'90s Heavy Metal Band Announces 2026 Tour With Special Guests
GWAR is going back on the road.
A day before their ongoing Gor-Gor Strikes Back Tour concludes, which ends on Wednesday, the metal icons announced on Instagram on Tuesday that they will be going on tour again this fall to continue the story of Gor-Gor, GWAR's fictional T. rex pet dinosaur.
Featured in GWAR's music and comics, Gor-Gor is depicted as a destructive beast that the band resurrects and battles. It is famously known for appearing in their 1992 song, "Gor-Gor," and is the central figure in the "The Return of Gor-Gor" storyline.
"As you know, Gor Gor has returned and he has struck back and now GOR GOR MUST DIE!" the band wrote as their caption. "Be apart of this momentous occasion as we bring Gor Gor to his demise! Tickets go on sale Friday at 10am local."
The Gor-Gor Must Die! Tour will kick off in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Oct. 27, and continue until Dec 12, when it will end in Norfolk, Virginia. GWAR is also set to make stops in Florida, California, Washington, Canada, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York and more. Opening acts and special guests include Midnight, Mac Sabath, X-Cops and Atomic Rule.
According to Blabbermouth, fans should "expect a full-scale blood-drenched production of heavy metal, horror and comedy with relentless energy," along with plenty of surprises from GWAR and Gor-Gor.
"As both father and mother to our precious dinosaur Gor Gor, my hearts break to see what he has become: a crack-addicted truck-stop lizard-of-the-evening. We didn't raise him to hustle his cloaca up and down the street," GWAR's Blöthar The Berserker said in a press release. "It is time for some tough love!"
Formed in Richmond, VA in 1984, the lineup of GWAR frequently rotates with a new line-up of musicians, artists and filmmakers, collectively known as Slave Pic Inc. Its current members include Mike Derks, Brad Roberts, Matt Maguire, Bob Gordman, Michael Bishop, Casey Orr and Tommy Meehan.
Since their formation more than 30 years ago, they have released 16 studio albums, with their most recent being The News Dark Ages in 2022, and have been nominated for two Grammy Awards in the 1990s.
Though very successful, GWAR faced intense legal scrutiny in their early days. Instances such as harassing police officers and their extremely graphic performances caused them to be banned from various venues around the country, as well as Boise, Idaho, their hometown of Richmond, Virginia, and the entire state of North Carolina for a whole year in 1990.
"It was just so profoundly absurd," said bassist Michael Bishop to The Guardian in 2022, referring to the arrest of their frontman at the time, Dave Brockie, at a show in Charlotte.
"We were told to tone it down before the show," Brockie recalled years later to Alt997 last summer. "So of course, we didn't. Why would you create a band like GWAR if you're not trying to provoke people?"
In addition to the tour announcement, GWAR will be releasing two covers: a metal version of Chappell Roan's "Pink Pony Club" and their reimagined cover of "I'm Just Ken" from the 2023 film Barbie, which will be renamed "We're Just GWAR." Both will be released on June 26.
Presale for GWAR's Gor Gor Must Die Tour will start on Friday morning at 10 a.m local time. VIP packages and tickets can be purchased on the band's official website.
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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 7:22 PM.