Wednesday Concert Review
“Wednesday” Concert Review
The Fonda Theater, Los Angeles
Friday October 17 2025
Loud, emotional, and unapologetically raw, Wednesday delivered a cathartic Friday night at the Fonda. From Crushing noise-rock explosions to tender, scream-along moments, the band proved why Bleeds needs to be felt live. Boots, distortion and all.
While I made my way to the balcony to find my spot upstairs, it looked like all the LA cowboys made an appearence. Decked out in vintage light wash jeans, flannels, and cowboy boots the fine folks of Los Angeles were ready to rock out with Wednesday. Fans heard the Weezer Song “L.A. Girls and when the band took to their spots on stage, the crowd went crazy. An interesting detail that I have noticed at shows recently is an increased use of “Intro Songs”, and I am all for it. Choose the song that will set the vibe up of the show we are about to get. Please immerse us in your world Wednesday.
Once the band locked in and the first strums were heard through the speakers, the Fonda errupted with Noise as the band opened with the first track off of Bleeds, “Reality TV Argument Bleeds. A true explosion of sound, this track combines elements of shoegaze, noise rock, and country twang. The cherry on top of the explosion? Karly’s raw and emotion filled vocals. The emotion fills the room and it feels like each song is a personal mesage wrtten by Karly and handed to you.
Following that, the show continued to blow the minds of the folks in the audience. Wednesday were out to please the Die Hard Fans this Friday night in Los Angeles, pllaying songs from accross their discogrophy. Tracks like “Twin Plagues” and “Fate Is…” was a great visit back to the Wednesday that folks fell in love with. Noisey and distorted in all the best ways…with brilliant songwritting at its core. Lyrics like “My fear never leaves me, And I convince myself of these things” is a look into Karly’s pshyche that allow fans to connect and understand where the emotion comes from. Although Karly gives the songs that raw emotion, the rest of the band should not and cannot be forgotten. If it werent for Jake Pugh (Spider) on guitar, Alan Miller on drums, Xandy Chelmis on pedal steel, and Ethan Baechtold’s slick bass guitar playing the live performances would be missing pieces of the puzzle that come together and create that Wednesday Twang. Although many fans may have been missing MJ Lenderman on lead guitar, it is safe to say that Spider filled those shoes and then some.
The tracks that sparkled brightes that Friday Night in Los Angeles came from the outstanding new record. Perhaps it is a recency bias, or if this is perhaps the most polished record that wednesday have put out, but tracks llike “The way Love goes” and “Pick up that knife” served as an emotional punch to the face. Then the indie kid song of the summer came on, “Elderberry Wine”, this song served as another emotional reset. Folks in the audience held each other close and danced togehter while screaming out the words with Karly. She even mentioned that “moments like that, where people hold each other tell each other “this is our song” has been a very special for me and its amazing that people are making this connection with this new record”.
As the night came slowly to an end around 11:30PM Karly got on the micropone and announced that the band had two more songs to play. It was at this point that she mentions that the band does not believe in encores and they like to leave it all out on stage. Before gettinng into “Bull Believer” Karly took a moment to thank the LA crowd for moving and singing with her, and praised the folks in the crowd planning on attending the No Kings Protets happening the following day, even extending her voice and platform to say “Fuck ICE”. The Angelenos cheered in solidarity as Wednesday killed the final two tracks of the night.
Although Bleeds stands alone as an amazing album to listen to at home, there is no replacement for the energy that Wednesday deliver in person and on stage. They come out and show out in the best way possible. Amazing and powerful delivery that can only be achieved in a room full of fans, old and new alike. It is bands like Wednesday that make braving the 101 traffiic on a Friday night worth it. A true explosion of sound and emotion delivered in an unforgettable perfomance.
Setlist:
Reality TV Argument Bleeds
Got Shcoked
Fate Is…
Wound uo here (by holding on)
Hot Rotten Gas Smell
Phish Pepsi
Quarry
Bitter Everyday
Pick up that Knife
Lonely Girls (Lucinda Williams Cover)
Twin Plagues
Candy Breath
Gary’s II
Bath Conty
The way loves goes
Elderberry Wine
Townies
Bull believer
Wasp
