This was a concert that I was very much looking forward to. Beyond the music it’s fun to attend these types of shows where it’s almost like a time capsule back in time to a place that just doesn’t exist anymore. That’s exactly what I experienced this evening. I felt like i was standing in First Avenue In 1988. I saw a lot of familiar faces along with a younger generation of fans that surprised me a bit.
The opening act was a band I was not familiar with called Lead Into the Gold. My understanding some shows on this tour we’ll have Gary Newman as a support act. Lead Into the Gold in my opinion was a great choice as an opening act. They are a synth pop band with a bit of industrial to them. I don’t like to put people into a box, but I’d like to try to describe what I see. I think the best thing you can do is just check them out online. It’s a two-piece band with backing tracks. It was very heavy and industrial yet there was a pop sensibility to it. If you grew up during the golden age of industrial rock, I believe they will appeal to you. They went over very well with the crowd that night. The place was packed before they even started.
Skinny Puppy for some of you that may not know them, rose to popularity in the 80s along with bands like Ministry, Gary Newman and others that were creating a new sound, industrial. Personally, I think that Skinny Puppy did it better than most, but they never got as big as some of their contemporaries. They paved the way for Nine Inch Nails success. They are the band that really broke this sound bigger than any other band had before. Trent Reznor seemed to understand how to market this sound to a larger audience. That’s the big difference. When you’re seeing Skinny Puppy play live, you are witnessing an era in time.
I can say Skinny Puppy are still just as heavy as I remember them, as edgy as well as political. They opened the set with ”VX Gas Attack”. And closed with “Assimilate”. It was very artsy as you would expect along with very dark. The first two songs were performed behind a screen and that’s the only thing I wish they would not have done. When bands do that, I always feel like I just much rather see them. I know it’s all part of the mystery of this, but it just didn’t work for me. Granted I’m nitpicking now at this point because I really enjoyed the show and if you are a fan of this type of music and you’re like heavy synth pop with a very driving beat, you should go see this band. My understanding is this is their farewell tour not that that really means anything. If I had a dollar for every time a band said that I’d be a millionaire. But these guys are probably actually serious. They still have a long way to go on tour, check their website or bands in town to find out when they play near you.
