Review: Misfits @ Dos Equis Pavilion, Dallas
Misfits. Image: Press
Review: Misfits supported by Alice Cooper and Fear at Dos Equis Pavilion, Dallas, 29th October, 2022.
It was in 2016 that news broke of a reunion between original Misfits members Glenn Danzig, Jerry Only, and Wolfgang Doyle bon Frankenstein. Considering that – by this point – it had been 33 years since these three founding members had shared a stage together, the news was welcomed with surprise from fans of not just punk, but the wider music world, too.
Sure, you might need to overlook the reports that these reunion shows had come about due to a legal settlement between Danzig and Only, but who really cares how the sausage is made when the original Misfits are performing together again?
The settlement saw the pair agree to performing at least ten shows in order to avoid further legal complications regarding the group’s trademark and royalties, and given that show number ten came up in 2019, any further dates have been tentatively welcomes by fans as potentially the last time the Misfits may take to the stage.
Thus, when the band announced a few months ago that they would play their only headlining show of 2022 at the Dos Equis Pavilion in Dallas, Texas in late October, it felt for many like a chance that would likely never come about again. Not only was the show taking place 39 years to the day since Danzig walked offstage and quit the band during their annual Halloween show, but it was also taking place just a few miles from Dealey Plaza (where the JFK assassination occurred in 1963, inspiring their second single, ‘Bullet’), making it a match made in heaven for fans.
Originally announced with a lineup featuring both Alice Cooper and The Distillers, a last-minute change saw iconic Californian punk outfit Fear set to open proceedings (with Fear performing just two days shy of the 41st anniversary of their infamous Saturday Night Live performance). Either way, the show was on track to be one that fans – and especially this fan, all the way direct from Australia – wouldn’t forget for some time.
As the evening began, it was near-impossible to find a single attendee not sporting the iconic Misfits logo, with painted faces, Halloween costumes, and horror-punk attire in abundance. It didn’t take long for the first act of the evening to take the stage with Fear bursting in from the wings to the tune of ‘Yakety Sax’ to showcase a brutal set of hardcore punk done right with a near-complete performance of their 1982 debut, The Record.
Kicking things off with the brutal ‘Let’s Have A War’, classics like ‘Beef Bologna’ and ‘Camarillo’ showcased a bands who could easily have stepped off the stage 40 years ago and appeared before us tonight. 72-year-old frontman Lee Ving’s powerful vocals helped to turn other beloved tracks such as ‘New York’s Alright If You Like Saxophones’ and ‘I Love Livin’ In The City’ into massive highlights, as evidenced by the raucous crowd participation.
Skipping over their cover of The Animals’ ‘We Gotta Get Out Of This Place’ due to time, a rendition of ‘Fresh Flesh’ was followed by ‘More Beer’ so as to adhere to the strict set times. Though a promise was made by Ving for one more song, this was swiftly thwarted by the fire marshall, whose influence was met with a cacophony of boos. Despite the sour note that the set ended on, little could be done to diminish the legacy of the great Fear.
Following the customary stage turnover, Alice Cooper took to the stage with his trademark theatrics and arresting stage presence. Arriving as an act that could easily have been the headliner, it’s near-impossible to fault a performer such as this, especially after more than 50 years spent as one of the rock world’s most seasoned and consistent performers.
Utilising his ‘haunted castle’ motif as the stage design, Cooper launched into his set with a bang, setting the scene with tracks such as ‘Feed My Frankenstein’, ‘No More Mr. Nice Guy’ and ‘Hey Stoopid’. His voice as strong and as powerful as ever, Cooper commanded the audience’s attention at every turn, utilising a number of props and stage theatrics to ensure that not a single second of his set time was wasted.
‘I’m Eighteen’, ‘Poison’, and ‘Billion Dollar Babies’ all helped to push the set further into legendary status, with a giant inflatable baby on stage for the latter song, and a blistering guitar solo connecting this half with the next (which featured a blood-stained Cooper performing ‘Roses On White Lace’ with a similarly-stained bride). Together, they worked towards proving that Cooper is more than just a showman, but a true icon of the genre.
Wrapping up with the likes of ‘Steven’ and ‘Dead Babies’ (complete with straitjacket escape and guillotine execution, respectively), and ‘School’s Out’, what could very have easily been the night’s biggest set cemented itself as one of the most theatric seen in the state of Dallas tonight.
As the crowd’s excitement reached fever pitch and Cooper’s (impressively large) castle backdrop was torn down, the presence of a large stylised pumpkin (taken from their ‘Halloween’ single cover and tour poster) brought with it the realisation that indeed, the Misfits were about to grace us with their presence. As the lights lowered, the band appeared before us, with a leather jacketed, typically-scowling Danzig showcasing his iconic punk pedigree, bursting out of the gates with a ferocious performance of ‘Death Comes Ripping’.
Sure, the Misfits might have indeed been a touring entity for the last 27 years after a mid-‘90s reunion, but for many, the ability to see the group’s original vocalist belting out the hits like they should be sung was an experience that many thought would never come. Even as I stood in the crowd, it felt like what I was witnessing was some kind of fever dream. After all, I’d near-resigned to the fact that I would never see exactly what it was that was unfolding before me, and even as the tangible majesty – the face paint, the costumes, Only’s myriad destroyed bass guitars – assured me what I was seeing was in fact real, I still had difficulty believing it.
Iconic cuts like ‘Mommy Can I Go Out And Kill Tonight?’, ‘Some Kinda Hate’, and ‘Hybrid Moments’ effortlessly turned into the likes of ‘London Dungeon’ and ‘Horror Business’, giving all those in attendance a truly stellar ‘greatest hits’ style set (though it’s not like anyone was expecting new music).
Undoubtedly though, the highlight for many was the presence of ‘Bullet’, the legendary track which – as Danzig explained – saw the group threatened with jail time by the then-Mayor of Dallas for their apparently insensitive comments about late US President John F. Kennedy. However, seeing the track performed live, mere miles from where the infamous assassination took place, was the very definition of a surreal music moment many of us will treasure eternally.
It would be easy to simply turn this into a list of tracks played by the band on the evening, but with every single song appearing stronger than the other, it’s impossible to underline how truly exceptional it was to see a performance like this happening in real life – almost as if we were lucky enough to be witnessing musical history.
Closing out the set with versions of ‘Night Of The Living Dead’, ‘Violent World’, ‘Attitude’, and ‘We Are 138’, the group bade us farewell and left us wanting so much more. Currently, only one more Misfits gig is on the horizon, but a show like this tells us to never say never about a greater frequency of gigs. Regardless, it’s amazing to see proof that even after so long, and so much waiting, the Misfits are still at the top of their game.
Misfits @ Dos Equis Pavilion, Dallas 29/10/22 Setlist
'Death Comes Ripping'
'I Turned Into A Martian'
'Mommy, Can I Go Out And Kill Tonight?'
'Vampira'
'Some Kinda Hate'
'Hybrid Moments'
'All Hell Breaks Loose'
'London Dungeon'
'Horror Business'
'Bullet'
'Hollywood Babylon'
'Earth A.D.'
'Teenagers From Mars'
'Children In Heat'
'Where Eagles Dare'
'Who Killed Marilyn'
'20 Eyes'
'Green Hell'
'Halloween'
'Skulls'
'Die, Die My Darling'
'Astro Zombies'
'Last Caress'
Encore:
'Night Of The Living Dead'
'Violent World'
'Attitude'
We Are 138'
