Stabbing Westward at The Regent – Review and Live Photos

Stabbing Westward, The Regent, October 13, 2018

“There are times when I’m just a shell.” This is how I felt when Stabbing Westward disappeared from the industrial scene, and dissolved as a band. This is a band that meant so much to me, so I was thrilled when they started touring again last year after playing a few scattered one-off dates, and it seems so was everyone else. This year is a special year for the band; it marks 20 years since the release of Darkest Days! This album hit the industrial rock scene with such force, that even people who weren’t a part of the scene knew who Stabbing Westward was.

I had the pleasure of joining them at their show in Los Angeles at The Regent, and it was a night for the books. To celebrate the 20 year anniversary, the band is playing Darkest Days in its entirety, along with a few surprises added to the set that you won’t want to miss on this tour! Christopher Hall is still able to capture the crowd’s full attention and adoration with his voice and ability to banter with the crowd in between the songs. I still chuckle at Hall last year addressing the ghost of Star Theater in Portland, Oregon. Hall later explained to me previous trip to the venue and the odd things that would happen to their equipment.

The set is around an hour long, but seems to go by in an instant. The crowd at The Regent was packed in, hands in the air, and singing all the lyrics. As I said earlier the band plays the album in its entirety, so expect some favorites such as Haunting Me, Sometimes it Hurts, Shame, and of course Save Yourself. It was odd hearing the band play Save Yourself so early in the set, since it is normally the closing song, even the band commented how off it feels, but it makes them keep their energy up knowing that their most known song has already been played.

This tour is off to a great start, and is one of my must see shows of 2018. The current line up consists of Christopher Hall (vocals), Walter Flakus (keys and second guitar), Marcus Eliopulos (lead guitar), Carlton Bost (bass), and Bobby Amaro (drums). Catch them at one of the following dates!

11/02 Turtle Lake, WI St Croix Casino
11/03 Chicago, IL House of Blues
11/16 Billings, MT Pub Station Ballroom
11/17 Denver, CO Summit Music Hall
12/14 Oklahoma City, OK Diamond Ballroom
12/15 Dallas, TX Gas Monkey Bar & Grill
12/16 Houston, TX Scout Bar

(Review and Photo by Erica Vincent)

CHECK OUT THE STABBING WESTWARD PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE REGENT BY ERICA VINCENT HERE!

Stabbing Westward on FACEBOOK