MUDVAYNE – THE PSYCOTHERAPY SESSIONS @ JONES BEACH
By Donna Marie Eriquezzo
It’s one of the hottest days of the year but that didn’t stop us from heading to the Northwell Health Theater at Jones Beach to see Mudvayne‘s first headlining tour in 14 years. Their Psychotherapy Sessions tour is supported by Coal Chamber, Nonpoint, Gwar and Butcher Babies.
Butcher Babies come on promptly at 5:30 as the sun is beating directly on the stage. The temperature is at the “feel like” 100 degrees. Even with the heat, the ladies in the band come out with a vengeance. The weather doesn’t stop them from jumping all over the stage. Their first song is “Red Thunder” and wow! Frontwomen Heidi Shepard and Carla Harvey really know how to have fun and work the crowd. It’s so obvious they completely enjoy what they are doing and perform from their heart and soul.
This is the first time I’ve seen them and I’m totally impressed with their performance and energy. Butcher Babies is an American metal band that hails from LA. Besides the two two female vocalists, the band consists of Henry Flury (Guitar), Ricky Bonazzo (Bass) and Chase Brickenden (Drums). Their debut album, Goliath, was released on July 9, 2013 via Century Media Records. The album charted at #3 on the Billboard Heatseeker chart. If you haven’t seen this band yet, I highly recommend it.
SET LIST:
Red Thunder
Monsters Ball
Beaver Cage
It’s Killin’ Time, Baby!
Bottom of a Bottle
Last December
Magnolia Blvd.
Next on stage is the band I’m waiting for. Nonpoint is one of my favorite bands. They have the audience jumping as soon as they come out with their songs “Victim/Dodge your Destiny”. The band hurl themselves through the air with their guitars, flying to the rhythm. You can not help moving to Nonpoint. Their groove, lyrics and showmanship had me smiling throughout their entire set.
Nonpoint is an American rock band from Fort Lauderdale. The band members are Elias Soriano (Vocals), Robb Rivera (Drums), Rasheed Thomas (Rhythm Guitar), Adam Woloszyn (Bass) and Jaysin Zeilstra (Lead Guitar). Nonpoint really puts on a superb show. They are full of energy and are really tight. They embrace the crowd and really get them into the music.
The band was formed in 1997 and are considered nu-metal, alternative metal, and hard rock. Nonpoint released their first album in 1997 entitled Separate Yourself, and in 2000 they had their first major label album called Statement. The group has released many albums over the years and they just keep getting better and better. These guys truly do not have one single song I dislike, I love them all.
In 2018 they released their tenth album called X. Nonpoint over the years has toured extensively and their music is featured in movies, soundtracks, and some video games as well. In April 2021, Nonpoint announced the creation of their independent record label, 361 Degrees Records. On February 1, 2023 the group released its official video for their song “Heartless”, I have watched this video many times and absolutely love it. 4 weeks ago the “A Million Watts” official music video was released and wow, it’s killer.
I just can’t say enough how amazing these guys are. Not only are they very talented musicians but they are a lot of fun to watch, listen, and sing along too. When they are playing you cant help but to move with the groove and headbang. They ended their set with “Bullet With A Name” and I just wish they could have played longer.
SET LIST:
Victim/Dodge Your Destiny
What A Day
A Million Watts
Chaos and Earthquakes
Ruthless
Bullet With a Name
Gwar hits the stage next and we quickly move to the back of the floor so as not to get coated with fake blood. This is my first time seeing Gwar, I really did not know what to expect. All I can say is they are definitely different, with their massive costumes, limbs being severed, a disembowelment, blood spraying all over the crowd. It’s kind of disturbing but also quite comical as well if you have a twisted sense of humor. There were a few things I have to say were not comfortable watching with my teenage son.
Overall they were amusing and honestly I was surprised that the vocals were so good. The singer has talent and a great voice. GWAR is an American heavy metal band formed in Richmond, VA in 1984. The band constantly rotates out musicians, artists, and filmmakers who are collectively known as Slave Pit Inc.
If you’re a die hard GWAR fan you probably believe in the GWAR mythology that the band happens to be a group of barbaric intergalactic warriors who were banished from their home planet and came to Earth, where they started the human race and then sat back and watched humans try to destroy the planet and each other. These creatures have names like Jizmak Da Gusha, and Pustulus Maximus and they all look kinda like characters from Masters of the Universe and the cantina scene in Star Wars and this was all conceived during a really bad acid trip.
Mike Bishop, who plays Blothar the Berserker, GWAR’s lead singer, says “GWAR was always about valorizing the low and attacking the high” When they formed as a band they were reacting against the notions of institutionalized art that they were getting taught in art school. Bishop is 53 years old and quite a bear of a man with a long flowing grey beard. He has a PhD in music and formerly taught popular music ethnology and performance studies at UVA ( University of Virginia).
GWAR came on stage playing “Hail Genocide!”. Then went into “The Cutter” and “Mother Fucking Liar”. These guys were something. We were dying laughing the whole time as the crowd up front loved getting sprayed with blood and other bodily fluids. These diehard fans stayed like this all night with blue skin and red skin and bloody or blue clothing. It was definitely interesting to watch.
SET LIST:
Hail Genocide!
The Cutter
Mother Fucking Liar
Sick of You
Completely Fucked
Let Us Slay
Fuck this Place
Berserker Mode
If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It) AC/DC cover
It’s finally cooling off now that the sun has gone down and there is a nice ocean breeze, thank God. So next up is another band I have yet to ever see, Coal Chamber. We are pretty close to the front when they come out. The singer has long neatly braided hair and dark makeup on his face. Coal Chamber was the first band who brought Halloween-time getups into nu-metal’s collective wardrobe. Things like red hair dye, smeared eye shadow, leather wrist bands, many rings on one hand, chain piercings, and all of this is shown with a mawkish facial expression and coy poses rather than brutish, schoolboy bully poses.
Watch their 1997 music video “Loco”, it tells all! Coal Chamber opened with “Loco” and the crowd went nuts. The mosh pit and crowd surfing was wild. My son and Rach were headbanging and jumping all over the place. Their energy was contagious. Even I was banging my head and moving around. It was impossible not with their music that has this very upbeat rhythm to it.
The singer and other band members were infectious onstage as they really pulled the crowd in for their whole set. After “Loco” they played “Fiend” and “Big Truck”. Each song better than the last with the fog machines blasting through cannons from the stage. I’m wondering why is the singer so familiar? I’ve heard his voice before but where????? Hmmmmm… Ahhh Yes! He’s the singer for DevilDriver as well. Now I’m really intrigued.
He has changed up his look quite a bit from DevilDriver. His name is Dez Fafara. In 1992 he formed the band with Miguel Rascon (Guitar) in Los Angeles, initially under the name She’s in Pain. The original lineup had bassist Rayna Foss and drummer Jon Tor. Shortly afterwards Mike Cox replaced Tor on drums and the Coal Chamber lineup is
complete with Nadja Peulen on bass.
A bit about Coal Chamber. They were formed in 1993 in Los Angeles, CA and after 10 years of being together they broke up, but reunited from 2011-2016. In 1996 the band played the very first Ozzfest. In 1997 their first album Coal Chamber was released which produced one hit single and video, “Loco”. The video was also included in Dee Snider’s horror film Strangeland. The band also recorded a song for the soundtrack. They have released four albums and they reunited in 2022. So far we are not hearing anything about new music being released. Hopefully that will change.
SET LIST:
Loco
Fiend
Big Truck
I.O.U. Nothing
Rowboat (Flood cover)
Drove
Dark Days
Oddity
Another Nail In The Coffin
Something Told Me
Sway
Finally it’s time for the headliner, Mudvayne. The banner drops and there they are. The bass player is very entertaining from the get go as he works the stage. It’s really cool that they have gone back to their roots wearing makeup again. They had stopped for awhile so as not to be compared to bands like Slipknot. This is their first headlining tour in over 14 years!
Chad Gray talked to the audience in between songs telling us that he wouldn’t be here without the music he grew up on, bands like Pantera and Metallica. Chad is about giving it his best at each show and leaving it all on the stage. Music saved him from his darkest moments and he said he had a lot of dark moments. He talks about how his heart goes out to everyone in front of him who is dealing with life’s bullshit and he’s just happy to see them here standing in front of him being a bit selfish by being at the concert.
He absolutely thinks this is ok to be selfish and enjoy a show and escape from the real world for a little bit. Chad really puts his all into his music. He belts out those lyrics and sounds the same as he always did. He has a passion and a drive for music. You can see it in his performance. The energy just burns off of him. He’s amazing and a truly passionate artist.
Mudvayne consists of Chad Gray (Vocals), Ryan Martinie (Bass), Greg Tribbett (Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Matthew McDonough (Drums/Synths). Gray has spent the past 17 years fronting HELLYEAH, who have released their 6th studio album called Welcome Home, in Sept. 2019. The disc is the final one with drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, who passed away more than 4 years ago.
Mudvayne did not tour with their fifth album which hardly had any promotion and sold weakly when it was released. The band has not released any new music since 2009, which means they are coming up on a decade and a half without a new Mudvayne song, The band is working on some new ideas for music. Hopefully, next year we will hear something new. None the less, Mudvayne’s older music is still explosive and electrifying.
I love the makeup and uniforms the guys wear. The guitar player has a massive spiked all over mohawk that is outta this world. The bass player has some sick makeup that gives him an alien and Asian look and I don’t mean that to be demeaning at all, I’m just trying to describe him. Chad Gray had on white baggy overalls with blood spatters on them and his face makeup was wicked cool. It just added to the overall power and transcendental effect of the show.
If you haven’t had a chance to see these bands I suggest you get out and see them. What an amazing kickass tour!!!!!
Mudvayne Setlist:
Not Falling
Under My Skin
Internal Primates Forever
World So Cold
A New Game
Severed
Death Blooms
Fish Out of Water
Dull Boy
Nothing To Gain
Dig
Happy?
Editors Note: this was a strange tour in the fact that each act needed individual approval to photograph their performance. Therefore, the photographers could not shoot Coal Chamber and Gwar. Sorry for the lack of original photography for both bands.
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