December 9th, 2008 
James Shotwell Mudvayne – “The New Game” Tour
December 6th, 2008
Orbit Room, Grand Rapids, Michigan
It’s been three years since Mudvayne toured, but he band, who broke onto the scene in the early 2000’s with, “Dig,” was at full force on Dec. 6 in Grand Rapids, MI. The New Game Tour which followed the title of the band’s recent comeback album boasted three bands with a staggering $30 [plus fee] ticket price. Now, I know bands need to make money, but we’re talking $10 plus fees per band and that seemed a bit ridiculous considering I’ve seen Fall Out Boy, a much larger band, at $32 a ticket and 4 opening acts. Maybe it’s just me though.
To kick off the night, we were greeted by hardcore legends Snot. Having been out of the scene for a few years now, Snot fans were obviously eager to see them live once more and let me say – they did not disappoint. After all this time, the fury was still there and so was the ridiculous stage presence and overall crowd feel. I generally hate seeing heavier bands in places with ridiculous barriers, but Snot came to the crowd and made themselves as available as possible. They obviously sound very little like Mudvayne, so there was some confusion in the crowd, mainly in the youth, but those of us who remember the 90’s embraced it in all the nostalgic glory.
Following the dive into hardcore, was what became an irritating stay of popular rock band 10 Years. I don’t see the pleasure people take in this band outside of their single [which sounds unlike the rest of their set]. The stage presence was nowhere to be found and not only did lead singer Mike Underdown steal Alice Cooper’s stage get up, he also borrowed the infamous one gloved hand from Michael Jackson. This isn’t hip and hopefully doesn’t become a fad. Like I said, “Wasteland,” the band’s popular song, did some salvaging, but one song can’t give me back the last 45min. on my life.
After the oddly paired openers, it was time for the 3 years absent Mudvayne to hit the stage. I was curious as to how this would play out as high school era James had found love in the early works of Mudvayne, but I’ve long grown past this music – or so I thought. The band arrived on stage in full fury with, “Not Falling,” and instantly took the night from a 6 to a 10 in terms of energy and excitement. Every note came across as well rehearsed and refined. There was none of those awkward moments where the energy died because the band had to look at their instruments for some technical lines, but rather they murdered their tools of rock with sheer skill and left the room in awe. However, the highlight of the night came in the form of Chad Grey. The band’s vocalist was at the top of his game throughout the night and his costumes [starting the show in a headless monkey costume and ending he his get up from the “Dig” video] put his showmanship at an all new level.
For the night, I’d say there were flaws [ahem – 10 Years], but as a whole, the show was great. Don’t worry about high school James, 21 year old James fell in love with this band’s early work once more and proved that yes, Mudvayne is back.
*Written By: James Shotwell*
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