Story and Photos: Spencer Fleming
The Steelhouse was rocking last Thursday (5.16.24) when Static-X and Sevendust brought their co-headline "Machine Killer" tour to Omaha. With the absolute glut of shows to choose from in these post-pandemic days it's really impressive that this was actually the third and final leg of the tour. These metal legends have gone from coast to coast and everywhere in between to give rock fans one heck of a show!
Newcomers Lines of Loyalty started the show and got the crowd fired up. Their radio-friendly rock sound had the folks cheering by the end of their set. The band is out in support of their new album Hurts To Be Human and they've been with the tour for all three legs, something they were very thankful for. Getting your music in front of thousands of fans every night has to be a pretty good feeling. Check out Lines of Loyalty on all streaming platforms.
Next up was the band Dope from New York City. I was telling my fellow photographers Dope is like a trashier version of Nine Inch Nails. They're industrial but have upbeat pop grooves. They don't take themselves too seriously and know how to start a party. Dope has been playing Omaha for years so of course they had to mention the shows at the Ranch Bowl where the weed was really crappy. I saw several of those Ranch Bowl show lead singer Edsel Dope mentioned. As I listened to their set, with lyrics like "Die MFer, Die MFer, Die!" and "Bang Bang and You're Dead Effer" I thought to myself "Man, I was into some degenerate stuff as a kid", ha!
Of course Dope had to close their set with their most famous song a cover of Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round", to which Edsel cautioned all the young people "Be careful what you do in your life or you may end up having to play the most ridiculous song for the next 25 years". Given that they only played the first verse and the chorus I truly believe Edsel hates the song, but he had a smile about him so at least he's making the most of it.
After Dope was the first of the co-headliners, the mighty Sevendust!! I've shot photos of Sevendust four times now and never gets old. Lead singer Lajon is an absolute beast on the mic and has such awesome facial expressions it's always a fun shoot. The band still sounds amazing live. With over 30 years as a band under their belts and dozens of hits they are one of the best live bands out there. Sevendust tore through all the classics like "Enemy", Denial", and "Black" while also hitting one of their newest hits "Everything" from 2023's Truth Killer. As I was exiting the photo pit with my fellow photographers Lajon said thank you to all of us and even reached down and gave me a fist bump! Talk about walking on air. These guys are true professionals in every sense. It doesn't matter how many times I've seen them, those little touches of grace keep me coming back every time. Judging from the wild crowd they had I know I'm not the only one in Omaha who feels the same. Check out Sevendust's latest album Truth Killer today!
Finally it was time for the last headliner the evil disco maestros Static-X! Before the band came out this robot guy with a giant sphere head came out to spooky Tim Burton music. As he stood at the front of the stage it looked like it was snowing as little bubbles started flowing from the sphere almost like an evil snow globe. The band stepped out with their mysterious lead singer dubbed "Xero". With eyes glowing red and a giant frock of twisted wires for hair (in memory of the late Static-X singer Wayne Static's giant hair) Xero kicked off the set with "Hollow" from the Project Regeneration Vol. 1 release. The album was a labor of love which found the band spending hundreds of hours piecing together found vocals from Wayne and earlier works to create something new.
Static-X has since reunited with original members Tony Campos on bass, guitarist/programmer Koichi Fukada and original drummer Ken Jay to much fanfare. Their last couple tours have seen them packing small clubs and theaters all across the U.S. Thursday's show at the Steelhouse was no exception with several thousand in attendance. It helps that the package of Sevendust, Dope, and Lines of Loyalty is a good one, but Static-X has proven they still have a lot of staying power in the metal genre.
The band focused on many songs from their debut album which was an absolute smash in the 2000s, Wisconsin Death Trip. For a short time we were transported to those days of Ozzfest and Headbanger's Ball and it was glorious. Of course the band played lots of other hits including "Black and White", "Cold", and my personal favorite "Get To The Gone".
If you get the chance to catch Static-X on their next tour I highly recommend it. We'll see you at the next one!
A huge thanks to Steelhouse Omaha and Static-X management for photo access.
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