STEEL PANTHER / CROBOT / TRAGEDY 3.19.2023

Mar 26

Photos and Words By Maria A. Mata

California sleaze rockers Steel Panther took over the Palladium in Worcester over St. Patrick’s Day weekend, as part of their On The Prowl Tour. Joining the party were Tragedy and Crobot. The crowd was a sea of neon animal print, hair metal wigs and skimpy outfits, and the partying mood was palpable. Many were cracking jokes at each other from across the room, including the occasional flashing and cheering.

As blow up dolls started to pop up on the stage, it was time for metal tribute band Tragedy to kick off the night, with an impressive cover of the Bee Gees’ “Tragedy”. The performance was filled with disco and pop classics, all in the style of heavy metal; The crowd went wild after a mashup of Slayer’s “Raining Blood” and The Weather Girls’ “It’s Raining Men”. The band’s humor was one of the highlights of the night, prancing around the stage and shredding at the same time.

The audience couldn’t get enough of Tragedy, but it was now time for Crobot to come next. The Pennsylvania rockers erupted on stage to “Electrified”, with a blast of energy that captivated the crowd right away. Frontman Brandon Yeagley has the perfect mix of powerful vocals and flamboyance; he jumped, ran around, and threw the mic stand like a lasso. Blasting through most of their latest album, Feel This, Crobot wrapped up with the banging “Low Life” and “Without Wings”, leaving the crowd properly electrified.

The room felt like it was on fire, as anticipation grew for Steel Panther to take the stage. The band took their spots in the shadows, with the cover of On The Prowl lit up in the background. Kicking things off with “Eyes Of A Panther”, the party was just getting started. There was no shortage of filthy dad jokes coming from frontman Michael Starr and guitarist Satchel, who often addressed the crowd. From the anthemic “All I Wanna Do Is Fuck (Myself Tonight)” to the nostalgic “1987”, Steel Panther plowed through the set without coming up for air.

Despite the satirical tones and dirty lyrics, the band’s musical abilities cannot be ignored; Satchel provided more than a few face-melting solos, and new bassist Spyder took on the role seamlessly. With drummer Stix Zadinia on keyboards, the band brought a fan up on stage to write a steamy song for her on the spot, leading up to “Girl From Oklahoma”. Now several female fans jumped off the crowd and danced on the stage, a Steel Panther tradition.

The band returned for the encore with the ballad “Community Property” and the iconic “Gloryhole”, bringing the show to a close. Steel Panther’s unique mix of satire, skills and sleaze will always be a party worth experiencing, guaranteed to leave you with a smile on your face.

TRAGEDY