REVIEW: GWAR: 11/3 Denver, CO – Ogden Theater

GWAR released their new CD “Beyond Hell” last month and has headed out on tour to give their fans a proper listen to the new material. My friend Eddie has yet again taken on tour managing duties for the band and I was able to venture out to Denver to see them last Friday.

There is nothing like a GWAR show. Lights, latex, gore and fluids. That pretty much sums it up. But it isn’t as horrifying as it sounds. The gentlemen behind the scary masks of their alter-egos are at their very cores artists out there making a living doing what they love (21 years and counting – that is definitely love). They have found a humorous, tongue-in-cheek platform to voice their opinions on current affairs that has become insanely popular among the masses and hence is a lucrative business. They are entertainers. And let me tell ya, they entertain.


New UV Backdrop

I arrived at the venue around 2 PM and caught up with everyone for a while and checked out the new stage set-up. I was told this new tour performance was meticulously created with every detail in mind and that I would be amazed. They put in some major dosh for a new UV back drop that they said looks amazing under black lights and strobes. And speaking of lights, they didn’t hold back there either. There were light contraptions everywhere on the stage. I couldn’t wait to see it all in action.



Part of the fun of hanging out with Eddie is that you really are exposed to the behind the scenes of the touring business. There is quite a lot that tour managers have to manage. They don’t just get to hang out with the band and collect a paycheck at the end of the day. It is this part of the business I love. So, I don’t mind it at all that I pretty much become Eddie’s assistant for the day at the shows he gets me in to. It isn’t anything major. It is more about fine tuning the details. For instance, one of the guitar pedals went out while the tech was running through sound tests and I had to run to Guitar Center to scoop a new one up or there were people that were put on the guest list that I had to get passes for and fill out – things like this. In between these things, however, I get to see Eddie in action and I have learned a lot by watching him work over the years.

After everything was in place, it was time for the doors to open. We learned from the venue that the show was sold out, which meant 1,650 people would be filtering into The Ogden. I think that pretty much says how popular this band is. I was even able to score my friend Idren some tickets, which was great. He enjoyed it thoroughy.(See the link below for pictures. There is one of him post-show.)

The true mark of attending a GWAR show is how much “fluid” you get doused with throughout their set. If you look like you have taken a shower at the end of it all, you have done well. It was funny to see all the people filtering in with their white t-shirts adorned with their own writing on them that said “GWAR” and various other phrases. White is the best color to show the fake blood, don’t you know!

Show time came quick up pretty quick. There are two bands opening for GWAR on this tour: The Red Chord and Municipal Waste. Although the guys in each of these bands were totally great chaps, their music had a little too much screaming and growling for my taste. The crowd loved them though.

GWAR came out and killed it as always. Their performances consist of a song, then a skit, a song, then a skit and so on. The skits are when things get interesting. They dye water with red and green food coloring and store them in large tanks they conceal backstage. Then they bring out the latex characters that have hoses connected to the tanks. Those poor darlings always meet an early demise. And once they do, the fluids start flying out into the audience and the music starts playing and the audience goes CRAZY! The Denver show did not disappoint. It was so great to sit back in the front of house area and watch all this action take place. Quite a site, indeed. And yes – the lights and that new back drop were quite amazing as well.

Afterwards, it is a tradition to order pizza and hang on the bus. This is always an entertaining and fun time. I was introduced to Tim Glomb (one of Bam Margera’s best friends and partner in his new record label Filthy Note). He resides in Denver now doing various projects and snow boarding when he can. He is quite a talker and was telling us about how him and Bam started the label and talked about the bands they have signed and ones they hope to sign. This guy has tons of passion for what he does and it was quite refreshing to see someone so genuinely enthusiastic about the music business and business in general. I wasn’t expecting to meet him that is for sure. But you just never know with this band.

Soon it was time for the guys to head to Salt Lake City and I said my goodbyes and took off. Yet another bloody fantastic (pun intended) installment of GWAR goes down in the books.

MORE GWAR PHOTOS HERE: CLICK HERE


Next up:
11/15 – Denver – MTV2 $2 dollar bill tour w/ 30 Seconds to Mars, Street Drum Corps, Head Automatica and more.

11/16 – Salt Lake City – MTV2 $2 dollar bill tour w/ 30 Seconds to Mars, Street Drum Corps, Head Automatica and more.