REVIEW: Mudvayne, Static-X, Vended at The Wellmont Theater | 10.24.2025
If you ever want to make a millennial spiral, tell them that the year 2000 was 25 years ago – it’ll work, guaranteed. I struggle to understand the passage of time, but damned if I’m not excited to enjoy a good ol’ fashioned 25th-anniversary album tour of records I hold near and dear. Twenty-five years is a long time, and while I can barely remember what I did last week, somehow the memories of acquiring L.D. 50 by Mudvayne and Wisconsin Death Trip by Static-X are still fresh in my mind. Two cornerstones of 2000s metal in their genesis, and the records still hold up today.
Both bands are touring together to celebrate their albums’ respective 25th anniversaries, joined by Vended, who just released their debut album last year.
Mudvayne is unfortunately missing guitarist Greg Tribbett on the tour due to his wife’s tragic passing last month. While he’s not physically with the band, the iconic and unforgettable riffs he created for their debut album and beyond kept him fresh in everyone’s minds. Guitarist Marcus Rafferty did those riffs justice while filling in for Tribbett.
What a lineup to see, and I was thrilled when the tour announcement included a stop at one of my favorite venues: the Wellmont Theater in Montclair, New Jersey.
Coincidentally, I covered Corey Taylor’s solo performance at The Wellmont a few years back, so to see his son grace the very same stage while fronting Vended was pretty cool, to say the least.
Vended’s set was the perfect way to kick off the show. Before revisiting the past by way of the album anniversaries, Vended served as a glimpse of the future — the musical descendants of the very bands they were sharing the stage with.
While their debut album was released a year ago, Vended has been a band since 2018, and they performed with a veteran sense of confidence and purpose.
The band was tight and full of energy, yet unafraid to take a moment to catch their breath before unleashing more fury. There were plenty of Vended shirts in the crowd, and that number increased after their set as newly converted fans donned their freshly purchased merch.
Prior to Static-X taking the stage, a giant disco-ball pumpkin emerged to a blizzard of soap snow and, at just the right moment, the pumpkin’s head spun around to shift from a grin to an evil stare. The screens illuminated with the words “Evil Disco,” and the roars of the crowd made it clear they were ready for it to begin.
And so it did, as Static-X hit the stage and launched right into “Bled For Days.” The band would go on to play most of Wisconsin Death Trip, albeit out of order. Hearing those songs live never fails to stir intense memories of playing the album on repeat for months on end. Xer0 does an amazing job paying homage to Wayne Static with his performance, while also starting to show more of his own personality in his vocals and stage presence.
As it turned out, the giant pumpkin man was just one of several stage props the band used during their set — a giant “X” man and a Frankenstein also made appearances to hype up the crowd and send the Evil Disco into full swing. These are the kinds of sets you just don’t want to end.
The band wound down their set with a soap-snow-covered and blue-light-blasted performance of “Cold,” followed by “I’m With Stupid” and “Push It” to close on an epically high note.
When the lights went down for Mudvayne, the intro to L.D. 50 began to play, and just like that, the memories rushed back. The band sent that into overdrive when they opened with “Dig,” sending the crowd into an absolute frenzy.
Speaking of frenzy, bassist Ryan Martinie was moving a mile a minute around the stage while his hands seemed to be doing the same on his bass. The man is a beast — and a hell of a performer. But then again, that’s an apt description for every member of the band.
The double kicks of Matthew McDonough are what got me addicted to their sound, and his performance exemplified that fact. While Greg Tribbett is irreplaceable, Marcus Rafferty proved an excellent substitute and showed clear synergy with Martinie as they played off one another throughout the set.
Vocalist Chad Gray’s performance was incredibly passionate — at times laying down on his riser to sing as if channeling every ounce of energy into his voice, leaving nothing behind. Between songs, Gray spoke about the importance of music’s life-saving abilities and urged the crowd to leave their problems at the door to focus on being present in the moment and enjoying the experience together. The crowd did exactly that.
Mudvayne played a healthy selection of tracks from L.D. 50 while also throwing in a few hits like “World So Cold” and “Happy?” as well as their newest single, “Sticks and Stones.” An amazing setlist overall — though my fingers are crossed that I’ll get to hear “Skrying” live one day. Perhaps on a The End of All Things to Come anniversary tour? One can dream.
VENDED
STATIC-X
MUDVAYNE