Mockstrocity Tour 2017 – First Avenue

Maybe rock has found it’s new movement. Mock-N-Roll. The Mockstrocity 2017 Tour features parody tribute bands. The Black Sabbath meets McDonalds Mac Sabbath. Nedal-core band Okilly Dokilly in which the members portray the wardrobe of Homer Simpson‘s neighbor Ned Flanders and Metalachi. Which of course is a mariachi band performing mostly metal songs. And for those of us in Minneapolis were given a special treat being that it was the only stop to also feature Metallagher, a Metallica cover band that tells horrible jokes between songs and smashes melons and such.

Metallagher took the stage first. They pull off the music of Metallica tribute quite believably. Less effort is given to the Gallagher half of Metallagher. Which is by design. They smash plenty of stuff with a mallet but the over the top Gallagher impersonation is more enjoyable than the actual Gallaghers act. It may be the ‘mockiest’ the evening got. I didn’t feel a lot of respect for Gallagher in their act. They got political at one point as Donald Trump and Hulk Hogan made out. Then lead singer Gallagher Hetfield smashed a half gallon of salsa on the crowd. Metallagher has my official seal of approval.

Bring on Okily Dokily and their green sweaters and glasses. At first glance, I thought Okilly Dokilly was a long way to go to use the pun “Nedal Music”. But seeing Ned Flanders slam dance with himself can have a calming effect. Okilly Dokilly has the benefit of featuring mostly original compositions with lyrics and subject matter that revolves around Ned Flanders quotes. But that’s not to say their music is good because saying it was bad would undersell it. But music is not the main course for Okilly Dokilly. It’s not even the appetizer or desert. It’s the tablecloth on the table the main course is served on. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy them. There is a hypnotic quality to their live performance. They way they refer to the audience as ‘neighboreenos”. You start to believe you are seeing the real Ned Flanders. Five of him in fact.

It’s hard to find factual info on Metalachi but suffice it to say they’ve been around a while. I believe at least a decade. As with all of the evening’s artists, this would be my first Metalchi show. And they were great. Marchi-ing their way through songs like Megadeth‘s “Symphony Of Destruction”, Guns N’ Roses‘ “Welcome to the Jungle” and even the show closer, Slayer‘s “Reign in Blood” had most of the crowd singing along all night. Violinist “Queen” Kyla Vera played a medley of Van Halen‘s “Eruption”, Metallica‘s “Master of Puppets” and “Enter Sandman” among others. And you haven’t lived until you’ve heard a mariachi version of classic Anthrax song “Caught in a Mosh”.

The Grand Mac Daddy of the evening was Mac Sabbath. The music of Black Sabbath with lyrics filled with cheesy fast-food satire. With a giant burger-headed guitarist, big purple Grimace on bass and of course lead singer Ronald Osbourne with his giant clown shoes and for some reason a charcoal grill full of rib patties, Mac Sabbath is a sight to take in. But I wasn’t quite sure how I should be taking them. Right around the time it was clear that they were careful not to use the names of any actual McDonald’s menu offerings I started to feel this was at least in a small way impudent of the importance of Black Sabbath.

That’s not to say they are intentionally disrespectful. More like an inappropriate comment at a dinner party. It’s likely no one will bother to say anything. Peculiar that a band blatantly steals the imagery of both the burger chain McDonalds and metal band Black Sabbath so perfectly gratuitous, were afraid of the legal ramifications of saying “Shamrock Shake” over a concert PA. The band was good. But when it came to lead singer Ronald Osbourne, like McDonalds, he didn’t deliver. His stage moves seemed solid but when he spoke to crowd I got the feeling he’s never heard Ozzy speak. His fake cockney came across more like Johnny Rotten than Ozzy. But this is Mock-music. You don’t go to a show like to hear the music as much as you do to see the band. Mac Sabbath is fun. But their bit wore thin quicker than the other acts.

I really hope Mock -N- Roll isn’t the future of rock as we know it. But I hope it sticks around. All of these bands offered a fun evening. Which I’m sure the near sold out crowd in Minneapolis would confirm. The Mockstrocity 2017 Tour runs through April 8th. Dates are below.