There’s been a lot of worry lately among heavy metal oldheads about what the future of this genre will be. As legacy bands hang it up and the audience changes (aka gets old as fuck), who’s going to be carrying the torch forward? Well, it turns out we don’t have too much to worry about, since apparently youths are showing up to fuckin’ Obituary shows.
Turns out the kids are all right. During a recent interview with the Australian podcast Everblack (as transcribed by Blabbermouth), Obituary frontman John Tardy said the band’s fanbase has grown in recent years as younger metal fans find out about their tunes.
“Dude, there has been more young kids and more girls than I can ever remember at an Obituary show. I mean, it was a long-running joke of just nothing but guys at heavy metal shows. But now all those guys are married and they’ve got kids, and all those kids are showing up. But also just the influx of girls that have been showing up, it’s just been awesome.
“Our shows have had a great array of people showing up, and it’s been awesome. I mean, you can’t just show up to the same old people every time and think that your fanbase is going to grow without younger kids showing up. So, it’s really cool to see these young kids and just to see them and their ‘Slowly We Rot’ stuff and they know the old music. Some dads have been doing a good job. [Laughs]”
It should go without saying that anything with an aging fan base that doesn’t get replenished by new blood ain’t long for this world. So hearing Tardy’s words about the state of Obituary gigs is heartening. Looking back on some of the shows I attended over the summer, it’s obvious metal’s in a healthy spot right now, thanks in part to the legacy acts but also to bands like Sleep Token and Ghost acting as gateway bands.
Obviously, bringing new people into the fold is a good thing. Enough young fans come on board and maybe festival organizers will begin putting newer bands higher up on the bill. That sort of thing can be a lifesaver in this industry for some bands. And that’s exactly what Tardy said, saying the new fans are “so vital just for the whole scene. It needs that to survive.”
“So it’s really good to see. And we’ve been real fortunate. We’ve just been really lucky with the new record. It’s done really well. It’s opened a lot of cool doors for us. We’re getting a lot of big tours. The Amon Amarth and Cannibal Corpse tour [of North America for 2024] just got announced. But we’ve been just getting lots of good offers, lots of good spots on festivals and things like that. And it’s just a good feeling. It really lets you have fun with what you’re doing, for sure.”
If you’re a younger fan and want to catch a great show, Obituary will be touring with Amon Amarth, Cannibal Corpse, and Frozen Soul. You can find the full list of dates below.
AMON AMARTH: Metal Crushes All Tour 2024 w/ Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, Frozen Soul:
4/21/2024 Revel Entertainment Center – Albuquerque, NM
4/22/2024 Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Denver, CO
4/24/2024 The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
4/26/2024 Alaska Airlines’ Theater Of The Clouds – Portland, OR *
4/27/2024 PNE Forum – Vancouver, BC *
4/29/2024 Edmonton Convention Center – Edmonton, AB
4/30/2024 Grey Eagle Event Center – Calgary, AB
5/03/2024 Steelhouse – Omaha, NE
5/04/2024 The Sylvee – Madison, WI
5/05/2024 GLC Live At 20 Monroe – Grand Rapids, MI
5/07/2024 Rose Music Center At The Heights – Huber Heights, OH
5/09/2024 The Wellmont – Montclair, NJ
5/10/2024 Toyota Oakdale Theater – Wallingford, CT
5/11/2024 Videotron Centre – Quebec City, QC *
5/13/2024 The Fillmore Philadelphia – Philadelphia, PA
5/14/2024 The Fillmore Silver Spring – Silver Spring, MD
5/16/2024 ExploreAsheville.com Arena – Asheville, NC *
5/17/2024 House Of Blues – Myrtle Beach, SC
5/18/2024 Yuengling Center – Tampa, FL *
5/20/2024 Bayou Music Center – Houston, TX
5/21/2024 Boeing Center At Tech Port – San Antonio, TX
5/23/2024 Arizona Financial Theatre – Phoenix, AZ
5/24/2024 Pearl Concert Theater At Palms Casino Resort – Las Vegas, NV
5/25/2024 Honda Center – Anaheim, CA *
* arena show
