Tonight at LA’s Belasco Theater, Skinny Puppy celebrates the 61st birthday of frontman Nivek Ogre and the end of their final tour. Hailing from Canada, Skinny Puppy is known for their shocking theatrics and intricately grotesque costumes, and this performance was no exception. At a recent soundcheck, Ogre addressed the current stage show being less bloody and violent than that of the past since, fortunately, he is no longer the same person he was 40 years ago. He made it clear that they wanted their last tour to be an authentic representation of their current selves rather than forcing a more violent (and possibly dangerous) performance in fear of what a few disappointed fans might say. On this tour, Ogre portrays an alien who represents “the other” onto whom we as a modern society project our fears and often utilize as a justification for violence and hatred.
The show began with a silhouetted Ogre writhing mysteriously behind a curtain then eventually emerging wearing a full alien head prosthetic shrouded by a long dark hood, black leather gloves, and of course, his iconic knee pads. As the night progressed, the alien was presented with an alien baby who had matching glowing eyes and dripped an unknown liquid as it was held above the alien’s head. We were later informed by Ogre that, “it’s a girl!” Throughout the performance, the alien was beaten with a pole, had the brain removed from his head, and had his throat slit as he spewed neon green goo all over the puppy statue at the edge of the stage, all while a group of scientists observed and took notes. At the Belasco show, there were less than five phones in the air at a time, max. It was extremely refreshing to see an audience enjoying the performance in all its gory glory by busting out their best 80s goth dance moves and singing along to their favorite Skinny Puppy hits like “Assimilate” and “Worlock.” At the end of the night, an unmasked Ogre took the stage to thank the crowd for sticking with them for so many years and mentioned that with the support of his fans he feels like a much better person than he once was. Some fans are hopeful this won’t truly be the final tour for Skinny Puppy, but many others aren’t so sure they’ll have another chance to see them and feel grateful to have sent the band off on such a high note.
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