Some people go to Gwar shows for the music. Some people go for the atmosphere. And some people go for the visuals, which are consistently bonkers. The long-running heavy metal band leans into the surreal and gory for its live shows: donning grotesque costumes, recreating graphic violence, and covering crowds in all manner of viscera as the musicians shout, scream, and snarl their way through shock rock staples. 

Yes, OG lead guitarist Oderus Urungus (Dave Brockie) died in 2014, leaving no original members of the band that began in 1984; but Gwar is an experience. We don’t need to know who’s behind the masks to trust that Balsac the Jaws of Death and Sawborg Destructo are going to take us to a planet of ultra-violent mayhem. 

Photographer Tom Paillé was on the scene at the Vogue Theatre on March 20 to capture the carnival of chaos up close and personal.