Feb 28

Feb 28 Photos, Show Review: Static-X Regenerate with Tour Kickoff in San Francisco

Static-X
w/ Dope, Society 1
The Fillmore
San Francisco, CA
February 25th, 2023

Review by Jared Stossel
Photos by Jared Stossel

Out of any act in the last two decades, Static-X is one of the few I never expected would reemerge. They hadn’t released an album since 2009’s Cult of Static, the original band members had gone their separate ways, and perhaps most notably, the band’s frontman – co-founder Wayne Static – unexpectedly passed away in 2014. Just the name Static-X conjures up the image of the spiky-haired frontman, his sharp face accentuated by the signature “chintail” beard he sported throughout the band’s tenure. A band returning without its original lead singer would be jarring in most cases. In the case of Static-X and their most recent endeavor, this is one of the few situations where the approach that they’ve taken works. On Saturday, the band kicked off their first tour in over four years, in support of their recent Project: Regeneration albums, at the legendary Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. Just minutes into their extensive set, it proved to be not only one of the best metal shows of the year but one of the best shows I’ve seen so far this year.

The show kicked off with a performance by Society 1, a long-running industrial metal band from Los Angeles fronted by vocalist Matt Zane. The four-piece act came prepared with a substantial amount of energy as they careened through a setlist that pulled from throughout their expansive career, engaging with the crowd both on and off the stage. The legendary industrial act Dope took the stage shortly after, capturing the attention of the crowd with songs like “Bitch”, “Violence”, and “Die, Boom, Bang, Burn, Fuck”. The four-piece finished their set with an excellent, highly entertaining performance of Dead or Alive’s “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record).

At this point in the night, Fear Factory was supposed to take the stage for their main support slot, their first show in years, and first with newly revealed vocalist Milo Silvestro. However, the recent snowstorm that blanketed parts of Southern California blocked off the road, thus causing the band to cancel their highly anticipated performance (Fear Factory joined the tour in Portland, OR yesterday evening).

After an extensive setup that included an elaborate platform, LED video screens that encompassed the entire border of the stage, and numerous other accouterments, the lights dimmed and a Silent Hill-esque figure emerged, wielding a shovel and a flashlight as the video intro played. The original Static-X lineup – comprised of bassist Tony Campos, guitarist Koichi Fukuda, and drummer Ken Jay – took to the stage before the voice of Colin Clive’s Henry Frankenstein shrieked throughout the PA system (“It’s alive! It’s alive!”). A figure emerges up the stairs of the Frankenstein-ed platform to reveal the new look of Xero, the enigmatic new frontman of the re-emerged heavy metal act. Xero is styled to look like a resurrected version of Wayne Static, his signature hairstyle replaced by copious amounts of wiring that look like something out of a sci-fi fever dream. For the first time in years, the band launch into tracks like “Permanence”, “Black and White”, and “Wisconsin Death Trap” with all of the fervor and intensity they would wield over crowds in the early aughts.

The band has stated that this tour and “regeneration” project was done with the blessing of Wayne Static’s family, as a way to honor their fallen friend. This intention is apparent throughout the show, and it never once feels like this is a band trying to pull of something gimmicky or to make a quick buck. The love and passion for the music that this band created together were evident throughout the entire performance, pulling from nearly every album in their respective catalog, along with a cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Terrible Lie”.

My favorite part of the show came during the last three songs, particularly “Cold”. Fake snow fell over the stage as the band played an excellent rendition of the Machine track before a video message appeared telling people to “get ready for Wayne to hear them”. After a five-second countdown, video footage of Static appears and the crowd goes wild. The band maintained this energy by following it up with two Wisconsin Death Trip favorites to close out the night, “I’m With Stupid” and “Push It”, the album’s opening track and one that started it all for the group back in 1999.

There was never a second during this show that wasn’t entertaining, and each moment of Static-X’s performance managed to blend the theatricality of the heavy metal genre with a genuine tribute to their gone-far-too-early frontman. I’m sure this project is only going to go for a limited time, and that exclusivity makes it all the more special. If you’re a fan of Static-X or just a fan of heavy metal, make sure you don’t miss this one.

The tour resumes tonight at The Showbox in Seattle, WA and will feature a stop at Sacramento’s Ace of Spades this Sunday, March 5th with Fear Factory, Dope¸ Society 1, and Raven Black. For more ticketing information, click here.

Static-X Set List
Permanence
This Is Not
Structural Defect
Black and White
Love Dump
Wisconsin Death Trip
Fix
Bled for Days
Sweat of the Bud
Terminator Oscilator
Just In Case
Destroy All
Dirthouse
Get To the Gone
Terrible Lie (Nine Inch Nails cover)
Cold
I’m With Stupid
Push It