Static-X in Boston – March 21, 2023

Industrial metal icons Static-X took over a sold out Big Night Live on Tuesday evening, as they continue the Rise Of The Machine Tour, in the company of Fear Factory, Mushroomhead and Dope. With doors opening at 5:30pm, fans lined up extra early around the TD Garden area; the growing crowd was eager to finally experience the show that had been postponed in 2022. With the initial lineup still intact, the tour has been selling out almost every city, including Boston.

DOPE

At 6:30pm sharp, nu-metal New Yorkers Dope took the stage to an already packed room. Kicking off with “Blood Money”, Dope took the place by storm and quickly moved through the set with sheer aggression. “Bitch” and “Debonaire” drove the crowd wild, with the climax being the iconic “Die MF Die”. Frontman Edsel Dope also took the time to express his disdain towards social media and the difficulties around using the “Dope” moniker online, as well as honor the band’s long standing friendship with Static-X. After the gritty cover of Dead or Alive’s “You Spin me Round”, the audience was successfully warmed up.

MUSHROOMHEAD

With an impressively quick set change, it was now time for Mushroomhead to continue the madness. Emerging from the shadows, the band took their spots donning their signature masks. Their stage presence is menacing, interacting often with everyone in the crowd. The band opened with “A Requiem for Tomorrow”, one of the tracks off their latest album, A Wonderful Life. With constant crowd surfing, smoke cannons and water drums, Mushroomhead’s show was an assault to the senses; furiously going through favorites “Sun Doesn’t Rise” and “Qwerty”, and a powerful cover of Pink Floyd’s “Empty Spaces”.

FEAR FACTORY

The energy coming from the crowd was electric and the set changes once again for Fear Factory to take over next. Brand new vocalist Milo Silvestro took the lead, signaling the band’s imminent return. The set highlighted many of Fear Factory’s biggest tracks, like “Edgecrusher” and “Powershifter”, as well as new track “Disruptor”, off their 2021 release Aggression Continuum. Founding guitarist Dino Cazares told the story of Silvestro’s recent travels from Italy and his new experiences touring in the US, on what is the singer’s first round of live performances. Wrapping up with “Zero Signal” and “Replica”, the stage was set for Static-X.

STATIC-X

Anticipation was growing amongst fans, who were anxious for the show to begin. Even the infamous “Sweet Caroline” blasted through the speakers during the short delay. A few minutes past 9:30, the lights finally dimmed and Rocky Horror Picture Show’s “Time Warp” introduced the band. A sky high platform stood tall in the middle of the stage for masked frontman Xer0 to kick off with “Permanence”; he would then step down the platform and move on to “This Is Not” and “Structural Defect”.

Fans jumps and screams had the floor shaking, you could feel the energy from every corner of the room. As the band continues to celebrate the anniversary of the release of Wisconsin Death Trip, they briefly shared stories about the album and its importance. Moving through “Bled for Days” and “Terminator Oscillator”, bassist Tony Campos asked the crowd to light up their phones for “Just In Case”.

After an even heavier version of Nine Inch Nails’ “Terrible Lie”, the platform returned to the front. As snow-looking foam covered the stage, Xer0 went back up the ladder for an emotional performance of “Cold”, which included a tribute to late singer Wayne Static. Several clips of the iconic frontman played on the screen, and as the song came to an end, the room went dark, with a photo of Static and the words “Forever With Us” across the stage. The moving moment was followed by “I’m With Stupid” and the iconic hit “Push It”, bringing the show to a close. Static-X has made it their mission to honor the memory of their frontman after his untimely passing, and the energy of the show speaks for itself. Make sure to follow the Rise Of The Machine Tour across the U.S.

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