A couple Saturday's ago my buddies Nazz, Karie and I went to the Gwar show at the Fan Park in the Ice District here in Edmonton, which is just a big tent outside Rogers Place. When this show was first announced my buddy Nazz and I were excited about the bill that also included punkers Dwarves, Helmet and a band I had never heard of called Blood Vulture. But damn Dwarves, Helmet and Gwar all on one bill, count me in.
We missed the first band Blood Vulture has we were having some beers before the show. I had given them a listen weeks before the show, and they just weren't a band I was all that interested in seeing. But we made sure to be there in time for the Dwarves.
Our timing was perfect as we got to the venue in time to grab a beer and minutes later the Dwarves were on. This would be my second time seeing Dwarves in concert, the last time being in 2000. The band led by vocalist Blag Dahlia have been around since 1985. Known for their stage antics of self mutilation, nakedness, being fucked up and violence, you just never knew what you would get at a Dwarves concert. This show was full on half hour or so of punk rock with quick short songs about sex, drugs and rock n' roll. While tamer in the antics then in previous years, Blag and his band put on a good show. Before the show while I having beers, my buddy Karie was telling us about a Dwarves show he saw in Calgary at The Republik in 1990 that sounded like a crazy fucking show. This show we saw was certainly nothing like that. But that sense of danger is always there with a band like the Dwarves.
Next up was New York band Helmet led by lead guitarist and vocalist Page Hamilton, this was the band I was most excited to see. It would be my second time seeing Helmet and first time since 2006 when they opened for Guns N' Roses on their Chinese Democracy tour.
I've always liked Helmet's riff heavy style of metal. Their hour long set was excellent with the band sounding tight and playing songs from their whole catalog including songs from the first album Strap It On which was released back in 1990, "Wilma's Rainbow" from the 1994 album Betty. I would love to have heard a few more songs from the 1992 album Meantime. All and all though a great set, Page is one hell of a guitar player, even after downing at least four beers during their set. I was very impressed with seeing Helmet again.
Next up was Gwar. This would be my fourth time seeing Gwar in concert and 20 years since the last time I saw them. While nothing will match the first time I saw them in concert back in 1991 at The Bronx here in Edmonton.
By the time Gwar came on stage the crowd which my guess was around 800 people were ready, some wearing rain ponchos (if you are within 50 feet of the stage, you will get splattered with fake blood) as we all know what a Gwar show is about. If you don't know what Gwar is about checkout their Wikipedia page by clicking here.
While Gwar is fun to see in concert with their stage production, costumes and antics. They are truly over the top. I feel like once you have seen them once or twice, it gets kind of old, still fun, but been there done that kind of feeling. The music just doesn't resonate like it used to as your paying so much attention to everything else that is going on. And the music just isn't as good as their first few albums, in my opinion. They only played one song from their Scumdogs Of The Universe album (my fave of theirs), that song being "Sick Of You". It was a fun show, but will I go again, probably not unless of course they are on a good bill like this one. Gwar was scary back in the day, but like my buddy Nazz said, it's more cartoonish now with the music not really mattering.
Oh ya, and what's up with the venue, which like I mentioned is in a big tent. The weather was kind of shitty that night with rain and wind outside, but by the end of the night there were huge puddles forming in the tent. Messy and dangerous. Nonetheless. Good times!!!
Gwar.
What my t-shirt looked like after the show, and I was trying to stay away from the blood, lol.
