The Amazing Quad Cities 2023 Concert Year In Review

As another year comes to an end we start to look back and realize...holy s&%t there were a lot of awesome concerts in 2023!

I-Rock 93.5 rocked in Iowa and Illinois more than ever before.  That meant we gave you more tickets for all the Quad Cities shows...and even shows in Peoria, Cedar Rapids, and even trips to L.A., Las Vegas, and Denver.

Below you can see all the major shows that took place in the Quad Cities this year.

February 19 – Skillet, Theory of a Deadman, Saint Asonia at The Rust Belt

What an amazing way to start the year.  Sold out at The Rust Belt with three awesome bands.  I know some of you will never forget Saint Asonia especially when Adam just came walking through the crowd taking pics with people.  Then Theory and Skillet put on great shows to get the year started.

February 25 – Alborn EP Release with Discrepancies, Widow7, and The Forty Twos

The next sold-out show was just a week later at The Redstone Room in downtown Davenport.  We came out to hear new music from Alborn and sent them off on their tour with Powerman 5000.  It was a great show...even when we set off the alarms.

Don't get shut out this time with Alborn back at the Redstone Room for the I-Rock 93.5 Holiday Hangover.  January 13 is how we will start our 2024 concert year.  Tickets are available here.

March 2 – Blue October

Blue October came to the Rust Belt in 2023 and it was so good, they are coming back in 2024 as well.  Check out how you can see them this time here.

March 10 – Underoath, Periphery, Loathe

Admittedly I didn't know much about these guys before they came to town, but I'm definitely a fan now.  A high-energy fun show.  And they came to The Rock & Roll Mansion before the show for an interview and acoustic performance which you can check out here.

April 6 – Nu Metal Madness Tour with Hed PE, Crazytown, Adema, and Tantric

Hed PE was great.  Tantric was good.  Adema was solid.  Crazy Town was perhaps the worst live performance of the year.  Or perhaps ever.  Other than coming out like a chicken and a beaver (or something like that) it was brutal.  There is a reason these guys got into a fight on tour and got kicked off the tour just weeks later.

May 5 – Corey Taylor

Corey was great again at The Rust Belt.  But the highlight for me that night...was the short bit of "Sponge Bob Squarepants" that he busted out.  A bucket list item was checked off with that one.

Side note, I'm glad I've gotten a new phone since then.

May 14 – Avatar, Veil of Maya, Orbit Culture

It was on May 14 that we had the show of the year in the Quad Cities.  Only knowing a few songs from Avatar I was unsure what to expect, but this was more than a concert.  It was a full show.  They sounded great and put on an awesome performance.  I went in liking them and came out a huge fan.

May 22 – Fozzy, Ugly Kid Joe, Pistols at Dawn

This was a cool show in the middle of the wild concert month of May.  It was a bit of an odd lineup with the three bands, but all of them brought something different to the table which kept it going for a fun night.  Of course, for me, the best part was meeting and talking with Chris Jericho.  You can check out that interview here.

May 27 – Nothing More, Zero 9:36, Catch Your Breath

This was how we finished our crazy May.  And it was a crazy show.  The opening bands were fine, but Nothing More was fantastic.  And this picture of Johnny Hawkins might be my favorite of the year.  He's looking up at me taking the pic from the top of The Rust Belt thinking "Who is this jackass?".  He and the rest of the band were totally cool when we met them after the show.

June 2 – Trivium, Beartooth, Archetypes Collide, Malevolence

Was this the hottest show of the year...or was it the next one?  If you were in the pit for this ripper you are probably thinking it was this one.  Some folks were dropping that night.  High energy great concert from start to finish.

July 17 – Motionless In White, In This Moment, Fit For A King, From Ashes To New

This could have been the hottest show of the year as well.  The Rust Belt was sold out and the place was rocking with 4 great bands.  We need more From Ashes To New in our Quad Cities life with a way longer than 30-minute set.  We also need more In This Moment...but more than 7 songs and less smoke so we can actually see the band.

July 22 – Powerman 5000

I barely remember who opened this show.  But I for sure remember Powerman 5000.  You never know how a band will be after decades of their peak, but Spider and PM5K still have it.  They sounded great and gave everything they had to the crowd.

August 4 – Three Days Grace, High Five Sinners

Day 1 of Rock of the 2023 MVF.  For some people, this was the highlight of the fair.  And Three Days Grace was great.  They owned the stage, played the hits, and delivered for the 1000's in attendance.  But for me, it was all about the next night.

August 5 – Limp Bizkit

Been to 100's of shows and grew up with nu-metal as the backdrop for most of them.  But never got to see Limp Bizkit.  Check that off the list.  The place was packed and rowdy and just every bit of fun you'd expect when Fred comes out looking like Bob Ross with no pants on.  And for the record, again, they did not get cut short.  They were contracted for 60 minutes and that is what they played.  And I enjoyed every minute.

August 15 – Pop Evil, Eva Under Fire, Lines of Loyalty

Shortly after the Mississippi Valley Fair, we bounced right back to it with a great show featuring something new and something the QC is familiar with.  Lines of Loyalty gained a lot of fans that night.  Eva Under Fire proved why the QC already loved them.  And Pop Evil delivered song after song after song you could sing along with.

August 26 – Imposters Fest

The biggest tribute concert of the year featured Wonkzilla doing all things Rob/White Zombie, Superknot doing Black Sabbath, Defnotes doing Deftones, Land of Linkin doing Linkin Park, Peephole doing System of a Down, and Voodoo doing Godsmack.  Plus an entire side stage made it a very cool outdoor festival.

September 3 – Finger Eleven, 10 Years, Eve Under Fire

Hey look, it's Eva Under Fire again.  Obviously not ideal to have the same band within 2 weeks but that is how the schedule worked for both of these tours.  But they were still great, and with Finger Eleven and 10 Years it was a fun Labor Day weekend show.

September 15 – 4 Year Anniversary with Nonpoint, Alborn, Through Fire, NonGrata

I mean what do I say about this other than "THANK YOU".  We'll do it again in 2024 with the 5-year party for sure.  If you want more pictures from this ripper you can check them out at the end of this story.

September 23 – Atreyu, Catch Your Breath

This was the most fun performance of the year.  The first I-Rock 93.5 show at The Capitol Theatre and Atreyu was so much fun.  Great sound and energy that brought us a conga line and end-of-the-night donuts.

September 28 – Godsmack, I Prevail, Flat Black

The only Vibrant Arena show of the year.  I know, we need more.  But this one was great!  I was super impressed with the openers Flat Black.  Loved seeing I Prevail for the first time.  And there is a reason Godsmack has been doing it for 25 years.  They have never put on a bad show for all the times I've seen them.

October 19 – Hollywood Undead, Tech N9ne

October was mostly filled with Halloween parties.  From The Pub to Rascals, to MVF.  But in the middle of that, we partied with this show that had a great last-minute addition with Discrepancies opening the show.

November 4 – Four Horsemen, Wonkzilla

There are a lot of tribute bands out there.  This is one of the best.  They went for over 2 hours just cranking old-school Metallica.  If/when they are back don't miss them.

November 17 – Black Stone Cherry, Giovanni and The Hired Guns

Our second show at The Capitol Theatre was just last month and some I-Rock 93.5 listeners told me it was the concert of the year for them.  Both bands are great live with performance and sound.

December 3 – Steel Panther, Moon Fever

Look how much fun a Steel Panther show is.  Even on a Sunday night, The Rust Belt was shaking with that Steel Panther sound, humor, and well...you can see what else was shaking.

December 30 – Sevendust, 10 Years, Burden of the Sky, Core

One more to go.  Let's finish the year with a bang.  Since you made it all the way to the end of the 2023 concert year in review you now remember what you saw, and what you missed.  Don't miss this one!

Thank you for coming to any or all of these shows.  The Quad Cities continue to have more live music because you keep coming to the shows.  We appreciate that a ton.  So thank you!  And here's to what is already looking like an awesome 2024 concert year.