“Remember 2,000?”, exclaimed Powerman 5,000’s bleach-blonded, spiky-haired leader and vocalist, Spider One. “Are there any old people to show them how to do it (mosh)?” “Don’t break a hip,” he joked. Given that Powerman 5,000, the sci-fi, industrial, new metalists scored three hits–” When Worlds Collide,” “Supernova Goes Pop,” and “Nobody’s Real” with their 1999 Dreamworks debut, Tonight the Stars Revolt!, the joke landed because the audience was a blend of more “mature” metal fans who were there for the wave of American Nu Metal–KORN, Limp Bizkit, White Zombie, etc, and many more were young and weren’t even born yet. The all-ages crowd was at The Sovereign to take in the sounds of three bands–Powerman 5,000, 12 Stones, and relative newcomers, Makes My Blood Dance. It was a night of sci-fi-themed classic nu metal and new industrial dance metal bands.
Makes My Blood Dance opened the night with a flamboyant, theatrical performance that immediately changed the room’s energy. The Brooklyn-based trio blended hard rock, synth textures, glam aesthetics, and danceable grooves into a surprisingly cohesive set. Songs including “Time And A Place,” “Heavy Metal Armor,” and “Knowin’ it Without Knowin’ Why” gave the crowd an early jolt of energy while vocalist EV0 moved across the stage with dramatic flair. The band’s gothic visual style could have overshadowed the music in less capable hands, but their hooks and aggressive rhythm section kept the performance grounded. Several people near the front barrier who initially appeared unfamiliar with the group were visibly won over by the end of the set.
12 Stones followed with a more emotionally grounded and radio-ready approach. The Big Easy-based hard rock band leaned into the melodic heaviness that made them staples of early-2000s rock radio. Their set focused on strong choruses and audience participation, with fans loudly singing along to “Broken” and “Far Away.” The band also delivered “Crash,” which carried an extra punch in the live setting thanks to thicker guitar tones and a more aggressive vocal delivery than in the studio version. Muscled vocalist Paul McCoy maintained a relaxed but commanding stage presence, often stepping to the edge of the stage to connect directly with fans packed near the front. Their performance served as an effective bridge between the theatrical opener and Powerman 5000’s futuristic industrial assault.
Powerman 5,000 Power Up!
By the time Powerman 5000 took the stage, the crowd had fully transformed into a sea of raised fists, black shirts, and bouncing bodies. Spider One remains an entertaining and charismatic frontman, still sporting spiky white hair, blending tongue-in-cheek sci-fi swagger with genuine enthusiasm. The band exploded into material from across their catalog, including “Supernova Goes Pop,” “Tonight the Stars Revolt!,” “Nobody’s Real,” “Bombshell,” and the inevitable closer “When Worlds Collide.”
Importantly, the set avoided feeling like a pure nostalgia act. Before playing “Cult Leader,” Spider One yelled: “You want to start a cult together? We won’t have to pay any taxes, and I would be honored to be your cult leader,” he joked. Tracks like “Horror Show” and “Black Lipstick” fit naturally beside their late-’90s classics, showing how consistently the band has maintained its cyberpunk-meets-industrial-metal identity over the years. Guitarists Taylor Haycraft and Dan Schiz kept the riffs sharp and mechanical, while the rhythm section locked into pounding grooves that shook the room throughout the set.
The crowd reaction peaked during “Bombshell” and “When Worlds Collide,” with nearly the entire room shouting every word while bodies slammed together in a lively but good-natured pit. It was the kind of performance that reminded longtime fans why Powerman 5000 became such a defining part of the turn-of-the-century heavy music boom in the first place.
For one rainy, dreary Tuesday night, The Sovereign became a time capsule of industrial metal, post-grunge melody, and gothic hard rock spectacle — and the packed crowd seemed happy to stay there for as long as possible.
