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    GWAR Face Backlash From MAGA Influencers Over Trump & Musk “Sacrifices” At ‘Riot Fest’

    SenecaBy 554 Comments3 Mins Read
    The Mosh Network - GWAR promotional photo 2021

    In what feels like an inevitable headline, GWAR’s over-the-top stage show has drawn fire from conservative corners after their performance at this year’s Riot Fest in Chicago, IL. The satirical metal troupe acted out their trademark gory theatrics, which included mock “sacrifices” of U.S. President Donald Trump and Tesla/X CEO Elon Musk.

    Of course, this kind of spectacle is nothing new for GWAR. The band has been theatrically “executing” public figures for decades, with past U.S. Presidents including George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton, and Joe Biden among those to meet their over-the-top fate onstage.

    The outrage first surfaced through a questionable X account, @hottakekaren, which had no visible post history prior to September 20th. That account circulated video clips of the band’s cartoonish stage violence, including Trump being “disemboweled” and Musk “beheaded,” while condemning the band for “normalizing violence.”

    Conservative outlets and figures soon picked up on the viral posts, with Libs Of TikTok calling GWAR’s performance “incitement” and accusing Riot Fest of promoting violence.

    When reached for comment by the New York Post, GWAR’s camp responded with a typically tongue-in-cheek statement:

    “Normalizing violence? Humans don’t need GWAR for that. There is nothing normal about the Looney Toon violence acted out on a GWAR stage. GWAR is absurdist spectacle. GWAR is to violence what the New York Post is to journalism. Ridiculous.”

    Riot Fest organizers also fired back online, mocking critics in a series of posts that dismissed the controversy with humor rather than apology.

    For long-time fans, this is nothing new—GWAR has been theatrically dismembering politicians, pop culture icons, and religious figures from across the spectrum for decades. Every U.S. President since the 1980s has met a gruesome fate onstage. However, the debate around violent depictions has intensified following the recent assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, shifting the lens through which such satire is being received.

    https://twitter.com/hottakekaren/status/1969533359287144957

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    554 Comments

    7. Steve O Olmstead on

      Are… Are these people just now discovering GWAR? And it’s hilarious to see the conservatives now becoming like the whiney liberals fucking 🤌

      Reply
        • Amanda Quirk on

          Miguel Morte Valentine they change it up all the time. I personally don’t want to see the same thing every time I see gwar. They generally have 2-3 people they kill. They already did the biden thing alongside killing Putin. I wish they’d get back to offing random celebrities on stage but they do this to anyone who’s in the spotlight and it’s supposed to be controversial.

          Reply
        • Miguel Morte Valentine on

          Amanda Quirk I doubt that even if they did the same characters it would still never be the same show twice. having both bidenand trump just shows both parties suck. When i saw tgem recently they were great but I wish they feed people to Gor gor or really battled him and cut him up. they just measured hus mouth a bit and tammed him lol. Also wish Volvatrex wouldcome back or a more prominent Gwar woman

          Reply
    11. Tony Berryman on

      Why does everyone keep running this same article? And why does everyone misspell “backlash?” Its actually spelled “immense support.” Elmo must be paying a lot to run this garbage.

      Reply
    15. Jason Worthley on

      They’re not getting backlash from anyone who has known Gwar for the last 30 years. You want backlash? Show their set to some Swifties

      Reply
      • Christopher Joseph Bucholtz on

        Jason Worthley These are the same people who are just realizing Rage Against the Machine wasn’t named after the printer scene in “Office Space.”

        Reply
      • Aaron Estes on

        Jason Worthley If you purchase Gwar tickets online you go directly into government database , labeled “Antifa” and face serious prison time.

        Reply
      • Nicholas Mercado on

        Jason Worthley. They’re not getting backlash from anyone at all except for punk rock and hardcore and Metal pages and clickbait sites like this one

        Reply
    31. David Graham on

      Nobody cares. I’m maga and I think it’s hilarious. Y’all would be surprised how many maga are into heavy metal and gwar

      Reply
        • David Graham on

          Conrad Monson oh I know that there’s plenty of marxists interested in metal and there’s just as many conservatives that are interested just like anything else it’s somewhere around 45/45 with 10% not giving a shit

          Reply
    32. Kyle Bitango on

      Fer fuck sake’s gwar’s been “killing” people for decades and now these dipshits are getting mad about it?? Fucking dummies don’t even realizethey killed trump on stage years ago every night on tour. Where were all the maga dummies then? Obama even got the gwar treatment and no one said shit. The u.s. is fucked!

      Reply
      • Josh Prentice on

        Robert McLendon people complaining about Gwar sacrificing Elon and Trump clearly have never went to see Gwar they have literally killed everybody on every side of politics forever these people care about free speech until It affects their side of politics

        Reply
    44. David Braun on

      No they’re not.

      The whole thing was a bit from a fucking satire account.

      ENOUGH with the disinformation..someone at some point has to say “instead of being complicit in bullshit…I’d just rather…I don’t know?

      Not fucking lie

      Reply
    47. Justin Keller on

      That does sound like MAGA. Buncha pussies. Calling all libs snowflakes an shit for making noise about rights and freedoms being stripped but when a black woman gets casted for the little Mermaid or Cracker Barrel gets a new logo that’s apparently too woke all hell breaks loose. But sure leftists are the ones who really need to grow up an get their priorities straight 🧠💩
      Media: https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia4.giphy.com%2Fmedia%2Fv1.Y2lkPTk5OWFjZWFjbTVic2ZjNm80cXpucWxmd2p2Y3hubDJ4Mmx3dDlhNHlweWEydDFidCZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n%2FX3nnss8PAj5aU%2Fgiphy.gif&h=AT1C5oFghnoys-FxzykbR1RB3KiNPXO1n3N2VZzS1Ne2-cuRDZ2RrRCdjdUXXeGYCxlYzeWBUTWDZU6Aj1u3EfqSoc0blD2cv5JEtH2n9nm-Yz3hfutO5p–pYmI421K&s=1

      Reply
    52. Matthew Hobbs on

      The best part of MAGA saying they are mean democrats is that I’ve worked for them and interacted with them as regular dudes. They are definitely not democrat. They aren’t MAGA either. But they absolutely are not liberal. Lol

      Reply
    61. Todd McAlister on

      And they’ve done the same thing to Biden, Obama, Bush, Bill and Hillary, and countless pop culture icons for the last 40ish years. Calm your tits, MAGA-flakes.

      Reply
    62. Jim Mfwic Noga on

      Who the hell is responsible for letting republicans see GWAR. They’re a sensitive lot who get really butt-hurt and they’re cry babies about their cult leader and his minions getting made fun of

      Reply
    72. Donald Mosely on

      I am a MAGA supporter but when it comes to GWAR I set aside all my political beliefs and rock out and enjoy the blood bath on every live show I see them 😁😁 they’ve been doing that kind of stuff for a long damn time and they ain’t gonna stop now. GWAR RULES!!!! 🤘🤘🤘

      Reply
    83. Daniel Erik Morgan on

      Theirs is a tragic story. Refugees from the planet Scumdoggia; they live in Antarctica with their pet dinosaur, they wanted to live in America but they ate their immigration officer by accident one day & the paperwork just got lost in the shuffle. Its very sad that they being persecuted in this way, those poor Scumdoggian immigrants that have to go on stage and play Trump & Musk are the real victims. Yes their heads will grow back in time for the next show, but they will be forever scarred on the inside for what they must endure for the bloodthirsty entertainment of American metal fans.

      Reply
    86. Greg Murdar on

      I’ve seen gwar rip apart Clinton all the way up to the current president… it is great the even did the vice president from the last tour and shit spit out purple ass juice ar us all… best concert you’ll ever go to

      Reply
    88. Kevin Ferguson on

      First time I saw em back in 01 they killed Bill Clinton and Mike Tyson.
      I mean it’s Gwar. That should be all needs said.🤣

      Reply
      • Antonio Rivera on

        Jonathan Hudnall libs of tiktok and a lot of other right wing grifters were mad about it. I’ve seen the posts. You can look it up but I guess you just wanna pretend it doesn’t exist

        Reply
    104. Joe Evigas on

      Of course the “free speech” party gets offended,the only time it’s free speech is if a Republican says something. Just a bunch of moronic hypocrites

      Reply
    105. Sheena Marie Hadlock on

      Pretty sure GWAR has slaughtered almost every president in American history. Usually there’s a giant dong involved somewhere too 🤣🤣

      Reply
    109. Charles Urban on

      Gwar doesn’t face shit. Maga is a bunch of fucking retards and can’t do shit. They think they have the power to cancel shit like the left but they don’t, and Gwar doesn’t fucking care. If anything, this might raise their popularity more, especially if the Christians start boycotting their shit

      Reply
    111. Aaron Morzos on

      Obviously people that have never heard of gwar it don’t matter what side of the aisle you’re on they going to get you.

      Reply
    117. Anne Sifuentes on

      They’ve done the same to Biden, Kamala, Obama, Putin, Bush, and a bunch of celebrities. He’s not special. He’s just the current target in their shows

      Reply
    121. Mitch Sigler on

      Since when? I’m calling bullshit with these manufactured stories of outrage. All of a sudden Gwar Offended M.A.G.A now?

      I honestly don’t believe it.

      Reply
    131. Jacob McArdle on

      Literally no Bohab or Gwar cares about “backlash”. Plus, you couldn’t even use a picture of the current lineup? Pustulus has been gone two years.

      Reply
    132. Josh Lindig on

      It’s funny because I’ve been going to see them for years. I remember the first time I saw them they crucified and then cut Jesus apart. The last time I saw them the people they brought up on stage where the zombie of Ronald Reagan they brought up Obama Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Adolf Hitler, Netanyahu, possibly even Putin I don’t remember if they got him the last time I saw them, but I’ve seen them kill Putin before, but the last show I saw them do where they brought all the political figures on stage throughout the concert. The last creature that they had was a combination of all the founding fathers, and they shoved an American flag through its chest and that’s how they killed it

      Reply
    136. Tim Merrill on

      Backsplash? Sure, Gwar’s got a lot of backsplash. The pustules chirping about Gwar are about as useful as an asshole with taste buds.

      Reply
    138. Jared Menichetti on

      I’m a Trump & Elon supporter I’m MAGA and a conservative and EVERYBODY GETS THE GWAR TREATMENT SO I THINK ITS HILARIOUS 😂 can’t wait to see them again in November you guys fucking rock bro’s! 😎

      Reply
    152. Demetrios Pappas on

      They’ve been doing that for years. They also did Hillary Clinton Kanye West George Bush, Bill Clinton, Obama pretty much everybody in the past I don’t know 40 years. Nothing new I don’t know why people are an uproar now.

      Reply
    153. Squirrelington Forest on

      Bunch of freaks couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket of piss. All frills, theatrics, and no substance or real musical talent. Fucking dudes are a joke!

      Reply
    165. Jassy Irvine on

      Yeah, pretty sure GWAR doesn’t gaf. wtf were these whiners expecting from GWAR, a tea party with people dressed as Care Bears?

      Reply
    172. Dan Pursino on

      Haha. It’s always funny when conservatives find something that’s been happening for 40 years and get mad at it plus, I saw them decapitate Obama and Hillary back in 09. They kill everyone equally.

      Reply
    176. Wade McCay on

      Seen them do it at riot fest last year, didn’t care, this didn’t see it at riot fest but I still don’t care, as someone who voted for trump… it ain’t that serious yall

      Reply
    183. Juggalos Six on

      This is what we call a manufactured controversy. No one cares who gwar slaughtered. They got bill and Hillary Clinton too.

      Reply
    194. Mike Grindstaff on

      In related news, Michael Myers faces backlash for killing so many people in his films. “It was brutal” said one person. “I didn’t pay good money to see a slasher film and expect to see people die”!

      Reply
    215. Ivan Salazar on

      This has been their show since forever. I remember when they decapitated Clinton and aborted Lewinsky’s baby but I guess since it’s their boy now it’s a problem

      Reply
    220. Rafael I. Calderon on

      I FER WON AINT NEVER GONNA GO TO A GWAR CONCERT NO MORE HOW DAIR THEY EFFOGIZE HOUR SUPREMELY SMART AND HANDSOME LEEDER AND HIS NATSI FREND

      Reply
    224. Jason Whipe on

      Where have these MAGA people been up Trump’s ass 🤣 GWAR do this kinda thing every day it’s their job and they have been doing it for years now.

      Reply
    226. Bill Glover on

      Maybe y’all angry all the time, because you never do anything fun? Every week there’s a story about MAGA being angry that something fun is woke, and it’s something that hasn’t changed in decades. Toys, comics, cartoons, bands, movies, amusement parks, celebrities; maybe y’all shoulda been participating

      Reply
    227. Jon Buczak on

      I lean conservative, but Gear rules! I don’t think their stage show is meant to be taken super seriously. Hear was formed back when people remembered how to take a joke.

      Reply
    231. Shane Hebert on

      The perpetually butthurt looking for the next thing to be butthurt about. They know nothing of GWAR but are super ready to get butthurt by the next thing!

      Reply
    236. Aaron Akira on

      I remember when I was a teenager they were on the Sally Jesse Raphael show. Gwar has been a menace to Karens everywhere for like 2 generations and I love it 🤘🤣

      Reply
    237. Marc Richardson on

      Yes, GWAR is awful! Everyone Go buy all the CD’s, Videos and merch as possible so you can catalog all the horrible things they do! Hell, Buy all the merch so it won’t corrupt the youth of America !

      Reply
    239. Bryan Benson on

      I think this is normally just performance art. The problem is that now people are actually trying to murder high profile people that they don’t agree with. Maybe someone is getting more and more radicalized by media and the people around them. Then they get faded at this concert and see a band they love doing what they have been thinking and talking about, which is taking out whoever is the enemy of the moment. Maybe they take it as a sign, or at least it normalizes the idea that you can go take out those you don’t like. 99% of people will see it as satire, there is always that 1% who take things too far.

      Reply
    242. Braxton Beaver on

      This isn’t the first time GWAR has angered conservatives. Oderus made multiple appearances on Gutfeld’s show in the early 2000s. After the 5th episode they banned him from coming back on the show because the higher ups at FOX news found out that part of GWARs stage show involved disemboweling Sarah Palin. GWAR really isn’t doing anything that they haven’t already been doing for 40years. I saw GWAR a few years ago and they decapitated Joe Biden

      Reply
    253. Katye Swain on

      Christ cunts are trying to cancel gwar again. Loool. They went through this in the 90s. Guess what? They still played all over the world! They even played at home where they were banned as RAWG. Neeeeext! 🤭

      Reply
    269. Joe Hinojosa on

      They do that to everyone. Watched them in Sac 2022 and they Decapitated Biden and a bunch of other fools… Those influencers are posers and don’t know what they’re watching or what they’re complaining about.

      Reply
    271. Carlo Ferrari on

      Gawdamn US conservatives are the definition of poor hurt feeling snowflakes. The irony puts a big smile on my face.
      Looking forward to GWAR next month. 🤘

      Reply
    277. Bill McBrien on

      They have literally done this for every political figure since the 90’s…..Biden, Trump, Obama, Hillary….Gwar has slaughtered every one on stage at one point

      Reply
    290. Jamie Sweet on

      Oh wow! The super tough alpha people of America are easily offended by, well, every single fucking thing that exists?! Wow….

      Reply
    307. Julian Young on

      Just so you know, they did the same thing to Biden when he was president. They don’t care about politics , they’re a shock rock band . Get over yourselves.

      Reply
    311. Nicholas Mercado on

      The only place I’ve ever seen anything stating this is from metal and punk rock pages . I haven’t seen any actual outrage except for this fake manufactured outrage. Now if they did it to Charlie Kurt right to see some morons being nice.

      Reply
    312. Art Baca on

      People who take Gwar seriously need a fucking good kick to the noggin! Seriously? Offended by GWAR? Get a fucking life you moronic crybaby idiots!

      Reply
    314. Lonesome D. Swinehart on

      I couldn’t name or recognize a single Gwar song, but I’ve seen them 3 times over the years and it’s always a fantastic spectacle.

      Reply
    318. Nick Pearson on

      They scraficed him over a year ago in Canada. So people must just be very much behind in what’s going on. OR them old punks are turning into trumepts

      Reply
    323. Deena Riddle on

      Cue the pearl clutchers that will say “Just play music. When did (insert consistently antiestablishment band) get political?!”

      Reply
    330. Christopher Proctor on

      This is what GWAR does been seeing them for close to 20 years now and they have done this to every president and personality

      Reply
    334. Jerry Branson on

      GWAR has been around 40 years if they just now catching on to what a gwar show is like they can just ignore it for another 40 years if you ask me.

      Reply
    355. Matthew Nauman on

      Someone noticed these guys about 30 years too late. They’ve been doing this with politicians & public figures since the late 80s.

      Reply
    356. Adrian Smith on

      It’s as honorable as being on South Park. I remember a show when they had Hillary Cinton up on stage and they chopped her head off.

      Reply
    357. Kevin Rager on

      Click farmers fake outrage they have done this since the mid 80s its theater. Anyone that calls themselves influencers are either sluts or some weirdo hawking stupid products to their dumber audiences

      Reply
    360. David Ritchie on

      Good try they are aliens who hate the human race. We all know this where have you been for the last 40 years or so. It would be different if they were human but they are not. Long live Dave!

      Reply
    363. Danzig Collins on

      GWAR has used George Bush Jr, Obama, and Biden dummies in their past live hows . Why would they stop now ???
      Obviously these folks don’t know this band. Or it’s just another division post.
      Metalheads united beyond politics

      Reply
    371. Scott Collins on

      Brockie, rest his soul, was on the old Red Eye. Makes you wonder if this would have happening if he was still with us.
      Ain’t listened to Gwar since America Must be Destroyed.
      Sounds like I made the right call.

      Reply
    378. Tyler Reavley on

      Imagine the audacity to think GWAR gives a flying fuck what any of these people think… They have been “killing presidents” and public figures since the 80’s Imagine thinking they are special….

      Reply
    381. David Watson on

      people need to get over themselves. my son an i saw them last yr they killed putin. an later we got jizzed on by a alien.

      Reply
    382. Tom Pedersen on

      I mean, this is EXACTLY why GWAR does it. ”

      I think its an honor to get killed by GWAR, it means you are an influential person. People who get mad at this arent GWAR fans.

      Reply
    395. Jordan Case on

      A couple years ago they killed Biden, Putin, trump and Kamala….hell they even killed my daughter in Louisville.
      GWAR is gonna GWAR

      You either love em or you’re wrong

      Reply
    398. David Mcvails Villegas on

      Troll game on lock, this was intended to be fake news and it got a lot of attention. Kudos to GWAR for mastering that form of publicity.

      Reply
    403. Glenn Cougar Mellenbrewer on

      I saw them back in 2016 and they decapitated Obama and Hillary and you didn’t hear the democrats getting their panties in a bunch

      Reply
    408. Travis Harpster on

      I’m just curious if they also “sacrificed” Putin and Taylor Swift at Riot Fest, or if they cut those songs because it was a shortened festival set 😂

      Reply
    409. Justin Gliford on

      Oh no, they must be new to Gwar! They killed Trump/Hilary, Trump/Harris, every president or candidate died at the hands of Gwar. They even had Bush in a jail cell in a music video

      Reply
    416. Joshua Michael Welsh on

      MAGA didn’t know until after the show, because they give all their money to millionaires to own the libs, and were not in attendance.

      Reply
    419. Daniel Stevenson on

      Gwar don’t hate anyone. They have had fake sacrifices to many celebrities over the years. It’s theatrical comedy and metal together. Gwar is just Gwar. Believe me they mean no harm in it.

      Reply
    422. Russell Behrends on

      I’m guessing none of those influencers are GWAR fans…and probably just saw photos on the internet…and got butt hurt about it.

      Reply
    423. James Parlato on

      Whatever. I’m a trump supporter and don’t care. I know what Gwar is about. Blothar has been on Gutfiled show. Been listening to Gwar since 90 or 91. It’s There show. Probably one of the best live shows I’ve seen.

      Reply
    428. Kitty Reed Bentzley on

      Free publicity and new fans around the world. They are happy so many people worldwide hate Rump and Musk. I’m 70 and have always thought they were a fun band to watch. Not as good as Mettalica musically more performance art against the status quo. They don’t shock me. One of the first bands I saw in my teens was Black Sabbath Their first tour of US in 1971. Long live heavy metal, rock and any band that makes fun of those in power. Magas aren’t typical fans GWAR they prefer Kid Rock’s 💩

      Reply
    429. David Anderson on

      I saw them live last year. They did the same thing with a fake Trump and a fake Harris. Some folks are just too sensitive.

      Reply
    433. Juan Jose Gamez on

      They did unalive Mark in Empire Records despite being nice and “playing a mean guitar”. It really was such a shame. 😆

      Reply
    441. Tim O Thee Poole on

      We were there, at Riot Fest, and it was AWESOME. They also “killed” Putin and Elon Musk,and aborted Tay Tay’s baby. 🤣🤣 The only thing we were upset about was that they didn’t do CK!!

      Reply
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