Return of the World Maggot Tour feat Gwar – REVIEW

The Return of the World Maggot tour feat. Gwar came thrashing its way to the House of Blues in Chicago. Along with them came the band, Every Time I Die. You can check out our review after the break.

I’m not usually much of a metal fan, but when given the chance to see Gwar and Every Time I Die on Halloween at the House of Blues Chicago, I knew I had to be there. Gwar is quite possibly one of the most captivating bands I have ever heard of, with theatrical live performances, I knew I was in for a treat on all hallows eve. I was even more excited to see the walls of House of Blues covered up by plastic in preparation of the messy show.

I arrived just in time for Every Time I Die to be introduced over the PA one by one. Wearing very scandalous Chippendale costumes, the band walked onto the stage to the famous Bulls intro theme before tearing right into their brand of hardcore. Keith Buckley is an extremely polarizing frontman as he wails over some of the heaviest instrumentation out there today. About half the crowd seemed to be diehard fans, starting a most pit the stretched the width of the 1300 capacity venue. The band gave the crowd a lesson in hardcore, playing fan favorites from across their discography.  Jordan Buckley can only be described as a mad man, playing some phenomenal guitar riffs and climbing on top of amps to pump the crowd up. The band also played a new song that Buckley said would be on the new record, due out early 2012. It was a great show to see and the perfect way to warm up for Gwar, who would undoubtedly be a wild show.

As the stage was unveiled, the crowd was brought into the home of the rock band from outer space. A grim reaper-like creature welcomed the audience as Gwar took the stage along with a “customary sacrifice” to be beheaded so the crowd could be doused in fake blood. The layout of the show reminded me of what an 80s rock and roll horror movie would be like. With very intricate costumes and an amazingly detailed stage, an audience member felt like they were in the band’s living room listening to them play metal songs to perfection. The band performed each song amazingly and had a different feature nearly every other song, including some quality time spent dismembering Snooki from the Jersey Shore, playing with a large dragon and hanging out with some warrior type man whose name escapes me as I sit here looking back on the show. The crowd was quite rowdy and had no problems being sprayed with fake blood throughout the set. Gwar’s set is something of a spectacle and can only be understood after experiencing it in person

Information about the review…
Tour: Return of the World Maggot Tour feat Gwar
Bands: Gwar and Every Time I Die
Reviewer: Neal Manahan
Date: October 31, 2011
Venue: House of Blues in Chicago, IL