Industrial Metal fans were treated to a tripleheader of hard and heavy music Thursday night at the world-famous Cleveland Agora as Static-X, Sevendust, and Dope presented a 4-hour barrage of all their hits to please the sold-out crowd in the theatre.
Static-X – Sevendust – Dope
Agora, Cleveland, Ohio – 22 February 2024
Words And Photography: Jim Balentine
Static-X
Static-X, who returned to the Heavy Metal scene in 2018 after founder Wayne Static’s death in 2014, brought the curtain down this evening, leaving Cleveland “x-static” after this Industrial Metal triple bill.
Static-X and Dope toured together on the first year of both bands in 1998. With the rebirth of Static-X in 2018, Dope lead singer Edsel Dope has created the character Xer0 as a tribute to Wayne. With the release of Project: Regeneration Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, they have grown even more popular since returning.
Original members Tony Campos, bass, Koichi Fukuda, guitar, and drummer Ken Jay are playing better than ever with the classics and the newer songs.
Tonight, Static-X started out with two newer songs called Hollow and Terminator Oscillator from Project: Regeneration Vol. 1.
With Xer0 clad in Terminator-style gear with red laser eyes, glaring over the sell-out crowd, Static-X blasted into Wisconsin Death Trip from their 1998 debut album.
With hits like Love Dump and Bled For Days, the die-hard fans were sent into complete madness on the floor and the balcony. Z0mbie brought a giant robotic-like zombie out of the stage that interacted with the whole band.
The show ended with 1998’s I’m With Stupid and the finale, Push It, as Static-X wrapped up another successful concert.
Regarding new music after Project: Regeneration, Campos has said it was up to the fans to decide whether they would be interested in Static-X without Wayne Static. On the evidence of tonight, there is a massive demand for more.
Fans poured out of Cleveland Agora hot and sweaty from this 4-hour music onslaught. This tour is perfect if you want a night of non-stop excitement, both on stage and in the audience.
Be sure to catch this show in a city near you.
Sevendust
Sevendust from Atlanta, GA, has a back catalogue of 14 albums, has had three consecutive RIAA gold-certified albums, a Grammy nomination, and has achieved worldwide success.
Tonight, they came out of the gate with the opening tracks from their latest album, I Might Let The Devil Win and Truthkiller. To the crowd’s delight, they brought Alpha back from the 2007 release and other songs not played since the mid-2010s.
This was very lively. Many crowd surfers would work their way to the front barricade while others would slam dance the entire time.
Sevendust would end with the classic Face To Face from 2003’s Seasons. By the time the set ended, singer and original member Lajon Witherspoon had worked the crowd into a total frenzy.
Dope
Dope, lead by singer Edsel Dope, packed a powerful punch for just 30 minutes of playtime. Dope was non-stop doing six of their classics. The crowd chanting Die MF Die was exceptional.
Dope closed on the cover of Dead Or Alive’s You Spin Me Round (Like A Record).
