Some Version of GWAR to Appear at Riotfest

By now, pretty much every metal site on the internet has picked up on rather odd facet of the announcement for this year’s Riot Fest: GWAR are on the bill for the Chicago edition of the traveling festival:

But how could GWAR possibly be on the bill, now that their vocalist, leader, and most recognizable member, Dave Brockie, has passed away? GWAR must have just been booked for the fest before Brockie’s death, and this is the world’s shittiest oversight… right?

Apparently not! While a representative for the band will say only that “Riot Fest is keeping GWAR’s spot warm for them and something will happen,” we can at least confirm that, no, this is not an error. Something approximating GWAR will appear at Riot Fest 2014.

But what? It’s hard to imagine the band continuing with anyone besides Brockie… but playing a few shows with a celebrity guest vocalist, or a group of rotating celebrity guest vocalists, strikes me as being a great idea… especially if some of the proceeds go to The Dave Brockie Foundation, the new charity started by the band’s surviving members “to be a support system to those who have dedicated their lives in pursuit of creativity.”

This development also begs the question… will some version of GWAR appear at GWAR-B-Q on August 16, less than a month before Riot Fest and a day after a public memorial service for Brockie? It sure would be fitting, wouldn’t it?

We’ll share more details as soon as we get ’em. In the meantime, you can get more details on Riot Fest here. Other bands scheduled to appear at the Chicago edition include Slayer, Clutch, and Mastodon.