Static-X Release Statement Explaining Touring Vocalist's Mask

Last week, disco metal pioneers Static-X revealed the full dates of their upcoming worldwide reunion tour held partly in tribute to their late vocalist Wayne Static, as well as their new masked touring vocalist (rumored to be Edsel Dope of tourmates Dope). The post received both excitement and criticism, in part because the band's new vocalist appears to be dressed in a Wayne Static costume, including a mask, hair, and braided beard. Some fans felt the use of Wayne's image was in poor taste (a sentiment we echoed in an opinion piece we ran earlier this week).

Now, the band have released a public statement via their Facebook explaining why they chose to have their touring vocalist wear a mask.

Here's the statement in full:

“A message directly from the band…

Thank you again for the overwhelming response to our new album and the WDT 20th Anniversary World Tour.
The shows have been selling like crazy!
Chicago and Pittsburg have already sold out…
Las Vegas NV, Los Angeles CA, London England, and Melbourne Australia are right behind them and will sell out soon.

After releasing our latest teaser, we noticed that some of you are curious about how we came to our decision regarding the mask and the visual presentation of our touring vocalist..
In the end, the answer is pretty simple..

As many of you know, Tony came across some unfinished studio sessions, featuring Waynes final works last year. He eventually enlisted the original WDT band, along with our original producer Ulrich Wild to help finish the recordings and complete what will be a brand new Static-X album titled (Project Regeneration)..
The album is turning out to be something very special and we look forward to sharing more with you all very soon.

The response to the album announcement was incredible and the 20th Anniversary Wisconsin Death Trip Tour / Memorial to Wayne Static was announced a few short months later…

Let us begin by restating the obvious.
This is the Wisconsin Death Trip 20th Anniversary Tour, therefore, these events are 100% about nostalgia for everyone involved..
This was not about setting the tone for the future or about putting a new face to the band or establishing a new identity for Static-X..

This is about experiencing the vibes of an old school Static-X show “LIVE & LOUD” 20 years later, while we honor our dear friend Wayne Static.

The search for a touring vocalist for Static-X was not an easy one.
First, we wanted to keep the continuity that Static-X has always had on stage.
It has always been 4 guys.
Drummer, Guitarist, Bassist, and a Singer who also plays guitar.
In addition,
We wanted to select someone that we had familiarity with.
Someone who knew us and someone who knew Wayne and someone who had a connection to our community.
Someone who would take this personally, because this is very personal to all of us.

Once we found our guy, we began to discuss the stage show and the visual presentation for the tour..

In the end, it was actually our touring vocalist, who suggested that he wear a mask on stage..
Out of respect for Wayne and for the band, he didn’t feel that it would be right for his own image or identity to be placed in the center of something that he had nothing to do with creating…

This struck the 3 of us as an incredibly selfless and humble gesture!

The truth is, he could have been very self serving and looked at this as an opportunity for him to raise his own profile and to put his name and face out there for all of you to see.

Instead, he expressed the exact opposite intentions..

He also explained that the idea of wearing a mask would allow him the freedom to get lost in the vibe of Static-X and to completely disconnect from his own identity and ultimately serve Static-X better..

Further, he expressed that the mask itself, along with his performance each night could act as a unique part of the memorial to Wayne..
A tribute, for lack of better words.

Before we moved forward with any of our creative decisions, we first shared our ideas and designs with Waynes family.
They have given us their full support every step of the way.

Let us also acknowledge that Wayne was much more to Static-X than our talented vocalist and guitarist..
His trademark Static Electrified hair proved to be just as unique and identifiable to Static-X as his incredible voice..
In time, the Static-X hair would become a signature part of the bands identity as well as its identifiability.

The mask was already something that was decided on, so the hair just naturally followed….

All of this has allowed us to channel the vibe and the spirit of Static-X through another vocalist, without taking any of the focus away from the 4 people who originally created Static-X and brought you Wisconsin Death Trip 20 years ago..

The motivation is simple and the result is undeniable…..
The mask, the hair, and the overall presentation we have chosen immediatly makes you think of Wayne Static and Static-X.

In the end, that is ALL that this is about.
This is about Static-X
This is about the 20th Anniversary of Wisconsin Death Trip, and the nightly / global memorial to our brother Wayne Static..
Anyone who doesn’t “get it”, is just not looking closely enough.

We OBVIOUSLY wish that Wayne was here doing this with us, unfortunately, that is not an option.
Rather than putting someone else’s face in his place for our 20th Anniversary Tour, we have chosen to memorialize him and to ultimately to immortalize him..
In our hearts, there is no greater display of respect than what we are doing.

We were never interested in performing with a hologram and using pre recorded vocals..
We didn’t feel that Static-X performing with a “special guest” singer that everyone recognized would accomplish the Wisconsin Death Trip vibe or experience.

For us, this is all materializing better than we could have hoped and we have no doubts that we are gong to to bring the fans an amazing Wisconsin Death Trip experience.
The stage production is insane and the band is sounding legit as fuck!

In closing, we know that Wayne would be honored by all of the love and effort that has gone into this.
We know that Wayne will be with us each night, in spirit, as we celebrate WDT around the world.

We are very excited to get out there and celebrate with you all very soon!

Much love!
Ken, Koichi, & Tony"

The band does not address the seemingly creepy design for the mask, which has been a common criticism among fans.

Those interested in seeing Static-X live on their reunion tour can do so at one of the dates listed below:

June 2019 (with DevilDriver and Dope)

18 Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theater
19 Albuquerque, NM – El Rey Theater
21 Dallas, TX – Gas Monkey Live
22 Houston, TX – The Warehouse
23 San Antonio, TX – The Aztec Theater
25 Atlanta, GA – Masquerade
26 Greenville, SC – The Firmament
28 Baltimore, MD – Soundstage
29 Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom
30 Scranton, PA – Levels

July 2019

02 Toronto, ON – Opera House
03 London, ON – London Music Hall
04 Ottawa, ON – Brass Monkey
05 Hampton Beach, NH – Wally’s
06 Worcester, MA – The Palladium
07 Reading, PA – Reverb
09 Pittsburgh, PA – Jergel’s
10 Cleveland, OH – Agora Theater
11 Indianapolis, IN – The Citadel
12 Ft. Wayne, IN – Piere’s
13 Detroit, MI – Harpo’s
14 Lexington, KY – Manchester Music Hall
16 Grand Rapids, MI – Intersection
18 Cadott, WI – Cadott Rockfest
19 Sioux City, IA – Anthem – Hard Rock Casino
20 Joliet, IL – The Forge
21 Belvidere, IL – Apollo Theater
23 Denver, CO – Oriental Theater
25 Santa Ana, CA – Observatory
26 Los Angeles, CA – Catch One
27 Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues

August 2019 (with Wednesday 13 and Dope)

22 Brisbane, Australia – Eaton Hill
23 Melbourne, Australia – Croxton
24 Sydney, Australia – Metro
26 Adelaide, Australia – The Gov
27 Perth, Australia – Rock Rover

September 2019 (with just Static-X)

20 St. Petersburg, Russia – Cosmonavt Club
21 Moscow, Russia – Giavclub

(with Soil, Wednesday 13, and Dope)

24 Bristol, England – SWX
25 Cardiff, Wales – Tramshed
26 London, England – Electric Ballroom
27 Nottingham, England – Rock City
28 Leeds, England – Stylus
29 Southampton, England – Engine Room

October 2019

01 Newcastle, England – Northumbria Institute
02 Glasgow, Scotland – The Garage
03 Manchester, England – The Ritz
04 Birmingham, England – 02 Institute
05 Paris, France – File 7
06 Antwerp, Belgium – Trix Club
07 Hamburg, Germany – Markthalle
09 Cologne, Germany – Essigfabrik
10 Mannheim, Germany – MS Connex
11 Zurich, Switzerland – Dynamo
12 Pinarella di Cervia, Italy – Rock Planet
13 Munich, Germany – Backstage

December 2019 (with just Static-X)

10 Salt Lake City, UT – The Royal Bar
11 Boise, ID – Knitting Factory
12 Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
13 Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theater
14 Seattle, WA – El Corazon
15 Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theater