July 21, 2023, marked my 1st trip to the Mid Florida Credit Union Amphitheater since last year. As I pulled into the all too familiar swampy lot, I realized that the 104 degree heat index was foreshadowing how hot this show was going to be. The Psychotherapy Sessions Tour has a stacked lineup comprised of Mudvayne, Coal Chamber, GWAR, Nonpoint and the Butcher Babies and it was guaranteed to send shockwaves throughout the Tampa Bay area.
5:30pm signaled the start of the festivities and that meant an appearance from Los Angeles metalers, Butcher Babies. Spearheaded by the mesmerizing duo of Carla Harvey and Heidi Shepherd, Butcher Babies wasted no time in getting the party started with “Red Thunder” off their brand new album Til The World’s Blind which dropped earlier this month. The next 30 minutes flew by, and the stage was the scene of perpetual motion and wildly flying hair. I had covered bassist Ricky Bonazza several years ago when he was with Zero Theorem, and it was good to see him killing it with Butcher Babies. The set included “Monsters Ball,” and “Magnolia Blvd.” and really set the tempo for the rest of the evening.
Butcher Babies:
Carla Harvey – Vocals
Heidi Shepherd – Vocals
Henry Flury – Guitars
Chase Brickenden – Drums
Ricky Bonazza – Bass
Setlist:
1.Red Thunder
2.Monsters Ball
3.Bottom of a Bottle
4.It;s Killin’ Time Baby!
5.Last December
6.BEAVER CAGE
7.Magnolia Blvd.
With very little down time between sets, Florida’s own, Nonpoint, was primed and ready to go at 6:20pm. As the band stormed out with 2000’s “What A Day,” I couldn’t help but notice that the pit felt like an inferno. Led by the dread wielding Elias Soriano, the band kept their foot on the gas as they made the most of their 30-minute set. With more than 25 years under their belt, Nonpoint knows how to deliver and the fans ate it up. Drummer Robb Rivera’s side-facing kit gave the crowd a perfect view as he perfected his craft. The fans were treated to “Chaos and Earthquakes” and their new single “A Million Watts” before closing it out with the explosive hit “Bullet With a Name.” Nonpoint is a band that thrives on live performances.
Nonpoint:
Elias Soriano – Lead Vocals
Robb Rivera – Drums
Rasheed Thomas – Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals
Adam Woloszyn – Bass
Jaysin Zeilstra – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
Setlist:
1.What a Day
2.Victim
3.Dodge Your Destiny
4.A Million Watts
5.Chaos and Earthquakes
6.Ruthless
7.Bullet With A Name
As 7:10 approached, I had a decision to make. As GWAR was up next, I could either shoot from the pit or the soundboard. Although I had never seen them perform live, I was fully aware of their propensity to spew liquid and other fluids throughout the bloodthirsty crowd. Ultimately, I decided to err on the side of caution and geared up at the soundboard. If you prefer your metal with a taste of violence between outlandish creatures then GWAR is your cup of tea, or more appropriately, blood. As the band played 2010’s “Hail Genocide!” a fight broke out between 2 of the aforementioned beasts. One of the monstrosities swung a large mace while the other wielded a giant angle grinder and just like that the 1st blood was drawn. Under the direction of The Berserker Blother, GWAR pulverized those in attendance for a full 45-minutes. With songs like “Cutter,” “Completely Fucked,” and Berserker Mode,” no one was safe and that included a costumed Vladimir Putin whose hands were savagely lopped off. A cover of AC/DC‘s “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It) brought the mayhem to an end. While the fans and security staff wiped off the fake blood, the crews got to work immediately on dismantling the elaborate stage setup and cleaning up the carnage.
GWAR:
The Berserker Blothar – Vocals
Balsak the Jaws of Death – Guitar
Beefcake the Mighty – Bass
Pustulus Maximus – Guitar
Jizmak da Gusha – Drums
Bonesnapper – Body Guard
Sawborg Destructo – Nemesis
Sleazy P. Martini – Manager
Setlist:
1.Hail, Genocide!
2.The Cutter
3.Mother Fucking Liar
4.Sick of You
5.Completely Fucked
6.Let Us Slay
7.Fuck This Place
8.Berserker Mode
9.If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It) AC/DC Cover
With the sun finally creeping out of the sky one might think it would cool off. While standing in the pit at 8:25pm the “feels like temp” was still 96 degrees and Coal Chamber was preparing to make things even hotter. Hailing from Los Angeles, the last time the band toured was in 2015. A fevered pitch resonated throughout the crowd as the theme from the movie Halloween played loudly. Beat master Michael Cox sported a nefarious glare as he peered out from behind his drum kit while frontman Dez Fafara motioned for the pit to get a circle going. What better way to start things off than with the scorching “Loco.” Bassist Nadja Peulen wore an elegant, silver, sleeveless dress with long black gloves and her long red hair waved to and fro.
Fafara asked, “Who The Fuck Wants To Drive With Me?” right before launching into 1997’s “Big Truck.” Guitarist Miguel Rascón had a blazing performance as he put his Schecter guitar into overdrive. The energy the band kicked out during the 50-minute frenetic set devoured the crowd. The epic “Sway” completed the performance even though it had to be restarted due to a medical issue in the pit. I was so happy that I got to catch Coal Chamber live and if you haven’t, you are truly missing out.
Coal Chamber:
Dez Fafara: Lead Vocals
Miguel Rascón: Guitar, Keyboard, Backing Vocals
Michael Cox: Drums
Nadja Peulen: Bass
Setlist:
1.Loco
2.Fiend
3.Big Truck
4.I.O.U. Nothing
5.Rowboat (Flood Cover)
6.Drove
7.El Cu Cuy
8.Dark Days
9.Oddity
10.Another Nail in the Coffin
11.Something Told Me
12.Sway
At exactly 9:45pm, the lights dropped and a giant curtain bearing the recognizable Mudvayne logo glowed above the stage. The dropping of the curtain revealed singer Chad Gray and company going right into “Not Falling” from the 2002 movie Ghost Ship. Wearing his signature overalls, face paint and multi-colored dreads, singer Chad Gray was front and center. Bassist Ryan Martinie was never in one spot for more than a moment and his red and black face paint was a blur as he constantly stalked across the stage. The set was a robust 1:15 minutes and even included a cover of The Police‘s “King of Pain.”
Songs like “A New Game,” and “Fish Out of Water” kept the energy level at a boiling point and the fans loved it. Gray took time to address the fans about the power of heavy metal and how the world would be a better place if everyone understood what it felt like to be in a mosh pit. Guitarist Greg Tribbett threw down the torrid riffs while showing off his red and black face paint, goggles, and seriously spiked hair. Touring guitarist Marcus Rafferty didn’t venture far from the background however his ominous persona could easily be seen due to his luminous white face paint.
Matthew McDonough was a maelstrom of beats on the drums, but he was extremely difficult to see. I think I was lucky to get 1 or 2 shots of him in action. As the set neared its end, Gray beckoned the fans to “lose their shit” for these last 2 songs. After repeatedly asking them “can you dig it?” the band tore into 2000’s “Dig.” The final song of the night was “Happy?,” from their 2005 album Lost and Found. It was hard to believe that 5 1/2 hours was already in the books. The Psychotherapy Sessions Tour has an abundance of dates left and to miss it would be a grave mistake. Please take time to follow all these amazing artists online (social links at the very bottom).
Mudvayne:
Greg Tribbett – Guitars, Backing Vocals
Matthew McDonough – Drums, Synthesizer
Chad Gray – Lead Vocals
Ryan Martinie – Bass
Touring members:
Marcus Rafferty – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Setlist:
1.Not Falling
2.Under My Skin
3.Internal Primates Forever
4.World So Cold
5.A New Game
6.Severed
7.Death Blooms
8.King of Pain (Police Cover)
9.Dull Boy
10.Fish Out of Water
11.Prod
12.Nothing to Gein
13.Dig
14.Happy?
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I’ve had a love for photography since I was young. Whether it was a Polaroid or a Kodak 110, I was always the kid with the camera. My love of music goes back even further. Nothing beats being at a show when those lights go down and the crowd goes nuts.
