May 30, 2026

Lords of Acid at 191 Toole, Tucson

(by Shay Smith)

A Tuesday night in downtown Tucson can be pretty calm and quiet, normally. But this was no normal Tuesday evening—this was the night the legendary Lords of Acid brought their "Cheeky Freaky Tour" to 191 Toole in the Dirty-T. The lineup on this tour was absolutely stacked with amazing talent from start to finish.

Opening the show was Mz Neon, who was already a couple of songs into her set when I walked in. In my defense, I saw a few different door and start times online, so I went with the earlier one—but obviously, I was still wrong! Lol. Despite missing the very beginning, her set was so energetic and fun, getting the evening off to a solid, high-vibe start.

Next up was Tony & the Kiki out of NYC, who blended disco, funk, rock, and a dash of modern pop, keeping the crowd totally engaged and moving. I honestly can't remember the last time I saw someone absolutely shredding on a keytar live on stage, or if I ever even have. It was brilliant. Another treat they had for the crowd was their cover of Tiffany’s big hit, “I Think Were Alone Now”.

The midpoint of the show brought another killer NYC talent, Princess Superstar. Her musical style blends hip-hop with electronic pop vibes, or as she likes to call it, "flip-flop." It's a different, but totally cute way to describe her sound. The only real bummer during her set was when she pulled out the money gun—I was sad to see it was only fake $100 bills. It would’ve been so much more fun if she showered the crowd with real hundreds! During her song “YUM-ME” she showered the crowd with real cotton candy, which was sweet treat.

Then things shifted with Denver’s own Dead On A Sunday. At this point, the energy and vibe changed completely, but not in a bad way. It was pretty much the exact opposite of the disco-dance-pop stuff we’d been hearing. They brought tons of energy, but with a dark, heavy, post-punk goth rock feel. The absolute highlight of their set for me was their cover of Q Lazzarus's "Goodbye Horses." It’s such a perfect song for them to tackle, immediately bringing back those dark Silence of the Lambs Buffalo Bill memories. (Side note: If you dig them, they’ll be back on the road from September 23rd to October 30th with Wednesday 13 and Above Snakes for the "Shocktober Blood Tour").

Finally, it was time for the main event: techno, acid house, and dance legends Lords of Acid. This band is just so incredibly solid, especially with the addition of Carla Harvey as the latest Acid Queen. Before their set, I actually got to chat with Praga about Carla joining the lineup and what she brings to the table. We both agreed she is the perfect fit and brings so much power to the role. Being a long-time fan of Lords of Acid herself, she truly understands the honor of being the Acid Queen. From the very first note, she brought pure energy and love, giving it her absolute all—honestly, they all did.

The setlist was packed with fan-favorite classics alongside a couple of brand-new tracks:

The Setlist

Screwed Bi U

Do What You Wanna Do

Lover

Dream Boy (New Song)

Drink My Honey

Mister Machoman

El Mundo Esta Loco (New Song featuring Tony & the Kiki)

The Most Wonderful Girl

Pussy

Rubber Doll

Rough Sex / Take Control

The Crablouse

Encore:

13. Out Comes The Evil

14. I Sit On Acid

"Dream Boy" and "El Mundo Esta Loco" (which featured Tony & the Kiki coming back out) are two new tracks from their upcoming album. Like I mentioned, while talking to Praga earlier, he confirmed that the new album is officially finished! Now we all just patiently wait for it to drop.

During "Pussy," Carla invited all the ladies in the crowd to get up on stage with her and show her what they got. It’s always a massive highlight during their sets to see fans get to participate, sing along, and dance right alongside the Acid Queen.

How do you follow up an experience like that? You bust out the blow-up sex dolls for "Rubber Doll," of course. Inflatable sex dolls flying wildly through the air is definitely not a sight you see every day. I must admit the Tucson crowd "handled" them with care, because not a single one got popped!

Lords of Acid has always put on a wild, high-energy live show. My very first time seeing them was back in 2000 in San Francisco, and I've caught them many times over the years since. But I have to say, with Carla joining Praga Khan (keyboard/vocals), Galen Waling (drums), DieTrich Thrall (bass), and Jack Tankersley (guitar), this is an absolute all-star group of musicians. If you caught them on this tour, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

If you missed it this go-around, do yourself a huge favor and don’t make that mistake next time they roll through. Praga told me that they will be back touring the States again soon, so keep your eyes peeled for dates and for the new album.

Thank you to Lords of Acid and all the openers for making the Dirty-T just a little bit dirtier!

SHOW PHOTOS:

Lords of Acid

Dead On A Sunday

Princess Superstar

Tony & the Kiki

Mz Neon