CONVERGE CONQUER THE BELASCO IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES
The mighty Converge finally returned to Southern California, playing a series of shows for the ages across Los Angeles and Anaheim last week. Get Some Magazine was fortune enough to document the magic of night 1 in Downtown LA, as the band tore the historic Belasco Theater asunder alongside hardcore heavyweights Poison The Well, The Armed and The Barbarians of California.
The Barbarian boys drew a huge crowd for their opening spot on the bill. This was quite a feat, considering the show was in the middle of the workweek and LA’s world-renowned traffic congestion. Once the band started bashing their way through “Dopamine Prophecy,” it became clear why the early birds in the audience moved heaven and Earth to catch their set. Frontman Aaron Bruno stalked the stage as a man possessed, and the fans inside The Belasco reciprocated his deranged energy in kind.
Only an act as unhinged as The Armed could follow up The Barbarians and manage to raise the intensity level inside the venue. This hardcore punk musical collective, which boasts a seemingly endless supply of musicians and contributors and unbridled energy onstage, turned The Belasco into a strobe-lit sauna. The Armed’s set was filled with howling saxophones, their guitar player crowd surfing, two vocalists exchanging words and shrieks, and a constant wave of buoyant energy that shook The Belasco to its core.
Converge hit the stage next, and the packed audience inside lost their minds. Hailing from New England and comprised of extremely talented musicians who keep busy juggling numerous creative projects, Converge doesn’t always make it to Southern California as often as their loyal and rabid fan base would like. The fact that Converge had returned, supporting not one, but two new albums: 2026’s Love Is Not Enough, plus the upcoming Hum of Hurt, and wound up playing three chaotic shows in three days was like a dream come true for SoCal hardcore and metal fans.
The band kicked things off with the insane opening salvo of “Love Is Not Enough,” “Bad Faith,” and “Eagles Become Vultures.” Bodies began flying over the front barricade almost instantly. Frontman Jacob Bannon’s iconic roar filled the air, as guitarist Kurt Ballou headbanged his glasses straight off his head. Bassist Nate Newton leaped around the stage while drummer Ben Koller pulverized every inch of his kit. Naturally, promoting two new albums meant the band’s set featured tons of Love Is Not Enough and Hum of Hurt tracks. After three decades in the game, Converge is the rare unicorn-type band whose new records aren’t just relevant, but remain vital to the modern worlds of hardcore and metal. Of course, the band played classics like “Darkhorse” and “The Broken Vow.” One of the absolute highlights of the evening was when they dug deep into their catalog and busted out “Conduit” from 1998’s When Forever Comes Crashing Down. Watching the jam-packed crowd scream “This time it’s war!” at full volume was something Los Angeles has needed for a while.
Poison The Well capitalized on the madhouse energy Converge had cultivated inside The Belasco and hit the stage firing on all cylinders. Opening with “Botchla” and going straight into “Zombies Are Good For Your Health,” Poison The Well put on a masterclass in Downtown LA this night. This tour would continue rolling through The House of Blues Anaheim two days later, after Converge unleashed a surprise last-minute free concert inside Epitaph Records’ parking lot in Silver Lake the night after they conquered The Belasco. And that, dear friends, is the story of Converge’s triumphant return to Southern California and their epic trifecta of shows in 2026.
