Between a recent chat with Wednesday 13 himself and his genuine excitement about this current tour, and not having caught Stitched Up Heart in like two years, it seemed like a no-brainer to head down to Starland Ballroom to catch a show. Add in two opening sets from metalcore act The Dead Rabbits and one-woman act I Ya Toyah, and there was much to be excited for.
As is seemingly with every trip down the NJ Turnpike, there was an accident and it impeded my time to the point where I missed I Ya Toyah‘s set. Unfortunate because the darkwave meets pop meets industrial sound seems like it would make for an intriguing live listen. Hopefully she comes around again soon. Walking in a few minutes after her set had been completed, the biggest shock was how quiet the overall Ballroom was at that time. It was a Thursday night, but the floor was pretty open still at this point, which was unfortunate considering how professional and energetic the evening would be.
So the first band I was able to witness was The Dead Rabbits. Fronted by Escape the Fate’s Craig Mabbitt, the group is adorned with rabbit masks on stage (hence the name), and they came out with full energy in tow. Mostly sticking to songs from their recent Redefined album, Mabbitt frequently engaged with the audience while alternating between singing, screaming, and growling, and much of the group was frequently moving about over the stage. Their sound melded some heavier, downtuned riffing with a more playful side, and as such, benefited much from the live environment where tracks like “Oxygen” could simultaneously bring some headbangable moments alongside hooky, bouncy grooves and melodies. For the song “Hellscape,” Mixi from Stitched Up Heart joined the band onstage to contribute her part to the song (which in the studio also contains Wednesday 13), and Mixi and Mabbitt’s onstage energy was a nice balance to it and you could tell the two were having a blast playing off each other.
Next up was Stitched Up Heart, of which the number of times I’ve seen them goes into the double digits. But it was a first to see their new drummer, Delaney Jaster, who was given a drum solo about half way through the set that was rather impressive to watch. It seems she’ll make a good fit for the act. The group came out to the title song from their most recent album, To the Wolves, and Craig Mabbitt came out to sing his parts to the song. Stitched have lost nothing in terms of their stage presence. Mixi continues to give a thrilling performance as frontwoman, continually engaging with the crowd (even going along the barrier for a bit once), engaging in playful banter (such as jokingly calling someone out for standing still), in addition to headbanging and bouncing across the stage. Her growls have gotten noticeably stronger and gives some of the songs an even greater range.
They had a nice mix of songs, from their most recent effort as well as a few from Darkness and Never Alone. Mixi’s crowd engagements finally getting the audience to commit for a small pit during “Immortal” was a testament to the group’s ability to get the small but devoted crowd into the evening’s festivities before Wednesday 13 began. By the time they concluded with the classic “Monster,” there was a good amount of crowd movement to add into the anthemic track. The group’s live energy is infectious and is something that continues to draw new fans to them. They also brought out a new song, “Sick Sick Sick,” which sounded a bit groovier and more playful than some of their other material, so it’ll be interesting to hear more in the future as it blended nicely and offered something different to their set.
Last up was Wednesday 13, and by this time the stage floor was beginning to fill in a bit more. The crowd was more than ready for the group to hit the stage, in preparation for this special setlist. Encompassing, in his words of the evening, “20 years of…me,” there was a bit of everything in this night’s set. A strong focus on the 20 year old release Translyvania 90210, some selected cuts from Murderdolls and Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13, and a few songs from his upcoming album, Mid Death Crisis. Despite the varied sources, the songs blended together quite effectively, and it made for a fun outing for sure.
With a more rock-oriented sound than the previous two acts, Wednesday 13 brought up the ‘fun factor’ with massive hooks. Those hooks led to quite a bit of audience participation, channeled from the music’s energy and the lively movements of the group, with Wednesday 13 spearheading this movement. With the onset of “Look What the Bats Dragged In,” there was a distinctive party vibe to the set. From the bright, flashing lights and occasional strobes, to the music itself, there was a lot to take in and enjoy. Again, while the crowd might not have been the biggest, those there were clearly having a fantastic time, and metal horns and middle fingers (as demanded by Wednesday 13) were seen from the front to the back of the crowd. Shouts, and some taught lines, such as for new song “When the Devil Commands,” were par for the course for the evening. As was Wednesday 13, who acted larger than life, and was a major element of the fun. A older track like “Rambo,” was brought to life as he drew the audience to shout along and made machine gun arm motions. Such engagements were a major factor for the evening and making it a fun and engaging set.
All in all, the much-touted Wednesday 13 set was massive and held up to the high bar. Truly a greatest hits sort of set, and strong performances from the rest of the groups involved make this one a no-brainer if you are a fan of any of the acts involved.
Wednesday 13 official website
Wednesday 13 on Instagram
Stitched Up Heart official website
Stitched Up Heart on Facebook
The Dead Rabbits on Instagram
The Dead Rabbits on Facebook
I Ya Toyah official website
I Ya Toyah on Instagram