Static-X: Wisconsin Death Trip 20th @ The Intersection

Fans of Static-X gathered last night at the Intersection in Grand Rapids Michigan for the 20th Anniversary of the album Wisconsin Death Trip and memorial tribute to Wayne Static.

I will first start with saying I'm a huge fan of Static-X ever since I heard "Push It" for the first time and the album Wisconsin Death Trip is one of my go to favorites to put on shuffle.

I had mixed emotions about this whole idea of someone wearing a mask with hair to look like the late Wayne Static and perform songs that Static was the mastermind behind. I will say after seeing the show, it really was more of a tribute and a celebration of Static's work than someone trying to replace the irreplaceable.

Wayne Static's family was in attendance and there was a portion of the show where Static-X bassist Tony Compos acknowledged the family and had their blessing to do the tribute. Compos became very emotional at one point and that is when Xero (the guy singing the songs) embraced Compos and everyone in the room felt the emotion being sent out.

The were several video moments throughout the set that paid tribute to Wayne and I thought the whole band did a great job making the show about him and his music and not a cash grab like many of the critics have claimed.

Aside from all that, it was really nice to hear the Wisconsin Death Trip album done live with several other Static classics mixed in all the way. Although the singer named Xero (rumored to be Edsel from Dope) was definitely no Wayne Static, he did a good job honoring the memory of what Static fans loved about Wayne all throughout his career and kept "Evil Disco" alive one more time.

I thought Static-X, which featured the original lineup of Tony Compos on bass, Koichi Fukuda on guitar and Ken Jay on drums, picked a great set list to honor the catalog of Wayne's music.

Here is the setlist, in order, that was performed at the Intersection Tuesday night:

Bled for Days, Wisconsin Death Trip, Fix, Sweat of the Bud, Love Dump, I Am, Otsegolation, The Trance Is The Motion, Bien Venidos, Get to the Gone, Black and White, This is Not, Detroy All, Start a War, Behemoth, Cold, I'm With Stupid and lastly Push It.

I'm glad I saw the show or I may have wound up being one of the people thinking the show was a cash grab. It really was a nice tribute and it was great to hear some of my most favorite songs performed live one more time.

Rest in Peace Wayne Static - 1965 - 2014