With summer trailing in the rearview mirror, it’s time to break out the hoodies and move the rock party indoors. October might not have dozens of shows like the summer months, but what it lacks in quantity it more than makes up for in quality. Serious rock heavyweights like Nine Inch Nails and Pearl Jam are coming to town, along with underground favorites like Mushroomhead, Nashville Pussy, and one of the most brutal metal lineups of all time with Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage & Testament. Following are the concerts on the NY Hard Rock Examiner’s radar for October 2013:
Tuesday, October 1: Mushroomhead at The Emporium. The masked Cleveland alt-metallers might be destined to spend their careers in the shadows of Slipknot’s success, but these guys bring a hell of a show without the selling-out. The relatively small Emporium in Long Island is an amazing place to get up close to the psychedelic metal masters and their trippy water drums, and be sure to come early for the brilliantly psychotic One-Eyed Doll. Read my last live Mushroomhead review by clicking here and One-Eyed Doll here.
Thursday, October 3: Dope at Webster Hall. Heavy metal doesn’t always have to be long-winded guitar solos or nonstop beat blasts - sometimes you just need to jump around and scream “die motherf*cker die!” Join the reincarnated Dope on 11th Street and go wild with Edsel and his new band as they get back up to speed (pun kind of intended). My last Dope review (with Black Label Society from way back when) is here.
Friday, October 4: Beneath The Massacre at Revolution. Start your weekend with some deathcore! Support comes from Rings of Saturn, Legion and Rivers of Nihil at this Long Island club in Amityville.
Saturday, October 5: Scorpion Child at Saint Vitus. Brooklyn’s St. Vitus is almost singlehandedly keeping the underground metal scene alive, and Saturday will boast some quality retro-metal rockers. Scorpion Child is joined by Kadavar, Sourvein, Gypsyhawk, Wilson and Mothership for spaced-out garage noise heaven.
Sunday, October 6: Deicide at Gramercy Theatre. It doesn’t get death-ier than Deicide! Somehow the tiny Gramercy always hosts the heaviest bands, and Sunday’s show will be no exception. Expect wall-to-wall pits on the concrete floor, so if you’re not there to mosh you better seek shelter in the seats early on.
Friday, October 11: The Machine at Starland Ballroom. New Jersey’s Starland continues its strong run of shows following the grand reopening last month (read about GWAR’s ridiculous night there) and that means it’s Time for some Pink Floyd (again, pun intended). The Machine is one of the strongest Floyd tributes around, and their otherworldly show should be stunning in Starland’s sparkling new confines.
Saturday, October 12: Five Finger Death Punch at Best Buy Theater. After their penultimate main stage slot on Mayhem Festival this summer (read all about it here), 5FDP is rapidly becoming America’s next top metal band. Expect the underground Best Buy to be packed to capacity for this show, which is likely the last time you’ll ever see Death Punch in a sub-5,000 seat venue again.
Monday, October 14: Nine Inch Nails at Barclay’s Center. Trent Reznor makes a triumphant return to the arenas where NIN has always belonged. New Yorkers have their choice of this Brooklyn show, or the following night’s Newark date. Either way, cheap tickets are sold out for both nights but you can still get into the seats for under $100.
Tuesday, October 15: Nine Inch Nails at Prudential Center. Tickets are also available on Stubhub if you’re looking to save a few bucks, but no matter how you get in, don’t miss this sure-to-be epic night. Also check out Trent’s new record Hesitation Marks, if you haven’t already.
Wednesday, October 16: Soulfly at B.B. Kings. Max Cavalera is coming to town, and you damn well better be there. B.B. King's might not be the most mosh-friendly venue, but that's never stopped metalheads before. Max has new Soulfly music for us, as well as his usual offerings of Sepultura favorites. (Sepultura will be coming to New York at the end of next month as well.)
Wednesday, October 16: Between The Buried And Me at Best Buy Theater. This spacey metal group has quietly become one of the most prolific bands still writing innovative music. Best Buy’s low-key blue lighting is the perfect place for them to share their new music from The Parallax II, and whether you’re up front on the floor or tripping out in the back seats, you’re in for a great show.
Wednesday, October 16: Metal Insider CMJ Showcase at Club Europa. CMJ doesn't usually offer much appeal for metal fans, but the fine folks at MetalInsider.net are taking care of that with an epic lineup in Brooklyn. Nachtmystium, Byzantine, Black Anvil, Ramming Speed and Vattnet Viskar offer a skull-crushing night of psychedelic/black/thrash/grind/f*ckyourfaceoff heavy metal at the insanely cheap price of $12.
Wednesday, October 16: CMJ Showcase at Gramercy Theatre. For the less metal-inclined, get your CMJ hard rock fix at the Gramercy with Filter, Red, Otherwise, We As Human, Crobot, Mother Father & Kingswood. Consider this a great chance to catch both established headliners and up-and-comers at the fairly cheap price of only $25.
Thursday, October 17: Nashville Pussy at The Bell House. Head to Brooklyn for the hillbilly rock n’ rollers' annual NYC concert. There ain’t no show like a Nashville Pussy show, and the Bell House’s open floor is a great place to spend an intimate night with the metal/southern rock/country/psychedelic band.
Friday-Saturday, October 18-19: Pearl Jam at Barclay’s Center. There’s nothing I really need to tell you about Pearl Jam that isn’t already covered by 90 million sold records and a dozen or so Grammy nominations, other than that both nights are fully sold out. Extra tickets may be released last minute though, so keep an eye on Ticketmaster or go straight to Stubhub.
Friday, October 18: Between The Buried And Me at Starland Ballroom. South Jersey gets their chance to experience BTB&M up close and personal. The new Starland has a great new VIP section as well as their unique elevated side wings, so there really is no bad seat in the house for this show.
Friday, October 18: Danzig at Roseland Ballroom. Your god of punk returns to New York City, and the floor of Roseland should be insane from start to finish. Expect all your favorite Misfits hits along with Danzig’s solo gems, and be sure to arrive early to catch the busty & beautiful Butcher Babies opening the show.
Saturday, October 19: B.B. King at The Paramount. There’s only one B.B. King, and every rock and blues fan should see him live while they still can. The Paramount may be way out in Suffolk County, but it's one of the best venues in the region and worth visiting for almost anyshow. Tickets for this legend start at a hefty $85, but that's still significantly cheaper than his following shows at:
Tuesday-Wednesday, October 22-23: B.B. King at B.B. King’s. The bluesman returns for a two night stand at his namesake venue. At $150 a ticket though, this might not be the most economic opportunity to see him. Still, if you have the cash this is probably the most intimate show you’ll ever get.
Wednesday, October 23: Papa Roach at Starland Ballroom. In 1999, Papa Roach was one of the best alt/rap-metal bands coming out. They've since gone hardcore eyeliner emo, but if that's your kind of thing, this should be a great show as Starland continues to book top-selling bands.
Friday, October 25: Lamb of God at Roseland Ballroom. Once again, we all have something to die for. Prepare to mosh for your life as Lamb of God is joined by Killswitch Engage, Testament and Huntress for the most brutal show of the month. Last year LoG absolutely wrecked Roseland (read my review of it here), and now with KSE and Testament behind them it should be a massacre. Bring hearing protection.
Wednesday, October 30: Cypress Hill at Best Buy Theater. After a year off, B-Real and Sen Dogg return for their annual New York Halloween show. Come in costume for the blunt-happy rappers, who never fail to leave the place smelling like skunk in all the best ways. My 2010 review of Cypress Hill’s Halloween bonanza can be found right here.
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