New Jersey punk rock legends Misfits rule the night at the Prudential Center in Newark
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Welcome to Halloween in July.
In other words, New Jersey punk rock legends the Misfits played Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark. The band is partial to ghouls, skulls and Universal monsters.
“I know it ain't Halloween yet but at my house it's always (blank) Halloween,” said lead singer Glenn Danzig when introducing the song, you guessed it, “Halloween.” The two giant cheesy jack-o-lanterns on each side of the stage underscored the sentiment.
The prodigal punk sons of Lodi performed their classic horror punk songs from the late '70s and early '80s over an hour and half for the nearly sold out Newark audience. The songs echo early rock 'n' roll with lots of “whoas” and teenage angst themes. The songs about conspiracy theories are very much rooted in the post-Watergate ‘70s, and they’re newly relevant today. The crowd on the seatless floor in front of the stage surged and throbbed throughout the night like the B-movie Blob in attack mode.
“The person with the most bruises and cuts and scars had the best time,” Danzig said.
The Misfits are equal parts menace and camp. Bassist Jerry Only wore a vest with large protruding spikes and a skull on the rear collar. He dedicated a song to his mom, who didn't make the show. The song? “Mommy, Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight?”
Shirtless younger brother Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein was all bubble gum, monster face paint, muscles and feedback on his guitar. Vocalist Danzig ran the show like a “Creature Feature” movie host and his bellows were full and resounding.
The Misfits were formed in 1977 with a nucleus of Danzig, born Glenn Anzalone, and Only, born Gerald Caiafa. Only's brother, Doyle (Paul Caiafa), joined in 1980. The original Misfits broke up, appropriately enough, on Halloween in 1983 when Danzig left to form his own group. Only forged ahead with a number of different Misfits lineups and the popularity of the original group has grown exponentially with top-line bands paying homage by covering their songs: “Last Caress” by Metallica, “Attitude” by Guns N’ Roses and “Skulls” by the Lemonheads.
In 2016, Danzig, Only and Doyle reunited for Riot Fest shows and since then they've played a handful of dates each year, including the Prudential Center in 2018. The irony is that the biggest Jersey venue they played in the original run was the Showplace in Dover.
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They're big time now, and here's hoping we'll see them again before too long.
Gaslight Anthem preceded the Misfits on stage at the Prudential Center.
“A bunch of Devils games happened here. Misfits love the Devils. I don't know if they do but they love the Devil so it's just all connected,” quipped Gaslight Anthem frontman Brian Fallon. “Thank you very much for coming out on this snowy October morning.”
Misfits Prudential Center setlist
Death Comes Ripping
I Turned Into a Martian
Where Eagles Dare
Hybrid Moments
Vampira
London Dungeon
Some Kinda Hate
Mommy, Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight?
All Hell Breaks Loose
Hollywood Babylon
Who Killed Marilyn
Earth A.D.
Green Hell
Come Back
Violent World
Skulls
Halloween
Teenagers From Mars
Children in Heat
Bullet
Night of the Living Dead
Astro Zombies
Last Caress
20 Eyes
Die, Die My Darling
We Are 138
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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jersey punk rock legends Misfits rule the night at Prudential Center
