ATTENTION: I will not be discussing the theatrics of this show because I do not want to spoil it for anyone that has yet to see the show. This review will be only based on their performance.
A giant penis, Lady Gaga, Sarah Palin and a ton of blood. This must mean only one thing. No, it’s not an episode of “America’s Got Talent.” It means that GWAR is in town. For 25 years, GWAR has done the unthinkable: survived. They have outlasted many of their peers and pretty much put all the naysayers to rest. Well, if not put them to rest, disposed of them by way of the human meat grinder. Gwar pulled into Atlanta on October 10th to bring their carnage to the Masquerade and according to singer Dave Brockie (Oderus Urungus); this is one of the few venues that GWAR has played consistently for 20 years. I’ve been a GWAR fan since I was senior in high school in 1992. My first show was at this very venue back in 1992 and I’ve seen GWAR five times since then, not counting two X-Cops shows (Gwar side project.) The last time I saw GWAR was back in 2002 so needless to say, I was pretty pumped to see these guys.
After a handful of pretty terrible opening acts and one really awesome one (NYC’s The Casualties), the houselights went down. Waiting in anticipation, I thought to myself, “What will they open with?” To my surprise, the show opened with the classic “Horror of Yg” from “Scumdogs of the Universe.” I was so fucking stoked to hear this song as it’s one of my all time favorites. My first impression is that time has been great to these guys. They sounded extremely tight and lead singer Dave Brockie (Oderus Urungus) still, in my book, has one of the most awesome metal voices ever. No effects are needed to make this dude sound fucking awesome. He just does and that’s all there is to it.
As I surveyed the crowd, it blew my mind to see that a GWAR audience never changes. Unlike a band like KISS where their audiences continue to add generations, GWAR’s audience looked very youthful. I would say that for the most part it was a much younger crowd with a handful of older folk (like me) scattered throughout. It was a sea of homemade white t-shirts just begging to be caked and soaked by the gallons of GWAR blood and guts. I’d be hard pressed to find a face in that crowd that wasn’t smiling. These kids were having the time of their lives as the band delivered set of material dominated by newer material with a few classics spread throughout for good measure.
GWAR was touring with a much smaller crew of characters than they have in the past and the antics seemed to be less frequent then before. Some may find this disappointing but as a fan of GWAR for 20 years, I completely welcomed this and I’ll tell you why. I have always thought that even as over the top as GWAR is and as chaotically insane their live shows are, GWAR writes some of the best metal songs out there. There is so much political and social commentary to many of their songs. Songs like “Crack in the Egg”, “Damnation Under God” and “Bring Back The Bomb” were delivered in this performance with precision and skill that shows just what they are capable of. “Let Us Slay” from the “Lust In Space” album proved to be a fan favorite as they all chanted the chorus back to the band with enthusiasm.
The highlights of the show for me were hearing classics like ‘Pure as the Arctic Snow” and “Vlad the Impaler” as I haven’t seen these live in many years. It made me remember when I first got turned on to GWAR and these songs sound just as fresh today as they did 20 years ago. Gwar closed the set out with an encore of “Zombies, March!” from their upcoming “Gwar’s Bloody Pit of Horror” album and the GWAR classic “Sick of You” which has pretty much become their very own “Rock & Roll All Nite” or “Freebird” if you will. The audience was rabid over this song and it was fun to see so many people that at least knew this very song.
Even with the scaled down gore fest, I found myself wishing I could see these guys just play these songs as is. In the past, GWAR has done shows as RAWG which is GWAR sans costumes and their stage production just ripping through the songs. This is something I would love to see just so I could focus on the actual songs instead of constantly waiting to get hit in the face with a load of fake cum or piss. Don’t get me wrong, that stuff is still fun but again, I’d love to be able to see these guys just play these songs with no frills. One of the things I wondered was how many of these people were actual fans of GWAR’s music and how many were just fans of the stage show. I don’t think it’s impossible for many to be both (like me) but I often feel that those that are just there for the show are missing out on a huge aspect of the band. GWAR as a band stands head, shoulders and other removable limbs over many and I can only hope that these folks will discover that the GWAR listening experience is just as enjoyable as the visual live experience
GWAR proved to me this night that they are showing no signs of slowing down. They are still making great music and still have significant relevance in these times. GWAR is a band that continues to move forward as opposed to sounding dated or old. Seeing GWAR 20 years after seeing them for the first time, I still had a great time at the show and even enjoyed getting sprayed down with fake blood. I think the only thing that has changed for me as a fan is that I feel like I have more respect for the music than I did back in the day. My focus on GWAR has changed and while I will always enjoy the performance, I’m finding that GWARs music actually has plenty to say. Open up your ears as well as your eyes and take it in. The songs are there for a reason.
Gwar Set List
Horror Of Yig, Damnation Under God, Hail, Genocide, Let Us Slay, Vlad the Impaler, Decay of Grandeur, Techno’s Song, Crack In The Egg, Maggots, Bring Back the Bomb, Metal Metal Land, Pure As The Arctic Snow, Beat You To Death, Salamanizer
Encore: Zombies March, Sick of You
[svgallery name=”Gwar – 10-10-10 – Atlanta, GA”]
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