Danzig Delivers
By aaroncynic in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 12, 2011 4:30PM
While there were plenty of great shows to choose from at Riot Fest on Friday, there was no way we could find ourselves heading anywhere else but the Congress Theater to see the Danzig Legacy tour. Even though Glenn Danzig pissed on part of our review by not allowing any photos of any bands that played, the show itself didn’t disappoint and met some of our wildest expectations.
Openers Macabre kicked things off for those people who at least enjoy their particular brand of metal. The show went full throttle once Youth of Today took the stage. Some of us who first heard "Make A Change" as small straight edge 14-year-olds never thought we’d have the chance to actually pile on the backs of hundreds of hardcore fans screaming along, and mere words simply didn’t do justice to how it felt to have the opportunity. The energy permeating the floor of the Congress was simply electric. instead of running through many of their classics like "Break Down The Walls," Youth of Today closed out with incredible covers of Minor Threat’s "Minor Threat" and "Stay Young Till I Die" by Seven Seconds.
We’ve been waiting many, many years for the opportunity to see the Misfits live. The Danzig-less Misfits of the late '90s and early 2000s always felt like a pale impression of what should have been every punk rock kid’s dream. We finally felt that dream realized at the Congress. The chance to hear Samhain songs was the cherry on top of a fanboy's fantasy sundae.
We weren’t terribly excited to slog through a 40-minute lukewarm set of mostly forgettable Danzig songs - it was nice to hear "How The Gods Kill" - it was well worth the wait when the room went black and the Samhain banner dropped. After burning through some of our favorites, the room went black once more, Doyle took the stage and every bone in our aging punk rock body was pleased to be crushed during "Death Comes Ripping." The sound and sight of more than 4,000 people shouting the anthems of their youth, wading through sweat, spilled beer and flying fists made the long wait worth every second we were able to sing along to: "I Turned Into A Martian," "Halloween" and "Bullet." Even though the rest of the fest was fantastic, the short but brilliant time we spent moshing to the Misfits is easily the highlight from the weekend.