October 16, 2026

OCC Roadhouse & Museum

Clearwater, FL.

Before The Ink Was Dry:

June 9th 2026 was a normal humid Florida day. I was working through photos of Quiet Riot while talking to a friend on the phone about a project. When he stopped mid sentence.. “Holy Sh!t. Brother, look at this!” A screen shot of a tour flyer came through a text message. Chad Gray: “30 Years Of Madness” with “10/16- Clearwater, Fl.” Circled in red.. What?! Clearwater?! We immediately started blurting out venue names trying to guess what place could harness the action of a tour with this magnitude of energy.

While practically hanging up mid sentence, the notification came across my phone. “Chadness333.com: Fall Tour announcement”. It was official! The metal legend was truly coming to my home town.

The buzz of this tour was already going around. But I never thought in a million years Clearwater would be on the list of cities for a stop. Not that Clearwater was a stranger in any way of music icons. Just the mere fact what venue? Most the the Cities venues are outside or open air and none really hold the notoriety of “House Of Blues”,

“The Machine Shop” or “Wisky A Go Go”.

As a fan, first and foremost, Tickets were a first priority. I never got the chance to see either main project live. There was no way I was missing this!

I got on the phone with a friend and photography mentor Randy Cook. Randy, is well known for having the “who’s, who” in music in front of his lense and while working often for a local radio station, he always seems to know the scuttle about tours coming through town. After passing the same flyer to Randy that I seen on Chad’s website. A reply came through. “Yeah man, you see where it is?.. OCC Roadhouse.” WHAT?! We both had seen amazing shows at OCC.

Josie Scott, Texas Hippy Coalition, BlackBerry Smoke, Lynch Mob, & Jackyl. But this line up, was much different.

Devil’s Cut- A “Kentucky Popcore” powerhouse making waves with their blend of metal and country music.

Butcher Babies- The LA based female fronted by Heidi Shepherd who are quickly becoming household names in the metal community.

And the Legend himself.. Chad Gray. One thought came across my head,.. “This is going to be CRAZY!”

The Day A Legend Was Born:

After months of anticipation and build up, the day finally arrived! The metal community was in a buzz. Fans were talking, social media post were lighting up feeds. “Metal Kids” across Tampa Bay were ready! This show particularly was special. It’s Chad’s Birthday. The chatter of worry and hope from an announcement just weeks prior of a vocal hemorrhage on one of Chad’s vocal folds had us praying to the metal gods that nothing would stop this special day. We as fans needed this. Clearwater needed this. And we were prepared to uplift the Metal Legend with all our support. A vocal hemorrhage is nothing short of devastating. Especially for a vocalist such as Chad. His voice is his instrument, you can’t just walk into Guitar Center and buy new vocal folds like a set of strings, or a reed. So I can only imagine the worry in his mind.

4:45 PM: The Pre Show

My hour drive South consisted of my normal routine. A selected play list of the performing bands so I can mentally map out camera angles. Checking in for our M&G was full of anticipation. I’m not much of a “fan boy”, I’ve been around some of the biggest names in music. I’ve always had the approach of “Just be human”, no matter how big the name is. They’re human. But this was Chad F*%#ing Gray! and I for one was pretty damn nervous!

As we waited in line to meet Chad, his photographer and stage manager Adam Beckelman gave instructions of the process “Please remember Chad is on vocal rest. Try to limit conversation so he can stay healthy for the show.”

Mere moments a loud fry distorted “YEAAH” came from the side area and Chad emerged. I immediately thought to myself “welp, that went out the window.” vocal injury or not, Chad, was going to give us a show he was so well known for.

Devil’s Cut, Lights The Fire:

A name from the portion of whisky that is absorbed inside the wooden staves of it’s barrel that refuses to evaporate. Based in Louisville, KY. Devil’s Cut brings a hybrid sound mixing Metalcore and Country. sometimes referred to as “Popcore”.

The members of Devils Cut came out warming fans up to everything but that with their foot on the gas. “Roadkill” & “Let Go” being two of my favorites.

Heidi “The Butcher” Unleashed The Madness:

The second band to perform was the LA based Butcher Babies. Fronted by female Metalcore vocalist Heidi Shepherd. Allow me to state, any hype heard about this band is 100% true! There’s no question why Chad picked them for this tour. Performing hit songs “Backtrees Of Tennesse”, “Red Thunder”, “Beaver Cage”, “Monsters Ball”, & “Magnolia Park”. Their energy was through the roof!

Hair flew in every direction, I don’t know how her neck didn’t hurt. I think I caught a solid case of concert whiplash just watching. a solid mix of vocal growls, fry screams, and face melting guitars filled the room. The rail was packed, and fans were pumped!

The Darkness Before The Havoc:

OCC Roadhouse & Museum became dark. Seats emptied as fans made their way to the front for the moment we had been patiently waiting for… Chadness!

I took my position at left stage in the photo pit as stage crew set up. Knelt down bracing myself for what’s to come. I could see the band gathering just outside the doorway at right stage. The Legend emerged, dawning his iconic face paint half split. Signifying both project personas Mudvayne & HellYeah. But there was so much more to that. A recent interview with Chad highlighted the true significance of his face paint design. Chad stated that the image came from a time when he was young. It was the monster he seen under his bed as a kid.

Touring Drummer Devin Attard took his place behind the kit as sound engineers fine tuned the kit mics. The bass was relentless! The kind that makes your interior organs jump with every beat. I could see Chad’s wife Shannon Gunz (Sirius XM Octane, Turbo, Ozzy’s Boneyard) host embracing him as she prepped for their pre show ritual. The spitting of fake blood on his face to complete the design.

It was finally time!

30 Years Of Madness Hits Clearwater:

How does one cram 30 years of work into an hour long performance? By hand picking 14 of the heaviest and most symbolic titles in the record book.

“Moth” (HellYeah), “Happy?” (Mudvayne), “HellYeah!” (HellYeah), “Death Blooms” (Mudvayne), “Demons In The Dirt” (HellYeah), “Hush” (HellYeah), “Nothing To Gein” (Mudvayne), “Dull Boy” (Mudvayne), “Sangre Por Sangre- (Blood For Blood)” (HellYeah), “Say When” (HellYeah), “World So Cold” (Mudvayne), “Not Falling” (Mudvayne), “Love Falls” (HellYeah, and a special performance of “Dig” (Mudvayne).

Backed by a group of heavy hitters Marcus Rafferty-(Guitars), Joe Bonasorte (Guitars), Nick Villarreal (Bass) & Devin Attard (Drums) a large silhouette emurged on stage. The man of the hour. A larger than life image. a voice that’s both haunting and healing at the same time.

Lyrics that hit feelings, and released the massive whirlwind of energy from with in.

Vocal hemorrhage or not. Nothing was stopping Chad Gray! Not on his worst day, and definitely not on his birthday. He sounded great even on the mend. The band was tight, energetic, and totally in the moment.

While Chad and the guys rocked the front of the stage. There was a whole other show happening on the back line. Drummer, Devin Attard was putting on a clinic of timing, energy, and the most controlled airtime of a drum stick I’ve ever seen! They were not just being tossed in the air. They were soaring above the stage! I absolutely love it when drummers show out. My only regret is there just wasn’t enough light on the back line to properly capture what he was doing.

A Birthday Fit For A Legend:

October 16th wasn’t just about the music. It wasn’t just about the fans or the 30 years of music that spanned most of the entire lives of those in attendance. October 16th is “Chadness Day”. With that came two very special things, an honoring gift. And a wish made over blown out candles.

Just before the show, event organizers revealed a gift that was like no other. A custom designed Harley Davidson “Madness” style! Featuring custom color ways, embroidered “CG” signature on the seat, custom seat bar on the back featuring “CG” signature lettering and a demon tail that was coiled to fit a microphone.

But that wasn’t everything. Mrs. Gray, (Shannon Gunz) graced the stage just before the last song with close friends holding a custom birthday cake, while giving an emotional ode to her husband. Candles were lit, a wish was made, and The Chadness Smiled. I think I can safely speak for all fans. We love it when Chad smiles!!

DIG!: The Song which Defined an Era

There was still one final song. But not just any song. The song that made LD 50 historic.. “DIG”. As a fan seeing this song on the set list worried me. It’s heavy, it’s vocally challenging, and the most intense of the set list. The last thing as fans any of us want is our idols to suffer injury. But, Chad, had a surprise of his own. “For this last one, I’d like to welcome back to the stage Ms. Heidi Shepherd of Butcher Babies.”

two different generations, two massive voices, one song and a chemistry on stage that would absolutely blow the roof off the venue! The bass line dropped and the crowd went completely insane! Heidi and Chad went on to deliver a version of “DIG” I don’t think the Metal Gods themselves could dream of! It was everything fans needed and definitely was the way to end the night honoring….

The 30 Years Of Madness

I’d like to send a HUGE Thank You to Shannon Gunz & Adam Bakelman for allowing me to take photos of this special night.

To Devils Cut & Butcher Babies for igniting the fire with amazing performances.

To OCC Roadhouse for finding a way to bring such a historic tour through Clearwater.

And Last, but surely not least…

“The Chadness”,

I can’t say enough what your life’s work had done for myself and so many more. You’re a beast for muscling through with a injury that would’ve made most cancel. You’re an absolute LEGEND! Thank you for everything! Happy “Chadness Day”!!

-dB 🤘😤🤘