Robb Flynn on Vegas Shooting: "I Don't Ever Want to Fucking Play 'Davidian' Again"

Machine Head vocalist/guitarist Rob Flynn held a livestreamed fan Q&A yesterday, October 3rd, amid preparations for Catharsis, the band's upcoming record due out in January. In addition to discussing the upcoming album and his production work for New York metal outfit Sworn Enemy, the musician reflected on last weekend's mass shooting at a country music festival in Las Vegas and its personal and cultural repercussions.

Asked by a fan for his views on gun control, Flynn voiced strong support for reforms and condemned the actions of the lone gunman, Stephen Paddock. "That motherfucker," he seethed. "Everybody heard about the horrible Las Vegas [shooting] ... that dude had 23 assault rifles in his fucking hotel room. That is fucking insane to me. That is fucking insane to me, you know? ... When I first heard the news yesterday morning, I couldn't even put it together." 

Flynn went on to reveal that, as a result of the October 1st tragedy, he's considering cutting Machine Head staple "Davidian" from future setlists. (The song, off 1994's debut Burn My Eyes, contains repeated references to gun violence, particularly in its chant-along chorus: "Let freedom ring with a shotgun blast.") 

"This morning, I thought, I don't ever want to fucking play 'Davidian' again — that's what I thought this morning," FIynn said. "I even texted it to the dudes, like, 'I don't want to ever play "Davidian" again,' like — fuck, man. It's fucking crazy." While the band hasn't made a final decision regarding the song's fate, he says they'll probably discuss it in the future (ostensibly before their upcoming North American tour, which kicks off early next year). "That's just how I feel right at the moment," he concluded. "It's some scary shit, it's fucking crazy out there right now ... What the fuck is going on with people right now? It's fucking crazy."

Watch Flynn's livestream in full below, and please help the victims of the Las Vegas shooting by giving blood or donating to relief funds.