GWAR at Skyway
GWAR Setlist
Sacred Reich Setlist
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Opening up the show was Detroit’s Against the Grain (featuring bassist/singer Chris Nowak, guitarist Nick Bellomo, guitarist/singer Kyle Davis, and drummer Rob Nowak).
The band first came together with the release of their self-titled album in November 2010, and since then have signed to Self-Destructo Records to produce Motor City Speed Rock, Surrounded By Snakes (which they ended their set with the title track), and Road Warriors.
Songs were sung by their two vocalists, Chris Nowak and Kyle Davis… but both can be seen singing to Motörhead’s “Stay Clean”.
Up next was Portland’s Toxic Holocaust. The band looks and plays thrash metal, originally formed in 1999 by singer and songwriter Joel Grind. Currently, the band features drummer Tyler Becker and guitarist Robert Gray (both joining a few years ago).
Naturally, with the new band members, they are familiar with their new record Primal Future: 2019 (Entertainment One Records) … but taking a look at their setlist, you can see that the band chose to concentrated on older classic songs that worked well live (especially considering they only had about a 20-min set after soundcheck).
“You guys are f**** awesome,” Grind said, after seeing as how well the audience slammed danced to “Nuke the Cross”.
They ended their set with “The Lord of the Wasteland”, a song that they confessed as “a dance number” and looked forward to seeing everyone at the show shaking their bodies.
Second to Gwar, Sacred Reich (singer/bassist Phil Rind, guitarist Wiley Arnett, drummer Dave McClain, and rhythm guitarist Joey Radziwill) was the most intriguing band on the lineup. You see, the band actually broke up in 2000, but after a long hiatus, got back together to play local shows and keeping their legacy of the band alive. Last year, the Phoenix-based band signed to Metal Blade Records and wrote and recorded their fifth album, Awakening - making it their first new music in over 26 years!
Instead of playing hit songs from the 90s, the band decided to mostly stick to new songs… which you can tell they were really excited to showcase.
Since the band had a longer set to play, singer Phil Rind spoke quite a bit between songs. Everything from mentioning their newest guitarist, Joey Radziwill (age 23), was originally from Buffalo, Minnesota, to ice-fishing was just an excuse to drink beer. Rind also tried to compare Minnesota (“Don’t remember it being so cold!”) and also asked if anyone in the audience remember the Minneapolis venue The Mirage (which according to the internet, the club closed in 1997 due to lack of a liquor license).
For a band that hadn’t toured in over two decades, they were seasoned pros at playing their music. As Rind puts it, “Us old cats know what we’re doing.”
Gwar (currently Mike Derks, Brad Roberts, Brent Purgason, Michael Bishop, Casey Orr) was the headliner. Although there are no original band members since the death of Dave Brockie in 2014, the crew does Gwar justice by carrying on their unique music legacy… by combining metal with Warhammer, orcs & demons, and distinctively costumes.
We’ve seen Gwar a few times (Des Moines (27 Aug 2015), Minneapolis (18 Nov 2012), and Chicago (15 Sep 2012)), and it’s always a new and different show.
You see, with each tour, there is a new storyline in the world of Gwar. Last year, the band killed Donald Trump, so this tour, the band is being impeached by the planet Earth. With a new storyline, that meant new songs (to fit with the them) and also delightful new dialogue from the band.
Even if you don’t like metal music, you’ll still be very entertained by beheading (and the infamous blood squirts - so wear a raincoat to these shows!), puppets, and incredible costumes. Personally speaking, it’s the most entertaining show we’ve seen all year.
Remaining tour dates:
10/18/2019 Roseland Theater - Portland, OR
10/19/2019 Knitting Factory Concert House - Boise, ID
10/20/2019 Knitting Factory Concert House - Spokane, WA
10/21/2019 Showbox SODO - Seattle, WA
10/23/2019 Tioga-Sequoia Brewery - Fresno, CA
10/24/2019 The Belasco Theater - Los Angeles, CA
10/25/2019 Garden Amp - Garden Grove, CA
10/26/2019 Fremont Country Club - Las Vegas, NV
10/27/2019 The Marquee - Tempe, AZ
10/28/2019 Sunshine Theater - Albuquerque, NM
10/30/2019 Diamond Ballroom - Oklahoma City, OK
10/31/2019 Gas Monkey Live! - Dallas, TX
11/01/2019 Empire Garage - Austin, TX
11/02/2019 Warehouse Live Ballroom - Houston, TX
11/03/2019 Joy Theater - New Orleans, LA
11/04/2019 Exit/In - Nashville, TN
11/05/2019 The Vogue - Indianapolis, IN
Toxic Holocaust |
Sacred Reich |
GWAR at Skyway Theatre, Minneapolis (11 Oct 2019) |
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