DOWN Shares Mini-Documentary On Inn Of The Mountain Gods Concert

Long-running heavy metal supergroup DOWN — featuring vocalist Philip H. Anselmo, guitarists Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein, drummer Jimmy Bower and bassist Pat Bruders — will return to the stage for six special shows supporting DANZIG. The journey begins March 21 in Las Vegas, Nevada and runs through March 30 in Phoenix, Arizona. Additional support will be provided by ABBATH and CRO-MAGS.

Comments Anselmo: "We've known Glenn Danzig for a long time and when he comes a-callin', we always try and jump at the chance to play with our Elder Master. Therefore I'm looking forward to the gigs! Plus, my man Abbath and CRO-MAGS?! This should be fun!"

Tickets are on sale now. See all confirmed dates below.

March 21 - The Virgin Theater @ Virgin Hotels - Las Vegas, NV
March 22 - Thunder Valley Casino Resort - Lincoln, CA
March 25 - Wamu Theater - Seattle, WA
March 26 - Moda Center - Theatre Of The Clouds - Portland, OR
March 29 - Kia Forum - Los Angeles, CA
March 30 - Arizona Financial Theatre - Phoenix, AZ

On June 20, 2024, DOWN was scheduled to perform a special one-off show at the Inn Of The Mountain Gods in Mescalero, New Mexico, their first in nearly two years. The concert was postponed due to rapidly growing wildfires which were converging on a village inside a tribal reservation in the state. Thousands of residents in southern New Mexico were ordered to evacuate their homes. As a result, DOWN played two pop-up shows in Louisiana. Portions of the proceeds from each of those shows were donated to the Mescalero Apache Nation - South Fork Fire relief fund.

The Mescalero show was rescheduled for September 27, 2024. Prior to the performance, Blue Shendo, tribal administrator of the Apache Mescalero Tribe, and councilwoman Euphrasia Platta, as well as Miss Mescalero, honored the band with two gifting ceremonies where they presented blankets as a sign of The Mescalero Apache Tribe's appreciation to DOWN for raising awareness and their contribution of funds after the fires.

Recalls Anselmo: "To play a show for the music/metal fans from Mescalero was an absolute honor. The beautiful presentation from the local Apache Tribe was humbling, surreal, and strong. I'd play there again in a heartbeat."

Adds Bower: "When we were invited to play the Inn Of The Mountain Gods, we knew from the start it would be special. Almost canceled due to wildfires, we played two shows in Louisiana to help raise funds for the locals in Mescalero. The show was rescheduled and we flew out the next month. Before the show, we were presented with embroidered native wool blankets in appreciation for our donation which was an absolute honor. The show was amazing. It was truly a special weekend."

A short film documenting the event, shot by Metal Dave Media, can be viewed below.

DOWN recently entered the studio to begin recording its new album, tentatively due later in the year.

In April 2024, Windstein, who is also the frontman of CROWBAR, told Concrete Spew about the musical direction of the new DOWN material: "It just sounds like DOWN. I mean, it sounds refreshing because we haven't done it in so long, gotten together with me and the guys and done it in — fuck — 12 years or something. So it sounds like DOWN, I think, to me, it sounds more old-school DOWN. And the reason I say that is I think we got to a point where… Like, the 'NOLA' record is so simple, and it just wrote itself; it was so simple. And that's how this is coming about, which is great."

He continued: "We're not overthinking it. We're not trying to make things too complex. Phillip's not trying to write so many lyrics and things. We just kind of got away — I hate to say 'got away', 'cause anything we do is DOWN, but, to me, we kind of got a little bit… We needed to go back and look at each other and just go, 'Let's just get in a room and do it like we did from the beginning.' And that's what it feels like to me. It's very magical. The ideas and the working together, just bounce off of one another, it's a natural thing."

As a result of DOWN's original Inn Of The Mountain Gods concert postponement, the band played two pop-up shows in Louisiana — on June 20, 2024 at Southport Hall in New Orleans and on June 21, 2024 at Varsity Theatre in Baton Rouge.

Prior to Southport Hall, DOWN's last concert took place in September 2022 at the Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Alton, Virginia.

DOWN made a handful of rare live appearances in the spring and summer of 2022. The band launched a three-date U.S. run of shows in May 2022 at the Welcome To Rockville festival in Daytona Beach, Florida. After playing in Atlanta and Dallas immediately after Rockville, DOWN took a three-week break before regrouping for three European festival appearances in June. The aforementioned appearance at that year's Blue Ridge Rock Festival followed in September 2022.

In August 2021, DOWN took part in a very special in-person live and virtual experience. "NOLA Town Throwdown" was held at the Fillmore in New Orleans, Louisiana and featured fans attending the show in person as well as watching it in real time from the comfort of their living room.

In August 2020, DOWN celebrated the 25th anniversary of "NOLA" with a special livestreamed event. Dubbed "The Quarter Century Throwdown", the high-production, multi-camera event took place using cutting-edge streaming technology to create a one-of-a-kind virtual concert experience.

A founding member of DOWN, Windstein left the band in 2013 in order to focus on CROWBAR and his family life. He was replaced by Bobby Landgraf, DOWN's former guitar tech who was previously in GAHDZILLA MOTOR COMPANY, a 1990s outfit also featuring Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS, WATCHTOWER),and HONKY.

Windstein announced his return to DOWN in 2019, with the band confirming a number of festival appearances for 2020 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of "NOLA", all of which were later canceled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic which swept the globe.

Prior to the August 2020 livestream, DOWN's last live appearance took place in August 2016 at the Psycho Las Vegas festival in Las Vegas.

The supergroup hasn't issued anything since the arrival of the "Down IV – Part Two" EP in May 2014.

"Down IV – Part Two" sold around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release in May 2014 to debut at position No. 23 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The band's previous EP, "Down IV Part I – The Purple EP", opened with around 12,000 units in September 2012 to land at No. 35.

"Down IV – Part Two" was recorded at Nodferatu's Lair — Anselmo's home studio — and produced by Michael Thompson. It was released via Down Records/ADA Music.

Photo by Metal Dave Media