CHAD GRAY / BUTCHER BABIES / DEVIL’S CUT – LIVE
Photo by Amy Harris
By Joe Perusse
Chad Gray – 30 Years of Madness tour with Butcher Babies and Devil’s Cut at Big Night Live, Boston, MA
I was really looking forward to this show, especially with the 30 Years of Madness tour rolling into the relatively small confines of Big Night Live. After seeing all three acts, it was pretty clear the night delivered. Every band came ready to play, and the crowd was right there with them from the start.
Devil’s Cut kicked things off, and I’m officially giving them my nod for best early warm-up act of the year. These guys came out swinging and immediately made the most of their opening slot.
Trap dropped a booming drum intro to kick off “Backfire,” and the crowd was already banging their heads by the time “Dead Drop” rolled around. “Drink With the Devil” followed before vocalist Trey Landrum introduced “Ruin My Life,” explaining that the song was about an ex. Zach McConnell added a sizzling guitar solo that definitely made an impression.
“Worth a Shot” kept things moving, followed by “Welcome to Kentucky,” which had hands in the air and the crowd clapping along. “Missing a Memory” led into “Insomnia,” with Landrum challenging the crowd to do something—anything—when the song kicked in. Boston didn’t need much convincing.
The band closed with “Roadkill,” the title track from their debut album. Bailey Jones (Bass) rounded out the lineup. Keep an ear out for these guys. If this performance was any indication, Devil’s Cut won’t be an opening act forever.
Next up were the Butcher Babies, and vocalist Heidi Shepherd came out with the energy level set to maximum. She immediately challenged Boston to “make some fucking noise” during “Backstreets of Tennessee.”
Her hair was flying nonstop during “Red Thunder,” and Shepherd gave the crowd permission to go completely wild for “Monsters Ball.” She didn’t just ask for the chaos—she jumped right into the crowd and became part of it.
“Sincerity” had everyone clapping along, with Henry Flury ripping through a standout guitar solo in the middle of the song. “Beaver Cage,” “It’s Killing Time, Baby!” and “Lost in Your Touch” followed before the pit opened up for “Black Dove,” with Sean Violet laying down a seriously heavy bass line.
Shepherd was back in the crowd for “Spitting Teeth,” even jumping into the circle pit as things got increasingly chaotic. Dave Nickles delivered a quick drum solo before the band unleashed their new single, “Blame It on the Wind.”
The Butcher Babies finished with “Magnolia Blvd.,” and the crowd screamed along to every second of it. They may have been second on the bill, but they certainly didn’t perform like it.
Then it was time for the main event.
Chad Gray walked onto the stage with half of his face covered in his classic Mudvayne makeup and the other half left natural—a pretty cool visual representation of the two sides of the night. With Devin Attard behind the drums, the band launched into the Hellyeah favorite “Hellyeah!”
Another Hellyeah track, “Moth,” quickly had cell phones popping up throughout the crowd as fans tried to capture the moment. Chad Gray stopped to thank Boston for its enthusiasm and then asked the question everyone wanted answered: Are you happy?
That, of course, led into Mudvayne’s “Happy?”
Chad Gray then decided to have a little fun, holding a crowd vote to decide which song they’d hear next. He joked that he likes to start shit, although he wasn’t looking for any actual fights. “Demons in the Dirt” won the vote, but Gray wasn’t about to leave the losing side disappointed. “Sangre for Sangre (Blood for Blood)” followed anyway, with Marcus Rafferty (Mudvayne’s touring guitarist) delivering a sweet guitar solo.
“Death Blooms” gave way to “Hush,” and Gray took a moment to get personal with the crowd, thanking them for their enthusiasm and for helping him through his life and giving him a reason to keep going.
Before “Nothing to Gein,” Gray admitted the song still takes him down a dark rabbit hole every time he performs it, but that’s also part of why he loves it. As he put it, he’s a psycho metalhead. Nick Villareal absolutely shined on bass throughout the song.
Gray then demanded all the noise Boston could make before launching into “Dull Boy.” One of the night’s best moments came when Gray told a story about the late Vinnie Paul, the legendary Hellyeah drummer. Whenever the band was getting ready to rehearse “Say When,” Vinnie would apparently yell, “Fuck your mother!” It became the unofficial working title for the song.
In Vinnie’s memory, Gray had the entire room yell it back before the band ripped into “Say When.” It was exactly the kind of ridiculous, hilarious, and heartfelt moment that made the night feel less like a standard anniversary tour and more like a group of friends sharing stories with a room full of fans.
Chad Gray then challenged everyone to bang their heads like they were at a 1987 Metallica show, and Boston responded with horns in the air for “World So Cold.”
Before “Not Falling,” Gray turned to guitarist Joe Bonasorte and told him to “light this motherfucker up.” Bonasorte took that instruction seriously.
During the song, Gray made his way into the crowd while fans held him up, Attard climbed onto his drum seat, and the entire room sang along. It was one of those moments where the separation between the stage and the audience completely disappeared.
The devil horns went back into the air for “Love Falls,” and Gray took another moment to give Boston some love, telling the crowd they were “mother fucking incredible” and that he couldn’t wait to come back.
Then came the obvious choice to close the night. With everyone singing along, Mudvayne’s “Dig” brought the 30 Years of Madness celebration to a crushing finish.
This was exactly what an anniversary show should be—big songs, plenty of stories, ridiculous moments, incredible musicianship, and a crowd that was completely invested from beginning to end. Gray didn’t just celebrate 30 years of music; he brought the fans along for the ride. And judging from the reaction inside Big Night Live, Boston was more than happy to go along with him.
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