Corrosion of Conformity in Omaha, Nebraska on January 2, 2018.
Corrosion of Conformity is one of those bands that I don’t get tired of listening to. This was my third time with Pepper, Woody, Mike, and Reed. They were on tour supporting their record “No Cross, No Crown” that was released by Nuclear Blast on January 12th. Naturally, I am most interested in the first three songs in a set because most of the time those are the songs I listen to most intently because I am right there in front of them. These three were “Bottom Feeder” from 1996’s “Wiseblood”, “The Luddite” from “No Cross, No Crown” and “Seven Days” from “Deliverance” in 1994.
I had the fortune of finding a promo photo of Corrosion of Conformity from 1994 and the band signed it for me. It is also the first time I met Pepper Keenan. Which, suprisingly, I did not turn into a demonic fanboy.
Along with the release of “No Cross, No Crown”, Corrosion of Conformity released “The Luddite” video.
EyeHateGod was on tour with Corrosion of Conformity. I had not listened to their music until the night of this show. It was good, but I did not have high expectations. They were good entertainers with guitarist Jimmy Bower being the centerpiece for me. He laid down some super heavy riffs. Gary Mader on bass was a good, heavy bass playing machine. I am not sure about the entertainment provided by frontman Mike IX Williams. I know that he had a pretty intense liver issue that had to be fixed. But, there was something about him that was off. I can’t put my finger on it, nor will I speculate here. I can say that it was one of the few times that I felt that my physical safety was in danger as a photographer in a pit. He held on to his mic stand as if it was supporting him and he wavered when not holding it. I don’t know. It just seemed off. Anyway, I was able to pull of some pretty good shots of their set, but I wasn’t 100% in love with their music.
Photos courtesy of Winsel Photography in Omaha, Nebraska. ©2017.
