Seventh annual Devil’s Night combines 6 hours of music, horror films and costumes

Thirteen bands. Two stages. Horror films. Costumes.

On Sunday, local bands will come together to play Devil's Night. For $5, people can hear heavy metal, punk, electronic, indie rock, polka and bluegrass music. Beginning at 7 p.m., shows will alternate between the Rye Room and the Theatre Stage at the Bourbon Theatre, 1415 O St., for about six hours of continuous music.

"It's a constant good time," host Barry Petersen said. "Everybody is meandering back and forth between the stages. It's constant music so there's not much time to mingle."

The Devil's Night tradition began seven years ago when a group of friends contacted Petersen about having a Halloween show. Since then he has continued to put on the show every year to support Nebraska's first and only community radio station, KZUM.

"Every year, the bands pull out some special shows for this because it's been very well attended," he said. "It seems like they save their special shows for Devil's Night."

All of the bands will be dressing up in Halloween costumes and horror movies will be projected on the screens behind the bands.

"I heard one of the bands is going to have actors portraying themes involved in the songs they write," Petersen said.

Scott Trampe has played at Devil's Night since year one and has seen it evolve into a bigger and better event each year. It's just a bunch of friends playing together, having fun and supporting a good cause, he said. But what really stands out in Trampe's mind are the costumes.

"We have a lot of people come out with a lot of great costumes," he said. "The only question is, what is Barry Petersen going to show up as?"

Among the bands playing, Petersen noted a recently reunited rock ‘n' roll band, Ghost Runners. A lot of people are going to come see a band that hasn't been around for six or seven years, he said. Trampe's band, Skullskowski, will be playing Devil's Night for the first time.

Playing in the past with The Fallen Seventy Seven, Trampe thinks that the audience will be surprised with the nature of Skullskowski when they first hear it.

"It's a lot like The Fallen Seventy Seven, but it's actually going in the direction where I was trying to take The Fallen Seventy Seven before," Trampe said.

Being there from the beginning, Trampe has seen a lot of the music change and grow from year to year. One thing that he can count on, though, is that it will always be a crazy, wild time.

"It's the best show of the year," Trampe said. "If you miss it, you're a loser."

kassinelson@dailynebraskan.com