Danzig Show - October 11, 2008 - Atlanta, GA

Caught the Blackest of the Black Tour while in Atlanta the night before a Falcons home game. The first four bands (SkeletonWitch...really, Moonspell...uh-huh, one I just don't remember, and Dimmu Borgir) were interchangeable, boring and ludicrous black metal acts. Sat through 3+ hours of the shit with earplugs firmly in place. Man, how people listen to these assholes pop vocal nodules and claim to enjoy it, I'll never understand. Anyhow, it ended up being worth the pain.

Danzig kicked off their set around 11p and rocked for about 1.5 hours.Let me just say how biased I am about Danzig. I've loved Glenn's eponymous band since being introduced to it around '91 (thanks, cousin Todd), and, yes, I even bought and listened to the less consistent work since the original line-up dissolved after the fourth album. That said, I was psyched to see the man live. No, I didn't cry or piss myself like a 60's wallflower outside a Beatles show, but I was looking forward to it.

The venue was The Tabernacle in Atlanta. Clean, good acoustics and felt safe from start to finish, plus it's located next to the lot where I always park for Falcons games. Bonus. The black t-shirt crowd was generally well-behaved while still getting into the concert. We sat in the balcony to get a better view of the stage and to avoid the inevitable game of goth grab-ass that is the mosh pit (really, people, when are you all going to GET it?).

Anyhow, the band comes out at 11p, and there's Glenn...what's he, 50+ now? Wearing a mesh shirt and the trademark, Danzig skull metal belt buckle. I have to say, he's not wearing his age all that well. Very thick around the middle, which brought into question his fashion choices (c'mon, man, some kick-ass blousy, black shirt, halfway open in the front or something...but mesh?!?). That, and his pronounced bald spot was ever more visible as the show drew out the sweat. Regardless, he was electric on stage, animated throughout and very interactive and gracious with the audience. I loved every minute.

Here's the set list:

Skincarver
Twist of Cain
Am I Demon
Tired of Being Alive
Her Black Wings
Devil's Plaything
Left Hand Black
How the Gods Kill
Brand New God
Satan's Crucifixion
Unspeakable
Lilin
God of Light (I think...I recognized the song but couldn't place the title...whatever, it's from Danzig 7)
Black Angel, White Angel
Mother

Encore:
Killer Wolf
Dirty Black Summer

The highlight for me was the 3-song set from Danzig II - Tired of Being Alive, Her Black Wings, and Devil's Plaything. This was also the point in the show where he was fully warmed up but not yet vocally spent. His voice was pretty strong throughout, but he obviously got winded at points (and he forgot the intro to Devil's Plaything...uck...). Nevertheless, I was bouncing and head-bobbing like a jackass. So good. All-in-all, a great night. $30 well-spent.