ROCK N ROLL EXPERIENCE - Static-X, 4/28/07

I initially had to wait a few minutes at the door since my passes were not there, but Dink, Static-X’s tour manager was super cool & gave me my tix/passes on the spot & when I got inside, 2 Cents had already started, so I didn’t have time to take pics of them...their drummer cut off his facial hair, & the band played a set that was identical to all the other 2 Cent shows I ‘d seen..they did the Dimebag tribute song, the Simpsons/King of the Hill medley, & that Pop Music is the Enemy song...overall, they played a strong set, but I’d really like to see them change it up a little & do something a little different..after seeing them atleast 5 times now, I love the guys, but I can kinda predict their lines & what’s gonna happen. My favorite line in their live show is during “Steak Dinner” btw..if you’ve seen them you know why! lol Actually, I have to add that the only big difference I saw in their set was, when they played “Angel of Death” by Slayer, Tony from Static-X came onstage & sang lead vocals, which was pretty vucking cool!

After a relatively short set change, the members of Otep were onstage, setting up their own gear & I have to be very honest with you, there was ALOT of Otep fans in the house..I was actually shocked at how many there were! I think around 1/2 of that crowd in the pit was there for Otep! Lead singer & namesake of the band, Otep, works out all of her issues, onstage, via her warped poetry, twisted lyrics, & the backing band is what’s really driving her message home! “War Head” was the strongest moment in the set as far as I’m concerned, & the band really tore things up, but I think Otep is actually alot stronger when they play tiny, really small clubs, because when I saw them a few months ago @ Fletcher’s in Baltimore, that was one of the heaviest shows EVER! Actually, the bands cover of “Breed” by Nirvana was awesome too I might add!

Ok, so flash forward now, around 12:15, Static-X took the stage under the cover of darkness & from the opening rings of Wayne Static’s LTD guitar, I knew this was gonna be a powerhouse night of heavy, “Evil Disco” metal! Static-X ripped through old & new songs alike, & watching Wayne move his head around, almost mechanically at times, watching Tony bob his head like a bobblehead, seeing Koichi roam the stage rampantly, it’s clear to see why the band has lasted almost 10 years when all the other nu-metal acts kinda fell by the waste side....Static-X vucking rock! “Love Dump” was a highlight of their set, but “Bled For Days” was one of the strongest moments of the night I think. “Push It” was played during their encore, & the band actually finished up a little before 1:30 AM which was the latest show they’ve done so far on this tour! The band was doing shots throughout the night, & at one point Wayne called a roadie out to give them “pills” & they had these little cups with “pills” in them that they supposedly took, but to blow the illusion, I don’t believe they had anything bad in them...my bet was that they had jelly beans in them, I mean those guys are NOT drug users & it’s obvious!

As a KISS fan, I was interested to see that bassist Tony has a arm piece that features Gene Simmons from KISS! The crowd was pretty interesting..there was a few people there that looked like they didn’t belong...there was some older types there who were probably there with their kids, there was alot of kids there, & I think the bulk of the crowd was 21+. I met this really cool 13 year old kid there who was talking to me throughout the night & I was trying to school him on the old-school metal songs that Static-X were playing before their set, & it’s also noteworthy to comment that when Static-X finished, “I Was Made For Loving You” by KISS was playing. Wayne Static commented that they personally pick every opening band & that 2 Cents & Otep were bands that they really like. All in all, it was a great night for rock n roll, it was a fun time, & if you missed this show, you missed a great one!