SACE6 TURNS AN OPENING SLOT INTO A MAIN EVENT AT GRINDERS KC
With the sun beating down on hundreds of fans lined up outside, the anticipation surrounding Dayseeker’s Kansas City tour stop was enough to keep the energy high long before doors opened. Bringing their The Pale Moonlight tour to Grinders KC on May 16, Dayseeker arrived with a stacked four-band lineup that practically guaranteed fans would leave the night with at least one new artist added to their rotation.
The sold-out crowd stretched across all ages and backgrounds. While many attendees were local to Kansas City, others had traveled several hours — some even flying in — just to make the Saturday show. After speaking with a handful of fans before the night began, most admitted they were there primarily for Dayseeker. Still, opinions on the supporting acts were split almost evenly, with each opener already carrying dedicated fans of their own into the venue.
As the night unfolded, each set seemed to mirror the changing atmosphere outside. Wind Walkers took the stage during peak golden hour, giving their set a warm, almost dreamlike haze. Northlane’s performance carried through the final moments of sundown, while Dayseeker ultimately closed the night beneath cooler temperatures and the long-awaited “pale moonlight” Kansas City had been waiting for all evening.
But rewinding back to 7 p.m., broad daylight was still fully in control. The heat wasn’t unbearable, but it lingered just enough to leave the crowd restless before the music began. When sace6 finally took the stage, some fans immediately locked in to scream along, while others watched with curiosity, waiting to see exactly what the band had in store.
Opening with “nepenthe,” the first track from their debut album brutalist, the band left a killer first impression. Sonically, it stands as one of the strongest songs on the record, showcasing the contrast between Sace’s clean vocals and the harsh instrumentation delivered by Noah Thomas on guitar and Tyler Saxz on drums. There could not have been a stronger introduction for a new audience, immediately setting the tone for the next four hours of music to come.
The Long Island-based band continued through several singles from brutalist, including “ego,” the release that announced their signing to Sumerian Records alongside artists such as Bad Omens and Poppy. Following the heavier opening moments of the set, “covet” gave the crowd room to dance, pairing a catchy beat and melody that has remained a fan favorite even after the album’s full release on May 8.
At the midpoint of the set, the band revisited early 2025 with “devotion,” the lead single from their June 2025 EP Limerence. The song acted as a turning point in the performance, reconnecting with the band’s earlier sound while giving longtime fans a chance to scream along to an older favorite. Throughout the set, sace6 continuously raised the room’s energy with every song. By the end of “devotion,” spins, kicks, and headbanging had fully taken over the floor.
The band wrapped up their set with “allured” and “perfidy,” two more tracks pulled from brutalist. While “allured” delivered one of the more restrained moments of the night, it still carried a strong emotional weight both lyrically and instrumentally. Meanwhile, “perfidy” reinforced why many fans consider it one of the standout tracks on the record. Across just six songs, sace6 managed to showcase the full range of their genre-bending sound while keeping the set cohesive from beginning to end.
Even as an opener, sace6 already had fans singing along to nearly every word, with the front few rows moving from the second the set began until the final note rang out. That kind of connection is difficult to manufacture, and it speaks to how quickly the band’s following continues to grow. With a headline tour less than a month away, sace6 proved they have the stage presence, musicality, and confidence to command a room of their own.
By the time the stage cleared for Wind Walkers, sace6 had already transformed the atmosphere inside Grinders KC — setting the tone for the rest of the night before Dayseeker ever stepped onstage.
