Live Review: Danzig with Doyle, Sands Casino (8/13/13)

"Danzig is coming!" These are the words that I literally screamed as I saw the show announcement for Danzig's Legacy Tour featuring Misfit's guitarist Doyle. Being the first date of the U.S. portion of the tour, I had to go. I admit, I have never seen Danzig live before and honestly I did not have the highest of hopes. Many reviews and articles I read have had mixed opinions about his live shows. Some say he's incredible, others say that he is too old to still be doing what he does. Regardless of what I read, I just had to see it for myself. While waiting for Glenn to take the stage, the anticipation in the air was palpable. The massive crowd was adorned with Danzig/Misfits merch, and minutes after the openers ended, they began to chant for Danzig to come onstage. Although the set up time was longer than expected, not one person cared, as the Prince of Evil strutted up to the mic. Clad in all black, with his signature demon belt buckle, Danzig looked like he hadn't aged a day since he began performing.
Danzig and his band opened the set with two newer songs, "SkinCarver" and "Hammer of the Gods," which served as warm-ups before he stated into the mic in a booming voice, "from now on we're only going to play the old ones." The crowd went wild, as he owned the stage, leading sing-a-longs through many fan-favorite songs. One of the most memorable moments was during "How the Gods Kill," a ballad-esque song which unleashes itself with one of the greatest head-banging breakdowns of all-time, where Danzig showed he still can hit all the notes like he used to.

At this point in the set, Danzig smiles coyly at the crowd and says "I'd like to introduce you to a good friend of mine named Doyle." If the crowd was already energetic, they now became electric, as the band played a stomping intro for the Misfit's guitarist. Doyle then came striding onto the stage, not unlike a T. Rex prowling for its prey. Shirtless with white make-up and Devilocked hair, Doyle towered on every member of the band. His guitar looked minuscule on him, almost like it was a toy as he started pounding on it to begin "Death Comes Ripping." Being as close to the original Misfits as you can get nowadays, their mini set was astonishing. It felt like they were transported back to their prime years. They barreled through classic Misfits' songs, with Danzig crooning over them better than ever. The six song set concluded with "Last Caress," where Danzig built the crowd up for a group vocalization for its final chorus.

After exiting the stage for a few minutes, Danzig returned without Doyle to play two more songs, one being his biggest and best. "Mother," was the highlight of the night, and was as sharp and powerful as ever. A second encore followed, and even featured Doyle one last time for "Die, Die My Darling." Danzig never lost his breath or became winded. For a man going on 60, he has the energy of a youth, and can still put on an incredible show.

This is a "do not miss" tour if you've ever liked Danzig or The Misfits. It's as close as you can get to the original band, and it was truly worth every penny of the entry price.