Regardless of age, race, or creed, everyone knows the Misfits logo.
With a devilish grin of rotten teeth and eyes rolled back in its head, the Fiend is one of the most recognized images in pop culture. Sometime in the 70s, a young Glenn Danzig copped the image from a 1940s B-movie The Crimson Ghost and decided to use it to represent his rag-tag band of ghouls. Since then, we’ve seen it on everything from bikini-bottoms to fidget spinners (with plenty of lawsuits along the way). But as familiar as it is, I couldn’t help but to get goosebumps seeing The Original Misfits: All Hell Breaks Loose! on the giant LED screen outside the Allstate Arena.
Just as kids in the early 80s symbolized their love by ironing the logo on their t-shirts, I posed in front of the neon sign for the obligatory selfie.
Even with my Danzig trucker cap getting damp from the freak late-April snowstorm, and feet going numb from the frigid parking lot puddles, I couldn’t shake the fanboy smile. But all sentimentalism aside, I came to the Allstate Arena for a show equal parts punk and spectacle. I attended the Riot Fest reunion in 2016, but now I wanted to see them for what they are. Can they justify the arena shows without the security blanket of a not so once-in-a-lifetime gimmick? This wasn’t just an arena show, these were legitimate proving grounds!
Opening the show was the Dallas-based thrash band Power Trip. If I’m being completely honest, when I saw their name on the bill I thought an arena this size would gobble them up. But I was wrong. Dead wrong. Without smoke machines, lasers, or elaborate lighting, Power Trip owned the stage. After their criminally short set, I have no doubt they could headline their own stadium tour and give any mainstream metal act a run for their money.
Next on the schedule was the early 90s-era lineup of Venom, officially known as Venom Inc.
Without getting into the long gesturing drama of Venom, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy this incarnation of the band. I’m not familiar with their only album enough to sing along but pulling off such a big sound as only a 3-piece was nothing short of amazing! With Power Trip and Venom Inc. representing the heavier side of the schedule, things jumped over to the OG punk side with Fear.
As stated in my coverage of Riot Fest 2018, the legendary Lee Ving is like the love child of Taxi Driver Robert DeNiro and David Lee Roth. While not as young as he used to be, Ving hasn’t lost any of his wit or charisma. Pounding out anthems like “I Love Livin’ In The City” and “Let’s Start a War”, Fear was the most punk of the entire night. As an added bonus, Fear brought out a member of Naked Raygun to play sax on “New Yorks Alright If You Like Saxophone”.
The venue went silent to prepare for the main event. Jerry Only, Doyle Von Frankenstein, and Glenn Danzig: The Misfits took the stage.
Not unlike the 2016 reunion show, “Death Comes Ripping” opened the set with thunder and static revealing the Misfits logo on the stage screen. Jerry Only entered first running around and sliding across the stage on his knees like a maniac. Doyle stomped out of the dark punching his guitar, then finally Glenn appears out of nowhere to unholy howls of the audience. Despite being the 6th time these guys have appeared on stage together since 2016, it still felt surreal as if it shouldn’t be happening.
Much of the setlist had been the same throughout the string of post-Riot Fest shows, give or take a few tracks, but you have to realize there haven’t been any new Misfits songs since 1983. Well, not the kind anyone would want to listen to without Glenn but that’s a different topic of discussion. It’s wild to think all this hype is over just a handful of releases but it also shows their legendary status.
One thing that has changed since the first reunion show is the chemistry among band members.
While there were no forced hugs or eye-rolling bromance between Glenn and Jerry (who had been constantly feuding from 1983 all the way up to 2015) there seemed to be an unspoken comradery. Any other time Glenn would’ve walked off stage at the very thought of Jerry’s cartoon antics, but here he seems okay with it. After each song, Glenn chuckled as he took breaths. I think it’s obvious Glenn is having a legitimately good time singing these old punk songs. It may be corny on paper, but this isn’t GWAR or KISS. Glenn believes in these songs or he wouldn’t be there playing them.
The Misfits are absurd. Doyle and Jerry’s pro-wrestling outfits, Slayer’s Dave Lombardo being clearly over-qualified on drums. The Murderdolls’ Acey Slade doing 90% of the guitar work while being barely visible beside the drums. All of that sounds completely ridiculous, doesn’t it? But man is it a good time. And sometime before “Hybrid Moments” I realized there was a distinctive duality at play.
I’ve already talked about my affinity for The Misfits in a previous article, but I think it carries over into my thoughts on punk in general.
Most ticket holders in the venue would probably bet their lives on The Misfits being the real deal. Don’t get me wrong, they’re one of the most influential punk bands in history and deserve every bit of praise. But even with both fans and naysayers cracking jokes, the Misfits of 2019 aren’t really much different than the ethos of 1983 Misfits. Aside from age and production value, the songs are the same for better or worse.
Seeing The Misfits back in the early 80s would mean being in some claustrophobic basement and worrying about getting stabbed. Now we’re seeing them in a stadium with assigned seats, complaining about the mix, and the no-photo policy. Calling any of this corny would be painfully hypocritical.
Do we attend shows to validate our ‘cred’ with photos or do we go to have a good time?
It’s also worth noting The Misfits were never about boasting any particular lifestyle. They didn’t play songs about a fascist government or fighting Big Brother, they were all about vampires and the undead! The closest thing to politics Glenn and the boys ever got was with the song “Bullet”. But that song isn’t made up of opinions you’d find in a picket line, much less a debate team. The Misfits were about being yourself and owning your own weirdness.
As with any band with members over the age of 50, there were a few hiccups here and there. Glenn clearly isn’t as young as he used to be and his speaking voice is strangely reminiscent of Michael Rooker. But Glenn doesn’t let age or health stand in the way of performance. His vocals were spot on even with taxing songs like “Astro Zombies”.
I went to the Allstate Arena to hear some good music and see an amazing show. And that’s exactly what I got! If that makes me lame then so be it. I got to see The original Misfits TWICE in my lifetime and I think that’s pretty cool.
