03/21/2022
Zero936
High Noon Saloon
Madison, WI

The Monster Outbreak tour came into Madison, WI and offered up quite a few goodies. Zero936 has been to town a multitude of times. He returns on his own headlining tour in support of a stand alone single “I Am Not” and a 2020 EP release “…If You Don’t Save Yourself.” On this stop though, the local radio station WJJO had offered up a soundcheck preshow and I happened to be one of the people to win a pair tickets. Having been through many sound checks in a previous life, I always find them a unique experience to really hear the artist without interference. This experience was no different. 

As for the show itself, it was fire. The High Noon Saloon feels like the perfect venue for this event. The room is long and the stage is about 2 feet off of the ground. Sound is always solid and the lighting is dark, but it doesn’t interfere with the performance. On the stage they had 2 Monster Energy drink signs in front of the two string players mic stands. On each side of the drummer were 2 separate digital boards that repeatedly flashed each letter of the word “Zero” and “9:36” across all 4 boards. Other than that, the set up was simple and concise. These small additions though made the performance a bit more dramatic, not that Zero really needed the help. Zero9:36 or Matthew Cullen, came out of the gate firing. Having lived through and still loving Nu-Metal I always compare the music to those stylings. He is definitely not that at all, so I initially mis judged the live show and I am okay admitting I was wrong. Vocally, he was commanding. Physically, he was on the edge of the stage and up on small boxes. Between high fives and fist bumps, Zero936 rocked the room. The crowd were totally engaged and singing back to him during chorus’. At one point a small mosh pit opened up for a few song and bodies were jumping. Through it all they were musically precise. So much fun.

In the end, it was hard to argue with how good the setlist was. It encompassed most of his current release and a few older songs. They even played “The End” twice. That really had the room moving around. I am kind of kicking myself for not checking his show out earlier. If you dig rap rock you have to check this show out.

Setlist:
1. I Am Not
2. Leave The Light On
3. One By One
4. WWYDF
5. Take Me Instead
6. Fade Out
7. In My Hands
8. Left Alone
9. Reset
10. Come Thru
11. II X Two
12. The End
13. Adrenaline
14. The End