August 29, 2026
Local H
Sideouts Sports Tavern
Island Lake, IL
This was my first time seeing Local H at Sideouts (SOLD OUT btw) and HOLY HELL was the live show balls to the wall right out of the gate!
Preshow music started with: AC/DC’s It’s A Long Way to The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll) another AC/DC song I can’t recall and The Jack, Dolly’s Jolene and 9 to 5, AC/DC’s Jailbreak, Islands in the Stream by Dolly and Kenny Rogers and Dolly’s Here You Come Again.
The band walked on stage to an old school picture of Dolly Parton* instead of the band logo on the screen behind them. Then… Then…
Wolf Like Me opener?!?! Say WHAT? I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen them open with that before, but it’s my fave cover they play! My mind went into overload at hearing it as the first song of the night because that song is a total blur now! But OMG! The song never gets old! And even though the full moon was technically two days prior to this show, I saw it high in the sky when I turned around.
“When the moon is round and full
Gonna teach you tricks that’ll blow your mind“
They kept the speed on HIGH and played back to back Hey, Killer album songs, City of Knives and Freshly Fucked.
To back up a minute here, on my way to the show I was listening to the 30th anniversary remastered version of As Good As Dead and thought, no way they will play Lovey Dovey. They played Lovey Dovey! Again, not sure the last time I heard this one live but it seemed a little more amped than I remember.
Next up was everyone’s favorite sing-a-long, or at least mine, California Songs, which lead into two more from AGAD, Eddie Vedder and I Saw What You Did and I Know Who You Are. I always love how this song feels like multiple songs in one.
They played another from Hey, Killer, where I loudly yelled, “This is your welcome to the family,” from The Misanthrope. And as you know, “There’s nothing worse than people.”
The first of two nods to Dolly Parton* came when Scott sang a little bit of Jolene that flowed into The One With ‘Kid’. Once again, Local H’s song felt like there was unexpected intensity with how the song was being played. Or maybe they all sounded slightly different to me since my last Local H show was 8 months ago. Either way, no complaints!
Back In The Day, another song I swore would not be played at this show, was chaotic in the best way. If you know these songs, by now you should have a feel for the non-stop, in your face pace they were playing because they barely let up! I couldn’t believe the set we were getting!
After Hands On The Bible, they gave us a blistering run of Nothing Special and Fritz’s Corner (again, two more personal faves, especially when played back to back) and Heavy Metal Bakesale. (My neck still hurts from that one! haha)
Click on photo to view larger version.
It was now approx. 55 minutes since the start of the show and the band left the stage. How many more ways can I describe this set?? They played the equivalent of slamming their foot down on the accelerator and barely stopping to view the sights!
I thought, “Umm, guys? What do you have left to give?” It would be a 35 minute encore! Well, okay!
Before they started, Scott gave a toast/cheers to Dolly Parton and played their version of Smothered in Hugs (Guided By Voices), which I have always loved. There’s just something about the way Scott sings it…
“But I believed you
No need for further questioning
I’m gonna leave with you
You can teach me all you know“
For those that don’t know, there are a couple H songs where fans are treated to tasty bits of covers during the middle of the song, but you never know what you’re going to get. First up, Bound for the Floor with a bit of The Stooges T.V. Eye. This went straight into the most excellent, That’s What They All Say from Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles?. The ride this song takes you on is pure joy for me. “Yeah, uh-huh.”
They ended the night with High-Fiving MF and a cover mashup in the middle of this song that I didn’t know I needed in my life! Scott mixed Dolly’s 9 to 5 with Half-Life! Say what?! It was amazing! And if there are plans for a future Local H covers EP, a longer version of this 9 to 5/Half-Life mashup needs to be on it! They eventually circled back to HI5IN and at the end of the song Scott repeated the line, “9 to 5” and “It’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it, crazy if you let it” a few more times before the song and show was officially over.
Wow, WoW, WOW. Another outstanding set! Scott and Ronnie gave us all they had and then some! For those keeping score, we got 9 songs from As Good As Dead. Not bad for an album celebrating 30 years in 2026.
This was my fourth time seeing Ronnie play with H and due to where I was standing and placement of his cymbals, I had a great view to really watch him work. The man is unstoppable!
As for Scott, the lead of a two-man team, he was in it all night. Like, IN IT. For someone who has been playing for so many years now, I don’t feel like he is phoning it in. Each show feels different and tailored the way they are for reasons we may never know. And that’s A-OK with me.
I didn’t take many photos or any video because the songs being played also had me IN IT. The few I did take were within the first six minutes and again at 10:08pm. I also decided this before Scott yelled for people to put their phones away and be a part of the show. Scott said, “Life is for the living. LIVE Motherfuckers!” (That’s what it sounded like, anyway.)
For many, many years now, I have always felt the LIVE show, of any band, is one of the best things you can partake in. There is nothing better than getting lost in the music. Whether you’re letting go of feelings, absorbing how the music or songs make you feel in general or just taking in what you’re seeing. Being in a live show environment is THE BEST!
Thanks to Scott and Ronnie for giving me exactly what I needed at this show even though I didn’t know I needed it at the start of the night.
To the folks in the Cold Manor, always great to talk and hang out! Hope everyone made it home safely (photos below by Alieta and Vickie).
Until the next one…
*Dolly Parton passed away on August 25, 2026. RIP Dolly!