All Photos By Travis Failey Photography
MUDVAYNE brought their second stop on their first headlining tour since 2009 to Tampa as The Psychotherapy Sessions Tour arrived in Tampa on Friday night. It was a sweltering evening at the Mid-Florida Credit Union Amp which I like to refer to as "The Hot Box" during the summer down here.
With support from 4 other major label bands including COAL CHAMBER, GWAR, NONPOINT and the BUTCHER BABIES, this was a can't miss tour when it was announced. It was also a big draw for me personally as I have never been to a GWAR, COAL CHAMBER or MUDVAYNE show before.
With five bands on the bill, it was an early 5:30 start right on the nose for the BUTCHER BABIES. Carla Harvey and Heidi Shepherd were all screams, growls and smiles during their 30-minute 5-song set. They opened with their newest single and video in "Red Thunder" and transitioned into one of their biggest songs in "Monster's Ball".
Even though there wasn't a huge crowd in the facility at this point, the fans fed off the energy of the band. Carla and Heidi were all over the stage doing their patented hair flips with Heidi throwing up the horns to big roars of applause.
The BUTCHER BABIES closed their set with "It's Killing Time, Baby" and have truly stuck to their roots and haven't given in or softened up over the 10 years I have been covering them. They just go out there every time and look like they are having a blast doing what they love on stage and in your face.
Now you want to talk about energy in spades on stage, well you would be remiss if you didn't bring up the next band on the bill in NONPOINT. The five-piece which was formed in 1997 in South Florida, has released over 10 albums and has had multiple singles played across the country on terrestrial and satellite radio.
As founding members, drummer Robb Rivera and vocalist Elias Soriano came out on the stage and from the looks on the band's faces on Friday night, they meant business. They started with the anthem "What a Day" and got the crowd bouncing from the jump. Soriano moved onto the equipment cases in front of the stage and threw his arm up with a balled-up fist and then switched it to the "bird" wherein the crowd then joined him by following suit.
Both guitarists in Robb Thomas and Jason Zeilstra were in perfect sync from a dual guitar standpoint especially during their new single "A Million Watts". Both had their dreads thrashing during the entire set with bassist Adam Woloszyn also joining in on the head-banging camaraderie.
Soriano encouraged the crowd to get a pit going during "Chaos And Earthquakes" and the crowd obliged as the moshing and crowd surfing really started to pick up. NONPOINT finished their 7-song set with the biggest song of their career "Bullet With A Name" and gave the crowd everything you expect from them in a live setting: great songs, energy, musicianship, and a ton of heart. The only issue I had with their set was it wasn't longer and I look forward to seeing them again when they do a headlining tour in a club.
Another first for me and an event I will truly never forget was witnessing the next band live in GWAR. The band's name which is an acronym for nothing (It's just GWAR) was formed in 1984 and has had over 30 different members in the band with none of the founding members still involved. They wear over-the-top grotesque costumes (depending on who you ask) and use satire and science fiction stage themes with most of them leading to mass quantities of fake blood spewing all the fans in the front rows of the venue. The fans love getting sprayed as it makes them a part of the stage show and security had to bring plastic bags etc. to keep them from getting doused themselves.
Singer Blothar The Berserker and guitarist Balsac The Jaws of Death raised their limbs to the crowd and the madness began with "Hail, Genocide". Backup vocalist Sawborg Destructo then advanced to the center of the stage and unleashed a spinning jumbo rotary saw that shot fake blood all over the crowd. The crowd loved it and then two songs later, Russian President Vlad Putin had his chest cut open after being pummeled by Blothar The Berserker. Then both of Putin's arms were cut off which then (you guessed it) shot blood all over the crowd and security.
GWAR then fake sacrificed two fans on stage during "Let Us Slay" then Blothar said he was going to go into a Berzerker rage due to no porn right before "Fuck This Place".
GWAR closed their set with the perfect cover song for them and the crowd with "If You Want Blood (You Got It)" by AC/DC. All the band members and crew of costumed characters took the stage with hoses and various contraptions and once again doused the venue with the crowd jumping and screaming the chorus. It was awesome and definitely something to see if only once in your life.
With the sun down and the fans recovered from getting blasted by blood, COAL CHAMBER took the stage after reforming for a second time in 2022. After their formation in 1993, they broke up once in 2003 for 7 years and then after getting back together in 2011, disbanded again in 2017. Lead singer and founder Dez Fafara said that after his struggles with Covid and getting the band back together, he realized that any problems they ever had were gone.
The nu-metal band that helped pioneer the sound in the 90s and 2000s crushed the crowd from the jump with a trifecta of their most recognizable songs in "Loco", "Fiend" and "Big Truck". The band looked and sounded like they had stayed together for the last 30 years with Dez leading the way vocally. Bassist Nadja Peulen was amazing on bass with her movie-star looks and playing as she strode across the stage. Drummer Mike Cox was crushing his colorful kit while his drum tech poured water over his head to get some relief from the heat.
COAL CHAMBER moved through their set quickly with limited stoppages to address the crowd but on the final song of their set in "Sway", a fan went down and was knocked out in the pit. Fafara stopped the song and told the crowd to help him and to take care of each other out there. They restarted "Sway" with the crowd screaming "The roof is on fire, we don't need no water let the mother fucker burn".
It was a triumphant return to the stage for COAL CHAMBER and it will be interesting to see if they put out new music after this run on The Psychotherapy Sessions Tour.
After 5 hours in the Florida "Hot Box", MUDVAYNE hit the stage at 10 pm with "Not Falling" which got the crowd primed for their 14-song set. Singer Chad Gray wore his familiar jean overalls while sporting his mohawk and clown face makeup. He gave the photographers and the people in the front pit area a close rendering of himself by performing on the equipment cases three feet from the rail.
MUDVAYNE kept the energy level up for the next two songs, "Under My Skin" and "Internal Primates Forever" then dropped it down a bit for "World So Cold". Bassist Ryan Martinie was a complete madman on stage running back and forth with his face painted red engaging with the fans and guitarist Greg Tribbett throughout their set.
The lighting was amazing and choreographed perfectly with the music. This was not only for MUDVAYNE but for all the bands. Whoever was responsible for putting this together should be accredited for their work on this tour along with the security guys who handled the moshing and crowd surfing with ease.
After "Death Blooms" which Gray wrote about his grandmother's final days, MUDVAYNE performed a classic cover of THE POLICE's "King of Pain" which got the older crowd singing the lyrics verbatim to some strange looks by the youngsters in attendance.
Later in the set, Gray thanked those in attendance for being a true metal family and coming out to support the tour in the outdoor elements and alsothanked them for continuing to support him and the band all these years.
MUDVAYNE closed out the show with two fan favorites in "Dig" and "Happy" and didn't do the usual encore bit which I appreciated. They absolutely gave the fans their money's worth and I believe The Psychotherapy Sessions Tour is the truest definition of a tour that gives the fans the most bang for their buck. If you are a fan of heavy music at all, this tour should not be missed as you will definitely leave the venue "Happy".
Check out some more photos from the show!
All Photos By Travis Failey Photography
