Rocket From the Crypt up from the crypt

Rocket From the Crypt played their “final concert ever” at the Casbah’s then-annual Halloween party at the Westin Horton Plaza in 2005…so it was only fitting that the beast be brought back to life to play this Casbah-curated Halloween event 11 years later.

Rocket blasted off at 11 p.m. on the clamshell stage within the hotel’s Mississippi Ballroom. The room was absolutely packed with sweaty, costumed humans who had to be regretting outfits that required numerous layers. The sound was certainly not the best, but if you maneuvered yourself into the direct line of fire of the in-house speakers it was actually quite loud.

The band ran through a set of fan favorites that whipped the hometown crowd into frenzy in no time. It may have been a Monday night, but it quickly became apparent that all sorts of frantic fans in the pit were going to be dealing with serious hangovers on Tuesday morning. Classics such as “Don’t Darlene,” “On a Rope,” “Middle,” and “Born in ‘69” all went over great, but it was “Young Livers,” the fourth track from 1995’s Scream, Dracula, Scream! that really tore the roof off the place.

Throughout Rocket from the Crypt's set a fan near the front hoisted an axe above the crowd. Silhouetted against singer/guitarist John Reis, it seemed to be the perfect mission-statement for a Rocket show. A band back from the dead, on the night of the dead, with a collection of die-hards intent on joining them.

• Artist: Rocket From the Crypt
• Venue: Lafayette Hotel
• Date: October 31
• Seats: Floor