Type O Negative / Coal Chamber / Full Devil Jacket / Deadlights

April 16, 2000 - Warfield Theater - San Francisco, CA

Peter Steele, the stalwart perpetuator of sullen depression, and the gang were in San Francisco on Sunday, April 16. With them came the rain. Lots of it. How appropo that Type O Negative would play (I still say brought) on practically the only rainy day during the week.

 

The Road Rage Tour, as it was called, was a powerhouse of four bands, each with their own individual audience, that should have brought more people out from the gutters, but instead ended up performing for just over a half full house. Again, how depressing and yet, ironically fitting. Of course, there were only three days left to go so it didn't really matter to anyone. Get it over with and get on home, they thought.

The opening band was California's Deadlights - not to be confused with Portland, Oregon's Deadlines. This was a band of high energy who somehow could not decide on what look they wanted to present. The singer wore something in a goth/glam vein with half arm dressings and black shorts. Not to get into a fashion show display here, but his hair even fit with that of say, a Bang Tango image. The rest of the band were a mish-mosh image of "pull your damn pants up" rap/metal, death metal and punk. Interesting. Musically, the drummer appeared to have the best hand in musicality as he forayed into some catchy and unusual beats. Vocally, this is the band that should be sponsored by throat lozenges. 'Nuff said. In the songwriting, this band is - good... as good as any other band that they sound like. Again, 'nuff said

Next up was Full Devil Jacket. Hot damn, Uncle Sam. This band is a nice mix of some of the strongest and longest lasting music around - straight ahead rock, metal, punk and even a touch of southern rock. Their blend, albeit heavy all the way around, is professional and they certainly churn out the tunes. The music is catchy and something that you can hum too after hearing it once. Vocalist Josh Brown has a bit of the Axl Rose meets Skynyrd appeal, not attitude, about him. Towards the end of their set, a very big man (emphasis on VERY) came out with an unplugged bass and no shirt to "jam" with the band. That certainly brought the crowd closer.

Cult favorites Coal Chamber was on after that. To start with, the bassist looks very nice for just having recently had a baby. The interaction between bass and guitar was interesting to watch with puppet/robot and choregraphed movements. Could the singer be a bit more in love with Glen Danzig? Probably not. For about the whole first song, I could have been convinced that Glen had joined the band. For the overall show, with their stringed lights, choreographs and stage presence, Coal Chamber is almost the (non-insultingly) Poison of their genre of music. Lights, camera, action - Go!

Last up, to fully bring down the night, was Type O Negative. For all that I had heard about their live show, and having never seen them, they proved to be quite impressive. I still feel that most of their fans just don't get them. Perhaps I share the same sardonic humor that they do, not always the most popular at parties and during relationships, but I seem to find that a lot of people really take this band all too seriously. Not to be misunderstood, Type O's stage set up including thick steel railings fronting the mic stands of Pete and guitarist Kenny, a large backdrop holder rife with chains and crane hooks, and a backdrop of a gloomy, downtrodded New York.

Type O opened the set with a churning intro of Pink Floyd's "In The Flesh", the same as The Wall opens with which then launched into a fiesty "Kill All The White People." This happy number was then followed with the love song known as "Everyone I Know Is Dead" and "My Girlfriend's Girlfriend." Pete's vocals were low as ever and loud. Thank God for earplugs. The set was comprised with both old and newer numbers, off of the cheery "World Coming Down" CD. Along the way, the band scoffed at copyright laws by starting off other off-the-wall song bits such as "My Sharona" by the Knack and something really obscure by Black Sabbath. Some of the choice songs during the set were "Black No. 1", "Christian Girl", "Loving You Is Like Loving The Dead" and "October Rust," which was dedicated as a love song to "that fat bitch" Rikki Lake. There was a cool effect during one song that wasn't discernable as to whether it was snow or ashes during "World Coming Down."

The beauty of Type O Negative really lies in the fact that this is a very underrated band who know how to mix humor with very dark ideas and produce it all in grand scale, while throwing in some very creative experimentation. They are almost best described as the Pink Floyd of the heavy rock set. The show closed with Peter reminding the audience, "If you are drinking and driving, make sure that you hit someone you hate." Kinder words have never been spoken. And with that, we dragged our carcasses outside to chat with the band as we waited in the chilly San Francisco rain. What a beautiful evening it was.

Written by and all Photos © 2000 Philip Anderson