Gwar / Job for a Cowboy / The Red Chord
Sound Academy, Toronto, ON November 2

By Keith Carman

With the show touted as part of their 25th anniversary tour and in support of one of their finest records in 15 of those years, who would have thought that seeing Gwar could feel like little more than a business transaction?

Unfortunately, such was the case on this particular evening of their current tour in support of Lust In Space. Things seemed somewhat shaky from the get-go, however, as openers the Red Chord and Job for a Cowboy struggled to get even a subdued reaction from the ample crowd, despite energized performances.

The general feeling of listlessness pervaded, though, not necessarily from the audience once Gwar hit the stage. Frantic and loud, the crowd responded to the Scumdogs' return wildly, even though the band seemed intent on playing only material from their last three albums, save a roughshod rendition of "Jak the World," "Have You Seen Me" and obvious "Sick of You."

Visually, the shock rockers delivered with a bevy of current media figures and Gwar enemies to obliterate. The likes of Michael Jackson, Cardinal Syn and U.S. President Barack Obama were decapitated, skinned or mutilated as the crowd was soaked with bile and gore. It was everything one would expect from Gwar: dirty, tongue-in-cheek offence and plenty of mock body fluid.

However, aside from the aesthetics, there seemed to be a sense of simply going through the motions — of that listlessness previously mentioned. Sure, the band were fine musically, yet were it not for their garish outfits and the goings-on behind them, they would have been one of the most boring concerts of the last year. Even front-thing Oderus Urungus did little other than his obligatory killing of this, maiming of that. He spoke little, moved less and just seemed to be hitting his marks, not revelling in the moment.

While there was nothing particularly wrong with this stop of the tour, one can't deny that there was still something lacking. Everything felt less like a celebration of their silver jubilee and more of a resignation to their fate as costumed critters claiming adoration for drugs and dismemberment. Seeing as Urungus has deemed this a two-year endeavour, let's hope this was a bum night in an otherwise enthusiastic venture.

Neon Indian
Sunparlour Players / Sheesham & Lotus
The Idan Raichel Project
Real Estate - Real Estate
The Mayfair Set - Young One + Self-Titled
Leyland Kirby - Sadly, The Future Is Not What It Was
Kraftwerk - 12345678: The Catalogue
Cloak/Dagger - Lost Art
Bebel Gilberto - All In One
Lyle Lovett - Natural Forces
Will Hoge - The Wreckage
Will Stratton - No Wonder
Dave Rawlings Machine - A Friend of a Friend
Juliette Lewis - Terra Incognita
Sea Wolf - White Water, White Bloom
Yim Yames - Tribute To
Ambarchi / Fennesz / Pimmon / Rehberg / Rowe - Afternoon Tea
Wooley / Lytton / Grubbs - Seven Storey Mountain
Ganesh Anandan & Hans Reichel - Self Made
Todor Kobakov - Pop Music
Castanets - Texas Rose, The Thaw & The Beasts
Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love - Feels, Feathers, Bog And Bees
Nocturnal Fear - Metal Of Honor
Slayer - World Painted Blood
Green Jellÿ - Musick To Insult Your Intelligence By
DRUDKH - Autumn Aurora
Letting Up Despite Great Faults - Letting Up Despite Great Faults
Comanechi - Crime of Love
Brilliant Colors - Introducing
Star Fucking Hipsters - Never Rest in Peace
Bastard Child Death Cult - Year Zero
Antonio Valdetaro e Grupo - Letícia
Ken Aldcroft’s Convergence Ensemble - Our Hospitality
Devin Townsend Project - Addicted
The Expos - Blackwater
Ray Charles - Genius Hits the Road
Marek Hemmann - In Between
Emptyset - Emptyset
Bassnectar - Cozza Frenzy
Basement Jaxx - Scars
David Sait - Postage Paid Dues — Volume 2
Muskox - 5 Pieces
Friendly Rich - Presents Pictures At An Exhibition
March Fourth Marching Band - Rise Up
Fat Freddy’s Drop - Dr. Boondigga & The Big BW
Collage - 54’05”
The Quiet Nights Orchestra - Chapter One
Sabrina Malheiros - New Morning
Chief - Collabo Collection
Paten Locke - Super Ramen Rocketship
DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid - The Secret Song
Scottt Catolico - Massacre
The Bushpilots - Seven Ways to Broadway
Coalesce - Ox EP
Black Anvil - Time Insults the Mind
Culted - Below the Thunders of the Upper Deep
Between the Buried and Me - The Great Misdirect
Gossip - Music for Men
Bell Horses - This Loves Last Time
Shonen Knife - Super Group
Hockey - Mind Chaos
The Dudes - Blood Guts Bruises Cuts
Lee & Willbee - North Carolina
Teenage Bottlerocket - The Came From The Shadows
Krum Bums - Same Old Story
Los Yetis - Nadaismo A Go-Go!
Sacrifice - The Ones I Condemn
Priestess - Prior To The Fire
Various - Fire In My Bones: Raw & Rare & Otherworldly African-American Gospel (1944-2007)
The Schomberg Fair - Gospel
Various - D-Funk: Funk, Disco & Boogie Grooves From Germany 1972 — 2002
Grand Archives - Keep In Mind Frankenstein
7 Worlds Collide - The Sun Came Out
A Fine Frenzy - Bomb in a Birdcage
Raveonettes - In And Out Of Control
Headlights - Wildlife
Jakartah - In the Nervous Light of Coincidence
Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary
The Noisettes - Wild Young Hearts
Tinted Windows - Tinted Windows
Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way to Blue
Fashawn - Boy Meets World
Corporation - Return of the Corporation
Idlers - Keep Out
Mark Matos and Os Beaches - Words of the Knife
Genitorturers
The Jesus Lizard / Brides
Deastro / Max Tundra
Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson / These United States
Dinosaur Jr. / Pink Mountaintops
Young Galaxy / Politique / Blazer
The Fiery Furnaces / Cryptacize
Jonas Reinhardt / Sinoia Caves / Valet
Muse - The Resistance
Ricca Razor Sharp - Causeways & C-Trains
Muneshine - Status Symbol
Magnolius - Mary Musht
Port-Royal - Dying In Time
John Abercrombie - Wait Till You See Her
Mark Knopfler - Get Lucky
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