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NEW ORLEANS | Friday night felt like Halloween again at Howlin' Wolf when horror punk icons The Misfits brought their B-movie inspired sounds to a diverse and dedicated crowd.
One of the most recognizable and influential bands in the early hardcore punk scene, The Misfits have survived in one form or another for more than 30 years, continuing to crawl out of their collective crypts from time to time to terrorize the unsuspecting punk populace. The crowd, while as varied as anyone could expect a crowd at a punk rock show to be, was tied together by the commmon theme of "The Crimson Ghost," The Misfits' iconic logo character, whose skeletal face was spotted on everything from t-shirts to purses, and in one rather puzzling case, the back of a young lady's short shorts.
One couldn't help but feel a little bit of sympathy for opening acts Graveyard City Hooligans and Sci-Fi Zeros, as the crowd milled around and stared blankly, waiting for perhaps a more legendary band to take the stage.
Easily the most entertaining opening act of the night came from local ne'er-do-wells The Pallbearers, whose foulmouthed antics and continuing insistence on playing "one more song" struck a sour note with the crowd. The band were essentially forced off stage by a sound technician who cut them off, and knowing the image The Pallbearers have created for themselves, it's a safe bet they were more than happy to have ruffled some feathers.
Finally, as midnight approached, the witching hour arrived. To the strains of John Carpenter's "Halloween" theme, The Misfits, surrounded by huge Crimson Ghost skulls, screaming jack-o-lanterns and gargoyle fog machines, took the stage. After only a moment's introduction, original bassist and current frontman Jerry Only launched immediately into the band's own song "Halloween" before continuing into a rapid-fire set of innumerable Misfits classics.
With Black Flag alumni Dez Cadena and Robo backing him on guitar and drums respectively, Only stole the show with his massive spiked jacket and signature "Devilock" hairstyle. Blasting through songs like "Psycho 78," "Teenagers from Mars," and the anthemic "Where Eagles Dare," the band thrashed away in classic punk fashion, barely pausing long enough for Only's 4-count between tracks.
The show ended with a sweaty group of bruised hooligans making their way out of the mosh pit, smiling the type of grin that only a good visceral concert ever seems to provide.
All these years, and those old bone-bags have still got it.
