THE HU, APOCALYPTICA, THE RASMUS In Houston, TX With Photos!

Tuesday, June 2, 2026 at 12:52 PM

By Larry Petro @petrofyed

Co-Headline Affair Hits Warehouse Live Midtown On May 26th

All Live Photos By Larry Petro/Petrofyed Photography

What do you get when you combine 'Hunnu Rock', 'Cello Metal' and a band whose logo looks like an evil 'Hello Kitty'? You get a great start to the summer concert series in the form of Mongolian rockers THE HU, Finnish classically trained cellist trio APOCALYPTICA, and long-running Finnish rockers THE RASMUS. This package tour landed in Houston, TX at Warehouse Live Midtown on May 26th.

I was slightly delayed in getting into the venue due to a snafu regarding my credentials, but thanks to the venue owner I was able to make entry in time to photograph the last song and a half of my 3-song allotment of tour openers THE RASMUS. The band, frontman Lauri Ylönen, guitarist Emilia "Emppu" Suhonen, bassist Eero Heinonen and drummer Aki Hakala, has been around since 1994 and hadn't toured the States in nearly 20 years until 2025 when they toured the U.S. as an opener for several different acts. Touring once again as the opener for this tour their fans turned out in droves to see their heroes as the venue was already packing in by the time the band took the stage, starting with "Break These Chains" from the band's most recent effort, 2025's 'Wierdo' album, tracks from which would encompass half of the group's six-song set, including "Rest In Pieces" and "Creatures of Chaos". Had it not been for my job as the Editor for KNAC.COM I probably would not have heard of these guys despite the fact that they've released 11 albums over their career, but it was quite apparent that those in attendance knew who they were as they sang along to every song and at one point a few brave souls attempted a small mosh pit. Definitely a band worth checking out.

Setlist:

"Break These Chains"
"Guilty"
"Rest in Pieces"
"Immortal"
"Creatures of Chaos"
"Livin' in a World Without You"
"In the Shadows"

https://therasmus.com/
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A quick stage changeover brought out Finnish trio (and touring drummer) APOCALYPTICA. I had the extreme pleasure of capturing this band early last year on their "Apocalyptica Plays Metallica Vol. 2" North American headline tour with the incomparable Nita Strauss opening and I have to say, if you're a fan of METALLICA, which most KNAC Pure Rockers are, then you owe it to yourself to check out what these classically trained virtuosos can do on the cellos as they cover some of the band's greatest hits. And unlike most bands, APOCALYPTICA's setlist each night on this tour has been different and on this night they opened with the classic track, "Ride The Lightning". Now, given that this was a 'co-headline' tour, one might expect APOCALYPTICA to get a set equal in length to THE HU, but unfortunately they were not but they did make the most of their time, continuing on with "Enter Sandman", "Creeping Death" and "The Call of Ktulu". The fact that APOCALYPTICA plays a full instrumental-only show didn't matter in the slightest as the crowd enthusiastically provided the vocals for each number they played. Their set included "The Four Horsemen", "Master of Puppets" and "Nothing Else Matters". Band member Perttu Kivilaakso, who normally is front and center during their shows stayed perched on a chair for the duration of the Houston performance due to his being a bit under the weather, but that did not detract from his or his bandmates' deft and precision that they played with. The only disappointment of the evening, and I'm not even sure why it happened, but they did not perform "Seek And Destroy" which was listed as the final number on their posted setlist. Still, it was another masterful set from these guys, albeit far too short and the band is always thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Setlist:

"Ride the Lightning"
"Enter Sandman"
"Creeping Death"
"The Call of Ktulu"
"The Four Horsemen"
"Master of Puppets"
"Nothing Else Matters"

https://www.apocalyptica.com/
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THE HU are another band I have had the pleasure of seeing live before but on both prior occasions they were an opener and not a headliner. The first occasion was in 2022 when they opened for FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and the second was as an opener for IRON MAIDEN on their last U.S. tour. Each time they played was impressive so I was really looking forward to seeing them as the headliner and they absolutely did not disappoint!

Given that the stage at Warehouse Live Midtown is kind of small I wondered how THE HU's entire band of 8 members would fit but thanks to some clever staging it worked. The band took the stage at 9:15 and proceeded to bring down the house with their brand of 'Hunnu Rock' Mongolian Folk Metal, kicking things off with "Lost Soul", the band's newest single from their just-announced new album, 'Hun', due out on July 24th, which features Jonny Hawkins of NOTHING MORE. If you've never seen the band then you're in for a real treat as they combine their Mongolian 'throat singing' with traditional folk-rock rhythms. Even their instruments are not your standard guitars and bass (though they did have 2 regular guitarists), utilizing Mongolian instruments such as the Morin Khuur (Horsehead Fiddle), a two-stringed bowed instrument topped with a carved horse head and is the national instrument of Mongolia. Additionally they have a Tovshuur (Mongolian Guitar) player and during the latter stages of the show, co-vocalist Nyamjantsan Galsanjamts played the Tsuur, a wooden, end-blown flute.

The overwhelming majority of the band's set was newer material that will appear on the new forthcoming album 'Hun' such as "Grey Hun", "Horsemen", "Shadow", "Warrior Chant" and "The Real You". Of course THE HU also incorporated some songs in their native language including "Khukhuchu Zairan" and "Yuve Yuve Yu" as the crowd gleefully sang along. Their 15 song set closed with a pair of their hits, "Wolf Totem" and "This Is Mongol" before returning for an absolutely blistering version of IRON MAIDEN's "The Trooper" sung in their native language.

The tour continues for 3 more shows out West so if you're near one of these, check them out!

Remaining Shows:

June 4 - Reno, NV - Grand Theater
June 6 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
June 7 - Anaheim, CA - House Of Blues

Setlist:

"Lost Soul"
"Horse Men"
"Khukhuchu Zairan"
"Upright Destined Mongol"
"The Men"
"Shadow"
"Warrior Chant"
"Mother Nature"
"Grey Hun"
"The Real You"
"Black Thunder"
"Yuve Yuve Yu"
"Wolf Totem"
"This Is Mongol"

Encore:

"The Trooper" (IRON MAIDEN)

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THE RASMUS