Wednesday 13 Unleashes Horror Punk at The Song & Dance in Syracuse

Wednesday 13 / Above Snakes – Syracuse, NY

***Wednesday 13 – The Song & Dance, Syracuse, NY***

Wednesday 13 brought horror punk, glam metal, and plenty of macabre theatrics to The Song & Dance in Syracuse on the Shocktober Blood 2026 tour. With Boston hard rockers Above Snakes opening the night, the basement venue was the setting for a night of heavy riffs, dark humor, and horror inspired rock.

Horror punk, glam metal sleaze, and a stage full of Halloween decorations set the tone when Wednesday 13 brought the Shocktober Blood 2026 tour to The Song & Dance in Syracuse. Performing under his horror loving alter ego for nearly two decades, Joseph Poole has built a career around dark humor, macabre imagery, and music that never takes itself too seriously. With Boston hard rockers Above Snakes opening the night, the show combined heavy riffs, catchy hooks, and theatrical excess in a venue well suited to Wednesday 13’s style.

Tucked into a basement in downtown Syracuse, The Song & Dance keeps the stage and crowd in close quarters. That intimacy works particularly well for Wednesday 13, whose performance relies on facial expressions, costumes, gestures, and exaggerated poses as much as the music itself. Orange plastic blow mold pumpkins decorated the stage, adding a seasonal touch to a show steeped in horror movie imagery. The setting suited the Shocktober Blood theme without requiring an elaborate production to establish the atmosphere.

Wednesday 13’s musical history stretches across his solo catalog, Murderdolls, and Frankenstein Drag Queens From Planet 13, and the setlist reflected those different chapters. The show moved between newer material and older favorites, offering a look at the different sides of his catalog without getting stuck in one era.

“When the Devil Commands” opened the set, setting the tone with Wednesday 13’s blend of heavy guitars and horror inspired subject matter. From there, the band moved through songs including “From Here to the Hearse” and “Look What the Bats Dragged In,” mixing catchy hooks with the macabre themes that have become a defining part of his music. Newer material such as “In Misery” and “Rotting Away” sat comfortably alongside older songs, showing how the sound has developed over the years without losing its dark humor or punk edge.

The set also reached back to Poole’s other projects, with Murderdolls’ “Summertime Suicide” and Frankenstein Drag Queens From Planet 13’s “197666” included in the lineup. These songs added another dimension to the performance, connecting different parts of his musical history through their shared mix of sinister imagery, punk attitude, and irreverence.

The horror references extended beyond the lyrics. Wednesday 13 worked the front of the stage, playing directly to the crowd and using exaggerated expressions and movements to keep the theatrical side of the show in focus. The costumes, gestures, and pumpkin decorations were not simply added touches. They complemented music that has always drawn heavily from horror films and B movie excess. W13 understands the appeal of camp and commits to it without losing sight of the songs themselves.

A drum solo gave Mike Dupke a moment in the spotlight before the band returned to close the main set with “I Walked With a Zombie.” The encore included “Bad Things,” one of the songs that lends itself naturally to audience participation, followed by “I Love to Say Fuck,” originally recorded by Frankenstein Drag Queens From Planet 13. It was a fitting final selection for an act that has never been interested in toning down its humor or cleaning up its image.

The lineup features Jack Tankersley on guitar, Ashes on lead guitar, Troy Doebbler on bass, and Mike Dupke on drums. Together, they supplied the heavy guitars and driving rhythms behind Poole’s theatrical approach, keeping the music at the center of a show built around a distinctive visual identity.

Above Snakes opened the night with a modern hard rock sound built around heavy guitars, electronic textures, and immediate hooks. The Boston based band made effective use of the limited stage space, keeping the performance active without letting the movement become distracting. Their songs balanced thick guitar work with melodic choruses, giving the set an accessible edge.

The highlight came with a medley of “It’s Tricky,” “You Can’t Touch This,” and “Push It.” The familiar tracks created an immediate connection for those less familiar with Above Snakes’ original material, giving the set a recognizable high point before the night moved further into Wednesday 13’s horror themed world.

In the close quarters of The Song & Dance, Wednesday 13’s combination of heavy music, horror imagery, and dark humor felt right at home. The Shocktober Blood tour drew from the different chapters of his career while staying true to the exaggerated, unapologetically macabre personality that has always set him apart. With a stage dressed for the season and a set spanning his various projects, Wednesday 13 gave Syracuse a fittingly twisted night of rock and roll.