Concert Reviews

Concert Review: Poison the Well, Better Lovers, and Teenage Wrist at The Beacham

by Warped Media

Updated April 21, 2025

Concert Review: Poison the Well, Better Lovers, and Teenage Wrist at The Beacham – 4/19/25 A Night of Beautiful Chaos

There’s something wild about seeing a band that’s been part of your life for 25 years come back swinging like they never left. That’s exactly what happened at The Beacham when Poison the Well took the stage to celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Opposite of December. It was heavy, emotional, and—most surprisingly—full of people who looked like they could be your dad, your little cousin, and everyone in between.

From the jump, it was clear this wasn’t going to be just another nostalgia act phoning it in. The energy was real, and the crowd was hungry for it.

Teenage Wrist

Teenage Wrist opened the night with their dreamy alt-rock-meets-grunge set, setting a mood that felt like warm-up stretches for the soul. Their sound is more ethereal than crushing, but they fit the bill perfectly—an unexpected, almost soothing start before the storm.

Better Lovers

Then Better Lovers hit. Holy hell. If you know, you know. This band is the definition of controlled chaos—tight, ferocious, and full of that “light the match and run” kind of intensity. Greg Puciato is an absolute animal on stage, and their set was like getting punched in the chest in the best possible way. The pit was already spinning by the end of their first song, and the crowd was fully locked in.

Poison the Well

But let’s talk about Poison the Well.

As soon as the lights dimmed and the opening chords of 12/23/93 rang out, you could feel it—that wave of connection. It didn’t matter if you were in your teens, twenties, or pushing forty—this album meant something to everyone in the room. I saw people who clearly weren’t even born when the record dropped screaming every word like it was tattooed in their DNA. And then there were the lifers—folks who probably saw PTW in a VFW hall in 2001—eyes glassy, fists in the air.

They played The Opposite of December front to back, and it hit just as hard as it did back then. A Wish for Wings That Work was an all-out war zone. Nerdy nearly ripped the floorboards up. You could tell the band wasn’t just going through the motions—they felt it too. Every scream from Jeff, every crashing breakdown—it all felt alive.

What stood out most was the weirdly beautiful mix of people. Hardcore kids in fresh merch rubbing shoulders with older fans in faded tees, all packed together, sweating, screaming, and throwing down. There were people documenting it on iPhones, and others just living in it—eyes closed, bodies moving. It was a community. A reminder of why we go to shows in the first place.

Poison the Well didn’t just play a record—they reminded everyone why that record still matters. It’s more than just 25 years of music. It’s 25 years of people finding themselves in this sound, this chaos, this catharsis.