The Misfits – Madison Square Garden Concert Review (New York City 10-19-19)
The Misfits are a band that no one expected to reunite. Oddly enough, it was litigation that brought reconciliation. A legal battle over the lucrative Misfits trademark was settled with an agreement to play several shows as “The Original Misfits.” Sporadic concerts followed, culminating with a sold out “hometown Halloween show” at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden.
Demand for what would become the “final” Misfits concert was intense. Despite logging in to Ticketmaster during the presale, only 200 level seats remained. After securing seats it was official. I would be seeing The Original Misfits in New York City!
The Damned and Rancid rounded out the historic bill. Both bands were impressive. This was my first Damned show and they earned a life-long fan. Attending a headlining set from The Damned is now on my bucket-list.
It’s been several years since my last Rancid show but time hasn’t diluted their intensity. The crowd sang along to a set that leaned heavily on …And Out Come the Wolves. Those of us trapped in seats looked down with envy as enthusiastic concert-goers slam-danced to classic Rancid songs. The audience was amped up and ready for the main event.
Reservations about The Misfits performing in an arena vanished during the first song. The amount of energy was palpable as they opened with “Death Comes Ripping.” Sound was clear and even from the 200 level, the view was unobstructed.
Behind the stage, an oversized monitor presented a multi-media display. Vintage footage of Marilyn Monroe and JFK helped underscore the macabre lyrics of “Who Killed Marilyn” and “Bullet.” Naturally we were also treated to iconic images of the Crimson Ghost.
Projected images enhanced the experience but the real show was on stage. The band reveled in their moment of glory. Glenn Danzig even softened his notorious anti-camera stance. Danzig climbed on the barrier to sing as over-zealous fans waved phones in his face. This sold-out punk show at Madison Square Garden was historic and documentation was encouraged.
Jerry Only may have had the most fun. Throughout the night, he smashed a seemingly endless collection of bass guitars on stage. Each act of destruction brought a joke from Glenn. It felt good to see the two rivals getting along after so many years of acrimony. The positive energy was best expressed through Jerry’s multiple power slides across the stage.
Doyle brought his incomparable stage presence and Acey Slade filled out the sound on second guitar. Dave Lombardo was the secret weapon. Recruiting the legendary drummer ensured that the reunited Misfits performed with the aggressive energy expected by fans.
Over the course of a 90-minute set the Misfits ripped through 27 songs. Invariably, there were key omissions. As someone that grew up loving Legacy of Brutality, it was disheartening that “Static Age” and “TV Casualty” were not played. The absence of “Hatebreeders” was also perplexing. Still, at no point was I disappointed. The set was an onslaught of classic punk songs that had a sold out arena on their feet and singing every word.
Glenn Danzig had claimed that Madison Square Garden would be the final Misfits concert. A Philadelphia show is now slated for December. The legal settlement only called for 10 concerts. New York was show number 12. If the band doesn’t stop at a sold out Madison Square Garden, when do they stop? Have the Misfits become a permanent band instead of a temporary touring entity? A fiend can only hope!
The Misfits for me was a fairly recent phenomena. I have been into Punk pretty much since the onset in 1978. Having come from what I would call obscure, avant-garde and pop music, I launched into punk rock in late 1978 when I heard Sheena Is a Punk Rocker on Armed Forces Radio while stationed in Frankfurt Germany in the army. And I never went back. I quickly became a fan of the Ramones, Iggy Pop, the Stranglers, Black Flag, dead Kennedys, new wave, alternative, grunge, Indie and anything that was basically not played on radio. I probably attended over 30 Ramones concerts along with many Cramps, Stranglers, Iggy Pop and hundreds of other concerts and always would see the occasional Misfits leather jacket at a show but never really took the time to play their music. Living in South Jersey in the early 80s and having a place called Emerald City within 10 miles of me we had at least three concerts a week of every Great British punk band and American punk band who played that amazing venue. Not to mention Philadelphia just a few miles away and New York City just 90 miles to the North. And then there was always Washington DC with all of that great scene. When I think of it now, the only bands I didn’t see was The Misfits and the Damned. Finally in the mid-to-late 90s on YouTube I decided to look into this band and I was immediately captivated. I put together some Misfits compilations but I never bothered to look into the history of the band much. That was until recent years. By now I’m hitting 61 years of age and suffering from all kinds of physical issues and getting out to concerts is a rare treat these days. When the Misfits tickets went on sale for Madison Square Garden I quickly scooped up a couple for the floor. Being that the Damned were opening the show made it a really special night. I had followed the Damned pretty much since the beginning, maybe getting a late start sometime in 1980 but for some reason never went to see them live. I liked them a lot but just not enough to want to see them live until recently but all of my curiosity was satisfied seeing them at Madison Square Garden where they performed wonderfully. Their sound was tremendous. Their energy was amazing for guys who were also my age or older. Now I was thoroughly stoked and couldn’t wait to see The Misfits. The one thing that really got me going was I knew the Misfits recordings were muddy to say the least. They probably didn’t have much money to record albums back in the day. But that became the sound they were known for. But this show would bring the Misfits into a new dawn. The sound would be powerful. I thought a concert at Madison Square Garden with all of the modern technology would clean this up and the guitars would be overwhelming. During the next set by Rancid, a band I really know nothing much about except for their hits, I made friends with a couple who came all the way from Scotland to bring their son who was celebrating his 24th birthday a night he would never forget. He was a huge Misfits fan they thought he’d never have another chance to see them so this couple, the husband clad in a Stiff little fingers shirt, put out 2500 bucks to make the trip for their son. They were great people…we hit it off really nicely. When the Misfits hit the stage the sound effects of the narration in the beginning was incredible. It ripped right through you. The excitement was overwhelming and I knew that all of this waiting would be well worth it. Then something happened which completely threw me off. I heard amazing and overpowering drums and after some initial microphone problems Danzig’s voice finally came through but it could have been a little bit more audible to say the least. Perhaps the crowd chanting was drowning him out. The big problem here was the lack of guitar sound which I thought for a second was probably being done on purpose to replicate the sound of the original three albums? But then it kept happening song after song where we just heard the powerful drums and Danzig’s voice. To the point where it was getting annoying and where I couldn’t recognize the songs except for the audience’s singing the backing vocals and the well known chants, I would not have known what songs were being played at what time. The entire show was void of any guitars except for an occasional noodling by Doyle before and after every song. I asked hundreds of people on YouTube and maybe one out of every ten said they experienced the same thing and perhaps I was in a bad part of the stadium which is the only thing I can think of…somehow their gear versus the stadiums PA system canceled each other out.? I want to go to the Philly show but I don’t know if it’s going to be the same problem. If you watch the videos from the past five or six concerts you can clearly hear that the sound of guitars is mostly absent. Everybody told me get my ears checked. I have my own recording studio in my attic which I take a lot of pride in and I believe my hearing is pretty 2020. It may be a little damaged from perhaps too many Ramones concerts with my head right next to the PA system. I trust my ears however. Whatever happened it was still was a great night . The Misfits played every song I love except hatebreeders. Where was hatebreeders? . Did they forget about it? I just hope if I do go again those guitars come through and they’re loud and clear next time.