GWAR
At Amplified live
By: Metal Dave

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     The scumdogs of the universe, also known as the band GWAR has been currently touring the US for their 16th studio album “The New Dark Ages”. On October 14th they graced the Amplified stage in Dallas, Texas along with Nekrogoblikon and Crobot for a night of debauchery. Anyone who knows GWAR knows you don’t ever miss a GWAR show when they come to your town.

 

      If you’ve never seen GWAR then you got a lot of catching up to do. As a veteran concert goer who’s seen them over 20 times I can easily say I’ve never seen a bad GWAR show. I don’t think that’s possible. Hell, it’s just not doable.

 

    For those that are unfamiliar let me tell you who the veterans at these shows are. These are your friends you haven’t met yet. You can spot them by their red stained white t-shirts they wear to the shows. Those are like a badge of honor. Unlike most metal shows, fans will wear white t-shirts cause they will get stained with all the gore projected onto them. You keep those shirts as a sign of victory.

 

     If this show wasn’t sold out then it seems like it wasn’t far from it. That venue was packed as it should be. When the lights went down the crowd erupted into screams of excitement. As is tradition the “GWAR GUY” came out on stage wondering around confused until the band fully dressed in all their glory filled the stage. They kicked things off with the song “The Cutter” from their latest album. As the song starts they chopped off the “GWAR GUY’S” head and the fake blood starting spraying the crowd. Fans continued to cheer and scream as they got covered in all the gory greatness.

 

     They followed that up with a setlist of great songs covering most of their catalog. In the midst of that they fought and killed quite a few characters including George Bush, Joe Biden and Donald Trump. If this sounds unsettling, have no fear cause it’s all in good fun and is harmless. A GWAR stage show is not only known for their great songs but the bloody carnage and comedy mixed throughout the set. 

 

     Then there’s the pit. Unlike some metal shows a GWAR mosh pit is a lot of fun. From afar it might look scary but it’s definitely one of my favorite pits to be in. Everyone has a blast. It is a little chaotic cause you got the music goin, blood is spraying, people are crowd surfing and it’s just a bloody good time overall. In a way it’s like going into a war zone but when it ends everybody is smiling and talking about how awesome it was. It’s definitely an experience that is hard to describe but we try. 

 

     As I made way throughout the crowd and pit through the night having a blast I heard them start to play the classic “None But The Brave” then the band left the stage. I was confused. Even though they had played 15 songs I was having so much fun that the time just flew by. However, have no few cause than came back out for an encore. They walked back out in the stage and played one of their best songs in my opinion “Sick Of You”. Everybody was singing along. If that wasn’t enough they followed that up with “Fuck This Place” and then it was over.

 

     The worst part of a GWAR show is when you realize it’s over. My dopamine was still skyrocketing though as once the show is over everyone starts talking about how awesome it was. Random strangers talk to you as if you’ve known them forever and all we can talk about is GWAR. We just can’t get enough of it.

 

     In conclusion, this isn’t just a show it’s an experience. It’s something you will remember forever. They give you your moneys worth and a whole lot more cause you can’t stop thinking about it. So do yourself a favor if you’ve never seen and go see them. If you have seen them then go grab some newbies and take them out for a night they’ll never forget. Till the next show go give the new album a spin and remember these guys are not slowing down and they never will. The only thing we can do is await the next show so we can do it all over again. That’s the life of a GWAR fan.

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