Photos and Review | Poison The Well - House Of Blues Anaheim

Poison The Well @ The House of Blues, Anaheim, CA. | @shotbycrulz

Sixteen years after their last full-length release, Poison The Well returned to Anaheim’s House of Blues on May 15 with something to prove—and judging by the reaction inside the packed venue, they never lost a step. Touring in support of their long-awaited new album ‘Peace In Place,’ released March 20, the band delivered a set that felt both nostalgic and revitalized, pulling heavily from across their entire discography while reminding everyone why their influence on post-hardcore and metalcore still looms so large.

The moment the lights dropped, the atmosphere shifted instantly. Dark shadows swallowed most of the stage while violent strobes and harsh LED backlighting transformed the band into silhouettes for much of the night. Rather than relying on flashy production, the lighting amplified the rawness of the performance, making every breakdown and emotional crescendo hit even harder.

Poison The Well wasted no time diving into the deep end, opening with “Botchla,” the iconic opener from “Tear From the Red.” The reaction was immediate as the venue erupted into constant movement from the very first moments of the set.

The setlist balanced old material with newer tracks seamlessly, never allowing the energy to dip. Songs like “Thoroughbreds” and “Wax Mask” triggered massive crowd reactions, while newer material from “Peace In Place” proved just as effective live. “Everything Hurts” in particular stood out, fitting naturally alongside the band’s classic material while carrying the same emotional weight and intensity that helped define Poison The Well’s earlier records.

One of the loudest moments of the night came during “Artist’s Rendering of Me,” with the crowd screaming nearly every word back towards the band. If there hadn’t been a barricade separating the crowd from the stage, it felt inevitable that fans would have completely piled onto vocalist Jeff Moreira and the microphone. The singalong was deafening, creating one of those rare moments where the audience nearly overtook the band itself.

To close the night, Poison The Well delivered their biggest anthem, “Nerdy,” from “The Opposite of December.” The second the opening notes hit, the entire room exploded one final time. Voices filled every inch of the venue as the band closed out the set in pure cathartic chaos—sweaty, loud, emotional, and exactly the kind of ending a Poison The Well show deserves.

Who: Poison The Well
Where: The House of Blues, Anaheim, CA
When: May 15th, 2026