Dayseeker performing on stage at Grinders KC last Saturday, May 16, 2026. [Photo by Pam Whisenhunt]

PAM WHISENHUNT | Go Venue Magazine

The hottest day of the year had arrived in Kansas City, and shade was hard to come by. But as the sun finally started to set, the crowd outside Grinders KC found its relief in Dayseeker and a stacked bill. The sold-out show on May 16, 2026 brought out a fired-up crowd ready to make the most of a Saturday night.

Opening the evening was Sace6, the alternative project led by Jonathan Sace and Noah Thomas, whose sound blends moody R&B with pop-punk and metal influences. The duo kept things energized across a tight six-song set of original material, both members bouncing across the stage and working the crowd from the jump. An early attempt at a circle pit fizzled, probably still too hot for that kinda energy, but that didn’t stop a steady stream of crowd surfers from making their way overhead. Before the show, I talked to several fans who were already hyped for Sace6: “They’re great, you’ll love them. They’ll be your new favorite.” I think they were on to something. Sace6 is exactly the kind of band that reminds you not to sleep on the openers.

Wind Walkers followed, and the Massachusetts-based post-hardcore outfit was my most anticipated set of the evening. Their sound was locked in; energy, presence, crowd engagement all firing on all cylinders. Standout moments came with “The End Aesthetic,” “Eating My Heart Out,” and “Bodybag.” Wind Walkers are headed somewhere. Don’t sleep on them.

Up next was Northlane, the Sydney metalcore powerhouse, and catching them finally completed a personal checklist of Australian metal acts I’d been working through over the past year, Alpha Wolf, The Amity Affliction, and Parkway Drive among them. Northlane wasted no time proving why they are considered pioneers of modern progressive metalcore in Australia, tearing through an eight-song set with precision and ferocity. Vocalist Marcus Bridge commanded the stage from the first note, while guitarist Jon Deiley turned heads with a pair of glowing eyeglasses that made him impossible to ignore. Midway through the set, local law enforcement could be seen cutting through the crowd and almost simultaneously, the band paused as medics responded to an injury near the pit. Once things were sorted, Northlane picked right back up without missing a beat. As the set wound toward its close, Noah Thomas of Sace6 reappeared dressed in what looked like Bridge’s red jacket, matching his pleated red pants, and joined the band onstage to assist on “Dispossession,” a deep cut from their 2011 debut Discoveries.

By the time Dayseeker took the stage, the crowd had been waiting all night for this moment, and the merch line stretched to ridiculous lengths right up until the first chord hit. They opened with the title track “Pale Moonlight” following it up with “Shapeshift” and “Dreamstate” to set the tone for the night.

When they reached “Crawl Back to My Coffin,” the rock chart hit from their latest album, Creature in the Black Night, vocalist Rory Rodriguez paused to thank everyone who works behind the scenes to make shows like this happen. Then, he spoke about his father’s battle with cancer and offered something to anyone in the crowd going through their own version of it: “You’ll be just fine, like I am.” He followed that moment with “Homesick,” and the crowd sang every word back to him. A few songs later, Rodriguez shifted gears entirely: “The time to relax is over.” He directed the floor to “push it” and open up the pit, then “Bloodlust” erupted with Marcus Bridge of Northlane returning to the stage to assist on vocals. The pit opened as instructed.

“Without Me” turned into one of the biggest sing-alongs of the night, the whole room locked in together. Toward the end of the set, Rodriguez said he just wanted to do a song “just me, just you” but in reality he brought Sace6 back out to join him.

Before the final stretch, Rodriguez looked back at where the band started in 2012, playing to anywhere from five to eighty people, grinding through years of uncertainty. He told the sold-out crowd that none of this was lost on them. He announced “Sleeptalk” as the last song of the night, but we knew better. Sure enough, Dayseeker returned to the stage. “Kansas City, are you still with us?” Rodriguez asked. The answer came loud and clear, closing out with “Neon Grave” as the crowd sang along louder than they had all night.

Dayseeker Northlane Wind Walkers Sace6 All images © Pam Whisenhunt

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