Kittie brings their “Legacy of Fire Tour” to The Filmore in Charlotte, NC

Photography & Review by Thom Hooper\

A live performance by the band Kittie on stage, featuring four band members playing instruments in front of a large Kittie logo backdrop.

Fifteen years is a long time to wait for a Kittie show in North Carolina. The last time the band came through the state was 2011, with back-to-back dates in Fayetteville and Jacksonville, respectively, during the In The Black era. Since then, the story around Kittie has shifted. What once felt like a band that was unfairly boxed in with the late ’90s and early-2000s nu-metal sound now looks a lot more like one whose influence took years for everyone else to catch up with.

At The Filmore, June 20th, 2026, the “Legacy Of Fire Tour: 30 Years Of Kittie” was not presented as a soft-focus anniversary package. There was no sense of a band dusting off old songs only for people who wanted to remember being younger, in fact there were a lot of younger fans there, some with their parents, others with friends and partners. It’s refreshing to see different generations of fans find music they’re able connect with. The show had history behind it, obviously, however, it also had a strong current running through it that made the show feel much more immediate.

A close-up of a female singer with long blonde hair performing on stage, holding a microphone and passionately engaging with the audience.
Two musicians performing on stage; one is playing an electric guitar while the other is drumming. The background features a partially visible band name.
A live music performance featuring a band on stage with a guitarist, vocalist, drummer, and bassist. The backdrop displays the word 'GORE' and colorful stage lights illuminate the scene.

That jumped off early with Gore., the Texas band has been one of those bands that are increasingly hard to ignore.

Their support spot with Of Mice & Men previously showed how well they could handle a larger room, but this set felt sharper, with no indication of a rehash of their prior performance. Some bands improve between tours where Gore. sound like they improve between sightings from my perspective.

Haley Roughton remains the band’s most immediate weapon, moving between guttural force that can sound even heavier than on studio tracks and melodic control without making either side feel separate from the other. The cleaner parts do not soften the heavier ones, nor do they feel linked in a formulaic structure. The entire brand brings an energy that pulls you into their performance with an element of authenticity to their music and lyrics that feels palpable.

Gore. did not play like a band warming up somebody else’s room. They played like a band making use of it.

A singer performing on stage, holding a microphone, with dramatic stage lighting in the background.
A side profile of a tattooed musician wearing a black cap, standing near a microphone while performing on stage.
A musician playing an electric guitar on stage, illuminated by blue lights.
A drummer performing energetically on stage, playing a drum kit with drumsticks, wearing a fitted white shirt.

Kingdom Of Giants kept the floor moving and had fans sailing over the barrier before their set had finished, which said more than any forced applause line could. Their newer single “Respawn” fits neatly into what they do well; progressive metal with huge melodic hooks that easily stick with you after you’ve heard them.

Placed immediately between Gore. and Kittie, Kingdom of Giants worked very well for this tour, because they easily moved the night forward with a strong momentum. Not every support set needs to be a revelation, simply raising the temperature without losing the room can be the best approach and Kingdom Of Giants did exactly that.

A singer performing on stage with a microphone, wearing a black outfit with spikes, illuminated by red stage lights.

Following Kingdom of Giants, Kittie took the stage and the room came alive with an energy the band reciprocated to the crowd throughout the entirety of their extensive setlist for the evening. The strongest thing about their set, from my perspective, was how little it relied on goodwill.

There are bands with enough history to get by on recognition alone, but Kittie did not sound interested in doing that. The older songs still have their teeth, but the material from 2024’s Fire was not treated like an obligation or a late-career add-on. It sounded like part of the same fight.

A guitarist passionately playing an electric guitar on stage, with long hair flowing and dramatic stage lighting in the background.

The title track, “Fire,” was the clearest example. It hit with the kind of force that has always made Kittie compelling, and highlights how well the current version of the band understands space, tension, and release. It was heavy without being dull, melodic without becoming intentionally safe, and direct without feeling underwritten.

This mattered throughout the night, as the band played songs from their entire catalogue. The fan favorites were definitey there, but the pacing did not turn into a stop-start exercise in nostalgia. The older material and newer songs sat together surprisingly well, the band’s momentum never dropped. For a band marking thirty years, that is probably the best outcome; the past did not swallow the present.

A drummer performing on stage with a stuffed animal on the drum kit, set against a colorful background.

There were temporary lineup changes present on this tour, with longtime bassist, Ivy Jenkins, who played with Kittie on In The Black, I’ve Failed You, and Fire, howeverm was unable to tour due to family commitments, as the band previously shared on social media. Stand-in bassist, Rachel Gonzales, filled in for dates in the absense of Ivy Jenkins, and the live sound did not suffer for it.

The low end stayed consistently locked in, the songs kept their full weight with the band’s overall sound complete. The Fillmore didn’t get a nostalgia act on this night and it was not a comeback argument. This felt simple, effective and more convincing; a heavy band playing heavy songs well, with enough new material to keep the night from becoming a memory exercise. Honestly, thirty years into making music, that is really the part really worth paying attention to.

A female rock band performing on stage, with the lead guitarist in a red dress and knee-high boots, and a backdrop featuring dark trees and the band's name.
A female guitarist performing passionately on stage, wearing a black tank top with a graphic design, surrounded by dramatic lighting and stage equipment.
Female guitarist performing on stage with long hair swinging, wearing a dark outfit, in front of a large backdrop with the band name 'Kittie.'
Female guitarist performing on stage with a microphone, wearing black clothing and playing an electric guitar, with band members in the background.
A female musician with red hair performing on stage, holding an electric guitar and singing into a microphone, with blue stage lighting in the background.
A female bassist performing on stage, wearing a black outfit with fishnet stockings and tattoos, with dynamic stage lighting in the background.
A guitarist passionately performing on stage, head thrown back and hair flying, wearing a black sleeveless shirt with a graphic design.
Three female musicians performing on stage with electric guitars, wearing stylish outfits and energetic poses under dramatic lighting.
A female musician performing on stage with a microphone and electric guitar, wearing a red dress and adorned with accessories, surrounded by colorful stage lights.
A female guitarist performing energetically on stage with her hair flying and a microphone in front of her, set against a dark background.
A musician playing electric guitar on stage, passionately performing with raised fists, wearing a black tank top featuring a graphic design.
A female bassist performing on stage, wearing a black outfit and fishnet stockings, playing a blue bass guitar with long hair flowing as she moves.
Two female musicians performing on stage with electric guitars and microphones, illuminated by colorful stage lights.
A female musician performing on stage, playing an electric guitar and singing into a microphone, dressed in a stylish outfit with a lace texture.
A female musician playing an electric bass guitar on stage, wearing a black outfit and fishnet stockings, with dramatic lighting in the background.
A female musician passionately singing into a microphone while playing an electric guitar on stage, with vibrant red and orange lighting in the background.
A guitarist performing on stage under green lighting, wearing a sleeveless shirt and black pants, with a focused expression and a black guitar.

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