In The Loop Magazine Beyond the Gate: Russian Circles & Pelican Turn a Chicago Cemetery Into a Cathedral of Sound

Beyond the Gate: Russian Circles & Pelican Turn a Chicago Cemetery Into a Cathedral of Sound

Sep 28, 2026 admin_bitlc Features, Music News, Reviews 0

By James Currie

Bohemian National Cemetery, a full moon and 2,300 metalheads converge under the stars as two Chicago bands that helped build the city’s instrumental heavy-music scene. On Saturday, Beyond the Gate once again turned Chicago’s Bohemian National Cemetery into one of the city’s strangest and coolest concert venues.

Presented by Empty Bottle Presents, the annual event has grown from a few hundred people, a tent and a flatbed-truck stage into a full-blown mini festival, complete with food and drink trucks, merch, a pop-up record store, organic wine and a medical tent, because nobody wants to end up buried here before the encore. The weather couldn’t have been any better. This was a much different experience than we had last weekend at Riot Fest. Hey look, no mud!

This year’s homecoming event featured two Chicago heavyweights: Pelican and Russian Circles. Pelican opened at 6:30 sharp, playing six instrumental tracks against the cemetery’s massive mausoleum as daylight slowly disappeared. Seeing them perform in a graveyard was surreal enough. Seeing them under bright natural light was even stranger for a band usually shrouded in darkness and minimal stage lighting.

Guitarist Trevor de Brauw stepped to the lone microphone and told the crowd, “When asked, would you like to play a graveyard at dusk with Russian Circles, the answer seemed pretty obvious.”

Then came “Drought,” from Pelican’s 2003 debut. As the song unfolded, the sun disappeared and a giant full moon rose above the trees.

Before leaving, de Brauw offered one final thought about heavy music and the cemetery itself, he stepped up to the mic once more and said, “We’d like to thank the people buried there and their families for allowing this to happen. People usual look down at heavy and dark music but that not so true, it good for us.” He continued with, “Somewhat similarly, cemeteries carry morbid connotations but this place is, if nothing else, a celebration of live, love and memories.”

He talked about how it wouldn’t be right be up there on stage and not show honor respect and recognize the many people who are buried there at Bohemian National Cemetery. He ended with, “So, thank you to them (those buried) and the families for allowing these (concerts) to happen as it’s a really special event.” And Pelican finished their set off with “Wondering Mind”.

After about a 45 minute break, right at 8:00, Russian Circles walked out and didn’t say a word. They didn’t need to. “Seventh Seal,” from their new album Nine, detonated through the cemetery. Kicking off their monstrous set.

Tonnight, the Chicago trio is currently touring behind Nine, an enormous, seismic record that turns guitar, bass and drums into long-form soundtracks for the trials and tragedies of modern life.

Nearly half the set came from the new record, surrounded by older weapons like “Harper Lewis” and “Youngblood” from 2008’s Station, along with “Conduit” and “Gnosis” from 2022’s Gnosis. No singer. No speeches. No rock-star bullshit. Just sound.

Russian Circles played beneath flashes of light, streaks and dark colors that revealed the band only in fragments. It wasn’t about watching three guys onstage. It was about being swallowed by the music. That’s the Russian Circles experience. And seeing it here, back in Chicago, where the band started, made it hit even harder.

Pelican and Russian Circles weren’t just playing a hometown show. They were playing on ground filled with history, surrounded by thousands of people, under a full moon, in a cemetery that somehow felt more alive than most concert venues.

By the time Russian Circles finished, the crowd spilled quietly back onto the streets. Beyond the Gate has come a long way from that little flatbed-truck stage and 300-person crowd I remember from the early days.

Now it’s one of Chicago’s most unique annual music events. And honestly? I wouldn’t miss it. Heavy music. Dead quiet. Full moon. Chicago. That’s Beyond the Gate. Added bonus, a portion of the ticket sales go directly to the cemetery.

For more on Russian Circles, click here

For more on Pelican, click here

For more on Empty Bottle Presents, click here

For photos of Russian Circles live at Bohemian National Cemetery, click here

For photos of Pelican live at Bohemian National Cemetery, click here