Misfits rise from the dead at Riot Fest

After 33 years, the horror punk band the Misfits reunited at Denver’s Riot Fest and Rodeo Sunday to the delight of a packed crowd. Original members Glenn Danzig (vocals), Jerry Only (bass) and Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein (guitar) were joined on stage by former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo and a second guitarist, Acey Slade, from Joan Jett’s band, The Blackhearts. Hundreds of fans staked out spots at the front of the stage, waiting for hours through other bands’ performances to ensure a prime spot for this bit of punk rock history. Brothers Doyle and Only sported their trademark “devilocks” along with ghostly white face paint and buffed physics that only come from hours in the gym. The stage was flanked by two, 10-foot-tall jack-o-lanterns and dozens of the band’s trademark skull images were everywhere. Danzig put the 25-song set list together, which included lots of early songs (“138,” “Horror Business,” “Bullet” and “Night of the Living Dead”) and others from recent years. The audience sang and/or shouted along to virtually every song and did their best to create a mosh pit amid the crush of bodies pushed against the barriers at the front of the stage. More than half a dozen people — women mostly — were carried through or over the crowd after suffering from dehydration and the crush of the fans. The Misfits are slated to play a second show at the Riot Fest in Chicago on Sept. 18.

The original Misfits — from left: Glenn Danzig (vocals), Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein (guitar) and Jerry Only (bass) — played to a packed house Sunday night at Riot Fest in Denver.