Photos/Writer: Hilary Crannage-Gallina
A brisk 40 degree New York night didn’t stop folks from lining up down the block to blow off steam in the wake of the presidential election. As eclectic as the band themselves, many were dressed in their oddity best. Leather vests with studs, platform shoes, and face paint. Packing into Albany NY’s Empire Live, fans were prepared for a night of chaos and debauchery.
Starting off the night we’re the invaders of the deep, Squid Pisser. Banners of spiky tentacles took up residence on either end of the stage that was bathed in hazy green light. The LA natives entered on stage wearing Squid masks through the dark flashing light like right out of a horror movie. Like Mental asylum dropouts, the band started a set of absolute chaos. The lead vocalist left the stage multiple times to wander through the crowd amidst strobing red and blue lights. At the end of their set the crowd was worked up and growing while setup began for the second band, Dark Funeral.
Continuing the night of theatrics was Swedish black metal band, Dark Funeral. Like their predecessor, the band emerged from the darkness dressed for the occasion. Dawned in dramatic black and white face paint, each member wore what looked like black battle cloths of leather and studs. Lead vocalist Andreas Vingbäck appeared stoically, wrapped in a cape with a slick ponytail. Dark funeral’s set continued the dark lighting theme. Utilizing the back stage lights to create haunting silhouettes of red, the band brought the mosh pit into formation. Ending their set with cheers from the crowd while Vingbäck waved a big black Dark Funeral Flag. Almost immediately after the band exited the stage, set up began for the the blood soaked performance of GWAR.
Prefacing the bands arrival on stage was a multitrack medley that played clips from songs like Gangnam Style, The King of the Hill theme song, Never gonna give you up and Party in the USA, before War Pigs started to play and the band walked out. Known for their over the top fabrications and costumes, GWAR started with a bang by staging a brawl by the two presidential candidates. The fight ended with disembowelment but not the planned spray of blood due to technical difficulties. The performance left the crowd chanting “Blood! Blood! Blood!” as the next few songs were played. The problem was doon fixed and, as more political figures made their appearance, the decapitations started and the blood began to spray effectively soaking half the crowd with red and blue. The crowd was riled up early on and began pushing forward as the pit grew. Ultimately causing the bolts of the barricade to loosen. Security jumped into action, multitasking between fixing the barricade and catching crowd surfers. Their actions ensured that the show continued uninterrupted and the safety of the fans.
The band members themselves were dressed as their own unique costume that bore resemblance to medieval characters from a videogame with their oversized battle gear and orc-like appearance. Neither political party was spared as the band decapitated, disemboweled, and delimbed multiple past presidents and political figures like Adolf Hitler. GWAR’s 16 song set was an onslaught of their beloved hits like Bring Back the Bomb and I, Bonesnapper. The crescendo of the night was during the band’s ending song America Must Be Destroyed with the conjuring of a massive patriotic entity to do battle with an equally big, grotesque creature. The battle was epic and ended in more blood raining down on fans and a big American flag waved by Blöthar the Berserker. Ending the night was an encore of Sick of You and the last opportunity for one last spray down of the audience. When the lights came on the venue and fans a liked were soaked in red and blue but beaming ear to ear as they filed our to undoubtedly shower and get back to reality.
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