Around the Western World, Halloween is a night of costumed mischief, candy, and partying. With Jesus playing drums for Mötley Brüe and Conniption in succession, and defeating a guitar wielding Satan for best costume, Halloween 2014 at the Whammy Bar in West Allis was easily the best party of the weekend.
From the outside, Whammy Bar looks like another West Allis dive. Upon entering and ascending a short flight of stairs to pay an $8 dollar cover to a zombie, the bar proved to be a step above the common dive with an updated appearance and cheap drinks, though it seemed terribly cramped. Despite being so small and narrow that the stage was cramped to the point that the bands could barely fit their equipment, let alone perform, the Whammy Bar proved to be a great venue for the night’s festivities. Cheap beer and rock music is always a winning combination. Throw in spooky and hilarious costumes, and a horde of rockers and metal heads, and you’ve got one fantastic Halloween party on your hands.
Opening the night of hard rock and heavy metal was the Mötley Brüe, a tribute to the legendary Motley Crüe featuring Andy Martin, drummer of local thrash metal favorites, Conniption, in the guise of Jesus Christ. Even if one doesn’t particularly care for the Crüe, the Brüe wowed the audiences with a shockingly awesome rendition of ‘Kickstart My Heart’ as their opening tune. But who could question a band with the lord and savior behind the drum kit?
Puns aside, Mötley Brüe was a hard rocking act that not only played their favorite Crüe tunes, they played them hard and they played them well. From the hard hitting tunes like ‘Kickstart My Heart,’ “Knock em’ Dead Kid,” and “Red Hot” to the power ballad ‘Home Sweet Home,” the Brüe kept the crowd grooving and involved. Singer Eddie Martinez, tested the crowd’s Crüe knowledge on several occasions passing the microphone to crowd members standing in close proximity to provide guest vocals. The end product was an amusing exercise in Mötley Crüe’s continued influence on the Milwaukee rock and heavy metal scene. Most impressive was the speed and technicality in which bassist Mathew Danbeck, and guitarist Peter Braun, were able to play. Many see Mötley Crüe as a simplistic heavy metal band from a bygone era but after watching a foursome of Mötley Crüe diehards rock the stage, all of those in attendance would beg to differ.
Due to unfortunate circumstances another of Milwaukee’s hard hitting cover bands, Thrasher, featuring Conniption’s demonic guitarist, Bill House, who ironically came dressed as Satan in a zoot suit, could not play that night ending hopes that Thrasher, Conniption, and Mötley Brüe would share the stage together for the first time. To fill the gap, Mötley Brüe and Conniption each played an extended set, which more than made up for the absence of Thrasher. However, the night wasn’t the same without hearing Anthrax’s ‘I am the Law’ played live by some fellow Milwaukeeans.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Halloween without a costume contest. Though not everyone in attendance participated, those who did made for an interesting time, for among their ranks was a crowned knight of the Templar, Neo from the Matrix, Satan, Jesus Christ, Blackie Lawless of W.A.S.P, Betty Boop, the Mad hatter, an unintentional Tom Petty look-alike, a cat-lady, and a French maid. With humorous anecdotes, the evening’s bartender eliminated contestants one by one based on crowd reaction until all that remained was Jesus and Satan. Spurting out humorous lines of their own to win the crowd’s approval, Jesus ultimately came out victorious prompting the Prince of Darkness to proclaim angrily, “Damn it! He always wins!”
Following the hilarious costume contest, which netted the winner a $100 dollar bar tab, and the ultimate loser a bag of pork rinds and a 40oz bottle of malt liquor, Milwaukee’s premier thrash metal act, Conniption, took the stage. For those new to Conniption, the band’s appearance was more than enough to draw one in, for leading the band was a knight of the Templar portrayed by lead vocalist/guitarist Michael Brigham, supported by lead guitarist Bill House as a suavely dressed Satan, bassist Cody Dziuk as Neo of the Matrix, and drummer Andy Martin as Jesus Christ. Together the outrageously dressed thrashers finished off the night with a slew of hard hitting tunes from their two albums ‘Kamikaze’ and ‘Time Has Come’ as well as a few fan favorites including Megadeth’s ‘Hanger 18’ and Rage Against the Machine’s ‘Killing in the Name of.’
In the end, Halloween was well spent at the Whammy Bar. It may not be as spacious as The Rave or the Metal Grill but it threw one hell of a Halloween party. Here’s to hoping for more great rock and metal shows in the near future.