Live-Metal.Net - Concerts: Wednesday 13 & The 69 Eyes

It had been a while since I had encountered a gathering of goths like I did at the Recher Theatre this night. Then again, there weren’t too many of them, as the venue was only about half full (which wasn’t bad for a Monday night). All I could think about was how miserable these kids must have been outside in the 98-degree heat as they waited to get inside.

Due to personal scheduling issues, I missed the first band of the evening, Night Kills the Day. I arrived minutes before Fair to Midland took the stage. The band, which is signed to System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian’s Serjical Strike imprint, played a high-energy set hopping from genre to genre seemingly by the minute. Singer Darroh Sudderth was so manic that he seemed on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Keyboardist Matt Langley is the band’s strongest asset, bringing beauty to an often chaotic sound.

After a short break, the house again darkened and Wednesday 13 walked out to a chorus of screams from a frantic crowd. He and his band have a ghoulish appearance and play songs about cemeteries and necrophilia, but their music is straight-up, full-throttle rock n’ roll. Wednesday even referred to his rock n’ roll handbook throughout the set, asking “Are you having a good time tonight?” and commanding the audience to “gimme a ‘hell yeah!’” The set list drew from both Wednesday 13 solo albums (Transylvania 90210 and Fang Bang), the Murderdolls (“Die My Bride,” “Graverobbing U.S.A.”) and even the Frankenstein Drag Queens (“Rambo”). The bouncy, upbeat “Happily Ever Cadaver” was the best song of the entire night.

Wednesday and his solid backing band clearly were the main attractions for a large portion of the crowd. Most would have gone home happy if the show had ended with their spirited rendition of the Murderdolls anthem “I Love to Say Fuck.”

WEDNESDAY 13 SET LIST: I Want You … Dead, Home Sweet Homicide, Die My Bride, Happily Ever Cadaver, Look What the Bats Dragged In, Rambo, House by the Cemetery, Buried by Christmas, Graverobbing U.S.A., Faith in the Devil, Bad Things, I Love to Say Fuck

The 69 Eyes had the difficult task of following Wednesday 13. The “Helsinki Vampires” have an odd formula, blending Euro-goth rock with ’80s hair metal. They even dedicated a song to Baltimore ’s hair metal heroes Kix.

You can tell The 69 Eyes are seasoned pros. They didn’t tour in the United States until 2006, but they have been together for about 15 years. They performed their songs well, especially the selections from their latest album, Angels (“Rocker” was the highlight for me). Earlier material lacked the energy the band brought to the new songs, probably a combination of the nature of the “vintage” 69 Eyes tracks and the band’s excitement to play the new stuff.

Fans of The 69 Eyes got what they came for from a career-spanning set. Throw in Wednesday 13, and it was a good night to go goth in Maryland.

THE 69 EYES SET LIST: Framed in Blood, Never Say Die, Angels, Feel Berlin, The Chair, Rocker, Gothic Girl, Wings & Hearts, Frankenhooker, Sister of Charity, Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams, Brandon Lee, Dance D’Amour, Lost Boys, (Encore) Perfect Skin, Devils