America’s funkiest mummies made a recent stop in Charlotte as Here Come The Mummies played to a near-capacity crowd at the Neighborhood Theatre. The band was originally scheduled to play in the Queen City back in 2020 but, like most things, the tour was delayed due to Covid. I am happy to report that the Mummies are back out on the road on the Reawakening Tour bringing their “Terrifying Funk from Beyond the Grave” to audiences far and wide, dead and undead alike.
The story behind this 8-piece funk-rock band is a mystery and wild tales have been woven about their origins. Some say they have been cursed for de-flowering a great Pharaoh’s daughter while some claim they are famous studio musicians “reincarnated.” We will probably never know for sure as these 5,000-year-old Egyptian mummies definitely keep their identities under wraps. One thing I do know for sure is Here Come The Mummies are wildly talented and most definitely know how to put on a show. In fact, a Here Come The Mummies concert isn’t just a show. It’s a party, wild night out, celebration, and experience one must see and hear in order to believe. This would be my first time being “mummified” so I was eager to see if the band would live up to their hype.
As the venue was beginning to fill up with concert-goers, I noticed a LOT of HCTM tee-shirts in the audience and even some dressed in partial mummy attire, complete with tattered clothing in true mummy fashion. It was clear that HCTM has a pretty great fan base so I was expecting it to be one heck of a performance.
When the lights dimmed, the crowd erupted as the band marched out one by one in a drumline, complete with light-up LED drums and a keytar. Things were definitely off to a funky start and the show was about to get crazy. From that point on, the evening was full of fun-filled, kitschy songs with terrific musical performances from all the band members. In fact, the night was a whirlwind of adventure with freak flags flying high for “Freak Flag” and the audience was eating it right up. Some of the sights we saw included HCTM doing pushups on the stage, running around in circles while playing their instruments, a drum battle, and really everything but the kitchen sink, and maybe there was even one of those. It was hard to keep track of all the action going on. So I just went with the flow and got funky.
Jokes were made that Here Come The Mummies are a little too “horny” instantly cueing up a bevy of horn players on various types of saxophone, trumpet, and trombone. In fact, we even saw two band members each play two saxophones at once because when it comes to sax, two is better than one! The songs may be a bit tongue-in-cheek with titles likes “She Loves Dick” but it’s easy to see why many think the band is made up of famous musicians because they all can jam like nobody’s business. And if all of this hasn’t sold you on the band yet, picture this, confetti shooting out of a saxophone. Need I say more. Here Come The Mummies are the total package. With great musicianship, fun-filled tunes, and a show unlike any other, they are a not-to-be-missed event when they roll into your town. The Reawakening Tour runs through early December so do yourself a favor and check them out. You will not be disappointed. In fact, you’ll probably have the time of your life!
Set List:
My Party
Ra Ra Ra
Fenk Shui
Whip It Out
Kinda Lingers
Friction
Freak Flag
Freeway
The Bigger The Better
Shag Carpet
She Loves Dick
Pants
Bring That Down/Flute Beatbox
Make It Shake
Single Double Triple
We would like to thank Garret E. Williams and Daev Dawson from the H.C.T.M. Mgmt Team for the credentials to review the show.
