Wednesday 13 Brought Mid Death Crises to Columbus
On Friday, April 25 the brooding ghouls of Wednesday 13 brought the There’s No Such Thing As Monsters Tour to The King of Clubs in Columbus, OH. Supporting their brand new record, Mid Death Crisis which was actually released that day, so the new graveyard classics in the making couldn’t of been more fresh or more decayed depending on perspective. Ohio was part of over 35 dates spreading the new necro-news across the country. Wednesday’s morgue fresh opus is 12 fresh cuts of tunes shaped to forensic perfection with a few questionable bloodstains for the coroners curiosity. With themes about bad past relationships, church traumatization and keeping your inner teen rebel alive, every show was a chance to spread the 2025 gospel and celebrate the Murderdolls music and memory.
Wednesday might be starting to get up there though not knocking back on the grave quite yet. He’s got more PMRC era parents to piss off, especially with some of the new tunes which found them performing and shooting in a church and a classic B-movie graveyard. He’s never shied away from the dead but has always been smart enough to stay away from books wrapped in ancient cloth and barbed wire.
Along for the wicked ride, came I Ya Toyah, opening the show with her solo sorcery. The Dead Rabbitts brought masked mystery and a creepy critter vibe, while direct support Stitched Up Heart spent each show in the company of wolves leaving Wednesday to dig up or bury the rest. Columbus was a little past mid-tour but the performers showed no signs of road fatigue, jamming like it was opening night and all stage clothes were fresh. Whether Wednesday cools them down in the earth and exhumes for another show isn’t known, he looked perfectly post-mortem up close.
The Polish born, Chicago based enigma started the evening ignition with “I Am The Fire,” bringing her version of what’s between peace and anarchy. Good thing the grenade on her mic was never used. With a spiked mohawk and futuristic, sci-fi attire, she resembled a modern-morf of Wendy O’ Williams and Annie Lennox. The one woman band/stage vixen took to the podium fast, guitar in hand. Face, skin and outfit radiated in the spotlights, slowly seducing curious faces, one fan and phone at a time with a little punk and a little Mad Max.
Performing with confidence and the mysterious, somewhat alarming allure of a siren sizing up her prey, she broke into the frantic, industrial vibe of “Vast Spaces.” “Denial” brought together pieces of a dramatic dancing puzzle. She performed with a cool calm saying, she had no issue or problem winning over crowds and inspiring Google searches as the smoke and lights worked over her, in her favor.
“Pray” brought out the pharma-fear with lyric/visual themes of overdose as she’s very active in suicide prevention education and mental illness awareness. Depeche Mode got some love on “Its No Good.”
She finished with the spiked incision of “Panic Room.” Vocals are clean and mostly calm while exuding a certain flair or nod to the ’80s and artists of the era, just being in her presence asks the question, who is this spiked Svengali?
Bringing new meaning to, kill the rabbit, Escape The Fate’s Craig Mabbitt brought forth his masked metalcore side-creation ears cocked, ready to slam. Imagine every scary bunny pic you’ve ever Googled or seen in a movie and it’s instantly in front of you screaming and crashing eardrums. Elmer Fudd would’ve ran petrified. They had such sights to show Columbus and every city they’ve played for starting with “Raisehell.exe.” Judging by the video, it could be their “Bloodline.” They take their chains, gelatin, fake blood and hellraising seriously.
They managed to make Cadbury, creepy in four different nightmare’ish versions. You didn’t want to hunt down these eggs, they’d be “Dead by Daylight.” “Artificial Gods” bitch slapped the cyber world and digital dogmas.
Masked bands often have a built-in mystique and given stereotype, though Mabbitt’s taken a generally cute creature, turning it into a fairly twisted concept with stranger than expected video imagery and often clean vocals including “Mistake.”
“Dead Again” spewed out a creepy nursery rhyme into aggressive and clean vocals.
The inferno raged out of “Hellscape” flame-licking lyrics and performance with Stitched Up Heart’s Alecia ‘Mixi’ Demner making an early appearance for an end of set duet. The fans needed “Oxygen” after seeing her, first sight with a hint of what was to quickly come. “Deer In The Headlights” finished the rabbitts ritual.
They’re a strangely brewed balance of metal, screaming, creepy horror movie imagery, clean vocals and desecration of every Easter Basket ever filled.
Looking like a demented Snow White, not to be messed with Mixi reemerged with Mabbit out for an opening duet, ears off. She showed her teeth “To The Wolves,” with a beautiful signaled snarl to not mess with the matriarch of the pack. The wolves howled throughout the set, stalking prey, circling stage with predatory eyes. Not too mention a truly unique logo branded in pink death metal font.
“Possess Me” was the first enchantment, converting new children of the night to her den. Guitars and drums bringing headbanging rapture. Backroom diabolic diabolus came out for all to see exposing “My Demon.”
Whether you’re still down with the sickness, still so sick, or just plain “Sic,” they’ll still doing their best to spread the disease in the “Sick Sick Sick” way possible. Like the story within a tattoo “The Architect” continued building the live and recorded narrative.
Going back 10 years or so, “Catch Me When I Fall” took shine from the glowing crystal ball and ascension from personal defeats. “Conquer and Divide” buried them in smoke and shadow. A little strategic blood-spray never hurt anyone.
“Immortal” signaled the last feeding of the wolves. After a few moshpits, some in the crowd were ready for attack. They finished shredding skin old-school with the sweet inner chains of “Monster.”
Wednesday gave Transylvania Hollywood lots of time and deep cut love. It was a freaky Friday night in Columbus, the cats staggering Vampire bit and Oh my God, “Look What The Bats Dragged In.” “197666” brought the Murderdolls back from the graver side of Planet 13.
Wednesday informed everyone in the nicest possible way, “I Want You… Dead” It was officially time for the evening’s Mid Death Crisis to begin. The demon bells of the church rang as the dark one commanded. It was the 2025 version of the Satanic Panic and every kid that was force-fed church could relate. Though if the confessional had been full of semi-naked dancers and a stripper pole nearby for good use, mass would’ve been standing room only every weekend.
“God Is A Lie” continued the vintage coffin shine on stage. The skeletons danced and jangled “From Here To the Hearse.” 90210 continued digging the Hollywood plot as the crematory organ sang and the spirit of Vincent Price still wandered, waywardly, cooking up a storm.
Things got raunchier, faster pussycat style, offering “No Apologies,” with a First Blood scratch and shoot out from “Rambo.” After all, all he wanted was something to eat. Considered classic cinema by most, “House By The Cemetery” creaked open a haunted hello from 1981with a residence that’s still a horror fan trek by many.
“In Misery” brought back the vintage B&W schlock banter, screaming about the relationship or two, we all wish we could shovel six feet under in unholy earth. Though Vampira would’ve made any broken hearted, haunted healing ghoul feel better.
Fans popped and cheered for “I Walked With A Zombie” and “Slit My Wrists.” Wednesday said don’t take this personally but he wanted Very “Bad Things” to happen to everyone there. “Dead in Hollywood” signaled the end of the night with Wednesday possibly being the only musician to use an umbrella onstage, indoors. Though it was possible defense to all the F-bombs loudly dropped every show. Your never too old to say, Fuck.
Whether you broke your Wednesday 13 cherry that night or was a devoted fan/worshipper, their show is a visual, audio stickered middle finger saying Fuck Parental Advisory.
Images & Words – Mike Ritchie
I Ya Toyah- https://www.iyatoyah.com
Dead Rabbitts – www.deadrabbitts.com
Stitched Up Heart – https://stitchedupheart.org
Wednesday 13 – https://officialwednesday13.com