GALLERY + REVIEW: grandson - Atlanta, GA (11/11/25)

Nov 20

grandson
Buckhead Theatre - Atlanta, GA - November 11th, 2025
Photos & words by Tandra Smith (@tandratbh)

It's not often I get a chance to photograph an artist that I've seen more than 10 times, but luckily I was able to do so recently when I photographed Canadian-American artist grandson in my hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. This was my 11th time seeing him, and the performance was just as explosive and fiery as the very first time I saw him in 2019. If you despise the current people in power, authority and the status quo, you'll love him and all he stands for.

The easiest way to describe grandson, whose real name is actually Jordan Benjamin, is as a guy who constantly flirts with being put on a watchlist. He doesn't mince words when talking about the current administration, inviting fans to throw up their middle fingers whenever Donald Trump's name is mentioned, as well as when he mentions other political figures both Republican and Democrat.

His third album Inertia is a return to the political rock he's known for, something that took a bit of a back seat with his previous release, I Love You, I'm Trying, which was much more personal and showcased his feelings regarding being a touring artist, his mental health and feelings of hopelessness and worries about the direction the world is going. He's still worried about the direction the world is going in Inertia, but he doesn't let it fester in his mind. Rather, he transfers that energy into a larger than life rock show beginning with a ChatGPT and over-commercialization diss track titled "AUTONOMOUS DELIVERY ROBOT".

The disses and callouts don't end there. He calls out race hypocrisies surrounding mass shootings in "PULL THE TRIGGER" ("My skin is white, so you would say I need a therapist / If it was brown, you would call me a terrorist"), the whitewashing of Jesus in "LITTLE WHITE LIES" ("Jesus was a 5'4", brown-skin socialist / Nothin' like the white man on that crucifix") and other topics like self-immolation and genocide.

While Inertia was played in full at the show, he still made time for his popular older songs like "Overdose," "Stigmata" and "6:00." He even graced the crowd with a deep cut, "Fallin' (Temptation)," which hasn't been played regularly live since before COVID. One of the only times the set wasn't explosive was during "Heather," a song written in memory of a fan who died by suicide, but was just as emotional as his angry, riff-filled songs.

Of course, no grandson show can end without hearing his most popular song "Blood // Water," this time accompanied with haunting opening reverb. War bashing song "WWIII" and D.C. diss track "Stick Up" rounded out the weeknight show in Atlanta.

If you're looking for a place to scream, cry and mosh, you'll find no place better than a grandson show to do it at.