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Rockstar Mayhem Festival 2011 Review
July 10, 2011
Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, Californa
Pics:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/..._-Sharer-_-Top
The "More Tattoos Than Teeth" slogan was unfortunately dropped from this festival at the last minute. Oh the tattoos! Apparently there's no formal licensing board or quality standards committee for said body art. Have dirty needle, will travel. Female back fat apparently makes a great canvas because it's so pliable. I saw lots of American flags (pronounced 'MERIKA!) and all manner of demonic creatures. Well I'm assuming they were demonic creatures and not just poorly drawn schoolboys. Thinking back to my schoolboy days, I wore my new Dungeons & Dragons t-shirt, but only got two kudos on it. Maybe this was a d4 and not a d20 crowd.
And what a crowd it was! Lots of Iron Maiden shirts. Lots of f-word shirts with every variety and tense of that word proclaiming f-ing for everything and everyone. You could even buy a pink shirt that was adorned with something to the effect of "LISTEN TO HEAVY FUCKING METAL". The I Love Vaginas booth sold all manner of clever-phrase shirts and just about every booth sold some sort of pot-themed merchandise, to go with the cigar sized joints everyone was passing around. This isn't the secret pot-passing world of 1982 Dokken concerts. This is a 420 tat on the back world now. You don't like it? You're prolly not 'MERIKAN! F-you!
Just about every band called the crowd fuckers, motherfuckers, motherfucking fucks. I wondered if I reciprocated or cheered back, would I then be admitting my motherfucking ways and lifestyle? The first band we caught on one of the side stages was Red Fang, a old-Sabbath influenced fucking act. I wandered around the fucking booths during most of their set but thought they were kinda fucking cool. On the Revolver stage next to it, All Shall Perish fucking played. Their songs consist of riffs with lots of tension between every note. Dunt. Dugga. Dunt dun. DAAAAH. Dugga duggga. (wait for it…) DUNT! WHOOOOOOAAAAAAAAA. bakka dugga bakka dug WEEEEEEEEEOW! Very tight and precise, but a bit monotonous.
I caught a bit of Unearth's set. They're not bad and put a lot of energy into their performance. I can't recall any song titles. Probably something to do with destruction and killing.
I'm not sure who the next few bands were, but was very glad when the almightily Testament took the stage, opening with Over the Wall. Unfortunately lead guitarist Alex Skolnick was plagued with audio issues for the first 2 songs but those were soon remedied. As usual, he did a fine job playing his new The Heritage Alex Skolnick model Les Paul copy guitars. Playing air guitar, note for note, lick for lick on his mic stand was giant vocalist Chuck Billy, who gladly smoked a joint he was passed from the crowd. New drummer John Allen, formerly of Sadus pounded the fucking fuck out of his kit. Eric Peterson played his signature Dean V guitars while bassist Greg Christian played a black Peavey bass. Their set consisted of classics like The Preacher and Practice What You Preach along with newer songs like More Than Meets the Eye and DNR. Testament always kicks ass live. They should have been able to play the main stage, but they were only playing 2 dates on this tour. The pit was nuts as usual, and I'm sure even more teeth were lost in that maelstrom. Trivium took the next door stage; since I don't like boy bands, I left to go to the main stage where Machine Head was set to open.
Machine Head's kick drum sound was so loud and powerful, it was of the Adam's apple rattling variety. I think I'm still a man after their set, but with a slightly higher pitched voice. They had a pretty good sound but were really really loud. They had the unfortunate experience of playing at 6:25pm with the sun directly in their eyes, which probably just made them more angry. I recognized a few songs of The Blackening and they debuted a new song. One song, Locust, received and intro about how it's a metaphor for blah blah blah, which probably inspired some more fuckin tattoo designs, bro. Guitarist Phil Demmell played his Jackson Demmelition model guitars, one with a Randy Rhoads white polka dot finish, while singer/guitarist Robb Flynn played his Epiphone signature series V guitar. The band had a giant green backdrop with a Beksinski-esque demonic insectoid image on it. I feel a fuckin tat idea!
Opening with the song Trust, Megadeth entered the stage one by one, starting with drummer Shawn Drover, followed by bassist David Ellefson, guitarist Chris Broderick, and finally Dave Mustaine, playing a double neck Dean V. Even though it's not one of my favorite songs (not as lame as Metallica's Enter Sandman, fortunately) it was a good opener. The band's sound was amazing; very clear, articulate, and precise. It wasn't ear-bleeding loud (there's a fuckin tat for you…fuckin blood comin' out a fuckin ear…). I daresay it was the best sound I've ever heard at a Megadeth show. They played a good mix of new songs (Headcrusher) and classics (Holy Wars and Hangar 18). Mustaine played a black Dean V, which he gave to a contest winner after playing Peace Sells. Ellefson stuck to a metallic red Jackson 5-string Concert bass, while Broderick played a blood red flattop signature Jackson guitar. Having played in France just 20 hours prior to the show, I would have expected a little bit of fatigue from the band. But they are true soldiers of metal and fatigue is not an option. I can't emphasize enough how brilliant they were and how disappointed I was that the had to OPEN, yes, OPEN for Godsmack and Disturbed. I didn't even know those 2 bands were still selling records or in any way relevant. Megadeth = pioneer. Those other guys = knuckleheads. A beach ball my friend Martin brought to the show made to to Megadeth's stage and even stayed on stage for a full song until Ellefson removed it. Yes, he touched my friend's ball. I would not want to see a tat for that.
Enter Godsmack. They sounded really good and precise but I just can't get into these guys. Singer Sully Erna played guitar for a large part of the set, and the other guitarist looked like he didn't want to be there. The drummer was quite entertaining; think of Animal from the Muppets with long spaghetti arms. He was very animated and helped draw my attention from lackluster, repetitive songs. At one point Sully played a drum solo tribal thing on a separate drum set in unison with Animal. Lots of bongos and pounding. I just wanted Megadeth back. The crowd seemed to know all their songs, but they also seem to like their tribal 420 tats. They played a hint of AC-DC's Back in Black and Sabbath's War Pigs, which was midly entertaining. This is the kind of band that Metallica's Black Album made possible, and I haven't forgiven them. They seem to have all the pieces for a decent band but they just don't do anything for me. The best part was the singer wanted a bit of a singalong to I Stand Alone. He sang, "I….stand alone!!!!" Stuck the mic out to the crowd and….silence!!! He wasn't happy and wanted us to make New Fucking York hear us. This seemed to wake the crowd up a bit, probably just to pass along more cigar-sized joints.
Finally Disturbed played on their massive multimedia stage, filled with big and small LED curtains, which played endless loops of blood splatters, fire, more fire, some fuckin tribal symbols, bro, and some images of their really lame Eddie ripoff mascot. Most of their songs sound just like that ooh wakka kakka song Down With The Sickness. Singer Dave Draiman wore a sleeveless gray workman's jumpsuit; he's not quite thin and this ensemble did nothing for his waistline. Combine that with his subtle Eddie Murphy Raw White Guy dance moves, and I think we have a new Village Person on deck. I swear he was trying NOT to dance. Combine that with the techno-sounding keyboard backing sounds…it eliminated all vestiges of tough-ness. I think I heard one guitar solo, which wasn't very good. The video and pyro was most impressive. Megadeth had a simple black banner with a silver logo. I still prefer Megadeth. The crowd seemed to know every song (one had a crow-like squeak) and I'm sure had the tats to prove they were fuckin' down with the sickness, bro.
July 10, 2011
Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, Californa
Pics:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/..._-Sharer-_-Top
The "More Tattoos Than Teeth" slogan was unfortunately dropped from this festival at the last minute. Oh the tattoos! Apparently there's no formal licensing board or quality standards committee for said body art. Have dirty needle, will travel. Female back fat apparently makes a great canvas because it's so pliable. I saw lots of American flags (pronounced 'MERIKA!) and all manner of demonic creatures. Well I'm assuming they were demonic creatures and not just poorly drawn schoolboys. Thinking back to my schoolboy days, I wore my new Dungeons & Dragons t-shirt, but only got two kudos on it. Maybe this was a d4 and not a d20 crowd.
And what a crowd it was! Lots of Iron Maiden shirts. Lots of f-word shirts with every variety and tense of that word proclaiming f-ing for everything and everyone. You could even buy a pink shirt that was adorned with something to the effect of "LISTEN TO HEAVY FUCKING METAL". The I Love Vaginas booth sold all manner of clever-phrase shirts and just about every booth sold some sort of pot-themed merchandise, to go with the cigar sized joints everyone was passing around. This isn't the secret pot-passing world of 1982 Dokken concerts. This is a 420 tat on the back world now. You don't like it? You're prolly not 'MERIKAN! F-you!
Just about every band called the crowd fuckers, motherfuckers, motherfucking fucks. I wondered if I reciprocated or cheered back, would I then be admitting my motherfucking ways and lifestyle? The first band we caught on one of the side stages was Red Fang, a old-Sabbath influenced fucking act. I wandered around the fucking booths during most of their set but thought they were kinda fucking cool. On the Revolver stage next to it, All Shall Perish fucking played. Their songs consist of riffs with lots of tension between every note. Dunt. Dugga. Dunt dun. DAAAAH. Dugga duggga. (wait for it…) DUNT! WHOOOOOOAAAAAAAAA. bakka dugga bakka dug WEEEEEEEEEOW! Very tight and precise, but a bit monotonous.
I caught a bit of Unearth's set. They're not bad and put a lot of energy into their performance. I can't recall any song titles. Probably something to do with destruction and killing.
I'm not sure who the next few bands were, but was very glad when the almightily Testament took the stage, opening with Over the Wall. Unfortunately lead guitarist Alex Skolnick was plagued with audio issues for the first 2 songs but those were soon remedied. As usual, he did a fine job playing his new The Heritage Alex Skolnick model Les Paul copy guitars. Playing air guitar, note for note, lick for lick on his mic stand was giant vocalist Chuck Billy, who gladly smoked a joint he was passed from the crowd. New drummer John Allen, formerly of Sadus pounded the fucking fuck out of his kit. Eric Peterson played his signature Dean V guitars while bassist Greg Christian played a black Peavey bass. Their set consisted of classics like The Preacher and Practice What You Preach along with newer songs like More Than Meets the Eye and DNR. Testament always kicks ass live. They should have been able to play the main stage, but they were only playing 2 dates on this tour. The pit was nuts as usual, and I'm sure even more teeth were lost in that maelstrom. Trivium took the next door stage; since I don't like boy bands, I left to go to the main stage where Machine Head was set to open.
Machine Head's kick drum sound was so loud and powerful, it was of the Adam's apple rattling variety. I think I'm still a man after their set, but with a slightly higher pitched voice. They had a pretty good sound but were really really loud. They had the unfortunate experience of playing at 6:25pm with the sun directly in their eyes, which probably just made them more angry. I recognized a few songs of The Blackening and they debuted a new song. One song, Locust, received and intro about how it's a metaphor for blah blah blah, which probably inspired some more fuckin tattoo designs, bro. Guitarist Phil Demmell played his Jackson Demmelition model guitars, one with a Randy Rhoads white polka dot finish, while singer/guitarist Robb Flynn played his Epiphone signature series V guitar. The band had a giant green backdrop with a Beksinski-esque demonic insectoid image on it. I feel a fuckin tat idea!
Opening with the song Trust, Megadeth entered the stage one by one, starting with drummer Shawn Drover, followed by bassist David Ellefson, guitarist Chris Broderick, and finally Dave Mustaine, playing a double neck Dean V. Even though it's not one of my favorite songs (not as lame as Metallica's Enter Sandman, fortunately) it was a good opener. The band's sound was amazing; very clear, articulate, and precise. It wasn't ear-bleeding loud (there's a fuckin tat for you…fuckin blood comin' out a fuckin ear…). I daresay it was the best sound I've ever heard at a Megadeth show. They played a good mix of new songs (Headcrusher) and classics (Holy Wars and Hangar 18). Mustaine played a black Dean V, which he gave to a contest winner after playing Peace Sells. Ellefson stuck to a metallic red Jackson 5-string Concert bass, while Broderick played a blood red flattop signature Jackson guitar. Having played in France just 20 hours prior to the show, I would have expected a little bit of fatigue from the band. But they are true soldiers of metal and fatigue is not an option. I can't emphasize enough how brilliant they were and how disappointed I was that the had to OPEN, yes, OPEN for Godsmack and Disturbed. I didn't even know those 2 bands were still selling records or in any way relevant. Megadeth = pioneer. Those other guys = knuckleheads. A beach ball my friend Martin brought to the show made to to Megadeth's stage and even stayed on stage for a full song until Ellefson removed it. Yes, he touched my friend's ball. I would not want to see a tat for that.
Enter Godsmack. They sounded really good and precise but I just can't get into these guys. Singer Sully Erna played guitar for a large part of the set, and the other guitarist looked like he didn't want to be there. The drummer was quite entertaining; think of Animal from the Muppets with long spaghetti arms. He was very animated and helped draw my attention from lackluster, repetitive songs. At one point Sully played a drum solo tribal thing on a separate drum set in unison with Animal. Lots of bongos and pounding. I just wanted Megadeth back. The crowd seemed to know all their songs, but they also seem to like their tribal 420 tats. They played a hint of AC-DC's Back in Black and Sabbath's War Pigs, which was midly entertaining. This is the kind of band that Metallica's Black Album made possible, and I haven't forgiven them. They seem to have all the pieces for a decent band but they just don't do anything for me. The best part was the singer wanted a bit of a singalong to I Stand Alone. He sang, "I….stand alone!!!!" Stuck the mic out to the crowd and….silence!!! He wasn't happy and wanted us to make New Fucking York hear us. This seemed to wake the crowd up a bit, probably just to pass along more cigar-sized joints.
Finally Disturbed played on their massive multimedia stage, filled with big and small LED curtains, which played endless loops of blood splatters, fire, more fire, some fuckin tribal symbols, bro, and some images of their really lame Eddie ripoff mascot. Most of their songs sound just like that ooh wakka kakka song Down With The Sickness. Singer Dave Draiman wore a sleeveless gray workman's jumpsuit; he's not quite thin and this ensemble did nothing for his waistline. Combine that with his subtle Eddie Murphy Raw White Guy dance moves, and I think we have a new Village Person on deck. I swear he was trying NOT to dance. Combine that with the techno-sounding keyboard backing sounds…it eliminated all vestiges of tough-ness. I think I heard one guitar solo, which wasn't very good. The video and pyro was most impressive. Megadeth had a simple black banner with a silver logo. I still prefer Megadeth. The crowd seemed to know every song (one had a crow-like squeak) and I'm sure had the tats to prove they were fuckin' down with the sickness, bro.
) Different country, same crowd.
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