Rian Nickels
Mar 3, 2025
The Death and Glory Tour was a testament to music's power to unite us.
During the peak of the Carnival season on February 26th, 2025, just a week before Louisiana’s most beloved holiday – Mardi Gras – the popular music venue Joy Theater in New Orleans, Louisiana, was visited by two amazing acts on the rise in the alternative music scene. (Although they’ve both been under the radar for over a decade.) The weather was perfect, the streets were adorned with the purple, gold, and green glimmers of the classic Mardi Gras beads, and citizens and tourists proudly wore the traditional Mardi Gras Colors. This made for the perfect night to see what Palaye Royale and Johnnie Guilbert had in store for us.
The line was wrapping around Joy Theater. Punks, Emos, and Alternatives were dripping in black clothes, fishnets, band merchandise, and eyeliner and waiting excitedly for the doors to open. As the doors opened, the bars, barricades, and merch tables were lined with eager fans. Jay and I found a spot up close to wait for the show to begin. Kicking off the night was Musician and long-standing Youtuber Johnnie Guilbert.
This was Johnnie’s first time touring with a full band, and even though he’s been around and well-known on YouTube for over a decade, his music career is only starting to take off. From watching his videos, I can tell that, like many of us in the alternative scene, Johnnie’s always been kind of shy and anxious; I was excited to see if being on tour has helped him to become more confident.
As soon as Johnnie came out in his signature black Ray-Bans, the crowd lost their minds; the fan girls broke out in shrills and screams of joy. He greeted New Orleans and then went straight into his tracks ‘If Looks Could Kill’ and ‘Angel of Death’. The energy was instantly on fire in Joy Theater as the fans let loose while SCREAMING every lyric to his songs; it was then clear to me that the alternative music fan base in Louisiana was still breathing. By the time Johnnie performed his newest song – ‘Fake Positivity’ - his confidence in his stage presence was starting to shine brighter. He was all over the stage, switching between wearing and taking off his shirt and sunglasses, dramatically falling to the floor and singing while lying on his back, and was full of high, edgy energy.
You could genuinely see that he was happy to be standing in front of us. After playfully swaying around to each side of the stage, giving everyone in the front row the proper amount of attention, he asked the crowd for more energy (and boy did they deliver) before he fell to his knees to get down to crowd level before he and the crowd echoed the song’s chorus through the theater. Johnnie then played hit songs like ‘Violent Dream, ’ ‘Doctor,’ and ‘Zombie.’
In between songs, Johnnie made sure to let his playful personality shine with silly comments to the crowd, saying things like “And this one’s ‘Baby’ by Justin Bieber” before playing ‘Zombie’ and reciting Chappell Roan’s spelling from her track ‘Hot to Go’. Of course, following Johnnie’s ‘H-O-T-T-O-G-O’ was the crowd’s requitement of “You can take me hot to go”.
Johnnie made sure that the crowd felt included by holding the hands of fans and waving in their direction. I was surprised and overjoyed by his warm, rowdy, joyous, diva energy as he’s usually known for being the dark, emotional, and sensitive guy. Being in Johnnie’s crowd made me feel like there was no separation of artist and fan; it was one of those concerts where you’re reminded that the show couldn’t go on without one or the other.
For Johnnie's last song, 'Vampire', he created a moment that will be etched in my memory forever. He asked everyone to come closer, and we all huddled around him. As he sang the closing verse, we all sang along, our arms reaching out to him. It was a moment of shared intimacy, a perfect conclusion to a performance that we will always remember.
Before leaving the stage, he told New Orleans goodnight and that he’d meet everyone at the merch table and take photos. I don’t think I’ve ever run as fast as I did to his merch table. Johnnie was kind to every person in the line, giving everyone time for a photo, an autograph, time to appreciate the gifts he was being given (like bracelets, drawings of himself, and various trinkets), and a small chat. When it was my turn, I told him about how I had been watching his videos while I edited my concert photos for the past year and that I was so incredibly honored to be able to capture pictures of him.
He was genuine and told me he saw me in the photo pit, loves to see the photos people take of him, and to be on the lookout. I took a photo with him and gave him a farewell hug (after asking him if he was a hugger, which you should always do!) so that the rest of the eager fans could get their chance to meet him. With my heart full of gratitude for that full circle moment, I was pumped and ready for the headlining band, Palaye Royale.
Before the show, I had only heard a few Palaye Royale songs, so I had no idea what to expect from their performance. Palaye Royale is a garage/glam rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, comprising three brothers. Remington Leith is the band’s frontman, with Sebastian Danzig on guitar and keys and Emerson Barret on the drums. They are supported by touring members Logan Baudean (from Louisiana) on the bass and Dave Green on the guitar. It would be a complete understatement to say their performance blew me out of the water.
Palaye Royale came out strong with a tsunami of riotous energy with their new track from their latest album, Death or Glory. I fell more in love with their stage presence with every song they performed. Remmington has an impressive amount of energy pouring out of him that keeps you on your feet with your heart racing with excitement. Emerson has just the right amount of punk attitude and the drum talent to back it up. I know people say this about drummers all the time, but he was the heartbeat of the performance, keeping everyone on time and in harmony. Sebastian was just as talented and charismatic as his brothers; something about his riffs on the guitar takes you away from the world and brings you into the moment. These brothers are insanely talented and harmonic, but their touring members add the perfect edge to their live performances. Logan’s baselines make it impossible not to groove your body to the rhythm.
One of my favorite highlights of the performance was when they played ‘No Love in LA’; For this track, the whole crowd was in tune, and the entire venue was jumping, singing the words, and flowing with pure excitement. The crowd was already mighty alive, but this brought the show together. Royale switched up the energy from chaotic to heartfelt with their track ‘Just My Type’ and then right back to that rebellious vibe with ‘Addicted to the Wicked & Twisted’ from their newest album. Palaye then played one of my favorites from their latest album, ‘Show Biz.’ I like this track because it compliments Remington’s voice versatility and reminds me of 2000s rock with a modern enhancement. They then slowed things way down with ‘Dying In A Hot Tub’ from their record Boom Boom Room (Side B), a track about losing someone you care about to addiction/suicide; in that moment, you could feel just how many of us could relate to this and felt understood. Palaye Royale played a lengthy set that was the perfect mix of new and old songs for older and newer fans.
For the end of their set, they took things back to 2022 with their song ‘Fever Dream’; this track reminded me of the heaviness of the My Chemical Romance song ‘Famous Last Words’ and showed the band's possible inspiration from Gerard Way. This song had huge blow-up balls bouncing all around the venue, another thing that helped connect the audience with the band as members and fans were practically playing a massive game of “Keepy-Uppy”.
After the song's end, the lights went dark, and they suspiciously dropped their instruments and walked off stage. Of course, all attendees started to chant “ONE MORE SONG!” until the band came back on stage, wearing Mardi Gras Masquerade masks and covered in the famous plastic beads. The crowd of New Orleans went wild for that! Palaye Royale then played us a whole THREE more songs for the encore: ‘Dead to Me, ‘Lonely,’ which is my absolute favorite, and ‘Mr. Doctor Man’. Something about them that stuck out to me was how well they all played together; you could tell these three brothers were in tune with each other. I appreciated the level of presence, style, and talent they brought to Joy Theater, and although I went in only somewhat of a fan, I left a fan for life! Palaye Royale had the perfect amount of Panic-At-The-Disco-Carnival-Esque for Louisiana’s Carnival season.
As the lights dimmed and the night came to a close, I couldn’t help but feel that familiar rush of adrenaline that only live music can provide. Palaye Royale and Johnnie Guilbert performed and made us a part of their world for a few hours. They reminded us of something easy to forget in this crazy, chaotic world: that music is a form of connection, a pulse that beats through every heart in the crowd. With all its raw energy and unapologetic rebellion, the alternative scene still has a place for everyone who craves authenticity in a world that often feels too polished. That night, it wasn’t just about the songs—it was about the moments between them. The shared glances, the laughs, the love, the chaos—every little piece of the night reminded me why I fell in love with this scene in the first place. The Death and Glory Tour was a testament to music's power to unite us. As I walked out of the venue, I knew that despite the noise, neon, and the glittering beads of Mardi Gras, this kind of magic stays with you long after the last note fades away.
To learn more about Palaye Royale:
To learn more about Johnnie Guilbert:
*All photos courtesy of Rian Nickels - to see more, check out Rian's site below.
Questions or comments? Reach out to us at mixedalternativemag@gmail.com.