Saint Andrews Hall was taken hostage on Saturday night, and it was insane to say the least. Saint Andrews Hall in downtown Detroit was on fire with the “Rise of the Machine” tour making a stop here in Michigan. The tour was sellout at SAH as it was on pretty much every stop. I’m pretty sure Sunday morning was rough for most with all the moshing and head banging going on. After more than two years and multiple reschedules, Static-X was finally ready to kick some ass and take names later, continuing to keep the legacy of the late Wayne Static alive by performing to sold-out crowd’s coast to coast. Static-X didn’t come alone, brining metal giants Mushroomhead along with Dope, Cultus Black, and Fear Factory.

Kicking off the night and ready to get everyone in attendance all lathered up was Cultus Black. Cultus Black is an aggressive hard-hitting band that identifies itself as a cult their music is unapologetic and intense and was the perfect fit for this night. The six-song set was insane for sure, highlighted by a Nirvana cover we all know and throw horns to “Negative Creep” dressed in masks and black cloaks along with some green lighting made for a very entertaining set.

Cultus Black – Rise of the Machine tour 2023

Moving on to the next band, up next was DOPE, I seen these guys in 2017 at the Machine shop in Flint, Michigan and I thought that night was intense, nah that was an appetizer compared to tonight. Opening up with “Blood Money” all hell broke loose and the moshing began. Holy hell talk about a face melter! This set wasn’t for the faint of heart. If you enjoy having your skin peeled back well, you need to check out DOPE. The highlight from this set was “You Spin Me Round (like a record) from Dead or Alive. I used to DJ back in the day and I don’t remember this song sounding like this like it did tonight. Totally packed with some great guitar rips and high energy making it a banger track to be played at your next house party. Not sure how much dancing will take place, but you will surely have some fun with it.

Edsel Dope – Dope live at Saint Andrews Hall 2023

With anticipation growing and the level of energy kicked up a notch or two it was time for the metal giants yes, I said metal giants from Cleveland, Mushroomhead were about to take front and center and boy did they ever. Chants of ‘Mushroomhead’ were getting very loud, so loud it just may have been heard in Canada just a short drive over the Detroit River by bridge or tunnel. Mushroomhead, has undergone multiple lineup changes which was not noticeable, especially given the band’s taste for theatrics, with the entire lineup performing in kick ass masks. The crowd once again went wild from a visual standpoint, their set was one of the most visually challenging yet also one of the most exciting that I have had the opportunity to witness. I seen Mushroomhead back in 2017 at a local club in Chesterfield, Michigan named the Diesel concert lounge that was my first time seeing the band. I was floored by what I saw that night. Mushroomhead keeps the crowd engaged with their heavy riffs and aggressive vocals as they played tracks like “A Requiem for Tomorrow”, “Qwerty”, “Our Apologies”, and a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Empty Spaces”. If you are into heavy music with unique visuals and water percussion drums or even seeing vocalist Diablo jumping into the crowd for a little crowd surfing and even stopping to get a quick hand stand in with the help from the Mushroomhead faithful then this is a must see for sure.

Joe Gaal – Mushroomhead – Rise of the Machine tour – 2023 at Saint Andrews Hall

Just imagine drinking a case of red bulls or a case of 5-hour energy drinks you will know what the excitement level felt like. Leaving the pit area, I myself was wired up and having some goosebumps raising the arm hairs you could tapped danced on them wow Mushroomhead. The next time you guys come to town please check in at the Fillmore also in downtown Detroit. There you will have more room and also more fans. I know so many that didn’t get the chance and even reading socials because of no tickets were left. Electrifying band to say the least. The eight-song set was short but insane which may have been a good thing as you might still be recovering from that night. Mushroomhead has four more dates on this remaining tour hopefully you have your ticket.

Mushroomhead Live at Saint Andrews Hall

Taking a break from the action while the stage was changed out for the last opener of the night the crowd certainly taking advantage of that using the ladies’ room (bathroom) as we call it with most getting a refreshment or two and even stepping outside for some fresh cool air it was a little hot in there. Returning to their seats just in time as the lights went down and here came Fear Factory ready to shred the stage who have been a staple in the heavy music scene since the mid-1990s, having several lineup shifts and multiple hiatuses, guitarist Dino Cazares is the only remaining founding member and the crowd went nuts when Dino took the stage. Vocalist Milo Silvestro displayed some pipes for sure while bringing a high level of energy throughout the set. Fear Factory has set out to prove that the band is still very much alive and isn’t planning on going anywhere anytime soon. With touring drummer Pete Webber and bassist Tony Campos (who is pulling double-duty on this run in both Fear Factory and Static-X) rounding out the four-piece, they did exactly that, kicking things off with “Shock” and “Edgecrusher” from their 1998 album Obsolete before jumping to “Disruptor” from 2021’s Aggression Continuum. The remainder of the set covered tracks from throughout their tenure, closing with “Replica” from 1995’s Demanufacture. Fear Factory performance was full of energy, that was the theme of the night ENERGY. The hightlight for me was “Edgecrusher with Mushroomhead, the roars from the crowd were insane I’m exhausted but wait there’s more in the form of Static-X.

Dino Cazares – Fear Factory – Saint Andrews Hall 2023

Breath in now breath out, waiting on Static-X a couple of songs were played while the instruments were all being dialed in starting with a crowd favorite Neil Diamond “Sweet Caroline” a great why to lather up an already intense crowd. Let’s face it we all stop and sing along to it, from the very top of Saint Andrews Hall down to the pit area it was quite loud and on point the fans were loving the sing along. Oh, and after that lets get the place even more ramped up if that was even possible with some Pantera “Walk” oh baby if you weren’t feeling a pulse by now you my friend are not breathing. The time was upon us and out comes the monster shinning a spotlight onto the crowd. The stage was lit up with LED panels a very cool visual at that. New frontman Xero in his mask with wire “hair” reminiscent of Wayne Static’s iconic hairstyle and glowing red LED eyes wowed the crowd, kinda like me as this was my first time seeing Static-X. The set began with “Permanence”, “This is Not”, and “Structural Defect” from 2001’s Machine album. Throughout the set, it was clear that original members Tony Campos, Ken Jay, and Koichi Fukuda were happy to be back together honoring Wayne’s legacy, with Xero playing the role of enigmatic frontperson. The remainder of the set consisted of tracks from Machine as well. The sold-out crowd left Saint Andrews Hall x-static

Xer0 – Static-X – The Rise of the Machine tour – 2023

The massive 45-stop tour is coming to a city near you don’t miss this one makeup an excuse, whatever it takes you can thank me next time. The L.A. rockers who formed in 1994 are celebrating the 20th anniversary of 2001 album Machine. There are not many dates left on the tour which is a banger for sure. Due yourself a favor and rest up drink plenty of fluids and brace yourself for a face melt kind of night, neck braces are optional. Horns up America. Below is my gallery from that night.