The Protomen Mark 20 Years of Epic Battles

Just before sundown Saturday, a line snaked its way through Eastside Bowl, from the door leading to the venue area all the way in the back, past the bar and bowling lanes, and spilled out onto the sidewalk. A separate line to buy merch, brimming with fans in silver-and-black makeup, was about as long. That could mean but one thing: It was time for Middle Tennessee video-game rock heroes The Protomen to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their first live performance.

That show two decades ago was at The Boro, a Murfreesboro dive well-known to MTSU students of the 1990s and Aughts (including yours truly, class of 2008) for its beer, burgers and generally liberal booking policies. Saturday’s lineup was stacked with standout players who spent lots of time at The Boro. So was the audience, making the show about the most fun college reunion I could ask for, with erstwhile Nashville indie-electro dance-party institution Left Can Dance reporting for DJ duty.

Suddenly, the curtain around the venue’s side stage retracted, revealing the latest incarnation of Ri¢hie, aka Richie Kirkpatrick and his bass-and-twin-drums ensemble. They ripped on twanged-out rockers from the mustachioed frontman and guitar wizard’s catalog with his old band Ghostfinger, plus Ri¢hie tunes and some songs I hadn’t heard before. The onetime Kesha band member told the crowd to watch for new releases under the name “Richie Earl”; they can’t come soon enough.

Then a true blast from the past took the main stage by storm. Destroy Destroy Destroy hasn’t released new music in 15 years and hasn’t played much during that time. But with original vocalist Bryan Kemp back in the fold — death-growling and wielding a battle ax, clad in his studded leather briefs and gauntlets — they came roaring out of the gate like they’d just stepped off the tour bus. Their set was a whirlwind of warp-speed, synth-enhanced metal riffage, furious solos and Gatling-gun beats, making even casual heshers like me hope this appearance heralds a new era of DDD.

Back on the side stage, it was time for Makeup and Vanity Set, the project of longtime Protomen associate Matthew Pusti. He’s built an extensive catalog of cinematic electronic music including film and video game soundtracks. Saturday, he leaned into the ominous image cast by his traditional stage outfit of leather jacket and ski mask, unleashing crushing waves of dark beats amid a thick fog-machine haze.

About 10:30 p.m., a spotlight trained on the main stage curtain. Out stepped The Protomen’s hypebot K.I.L.R.O.Y. to welcome the sold-out crowd of about 800 to this auspicious occasion. A drumline composed of several of the band’s robot soldiers wound through the crowd, and we were thrust into a two-hour epic battle between the forces of good and the robot minions of the despotic Dr. Wily.

If you aren’t in the know, The Protomen’s original music builds on the universe of Capcom’s extensive Mega Man game series. So far they’ve released two dense, high-concept LPs and snippets of a long-awaited third installment, among albums of covers and soundtrack work. You don’t need to know or care anything about that to have a blast with their music. They revel in everything over-the-top in 1970s and ’80s rock ’n’ roll, as well as the massive advances in video game sound design at that time. For 20 years, The Protomen have used everything at their disposal to put on spectacular shows, carrying thousands of delighted fans along with them into their dystopian vision of the future, in which covers of Journey (“Separate Ways,” which the band played at their first show) and Phil Collins — “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now),” which closed the night — fit in perfectly. 

The band sounded better than ever Saturday, seemingly a combination of intense practice, upgraded gear, a good sound system and a great mix. Singers Raul Panther III and Gambler Kirkdouglas have two of the best voices you’ll hear in the whole wide world of rock. Tons of past members joined in for this show, including trumpeter Master Blaster and drummer Demon Barber — as well as guitarists Heath Who Hath No Name, Doug Fetterman and Scartoe Gleason, augmenting the twin-guitar attack of current members Sir Dr. Robert Bakker and Shock Magnum.

The elaborate stage setup also looked better than ever. The band used both stages and the mezzanine, plus extensive video elements by Devin Lamp that included projection mapping on parts of the backdrop and video feeds on old TVs stacked along the back of the stage. These technologies are widely used now, though they weren’t when The Protomen got their start. But they aren’t unfamiliar to the band, who’ve consistently experimented with new techniques to tell their stories.

Still, the midshow confrontation between robot brothers Mega Man and Proto Man — wearing their DIY costume helmets and cracking self-effacing jokes about how they’ve been doing this for so long — got the biggest cheers.

The show marked two decades of excellent musicians finding ways to explore stuff they’re passionate about in a way that rhymes with how thousands of others love those things too. And it also honored people who never stop looking for more and more sophisticated ways to bring artistic ideas to life. Determination and ingenuity are precious for all of Nashville’s music scenes, and they manifest in different ways across an incredible wealth of different styles of music. Change, as my tired feet reminded me on my way to the car after the show, is inevitable; but as we keep navigating it as a city, we’ve got to make sure we’re making moves that protect that spirit.

Features

The Protomen’s Scartoe Gleason Emerges From Retirement

• Matt Sullivan