Michale Graves Concert Review!!

Alright, it's time for a concert review I've been waiting to do since the infamous Mackinac Bridge closure last fall (no inclement wind yesterday!), as let's finally talk about Michale Graves' local show at The Canadian Nightclub! As it turns out, Michale and crew played a special acoustic pre-show for VIP ticket-holders, and from what I heard, it was a great time and he was very open and friendly with attendees, which is great to hear! Door admission was $30, so it did go up from advance prices, though the house wasn't as packed as I assumed it would be. That said, the floor was packed for Graves' set, and fans were very vocal, especially during "Saturday Night"!

Opening last night were local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback in their first concert since they released their debut music video, and they put forth a solid set of their original material for early fans! Alongside established originals like "Kicking & Screaming", "Faded", and "Nightmares", the guys played two newer songs that I don't recall hearing live or online ("Endless Dream" & "Drop Dead") which went over well and seemed to fit their existing sound. I wish Chris Nielsen bantered a little more with the crowd, but he has improved with confidence as a frontman since I last saw A.D.S., and he and Matt Quinn were solid compliments on guitar and bass, while Nick Kainula's drumming was on point (nice to hear a solo there too!) No major frills beyond on-sale merchandise, but A Dire Setback stuck to their guns and delivered a strong opening set!

Second up last night were horror punk/metal quintet Frightlight in their second one-off reunion show in as many years, and given how frequently they covered Graves-era Misfits in their original run and last year, what a night to come back! Rhythm guitarist Kevin "St. Mayhem" Powe was back in the fold last night after missing last year's set, but in a huge surprise, lead guitarist Rick "Styles" White was absent for unannounced reasons, a'la their initial 2014 farewell concert. Hopefully nothing bad happened! Jack Spades guitarist Daniel Horton filled in for the set, complete with the stage name "Handsome Dan" and "Aladdin Sane"-era David Bowie facepaint, and he handled things very well in relief! Playing their full "It's A...Live!" EP alongside "World War Z" and their "Bite It You Scum" cover (no Misfits songs for obvious reasons),  the guys picked up where they left off last year with another batch of horror punk favourites!

The set did seem a little rushed for time, but everyone played up to the standards we recall from their original run, with Johnny Pints' vocals strong and clear, and Eddie Fright's bass work was also nicely done in particular! Hopefully we see the guys back out there at some point in the future, but if Frightlight's last show is this one, it was an ideal finale, Rick's absence aside!

Finally, your headline attraction was former Misfits frontman Michale Graves & his solo band in a concert a year & a week in the making, though this time, he performed both of his Misfits studio albums ("American Psycho" & "Famous Monsters") back to back in full. To put it mildly, it was awesome hearing Michale in person doing such classic songs as "Dig Up Her Bones", "Walk Among Us", "Scream", and "Saturday Night"), and fans were very receptive, openly filling in the gaps by singing along! Michale himself was in good spirits, but his stage banter was minimal, and his voice was straining a bit as the set went along, especially noticeable at points where notes were held longer or screamed. However, things went by well, especially with a backing band more than up to the task of handling these familiar songs, and if you love horror punk, there was no better place to be last night! Hopefully they come back at some point!

Overall, this was a great concert full of entertaining and high energy punk rock, and if you called this the unofficial start to the Halloween season around here, I wouldn't dispute your logic! You can check out our photos at this link and/or our Facebook page, and as for our videos, here A Dire Setback playing "Endless Dream", Frightlight playing "She Screams", and Michale Graves playing both "The Haunting" & "From Hell They Came!"







I hope you guys liked this concert review, and stay tuned for this month's CD review on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!