Psychostick beats up Indy\’s Emerson Theater

by Reggie Edwards Alright metal fans, it’s time for another tour from the world’s most metal band ever- Psychostick. This time around their tour will beat up YOUR tour and they have Polkadot Cadaver and Downtown Brown to help them prove it to all the naysayers. March 28^th’s stop at Indianapolis’ Emerson Theater was no different. In fact, it pretty much said everything that needs to be said about the tour- everyone in the crowd was beaten up by the end of the night- and Psychostick didn’t even lay a hand on them- that’s just how metal they are- they can destroy you without touching you. After some very impressive sets from local bands Central State Epidemic, Bizarre Noir and Phunkbot, it was time for Downtown Brown to take the stage. These guys can rock a crowd like none other. They played an outstanding set of punk-infused metal that couldn’t help but make people dance throughout the night. Downtown Brown told the crowd they were super gay because they were super happy to be there that night- and told the crowd to jump if they were gay too. Needless to say, everyone in the crowd was gay- super, super gay. They even made a point to remind the crowd of the inevitable- smart phones are the first stage in Terminator 2: Judgement Day becoming a complete and utter reality- and we all know it’s going to happen, too! Next up was Polkadot Cadaver, who had unarguably the craziest pit of the night. Coming out with a completely balls-to-the-wall set of funk-meets-polka-meets METAL, the crowd immediately started pushing from every direction, stage rushing, circle pitting, dance pitting, waltzing, punching, and more. I mean, I got punched in the side and back of the head multiple times- it was epic. Guitarist Jasan Stepp spent a lot of time with the crowd- no, not on the edge of the stage- we’re talking in the crowd, which I usually tend to be skeptical and critical of, but it really worked! Not to mention the hugs, head pats and more they did with the crowd- which I was a part of all of it- hugs and headpats included. After the crowd had all-but-torn each other apart and then shook hands and commended each other on their moshing, it was time for the headliners- the most metal band in the world- Psychostick, who is actually too metal– yes, it’s possible. Besides their newer songs from Space Vampires vs. Zombie Dinosaurs in 3D, they pulled out a repertoire of older songs that would make a longtime Psychostick fan poo- which everyone who sees this tour will do. “Vah Jay Jay,” “Two-Ton Paperweight,” “Orgasm=Love,” “Scrotal Torment” and “I HATE Doing Laundry” were all in the setlist this time around with the band adding verses to “I HATE Doing Laundry” where they talk about things they hate on that night- tonight one included the Harlem Shake- metal style- take that, internet! There was, of course, the silent breakdown of air instruments courtesy of the band, the world famous “Sombrero Incident-“ the band gives a sombrero to a random member of the crowd and tells everyone else to get the sombrero from “the motherfucker with the sombrero!” By the end of the song the sombrero was in pieces- it doesn’t get any more metal than that. It wouldn’t be a Psychostick show without props either and this night was no exception- with a dentist using a giant toothbrush/drill on the band members and crowd, a guy dressed as the Psychostick logo- a psycho stick (boo yah) and socks flying around the pit during their rendition of their internet sensation, “Dogs Like Socks.” This was by far the best Psychostick show I’ve seen yet- the band sounded better than ever, they played an impressive combo of old and new material, the crowd was insane and the venue was great, not to mention the metal encore of \”Hokey Fucking Pokey.\” If you want a metal tour from a metal band, Psychostick is the way to go. You will not be disappointed.