Tomahawk Celebrates 25 Years of Controlled Chaos with a Triumphant Return to Dallas

Some bands reunite because nostalgia sells tickets. Tomahawk returned because they still have something to say.

On July 21, 2026, Mike Patton, Duane Denison, Trevor Dunn, and John Stanier walked onto the stage at Dallas’ Granada Theater for the first time since 2012, reminding a sold-out crowd why Tomahawk has always occupied a space entirely its own. The performance marked the Dallas stop of the band’s 25th Anniversary Tour, their first extensive run of U.S. dates in thirteen years, and the long-awaited live debut of much of the material from 2021’s Tonic Immobility—an album that, thanks to the pandemic and Patton’s subsequent hiatus from touring, had never received the stage time it deserved.

Tomahawk has never fit neatly into any genre. Formed in 1999 by Faith No More and Mr. Bungle vocalist Mike Patton alongside The Jesus Lizard guitarist Duane Denison, Helmet and Battles drummer John Stanier, and original bassist Kevin Rutmanis, the project was never intended to be a conventional supergroup. Instead, it became an outlet for musicians whose collective resumes suggested technical excellence but whose chemistry produced something stranger—equal parts metal, noise rock, post-punk, surf music, jazz, and pure unpredictability. Since Trevor Dunn replaced Rutmanis in 2013, the band has continued evolving without sacrificing its identity.

For Dallas fans, this performance carried extra weight. The Granada Theater also hosted Tomahawk during their 2012 appearance in support of Oddfellows, making Tuesday night’s show feel less like another tour stop and more like picking up a conversation that had been paused for nearly fourteen years.

Tomahawk wasted no time reminding everyone why they had been missed. Opening with “Flashback” before charging into “SHHH!” and “Predators and Scavengers,” the band established an aggressive pace that never let up. Denison’s angular, unmistakable guitar work remained as sharp as ever, while Stanier’s machine-like precision behind the drums anchored even the band’s most chaotic arrangements. Trevor Dunn effortlessly navigated the low end, providing the glue between Denison’s jagged riffs and Patton’s endlessly unpredictable vocal performance.

And then there was Patton.

At 58, Patton remains one of rock’s most dynamic frontmen. His voice moved effortlessly from haunting melodies to guttural screams, often within the same song, while his stage presence balanced dry humor with theatrical intensity. He never appeared interested in reliving the past; instead, he attacked every song with the same energy that made Tomahawk such a compelling live act two decades ago.

The setlist was expertly balanced. Five selections from Tonic Immobility—including “Business Casual,” “Doomsday Fatigue,” and the crushing “Sidewinder”—proved that the band’s newest material belongs alongside longtime favorites. Classics like “Capt. Midnight,” “Birdsong,” “God Hates a Coward,” “Point and Click,” and the closing “Laredo” drew some of the loudest responses of the evening, while Oddfellows tracks “White Hats / Black Hats,” “South Paw,” and “I.O.U.” highlighted one of the band’s most overlooked records.

Perhaps the biggest surprise came midway through the evening with the live debut of “Recoil,” a song fans had waited years to hear performed. The performance fit seamlessly into the set, sounding less like a forgotten deep cut and more like a song that had always belonged in the live rotation.

Tomahawk has always enjoyed the unexpected, and the encore continued that tradition. A delightfully odd rendition of George Jones’ “Just One More” demonstrated the band’s ability to reinterpret almost anything through its own twisted lens before a spirited cover of Duane Eddy’s “Stalkin’” set up a thunderous finale. “God Hates a Coward” brought the crowd to its loudest singalong of the night before “Sidewinder” and “Laredo” closed the evening with equal parts menace and swagger.

The Melvins provided the perfect opening act, delivering a crushing hour-long set filled with sludge-metal staples that primed the audience for what followed. Their long-standing friendship with Tomahawk made the pairing feel natural rather than nostalgic.

What made the evening remarkable wasn’t simply hearing songs that had gone unplayed in Dallas for over a decade. It was how contemporary everything felt. There was no sense of a band coasting on reputation or treating the tour as a victory lap. If anything, Tomahawk sounded hungrier than ever, with every member performing at an astonishing level.

The Granada Theater has hosted countless legendary performances over the years, but Tomahawk’s return will undoubtedly be remembered among them. Fourteen years after they last graced its stage, they proved that some bands don’t lose their edge—they simply sharpen it while they’re away.

If this 25th anniversary tour was intended as a reminder of why Tomahawk matters, Dallas received the message loud and clear.