Show Review, Photos: Drop Dead, Gorgeous Reunite in Roseville
Drop Dead, Gorgeous
w/ Solely Veil, A Moment’s Notice, Subtlety
Goldfield Trading Post
Roseville, CA
June 14th, 2025
Review and Photos by Jared Stossel
It has been nearly twenty years since Denver post-hardcore act Drop Dead, Gorgeous roared onto the scene with their blistering Rise Records debut, In Vogue. While they had a relatively short career (breaking up in 2011 after three albums and constant touring), they developed a cult following with albums like In Vogue, 2007’s serial killer concept album, Worse Than A Fairy Tale, and 2009’s The Hot N’ Heavy.
But time is a funny thing. Wounds and burnout can heal, and you can find that the music has had a chance to sit with people for a good portion of their lives. Hunger is renewed, and a reunion seems inevitable. Three of the six members of the band (vocalist Danny Stillman, bassist Jake Hansen, and drummer Danny Cooper) have decided to carry on the legacy of Drop Dead, Gorgeous, and have been playing a handful of cities since reuniting in Denver at the end of 2024 (guitarist Dan Gustavson and keyboardist Jonathan Leary are not a part of the reunion, and guitarist Kyle Browning sadly passed away in 2021).
On Saturday night, the band performed to a nearly sold out crowd at Roseville’s Goldfield, powering through nearly twenty high-caliber songs in their catalog, thrilling longtime fans.
The show was opened primarily by local acts: the trippy, Circa Survive-esque Subtlety, the brutality-infused A Moment’s Notice, and the impressive up-and-coming rock act Solely Veil. While all three acts brought something unique to Goldfield, the latter act, Solely Veil, was the standout. Lead vocalist Allen Wheeler, screamed and sang through a powerful main support set. Having fronted bands like Burn Halo over the last couple decades, Wheeler is a natural frontman. In a weird twist, I noticed that I knew their drummer - Namor Nalupta - absolutely crushing it behind the kit. Napulta used to drum for a local act I saw all the time as a teenager called Raelin. It was great to see him behind the kit again, and it’s clear that he’s playing better than he’s ever been over the last fifteen years. What’s even crazier is that the first time I saw Raelin was when they opened for Drop Dead, Gorgeous at the now-defunct The Venue in Los Gatos, CA. How full circle.
The members of Drop Dead, Gorgeous took the stage a little before 9:30 PM and powered their way through an hour-long set of hits from all three albums, as well as their Be Mine, Valentine EP. As I wrote earlier, the last time I saw Drop Dead, Gorgeous was at the aforementioned Los Gatos show in 2010, right around the time that The Hot n’ Heavy came out. While vocalist Danny Stillman isn’t climbing up on the scaffolding inside the venue and letting out his gutteral screams, but he’s still an excellent frontman and lead of this band. Hearing lyrics to songs like “Knife vs. Face: Round I”, “Love Is Murder”, and “E.R.” bring back memories while still sounding exactly like I remember them as a teenager. They sound completely renewed, and are clearly ready to carry on the legacy of the band. The band even brought out two new songs, “6 Feet”. and “Ghost”, and it makes me hope that we’ll be getting a new album soon.
The biggest crowd reaction of the night, of course, came as soon as the haunting piano melody for In Vogue’s lead single, “Dressed For Friend Requests”, poured through the venue speakers. It was a bit of a bummer not seeing keyboardist Leary up there playing it in real time, but hearing those piano notes still signifies that all hell is about to break lose. Stillman climbs into the crowd and remains on the barricade for the duration of the song. He lets out a nearly thirty-second long scream as drummer Danny Cooper beats the ever loving shit out of the drums, and with a bang, the show ends.
Drop Dead, Gorgeous Set List
Fame
Fashion Your Seatbelts
Knife vs. Face: Round 1
Killing A Classic
Forever Scarlet
Love Is Murer
Ghost
Daniel, Where’s The Boat?
Are You Happy
E.R.
Drawing The Devil
The Show Must Go On
6 Feet
Southern Lovin’ (Belle Of The Ball)
I Want To Master Life and Death
Two Birds, One Stone
Dressed For Friend Requests
