​When the Southwest Seance tour announced it was descending upon Las Vegas on June 5th, it was a guarantee that the underground was about to shake the neon foundations of the city. Bringing a heavyweight lineup featuring Ouija Macc, Wakko The Kidd, Darby O’Trill, and Gloom Unit, this was poised to be one of the freshest runs of the year. We pulled up to the venue right around 8:00 PM, ready to see exactly what this short-run tour had in store for Sin City—and let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

​The event went down at The Wall, an intimate room tucked away inside the massive complex known as Area 15. For those unfamiliar, Area 15 isn’t your standard concert hall; it’s a sprawling, neon-soaked immersive art and entertainment district located just off the Vegas Strip. It’s famous for housing trippy, mind-bending interactive installations like Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart. We made our way to the very back of this artistic labyrinth to find The Wall.

​By the time we walked through the doors, local powerhouse Donnie Menace was already on stage, kicking off his set. ​Before getting fully locked into the show, I had to make my mandatory stop at the merch booths. The Chapter 17 table was an absolute goldmine. They were fully stocked with a massive selection of shirts, smoking accessories, tour-exclusive gear, and no joke, at least 17 different hats to choose from. I secured myself a Darby O’Trill shirt and we headed straight to the bar to grab some drinks.
​Right as Donnie Menace was wrapping up his explosive opening set, I bumped into Frankie Goldie of Gloom Unit. We chopped it up for a quick second before he had to bounce and get ready to hit the stage.

​I made a quick bathroom run and hurried back into the main room. I’m pretty sure I caught the very beginning of his set, but either way, my timing was perfect—I walked in right as the beat dropped for “Paper Chase,” my absolute favorite Gloom Unit track.
​Now, Gloom Unit was officially on the roster, which usually means Acetone Boogie would be in the mix, but Frankie ended up flying solo for this Vegas stop. That didn’t slow him down for a second; he completely held it down for the Unit. I posted up on the right side of the stage, and Frankie actually caught me getting down and dapped me up towards the beginning of his set. This was my fourth time seeing Frankie live, and his stage presence just keeps leveling up. The local crowd turned out hard, showing massive love for their hometown representative. Side note: if you’ve been sleeping on that new Gloom Unit album, House of Gloom, do yourself a favor and go suss that!

​Next up was Wakko The Kidd. Going into the night, I assumed Darby would go on before Wakko, but in hindsight, the lineup order made total sense. Darby simply has a larger catalog of music out right now, giving him the arsenal for a longer set.
​I’ve been watching Wakko’s journey since he was literally a kid, so seeing him command the room now is always a pleasure. He hit the stage with pure, unrelenting energy, and the Vegas crowd was feeding off every second of it.

​Following Wakko was Darby O’Trill, and his performance was nothing short of pure, unfiltered freshness. With the drop of his latest album, Wil(low), Darby has been on a serious upward trajectory, and the crowd’s reaction was all the proof you needed. In my humble opinion, nobody does it quite like Darby. His self-proclaimed “Nu-Wicked” style is incredibly unique, and I was hyped for his set. He delivered flawlessly, putting it down for a solid 45 minutes to an hour, and the crowd simply couldn’t get enough.

​Finally, it was time for the notorious Ouija Macc. To put things into perspective, the last time I saw Ouija perform live was way back in 2020 at Juggalo Weekend in Los Angeles—just a week or so before the COVID pandemic completely shut the world down. Now,If you follow Ouija, you know exactly how much music he has unleashed since then. We gathered the elements, ascended to Dark Planet, gathered runes, and the story goes on. Getting the opportunity to finally hear so many of those post-2020 bangers performed live was an incredibly fresh experience. He owned the stage, closing out the night with the exact kind of chaotic, wicked energy you expect from the boss of Chapter 17 Records himself.

​ The next day, after the show was already over. I saw a video Ouija had posted before the show, showing his name lit up on the side of Area 15. He stated that playing this venue was a full-circle moment for him because he used to be homeless on those very same streets. Knowing that makes watching him perform a headlining set in Vegas feel that much more triumphant.

​All in all, the Las Vegas stop of the Southwest Seance tour was a definitive night to remember, making this short-run tour one for the record books. If you’re ready for the next chapter, keep your eyes locked on Ouija Macc’s upcoming album, SIXELA, dropping on June 26th. You can head over to the Chapter 17 merch store right now to pre-order your physical copies and make sure you’re ready for the release!

Location: