By Colin malone | november 9, 2024
Upon entering Brooklyn Steel fans of GWAR were greeted with a familiar sight to them, but not necessarily to the standard patrons of the venue, lights and speakers covered in plastic tarps in anticipation of the colorful mess that awaits them in the near future. Before the headlining show, Squid Pisser kicked off the night in full costume along with grotesque masks to set the tone of the evening. Followed by Dark Funeral, with driving blast beats and a crowd loving it all throwing their devil horns in the air.
Entering their 40th year since inception, a GWAR show is much more than just your average concert. Their performances will have a storyline carried throughout the night with no shortage of simulated blood and gore. The current lineup consists of lead singer Mike Bishop as “Blöthar the Berserker”, Mike Derks as “Balsac the Jaws of Death” on lead and rhythm guitar, Brad Roberts as “Jizmak da Gusha” on drums, Casey Orr as “Beefcake the Mighty” on bass, and newcomer Tommy Meehan (also of Squid Pisser) as “Grodius Maximus” on lead guitar.
Themes that are usually aimed as a tear down of politics and society felt especially on point in Brooklyn New York less than 24 hours after the results of a long and stressful election cycle were announced. First on the stage was a “debate” between the two candidates took place that was broken up by the arrival of the members of GWAR who maimed them both. Not wanting to accept the responsibilities of filling the empty oval office, they activated a time machine bringing back our four previous Presidents and others, including a sword fight between a zombie Abraham Lincoln and a zombie Confederate soldier, all of whom leaving the stage in various forms of dismemberment. Long time fans of GWAR know that such violence is punctuated with blasts of dyed water into the crowd. Many white shirts emblazoned with “This is my GWAR shirt” entered Brooklyn Steel and left in a completed soaked tie dye of reds, blues, and purples. Despite the violent themes of the night, all patrons were seen with wide smiles during the entire evening. Heavy metal fans new and old would not want to miss an unforgettable performance such as GWAR’s.
Colin Malone is a freelance photographer for Majestic Music Magazine. See more of his work here
