The Airborne Toxic Event
October 5, 2024
Finally, a Saturday night concert! Saturday, October 5th, we saw The Airborne Toxic Event (ATE) at The Admiral right outside downtown Omaha. The Admiral, formerly known as the Sokol Auditorium, recently got a much needed face lift. The face lift included a new name, new marquee, bathroom and bar remodels, and hopefully a nice remodel for the performers. The old Sokol had a teeny tiny women’s bathroom that always, ALWAYS had a line, and a white-walled side room that contained the small bar and none of the ambiance of the main room. Following the remodel, bathroom lines are almost nonexistent and the bar is so dark you feel as if you’re still in the main room while waiting for a drink at the bar. From what I hear, this remodel included a new green room for the talent, which is much more enticing than the basement, reminiscent of a high school band room, that existed before.
We arrived to The Admiral and were surprised at the lack of people in attendance at this concert. Coming from a sold out Waiting Room two years ago, I couldn’t believe that the Admiral remained a quarter empty for a band as great as ATE. I chalk it up to the fact this concert occurred on a Husker Football Saturday. Although the game had ended by the time the concert started, the third largest city in Nebraska (Memorial Stadium on gameday) likely had several ATE fans that couldn’t make both work in one day. All the fans that chose the game over ATE missed out greatly.
After arrival, we of course made our obligatory stop at the merch stand. However, this stop disappointed given its lack of options. There were exactly three clothing items available for sale. One t-shirt with only one size left for purchase, XXL, and a t-shirt or sweatshirt with the band name and the outline of a bear—simple and random. None of the apparel had the concert dates listed on the back, which may have enticed me to purchase. The other items for sale were copies of Mikel Jollett’s book, Hollywood Park, for $10 more per hardcopy than were available online or $40 more for a signed copy. Although his book is a masterpiece, I could not fathom spending $60 for a signed hard copy.
Despite the lackluster merch options, the show truly blew me away. I love bands that incorporate non-standard instruments into their live performance. In this case, Miriam Peschet, rocked out on the violin, keyboard or tambourine depending on the song. Mikel Jollett’s voice is so distinct and soulful his music brings tears to my eyes and a huge smile to my face. I love his voice, the band’s sound, and the haunting lyrics they produce. Although I don’t have all of ATE’s songs memorized, I couldn’t stop dancing along to their songs—the head banging on a prominent display that night.
My favorites of the night included Hell and Back, Glory, and Faithless. Hell and Back is a high energy tune from 2014. Jollett took time during the set to explain that this song was in fact written in part during a long motorcycle ride through Nebraska. He described the drive as boring, but conducive to good songwriting. Faithless is a song they don’t play at every show. Thankfully, the band took a fan request and played it during this set as it is one of my all-time favorites. From the album, Hollywood Park, this song had me singing at the top of my lungs. As for Glory, this single from their newest album, also named Glory, gave me chills. The band’s high energy performance made up for the disappointing merch. I would gladly see The Airborne Toxic Event anytime they come to town.
To wrap up the show, ATE celebrated Peshet’s birthday by asking the crowd to sing along to their rendition of Happy Birthday. Given the happy celebration, ATE played more songs on this stop than any other stop on the tour. How lucky were we!
OVERALL RATINGS
Venue: 7/10
Setlist: 8.5/10
Sound Quality: 8/10
Merch: 1/10
Vibes: 10/10
Setlist
〰️
Setlist 〰️
Photos
〰️
Photos 〰️
Family photo!
Videos
〰️
Videos 〰️
Sometime Around Midnight
Sometime Around Midnight, part 2
Hollywood Park
Hollywood Park, part 2
Gasoline
Faithless, audience request
The ultra-talented Miriam “Mimi” Peschet on violin
Changing
Glory
