Jack Gibson of Exodus performs on Halloween at the Complex. Photo by Madi Smith.
(L–R) Steve “Zetro” Souza and Kragen Lum deliver an energetic performance opening for King Diamond. Photo by Madi Smith.
Zetro demands more moshing. Photo by Madi Smith.
A fan headbangs during Exodus’ set. Photo by Madi Smith.
Exodus’ Tom Hunting wails on his drums while wearing pigtails. Photo by Madi Smith.
Lum furiously bangs his head during Exodus’ set. Photo by Madi Smith.
Zetro converses with the crowd. Photo by Madi Smith.
Gibson plays a five-string bass at the Complex. Photo by Madi Smith.
Exodus’ massive crowd at the Complex filled in toward the end of their set. Photo by Madi Smith.
Fans wait for King Diamond to take the stage. Photo by Madi Smith.
(L–R) Grandma and King Diamond roll onto the stage during “Out From the Asylum.” Photo by Madi Smith.
(L–R) Mike Wead and Andy LaRocque join forces onstage Halloween night. Photo by Madi Smith.
Grandma poses as King Diamond performs “Welcome Home.” Photo by Madi Smith.
(L–R) Wead and Pontus Egberg stand still for a moment. Photo by Madi Smith.
Egberg stands in front of one of the many strobe lights in King’s stage show. Photo by Madi Smith.
Wead gets into a ripping solo. Photo by Madi Smith.
(L–R) Egberg stands beside King Diamond during a guitar solo. Photo by Madi Smith.
King Diamond elicits cheers from the crowd. Photo by Madi Smith.
King Diamond throws metal horns to the audience. Photo by Madi Smith.
LaRocque jams out at the Complex. Photo by Madi Smith.
King Diamond unleashes his falsetto. Photo by Madi Smith.
LaRocque looks down his fret board. Photo by Madi Smith.
King Diamond points out to the crowd. Photo by Madi Smith.
Wead bangs his head as he tears up his fret board. Photo by Madi Smith.
Wead looks to the audience. Photo by Madi Smith.
Fans hold their horns high as King Diamond covers Mercyful Fate. Photo by Madi Smith.
King Diamond performs “Melissa.” Photo by Madi Smith.
Two crowd surfers reach for each other’s hands during King Diamond’s set. Photo by Madi Smith.
King Diamond’s elaborate performance made this an unforgettable Halloween. Photo by Madi Smith.
Ariana Pinedo dresses as Iron Maiden’s Trooper. Photo by Madi Smith.
King Diamond performing at the Complex on October 31 made for an unforgettable Halloween. Exodus took the stage guns blazing and their unfaltering amounts of energy infected the audience. Steve “Zetro” Souza demanded multiple mosh pits and toward the end of Exodus’ performance, the pit was the largest I had ever seen. Not only that it was probably the most comical mosh pit with a giant banana slamming in to other costumed bodies and a wall of death. Exodus sounded great save for the Complex’s usual kick drum-heavy sound mix washing out some of the guitars. The band had the crowd in a frenzy and heightened the anticipation for King Diamond.
King rolled Grandma on-stage in her wheelchair as “Out From the Asylum” erupted from the speakers. For a brief moment I expected a show similar to that of King Diamond’s last Salt Lake City stop in October 2014, but I was quickly proven wrong. The stage setup was the same save for the gates that were present at the beginning of his 2014 set but he used different theatrics including pulling a doll out of Abigail’s coffin and a performer acting out the songs as Abigail. They played a different array of songs this time around from the albums Them, The Eye, Fatal Portrait and even some Mercyful Fate covers. King Diamond performed “Halloween” as well as Abigail in its entirety. His falsetto sounded a little tired, but his performance was nonetheless spectacular. Crowd surfers were abundant, partial thanks to Santa catapulting people onto the heads and necks of those around. There were fewer costumes than I had expected, but I saw King Diamond’s face paint nearly everywhere. I do not know how Salt Lake City lucked out on hosting King Diamond on Halloween, but it was the best Halloween I have had.
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