Boris – Fine Line – Minneapolis MN – November 11th 2025

BORIS – THE FINE LINE – MINNEAPOLIS MN – NOV 11^TH 2025

Review and photos by Legion Ratfell

Japanese rock band Boris the 20^th Anniversary Tour of their album “Pink” to The Fine Line on November 8^th, 2025, supported by Bongzilla. This was a show I just chose to go to because it sounded fun and I’d never heard either band. I’d heard of Bongzilla but never listened to them, so figured I’d check it out.

I was surprised at the varied ages I saw in the crowd. I was around people my age, much older, and much younger. Considering both bands have been around for a long time, I was pleasantly surprised at the younger crowd all crowded up at the front. Most of them were there for Boris, which made sense.

Starting off the night was Bongzilla, and I will say I had preconceived notions about what they would be like, and I was proven exactly right. Three dudes, stark lighting, lots of smoke, with every song being about weed. They stumbled around a bit, but that was the vibe you wanted, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Their tones were droning and long, with songs really kind of just building up on a riff and then playing with it, kind of like an elevated jam session. Occasionally distant guttural vocals would permeate the air. I definitely see how it would be very enjoyable if you were high as a kite. I could almost fall asleep because of how they let us sit in some soundscapes. Overall, pretty pleasant and exactly what you’d expect from a band called Bongzilla.

Next up was Boris. The stage was filled with more guitar pedals than I’ve ever seen. There was a giant gong behind the drumset in the middle. It was interesting to see the frontman, Atsuo, being a drummer. I don’t see that often. One of the members had a double guitar where it was a guitar and a bass put into one. They came out to very ominous music, and with the sound of a gong, they began. The first song was very slow and droning as well, and the one thing I’d read about them being kind of sludge-metal-inspired made sense. Their second song kicked off quite quickly though, and the crowd turned to a mosh pit, complete with crowd surfers and all. For a frontman being behind a drumset the whole time, the audience was very engaged. The music isn’t generally something I’d listen to on the daily, but in a live setting it was fun to see the crowd so excited, and it’s hard not to catch that energy. Their genre was all over the place, and it’s clear they focus on playing with new sounds and had a very experimental vibe. For a band that apparently has over 20 albums, that made sense. Definitely a fun show and interesting watch.