Brooks Nielsen, celebrated frontman of The Growlers and now a critically acclaimed solo artist, has firmly established himself as one of the most distinctive voices in independent music. As the frontman and creative force behind The Growlers, Nielsen helped define and popularize the Beach Goth movement—a genre-blurring, countercultural wave that left an indelible mark on modern rock. Over more than a decade, The Growlers built a fiercely dedicated international following, performed at major festivals, and sold out venues around the world. Their celebrated discography and electrifying live shows cemented them as one of the most influential underground bands of the 21st century.
In addition to their music, The Growlers also founded and curated the Beach Goth Festival, a groundbreaking event that brought together a wildly eclectic mix of artists—from Patti Smith and Bon Iver to Doja Cat and Mac DeMarco—making it a defining moment in the cultural landscape of the 2010s.
Now, as a solo artist, Nielsen continues to push boundaries with the same fearless spirit. Since launching his solo career in 2022, he’s released four records—three of them in 2024 alone. His latest, A Ride I’m Waiting For, features the haunting duet “Without Eyes” with Sierra Ferrell and has been praised for its cinematic scope and emotional depth.
On stage, Nielsen delivers an experience unlike anything else. Backed by a powerhouse band—Growlers drummer Richard Gowen, keyboardist Cole Riddle, and guitarists J.D. Carrera and Elyadeen Anbar—Brooks crafts a set each night that’s entirely its own. Drawing from his extensive solo catalog, deep cuts, Growlers classics, and unreleased material, his shows are long, loose, and alive. With no opening acts and performances stretching two and sometimes three hours, fans are invited into a world that feels as spontaneous as it does deeply curated.
This Fall 2025 run is Brooks’s most ambitious solo tour to date, featuring first-ever solo plays in small towns, Aspen and Fort Collins, CO; Carrboro and Asheville, NC; Madison, WI; Ferndale, MI; New Haven, CT; St. Louis, MO; Boise, ID; Tulsa, OK; and Nashville, TN. There’s also a rare and intimate upstate New York show at the newly revived Bearsville Theatre in Woodstock—a venue rich with music history. In New York City, Nielsen will headline the legendary Webster Hall for the first time, marking his biggest solo show in the city yet—and in Chicago, he’ll play the iconic Metro, a rite of passage for generations of boundary-pushing artists.
The 28-date tour wraps with the now-iconic Helloween shows at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on October 30 and 31—two surreal, sweat-soaked nights that have instantly become a rite of passage for Nielsen’s most devoted fans. Every year, Beach Rats from across the country—and around the world—make the journey for this once-a-year celebration of the strange and the sacred. It’s more than just a show: it’s a Mecca for the hardcore fanbase, a chance to mix with fellow travelers, share stories from the past, and revel in a night of music, mystery, and magic. If you know, you go.
