Chad Gray Brought “30 Years of Madness tour,” To Varsity Theater For a Modern Metal Celebration
Chad Gray // Butcher Babies // Devil's Cut
Varsity Theater // 9.3.26
On a Thursday night in Minneapolis, Chad Gray brought his 30 Years of Madness tour to Varsity Theater for a night that served as a loud, aggressive, and surprisingly emotional celebration of one of modern metal’s most recognizable voices. With a career spanning three decades and two powerhouse bands, Mudvayne and HELLYEAH, Gray had plenty of material to draw from, and the crowd was more than ready to hear it. The concert featured a supporting lineup with metal veterans Butcher Babies and genre-bending Devil’s Cut. The combination made for a night that moved from Southern-flavored metal to full-throttle metalcore before Chad Gray took the stage.
The evening began with Devil’s Cut, the Kentucky outfit whose self-described “Mossy Oak Metal” is exactly as unconventional as it sounds. Blending modern metal with country influences, the band has developed a sound that feels deliberately out of place, and therefore perfectly suited to a night built around heavy music's refusal to stay in one lane. Devil's Cut showcased a range of songs, including ones from their 2026 debut Album; Roadkill. There is a party atmosphere running underneath their heaviness, but the riffs have enough weight to keep the performance from becoming novelty. They are a band clearly interested in building its own identity rather than fitting neatly into an existing scene.
Devil's Cut Setlist:
Backfire
Drop Dead
DRINK WITH THE DEVIL
Ruin My Life
Worth a Shot
Welcome to Kentucky
Missing A Memory
Insomnia
ROADKILL
Butcher Babies brought the kind of intensity that makes it difficult to remain a passive audience member. The guitars hit hard, the drums were relentless and Heidi Shepherd commanded the stage with the confidence of a performer who knows exactly how to work a metal crowd. She shows off hand made signs, joins the crowd in mosh pits, and even brings a fan onstage to sign their drumset. Frontwoman Shepherd has been leading the band through a new chapter following Carla Harvey’s departure in 2024, and the current lineup features Shepherd alongside guitarist Henry Flury, bassist Sean Violet, and drummer Dave Nickles.
“This next song is the most important song we’ve ever written as a band.” Heidi Shepard proclaimed as she delves into a more personal meaning behind their next song, “Last December.” She discussed the circumstances behind the song, giving the otherwise relentlessly aggressive set an emotional center. “We didn't just write this song for me. My friends, my family, this song was written for you.” By the time Butcher Babies finishes their set and leaves the stage, the room has been thoroughly primed for the headliner.
Butcher Babies Setlist:
Backstreets of Tennessee
Red Thunder
Monsters Ball
Sincerity
Beaver Cage
It's Killin' Time, Baby!
Lost In Your Touch
Black Dove
Spittin' Teeth
Blame It on the Wind
Last December
Magnolia Blvd.
Chad Gray walks onto the stage carrying three decades of metal history with him. Best known for his work with Mudvayne and HELLYEAH, Gray has spent his career moving between different corners of heavy music without losing the unmistakable vocal identity that made him one of the genre's most recognizable frontmen. The 30 Years of Madness concept allows him to revisit that history in a way that is more personal than a conventional tour.
The contrast between the two bands is significant. Mudvayne arrived at the turn of the millennium with a sound that could be technical, abrasive, theatrical and strangely melodic all at once. The band's early records helped establish Chad Gray as one of the distinctive vocal personalities of the nu-metal era. HELLYEAH represented another direction. Built around the chemistry of musicians from several heavy-music backgrounds. The band leaned harder into groove, Southern-rock attitude and straight-ahead hard rock.
Onstage in Minneapolis, those worlds worked surprisingly well together. Chad Gray doesn't need elaborate production to establish his credentials. The songs do most of the work, and the audience supplies the rest. They shout lyrics and headbang as Gray reminds everyone in the room that the music has remained important to multiple generations of metal fans. “It has been so awesome being here for you tonight, playing for each and every one of you tonight. I am so fucking greatful.”
Chad Gray Setlist
X - Hellyeah
Moth - Hellyeah
Demons in the Dirt - Hellyeah
Death Blooms - Mudvayne
Hush - Hellyeah
Nothing to Gein - Mudvayne
Dull Boy - Mudvayne
333 - Hellyeah
World So Cold - Mudvayne
Silenced - Mudvayne
Sangre por Sangre (Blood for Blood) - Hellyeah
-1 - Mudvayne
Not Falling - Mudvayne
Love Falls - Hellyeah
Happy? - Mudvayne
Dig - Mudvayne
September 3 at the Varsity Theater wasn't just a night of heavy music. It was a reminder of why live music matters in the first place. Devil’s Cut and Butcher Babies brought fresh energy and attitude to the bill, while Chad Gray transformed three decades of music into a shared experience between artist and audience. The songs may have originated in different moments of his career, but in a packed theater, they felt connected by the same pulse: loud, unapologetic and alive. With Devil’s Cut providing a promising opening shot and Butcher Babies bringing a theatrical blast of modern metal, the Minneapolis stop offered a lineup capable of satisfying both longtime fans and listeners discovering these artists for the first time
