What Remains Tour: Pop Evil, Devour The Day, Return To Dust, and ONI - Winnipeg, MB

The Park Theatre was on fire on May 4, 2025, as the What Remains Tour rolled through Winnipeg, delivering a night of powerful anthems, unexpected turns, and resilient performances. Headlined by Pop Evil, the bill also featured sets from Devour The Day, Return To Dust, and Oni—each act showcasing a different shade of modern hard rock and metal, making for a genre-spanning experience the sold-out crowd won’t soon forget.

ONI. Photos by Samuel Stevens.

Opening the night with a wall of sound and intensity, Canadian progressive metallers Oni set the bar high. The band tore through a dynamic eight-song set, combining technical proficiency with brutal grooves. From the ominous opener “Silence” to the melodic closer “Spark,” Oni's fusion of djent riffs and electronic flourishes kept the crowd engaged for the thirty minutes they were on stage. “Control” and “Realign” were particular standouts, showcasing Jake Oni's vocal versatility and the band’s tight musicianship. For early arrivers, this set was a masterclass in modern metal complexity.

Return To Dust. Photos by Samuel Stevens.

Return To Dust brought a wave of emotion with their dreamy yet hard-hitting alt-rock/grunge sound. With a setlist stacked with atmospheric tracks like “Summer Rain” and “When You Look At Me,” the Los Angeles-based quartet offered a more melodic reprieve without losing momentum. “Face Down” and “Black Road” resonated especially well with the crowd, blending vulnerability with driving guitar work. The band’s chemistry was undeniable, and their energy helped bridge the gap between Oni’s technical assault and the heavier headliners.

Devour The Day. Photos by Samuel Stevens.

Tragedy struck early in Devour The Day’s set when vocalist Blake Allison blew out his voice during their opener “Respect.” The band was forced offstage temporarily, but instead of calling it quits, they returned with a revised set, performing an additional four songs, and an audience more than willing to step up to the plate. With fans singing nearly every word, what could’ve been a disaster turned into a deeply communal moment. Despite the adversity, the band powered through with spirit, earning massive respect from the Winnipeg crowd for their perseverance and humility. By the time Pop Evil took the stage, the Park Theatre was fully ignited. The Michigan rock veterans wasted no time launching into “Eye of the Storm,” kicking off a thunderous sixteen-song set packed with chart-toppers and new material alike. Leigh Kakaty commanded the crowd with charisma and heart, especially during the emotionally charged “Torn to Pieces” and fan-favourite closer “Footsteps.”

Pop Evil. Photos by Samuel Stevens.

The band’s energy was relentless their entire set. “Skeletons” and “What Remains” hit with particular weight, the latter doubling as a thematic centrepiece for the tour. Tracks like “Trenches” and “Let the Chaos Reign” brought mosh pits and fists in the air, while the encore—featuring “Torn to Pieces,” “Breathe Again,” and “Footsteps”—offered a cathartic ending to a rollercoaster night. The sound mix was crisp, the lighting was immersive, and Pop Evil delivered a stadium-worthy performance in the intimate setting of the Park Theatre.

The What Remains Tour stop in Winnipeg was a showcase of passion, resilience, and sonic diversity. Even with unexpected vocal setbacks, the night proved that live music is about connection as much as performance. Whether you came for the shred, the emotion, or the anthems, this show had it all—and left the crowd buzzing well after the final chord.