Ice Nine Kills very quickly became one of my favorite bands after I saw them for the first time performing at Blue Ridge Rock Festival in 2021. I didn’t know much of their music back then but it was their theatrics and the way they bring horror movies to life on stage that really hooked me. 2022 was my year of Ice Nine Kills. I somehow managed to see them 13 times, in 9 different states, in 1 year! The fact that it came out to two unlucky numbers is a perfect coincidence. Every show I went to has now become core memories and each show had a story that I'll never forget. Come down a little Ice Nine memory lane with me!
1. February 25th - Opening for Metallica - Las Vegas, NV
This one barely counts as a time I saw them but I did ‘see’ them so… it counts! There were some problems getting our media passes, as per usual, so by the time I got into the stadium and onto the floor, Ice Nine was already more than half way through their set. I did get to hear “Communion of the Cursed” though and that was actually the one and only time I’ve ever heard them play it live! Later in the night, as we were moving through the crowd, I saw Spencer standing in front of me. I just stopped dead in my tracks for a moment and it took a second to actually process that that was Spencer. I went up to him and asked for a picture and of course my flash was on so that was embarrassing. Super cool of him though to let me annoy him in the middle of a Metallica song just for a picture.
2. March 17th - Trinity of Terror Opening Night - Mesa, AZ
When I first saw the announcement for Trinity of Terror, I knew I had to go to this opening night because this line up was too special and iconic to miss the FIRST EVER show. One of my friends and I came up with this insane road trip plan and we somehow managed to make it work. I got approved for a photo pass for this night which was wild. Before Ice Nines set, they were playing horror movie scores from movies like Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street. There was something about being outside, on a cold Arizona night, with that music echoing throughout the amphitheater that added such an eerie feeling. That's a moment I’ll never forget. Before the show, I was thinking how cool it would be to hear “Wurst Vacation” and “Take Your Pick” live because at the time, they weren't the most popular songs off their latest album, Welcome to Horrorwood. I thought the likelihood of playing them was low, but the second song they played was “Wurst Vacation”! Halfway through their set, I heard the sound of a heart rate monitor and my heart actually dropped, because that’s the beginning of “Take Your Pick.” I couldn’t believe I got to hear the live debuts of my two favorite songs, at the time, on the same night. The Mesa show definitely holds a special place because this is what started my TOT “addiction.”
3. March 18th - Trinity of Terror night #2 - Los Angeles, CA
This was day 3 of the insane road trip with my friend! We left Arizona in the morning and drove 5 hrs to Los Angeles running on 4 hrs of sleep and a major bang over from the night before. At the time, this was the most insane pit I had ever been in. The push in the beginning got us from way in the back to almost second row! It got so tight that I couldn’t move my arms at all and at one point my leg caught behind me and I was stuck in arabesque for a while. I lost my signature Pink Glasses (which have survived many crazy shows) that night, so that's how you know it was a good show!
4. April 22nd - 98ROCKFEST - Tampa, FL
This was the first, and only, show I wasn’t in the pit for. We had seats that were facing the side of the stage so it was interesting to watch the show from that different kind of angle. It gave me a sort of “behind the scenes” vibe because I could see behind the shower curtain during “The Shower Scene” and saw a side view of the “Hey Paul” part in Hip To Be Scared. It took the “magic” away a little, but I’d seen those scenes before anyways so it was cool to see it that way.
5. April 23rd - Earthday Birthday - Orlando, FL
For some reason, there was barely any security at the stage when Ice Nine started playing. During their first song, Spencer jumped off the stage to catch a crowd-surfer because the two security guards that were there, weren't paying attention. I couldn’t imagine being that girl just crowd-surfing and then realize that you’re literally being cradled by Spencer! At this point, I apparently made it a tradition where every time I’m in the pit for an Ice Nine show, I get kicked in the back of the head from a crowd-surfer between songs before they play “Stabbing in the Dark.” I don’t know why it’s that specific, but it’s funny to me. I saw somewhere that bassist Joe Occhiuti’s favorite snack is Nutter Butters and that’s mine too! When we stopped at the store to get my daily Nutter Butters before heading to the fest, I grabbed another one just in case I ran into him. My mom ran into him while I was in the crowd, waiting for Motionless in White and told him about the Nutter Butters. Joe actually came over to where I was standing and hung out for a while just chatting about Nutter Butters and then we got our “Nutter Buddies” photo!
6. August 30th - Red Rocks - Denver, CO
Red Rocks was the show that almost didn’t happen for us. We flew into Denver that morning and hung around Red Rocks pretty much all day, taking in all the beautiful scenery. Closer to show time, we start to go on the hunt for our passes. Again, as per usual, our passes were nowhere to be found. After two hours of waiting outside the venue, waiting for someone to answer or tell us what's up, a random guy came up and gave us two tickets! An actual guardian angel! We made it into the venue just in time and somehow still found a pretty decent seat even though that place was packed! The horror movie scores Ice Nine plays before their sets was even more eerie this night. With the sun setting, the color on the rocks, the crispy cold air, the acoustics of Red Rocks, and the fact that we were out in the middle of actual nowhere, It was an actual horror movie. The day may have been super frustrating and didn't go exactly how we thought it would go, but I was just grateful to have the opportunity to see a couple of my favorite bands in one of the most iconic venues.
7. September 10th - Blue Ridge Rock Festival - Alton, VA
I was super excited for this show because Blue Ridge is my favorite place ever and actually where I discovered Ice Nine the year before. It was a “Rainy Day” and just the perfect vibe for an INK show. WIth all that, this was a set that almost turned me off from Ice Nine. During their set, fans put their arms up in an X, indicating someone was injured and needed medical help. Usually bands will stop the song and wait for the person to get help or get the signal all is good. I understand bands are in a different head space, with adrenaline flowing, especially INK with all their moving parts for their scenes. They didn’t stop for a while though and seemed pissed off, from our point of view, when they finally did. I think they are all good guys, so I was confused as to what was happening, but I hoped it was just frustration of being in the zone and having to stop. The fan was luckily okay and maybe they could see that from on stage? At the time, I was quite disappointed and confused, but we don’t know the whole story and I want to give them the benefit of the doubt and believe they were not being dicks.
8. September 18th - Trinity of Terror round #3 - Cincinnati, OH
This was Ice Nine’s redemption show for me. I flew into Cincinnati early the morning of the show. There wasn’t much to do so my friend and I hung out around the venue pretty much all day. We met a few of the members of the bands and got Spencer’s attention with my “Fuck Cilantro” sign. (It's an ongoing inside joke). This was closing night, for Leg 2 of TOT, so it was just absolute chaos throughout the night. During We Came As Romans, they brought out a table and chair with Joe sitting in the middle of the stage eating rice and throwing it at people the whole song. This was probably my favorite Ice Nine show out of all of them! They sounded amazing and their energy was unmatched. During their last song, “Funeral Derangements,” Spencer jumped into the crowd, right on top of me and we were stunting him (all those years of cheer paying off)! As he was singing the last chorus, he came up and screamed right in my face. When I say right, I mean RIGHT in my face. Like actually centimeters away, our foreheads almost touching! It was one of those “what the fuck just happened” moments. After the show, we hung around for a bit and I was able to meet Ricky and Joe again and they signed my “Fuck Cilantro” sign, even though Joe likes cilantro, he did it.
9. October 7th - Slipknot Roadshow - Irvine, CA
Being able to see INK open for two super iconic metal bands this year was amazing! Since it was more of a Slipknot crowd, my friend and I were some of the only Ice Nine fans in the crowd. We were doing the hand waving motions for Rainy Day, Shower Scene, and American Nightmare before anyone else was and it was just pure chaotic energy all around.
10. October 23rd - When We Were Young - Las Vegas, NV
The setting at When We Were Young was so pretty, interestingly enough. The scenery of the Las Vegas Strip surrounded the fest, but specifically having The Strat directly behind the stage Ice Nine was playing at was so cool! After their set, I made it to barricade. Shevy (INK’s MUA and onstage actor) was walking around the photo pit with two setlists and the red balloon from stage. I said hi to her as she was walking by, we talked for a sec and then she left. She came back a couple minutes later and she was like, “Here, you get the balloon!” I never thought I would be so excited over a balloon, but when they play “IT is the end”, lead singer Spencer Charnas usually releases the balloon, so it’s kind of like a ‘rare’ Ice Nine souvenir to have, which is so dope!
11. December 7th - Trinity of Terror #4 - Los Angeles, CA
Since it was almost Christmas time, Ice Nine added Merry Axe-Mas to their setlist! Another song I’ve been dying to hear since I started getting into them. They brought out a Santa on stage that threw out “gifts” throughout the entire song. The funny part though was there was a guy dressed as Santa in the front row and all the bands made some sort of mention of him. After 12 shows, This was the first time I got to hear my all time favorite Ice Nine song live, “Farewell II Flesh.” After the 11 shows I had been to at this point, this was the first time I had ever caught something that they threw after the show! It was just Spencer's towel, but still cool as shit!
12. December 11th - Trinity of Terror #5 - Portland, OR
We waited outside the venue for hours in the 30° weather and it was so worth it! I’ve been close to the front for pretty much all of these shows but this was the first TOT I got to be on the barricade! I was actually front and center which was crazy. I was able to just enjoy the show and not have to worry so much about the people around me.
13. December 12th - Trinity of Terror #6 - Seattle, WA
The final closing night of Trinity of Terror. To be able to go to the very first opening night and the very last closing night of this tour was so special to me. It was one of those bitter sweet moments because of course I wanted to go to the show, but I also didn’t want it to be over already. I don’t think I’ve truly lived in a moment more than I did at this show. Just taking in every song, every experience, and getting lost in the moment. Out of all the TOT’s I’d been to, I had never seen Ice Nine close but they closed this night! Because closing nights of tours are always chaotic and random, Ice Nine Kills added “The Box” to their set and it was the first time they’ve performed it with Brandon Saller from Atreyu! Saller is featured on the studio recording of “The Box” so that was something really amazing to see live. At the end of the show, I finally got one of Patrick's drumsticks! I’d been close to catching one so many times so to finally catch one, especially at the last show, was great!
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