Show Review, Photos: Mr. Bungle Brings "Geek Show" To Oakland's Fox Theater
Mr. Bungle
w/ Melvins, Spotlights
The Fox Theater
Oakland, CA
May 23rd, 2023
Review and Photos by Jaime Schultz
Among the most coveted of the oft-referred-to “supergroups” in rock is Mr. Bungle. Formed in the 80s as an experimental group featuring members of Faith No More, Anthrax, and Slayer, the band released a handful of demos (including their 1986 debut The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny) and three studio albums. By the time the new millennium came around, they disbanded. So you can imagine the reaction amongst members of the metal community when the band announced that they were back in 2019: pure excitement. Three years later, the rejuvenated Mr. Bungle is still going strong, this point further emphasized by their two-night, sold-out headlining run at Oakland’s Fox Theater that kicked off on Tuesday night. Joined by two outstanding opening acts, this was a show that was not to be missed.
The show was opened by Spotlights, signees of lead singer Mike Patton’s Ipecac Recordings. Their brand of moody, atmospheric rock kicked off the evening as fans poured inside the hallowed halls of The Fox Theater. The three-piece rock act left the stage, only to be replaced by another: Melvins. To say that the Melvins are a legendary act within rock would be an understatement; they’ve been doing it better and longer than most, with a catalog of twenty-seven albums under their belt (so far). While their roots began within grunge and sludge metal, you can’t pin them down to a single genre; at times, they transcend the idea of genre. Donned in a cape, lead vocalist and guitarist Buzz Osborne led the band through a trippy and intricate set.
The energy was through the roof by the time Mr. Bungle took the stage. The band powered through a high-speed seventeen-song set laced with covers and originals, with a majority of the material coming from The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo. As far as the cover song selection, pieces ranged from metal (Slayer’s “Hell Awaits”), to punk (7Seconds’ “You Lose), to the unpredictable (Spandau Ballet’s “True”). The banter between songs was kept to a minimum, allowing the music to flow continuously from one song to the next. It worked very well and helped solidify Mr. Bungle’s Bay Area stand as one of the must-see metal performances of the year.
Mr. Bungle Set List
Welcome Back (John Sebastian cover)
Bungle Grind
Eracist
Territory (Sepultura cover)
Spreading The Thighs of Death
Hypocrites
Speak English or Die (Stormtroopers of Death cover)
Anarchy Up Your Anus
Methamatics
Hell Awaits (Slayer cover, intro)
True (Spandau Ballet cover)
You Lose (7Seconds cover)
Raping Your Mind
Just Sit There (Crumbsuckers cover)
Sudden Death
Encore:
Loss of Control (Van Halen cover)
My Ass Is On Fire
