DU On the Road: Acid Bath make their return to the Roadrunner in Boston, MA with a stacked lineup! (May 30, 2026)
Acid Bath, supported by Napalm Death, Pig Destroyer, Primitive Man, and Final Gasp was quite a return in Boston to close out May!
Check out the galleries below caught by our own, Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)!
The legendary Acid Bath took to Roadrunner in Boston with support from Napalm Death, Pig Destroyer, Primitive Man, and Final Gasp. Usually I have a love-hate relationship with shows in Boston. It’s usually about an hour and a half drive to get to the area, then I have to decide if I want to park and ride the T in and add another hour each way to my commute. Or, do I want to go try and find hella expensive parking near the venue, but have an easier time getting in, and leaving.
I had actually bought tickets for this back when the show was announced in January because my friend Mason is a huge fan. I only secured the photo pass barely a week before. It was my first time at Roadrunner and what an impressive venue! There were plenty of parking garages in the area, only $20 where I was, and we only waited for 30 mins or so getting out at the end of the night.
Once I walked into the venue, I immediately knew it was an upgrade to what I’m normally used to. It's a 3500 cap room with a massive balcony. I’m used to The Palladium (Worcester, MA) and it’s barely over two thousand, which is a lot, and the occasional Outdoors with 10,000. But this was a step up for me professionally.
Final Gasp
Genre: Gothic Metal, Deathrock
Final Gasp 2026 @ The Roadrunner in Boston, MA. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)
Final Gasp 2026 @ The Roadrunner in Boston, MA. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)
Man on man what a show, on so many different levels. I’ll admit I was not really familiar with any of the bands except for Napalm Death and that’s even only by name. Final Gasp, from right there in Boston, started off the night great. Some of the more melodic metal is what I personally like, so the night began well.
Primitive Man
Genre: Doom Metal , Sludge, Extreme Metal
Primitive Man 2026 @ The Roadrunner in Boston, MA. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)
Primitive Man 2026 @ The Roadrunner in Boston, MA. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)
Primitive Man came on and played 2 songs, but they must have been 15 minutes each. It was all guttural screaming and slow chugs and riffs, which really isn’t my cup of tea, but my buddy Mason, as well as the rest of the crowd, who enjoy that, said it was phenomenal, so hats off to Primitive Man for bringing the fire. The lighting for them was rough but what seemed like a computer screen saver flashing over and over but I still managed to get some good shots.
Pig DestROYER
Genre: Grindcore
Pig Destroyer 2026 @ The Roadrunner in Boston, MA. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)
Pig Destroyer 2026 @ The Roadrunner in Boston, MA. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)
Next was Pig Destroyer, and they absolutely killed it. The band hadn’t even started yet, and there was one guy right in the front that was screaming his head off, pointing at vocalist J.R. Hayes, and yelling, “I love J.R.” over and over and over and over. It wasn’t just someone who was excited to see him, but more a deep, genuine love for being that close to someone who means so much to him. I decided to try and get some shots from the pit during their set and I’ll tell you that was the biggest crowd I’ve been in, but as always, I was protected as much as could be, but I’m also 6 foot 5, 350 lbs, so I can take it; I love every second of it.
NAPALM DEATH
Genre: Grindcore
Napalm Death 2026 @ The Roadrunner in Boston, MA. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)
Napalm Death 2026 @ The Roadrunner in Boston, MA. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)
The night then took a big step forward with England’s Napalm Death. Immediately, I was taken aback at how intense vocalist Mark “Barney” Greenway’s stage presence was. In his what I assume to be iconic suspenders, he bounced around the stage harder and faster than I’ve seen in a long time, and he’s been doing for 30 years already. Insane. I tried to catch most of the set from the mezzanine to really see him run around, but also to take in the massive crowd with an ever-constant circle pit smack dab in the middle.
Acid Bath
Genre: Southern Gothic, Psychedlic Rock, Sludge, Doom Metal
Acid Bath 2026 @ The Roadrunner in Boston, MA. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)
Acid Bath 2026 @ The Roadrunner in Boston, MA. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)
Finally, the main event, Acid Bath, took the stage. I found out that they last played in 1997, and finally got back to it just last year, which makes the night even cooler. The set was trippy and atmospheric; vocalist Dax Rigs was pulsating the entire set. I found a spot in the front sort of side stage and just looked out at the crowd, who were fixated on the legends pumping out jam after jam. Crowd surfers popped up every 15 seconds, and you could really tell the night was truly special.
Crowd Surfers enjoying the Acid Bath Tour @ The Roadrunner in Boston, MA. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)
After I was done working, I dragged Mason to the edge of the pit and I jumped in myself for the last couple songs. Of course, I found myself crowd surfing, just once, during the last song, but I did hear a few disgruntled people under me threaten me because I was up there. I just laughed it off; just another night at the rock show. - Michael “Woody” Woodworth