Live Music Review: Danzig

The Fox Theater in Pomona, CA held the first show of Danzig’s 2015 tour. I made the trip with my friend Dave, as we are both big fans. For those readers who are unfamiliar, Glenn Danzig was one of the two founding members of the horror-punk band Misfits. (The other being Jerry Only.) The group disbanded in 1983 and Danzig went on to form the groups Samhain (1983) and the eponymous Danzig (1987). Whereas Misfits and early Samhain are punk bands, Danzig is a bluesy heavy metal outfit. They have also experimented with doom, gothic, and industrial rock in their 28 year (and counting) career.

I had seen Misfits perform about ten years ago in New Jersey. At the time, the lineup was Jerry Only, Marky Ramone (The Ramones) and Dez Cadena (Black Flag). They played Misfits songs, Ramones songs, and Black Flag songs. It was (and remains) one of the best concerts I have ever attended. (The pit was so crazy my tee shirt got ripped in two during the first song.) My friend Paul and I were both in our mid-twenties at the time, and everyone else was either in their forties (and an old fan) or a teenager. I wasn’t sure what to expect with Danzig since the music is a totally different style. I think this show had a better age range; I saw a couple of kids and a couple of guys in their fifties. If I had to guess, I’d say most of the fans were in their twenties and thirties. Lots of black tee shirts, too.

Dave and I arrived early to get bracelets for the pit. They only gave them out to the first two hundred people or so. In line, we discovered an odd rider to Danzig’s contract. He doesn’t want any bottled water. All the water had to be poured into plastic cups by a bartender. Maybe he’s had bad experiences with flying bottles during the set? Another stipulation was no photography or filming during the set. This one is pretty well known to rock music promoters. In fact, Danzig held a fan in a headlock after the show for taking his picture.

Though no photography with fans after the show seems a bit silly to me, I can totally get behind a “no filming” rule during the concert. I’m tired of going to shows just to have everyone’s smartphone raised in the air, ruining the lighting, making a crappy recording that no one is ever going to watch. My thoughts are, “It’s happening live, in front of you. That’s why you’re here. Enjoy it!”

Saviours

Up first was a band called Saviours, from Oakland. They looked like white trash hicks and played 80s thrash/stoner metal. (Think early Metallica meets old Baroness.) The set was good, but not great. Perhaps that’s because the crowd hadn’t made their way into the theater yet. It’s a little hard for me to judge their performance so I’m giving them three stars: average. I’d probably enjoy them more in a different setting or with a different crowd. It was during Saviours’ set, however, that I noticed a problem with the venue’s sound. The music sounded good, but the vocals were muddy. Unfortunately, this was a problem that would plague all three acts.

After the Saviours set, Dave and I made our way onto the rooftop patio to grab a couple of drinks. Sure enough, the no-bottled-water policy was in effect throughout. We noticed a group of fans tossing things over the side of the building; first, it was straws and wrappers but quickly escalated to beer bottles. Some people suck.

Sound: ★★ out of 5
Energy: ★★★ out of 5
Live Performance: ★★★ out of 5
Overall: ★★★ out of 5

Cancer Bats

Next up was Cancer Bats, a hardcore punk outfit from Toronto. I enjoyed them quite a bit more than the opening act, and the crowd finally seemed to be filling in. Cancer Bats had a lot more energy and engaged the audience better. A pretty violent mosh pit erupted, and I got decked right underneath my eye. I saw stars and tasted blood. I feared I’d have a black eye in the morning, but luckily that fear was unfounded. I was annoyed more than anything; I wasn’t even in the pit, I was standing off to the side.

At one point, the singer announced that they were going to play a Beastie Boys song. I wondered what song they could play that would make sense as a punk outfit, and they didn’t disappoint with a fairly decent cover of Sabotage. For me, that was the highlight since I didn’t know their original music. Again, the vocals were too muddled and were hard to discern. The energy was fantastic, however.

After the Cancer Bats set, we went back up to the rooftop bar just in time to see the group that was throwing stuff off the side of the building get escorted out by security. I was happy to see them go; it’s such an obnoxious thing to do and you could seriously injure someone with a falling glass bottle.

Sound: ★★ out of 5
Energy: ★★★★★ out of 5
Live Performance: ★★★★ out of 5
Overall: ★★★½ out of 5

Danzig

The headliners finally took the stage, which they had adorned with a banner featuring the iconic demon skull logo and lots of other skeleton/octopus/devil related set pieces. I wasn’t really sure what to expect from them; I had heard lots of conflicting rumors about their live show prior to seeing it. Also, Danzig’s music is quite varied. It runs from metal to industrial to blues, sometimes within the same song.

I was most excited to hear Glenn Danzig’s singing voice, which is one of the most unique in metal. He’s been compared, fairly, to Elvis Presley many times. Unfortunately, the sound engineers hadn’t fixed the issues plaguing the opening acts, and Danzig’s voice was muddied like the rest. Very disappointing.

However, the live show was very solid. The setlist was a good variety from their sizable catalog. They didn’t play any of their industrial tracks, but the rest was fair game. I was very happy to hear a couple songs off of Danzig II, their best album (in my opinion). The only weak portion of the set was a section of cover songs. I thought maybe they should have spread them out a bit. The Black Sabbath cover was excellent, and hearing it in Glenn Danzig’s iconic voice was a treat.

Predictably, they closed the set with the song Mother. It’s easily Danzig’s most popular song, and even if you don’t know the band, you’ve probably heard this song if you have any ties to rock music. It was the perfect way to close, and left the audience wanting more. I’ve embedded the video for your convenience.

Setlist: Intro (Overture of the Rebel Angels | SkinCarver | Hammer of the Gods | Until You Call on the Dark | Am I Demon | Her Black Wings | How the Gods Kill | Let Yourself Go (Elvis Presley cover) | Devil’s Angels (Davie Allan & The Arrows cover) | Satan | N.I.B. (Black Sabbath cover) | Black Hell | Black Mass | Black Angel, White Angel | Twist of Cain | Mother

Encore: She Rides | Long Way Back from Hell

Sound: ★★ out of 5
Energy: ★★★ out of 5
Live Performance: ★★★★ out of 5
Overall: ★★★½ out of 5

All in all, it was an enjoyable evening and a solid show (if not the best concert I’ve ever attended). I’m happy that I got to see another metal legend perform before his retirement. I just wish the sound booth could have gotten their act together.

Concert Reviews

2013

• Tomahawk (feat. Retox)
• Coheed and Cambria (feat. BTBAM & Russian Circles)
• Palms
• Black Sabbath (feat. Andrew WK)
• Vampire Weekend (feat. Beirut)

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2014

• Fit for a King & For Today
• ††† (Crosses) (feat. Omniflux & Spirit in the Room)
• Soundgarden & NIN 2014

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2015

• Dr. Octagon (feat. Avalon, Gap Dream & No Parents)
• Faith No More (feat. The Urinals)
• Mastodon & Clutch (feat. Graveyard)
• Coheed and Cambria (feat. Seahaven)
• The Appleseed Cast (feat. Adjy & Coaster)
• The Smashing Pumpkins & Marilyn Manson
• Danzig (feat. Cancer Bats & Saviours)
• Imagine Dragons (feat. Halsey & Metric)
• Between the Buried and Me & Animals As Leaders (feat. The Contortionist)
• Deftones & Incubus (feat. Death from Above 1979)
• 2015 Summer Rankings
• Blindside (feat. Hearts Like Lions)
• Puscifer (feat. Luchafer)

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2016

• The Black Queen (feat. Drab Majesty)
• Joe Satriani
• Coheed and Cambria (feat. Glassjaw, I the Mighty, Silver Snakes)
• Killswitch Engage (feat. Memphis May Fire, 36 Crazyfists, and Toothgrinder)
• Andrew Bird (feat. John Grant)
• Lamb of God (feat. Clutch and Corrosion of Conformity)
• At the Drive-In (feat. Le Butcherettes)
• The Dillinger Escape Plan (feat. Author & Punisher)
• Guns N’ Roses (feat. The Cult)
• Animal Collective (feat. Stuart Copeland)
• Alice in Chains (feat. The New Regime)
• Temple of the Dog (feat. Fantastic Negrito)
• Giraffe Tongue Orchestra (cancelled)
• Metallica
• 2016 Concert Rankings

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2017

• August Burns Red (feat. Protest the Hero, In Hearts Wake, ’68)
• Norma Jean (feat. He Is Legend, Capsize, Comrades)
• Red (feat. Wolves at the Gate, Message from Sylvia, Death Therapy) (coming soon)
• Mastodon (feat. Eagles of Death Metal, Russian Circles) (coming soon)
• Pixies (coming soon)
• Tool (feat. Clutch, Fantomas, Primus, Melvins, Crystal Method) (coming soon)
• Rise Against (feat. Deftones, Thrice) (coming soon)
• Green Day
• Dead Cross (feat. Neil Hamburger, Ho99o9) (coming soon)
• Banks (coming soon)
• Between the Buried and Me (feat. The Contortionist, Poluphia, Toothgrinder) (coming soon)
• The Offspring (feat. Well Hung Heart) (coming soon)
• Russian Circles (feat. MGR) (coming soon)
• Our Lady Peace (feat. Smashing Hearts) (coming soon)
• Animals As Leaders (feat. Periphery and Astronoid) (coming soon)

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