The house was packed for a Thursday night in Portland, Oregon, but it was Gwar and Hatebreed after all!

Up first was Cleveland’s hardcore punk band, Ringworm.  I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a dirtier looking band, but they absolutely came out with a vengeance, which started the night off well with their super aggressive set.  Watching vocalist James “Human Furnace” Bulloch, I was struck with the thought that he could easily be the product of Phil Anselmo and Danzig if they had a baby.  With only one mishap of an unfortunate stumble on the stage by Bulloch, they managed to recover and even laugh about it; and they rocked it.

I was excited to see Miss May I.  I’d seen them before and they were excellent.  On this night, however, they weren’t nearly as good.  One thing I can say is their level of intensity and energy was impressive.  I found them to be a weird fit on the bill, but I was happy to have the opportunity to replace my tattered Miss May I shirt.

I think an equal amount of people were there to see Hatebreed as Gwar.  Always looking like they are happy to be there and always sounding great, Jamey Jasta and his band threw down with what would be the highlight of the night.  Pacing back and forth like a caged tiger, Jasta proved once again why we love Hatebreed.  The moshpit was beyond violent, but the brotherhood/sisterhood among the merry dancers that we expect in Portland, Oregon was present.  Hatebreed’s setlist included:

  • To the Threshold
  • Under the Knife
  • In Ashes They Shall Reap
  • A Call for Blood
  • Last Breath
  • This Is Now
  • As Diehard as They come
  • Worlds Apart
  • Looking Down the Barrel of Today
  • Defeatist
  • Conceived Through an Act of Violence
  • Destroy Everything
  • Proven
  • I Will Be Heard

Gwar took the stage next.  It seemed like an even longer intro than normal.  I was sitting next to a man and his pretty adult daughter who had never seen Gwar before (they were there for Hatebreed.)  I tapped him on the shoulder and told him…you’d better prepare yourself and your daughter for total and complete blasphemy and political incorrectness; he smiled…and Gwar didn’t disappoint.  I’ve seen them quite a few times and while I can deal with the chest cavity getting ripped from the current president’s body, and I can even take the religious figure debauchery, but the two little kids…. that even crosses the line for me.  However, they performed well, the audience was baptized in colored body fluids and loved every minute of it.  If you are a metal fan and haven’t seen Gwar…it is a right of passage of sorts.  While they aren’t the world’s best songwriters, they are the world’s greatest offensive beasts.  Their set list included:

  • War on GWAR
  • Womb with a View
  • I’ll Be Your Monster
  • Death to Dickie Duncan
  • Saddam a G0-Go
  • Maggots
  • Crushed by the Cross
  • Viking Death Machine
  • Immortal Corrupter
  • El Presidente
  • Swarm
  • The Sordid Soliloquy of Sawborg Destructo
  • Love Surgery
  • Beat You to Death
  • Fuck This Place
  • Phantom Limb
  • Sick of You