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For the first time since 2018, Home for the Weekend took the stage to deliver a powerful reunion performance in front of an eager, raucous room at The Rigby in Madison, WI, just steps from the state capitol. Joined by Madison fixture Payroll, Home for the Weekend put on display just how much they emerged from their live concert hiatus a more refined, mature, and dynamic band than they were at the conclusion of their 2018 Summer tour.

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The perfect yin to Home for the Weekend's yang, Payroll kicked off the evening by wasting no time - their extensive instrumental lineup was on full display as they playfully sailed through an hour-and-a-half of whirling guitar solos, dancing horns, and beautifully-syncopated vocals.

Home for the Weekend's performance, much like Payroll's, was also clearly very thought-out. While the 2018 version of the band was known for often drawing songs out into minutes-long open jams, this performance had a noticeable undertone of control and discipline - ebbs and flows at all the right times, and a perfect mastery of a setlist designed for repeated buildup and release.

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Also new at this show was a palpable sense of audience familiarity with the band's original catalog. The crowd erupted as guitarist Nick Magestro plucked the first notes of "You", and even more so again when they roared into "Fast" as their encore song. Clearly no longer a cover band releasing original mixtapes, this concert was a loud message that this new version of Home for the Weekend is here to be taken seriously, and more importantly here to stay.

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-ConcertWire - Madison, WI (8/24/26)