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Chicago Theatre Goes Dark, For Metal, As King Diamond Bought His Horror Show To State Street
By Christopher David
Rarely the home for top tier metal acts, the Chicago Theater hosted one of the year’s top metal tours on Thursday as the one and only King Diamond brought his St. Lucifer’s Hospital show to town.
With a stage set that looked like a combination between a mansion and an asylum—complete with creepy oddities in jars and cages—the show visited numerous eras, including, of course, the Abigail and Them years—but there were some surprises as well, including diehard favorites “Voodoo” and “The Candle.” The band is as tight as ever—lead guitarist and long-time writing partner Andy Larocque remains one of the single-best metal guitarists out there, delivering the signature riffs from “Sleepless Nights” and “Mansion in Darkness” with precision rarely heard on the live stage from even the most seasoned bands.
The theatrics were in full effect, from wheelchair bound “Grandma” to Miriam from the Abigail saga (all played by actress Jodi Cachia) to an iron mask-bound mental patent during “Masquerade of Madness,” and of course, King himself was the ringmaster for it all, opening the show by impaling baby Abigail and entombing her in a coffin during “Funeral.”
Black metal vocalist and artist Myrkur is along for the ride this time, handling keyboards and backup vocals that took the show’s emotional and sonic depth to new heights, allowing for the rich and layered harmonies on record to translate to the stage. “Halloween” was an aptly-timed choice, and new songs “Spider Lilly” and “Electro Therapy” were a tantalizing taste of things to come—in addition to mentioning that there are no less than three King Diamond records on the horizon (the first rumored to be out in Summer 2025), he also let slip that a new Mercyful Fate record may be on the way—a lot to look forward to on the horizon for the King Diamond coven.
New York thrash gods Overkill remain perhaps the best and most consistent band of the ‘80s thrash boom, with one of the richest discographies and the most pummeling live performances you’re likely to see. A short but sweet set offered up most of the band’s hits, including the fright train groove of “Hello from the Gutter” and a rousing call-and-response version of the Subhumans’ “Fuck You.” California-based power metal act Night Demon delivered a strong set to kick off the night as well.
King Diamond – Chicago Theater, Chicago, IL, 11/7/2024 (setlist)
Funeral
Arrival
A Mansion in Darkness
Voodoo
“Them”
Spider Lilly
Two Little Girls
Sleepless Nights
Out From the Asylum
Welcome Home
The Invisible Guests
The Candle
Masquerade of Madness
Electro Therapy
Eye of the Witch
Burn
Abigail
Overkill – Chicago Theater, Chicago, IL, 11/7/2024 (setlist)
Scorched
Rotten to the Core
Bring Me the Night
Hello From the Gutter
The Surgeon
Ironbound
Elimination
Fuck You
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