GWAR, Wilson, Voodoo Prophet
Marathon Music Works, Nashville, TN
$24
So an entire year has passed since my first GWAR show in Nashville, and admittedly, I know nothing more of GWAR this year than I knew last year. Well, except for the notable fact that I now know that GWAR puts on an insanely awesome live show, and that I was definitely not going to miss this year's show! This show was almost exactly a year after my first show (with last year's falling on April 21st, and this year's on April 22nd), which I thought was funny. Beforehand, I had scoured the internet and found a little plastic waterproof case that is designed to be used with cameras with zoom lenses, so I'd picked one up in anticipation of this show (and any future ICP shows I may go to as well!). Since last year's show was spent staying way back from the stage and avoiding getting spritzed, I was super eager to head back to another GWAR show so I could get right up in the action!
When I arrived, the first performer was almost ready to take the stage. I hung around for a bit and chatted with someone I'd met at the Twisted Insane show the previous night before I headed straight up for the barricade. The first band to perform was Voodoo Prophet...a band that I've heard of for years, but had never actually seen perform live.
I thought they were great, and were a very appropriate opener for someone like GWAR. I certainly hope that I'll get to see them again at some point, since their set was a lot of fun.
Wilson was the next band on the bill...I'd never heard of them, but they ended up being fantastic! The lead singer was so expressive, and was very engaging with the crowd. He looked genuinely angry at some many points, and moved around the stage a lot. Overall he was just really fun to watch. At the end of his set, he came out with a big marching band drum, and marched around the stage, pounding it furiously. It was pretty fun, and I'd definitely make sure to catch them again if they were in town! They also announced that Warbeast had had a breakdown and weren't able to be there for the show. Just as well, since I'd never listened to them. I was still getting used to the settings on my camera at this show, so I didn't get any good pics of this set.
Once it was time for GWAR, I packed up the contents of my purse into a garbage bag, and stuffed it all back into my purse so I would be ready for the show. The guy next to me started to poke fun at me, thinking that I had a poncho with me, but I quickly gained his respect back when I said that I was just packing up my wallet and stuff into the bag. That guy actually had a broken arm, but didn't have anything to cover it with. We tried calling over a security guard to see if they had an extra bag of some kind to cover his arm, but they didn't.
When GWAR finally came out, I was so stoked to be right up front against the barricade so I could get a front row view! The show didn't immediately start with the messiness, so I was able to get some pretty decent shots before my little plastic pouch got all covered in blood! I'm still not familiar with almost any of GWAR's songs, so I couldn't tell you much of anything they played! But I did recognize the song "Bring Back the Bomb," which is one of the few I've actually come to enjoy.
Same as always, each guy wore his amazing monster costume, but being up close, I got a much better view of the people inside the costumes, which was awesome. I was standing directly in front of Beefcake the Mighty, and I was able to see his face really clearly. Too bad that he didn't even seem into the show at all, spending most of the time just staring off into space with a blank expression on his face! From that close, I got a better look at Oderus Urungus as well, and I loved how detailed his mask and costume are. I also thought it was funny how his mask completely covers his upper lip but not his chin, which leads to an almost ventriloquist dummy-like effect when his bottom jaw moves as he sings! It was funny to watch since it just made it look like his mouth was moving up and down instead of singing words. Funny what you notice when you are that close :-)
A little way into the show, the carnage started. The first character to appear was a priest of some kind, who was quickly defiled, mutilated and eviscerated to the delight of the crowd. And the blood went EVERYWHERE! Since I was off to the side, I didn't get quite enough on me to really get soaked, but I got quite a few decent splashes. Later through the set we saw Jesus, Barak Obama and Hitler all get massacred as well. The one that ended up soaking me the best was Hitler, who was the last character to die (that I recall...but maybe my memory is off). Once they decapitated him, I took at least three direct shots to the face or chest from the stream of blood coming out of his decapitated neck. This was the point where I got soaked from the chest up, with my hair soaked to the scalp in fake blood!
Since this was near the end of the show, I didn't have to hang around long in my cold, bloody shirt. When the show was done, the crowd dispersed and everyone looked like they'd had a blast. A good majority of the people were soaked at least from the chest up, and everyone's faces were all discolored from the multi-colored fluids. Arriving at my car, I lined my seats with garbage bags, and cranked up the heat since I was freezing.
When I got home, there was no question about jumping in the shower post-haste. I was too disgusting to think about touching anything once I got home! After last year's ICP set at the Gathering, all I needed to do was baby wipe myself off all over, then throw my hair into a pony tail, and I was good to go. But there was just NO way that I could have done the same after GWAR! It was so hilarious to step in the shower and watch all the blood and gunk just pour off of me! And when I stuck my head under the shower, all the red started to pour out of my hair and went EVERYWHERE! It looked like a murder scene briefly in my shower! I laughed so hard...definitely not the way I expected it to go after the show! hahaha
It took an entire year, but I now feel like I've had a real, proper GWAR live show experience! This show was SO much fun, and I absolutely won't miss another one of their shows in Nashville!
-Julie
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