Cavalera Destroys House of Blues Chicago with Third World Trilogy 03/05/24

Finally saw my heroes and I was glad I braved the snowy weather for it.

Mar 09, 2025

It was a pretty crazy snowy Wednesday afternoon that day, and even with a ticket in hand, I was still debating whether I should brave the weather to see my musical heroes, Max and Iggor Cavalera. I then thought to myself, fuck it! I was waiting for this, so on I went on my merry way with much excitement and anticipation.

I arrived at the House of Blues at around 6pm and I followed quite a number of fellow metal fans already in line. The age demographic was pretty interesting as it ranged from kids to rock dads and hardcore kids and metal seniors. Of course, there was the occasional battle vest-wearing kind, and there was the modern hardcore kid who you knew had the energy to light up a whole village. As for me? I’m a 40-something nobody who couldn’t wait to see his musical idols. Man, I’ve been waiting for this since I was in high school. I’ve watched the other Sepultura lineup years ago, and its high time I saw the brothers at their most primal and, ahem, bestial and devastating form at that.

First up was Dead Heat; these guys were thrashing all over the place with their metal hardcore hybrid to set the tone for the night. As far as I know, they are a hardcore band with thrash influences akin to Power Trip, etc., and I gravitate to their sound fully. The crowd begins to move around, and they are the perfect openers for the night.

Next up was the Death Metal trio Necrot. I would call them modern Death Metal at its finest, as most old-schoolers in attendance gave them nods of approval and the occasional metal hand gesture. My only complaint is that their songs were too long. Either that, or I couldn’t wait for the Cavalera brothers to take center stage.

Finally… it was time for Cavalera to take over the stage. Man, the energy was infectious and raw. The crowd was rowdy and pretty violent, and who could blame them? It was a whirlwind of 80’s/90’s death thrash goodness. With tracks off their “Bestial Devastation,” “Morbid Visions,” and “Schizophrenia” remake albums, one would feel like it’s the good old days again. One highlight for me personally is their “Chaos A.D.” medley with Bo of Harm’s Way. It took me back to simpler times when metal was all that I lived for.

Another notable bit was the crowd action during the show. It was a mixed bag of young, not-so-young, and the young at heart professing their love for Cavalera-era greatness. For sure, it got pretty rowdy— but if no one moved at a Cavalera show, it would not be as memorable, right? After all, I knew what I signed up for.

Cavalera Setlist:

Rogel’s Substack

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