Corrosion of Conformity & Friends turn The Phoenix into a full‑blown sludge‑soaked riot
- jaybroderick
- 14 hours ago
- 5 min read
By: Jay Broderick
Toronto, Canada - It’s been a minute since I’ve covered a show at The Phoenix Concert Theatre. In fact, the last time I personally covered a show here was on May 30, 2024 when Death to All Screamed Bloody Gore! Walking up to the venue on May 5 felt like stepping back into an old haunt. One of my favourite venues in the city.
A few diehards were already lined up ahead of the 6:30 doors, swapping stories about the shows of yesterday... those “I saw them before they blew up” kinds of tales that only real lifers carry. Their night got even better when the guys from Corrosion of Conformity casually strolled by with a bag of food in hand. Fans called out, the band smiled, and just like that the tone was set... this was going to be a special one.
And honestly? I was buzzing for this show. I love what I do every night, but some nights you circle on the calendar. This was one of them!
Ol’ Time Moonshine
Local sludge‑rock bruisers Ol’ Time Moonshine kicked things off with a six‑song set that hit like a rusted‑out muscle car roaring back to life. Their drummer, Adam Saitti, was easily the most animated person in the room, arms flying, hair whipping, pure chaos behind the kit. The band’s sound carried that Motörhead‑era grit, with vocalist Bill Kole’s deep, gravel‑rich growl anchoring the whole thing.
"Creeping Bad" veered into a hard‑edged blues stomp, while "Higher Learning" locked into a driving chunka‑chunka beat that had heads nodding across the floor. They barely spoke, just plowed through their set like a runaway rig. When they wrapped, the hometown crowd erupted.
And yes, the lighting was absolute garbage. Classic Phoenix.
Ol' Time Moonshine Photo Gallery (all photos by: Jay Broderick)
Whores
Atlanta’s Whores hit the stage like a demolition crew. A three‑piece sludge unit with the force of a wrecking ball exploded out of the gate... low, guttural, crunchy, rumbling. Pure sonic violence.
Bassist Douglas Jennings Barrett was a revelation. Originally the band's drummer, Barrett was forced to leave the band to kick cancer's ass. Returning as the bassist in 2024, cancer free, the man was a bolt of electricity. Jumping, thrashing, kicking, throwing his bass in the air... just unhinged. Knowing his story made his performance hit even harder. The man was pure fire!
The band had the crowd losing their minds during track breakdowns, they ignited them into the night's only mosh pits and frontman Christian Lembach's vocals were angry but never screamy. His performance had his carotid artery bulging out of his neck, even as he thanked the fans and COC. By the end the pit was swirling again with Barrett front‑and‑center pounding his strings like it was the last show on Earth!
If one thing was for certain, the band garnered a new fan. PURE! FIRE!!
Whores Photo Gallery (all photos by: Jay Broderick)
Corrosion of Conformity
Then came the kings.
Formed in 1982 in North Carolina, COC walked out to pure electricity and blasted straight into “Asleep on the Killing Floor” from their most recent album release Good God / Baad Man. The room exploded! There’s nothing like the energy of a heavy show when the band storms out with fore, man... there is nothing better! And COC came out swinging!
With guitarist Woody Weatherman the lone original member after drummer Reed Mullin passed away in 2020, COC could have easily hung it all up. But wanting to honour their brother, Weatherman, and frontman Pepper Keenan (who has been with the band since 1989), chose to forge through the fire. The packed Phoenix Concert Theatre, including your friendly neighbourhood photojournalist, were pent up with intense anticipation, and happy for the band's decision to keep this madness alive!
The band pounded through "Who's Got the Fire" and "My Grain" before Keenan shouted, “We made it across the border… we’re fuckin’ stoked! We really missed you fuckers!”... and continued to tear through their set. The set barely paused, one heavy banger after the next, the band laying it all out where it matters.
With bassist Bobby Landgraf greeting the crowd with his southern drawl, the band hit like a freight train during the new album's first single “Gimme Some Moore”. The crowd banged in unison during “Diablo Blvd." and smoke billowed from back stage as fans belted the chorus to the six and a half minute “13 Angels.”
There was no glamour here. As I stood to the side of the stage "watching" the music spill out into crowd, I couldn't help seeing what was going on here. The fans felt it, their faces unable to hide their astonishment. Their voices unable to mask their satisfaction. This was all too perfect! This was rock and roll! And the call‑and‑response “Woo oooh ooohs” led by Landgraf before “Baad Man” shook the walls.
Based on some chatter ahead of this event tonight, and information that was available on setlist.fm, it seemed that this was going to be a very short, 10 song set. I was bummed to hear that. It would have been a travesty to only get an hour of COC, but the previous track was already their 10th, and when the opening riff of "Lose Yourself", again from the band's newest record, rang through the amplifiers, the band appeared nowhere close to calling it a night.
And then “Vote With a Bullet” sent the room into absolute chaos, as the band unrelentingly cranked it up another notch. They crushed through the 1991 track from their album Blind, and at the abrupt end of the 4 minute banger, the band walked off stage. I was unsure what this meant, but I wanted more. According to previous setlists, this already extended beyond their earlier shows on this tour. Had it come to an end? I wasn't the only one on edge either. The crowd deafeningly chanted “COC! COC! COC!” until the band returned for “Albatross”.
Pepper called for the house lights to come up so he could see the crowd. With hands held high, cheers ringing through the rafters, and a rock band looking out in bewilderment, the singer asked to keep the lights on, and the band closed it all out with “Clean My Wounds”... a perfect one‑two punch to close the night. Yet I still wanted more!!
Set List
Asleep on the Killing Floor
Who's Got the Fire
My Grain
Seven Days
Gimme Some Moore
You or Me
It Is That Way
Diablo Blvd.
13 Angels
Born Again for the Last Time
Baad Man
Lose Yourself
Broken Man
Vote With a Bullet
Encore:
Albatross
Clean My Wounds
Corrosion of Conformity commanded the Phoenix Concert Theatre stage. They were in total control. Raw, unfiltered power. Their fans? Cult‑level devotion. Undeniable.
Corrosion of Conformity Photo Gallery (all photos by: Jay Broderick)
Corrosion of Conformity Online
Show Date: May 5, 2026
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