Photos and writing by Dillon Reesor
Avatar stopped in Charlotte on their ‘In The Airwaves’ Tour on 11.29, bringing SpiritWorld and New Zealand’s Alien Weaponry to town with them. The Fillmore was shoulder-to-shoulder early, packed with fans in Johannes Eckerström facepaint and at least one full ringmaster fit holding court near the barricade. It was clear Charlotte showed up not just for a concert, but for the full spectacle Avatar is known to bring.
I only slipped in for the final few songs of SpiritWorld’s set thanks to a traffic jam, which was a bummer considering how visually striking their “Death Western” aesthetic is. Even so, what I did catch felt tight and purposeful, with plenty of grit in the riffs, solid stage presence, and a crowd that seemed more than warmed up by the time they wrapped. They handled the opener role well and left the room primed for the rest of the night.
Alien Weaponry came out swinging. Their haka opener immediately snapped the room to attention, and from there it was just wave after wave of tight, heavy riffing. They play with a confidence that feels bigger than a three-piece has any right to, and the mix did them plenty of favors — clear, punchy, and loud in all the right ways. The crowd fed off it the entire time, and by the end of their set, it felt like they’d won over anyone who walked in unfamiliar.
Avatar closed things out with a show that honestly took me by surprise. I’ve never been big on their studio material, and I kind of wrote them off because of it — turns out that was a mistake. Live, they’re on a completely different level. The production is huge without feeling bloated, with nonstop prop changes, costume swaps, and moving parts that their crew executed flawlessly. Truly organized chaos in motion. Eckerström is a natural ringmaster, but the whole band operates like a well-rehearsed machine and the musicianship was the biggest standout to me. The crowd stayed locked in from the first hit to the final notes of “Hail the Apocalypse,” and by the end, I understood exactly why their fanbase shows up committed.
Walking out, it was one of those shows that reminded me why catching bands live can completely reframe how you think about them. Every act brought something distinct, the crowd was locked in all night, and the production across the board felt dialed. Charlotte got a stacked bill, and everyone on it delivered.
fuelthescene.com 