September 19, 2026 was the best Metal Party yet. And in all likelihood, the last.

Like all previous parties—especially ones involving a live band, of which this was the third—hosting this event is a LOT of work. Securing a busy touring band. Pre-party hype. Buying food and drinks. 80s metal outfit selection. Moving furniture downstairs to clear the way for equipment. Parking cars on the street. Alerting the neighbors. Prepping a speech, on and on.

Then putting everything back together at the end.

Which is why it was probably the last. Not due to my advancing age (William Shatner has just begun his metal journey at 95), but all the work.

Every bit of it was worth it in the end, of course.

Murph’s Metal Party 2026 aka, The Retirement Sucks Tour had it all.

The most attendees. We maxxed out at 68 people, including band and support crew.

The best band. Wildside rocked. Overall a bit sharper than The Priest, but mainly because of popular song selection. “Don’t Stop Believin’” and “Back in Black” naturally appeal to a broader audience than “Beyond the Realms of Death”. Everyone was into it. Lead singer Ron Finn knows how to work a crowd and get them going with callouts, shared choruses, a fantastic Ozzy impersonation, etc. A true frontman.

And he has a vocal talent few tributes possess. Exhibit A:

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The most sheer fun, and joy. A few highlights:

• Skeptical sound guy. He showed up first, a little after 3 p.m., and seemed a bit incredulous to hear he was setting up indoors. He must have told me at least 3x it was “going to be loud” and how much he’d work to tamper down the volume, but “he could only do so much.” He had me feeling a little anxious… but seemed much more at ease after I told him I’d already hosted a Judas Priest tribute band in my living room, twice.
• Ron Finn carrying around a nude female torso with utter nonchalance. I didn’t know what was going on until someone told me it was a mannequin for selling Wildside T-shirts. I caught my brother copping a feel.
• Ridiculous lines said aloud that you would never hear in ordinary conversation. "Would the demon head look more visible here?” “You may see me in an owl mask later” etc.

I was in a state of ecstasy to greet all the guests, see the familiar faces including a few late additions (Bryan Shepard aka., Glenn Tipton of The Priest, made a surprise appearance only I knew about, and his former bandmates were over the moon to see him). Seeing the joy on everyone’s faces.

We lucked out with fantastic weather. We added a keg of beer for the first time. Strung up lots of décor, more than usual, including large foam METAL letters wrapped in tinfoil on the front yard affixed to driveway sticks. Libby made my friend Scott a Bruce Dickinson Horus/owl mask, like the one he wears during “Powerslave”. Created that day, from materials purchased at Michaels.

Everyone dressed up, Libby looked like a metal goddess with an artistically ripped KISS shirt and rocked out harder than anyone. Hannah wore a Led Zeppelin shirt and fishnet stockings. Sue had teased 80s hair and heavy eyeliner. I wore a Golden Banana t-shirt and a Nikki Sixx wig and shades.

Of course, the music was next level. Just an incredible amount of equipment carried in and out of my living room. A huge subwoofer. Amps. Floor monitors. Multiple guitars. A full drum kit and cymbals, power cords taped down everywhere on the floor. Tactile, bulky, awesome. All real, all played and sung by talented performers.

The sound guy ran it all through something like an ipad or laptop. He nailed the mix, Wildside sounded GREAT. Loud but not overwhelming. The light towers gave it all a concert-like feel, augmented by glow sticks in the crowd.

Later I joined the band on stage with a "Quiet Riot" mask.

I kept my introductory speech short and sweet. A few fun anecdotes, a callout and toast to my wife, and a plug of Growing Up Metal. The book launch made the event extra special. My life is in its pages. I gave Ron a free signed copy and signed a handful of other books. I got some huge complements from friends and partygoers who made the effort to read it in advance.

The highlights don’t end there. Others:

· My dear old high school friend Wayne’s son Alex got to play “The Trooper” in a bit of unplanned magic. It’s a song he mostly knew, but I saw him frantically rehearsing at lulls in the party. He nailed it.

· Scott and I picking up the keg of Yuengling, getting it tapped and toasting on the back deck just as the event kicked off.

· Sue kissing me on the dance floor to “I Was Made for Lovin’ You.”

· Five of my next door neighbors coming in. One later called it a top 3 experience of his life.

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The band loved being here, beyond being paid performers. I hung out with a couple members in the wee hours at the basement bar—Ron Finn and talented lead guitarist Bob Rocheleau, with a couple old friends Scotty and Vin.

If 2016 and 2018 meant more—breakthrough and recovery, respectively, for me—2026 was about joy in the moment.

As I write this my throat is raw from singing. I’m battling a minor cold and I’m bone-tired. These are the battlescars. All worth it. We went out on top. When you see your daughters dancing to Triumph, you know rock will never die.

Life is damned good. I’m blessed. I thanked the Lord mid-party in a quiet moment alone upstairs when I knew everyone was having a blast and the band was great and everything was going to be perfect.

It was.

A note

You’re going to get occasional issues like this. One essay, on one thing.

It is Arcane Arts after all.

Did I Lay It On the Line with this issue? Hit me up anytime over email.