After decades of domination and decapitation, infamous intergalactic rockers GWAR still find a way to make it feel special.
The legendary group of intergalactic rockstars landed in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the historic Cain’s Ballroom. The floors of the venue were covered in tarps and absorbent rugs to prepare for an evening of absolute carnage. It would later be discovered that the floor coverings were no match for the far-reaching, high-volume loads of bodily fluids that would come spraying from GWAR’s performance throughout the night. In an unfortunate turn of events, Light The Torch announced last minute that they would be unable to join the tour as planned, due to issues securing a reliable touring vehicle. Nevertheless, GWAR, Crobot, and Nekrogoblikon trekked onward to bring fans an unforgettable and epic concert experience.
Nekrogoblikon and Crobot are taking turns opening shows throughout the tour. On this particular night, Nekrogoblikon started the evening with “Golden Future.” Nicky Calonne’s vocal style captivated fans from the first note. Immediately, the crowd was intrigued by the goblin, known as John Goblikon, that joined the band on stage. He danced across the stage, interacted heavily with the band and the crowd, and provided a humorous spectacle for concert-goers. During their song “The Magic Spider,” the goblin plays the ukulele, which the singer claims is a prized heirloom of his grandfather’s. Calonne warns the goblin to be careful with the ukulele, immediately before the goblin hilariously smashed the ukulele on stage, amusing the crowd. The ukulele was auctioned off at the merch table later in the evening.
Though the goblin intrigued the audience, the technical musical skill of the band held the audience’s attention and kept them lingering on every note. Nekrogoblikon played a very synthesizer-heavy set, showcasing Aaron Minich’s versatility behind the keys. He also aided in vocal duties, often performing the goblin-like screams that are a staple of Nekrogoblikon’s music. Though their set was only thirty minutes long, they took advantage of their time with an extremely well-executed set that left fans wanting more. Fans lined up at the Nekrogoblikon merch table following their set to take pictures with the goblin.
The show certainly had no shortage of theatrics. Crobot kept the fun going by starting their set with singer, Brandon Yeagley, hidden inside of a large mysterious egg in the center of the stage. As the egg cracked, Yeagley popped out and the band began their set with “Electrified.” Yeagley is an absolute powerhouse of a singer, and he commanded the energy in the room with his microphone tricks, crowd interaction, flashy outfit, and dynamic vocal range. Crobot performed an impressive cover of “No Class” by Motörhead.It wouldn’t be a Crobot show without Yeagley jumping on top of guitarist Chris Bishop’s shoulders while performing most of their hit “Low Life.” Crobot performed their song “Golden” from their newest album Feel This, released earlier in 2022. The song is a tribute to the late Chris Cornell, who is a huge musical influence to the band. The music video for the song was also released this week. At the end of their set, Yeagley pulled a sword from a rock and the band performed “Without Wings,” another hit from their latest album. Though the band was only able to perform a small portion of their usual theatrics due to a thirty-minute set time, they still captivated the crowd and kept the story-telling theme of the night going.
To build up anticipation for GWAR, two large screens on the stage previewed scenes from This Is GWAR, a GWAR documentary that was recently released on Shudder, a horror-themed television streaming service. A man sporting a GWAR shirt arrived on the stage and began hyping the crowd up. GWAR wasted no time showing off their disgust for the human race by immediately decapitating the puny human, hosing the crowd in a blood bath, and appropriately beginning their set with “The Cutter.” An interactive platypus on the screens assisted GWAR in bringing some of the most hated humans from Earth onto the stage for GWAR to torment and slaughter.They addressed many current political issues, including Roe vs. Wade, Trump documents, Putin, and many more. Each character brought to the stage faced a messy demise, ultimately paying for their wrong-doings. Aside from these humans, Blothar the Berserker also faced a larger, uglier version of himself. Near the end of their set, GWAR performed “None But The Brave,” dedicating the song to the late great Oderus Urungus, who was a founding member and singer of GWAR. They finished the night off with “F*** This Place,” directly after Blothar expressed his disgust for the food and the women in Tulsa.
As the lights in the venue turned back on, there were red stains that covered far beyond where tarps were set up. Blood was dripping from the rafters, and most audience members were soaked head-to-toe in it. It was a messy, hilarious, and fun-filled evening. This tour has many more dates, going all the way until early November. You don’t want to miss this unforgettable line-up.
Words by: Mallory ForsgrenPhotos by: Tyler Williams
CROBOT
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