Glenn Danzig is far from a household name, but in the hardcore/metal world, few figures are more influential. From his work in the Misfits to his eponymous solo albums, Danzig’s voice and songwriting have influenced countless hardcore and metal bands, and at 55, he is one of the genre’s elder statesmen.
Don’t let that fool you into thinking he’s become complacent, or that he has somehow lost his edge. Danzig has always been a ferocious performer, and you don’t have to look too hard on the Internet to find tales of his over-sized ego. At the Boulder Theater, as his band played on, he stopped singing during the first two songs and kicked not one but two photographers out of the photo pit — even taking one of their cameras — for no discernible reason. He was also slapping cell phones and cameras out of the hands of audience members throughout the show. This understandably rubbed some audience members the wrong way, and while there were a few grumbles (a guy told me he threw his ticket stub and a dollar at the stage in disgust), the crowd seemed pretty thrilled throughout the whole concert.
Danzig’s first three or four solo albums are pretty damn great, arguably classics. Which is why hearing Danzig kick off the concert with some nu-metal-ish tracks from his later albums was kind of disappointing. But he shined when he turned back the clock to his older songs. His throaty, captivating voice sounded great on “How the Gods Kill,” “Twist of Cain” and set-ender “Mother,” the singer’s 1988 song that became a hit on MTV in 1993.
Danzig famously blew up his band in the mid-’90s, ditching the lineup that backed his most impressive music. The band behind him at the Boulder Theater was serviceable but by no means impressive. The guitarist, no John Christ, played like a teenager who had just discovered pinch harmonics and couldn’t help but use them every five or so notes. The drumming was fairly conservative and the bassist unremarkable. Danzig’s ego and posturing could have been easier to stomach had the concert been mind-blowing, but it was merely good, instead.
Still, Danzig himself put on a hell of a performance. He’s the prototypical hardcore frontman: brash, egotistical, commanding, with the musical chops to back it up. During the hits, he constantly let audience audience members sing into the mic, and the crowd loved it. Danzig’s performance proved that though his prime might be well behind him, he remains a musical force worth seeing live — though perhaps not worth the $32 the promoters charged to see him.
