Twenty years ago today (October 30th), The Misfits made their first live appearance in 12 years – and their first ever without original singer Glenn Danzig – at the Chance in Poughkeepsie, NY. Author and musician Joel Gausten (The Undead/Electric Frankenstein/Pigface/Effectionhate), who accompanied the band to the venue that night, offers a never-before-published account of the evening, which included a memorable run-in with Type O Negative frontman Peter Steele. An excerpt from the piece appears below:

"Although we missed openers Lycia and The Electric Hellfire Club, we arrived in time to catch a good chunk of Type O's incredible set. They were simply amazing, delivering flawless (and quite heavy) renditions of tracks like 'Too Late: Frozen' and 'Christian Woman' (which featured a guest appearance by two young ladies dressed as nuns, who proceeded to make out on stage during the song). I had been a fan of Type O frontman Peter Steele's earlier band, Carnivore, and had followed Type O's progress since the days they went by the name Repulsion. I was really looking forward to seeing them. They absolutely fucking blew me away.

A few minutes later, the Misfits story changed forever.

With Type O guitarist Kenny Hickey on vocals, The Misfits stormed the stage during the encore, playing '20 Eyes' and 'Vampira' before Graves came out and took over for Kenny on 'Astro Zombies'.

Then it was all over. I wasn't alive to see The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, but I saw The Misfits' first time on stage in 12 years. I'm pretty sure Doyle's first wife was there that night as well and filmed the proceedings. I'd kill to see that footage!

Later that evening, Jerry brought me backstage. The first person I met was a jovial Thomas Thorn of The Electric Hellfire Club, who was quick to share his excitement over hanging out with The Misfits. And quietly slumped over shirtless in a chair on the other side of the room... Peter Steele. After Jerry introduced me to him, Peter handed me the bottle of whiskey he was nursing and said, 'Drink!' Happy to oblige, I took the bottle and started chugging. 'WHOA!' exclaimed the man in his trademark baritone before taking the bottle back. 

Following that memorable introduction, we got to chatting. Since I knew that Peter had roots in the New York Hardcore scene (including writing lyrics for Agnostic Front's classic Cause For Alarm album), I mentioned that I had recently been in touch with Raybeez from Warzone to book the band for a hall show I was putting on in New Jersey the following month. Peter's eyes immediately lit up, and he asked me to make sure I told Ray that he said hello the next time I talked to him. Later, I asked Peter to sign the only thing I had on me at the time – the back of one of my business cards for Joel Gausten Productions, which was the name I went by when I used to book shows. I've moved multiple times in the last 20 years; to the best of my knowledge, that card is currently boxed up - along with a bunch of other personal items - in my family's storage place in the Midwest. I really need to get out there one of these days!

Of course, the biggest thing that hits me when I look back on this night is the fact that Peter Steele is no longer with us. Twenty years ago, I saw a frontman and band at the absolutely peak of their powers, quickly building a legend that has only grown in relevance with each passing year. It's a shame it all ended so tragically. A lot of been said about Peter, but here's what matters: That guys was fucking brilliant, and he left the building too goddamn soon. Just listen to 'Love You To Death' off October Rust. Only a truly special soul could create something so powerful."

Go to this location for the complete article.

In 1995, Gausten served as a fill-in rehearsal drummer for The Misfits while the group was auditioning new full-time members. He later served as a concert promoter or the band, booking and coordinating their “homecoming” show at Action Park in Vernon, NJ in August 1996. He chronicled these and other events in his out-of-print 2006 mini-book, Tales Of Horror: The History of The Misfits & The Undead. A sample of the book can be read here.