Spiritbox Steals Our Souls In Des Moines!

Story and Photos: Spencer Fleming

The last couple weeks have been a dream. Last week I got to shoot AWOLNATION and then go to Spiritbox the next night (4.30.25). This week I got to see WWE Raw with my good friend Joe DeSanti (The Review Junkie). I went to Spiritbox as a fan, but Joe let me borrow his nice Sony point and shoot. I actually came away with lots of good shots, so I figured I might as well tell the whole tale.....

I've been a massive Spiritbox fan since 2021. There was a brief moment when Spiritbox was going to play in Lincoln, NE with Limp Bizkit, but shortly after the tour was announced it was canceled. It would be three years until Spiritbox finally graced Nebraska with their presence opening for Korn and Gojira at the CHI Center back in October. I'm a casual Korn fan and I've seen Gojira several times, but I knew I had to be at that show. I was able to get a hook up on some nice seats and I had my first experience with Spiritbox. Even though there were some technical difficulties and they only played a few songs, I was all in. They blew the roof off the arena and I knew if they ever came near Nebraska again I had to make the trip. It was announced that Spiritbox would be doing a headline tour for their new album Tsunami Sea and they were coming to Des Moines! I immediately bought tickets not knowing if they would have press access. Let me tell you it was worth every cent.

I took my son Aeros to the Korn show and he started getting into Spiritbox after that. He really wanted to see them again so the lucky little guy got a ticket. We were so stoked for the show, we got there hours before the doors to try and get our records signed and get a spot right up front. I hung around the bus area for a good hour but I wasn't able to spot anyone from the Spiritbox team. Eventually we just waited for the doors and talked to some fellow fans.

As the door time struck I was a bit chagrined to learn there was a "Fast Pass" line which let what seemed like a sea of fans in before us. This would come to be a huge blessing later. We made our way inside the building and rushed for the front. Since there were so many fans already inside we had to settle for the second row. Without the stability of the railing and knowing there would probably be quite a few crowd surfers we opted for the rail in front of the sound board towards the back.

The first band on the bill was the hardcore group Dying Wish from Portland, Oregon. I was able to shoot photos of Dying Wish when they toured with Code Orange a few years back. I even got to do an interview with the lead singer Emma after the show! It was an awesome time. I caught them on the side stage at Knotfest, IA last year, so this would be my third time seeing them, and I was pumped. Much like Courtney from Spiritbox, Emma has deep gutteral screams but also has some beautiful clean parts. The band was kicking the crowd's butt calling for circle pits and crowd surfers. It was at this point I knew I made the right decision staying away from the front. A constant stream of surfers made their way over the railing with legs and arms flailing. If you've never been kicked in the head or had a human body land on you from crowd surfing count yourself lucky. After about 30 minutes of pummeling it was time for a set changeover and then the UK band Loathe.

Funny enough I had shot photos and seen Loathe once before on that same Code Orange show. It's cool that the bands were touring together again. This time around the energy from Loathe was absolutely insane. Not that the last time I saw them was bad, I just feel like the tempo and the raw energy this time was turned up to 11! Loathe also had some major circle pits and crowd surfers. The crowd was loving the show and was super fired up for Loathe's ethereal riff-heavy tunes. Loathe absolutely crushed their set and left the fans cheering for more. If you get the chance, check Loathe out, they rip!

After a long setup and much anticipation it was finally time for my new favorite band!! The lights went dark and the screens on the stage flashed with strobes. The sound of lightning and thunder cracked over the speakers. Courtney and the boys stepped out and ripped into "Fata Morgana" the opening track from Tsunami Sea. There's something that feels so natural when a band plays the first song from the album they are on tour to support. Throughout the show Spiritbox displayed lots of black and white images of waves, forests, boats, and lighthouses. The main theme of Tsunami Sea is about Spiritbox's home in Vancouver Island. Courtney has said in interviews it's about wanting to leave the isolation of the island, to get out and explore the world, but also feeling the pull of the home they love so much. So, much like the sea, it ebbs and flows as they tour with their band and come back home. It's such a beautiful record and Courtney's lyrics are always on point. The lights and sounds added so much texture to the captivating music.

Since we were in the back it was a little tough to see everything because the room was so packed. Aeros asked a venue worker if we could go up to the balcony. The guy said "It's normally a VIP thing, but have fun kid". We were so excited! We got to watch almost the whole set from the front row of the balcony where we could see everything!

Spiritbox did a great job mixing up the set with new tracks from Tsunami Sea, cuts from their E.P. The Fear of Fear, and some essential songs from their debut album Eternal Blue. I'm not hating, but there were a couple songs from Eteral Blue I would've loved to hear. I get it though, they are on the road for Tsunami Sea and they've probably played Eternal Blue to death. I so badly wish I could have seen them on a headline run for Eternal Blue, but alas, I'm super happy with the set we got. I'm sure there will be an Eternal Blue 10-year anniversary tour or maybe some one-off celebration dates. I had the most amazing time watching Spiritbox absolutely destroy the stage. Courtney is a bonafide rock star and one of the best singers to bless the metal scene in the last decade.

After the show Aeros went up to the venue worker that gave us the seat upgrade and thanked him. He was blown away by Aeros' manners and gave us a setlist! Such an awesome way to cap the evening. We went back to the bus area to wait for the band, but the security was trying their best to run everyone off. I would've found a way to keep hanging around but it started to rain, so we ordered our car service. I saw later on the fan page that Courtney and Mike didn't come out, so we didn't miss much. I've read that Courtney takes extreme vocal rest between shows so I'm not surprised she didn't meet with fans.

Even without getting our records signed the show was an absolute pleasure. I'm so happy I got to see Spiritbox in a smaller theater atmosphere. I truly think that will be the last time I see them on that scale. They will be headlining arenas before too long. If you get the chance to catch Spiritbox this year I highly recommend it. I saw some rumblings that they might be the opener for the sold out Sleep Token tour. That would be absolutely mind blowing if true, but I'll keep my eye out for any Midwest Spiritbox dates and hope I can have my soul stolen once again!

Thanks for reading and we'll see you at the next one!

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