Hollywood Undead gives head-banging performance Zoe Mooneyhan Contributor
Hollywood Undead, along with openers Butcher Babies and Demrick, performed Tuesday night at the Mill and Mine. The night started with little-known rap duo Demrick, who pumped up the crowd with funky beats and well-known covers. The next opener, Butcher Babies, garnered a little more excitement. The heavy metal rock group is led by frontwomen Heidi Shephard and Carla Harvey, two women with incredible voices that switch from powerful ballads to screamed lyrics with ease. Each time they spoke to the crowd, I was amazed that they had any voice left at all. Sadly, the audience barely nodded their heads through the two openers’ performances. At one point, Shephard came into the crowd to start a mosh pit. Nonetheless, it seemed like the audience could not be bothered to dance. Then the members of Hollywood Undead sauntered onstage, each of the five wearing a different mask, and the crowd went wild.Their newest album, “V,” has a variety of songs, ranging from hard rock to party tunes. The first time I listened to Hollywood Undead was the morning before the concert. This music was true head-banging metal rock, and I wasn’t quite sure that I was ready for this performance. They opened the set with one of their new songs “Whatever it Takes.” The group released the album just over a month ago,
but true fans already knew every word. Despite being a metal rap-rock band singing heavy lyrics about some serious topics, the band wasn’t afraid to play around. They took breaks between songs, cracking jokes and messing with the audience. Halfway through the set, the band picked out an audience member to come up onstage. The attendee said he knew how to play, so a member of the band handed him an electric guitar. To everyone’s surprise, the crowd member played the chords for one of the band’s songs. One of the band members, Jorel “J-Dog” Decker, then taught him part of the next song so he could stay onstage and play it with them. The band’s tune “Gravity” even encouraged people to crowd surf. One fan after another got picked up, pushed towards the front and then set down by a security guard. I was personally excited for the song “Riot,” and it seemed like the crowd was too. With an easy-to-learn, catchy chorus, everyone was singing along and jumping. The lyrics are pretty vulgar, but it’s just so fun you can’t help getting riled up. The band ended the set without even saying goodbye to the audience. The crowd responded by singing “Everywhere I Go” to get them to do an encore. Of course, the band came back on and performed two more songs before finally leaving the stage. I left my first Hollywood Undead concert with ears ringing and calves aching, but it was one of the best performances I have ever seen.
Photos: Hollywood Undead performed on Nov. 29, 2017 at the Mill and Mine. Zoe Mooneyhan / Contributor
Volume 134 Issue 28
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Thursday, November 30, 2017