Black Leather Jacket: August 2013

Much loved, but almost equally maligned, sometimes it seems that Danzig does not get the respect that he deserves, mainly because some nobody tried to make a name for his shitty band and supposedly "beat him up", but I won't get into that crap, instead let the keyboard warriors debate that garbage. Anyone paying attention within the last 35 years knows the deal. Anyway, with that out of the way, I was pleasantly surprised that after an 11 year absence that Danzig was coming back to Vancouver as I usually end up trekking to Seattle whenever he plays there since he rarely crosses the border these days.

Last time he was in Vancouver he was supporting the I Luciferi album and after a slow start that night, all it took to get cooking was a little horror business courtesy of a moron that was spitting on Danzig. Danzig asked him "you going to spit on me mother fucker?" and didn't wait for an answer. When the poor weaklings face made contact with the microphone that unraveled out of our comic book like hero's hand in one swift motion, the bleeding and the show began, but not before a few women literally started running for the exits. It was Rock 'n' Roll the way it was meant to be, dangerous and unpredictable. Unfortunately, it seemed that few believed that Danzig could conjure the evil spirits anymore, as the venue was half empty.

Fast forward to the present and this time he needed no such nonsense to get his mojo going and much to the delight of the full capacity crowd, Danzig and his latest ensemble absolutely ripped the roof off of the Commodore right from the beginning. Danzig himself was in good spirits, probably helped by the fact that the show was sold out and the crowd was pretty frantic with a real excitement in the air. It was a pretty young crowd for the most part, so I think it would be safe to say that for many it was their first time seeing the man live. It was nice to see this kind of reaction to Danzig again. Obviously, the fact that Doyle was part of the show helped, but I don't think many people were disappointed with the Danzig era songs, even if they only came for the Misfits part of the set.

Doyle and Danzig doing their thing

The buzz was in the air as soon as we arrived downtown. Pre show we ate dinner at a bar close by and people were singing along to Danzig songs that were being played inside the pub. It was almost as friggin' loud in there as it was inside the venue later! It seems that not many artists can conjure that kind of passion anymore, at least not in Canada. I missed the opening band entirely and I only caught a few songs from Scar The Martyr, while not my cup of tea they were very good at what they do. It was also nice to see a member of an old local band I dug on stage again still doing his thing. Once Danzig finally hit the stage the place went nuts. He displayed his usual tendency to forget that he needs to hold the mic in front of his lips if it is to transmit through the PA speakers. I used to think that he did this to disguise the fact that he can't hit the highs like he once could, but that turned out to be false as he soon demonstrated he had no trouble with that. In fact, his vocals were in top form, probably the 2nd best of the 5 times I have seen him.

Since this was my second time seeing this lineup, I now feel secure in saying that this is the best lineup Danzig has assembled since Danzig 4. Former Type O Negative basher, Johnny Kelly's playing was solid and steady, not too busy, just right. Admittedly, it is still odd seeing former Prong guitarist, Tommy Victor playing slow bluesy metal, but he pulls it off quite competently with only a few slightly awkward moments during the occasional solo. This is not a complaint mind you, just an observation as the overall performance by Victor was great. Having seen Danzig with Doyle before, I knew what to expect. A Danzig set that is interrupted by a blast of about 7 or so Misfits songs. It is great to see Danzig doing these songs once again and of course this is as close as most people will ever get to see the classic lineup of the Misfits. Rumour going around was that Doyle is not really plugged in, but I am not so sure of that, I think that is totally false.

The highlights of the evening were: Hammer of the Gods, Twist of Cain, Am I Demon, She Rides, Mother, Soul on Fire, Blood and Tears, How the Gods Kill, Dirty Black Summer, Under her black Wings and of course the Misfits songs: Bullet, Death Comes Ripping, I turned into a martian, London Dungeon, Last Caress, Skulls and Die Die Die My Darling

The merchandise. Comics, lyric books, shirts and a hoodie. All of which were reasonably priced. A few newer bands could take notes.

I could not help but reminisse about the previous four Danzig shows I had seen, two of which were in the same building and I must say this one ranked very near the top. Never mind what the keyboard warriors out there say, Danzig still has it and if you are even a casual fan, if you don't take this opportunity to see him, you are missing out, simple as that. He is a founding father of punk and one of the greatest heavy metal singers of all time. His hair may be a bit thinner, his belly a bit bigger, but his voice and energy are still there and ain't that what we should care about?