The Midnight Bring Neon and Nostalgia to Dallas on the Time Machines Tour

The Midnight stopped at The Bomb Factory in Dallas on Friday, Sept. 12, for one of the first U.S. dates on their 2026 "Time Machines Tour," in support of their new album, Syndicate. Doors opened at 7 p.m., and the band took the stage a little after 9 following an opening set from Bonnie McKee. Between the two acts, the night added up to a trip back to the '80s.

McKee came out dressed head to toe in retro disco glam, all neon, leopard print, metallics, and shine. Her set was bright, bold pop with the kind of bombastic, turn-it-up-to-eleven energy she's known for. In addition to impressive vocals and an engaging performance, her set included a neon sun backdrop and risers, a choreographed dance-along to her song "S.L.A.Y.," headbanging, and a headstand twerk. McKee also has a serious songwriting résumé behind the pop persona, having co-written ten number-one songs, including "California Gurls" and "Roar" with Katy Perry, earning a GRAMMY nomination along the way. The performances off her own discography, paired with a cover medley of some of her songwriting credits, energized the crowd and set the stage for the nostalgic night ahead.

By the time The Midnight took the stage, the room was ready. The set opened moody before building energy through the first stretch of the night. Neon lighting tracked each song closely from the first note, dipping into darker blues and silhouettes on the slower stretches and bursting into brighter colors whenever the set hit a high point. It matched what fans of the band's discography would expect, but live, the music and visuals together made the whole thing feel less like a concert and more like stepping into an immersive soundscape from another decade.

The band's chemistry was one of the night's biggest strengths. The guitar work added texture without ever overpowering the mix, and a tight rhythm section kept every song grounded. The saxophone cut through clean every time it came in, and those solo moments pulled some of the loudest reactions of the night. Tyler Lyle, officially one half of The Midnight alongside producer Tim McEwan, stayed locked in on vocals throughout. He commanded the stage and closed the distance between the band and the crowd so well that there hardly seemed to be a gap at all.

Bonnie McKee came back out for a two-song stretch, joining the band on "Runaways" and "Jason." The chemistry between her and the band was obvious from the first line, and it gave the middle of the set an extra spark.

Then came "Los Angeles," the biggest singalong of the night. The crowd moved as one, singing, swaying, and throwing their hands up together, voices from across the room blending with the vocals onstage. It was the clearest moment of the night's nostalgic, almost transcendent atmosphere. Another standout moment that sent waves of energy throughout the room was at one point during the later portion of the set when saxophonist Justin Klunk made his way off the stage and walked his saxophone straight through the crowd. Moments like that defined the show as much as any individual song. There was a fluidness to the crowd all night. Less a typical concert audience and more a room full of people who'd come out to feel something together, and that sense of connection only grew as the show went on.

Earlier in the set, Lyle had asked the crowd to shout out the name of an album that changed their life, then shared his own: a Van Morrison record that got him through a low point. Music, he said, can lift you out of the worst moments just as easily as it soundtracks the best ones. By the time The Midnight closed out the night on "Sunset," that point felt proven. The Midnight had turned The Bomb Factory into a time machine, an escape into neon and the '80s, and music really had been the magic that held the whole night together.

Remaining Tour Dates:

• Sep 14 – San Antonio, TX – The Aztec Theater
• Sep 17 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre
• Sep 18 – San Diego, CA – SOMA
• Sep 19 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues Anaheim
• Sep 20 – Sacramento, CA – Channel 24
• Sep 22 – Las Vegas, NV – Brooklyn Bowl
• Sep 23 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
• Sep 24 – Santa Fe, NM – The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing
• Sep 26 – Tulsa, OK – Cain's Ballroom
• Sep 27 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
• Sep 28 – Omaha, NE – The Admiral
• Sep 30 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works
• Oct 1 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
• Oct 2 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz
• Oct 3 – Richmond, VA – The National
• Oct 5 – Baltimore, MD – Nevermore Hall
• Oct 7 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore
• Oct 8 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall
• Oct 9 – Portland, ME – State Theatre
• Oct 10 – Worcester, MA – The Palladium
• Oct 12 – Columbus, OH – KEMBA Live!
• Oct 13 – Louisville, KY – Old Forester's Paristown Hall
• Oct 14 – Milwaukee, WI – The Pabst Theater
• Oct 15 – Detroit, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
• Oct 17 – Morelos, MX – Vaivén Festival
• Oct 19 – Monterrey, MX – Escenario GNP

The North America run of the Time Machines Tour is just getting started. Tickets and tour information are available through The Midnight's official channels.