands watching – it simply doesn’t matter – they plug in and get to work. Saturday was no exception – with no introduction or between-song banter, Buzz, Stephen, Coady, and Dale hit the stage and proceeded to figuratively burn it to the ground.

It seems obvious to say that Buzz Osborne is the visual cornerstone of the band with his untamed white shock of hair, erratic head gyrations to punctuate musical beats, full length muumuu, and habit of stalking the stage when not at his mic stand, but that takes away from bassist Steven McDonald (Redd Cross). McDonald seems to have been born to perform. Prowling the stage, engaging the audience while making direct eye contact, high-kicks, and rockstar poses all come naturally, while seamlessly holding down the low-end.

One thing that sets the Melvins current lineup apart from the rest is the dual drum attack from Dale Crover and Coady Willis. Watching them closely is a visual and audible treat – Willis is left-handed and plays stage right, while Crover is right-handed and plays stage left. This creates a percussive mirror image, as they play in perfect lockstep of one another. In a 2006 article in The Oklahoman, Crover described it as "Coady has more of a karate approach, where I'm more of a kung fu man,"…a perfect encapsulation of the situation.

The Melvins played a tight, hour-long set that left fans wanting more. The twelve-song setlist featured tracks from seven albums and seemed the perfect blend for the night, while complimenting Tomahawk’s set perfectly.

Melvins are:

Buzz Osborne – Guitar/Vocals
Dale Crover – Drums
Coady Willis – Drums
Steven Shane McDonald – Bass

Setlist:

1) Working the Ditch

2) Never Say You're Sorry

3) Sway

4) Evil New War God

5) Civilized Worm

6) It's Shoved

7) A History of Bad Men

8) The Bit

9) Blood Witch

10) Hag Me

11) Honey Bucket

12) Night Goat

Brooks Robinson Photographer & Writer

Brooks Robinson is an LA-based concert photographer, and 30+ year freelance camera operator for film, television, and music videos. He has photographed some of the largest film/TV projects in history, and hundreds of music videos in MTV's heyday.

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