A historical Detroit stage catches fire as guitar amplifiers explode during a blazing performance by Wednesday 13 at Saint Andrew’s Hall!
When Wednesday 13 comes slinking into town, you don’t just attend the show… you survive it! This is not a band that you politely watch with arms crossed and a $14 beer clutched nervously in hand. No sir-ee, this is a full-contact evening of sleaze, snarls, sing-alongs, and oh so glorious profanity. On this particular night, the bowels of Detroit’s historic St. Andrew’s Hall became ground zero for a horror-punk revival, with Wednesday 13 acting as both the ringmaster and the diabolical, mad preacher. The crowd arrives early, dressed appropriately for the occasion… black tees, leather jackets, corpse-style facial paint, and that unmistakable look of those who know they’re about to yell obscenities in choir-like unison with complete strangers. St. Andrew’s, already legendary for its low ceilings and intimate brutality, feels like the perfect vessel for what’s about to unfold.
Time check… 6:50PM and the house lights finally dim, as the roar of the crowd explodes with anticipatory energies. There’s no easing into tonight’s skullduggery. Wednesday 13 hits the stage… and they hit it HARD as they immediately tear into “When the Devil Commands.” Strutting across the stage like a devilish druid of doom, W13 has just marked his territory. The hypnotized cult-like crowd reacts immediately with hands in the air, bodies pressing forward, and voices chanting along with their leader. Wednesday prowls the stage like an urban cheetah… his contagious energies bolting through the audience like auditory lighting burning the earwax from their unwashed noggins. Without hesitation, the band launches into “Rotting Away,” and St. Andrew’s transforms into a boiling cauldron of motion. Heads bang, boots stomp, and the pit churns… reminding everyone that horror-punk is not only a workout but an ass-slapping good time! Wednesday’s voice cuts through the mix with that familiar snarl… equal parts punk grit and B-movie villain charisma.
Things get delightfully dicey when the Frankenstein Drag Queens From Planet 13 cover “197666” rips into those eardrums. Next up and keeping things spicy, they launch into the grinder “In Misery,” a track that feels tailor-made for this packed house of Detroiters. Wednesday works the front row, leaning in close, locking eyes… and pointing. This is where the show stops being a performance and becomes a deeply cerebral experience… complete with all the trimmings of your greatest nightmares! A wave of cheers greets the Murderdolls’ cover, “Summertime Suicide,” as fans sing along like a crew of angry, drunken sailors. It’s loud, it’s messy, and it’s exactly what this crowd came for.
Mid-set, the mood shifts and gears change as they serve a spooky slice of “Haunt Me,” along with an extra sinister version of “I Walked With a Zombie.” As the night grinds forward, “Bad Things” hits with a raw urgency that sends the pit back into overdrive. Sweaty heads banging, sending little droplets of sweat hurling through fellow spectators… This band is tight, they are LOUD, and they are locked in like a grinding chainsaw ripping a ghoulish groove right through the souls of St. Andrews Hall… Proof positive that this type of authenticity isn’t just some nostalgia act going through the motions. This is a group that still loves doing exactly this.
And then………. just when the crowd thinks they’ve hit the peak summit, Wednesday 13 drops the closer everyone’s been waiting for, that camp-fire sing along classic “I Love to Say F**k!,” another Drag Queens classic, that absolutely detonates the room. The entire hall becomes a profanity-fueled choir, screaming the chorus back with drunken, gleeful, and chaotic abandon. It’s crude, it’s hilarious, and it’s strangely cathartic. If there’s a better way to end a horror-punk show, no one in this room knows it. As the final notes ring out and the band takes their bows, the aftermath settles in.
The lights come up slowly, revealing a room full of smiling, exhausted faces. Shirts are soaked, voices are shredded, and nobody looks disappointed. In a city like Detroit, where authenticity matters and audiences can smell bullsh*t from a mile away, this kind of performance carries weight. Wednesday 13 delivered a set that honored his roots, celebrated his catalog, and gave fans exactly what they came for… loud music, dark humor, and a sense of cult-like community wrapped in horror-punk theatrics. St. Andrew’s Hall proved once again why it remains one of the city’s most beloved venues, and Wednesday 13 proved he’s still one of the genre’s most reliable and entertaining figures with no gimmicks, no filler—just balls to the wall sweaty and glorious chaos!
Wednesday 13 is a Loud Hailer-recommended concert experience that will leave you with the most glorious nightmares of a lifetime! Be sure to check the band’s official website for concert dates, news, and current events.
Horns up and stay creepy!
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