Mammoth performing on the stage at The Astro in La Vista, Nebraska on Saturday, July 18, 2026. [Photo credit: Robert A Chadwick]

REVIEW BY DAVID TAYLOR AND PHOTOS BY ROBERT A CHADWICK | Go Venue Magazine

On Saturday, July 18, Mammoth returned to Nebraska to play the Astro Theater for the first time ever in La Vista. Initially, this performance was supposed to occur in November, but due to winter weather, they luckily managed to postpone it. You couldn’t asked for a better night to see one of the best live bands working today.

Big Wreck from Canada opened up. I was not familiar with them and left quite impressed. The lead singer, Ian Thornley, sounded amazing. I loved the band dynamics, especially between bassist Dave McMillan and guitarist Paulo Neta. They’re heavy and melodic, reminded me a little bit of Alter Bridge, which is who they will be touring with later this year. I saw like two different families with children who were singing along to them, which I was really cool to see an opener have fans like that. Solid set from Big Wreck and go check out their latest album, The Rest Of The Story.

Finally, after an eight month delay, the crowd was ready for Mammoth. I want to preface that this was my sixth time seeing these guys, so it already felt like coming home. Wolfgang Van Halen is talent encarnate. The best part of the performance was him being the keyboard on “Stone” to begin with in a slow, moody version backlit light the opening of a Looney Tunes cartoon and then eventually the whole band comes in and rips it up. I was quite impressed with the upgrade of their live performance of the video backdrop, showcasing these insane visuals that thank goodness wasn’t made with A.I., Wolfgang promised us that. I appreciate that Wolfgang isn’t the best public speaker, he sometimes says too much and that’s just shows how human he is. A very talented human, that is. I got really emotional when they performed “Distance”, showing old home videos of Wolf and his dad, Ed. I’m so glad Mammoth pulled such a large crowd for their Omaha area headline debut. They deserve all the love they receive and I can’t wait for their next album. And be sure to check out their latest album, The End.

Mammoth Big Wreck All images © Robert A Chadwick | Robert Chadwick Photography

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