Live Report - Gwar, The Casualties - 11/14/10
Live Gig
Punk/Metal

Release year: 0
Reviewed by Crash

Aw… who doesn’t love a Gwar show? I mean honestly, I can’t think of another band so hard to dislike just on a level of sheer music. Many believe that their music is second to their stage show and in many cases they are right. There are few Gwar albums that are truly great from start to finish. Beyond Hell was such an album, one that I felt turned their silliness into legitimate satire with the best songs the band had ever written. So I know that I can dig Gwar at home. But live? It is a completely different experience. More like Rocky Horror Picture Show meets Spinal Tap than anything else, I love a good Gwar. The Casualties would be opening as well and although they are not anywhere near my favorite punk band, I know that they can rock the house down when deemed necessary.

My girlfriend and I took the road, an hour late to the show to conveniently miss the first opening bands. With Black Sabbath playing on the stereo, a red bull in my hand, and a fresh Marley rolled in the other, I took to the venue and awaited my fate. Soon after getting in we noticed that The Casualties were beginning their set. I do have a fond appreciation for punk music and I can really dig the simple catchy vibes and rock out, wishing that I could finally maybe one day pull off a Mohawk. The band isn’t special in much of any way outside of their frontman, who screams sound more like death metal than Sex Pistols. It was a nice change and I really dig their attitude towards metal, punk, hardcore etc. with a greatly misquoted line, “We’re all the same fucking subgenre. This is for the people who listen to Discharge and Venom” Metal horns went into the air despite them not being a metal band. Hmm, well it felt metal so fuck it. They played an extremely fun cover of Blitzkrieg Bop before finishing off their set.

I caught up later with my little brother, this would be his fifth Gwar show. I had only been to two before tonight and both of them were in my brother’s company. For some reason, they are his favorite band which to me is much cooler than someone saying Slayer or Metallica. We chilled, smoked bummed cigarettes, and talked of old times. This was until our attention shifted to the stage. Within moments, (after a nice choice in pre show music, War Pigs) the costumed crusaders made the stage. Within moments there were dicks everywhere.

Never in your life will you ever feel so comfortable asking a middle aged man wearing styrofoam shoulder pads to spray red liquid into your mouth from his penal area.

While the sound was great and the atmosphere was rad, the set list unfortunately suffered. Most of the songs seemed to be from the past two releases, neither of which were particularly intriguing. Very few old favorites were actually played, and in total I only recognized around three songs, when I have been familiar with at least the first twenty years of their career. They must really want to push that new material into the crowd so that they can get away with not having to play Meat Sandwich, Saddam A Go Go, or Sick of You every show. They did however have necrobestial intercourse. And that counts for a lot in today’s economic times. There were blood, guts, dead republicans, and all other forms of family fun. I myself got completely soaked in what must have been a mix between sulfuric acid and semen.

So was it the best Gwar show I’d seen? No. But I did watch a man cornhole a dead puppy.
Killing Songs :
Bring Back the Bomb, Blitzkrieg Bop
Crash quoted
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To see all 89 reviews click here
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There are 4 replies to this review. Last one on Tue Nov 16, 2010 4:37 pm
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