Concert Review - GWAR - Oct 16th 2023 - Toronto
"Could my anus be any more ready?"
My exact thoughts as I entered The Phoenix Concert Theater in Toronto . A venue I've been a patron of many times. On time in particular was Meshuggah during the DVD taping of their "Ophidian Trek" concert. I've also of course seen GWAR here several times. Including at one of the last concerts that Corey Smoot would ever play, and the retirement of the character "Flattus Maximus"
I'm no stranger to GWAR concerts. This show marks show #33 for me. My GWAR origin story is one that made the band themselves chuckle. Near my elementary school was a forest, and in said forest was some fallen logs, beneath which you could find stolen Penthouse, PlayBoy and Chubbers magazines. Carefully wrapped in saran wrap as to not spoil their immaculate pages.. surely stolen from one of our Dads..
Mixed in the treasure trove of magazines one day was GWARs "America Must Be Destroyed" cassette.
"Surely, if this is with other treasures... it must be treasure itself!" I thought to myself... it turns out I was correct! As I got it home, I popped it in my 1976 panasonic cassette player. My ears were greeted with the music of GOds... .. Aliens?... No, Gods.. well.. both.
Since then (1994 or so) I was on a quest to consume all things GWAR. And of course, see them as many times as I can. In the span of 29 years I have seen them 33 times. An average of once a year plus festival appearances. They also almost always have an October trek to Toronto, which helps.
The setlist saw the return of BLACK SABBATH's "War Pigs" as a segway in to the bands set, which has been notably absent on the last couple of tours.
HAIL GENOCIDE! was the first tune! In the past GWAR was usually polite enough in the past to not spray blood at the start of the show. This gave photographers a buffer where they could take pictures without their gear being soiled.... not this time !
I watched carefully as Jay navigated the spew like a true professional. A spew Jedi master was truly with us that night....
I also took my own inventory of much less professional photographs:
The set was a fantastic blend of things old and new. My biggest gripe was that I am OLD. And can no longer navigate the mosh pit like i used to, which is necessary to become soaked in GWAR fluids.
One thing that DID strike me was the amount of younger crowd members (19-25) - AND their knowledge of the songs. I was happy to pass the "Baptism of metal" which is GWAR.
Truly - for one to be a metal fan - the show is the concert, and the baptism is provided by GWAR.
Setlist was as follows:
- (AC/DC cover)
Admittedly - the post Dave Brockie era has been a huge shift for the older fans like myself. There's no replacing the razor sharp wit and standup comedy magic that was Dave. But, if anyone was to fill the shoes Mike Bishop is definitely the best choice. A PHD of Ethnomusicology who stepped away from the world of academia to return to his musical roots of GWAR. In many ways GWAR has been a cultural phenomenon, I was lucky to be one of the first people to talk to Bishop after the death of Brockie first and foremost out of character as himself and NOT Blothar
We talked candidly about the future of GWAR. Mike told me that GWAR was having a tough time and may not survive. I kept this out of the interview at the time but am only talking about it now, and will be posting the full audio. I think a full DECADE is enough to wait for this Ha ha ! Seeing as GWARs concert attendance is NOTABLY higher than the end of the Brockie era, proving that although he was a master of many things. Perhaps business magnate wasn't one of them ?
My rating of this show
8/10 pukes
I felt the Blood Of Gods tour was the best so far of the modern era, but definitely am beyond happy to see the new generations attending and longevity of one of the bands that has truly brought me endless laughter and joy over the years.
Will I see another 33 GWAR concerts? as long as myself, and they are alive. yes.
Photo dump:
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