Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Support: Humanist
The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
Thursday, September 23rd, 2025
Review/Pics: Manuel Gay
Wait a second, didn’t I just…?!
On October 23rd, about a month after kicking off their Howl 20th Anniversary Tour, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club stopped by The Wiltern. A win for local fans as it’s only miles away from The Observatory where they started this tour. After loving last month’s show (Coverage: Here), and not wanting to pass on an occasion to catch one of my favorite bands live, I went again for a second round of stripped down ballads and raging garage rock.
On my way to The Wiltern, it suddenly dawned on me that I was maybe driving an hour to see exactly the same show. And although it was great, was it really worth the effort? Well I am glad I ignored the voices in my head and kept with the plan. This show was even better the second time around.
Humanist take over the opening slot.
First difference was the opener, this time Humanist was in charge of warming the crowd up. I knew the band by name and based on what I had heard/read about them, I had a feeling this was going to be right up my alley. And it sure was!
I don’t get why people show up late and skip openers — they could be missing their next favorite band. Humanist is definitely one act that you don’t want to miss. Their sound and style fit with BRMC to perfection. It is not surprising that the band has collaborated with Peter Hayes in the past. Although this project started as more a collective of musicians revolving around guitar player Rob Marshall, it seems to have found a somewhat recurring line-up with Scott Pemberton on drums and Wendy Rae Fowler taking charge of the bass.
Humanist Get It Right with Jimmy.
The energy on stage was amazing from the first few notes of “Beast Of The Nation”. And although a myriad of great vocalists have collaborated on their two records, from Mark Lannegan (of Screaming Trees, Queens Of The Stone Age) to Dave Gahan (of Depeche Mode), it’s Jimmy Gnecco (of Ours) who was the hired gun for vocal duties on this tour and what a great choice. His scenic presence and his amazing voice, channeling Jim Morrison at times, Jeff Buckley at others. Their intense set ended with the progressive and explosive “English Ghosts”.
BMRC bring HOWL back to LA.
Moments later, as the venue was buzzing with anticipation, the lights turned off again and Pete Seeger’s “Which Side Are You On?” came on through the speakers of the almost century-old building. The audience cheered as Peter Hayes appeared from the darkness with an acoustic guitar and started playing “Devil’s Waitin’”. Robert Levon Been discreetly appeared mid-song to provide back-up vocals, remaining pretty much in total darkness. Leah Shapiro eventually made her way behind the drum kit for the upbeat “Shuffle Your Feet” which got the couple of thousand people in attendance to clap and sing along.
It’s impossible not to mention “Ain’t No Easy Way Out” which is another great song on the record and one of the few on Howl that are not on the mellow side. Peter who had a harmonica holder around his neck for a good portion of the show took care of the mouth harp fill-ins.
Setlist gets a subtle makeover
Another small difference this night was the setlist, which throughout the tour so far has remained relatively similar; they played Howl in full essentially followed by a handful of hits. This time they didn’t play “Fault Lines”, but chose “Mercy” instead, which was originally released on the Howl Sessions EP (a collection of six additional songs that didn’t make the cut for the album).
The song was so calm and beautiful that it was received by a few claps and a religious silence as if the Wiltern had suddenly turned into a cathedral. Robert was taken back and asked for someone to shout something stupid and others to start a fight. Apparently the venue got a little too quiet for his taste.
The Howl set came to an end with “The Line” and the band jumped into “Red Eyes And Tears” from their self-titled debut album. From this point on, a silent crowd was a concern no more. BRMC hit us with a curated selection of hits for the remainder of the show. From “Beat The Devil’s Tattoo” to “Whatever Happened To My Rock’n’Roll (Punk Song)”, the trio unleashed their fury upon us and we couldn’t have wished for a better ending.
As usual, the trio didn’t do an encore, they just played the set from beginning to end, without playing peekaboo from behind a curtain. Leah discreetly left the stage at the end of “Shadow’s Keeper” while Peter and Robert ended the evening with “Open Invitation”, the hidden track that closes Howl.
Until Next Time…
The North American leg of the tour is over, and the band will take a couple of weeks off after their hometown show in San Francisco on October 25th. BMRC are now about to bless Europe for the next leg.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club demonstrated that they remain a heavyweight of modern rock and great performers.
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Recent Reviews from Manuel:
Supergrass – Hollywood Palladium – 9/5/25
Everclear – The Regent – 9/4/25
