I had the joy and privilege to check out Powerman 5000 at the Rosemount Hotel on the final date of their first Australian Tour, ever. This tour coincided with the 21st Anniversary of the release of some of their finest work, 1999’s ‘Tonight The Stars Revolt!’ This was a show that was as intense as any I’ve seen in a long time. The Rosemount Hotel was absolutely packed, and full of very passionate, engaged and wild fans. It was a sight that reminded me of what crowds used to be like years ago. The sheer energy bouncing from the stage back to the crowd, back to the stage was certainly something. Early highlights include tracks like ‘Nobody’s Real’ and the highly powerful ‘Invade, Destroy, Repeat’. Lead Vocalist Spider One was a really gracious and fun party host, talking to the audience between songs, telling some stories, and showing his respect to our country and how happy that the band was to finally make it down-under after all these years.
When you see Powerman 5000 perform it honestly feels like the whole room becomes one with one-another. I was astounded at the fact from the spot I was standing that I was able to walk through the crowd all the way to the bar, and walk all the way back carrying drinks and everybody was awesome. It’s manners within this side of the metal and rock community that you honestly don’t see a lot of these days, perhaps attitudes are changing as the world continues to evolve, it was refreshing to be in an environment like that where everybody was enjoying themselves, there for one another, and one with one another. Another sure-fire highlight was a song off their 2001 album ‘Anyone for Doomsday?’ – and if you’re a fan of professional wrestling – it was the Dudley Boyz theme song, as well as appearing in many Video Games and the 2001 film Freddy Vs. Jason. It was of course – ‘Bombshell’. Talk about intensity, the room shook when they blasted and pounded into that track. They headed off stage and the obligatory encore was still to come. Many props to the bar staff, door ladies, security and management from the Rosemount Hotel, who did a fantastic job. Often times they can go unappreciated when they do their job to their fullest, sometimes a lot of venues get things wrong but the Rosemount couldn’t have done a better job hosting this concert as well as everything else that was going on within the venue.
Powerman 5000 returned to the stage and we got right back into things as they headed toward the finish line with another great track ‘Supernova Goes Pop’ and then all knew what was about to happen next. It was time for the highly anticipated and popular ‘When Worlds Collide’. Many people remember this track from such games like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and WWE Smackdown! Vs. Raw. The song is honestly such a banger, it was the perfect way to finish off what I would consider the best show I have been to since the world went weird a few years ago. It was a point in time where I finally felt the world was back to where it used to be. We went without these amazing evenings for such a long time, and this very night may have been a night celebrating ‘Tonight the Stars Revolt!’, but in the end it truly felt like it was a night where the stars aligned.
Setlist: Footsteps And Voices, Nobody’s Real, Invade, Destroy, Repeat, Hey, That’s Right, Supervillain, Play God Or Play Dead, Black Lipstick, How To Be A Human, Horrorshow, V is For Vampire, Bombshell, Supernova Goes Pop, When Worlds Collide
Photos by Hunter Brothers Media
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