Mushroomhead

House of Blues, Anaheim

Well, let's just say that I was curious about what kind of a show these freaks would put on and that's why I went. I got a couple of their CD's and checked them out for a week or two prior to the show so I was at least familiar with some of their tunes. So I show up, in a totally casual mode and realize I should have done myself up a little, since it's been a while for that kind of action. Hell, everyone else in the line )almost anyway) had the whole goth, punk, black thing going on. I usually do, but not that night. Heh. Anyway, so they come on stage after three opening acts, all of them in their masks, or at least all but the dog eye singer and the other singer. I'll admit they were quite a visual presence. The most interesting was the second singer, who instead of his mask had painted his face and head white and then added red streaks wherever the mask designs would be. That definitely made him the freak of the bunch and by far the most interesting. Musically, they were ok. I find that the whole rap/metal thing isn't my total favorite, but it was loud, metal and had a beat, so it passed muster. The one disappointment was the short 70 some odd minute set they played. To their credit though, they did come up to the front of the stage and shake some hands, etc., before leaving. Oddly, the show was only about half sold, which was all the more weird, since I met up with a couple of the other idiot metalheads I see at all of these shows, which are usually packed. There wasn't mush moshing, and no real displays of anger or excitement. An oddly passive night, I'm not sure if it was due to the fact the show was held on a Sunday, or that there were an ample number of girls there. Speaking of which ... my god, where did all these low-cut jeans and g-strings come from? Geez. In any event, I had a good, hard, rockin time, and while I wasn't in the mood to mix it up (and never really had the opportunity anyway), I don't have any regrets for driving to the HOB on a Sunday night to play around until midnight. I don't know if I'd see them again, but given the right timing and the opportunity I wouldn't consider it a night poorly spent. If you like their music, I'd say they're a must see. All others, go at your own discretion.

You can find Mushroomhead's homepage here.