11/30/2019
Static-X @ The Rave 
Milwaukee, WI

I have had the pleasure of photographing this tour twice in one year. After having do so I can say this wasn’t just a celebration of Wayne Static’s life, but the bands revival. It was a timely coincidence that it was also the anniversary of their “Wisconsin Death Trip” album. To celebrate both things with 2 North American legs and a European dash in the middle was the best way to reignite the fires of their self proclaimed evil disco. Static-X brought this fire to The Rave. Originally, set to take place in the smaller basement room or Rave 1, they nearly sold out the larger Rave 2 room. Walking through the main foyer, a larger Static-X Wisconsin Death Trip skrim was set up. It was a great place for photos with friends and to remember the epic evening.

The show itself was amazing. The set list was the same as when I previously saw them. It didn’t matter though they blew that show out of the water. It was obvious they were more comfortable and enjoyed the experience more. It was infectious. Hard to not enjoy what was being thrown at you. The lighting set up was designed to perfection. It looked even larger and brighter on the larger stage than before. Random images of Wayne Static flickered during each song. Each time the crowd erupted. It was a much different feeling than other homage shows I have attended. This time they genuinely promoted the life and contributions to the history of metal. Xero, the new mysterious front man, often mentioned the love and accomplishments of the man. Xero, not only wearing a mask in the likeness of a zombie Wayne Static has the voice that is almost dead on. Back in their heyday, I had seen Static-X about a dozen times (I had to dig up old ticket stubs to confirm). Everything that occurred through the evening had my in goose bumps. It felt like those good old days again. 

From the beginning of the night, stage right of the room about 3 people deep from the front, a child about the age of 7 or 8 was up on his dads shoulders jamming away. The members of Static-X pointed him out a few times early. Eventually, they just brought him and his dad up to stand on stage to watch. This kid was loosing it on stage. The guitar tech handed him a set of drum sticks and he was air drumming in synch with drummer, Ken Jay. Dare I say, it was adorable?

In the end, It was a killer show with several memorable moments. For how long this complete tour was I became pretty sad at the end that it wasn’t going back out again. I truly hope that if you are reading this you didn’t miss it.

Set List:
December (intro)
Bled
Wisconsin Death Trip
Fix
Sweat of The Bud
Love Dump
I AM
Ostegolation
Trance
Get to The Gone
Black & White
This Is Not
Destroy All
Start A War
Behemoth
Cold
I’m With Stupid
Push It