Fozzy Fun Day came to Colorado Springs at Sunshine Studios Live. They brought 2022 Save the World Tour with guest GFM (Gold Frankincense & Myrrh), KRASHKARMA, and The Nocturnal Affair to Colorado Springs at the Sunshine Studios Live venue. The heat and excitement were both inside the Sunshine Studios Live and outside. There was a 100 acres grass fire near the Colorado Springs Airport, about 4 miles from the Sunshine Studios Live. When I arrived at Sunshine Studios Live, you could see the massive plume of smoke east of the venue. There was also a campfire smell in the air because of the fire. Luckily the smoke was blowing away from the venue. This grassfire didn’t deter the fans from lining up around the building, waiting for the doors to open.
The night opened with the Las Vegas-based Dark Rock group, The Nocturnal Affair. Lead singer Brendan Shane reminds me of the late Peter Steele with his baritone vocals. The music is a mix of Korn with Type O Negative. The majority of the songs came from their recently released debut album, (META)MORPHOSIS. Album. The highlight of the performance was their popular Spotify single, “Down.” Their shot 7-song setlist set the heavy metal mood for the rest of the evening. , The Nocturnal Affair is a band to keep an eye on as they deliver a powerful performance.
Band:
Brendan Shane – vocals, keyboard
Andy Ingraham – Guitar
Dru Lappin– Guitar
RJ Moon – Drums
Michael James – Bass
Setlist:
1.) Exoskeletal
2.) Thousand Ways to Die
3.) Into the Darkness
4.) Ghosts on the Horizon
5.) Unwound
6.) Down
7.) Just Run
KRASHKARMA followed The Nocturnal Affair. The L.A.-based metal duo was the most entertaining and memorable performance of the evening. Drummer Niki Skistamis and guitarist Ralf Dietel started the show with a megaphone, and the drumline marched through the audience to their first song, “Wake Them Up.”
The White Stripe style (band without a bassist) duo tore into the rest of the set with the same fun and aggressiveness. It was amazing to see how powerful and intense their music is to any full-blown quartet or quintet group. Guitarist Ralf Dietel with prototype “Mr. Frankenstein” guitar/ bass creation, brings both bass and rhythm guitar to every track. Dietel’s riffs and aggressive vocals combine with drummer Niki Skistamis’s melodic voice and heavy industrial beats to create their own sound. They cannot be pigeon-holed into any contemporary genres.
Their short set got the Sunshine Studios Live audience headbanging and cheering after each song. The best part of the show was when Niki Skistamis got out her gigantic sledgehammer drumstick to the song. “Girl with a Hammer.” She went slamming onto the stage and had the audience cheering for more. Dietel wasn’t just standing still but jumping up and down and off Skistamis’s drum riser stand throughout the show. KRASHKARMA is a mix of industrial metal and dark eroticism with a lot of fun in their performance.
Band:
Niki Skistimas – drums, vocals
Ralf Dietel– guitar/bass hybrid, vocals
Setlist:
1.) Wake Them Up (Intro played through the crowd)
2.) Footsteps of a Lemming
3.) Killing Time
4.) 9 Lives (1, 2, Die)
5.) Girl with a Hammer
6.) Tears of Gasoline
After a quick set change, GFM was next. GFM (Gold Frankincense & Myrrh) is a teenage all-girl band dressed in cheerleading uniforms. The three sisters played what they dubbed Christian “beautycore.” It’s a mix of metalcore with power-pop-punk fun. CJ, Maggie, and Lulu are a glowing ball of positive energy that shines from the dark stage and into the audience.
The night started with their hit “Bones” from their 2020 album Operation Taking Over. Lead singer and guitarist CJ English show her diverse vocals with a mix of guttural growls and clean vocals. The night’s highlight was when bassist and signer Maggie told the crowd, “If you sing this part, we’ll give you cupcakes.” The band delivered with crew members tossing Hostess cupcakes into the screaming crowd. The audience loved it.
Their energy throughout the show is infectious. CJ and Maggie ran back and forth all over the stage to keep the performance fun and exciting. They had the Sunshine Studios Live crowd headbanged and jumping up and down to every song. The positivity of their lyrics and the energy of the music gave the Sunshine Studios Live audience a great live show.
Band:
CJ English – guitar, vocals
LuLu English – drums
Maggie English – bass, vocals
Setlist:
1.) Bones
2.) Never Again
3.) Graveyard of Identities
4.) I Don’t Need Your Fantasy
5.) S M I L E
6.) R I P
7.) Taking Over
8.) Give Me a Sign
9.) The Other Side
Next up was Fozzy. Fozzy is not the Muppet character but professional wrestler Chris Jericho’s heavy metal band with Rich Ward from Stuck Mojo as the lead guitarist. They are a crossover band drawing fans from Chris Jericho’s wrestler fans to the metal community who enjoy upbeat, loud heavy metal party music. Fozzy took to the stage to the euphoric applause as they played their hit single, “Sane,” from their just-released new album Boombox. “Sane” was released last year with the crazy music video they filmed on a wooden rollercoaster. Many fans in the audience sang along to the heavy, hooky, catchy, and RIFF-TASTIC rocker.
Chris Jericho’s experience as a pro wrestler showed with just a grin and hand wave to whip the crowd into a frenzy. He announced to the screaming fans that today was “Fozzy Fun Day!” Fozzy performed both new materials from the week-old release of Boombox to classic Fozzy hits, including “Sandpaper” and “Enemy.” The highlight of the first part of the set was the hard-rocking cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Relax. It might have raised a few eyebrows or two in the audience, but Fozzy did an excellent job covering the 80s hit after the initial surprise. Plus, a great marketing gimmick for all the ‘Fozzy Says Relax’ t-shirts on sale in the venue’s rear.
Throughout the night, guitarist Rich Ward was bouncing all over the stage. He was jamming with his bassist, PJ Farley, and rhythm guitarist Billy Grey. The set continued with fun songs like “Drinkin With Jesus” and “Sin and Bones.” Plus a few more from their latest release, Boombox, including “Nowhere to Run and the popular video hit, “I Still Burn.”
Fozzy ended the night with their signature hit song, “Judas.” Not only a popular song on the radio, but many of the Jericholics in the audience know it as the entrance theme song for Chris Jericho on All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Everyone in the audience knew the word by heart and was singing along. “Fozzy Fun Day!” ended with another cover song. This was unexpected and a happy surprise with AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.” This one also had the entire Sunshine Studios Live building singing along. It doesn’t matter if Chris Jericho is in the square circle or on a stage singing Fozzy songs; he is the ultimate entertainer. Fozzy brought the heavy metal party to Colorado Springs tonight.
Band:
Chris Jericho – lead vocals
Rich Ward – lead guitar
Billy Grey – rhythm guitar
P. J. Farley – bass
Grant Brooks – drums
Setlist:
1.) Sane
2.) Drinkin With Jesus
3.) Painless
4.) Nowhere to Run
5.) Do You Wanna Start a War
6.) Lights Go Out
7.) Relax (Frankie Goes to Hollywood cover)
8.) Sin and Bones
9.) I Still Burn
10.) Burn Me Out
11.) Purifier
12.) Enemy
13.) Sandpaper
14.) Judas
15.) Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (AC/DC cover)
Hi, I’m a professional photographer based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I started to take photos at concerts because I get bored very easy and need something to do while watching a musicians or bands perform. So I started taking my point and shoot camera with me and recording what I saw and to show my friends. At first, the camera was just a photographic diary of my concert experience. But after a while I started liking the quality of my shots and concert photography became my hobby. I decided to post my pictures on instagram and facebook. I think fans liked what they saw and started to follow me. Concert photography became my passion and finally I asked All Music Magazine if I could take photos for them. They like my concert photography Instagram page and that opened the door to a whole new area – the photo pit. Now I am happy to say I’m chasing my photography dream – as a professional concert photographer.
