Mad With Power 9 – We Raided the Capital and a Dance Recital Broke Out
Another Memorable Weekend As Only MWP Can Deliver

2026-06-12

20260606_MWP_Massacre_MadisonWI_DavePearson-022 — Uniting MWP Style - Ty and Chris Carnage at the Massacre on 6/6/2026. Photo credit: Dave Pearson

Madison, WI – This is my fifth year being part of the Mad With Power family. Every year there is something special. For those who have never gone (you should be ashamed of yourself), this is a great experience and it is so much more than awesome (and loud) music into the wee hours of the morning!!

I have said this a million times before, Mad With Power is a family gathering. This year the review and photos will start in the middle. There are many things that make this festival a blast and it brings people from all over the world together. The lunch break is a time to eat, drink, be merry, and many also use the time to play Magic The Gathering. I feel that this tradition, likely unique to any festival, is what makes this a midwestern-style family reunion. During that break fans from all over the world engage to talk music and anything else. Really, it is ok to get to know the person that plowed you under while in the mosh pit!!

Making Magic (The Gathering) at MWP 2026. Photo credit: Dave Pearson

I can safely say no other music festival organizes a Cheese Curd Massacre at any farmer’s market, let alone at the second largest market in the nation. On Saturday morning, at 11:30 am, a massive number of metal heads gather at the end of State Street where the fearless leader, “Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty” (the call to get his attention), prepares them for curds and the Capital.

Typically, after raiding a few of the curd vendors, they venture into the Wisconsin capital building where they occupy the lower rotunda for a Midwest Metal photo op. That was not in the cards this year. As fate would have it, a local dance studio, Midwest Dance Center, was putting on a performance in the mid level of the Capital. In polite metalhead fashion, those who stormed the capital looked on in amazement as the young dancers performed. The response was amazing! The metal cheers echoed through the capital as they took a bow. The dancers gave a bunch of festival attendees, many of which had never experienced such a performance, a memory that only MWP (and great timing) could create.

The MWP Team cheering on Midwest Dance Center dancers at the Wisconsin Capital on 6/6/2026. Photo credit: Dave Pearson

Then, of course, there was the music!! Yes, the curds were the glue, but it was, and always has been, the music that brought everyone together. As founder Ty Christian has said many times, he works hard to bring the community together. There is no judgement, come as or who you are and enjoy. Mad With Power gives exposure to the lesser known bands, often introducing an international audience to smaller up and coming bands.

I cannot go into a lot of detail about each performance, but they were all awesome. Instead, let the pictures and links to their music tell the stories of each band. There were mosh pits, lots of mosh pits. There was crowd surfing… LOTS of crowd surfing!! There was even a metal conga line as balloons rained down upon us during the Super Monster Party set on Saturday!! There was a bit of creative freedom in the crowd too, as during the Twilight Force set on Saturday the surfers hitched a ride on a mingling dragon. Check out the images of the non-music activities (including the video and pinball games, crowd surfing, etc.) in the Having Fun MWP Style Gallery.

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As you may recall, last year there was a shortfall and the metal community came together to ensure that MWP 9 became reality. To be honest, MWP 9 was a direct result of the Miracle on Livingston Street 2025. Unlike last year, where the team was unable to pre-plan and arrange bands for the following year, this year Ty and company were able to have bands under contract for the one decade (not counting 2020) version of MWP. MWP 10 will be held on May 21 and 22, 2027, again at the Sylvee in Madison, WI. As of this review, 11 of the 12 bands for MWP 10 have been announced. It is sure to be a crazy fun weekend. Every year I leave feeling there is nothing that can top the non-music (metal family) elements of MWP and every year I am surprised. Be sure to attend next year to see what MWP 10 has in store!!