HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD / TECH N9NE / SET IT OFF / ZERO 9:36 – LIVE
By Kat Gullage
Hollywood Undead, Tech N9ne, Set It Off and Zero 9:36 live at The Strand Ballroom in Providence.
Rock and roll is NOT dead. A point that was proven on a random Wednesday night in Providence RI. Droves of fans turned out hoping for a fun night peppered with the energetic music of their youth, and they would not be disappointed.
The Strand Ballroom & Theater is a multi-level concert hall located in downtown Providence with a capacity of approximately 2000. The layout for this gig was general admission tiered floor holding around 1200 and a seated balcony area for the rest. Security was a breeze compared to most other venues, even though I sported a small purse. I don’t usually bring bags to gigs anymore, but I had more crap than usual because my kid accompanied us this time. Drinks were standard club prices and there was never a line at the bars. Parking was steep. I chose a self pay lot a few doors down from the venue and it was freaking $63. No re-entry allowed but there was an outdoor smoking pit.
The opener was rapper/rocker Zero 9:36 (Matthew Cullen) out of Pennsylvania. He added the 9:36 in 2020, a reference to his time of birth. His sound is a mix of rap and rock with a dash of screamo. Eminem meets Killswitch Engage. He has three studio albums and dipped into all of em for his seven song set. Fans were waiting in line for doors to open so he had a decent sized audience. He kicked it off with “Underneath” from 2024’s None Of Us Are Getting Out. “Thank you so much! How many of you have any idea who we are, who knows who we are?” Mixed reaction from the crowd. “Well nice to see you again or for the first time.”
A single he released with the band Atreyu, “Break” was up next followed by another cut from None with “Kill Me” and then one from his 2020 debut Barebones Volume 1, “Reset”. “If you see me up here jumpin, don’t make me look like a fool jumpin alone. Alright, let’s get those hands up!” Everybody put their hands up cuz they got called out if they didn’t. The heavy rock portions made ya wanna jump, and people did, but then it would switch up to singing or rapping and the jumping would cease.
“I Felt It All” was followed by a cut off of 2021’s …If You Don’t Save Yourself, “Adrenaline”. The set wrapped appropriately with “The End”. Zero 9:36 was a fitting opener for this line-up, setting the pace for an energetic night to come.
Tampa, Florida’s Set It Off kept it rollin. Established in 2008, they are founders Cody Carson on vocals and Zach DeWall on guitar accompanied by long time member Maxx Danziger on drums. They are branded as a three piece, but they tour with an additional guitarist. They have five studio albums and a shitload of singles. I’ve heard their sound described as emo, but I disagree. I’d say it’s more boy band meets alternative rock.
They are a versatile group, gaining traction back in the day from Cody’s YouTube channel where he ripped tons of covers. Set It Off set it off with their 2024 single “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (REBORN)”. Cody immediately addressed the fans, “Holy shit! Who came here to fuck shit up tonight?” “We’re gunna give you everything we’ve got for forty-five minutes, we need you to give it back. Best crowd on the tour is still up for grabs!” “Fake Ass Friends”, another 2024 single, invoked impressive crowd participation.
A cut off of 2014’s Duality was up with “The Haunting” followed by the 2023 single “Evil People”. “You paid for a ticket tonight. Let’s put those flashlights on and light this place up!” We did and they served up “Hypnotized” from 2016’s Upside Down. “This song is for everyone who’s ever been shattered” was the segue to “Parasite” and the audience response was on point. “You ready to turn it up again? We feel blessed, this is the biggest show turn out Rhode Island!” Insert obligatory band shout outs. “We don’t take anything for granted. Celebrate all the wins and what about the shit we don’t win? That makes us stronger.” “Win Win” was up and my kid was familiar because the studio version and video features Scene Queen. The amped up performance wrapped with Duality’s “Why Worry” and another 2024 single, “Punching Bag”. Set If Off was in the perfect position for this line-up and I enjoyed their live show, I’d see em again.
The mean streets of Kansas City, Missouri are what shaped rapper/singer Tech N9ne (Aaron Dontez Yates). He has also been referred to as The King, The Clown and The G. All of the alter egos would appear in the twenty-five song set. I confess I’m not well versed in the genre, but this mofo has seventeen studio albums and has sold over two million copies. A pre-recording of “Planet Rock 2K” welcomed Tech N9ne, The King, to the stage, and this is what we got: “Stamina” (The Worst), “Rocket Maker” (Everready (The Religion), “Midwest Choppers” (The Box Set Compilation), “Unfair” (Welcome To Strangeland), and “Straight Out The Gate” (Something Else).
He took a breath at one point and explained that he sported scrubs on stage in memory of his mom who suffered from grand mal epileptic seizures yet was so strong. It made my heart grow three times. “Einstein” (Anghellic), “The Beast”, “Industry” (Absolute Power), “Psycho” and “Worldwide Choppers” (All 6’s and 7’s), “T9X”, “Aw Yeah?” (Special Effects), and “Come Gangsta”. He explained The Clown persona, “I used to be scared of clowns, now I write the killer clown lyrics.”
Tech N9ne then performed songs as The Clown, complete with a Corey Taylor Slipknot lookin mask. “Brightfall” (Planet), “Blackened” and “killin You” (K.O.D. King of Darkness) and “Uralya” (Boiling Point). “Hit after hit, thank you for that shit!” “I fukin luv you that shit’s crazy”. Enter Tech N9ne as The G to wrap it up with: “That Box”, “Dysfunctional” (Sickology 101), “Caribou”, “Erbody” (The Storm), “Ronald” a Falling In Reverse cover and the crowd favorite single “Hood Go Crazy”.
He thanked the crowd during the outro “Energy was so crazy! I’m tellin my peeps and we gunna come back often. Tech N9ne all about this bitch. Make some noise for my band! Thank you! I love you! Peace!” There was a faction of devoted N9ne fans in the house, at least thirty percent of the crowd sported his gear. I enjoyed the set, the sound was good and he kept the energy of the gig rolling in the right direction.
The rap/nu-metal gang known as Hollywood Undead was established in 2005 in LA. The faction still includes founders: J-Dog (Jorel Decker), Funny Man (Dylan Alvarez), Johnny 3 Tears (George Ragan), and Charlie Scene (Jordon Terrell), accompanied by G’Wayne Snarechild (Greg Garman) and Danny (Danny Murillo). They no longer cover their faces with unique hockey masks but they still know how to entertain us. They have eight studio albums and dipped into six of em for the thirteen song set peppered with fun surprises.
The festivities commenced with the party anthem “Riot” off of Five. “Fuck that shit let’s start a riot!” Next up was a much heavier dose with Hotel Kalifornia’s “CHAOS”. American Tragedy’s “Levitate” traded off rap and melodies. They took a ten year old kid from the crowd, Lincoln, and brought him on stage to introduce the next song, “Comin In Hot”, which he did while flipping everyone the bird. “War Child” off Day Of The Dead was on deck followed by the 2024 single “Hollywood Forever”.
“It’s good to be back, it’s been a long fukin time!” A cut from Notes From The Underground, “Lion”, showcased melodies over the rap portion. The crowd was still pumped and participating, even though it was a slower ride. Hollywood Undead dished out a mash up of “Usual Suspects”, “No. 5”, “Young” and “Hear Me Now”. Surprise #1 occurred when the drummer, one of the only members to not sing lead vocals, belted out a snippet of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”. He freaking killed it!
Back to Undead with “Another Way Out” and Hollywood Undead threw in a dash of Rammstein’s “Du Hast” (surprise #2). “They said rock and roll was dead, that mosh pits were extinct!” This got the fans all riled up as they got fed “Everywhere I Go” off of Swan Songs. For no good reason, other than surprise #3, they belted out the “Stand Up & Shout!” ending from the movie Rock Star. Nice job hitting those Myles Kennedy highs!
Surprise #4 was the next song, a cover of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline”. It’s funny how people of all ages know the words to the song, as it was released in 1969. “Bullet” was next. A catchy jaunt where the feel of the music is the complete opposite of the dark lyrics. Hollywood Undead threw out giant beach balls and stuck the mic in the crowd so the fans could sing. One of the singers announced “I’m gonna show you all my weenie right now.” He either didn’t or it wasn’t large enough to see. Their biggest hit, “Undead” was the closer.
I thoroughly enjoyed this high energy show. The sound was good, everybody was dancing and jumping and had a great time. If you catch any of these artists, they’ll grab your attention at the very least. You’ll actually look up from your phone. For a good time, attend a Zero 9:36 or Set It Off or Tech N9ne or Hollywood Undead gig. Tell em I sent ya.
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