Alien Ant Farm Leaves No Crumbs in Norwalk
On October 7, Alien Ant Farm marched into District Music Hall, celebrating 25 years of ANThology, the band’s second studio album. Joining them in Norwalk, Connecticut, were Scarhaven and Incidental. As one would expect, the crowd was mostly elder millennials who followed the alt-metal group in the early 2000s, or at least were familiar with the band’s iconic cover of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal.”
INCIDENTAL
Arizona alt-rock band Incidental opened the mid-week show to a sparse crowd. The stage lighting kept to a simple color palette. It did feel a bit too dark, barely spotlighting the band members. Whenever a band member stepped out front for a guitar solo or to interact with the crowd, they barely stood out from the shadows. I haven’t found much on this band, other than they formed around the same time as Alien Ant Farm. When you give them a listen, check out the last song of their set, “Right Outside.”
SCARHAVEN
Next to take the stage was grunge band Scarhaven, from New York City. Though they only formed in early 2025, the band echoes the early grunge days that carried me through my youth. Vocalist Michael Saint’s gritty vocals channel the souls of Chris Cornell and Layne Staley. Close your eyes and you’d think you were listening to unreleased songs from Soundgarden or early Alice in Chains.
Although Saint’s voice carries a familiar tone, he brings his own aura, spending most of the set in black sunglasses and a half-zipped jacket, bare-chested underneath. This band feels and sounds far more experienced than you’d expect after less than two years playing together. Between the stage production, the sound and the pure musical talent, I’m excited to see where their journey goes from here. Check out Changing, their EP released earlier this year.
ALIEN ANT FARM
As Alien Ant Farm took to the stage, a giant banner was lowered behind the set, an oversized version of the ANThology album cover. District Music Hall never entirely filled in, but the fans who were there made up for it with their energy, something frontman Dryden Mitchell thanked the crowd for more than once.
Before 2024, the band had gone nearly a decade without releasing an album, and any dust they had collected was clearly shaken off. They delivered a clean and energetic set, walking front to back through ANThology.
Mitchell often took the edge of the stage to bump fists and turn the mic to the crowd. Prior to playing “Storms Over”, he noted his own sobriety journey and commitment to becoming a better person, a better father. But it didn’t dampen the spirit in the room, as he joked with a pair of friends towards the back who possibly had a bit too much to drink.
I noticed throughout the evening as the band and crowd vibed together, the intensity of each song seemed to notch higher. As you can imagine, the room erupted when the band closed with the much-anticipated “Smooth Criminal.” Overall, an impressive showing — these Ants left no crumbs!
Alien Ant Farm SETLIST
District Music Hall, Norwalk, Connecticut (10/7/2026)
Courage
Movies
Flesh and Bone
Whisper
Summer
Sticks and Stones
Attitude
Stranded
Wish
Calico
Happy Death Day
Universe
Encore:
The Wrong Things
Storms Over
Smooth Criminal (Michael Jackson cover)
