Many things come with the joys of being a teenager: The feeling of knowing you are a couple of years away from being an adult, the impulsive acts of immaturity, and most importantly, the one thing every young adult loves - concerts. Those big, loud conventions where a teen can see their favorite bands perform their musical masterpieces on stage in front of a crowd of potentially thousands.
Here in Indiana, a concert is starting with a band that may have come straight from a science fiction book. That band is GWAR, an American heavy metal band with a sci-fi narrative. The narrative states that each and every member of the band is a barbaric intergalactic warrior, sent down to Earth to play proposed songs they played during the war.
GWAR first started in 1984, originally being a joke from a band named “Death Piggy.” The first known lineup for GWAR was Ben Eubanks with the vocals, Dave Brokie and Steve Douglas on the guitar, Chris Bosept playing the bass guitar, Jim Thomson on the drums, and Hunter Jackson making the props the band used for their performances. Over time, members of the band had left or died, leaving them to be replaced by new members of the heavy metal band warriors. The current lineup for the band now is Mike Derks on the rhythm guitar, Brad Roberts on the drums, Matt Maguire as the co-lead singer, Brent Puragason as the lead guitarist and one of the many backing vocals with Bob Gorman, Casey Orr, and Don Drakulich, with Micheal Bishop rounding the crew out as the lead vocals.
Even though the songs are riddled with matters not suited for a younger audience, it is expected with a heavy metal band like GWAR. Some of the songs the band may perform are: “Sick of You,” “Immortal Corruptor,” “Gor-Gor,” “Let Us Slay,” and “Bring Back the Bomb” to name a few. Of course, this is just a small list of what the band might play.
The band will make their grand appearance here in Indianapolis, in “The Vogue Theater” on Sept. 14th. Tickets for a regular seat costs $59, while a premium seat costs up to $100.