Wednesday 13 brought out skeletons, ghouls, ghosts and some killer music when the “20 Years of Fear” tour made a stop at Sunshine Studios Live in Colorado Springs on Friday April 29, 2022.
The evening started off with a myriad of horror infused bands that would draw from the influence of the Murderdolls as well as The Ramones and other bands in that vein.
When it comes to a Wednesday 13 setlist that encompasses 20 years of cult classics, fan favorites and album singles… it could end up being longer than a Manson family hit list. Throw in a tribute to Murdolls bandmate Joey Jordison and you have a set created in the very depths of hell.
As the introduction music began the band filed out one at a time. First on stage was new addition to the band Daniel Fox on Drums, followed by Roman Surman on guitar, Troy Doebbler on bass, Jack Tankersley on guitar and last but not least – “The Duke of Spook,” “Mr. Motherfucker” Wednesday 13.
The lights were low, helping to create the mood for the show as “Scream Baby Scream” and its unmistakable drumbeat began. Immediately after the song concluded the Murderdolls classic “Chapel of Blood” began. The axe swinging beat conjured up visions of terror and paired with Wednesday’s sinister vocals, made the song a truly horrific three minutes. As if that wasn’t enough, “I Want You Dead” reinforced the dark direction the show was quickly moving.
“Cadaverous” added a sinister sexual disruption to the atmosphere. The song’s guitar riffs are heavy, and the mix of rhythm and lead guitar combined with bassline makes this song one of my favorites to hear live. As the guitar riff for “Get Your Grave On” began it would only be a short time before we heard one of the best lines in any song ever written, “Life’s a grave, now dig it, baby.”
Then Wednesday dug up a classic from the grave called “Put Your Death Mask On.” The song was well received by the crowd who obviously knew their Wednesday 13 back catalog.
The next part of the set was dedicated to Murderdolls bandmate Joey Jordison (also of Slipknot fame) as a tribute to him a somber but amazing version of “Nowhere” was played. The crowd sang along with all the lyrics and it was very memorable part of the set. The next three songs were dedicated to Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13. “Die My Bride” kicked off the trio, followed by “197666” as well as the cult classic “Rambo.”
The set transformed back into a Wednesday 13 show and they began to draw from the Monsters of the Universe: Come Out and Plague album. “Keep Watching the Skies” gave the crowd a look into universe and who we may share it with. “Serpent Society” slowed things down with its sly beat but also kept it plenty heavy.
Unfortunately the only representation the album Necrophaze got was with “Decompose.” Finally the Flash Gordon inspired “Hail Ming” rounded out the set and the band left the stage.
The encore started with “My Home Sweet Homicide” which had the everyone in a frenzy. Next was one of my personal favorites “I Walked with a Zombie.” And last but never least was the clever and ghastly “Bad Things.”
The show was finally over and the fans dispersed. The faithful fans scoured the floor for guitar picks and solicited the band for setlists. The majority of us exited the venue with a sense of triumph and honor. As we have seen happen over the last couple years, legends don’t last forever and can be taken from us at any time. To be witness an artist that has transcended the genre for the last two decades and is still around doing it so well gave us all a sense of gratitude. Honor your heroes because you never know when they might leave you.
Be sure to catch Wednesday 13 as they finish up the North America tour and then head to Europe for a slew of dates.
