With only a few days left till Christmas, New Jersey based legendary punk rock band, the Misfits has been making their final rounds across the states in 2013. Reformed now by founding bassist Jerry Only for almost 2 decades now, the 3 piece outfit has endured many changes over the years. Post Danzig era, the Misfits had a new identity with Michael Graves on lead vocals up until 2000. When Graves departed from the band, rather than seek out another vocalist, Only decided to take on the task himself. With the fun cover album Project 1950 (2003), Only brought some great old tunes to life in his new found position on vocals. Keeping extremely busy over the years with the Misfits, Dez Cadena (guitars) and Eric “Chupacabra” Arce (drums) have been part of the band for some time now. On Thursday December 19th, the Misfits arrived at The Emporium in Patchogue, NY to wrap up what has been an extremely busy 2013.
A packed crowd of fans of all ages gathered to witness an evening of ghoulishly fun rock n roll. With the old guard of fans ready to bounce around and rock out, it was the young fans which really grabbed the imagination. Many dressed in skull make-up and masks, really capturing the essence of the Misfits persona. The stage had an impressive set up for the drum kit with Misfits style lighted skulls on each side of the platform. A large background of the Misfits latest live album artwork Dead Alive! (2013) hung behind the kit. Candena’s mic stand was decorated with skulls and Only’s looked like a full skeleton body. The smoke was thick and the anticipation high as screaming faces summoned the Misfits to the stage. First Chupacabra took his place behind his drum kit, then Candena walked out, and Only last. With his signature devilock draped over his face, theatrical spiked vest, and signature black eye make-up Only looked ready to put on a show for his adoring fans. Opening up with new track “The Devil’s Rain” really set the tone for the rest of the evening. Like a machine gun, it was rapid fire through a series of new tracks including “Land Of The Dead”. Only sounded excellent, crooning his way through the set including fan favorites like “Attitude” and “Static Age”. The younger fans moved about the floor, moshing to the sound of the music, and the older fans took their licks crowd surfing to the front.
The set marched on with a generous offering of tracks off Devil’s Rain which seemed to really please the youth in the crowd. Mixing in classics like “20 Eyes” gave newer fans a little lesson of punk rock history. Tracks like “Saturday Night” were a real treat for fans of the Famous Monsters (1999) era. Energy was streaming through the club as the music flowed on. Candena’s guitar playing was note for note like the records, and Chupcabra hit the skins with authority as the driving core behind the Misfits sound.
The set went on for an hour and a half with an amazing retrospective of the last 2 decades of the Misfits as well as classics. Only still has the same enthusiasm and energy for the music he did all those years ago. With a well put together stage production and tight performance there was no let down for this large audience. The Misfits are sure to come back around soon, but this was a nice early Christmas present closing out 2013.
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