This isn’t my first Datsik rodeo. Having caught him in on the 2015 Ninja Nation Tour, at the now shut down venue Somewhere Loud in San Diego, I can truly say he was an awesome act. His then Vortex Stage produced some amazing visuals that brought out the headbanger in me, and everyone surrounding me.

However, this show was something for the books. I’m a California native, and I’m used to shows in LA and San Diego, but I think I can truly say the crowd at Rams Head Live! In Baltimore, was something incredible.

Virtual Riot took the stage at 9:45pm. With following act Crizzly, then finally the awaited Datsik. By 10:00pm the venue was packed and the show sold out. By the time Crizzly took the stage, the energy and atmosphere was wildly insane. This crowd was more lively than large music festivals I’ve attended.

Both floors of the venue were absolutely packed. People were dancing and moshing their hearts away. And by the time Datsik took the stage the fences were already broken from the amount of headbanging they received.

Datsik’s show was something for the books. His Shogun stage, a new creation, is the trademark of this tour. Datsik plays in full Mortal Kombat style ninja gear, with a stage constructed to look like a Shogun Temple to boot. His extremely hard hitting bass hit the crowd like a million shots of 5-hour energy. People were breaking fences with their headbanging, they were moshing, they were going absolutely bat-crazy wild. I can truthfully say, if you didn’t manage to catch the 2017 Ninja Nation Tour in Baltimore, you need to try to make it to one of the other stops. It’s a show I would be hard-pressed to miss, and probably the best time I’ve had in a while.

- Written by Jonathan Nelson