STATIC-X kicked off its reunion tour Tuesday night (June 18) in Tempe, Arizona. The North American trek, which celebrates the 20th anniversary of STATIC-X‘s platinum-certified “Wisconsin Death Trip” album and pays homage to late STATIC-X frontman Wayne Static, features co-headliner DEVILDRIVER and support from DOPE.
Fan-filmed video footage of the Tempe concert can be seen above.
While the identity of STATIC-X‘s touring singer has not been officially revealed, strong rumors suggest that DOPE frontman Edsel Dope is pulling double duty during the trek and performing with drummer Ken Jay, guitarist Koichi Fukuda and bassist Tony Campos.
Two months ago, Jay, Fukuda and Campos released a statement in which they addressed the criticism they received from some STATIC-X fans who were seemingly offended by what they perceived to be a cheap attempt to present the band’s new singer as a pale imitation of Wayne.
They wrote: “The search for a touring vocalist for STATIC-X was not an easy one. First, we wanted to keep the continuity that STATIC-X has always had on stage. It has always been four guys. Drummer, guitarist, bassist and a singer who also plays guitar. In addition, we wanted to select someone that we had familiarity with. Someone who knew us and someone who knew Wayne and someone who had a connection to our community. Someone who would take this personally, because this is very personal to all of us.
“Once we found our guy, we began to discuss the stage show and the visual presentation for the tour. In the end, it was actually our touring vocalist who suggested that he wear a mask on stage. Out of respect for Wayne and for the band, he didn’t feel that it would be right for his own image or identity to be placed in the center of something that he had nothing to do with creating. This struck the three of us as an incredibly selfless and humble gesture.
“The truth is, he could have been very self-serving and looked at this as an opportunity for him to raise his own profile and to put his name and face out there for all of you to see. Instead, he expressed the exact opposite intentions. He also explained that the idea of wearing a mask would allow him the freedom to get lost in the vibe of STATIC-X and to completely disconnect from his own identity and ultimately serve STATIC-X better. Further, he expressed that the mask itself, along with his performance each night could act as a unique part of the memorial to Wayne. A tribute, for lack of better words.
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