Back in my younger days, my favorite night club to attend every Wednesday was called Necropolis. This was our local goth club, held on the outside patio of a nice Italian restaurant after hours. I went religiously every week, made friends that I still cherish to this day, and was introduced to gothic and industrial music. One band that the DJ’s played weekly was Skinny Puppy. The rhythm, the style, the beat of their songs would be a hit on the dance floor and get everyone moving. The band hasn’t been active in recent years, and I have been curious to see them live for a while now. Well, it finally happened, for better or worse, but Skinny Puppy announced their Final Tour. To them, it was time to hang up the outfits and call it quits. I knew I had to be there for this monumental farewell tour for a band that has been an influence in the industrial scene to more bands than people probably realize. Making their penultimate stop at the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA.

As the doors opened to the elevator of the parking garage it was a feast to the eyes as all the industrial goths were out in droves. As I took the first couple steps towards the venue, there was a gaggle of goths huddled together smoking cloves. The scent of the cigarettes transported me back to my days in Necropolis surrounded by my friends. Walking into the venue was the biggest sea of trad goths I’ve ever seen in one place. Black teased up hair as far as the eyes could see, pale white skin with striking black eye liner, with drinks flowing everywhere. Though I haven’t been in the goth scene for a while, this still felt comforting and like I was surrounded by my people.

Finally, the show was ready to get started with the opening band being Lead Into Gold. Though I was not familiar with this band, I knew they had to be a complimentary fit to Skinny Puppy’s sound to be the only opening band on this tour, and as they kicked their set into gear with “Fugue (For BR),” I was happy to hear they were. Fronted by Paul Barker, the former bassist of Ministry, handling vocals, bass, and programme. As they played through the songs, Barker’s voice appeared to be modulated giving the songs a more technologic sound to them. Partnered with synth player Josh Holley, the duo created beats that got people in the crowd dancing as if they were under a highway over pass. Lead into Gold played a 45 minute set consisting of songs like “She Lies Beyond,” “To The Throat,” “The Eternal Present,” “Heroine’s Habit,” “The Final Blows,” “We’ll Take Tomorrow,” “Faster Than Light,” and ending with “Hard Won Decay.” With their final song, it felt like it had the most powerful back beat to it, and even more of the crowd could not keep from dancing in the audience.

During the set change, the remaining crowd who built the merch line looping around the lobby of the House of Blues piled into the auditorium. As the fans packed in shoulder to shoulder, I would be hard pressed to find out this was not a sold out show. As Skinny Puppy walked out, there stood a giant 10ft white scrim set up in the middle of the stage. Synth player cEvin Key got the beat started to “VX Gas Attack.” Guitarist Matthew Setzer hit the opening riffs basking in the glow of a green light behind him. Throughout the song, and others, he would pull out a metal rod that was used to bang off the strings, and sometimes play like a cello. Helping to add those industrial textures to his playing style. A bright backing light lit up the scrim. Behind the scrim a non-human shaped figure stood before us reaching up and trying to reach out. This was vocalist Nivek Ogre creating shadow puppetry. Once he came out from behind the scrim, Ogre dawned a black cloak obscuring most of his face, but what we could see were two giant bug eyes. It was then that the actual show started coming together as Ogre portrayed a newly discovered alien who has crashed down on Earth.

A Skinny Puppy concert was more than just a group of people playing music together, this was a show with a story line, plot elements, and theatrics! Nivek Ogre as the alien was a creature captured by a tormentor, and throughout the show the tormentor harassed and experimented on the alien creature. From slicing the alien’s neck open spewing blood over the front row, to using the blood of the alien to help bring an alien child to life, to beating the alien to an inch of death and removing half its skull and brain. As Ogre stumbled around the stage with half his alien skull missing, the tormentor and Ogre would constantly be pulling out goo from the empty crevice of his brain. The alien was able to take control and overcame his captors for a moment before the tormentor finally came back with a noose truly ending the life of the alien. This entire story played out through all of the music of Skinny Puppy, and Ogre was singing the entire time. Performing classic of their 40 year career like “Immortal,” “Rodent,” “wornin’,” “Tormentor,” “Deep Down Trauma Hounds,” “Human Disease (S.K.U.M.M.),” “Hardset Head,” “Pedafly,” “Morpheus Laughing,” “The Choke,” “Worlock,” “Inquisition,” and “Dig It.” After this enticing performance we just saw, the band came out for a four song encore with Nivek Ogre out of the alien costume, and performing as just himself for “Film,” “Smothered Hope,” “Assimilate,” and truly ending with “Candle.” Though the entire alien story was enthralling and captivating, seeing Ogre performing as himself was just as enjoyable and the man is a true performer.

Skinny Puppy’s music has been a part of my life since my days going to Necropolis, though it was very passive, and I wasn’t aware. My true first experience with Nivek Ogre was through the rock opera known as Repo the Genetic Opera where he played Pavi Largo. A monster of a man who would rip and steal people’s face’s and wear them. I love this movie and his performance so much that I cosplayed as Pavi Largo at a comic convention years ago. The movie has developed a huge cult following, yet when I talk to many friends and people about this movie or Skinny Puppy the band, a lot of people don’t know either. Nivek Ogre and Skinny Puppy have built a foundation that has gone on to influence some of the biggest music acts in the industrial scene, yet they themselves appear to fly under the radar of the mainstream. The fanbase they have built are all dedicated to them and show up in droves to see them one last time before they bid adieu. There was supposed to be only one more show after this one, up in Los Angeles. However, the tickets sold out so fast, and the band felt they were doing their fans a disservice and announced three additional Los Angeles shows which all sold out. To those that attended the last four shows, I know you will have an emotional time seeing Skinny Puppy one last time, and I felt incredible honored getting to see this Anaheim show.