The holiday season has come and gone, and now it’s time to hunker down for the winter. Like most years, only a handful of bands venture on the road in January, but this year in New York City, quality more than makes up for quantity with some fierce metal headliners throughout the month. Here are the concerts on the New York Hard Rock Examiner’s radar for January 2012:
Wednesday, January 4th: Steel Panther at Irving Plaza. In case you missed their Gramercy Theatre show a month ago, the only modern hair metal band is coming back to kick our asses. These spandex-wearing psychos firmly believe in “death to all but metal” and put on killer live shows. Sadly, like the Gramercy show, it’s already sold out and tickets will be hard to track down.
Friday, January 6th: A Pale Horse Named Death at the Knitting Factory. Sal Abruscato’s new stoner metal band tore it up at Webster Hall just a few weeks ago, and now they’re heading to Brooklyn for their first show of 2012. If you don’t feel like venturing into hipster-central, watch the free, live webcast via this Livestream link.
Saturday, January 7th: A Life Once Lost at ABC No Rio. These Pennsylvania metalcorers will be thrashing out in the Lower East Side, bringing some much needed metal to Saturday night. Technically a social center, ABC No Rio is not your typical venue, but does offer a great opportunity to get up and personal with the band.
Friday, January 13th: Monster Magnet at Music Hall of Williamsburg. One of the first and best stoner metal bands of all time, Dave Wyndorf and his band are playing two local shows which will feature the Dopes to Infinity record played in their entirety. Monster Magnet tore it up when they played Starland Ballroom last winter, and the Dopes record is sure to be a spectacular bonus for fans. Read my 2010 interview with Dave here, including a discussion of playing records live.
Saturday, January 14th: Monster Magnet at Starland Ballroom: The Jersey companion date will give fans a second chance to hear the Dopes album, as well as classic MM hits. This should be an especially intense show given the band’s South Jersey roots less than an hour from Sayerville. Read my review of February’s Starland show by clicking here.
Tuesday, January 17th: Biohazard at Gramercy Theatre. Frontman Evan Seinfeld has once again left the band, but even the three-piece Biohazard puts on a vicious show. The Gramercy is a great venue for metal, with an open floor and GA theater seats, and this promises to be one of the month’s most hardcore shows.
Wednesday, January 18th: Ghost at Bowery Ballroom. The mysterious, masked Swedish band has been generating tons of buzz with their intense live shows and groove-based metal. Their first ever US tour kicks off right here in New York, and is a can’t-miss for anyone following this fast-rising band.
Tuesday, January 24th: Lamb of God at Irving Plaza. Yes, you read that right. One of the most brutal, top-selling metal headliners is playing the tiny Irving Plaza club instead of the larger ballrooms they typically visit. This 1,200 capacity show sold out in seconds, and with such tight confines, anyone inside is in store for an ultra-violent night from nonstop mosh pits. Tickets can be bought at a significant markup on Craigslist, but beware of fakes as this is one of the hottest selling shows this month. Read my review of Lamb of God’s 2010 Mayhem Festival performance here.
Saturday, January 28th: Lenny Kravitz at Radio City Music Hall. Okay, no one really saw that one coming, as Mr. Kravitz hasn’t been seen or heard from in awhile. But the rocker is coming back in style at Radio City, and has impressively sold out the entire show. Limited tickets are for sale through brokers and Stubhub, but prices are likely to keep going up as the date approaches.
Saturday, January 28th: Megadeth at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. Gigantour rears its mighty head once again, as Motorhead, Volbeat, and Lacuna Coil join Dave Mustaine and Megadeth for this kind-of-semi-annual tour. Only upper deck seats are left at this point, and it’s unfortunate that there’s no GA option at all, but you can still expect an old school thrashing from this killer lineup. Read my review of Megadeth at the September Big 4 show here, and my review of Motorhead at Best Buy Theater earlier this year by clicking here.
Sunday, January 29th: Tool at Susquehanna Bank Center: It’s been almost five years since Tool graced the East Coast with their hypnotic prog metal and brilliant live shows, so this tour is long overdue. This Camden date sold out fast, but it’s probably easier for New Yorkers to get to the Izod Center show on February 1st anyhow, which has plenty of upper level tickets still available.
As always, stay tuned to the Hard Rock Examiner for further information on tickets and all local rock and heavy metal news by subscribing at the top of this page, or follow me at twitter.com/NYROCKEXAMINER.
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