Words/Photos: Chris Rugowski
https://www.chickenortheeggphotography.com/
This show was one of epic proportions, especially for me, the first time I saw Powerman 5000 I was 12 or 13 years old, it was in another local, now torn down, venue opening for Papa Roach and Korn. Right around the time of “Tonight The Stars Revolt”. What struck me the most about this show was seeing all the parents, with kids, and not just teenagers, kids younger than 10, enjoying the music as a family. One dad I talked to said his kid has been to multiple concerts and has guitar pics from almost every band he’s been able to see.
Powerman 5000
Spider One still rocked now 20 plus years later. The energy in the room was perfect, the lighting even more complimentary.
With time and age sometimes musicians and bands just lose their steam, not this guy, not this band. Honorary to their name they powered the night up. From the moment they stepped on the stage there was an air of fun, excitement mixed with darkened emotion to prepare us for the trip as they entered the foggy stage with lasers on their instruments and hands, they started the night off with “Footsteps and Voices” going straight away into “Nobody’s Real”.
Time stood still for me throughout the night. I was lost between the future and past having fun, listening head nodding along to all my favorite songs being played watching Spider move around the stage weaving his web capturing everyone’s attention no matter what age.
One of the highlights of the night was “Horrorshow”. In the middle they broke into a medley of tunes starting with an instrumental version of Seven Nation Army, and keeping to that for the next five songs they went from Run DMC to Billy Idol “Rebel Yell” to Backstreet Boys “I Want It That Way” to Britney Spears “Oops, I Did It Again” into Rammstein “Du Hast” ending the medley with “Seven Nation Army” and back into “Horrorshow”.
Ending their set with three of their best songs and an ode to all the “old people” in the room, “Bombshell”, “Supernova Goes Pop”, and finally “When Worlds Collide”.
It’s always fun to watch bands from your childhood and see how they’ve aged, for Powerman 5000 it seems they have not aged at all, and their music still rocks. It made me want to go back and listen to the discography again.
ALBORN
Alborn is the main supporting band on tour with PM5K. They had a new album out in support of this tour, so having listened to their album before the show I wasn’t totally sure what to expect, was it going to be the same, was it going to be different, was it going to be better? Needless to say it was better, and very real, not just a studio band sound. These four lads command a presence on stage. With a sound that’s comparable to Breaking Benjamin meets Corey Taylor this band makes a point when they come on stage, they won’t be ignored. Singer and guitarist Justin Taylor (no relation to Corey Taylor) along with drummer/screamer Alex Raser exchanged vocals throughout the songs and it was done perfectly. This mixed with bass and second guitar chugging along, I wished they had played longer. It was great teaser for band I will definitely be following. They put on a powerhouse show.
They had a circle pit going at one point during their set and there was a mom and her daughter in the pit, it was really cool to see. Proof that music speaks to everyone, regardless of age.
Check out all things Alborn on their website, https://www.albornmusic.com/
POST TRAUMATIC
This metal band is one of my favorites locally. Reminiscent of Spiritbox meets Jinjer and Pantera meets Deftones — at least from my perspective and artists I know of. They rip faces off right from the start and yet they have a soft underbelly to them. You don’t go to a Post Traumatic show with the expectation you’re going to walk away unscathed. They know what they’re doing and they’re not afraid to show you that. While their set was shorter at only 6 songs you’d have thought they were going to play all night.
I want to note, personally, having seen them before at smaller clubs in the area, and having photographed them a few times, seeing how far they’ve come in a year’s time shows how hard they’ve worked. These guys are one of the best metal groups in the Northeast Wisconsin area and that’s hard to accomplish in an area that doesn’t always have a place for metal to be played. I truly believe if they keep on the path they are they will go places. They have a stage presence, they have an engaging frontman in Jacob Janus, guitarists (Carson Gossen, Tony Marcello) who move around stage and pump up the crowd, a drummer (Collin Miller) who is articulate and doesn’t miss a beat and a bassist (Jose Whiting) who does the same. There is no lacking space in this band, they have filled nooks and crannies with everything metal, heart and soul. With a fan base wide and loyal as the day is long, these guys are one of a kind and show that metal music is for anyone and everyone.
Check out all things Post Traumatic at https://www.posttraumaticband.com/
3/1 – Destin, FL – Club LA
3/2 – Satellite Beach, FL – Wynfields
3/3 – Longwood, FL – Shovelhead
3/4 – Tampa, FL – The Brass
3/5 – Jacksonville, FL – Jackrabbits
3/6 – Jacksonville, NC – Hooligans
3/8 – Flint, MI – Machine Shop
3/9 – Green Bay, WI – Epic Event Center
3/10 – Dubuque, IA – Q Casino Showroom
3/11 – Sioux City, IA – Hard Rock Casino
3/12 – Belvidere, IL – Apollo Theater
3/13 – Hobart, IN – Hobart Art Theater
3/16 – Jefferson, LA – Southport Music Hall
3/17 – Dallas, TX – Trees
3/18 – Houston, TX – Scout Bar
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