Ticket sales for SPINESHANK's tongue-in-cheek "Nu Metal Sucks Tour" have been brisk since going on sale February 20, with multiple dates reporting strong demand that has surprised even the promoters. The spring tour with (HED)P.E. and PRIMER 55 celebrates the 25th anniversary of SPINESHANK's sophomore album "The Height Of Callousness" — a record that many consider the band's creative peak, blending industrial metal aggression with the hook-laden sensibility that defined the nu-metal era's commercial appeal.
The tour marks SPINESHANK's most extensive run of live dates in over two decades, a remarkable comeback for a band that has spent much of the last fifteen years in a state of semi-hibernation. The Los Angeles-based outfit were a notable presence on the nu-metal circuit in the late 1990s and early 2000s, releasing albums through Roadrunner Records and touring alongside era-defining acts. Their sound — heavier and more technically accomplished than many of their nu-metal peers — has aged well, finding appreciation from listeners who value the genre's more musically substantive offerings.
The tour package itself reads like a time capsule from the TRL era, with (HED)P.E. and PRIMER 55 representing the scrappier, more underground end of the nu-metal spectrum. The bill taps directly into the nostalgia wave that has been driving reunion tours and festival bookings across the heavy music landscape in recent years. Early 2000s heavy acts are finding renewed interest from both original fans revisiting the soundtrack of their youth and younger audiences discovering the era through streaming platforms and social media.
The self-aware humor of the tour name — "Nu Metal Sucks" — acknowledges the genre's complicated legacy while simultaneously celebrating it, a knowing wink that has resonated with audiences who grew up defending their favorite bands against critical snobbery. The tour kicks off this spring across U.S. club dates, with venue upgrades being considered in markets where demand has exceeded expectations.