Description

"Two men enter, one man leaves" is what the crowd chants over the blaring industrial music pumping over the sound system as they climb the sides of the 30' geodecent dome, known as the THUNDERDOME (Mad Max), to watch a one-of-a-kind participatory performance in the form of fights.

Inside the dome, two participants (volunteers) are harnessed and hooked into bungee cords that suspend them from the top of the dome. They are given padded bats and swung towards each other, and that's when the crowd goes crazy.

"Bringing you senseless violence since 1999" is what Death Guild's shirts say, but really, this brain child of Dave King has been bringing entertainment without glitter or hippiness to the playa.

Dressing in Mad Max costumes and driving crazy Mad Max cars, the members of Thunderdome don't always look the same as most "burners" (burning man participants), but they have a great time and put on one of the best shows on the playa.

Fights are normally preceded by industrial opera song by Diva Marisa, fire dancing, and the speech from the Thunderdome move. This all starts sometime after dinner, normally 10 or 11pm, and continues until 2 or 3am.

Thunderdome also has an annual fundraiser in the Bay Area, and hopefully this year one in LA. For more information, go to www.deathguildthunderdome.com.