Gwar: Earth’s Only Openly Extratrestial Band Reigns Blood and Chaos at The Regency Ballroom

Gwar at the Regency Ballroom shot by Jason Miller @Jasonmillerca-21

A very brief history of Gwar – Eons ago, there existed an elite group of chaos warriors who ravaged the galaxy with a boundless hatred of all things alive. They were called the Scumdogs of the Universe, and they grew in might and fury, the greatest weapon in the arsenal of their cosmic Master. But they became too powerful, and too defiant, and for their cosmic crimes were banished to the most insignificant planet in the universe…the seething mudball known as Earth.

Gwar are legends in their own right. Oderus Urungus has brilliantly lead Earth’s only openly extraterrestrial metal band for more than twenty five years now. Touring in support of their latest record “Battle Maximus”, Gwar are still going strong and equally if not more offensive now than when they first began back in 1984.

Gwar at the Regency Ballroom shot by Jason Miller @Jasonmillerca-42

It was jam packed with hard core Gwar fans at the Regency Ballroom. The floor was covered up with plastic along with half the stage as well as the staff at hand. Everyone is well aware of the chaos that takes place at a Gwar show. I haven’t seen the band in close to 15 years, and more importantly I have never attempted to photograph  the pure unadulterated bloodfest that was about to occur.

And they did not disappoint as Gwar blasted out of the gates with the song “Madness at the Core of Time” from their latest record, and from the first note on the blood started flowing or should I say spurting. The crowd in the first few rows know exactly why there are in the front. These folks come for the metal and the antics alike. They would not leave disappointed as the blood and space spew would blast them throughout the show whipping them into a fury with each song that is played.

Gwar at the Regency Ballroom shot by Jason Miller @Jasonmillerca-40

I loved the fact that the second song into the set was a classic from their 1990 punk/metal masterpiece “Scumdogs of the Universe”. This was a record that I have spent a considerable amount of my teenage years worshipping and getting in trouble to, and when they started into “Salaminizer” I was totally on board for the ride.

The reason I love this band is because they really to have it all. They’ve got theatrics, a story line (however far-fetched it may be, it’s still much better storytelling that half the band’s on the radio today) pretty decent songs, and at the end of the day, these guys can really tear shit up on their respective instruments. Combine that with the wit and dark comedic charisma of Oderus Urungus and you have one of the most originally entertaining tours on the planet. Other highlights from the show included “Happy Death Day”, “Sick of You” a really fun cover of Billy Ocean’s “Get Out of My Dreams”, and finally an epic version of the Who classic “Baba O Riley”. Word on the street is that Gwar will release an album of cover songs next year for their 30th anniversary.

I will go ahead and let the pictures tell the story of the show as there are no words to really describe what takes place at a Gwar concert. But I can tell you this, the new record is fantastic and Gwar’s metal chops are getting more and more serious. There might be some over the top silly lyrics on here, but the grooves and the brutally awesome riffs on here should be music to any metal fans ears. Oh, and by the way, the band is also gathering names for a petition to have them play the 2015 Super Bowl Half Time Show which I am happy to sign and you should to.

Check out all the Gwar photos in the gallery.

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Jason Miller
Jason Miller

Jason Miller is a leading digital B2B marketer, who’s held senior roles at LinkedIn, Marketo, and ActiveCampaign. Before entering the B2B space, he spent ten years at Sony, developing and executing marketing campaigns around the biggest names in music. He is a prolific keynote speaker, digital marketing instructor at UC Berkeley, and best-selling author. Also an accomplished rock concert photographer, his work appears in books, magazines, and album covers.

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