The Urge Delivers Another Stellar Post-Thanksgiving Concert
— by Carrie Zukoski
For years now, The Urge has brought together a variety of regional acts to perform a post-Thanksgiving concert, and this year was no different.
Hyped. Pumped. Stoked. Fans of all ages were off the charts excited at Friday night’s sold-out concert at The Pageant in St. Louis. The crowd most assuredly worked off any extra calories they consumed on Thanksgiving as they grooved and jumped along with three energetic (and sometimes frenetic) sets from The Urge, NIL8, and 18andCounting.
St Louis DJ and artist 18andCounting (Stan Chisholm) kicked the night off with a 30-minute set that wove hip hop, electronic, and other elements with his spoken word and rap vocals layered in to bring an explosion of sound to the rapt audience. As long as he’s been performing, he told the crowd it was his first time holding space at The Pageant.
Springfield, Illinois’ NIL8 (or N.I.L.8 or N.i.l.8) blasted the packed crowd with 45 minutes of their blend of punk/funk/rock music. Formed in 1982, this on-again-off-again band delighted the room and had teens moshing to the quirky, driving “Heatmiser,” the more hardcore “Basement Show,” and others. Their set included the slightly ska-based “Zombie Slut” and ended on the pulsating “Mystery Date Daredevil.”
After the lights went out, avid fans began shouting “PTMFUS” and went wild when St. Louis-based, internationally-known The Urge bounded onto the stage shortly after 9 p.m.
At this point, The Urge should need no introduction to anyone into any type of rock/punk/ska/funk/metal music—especially from the ’90s era, or from St. Louis. The sextet headlined the night with two non-stop hours of high-end energy and balls-out fun, hepped-up music. From 30-year-old deep cuts such as the rhythmic, ska-influenced “Say a Prayer” to the charged, horn-infused “Welcome to Gunville” to fan-favorites such as the heavy-hitting “All Washed Up” and the lighter, catchy “Jump Right In,” their dynamic set infused fans into a frenzy throughout.
A big thank you to The Urge for continuing to cultivate this night and bring together a great mixture of music and camaraderie to kick off the holiday season.
The Urge setlist https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-urge/2025/the-pageant-st-louis-mo-734fea7d.html
NIL8 setlist https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/nil8/2025/the-pageant-st-louis-mo-434ce337.html
See all photos from the night: https://bit.ly/Urge25cz
