October 16, 2018 – Roseland Ballroom in Portland, OR
October 27, 2018 – Myth in St. Paul, MN
Photos by Brett Zisler
Not very often you get a chance to see two shows on the same tour – let alone 11 days apart from each other. I jumped at the opportunity to see this tour in two different venues in two different cities.
RINGWORM is a great opener for this tour. Metal with some thrash thrown in. The pit was going in both Portland and St. Paul. I don’t know too much about them but I’m guessing their set was close to the same in both cities. In St. Paul, I saw quite a few people walking around with Ringworm merch after their set!
MISS MAY I really impressed me in Portland. I had not seen the band in quite a while so I was very interested in seeing the band live again. Their set was the same in both cities coming out swinging with “Swallow Your Teeth” from their new album and going right into “Hey Mister” from At Heart. In both cities, the pits were circling and people were singing along to certain songs in the set. This band has come a long way since I saw them at Warped Tour on the At Heart album cycle – they are tighter musicians who put together a well crafted set. There was two slower songs that didn’t go over as well in St. Paul as they did in Portland. Both crowds were ready to mosh and Miss May I gladly gave the crowd what they wanted ending with “Under Fire” and “Shadows Inside.” I’m really looking forward to what this band does next. Listening to Shadows Inside again in between the Portland and St. Paul shows, they really have crafted their best work with this new album.
HATEBREED dominates every time you see them live. It’s cathartic. The best part about seeing Hatebreed live in two different cities is that you get two different sets. Yes, there were songs that were played in both cities. Jamey calls out the songs and Matt, Frank, Chris and Wayne crush it every time. I was going to jot down each song they played in St. Paul and I gave up about 5 songs in. I was too busy enjoying the show and I knew I missed a song. I never get tired of hearing songs from Satisfaction and Perseverance. The St. Paul set included a few more songs from The Rise of Brutality, which is now celebrating it's 15 year anniversary. Time to go back and revisit that album a little more!
Both Portland and St. Paul had fans coming out of “Mosh Retirement” for their set and at multiple points in both shows, I don’t know who was having more fun – the band or the crowd? That’s what keeps me coming back all these years later. I know Hatebreed are going to put on a phenomenal show filled with crowd interaction and at least one song you never thought you’d hear in the set (“Doomsayer” in St. Paul)! Next year will be the 25th Anniversary of Hatebreed and I can’t wait for them to come around again! I’m putting in my request right now for “Last Breath”!
One would think the crowd hit their peak during Hatebreed’s set. No, that was just them stretching. Portland’s Roseland Theater is easily half the size of St. Paul’s Myth – both in the overall size of the venue and in size of the stage. At the Myth, GWAR really got to spread out and utilize every inch of the space. In Portland, things seemed a little crowded but it never got in the way of the performance.
I’m not sure I want to admit this but these were my first two GWAR shows. I wish I would’ve saw them with Oderus. Reguardless, GWAR does not disappoint EVER. If you thought they did, then you didn’t engulf yourself in the show enough. I’ve never seen so many white t-shirts in my entire life at a concert and it was quickly pointed out why. It’s the ultimate souvenir! How much blood did you get on you?
People bring their families to this show. Long time GWAR fans bringing their kids to enjoy the experience with them. Who would’ve ever thought family bonding could be so much fun!?! This would prove to be extremely fun to watch just how these kids couldn’t believe what they were seeing, making new GWAR fans every night.
While I'm thinking about it ... how do they play so damn well with those huge costumes on? I don’t want to give away too much about the show as I don’t want to spoil it for someone who hasn’t seen the tour yet. The fun started off right away with “War on GWAR” and continued into “I’ll Be Your Monster”. "Saddam a Go-Go" showed up early in the set to many surprised fans! The VIP’s in St. Paul, were coming unglued waiting to be fed to the meat grinder. It wouldn’t be long and their dream would become a reality. Ending with the 1-2 finisher of "F*** This Place" and "Sick of You" and well, hopefully you survived. All that was missing was their cover of AC/DC's "If You Want Blood, You Got It" even though there was enough of that to go around.
The behind the scenes of a GWAR show would be extremely fascinating. One day I would be very interested to find out exactly how much blood they go thru each show. Who has to make all that blood each day? Who cleans up after a GWAR show? All questions that might never be answered but one asks anyways. Just enjoy more of Brett's pictures...
CHECK OUT MORE OF BRETT's GWAR, HATEBREED and MISS MAY I PHOTOS HERE!
