Featuring : Harms way & i promised the world
September 27th, 2025 the momentary bentonville, ar
This Saturday we made the trek to Bentonville, AR — aka Walmart Headquarters. And let me tell you… this place was giving “post-apocalyptic shopping spree.” Giant buildings, hotels, storefronts — all completely empty. Every window stamped with that ominous “coming soon” in the Walmart font. It felt less like a town and more like we’d accidentally driven onto the set of a corporate horror film. If a tumbleweed with a rollback sticker had rolled past, I wouldn’t have been surprised. Thankfully, some thru-traffic — and The Momentary — kept me from fully losing my grip on reality.
The Momentary was new territory for us. We’ve had shows scheduled here before, but always in the outdoor space, and for some reason every single one mysteriously got cancelled (conspiracy??). This time though, it was indoors — and holy wow. The place is gorgeous. Architecture? Architectural Digest levels. Inside decor? Pinterest-core perfection. Staff? So nice it almost felt suspicious. Even parking was a dream — they have their own garage. At a venue. Like… excuse me, what dimension did we just step into?
And it doesn’t stop there. This place is basically an artsy wonderland. There’s a grocery store, a whole strip of shops (looked lively, sad I couldn’t peek inside), a café, a bar, and even a lobby store selling vinyl, books, and t-shirts. It’s like if Target and an art museum had a baby, and then raised it on craft coffee and indie playlists. The place is massive, too — you could wander around all day and still stumble on new corners to explore.
Once we stepped into this little wonderland, the first mission was grabbing our photo pass. Easy. From there, we wandered down to the merch area to do the sacred pre-show ritual: scanning the tables like dragons eyeing treasure. Truthfully, we already knew what we wanted — so it was more of a victory lap than actual shopping. With the loot mentally secured, we posted up at their cute little booth tables and waited for showtime.
We’re in. The room? About the size of a cinema. At first glance, not too bad — spacious enough that you think, hey, maybe this will be comfortable. But if you’ve been to a show, you already know the truth: this calm little theater is about to turn into a sauna packed with sweaty bodies, and personal space will be nothing but a distant memory. The kind of crowd where if you drop something, you’re never seeing it again.
We made our move right up to the barricade to catch the first act: I Promised The World. Now, these guys were cool. They’ve got that early 2000s emo punk energy — think skinny jeans, shaggy bangs, and lyrics that sound like they were written in the margins of your high school notebook. It was like taking a time machine straight back to the Warped Tour era, minus the sunburn and Monster Energy tents.
Then came their track “Tears on the Moon.” I know, the title sounds like it could be either a knock-off Twilight book or a perfume you’d find at Hot Topic. But don’t let the name fool you — this song is an absolute hammer. The drums hit so hard they practically rattled my ribcage, and halfway through I caught myself grinning like an idiot because it was just that good. It’s one of those songs that makes you stop mid-sway and go, “Oh wow, okay, these dudes are playing for keeps.”
Right now, the band’s still flying under the radar, but if they keep cranking out tracks like that, I don’t see them staying small for long. They’ve got the sound, the energy, and that little spark you can’t fake. On the strength of that song alone, I genuinely hope they start pulling the recognition they deserve.
Now we’re onto Harms Way — and honestly, these guys are just straight-up badass. Like, if you had to explain the genre of “hardcore” to someone who’s never heard it, you could just point to this band and go, “Yeah, that. Exactly that.” They hit the nail on the head so hard it probably bent the hammer.
And then there’s vocalist James Pligge. Terrifying. Truly built like a final boss you’d rather not encounter in a dimly lit alley. Watching him stalk the stage felt less like a frontman and more like an apex predator sizing up the crowd. He doesn’t even have to scream — his presence does half the work.
The set itself? Brutal in the best way. I headbanged so hard I basically gave myself a migraine souvenir, but worth it. Every breakdown was like a gut punch you secretly enjoyed. The energy was relentless — you could feel it ripple through the room, and the crowd answered right back with chaos.
Speaking of the crowd, things got rowdy real quick. At one point I got kicked in the back of the head, which I’m pretty sure is just part of the unspoken contract you sign the moment you step into a hardcore pit. Honestly? All is fair game in the mosh, and if you leave without at least one new bruise, did you even go?
All said, Harms Way crushed it. Aggressive, intense, and unapologetically hardcore — exactly what you want, exactly what you came for.
It’s honestly kind of hilarious that a death metal band would even bother making a stop in Arkansas of all places. Like, was this an accident? Did the tour bus driver just miss a turn somewhere between Dallas and Nashville and go, “Eh, guess we’ll play here”? Whatever the case, I’m so glad they did, because this show was pure, unfiltered chaos.
The pit might’ve been small, but what it lacked in size, it made up for in sheer lunacy. People were throwing themselves around like caffeinated raccoons, and yeah, there were crowd surfers—but not a single one of them ever made it all the way to the stage. Nope. The pit swallowed them whole, like some kind of human black hole. Wild animals. That’s the best description I’ve got.
When Deafheaven came on, though, the entire vibe shifted. It wasn’t just people moshing anymore—it felt like the whole room unlocked this weird primal energy. Their music hits way different live than it ever could coming through your earbuds or car speakers. Heavy doesn’t even cut it. It was like someone plugged the atmosphere into an amplifier and cranked it until reality started glitching. I swear at one point I may or may not have had an out-of-body experience… or maybe I just got elbowed in the ribs and lost consciousness for a second. Who’s to say?
All I know is that the whole set was mind-blowing. Vocals? Crushing. Guitars? Absolutely shredding. Drums? Banging like they were trying to start a small earthquake. And the bass—well, it was bass. Doing that chest-rattling thing it does. But together? It was one of the most insane, unforgettable live shows I’ve ever seen.
By the end of it all, I left The Momentary feeling like my brain had been scrambled, my ears permanently ringing, and my body equal parts bruised and buzzing — and honestly? I wouldn’t have it any other way. Nights like this remind me why we chase shows, why we drive out to random towns, why we put ourselves through sweat, chaos, and questionable pit etiquette. Because when a lineup like this hits the stage — I Promised The World, Harms Way, Deafheaven — it’s not just music. It’s an experience.
If this tour is rolling anywhere near you, do yourself a favor and go. Doesn’t matter if you’re a die-hard fan or just curious to see what it feels like when sound practically rewires your DNA — this is the kind of show you’ll still be talking about months from now.
Arkansas might’ve just been a stop on the map, but for one night, it was the center of the universe.
MID SOUTH 