Showing posts with label Best Of 2016. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Best Of 2016. Show all posts

Saturday, December 31, 2016

Moonage Daydream

Okay, throw 2016 into that box and nail it shut.  Here's my obligatory final blog post for this year...  To start, here are my 3 favorite photos from this year:

 

PHOTO 1: Taken on January 10th at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles the day after I attended Lemmy's funeral.  After the memorial service at Forest Lawn the day before, Lemmy's ashes had been placed in his final resting place with only his closest friends and family as witnesses.  Before heading back to The Bay Area we returned to the cemetery to see him.  On the way in these Metal kids and their dog walked past us and it was obvious they were looking for Lemmy too... So I told them to follow us.  Lemmy's crypt didn't have a marker yet (it now does) so there was no way to know it was him.  The kids didn't expect this but I assured them it was Lemmy (we had confirmed the location with the cemetery staff upon arriving).  The kids and their dog then approached Lemmy and we stood back and this happened.

PHOTO 2: Taken on April 16th at 3132 Carlson Blvd in El Cerrito at the after show party following Metallica's Record Store Day in-store performance at Rasputin's Records.  The party was meant as a thank you to those who had contributed to the reissue box sets of Kill 'Em All and Ride The Lightning.  In the most epic homage to their Garage Days possible, the band rented the old Metallica Mansion from the current owner and had a production company stage the interior and outside in an old school East Bay Metal theme.  Words can't really describe how amazing it was to be back in that house with 100 or so guests, most of whom were old friends from back in The Day.   MANY old photos had been printed and placed in frames around the house, including the one I'm holding here.  It was taken in the Summer of '83 in that same room as Rich Burch (R.I.P.), James, myself, and a Canadian Metal buddy Gerald Yoshida raged while listening to an advance tape of Kill 'Em All.  At one point James was in the old kitchen (in the doorway behind us) and I grabbed this frame, tapped him on the arm, showed him the picture, and pointed to the next room.  He seemed to know exactly what I was asking (HAHA!) and this happened..  The two of us standing with that old photo in basically the exact same spot where it was taken 33 years (aka a million years) ago.

PHOTO 3: Taken on October 27th at Casa de Umlaut.  My Tommy and his Wing Kong brothers.  Just because.

As far as live music went this was my 2016:
For those who care, these are my 3 favorite non-gig posts from this year:
Obviously, David Bowie and Carrie Fisher leaving this mortal coil affected me.  When I worked at Lucasfilm a co-worker was working on a project in the photo archives and let me pick one photo to get a copy of on the down low... and this is the one I chose:


Yesterday,  I happened to be near the Lucasfilm / ILM campus in San Francisco and made a random stop.. and this was waiting for me to see:


Cue 'Leia's Theme'.

Anyway, that's it for another year...  As it's been in recent times, I haven't been "writing" in this space as often as I should..  but I'll continue to add to this thing as the mood strikes me in the New Year.  For those keeping score, this year marked the 12th Anniversary of me ranting in this space.  Crazy.

To quote Bowie:  "Freak out in a moonage daydream..."

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Saturday, September 17, 2016

The End

Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
September 15, 2016

 

Next to Motörhead the band that influenced me the most in this lifetime has been Black Sabbath.  In high school the jocks liked Zeppelin.  The normal kids liked The Beatles. I gravitated to Black Sabbath.  Sabbath pointed me towards the dark path, which hasn't been that bad at all.  This final Bay Area show tonight made me feel like that validated teenage misfit again.. In a good way.  Back in February I attended the band's show down in San Jose because it had been billed as "the final show"... but then they put this Oakland show onsale not long afterwards.  That kind of pissed me off and I didn't really think I wanted to see them again especially since the San Jose show had been amazing and perfect.  Oh Lord, yeah.

Casual Sabbath fans only focus on "Ozzy this" and "Ozzy that".  For me Sabbath has always been about the Hand of Iommi and tonight would be my 16th and final time being in the same room as him.  It should go without saying that Tony Iommi is my favorite guitarist.  Ironically the first time I saw Iommi live was only several hundred feet from tonight's venue in 1980 on the Heaven And Hell Tour.


Umlaut trips on full circle moments like this.  In 1980 I fell asleep in the stands during Journey.  Here in 2016 I was concerned about falling asleep on the BART train after the show.  Oh Lord, yeah.

Flashback to a couple of weeks ago and one thing led to another and the opportunity to attend this Oakland show with some veteran old Metal friends presented itself.  Sometimes the Metal Godz work in mysterious ways. First off, I was due to meet up with my concert buddies at Rosamunde in The Mission after work before heading to BART and heading under The Bay to Oakland.  I arrived early and one of the dudes who works there is a Metal guy who recognized me so we chatted, which was a nice way to start the night.  Then once my bros Chewy and Eric arrived we headed out.  However, I didn't get the memo because they were both wearing Thin Lizzy tees while I was flying Motörhead.  Awkward.  The BART ride was uneventful but I was inside the arena less than 5 minutes and miraculously ran into 6-7 old friends immediately.  METAL.  It was one of those shows that felt like a high school reunion more than a mere gig.


I've known these people since we were all teenagers going to Metal shows in San Francisco and the East Bay.  Oh Lord, yeah.

The final Bay Area performance of Black Sabbath started right around 8:45pm on this Thursday night on this fifteenth day of September in the year two thousand and sixteen.  The players known collectively as "the band" appeared onstage as the curtain fell with the unholy riff monster pounding darkness of the composition titled 'Black Sabbath'.. and for the next 2 hours or so we were given a final sermon by the band who started it all.


The San Jose show in February had been perfection with even the notoriously inconsistent Ozzy being strong of voice and not annoying at all between songs.  Tonight was almost a carbon copy of that show in the best possible way.  Having seen this final lineup twice before from up close it was actually a nice change to watch them from further back to appreciate the stage production and also the finer details of the great sound mix.  Oh Lord, yeah.

Tonight's setlist differed from January only by the exclusion of a song from that final new Sabbath album that I haven't bothered to listen to (yet).  So it was all old time songs performed in their original forms.  I still can't believe a Christian band hasn't covered 'After Forever' (yet).  'Hand Of Doom' was my favorite performance of the night.. but 'War Pigs' will always be my favorite song.  Watching the Hand of Iommi a final time in person was bittersweet but reminded me how music can be a time machine back and forth between moments in your life.  I know there are folks who crossed their arms and said "No Bill Ward, No Sabbath" which is unfortunate because the young gun drummer Tommy Clufetos plays like a young Bill Ward.  Geezer will always be the quintessential ying of Doom to Iommi's yang of Doom; the black vegan heart of Black Sabbath.  Ozzy is Ozzy.. Sometimes the worst example of Metal... but sometimes you're reminded how great he was and can still sort of echo.  Although he wasn't as chatty as at the past couple of shows, he was all business and his voice for this final Bay Area curtain call was strong.  Oh Lord, yeah.

Fourteen songs and then Sabbath said goodbye to The Bay Area (after) forever.  According to some Internets research the Ozzy-versions of Sabbath played 23 shows in The Bay Area (the 415, 510, and 408 area codes) between their first visit in 1970 to this year.  According to the Umlaut Archives I was fortunate to have witnessed 5 of these performances.  Given how good this final version of Ozzy Sabbath is it's hard to remember how profoundly Iron Maiden blew them off the stage at OzzFest 2005 even with Bill Ward in the lineup.  That being said it's awesome that Sabbath and the band's legacy is going to the finish line very strong.  Oh Lord, yeah.

[Photo courtesy of Timo's iPhone]

On the way back to my car via BART, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag.  Actually, a weird incident happened on the BART return trip when 2 other Sabbath fans and I were caught in a train that evidently was going out of service; I was still 2 stations from my final stop.   In typical BART customer service fashion no one responded to my intercom request when I pressed the button on 2 different "emergency" intercom speakers.  Finally one of the other trapped Sabbath fans simply pulled the emergency door release and we were freed.  Bizarre.. Then as I waited for the next train heading my way literally the only other person on the platform was a drunk guy who has a copy of Murder In The Front Row.  METAL.   Anyway, I eventually made it back to Casa de Umlaut safely.  Oh Lord, yeah.

Now I will say adieu and merci boucoup to Black Sabbath.  With Sabbath due to play their "final" show in December, who would have thought both Motörhead and Sabbath would cease to exist within a year of each other!?  My name is Lucifer.. Please take my hand.. one last time.


Oh Lord, yeah.
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Sunday, July 31, 2016

South Of Comic-Con

One thing led to another and Umlaut found himself in San Diego for a week working at the iconic global event known as San Diego Comic-Con.  From a nerd fan perspective it must seem like a magical celebration of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and entertainment (oh yeah... and comics).  However, if you're working Comic-Con it's mainly a shit show of long hours, hard work, and humanity on an insane scale in a confined space:


That was the human gridlock outside of our booth because of a Game Of Thrones thing that was literally 100 yards down the aisle.  Comic-Con in Umlaut's world is basically just like any other tradeshow (meetings with partners, customers, and industry friends) so it could be far worse.  At least it wasn't a plumbing tradeshow.  Anyway, the Rock Godz work in mysterious ways and, miraculously, two of my favorite bands had shows in San Diego while I was there... which went a very long way to keeping me sane outside of the work stuff.

SLAAAYEER
July 21, 2016
House Of Blues, San Diego, California


Slayer were participating in Comic-Con 2016 due to their comic collaboration with Dark Horse Comics with this show (I thought I heard $17 tickets were sold first to Comic-Con attendees) and a couple of autograph sessions at the convention.  Metal.. Pretty cool, right?

Upon arrival at the venue there was no Will Call drama, but I didn't have a pass.. Which wasn't that big of a deal since it was such a small venue.  However, one thing led to another and after a couple of text messages I found myself standing at stage right getting a bro hug from that old friend who I've known for over 30 years who now plays with Slayer at stage right.

"BEER"

I'll cut to the chase and say this was the best Slayer performance I've seen in recent years, certainly during the post-Hanneman era.  I would need to consult the Umlaut Archives, but I can't remember the last time I saw SLAAAYEER in such a small venue (1,000 capacity).  When I arrived the room was already packed, drunk, and the lack of ventilation made the floor slippery from the condensation and spilled beer.  Perfect.. and the setlist was a SOLID 18 songs.. All killer.  No filler. 

"TEA"

Also, the stripped down stage with no production outside of lighting jacked up the vintage atmosphere as well.  The songs and performance ruled on this night, with the band having a loose gunslinger quality onstage that fed profoundly off the drunk Thursday night crowd.  On top of that, Tom was downright chatty between songs.  Clearly, a happy Slayer is not a bad thing.. sometimes.

Adding to the old school vibe, a punter spit on Tom so he stopped the set to confront the asshole... which led to a guy down front getting beaten by dudes in the crowd and then dragged over the barrier to be tossed out.  Hopefully it was the right guy and not some innocent dude... SLAAAYEER!  The show was delayed another time because of the wave of drunken humanity coming over the barrier on the stage left side.   A SLAAAYEER show should not be any other way and it made my heart happy that it can still feel like a dangerous place.  The only Metal band that still matters?  On this night I would say YES.

Oh... and this is what happens when your old friend flicks his pick at you after his band played 'Angel Of Death':


Adorable, right?!

Seeing a show in a foreign city meant I had to "prove" my cred:  On my way out, some smart ass San Diego Metal guy noticed my Maiden - 'Number Of The Beast' tee and pointedly asked me "What's your favorite Maiden song!!?"  Without missing a beat I said "Prowler..." and kept walking and I heard him say to his buddies "I didn't expect that..."  Fuck you too, dude.

After the show I literally tried 3 times to get a Lyft and Uber ride to go meet up with my co-workers, but all of them failed.  I ended up going old school with a reliable cab and was informed Lyft and Uber drivers usually don't pick up from the House Of Blues after shows because they're afraid of trouble.  Noted.

A perfect night.

Then 24 hours later it was...

Boris / Earth
July 22, 2016
The Casbah, San Diego, California


According to the Umlaut Archives, I hadn't been inside The Casbah since 1994 when I was on a brief California tour with the Melvins and Acid King.  I realized I'm working for the right company when the common band between myself and 7 co-workers is Boris and we all geeked out that the band were playing while we were in San Diego.  The anticipation for the show made the pummeling work day at Comic-Con that much easier.


The Casbah felt like entering a time warp back to the early-90's, when venues like this ruled my world; it felt familiar.  Honesty is my only excuse and I have to admit I wasn't into Earth tonight... or at least my head wasn't into them.  I spent most of their set leaning against the FOH area waiting for the Japanese to come onstage. Sorry, Earth.. It wasn't you.. It was me.

Shortly before Boris started their set, a guy in a wheelchair made his way to the front and everyone let him through so he could be against the stage in front of Wata.  It was very cool and I ended up standing directly behind him with the the handlebars of his chair ending up on either side of me.. which ended up being both a blessing and a curse as the show progressed.

Tonight was the first show of U.S. Tour and for 90 minutes Boris leveled San Diego with their wall of volume and it was by far my favorite time seeing them.  On this tour the band is playing their seminal 2006 album 'Pink' in its entirety and the crowd's familiarity with the material gave the night an extra boost of energy. 

Phone pics by Joe and Brandon 

The crowd action got a little rough (I would say a 5 on a 10 scale) and it was a challenge a couple of times keeping the overzealous punters from crashing into my wheelchair-bound friend.  I ended up teaming up with the guy standing to my right and we did our best to run interference, which ended up being really cool in that unspoken concert brotherhood way.  We didn't say a word to each other all night, just helped out, and at the end of the set did the bro handshake and that was it.  It was an experience that inspired me to remember that seeing bands live is still my favorite thing... next to Giants baseball games of course.

However, seeing a show in a foreign city meant I had to "prove" my cred: I was wearing a Motörhead  - 'Iron Fist' tee and I know every other guy wearing a Motörhead tee thought I was a poser.  Fuck you too, dudes.

After working the combat zone that is Comic-Con, with another 2 1/2 days to go, Boris was the exact kind of head cleaning I needed.  Volume blasting the nerd slime from my brain.  A perfect night. Following the show my co-workers and I wandered around looking for late night food and found some shitty, over-priced pizza place that served its purpose.  We just had to ignore the nod time guy passed out in the booth next to us.  Lock 'N Loll.

Since I no longer work in merch, I didn't do a merch audit.  On the way back to the Bay Area, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag on the plane.  For the record, the "best" costume I saw at Comic-Con 2016 was an overweight Hispanic dude dressed as a Japanese anime girl.. complete with short skirt and ankle socks.  You can't unsee that level of wrong.
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Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Pain Of Mind

Neurosis / Sleep / Vhöl
The Regency, San Francisco
March 4, 2016


It's funny that The Bay Area is revered for its Thrash Metal history but there's another era here that was just as influential on the generation of Metal that came after the Thrash scene that gave the world bands like Neurosis and Sleep.  Echoing what Metallica did a few years back, local heroes and icons Neurosis celebrated their 30th Anniversary with 3 sold out hometown shows featuring support from bands who have been their friends and comrades over the years.  The magnitude of this event was simply shown by how many people traveled from out of state and from far and wide to attend.  Tonight's opening night bill was the most epic and the most symbolic of the band's Bay Area roots with their brothers Al and Matt of Sleep (with Jason Neurosis now on drums of course) and Vhöl, a band featuring veteran musicians from such beloved bands as Ludicra, Hammers Of Misfortune, and Yob.

I've known Neurosis for around 25 of their 30 years and they are a very important band to me... Not only because of their music and vision.. but because I spent a good amount of time with them in those early years.. Hearing early demos of what was to become the Souls At Zero album at Steve VonTill's house in San Jose after he served the first vegan meal I'd ever had (here in the 21st Century neither one of us is vegan).  Going on tour with them a couple of times including a legendary night of debauchery and mayhem in Tijuana, Mexico.  Watching the Metal mainstream via OzzFest try to assimilate them and Neurosis deciding not to go towards that light but instead building an independent empire for themselves.  Neurosis is one of the few "old" bands who still blows my mind and reminds me of the mayhem I experienced seeing them with smelly crusties at random shitty venues and pizza parlors back in the days long before The Internet.  According to the Umlaut Archives tonight was around my 25th Neurosis show. 

Before the gig I stopped at a work function to celebrate the opening of a new store.  I had a good but brief time with my new co-workers over complimentary Lagunitas... and with cool stuff like this hanging on the walls around us:


Then I made a polite early exit and made my way across town to The Big Rock Show.
 
In surgically precise fashion I found a parking space across the street from the venue and inside it was old school style gathering of the tribe.  Many old friends from far and near.  It was good to see that kid who used to work at Tower Records in Mountain View who always wanted to talk about Black Sabbath with us... and who would bring his bass to work so he could practice on his breaks.. and then who formed a band which we thought was adorable.. and then he told us about the band and how the band was called Sleep.. and then he grew up, grew a beard, and became an icon.


It's a reassuring thing to bro-hug Al every couple of years.. our Stoner Rock Tiny Dancer.

It was a big deal to me that Vhöl were on the bill.  I believe tonight was only their 10th show ever and the 2nd time I've seen them... and their most recent sophomore album is a revelation.  Obviously I was initially drawn to them because the band is made up of members of some of my favorite bands like Ludicra and Yob.. but the new album is a diverse hammer of progressive punk-tinged volume that translated well onstage.  While members of the band disagreed with me when I saw them after their set I honestly thought they killed it.  So there.

 Vhöl 
[Underwhelming photo courtesy of Umlaut's iPhone]

As much as tonight was about celebrating Neurosis, honesty compels me to say that Sleep owned this Friday night for me.   I think it had to do with them playing a rare support role and lumbering onstage to deliver their riffage in honor of their old friends.  ‘Dragonaut’ live never gets old.  It’s still weird that Sleep are now like the sage old wise men.  It seems like only yesterday they were those young and precocious weed smoke infused scamps.  Sleep played all of the (bong) hits and it was trippy watching them be an opening band again.. in a great way of course.

Sleep
[Underwhelming photo courtesy of Umlaut's iPhone]

It was undoubtedly a huge moment for Neurosis to kick off their 30th year celebration in front of a sold out and rabid hometown audience.  The guys appeared onstage like a black fog off San Francisco Bay and launched into ‘Lost’ which I believe they had not played live in almost 17 years. Damn..  but as fanboy great as that was the set took a complete u-turn back to the future as they dropped nostalgia bombs from the Pain Of Mind album onto the hometown crowd.  Songs that had not been played in 20+ years lifted the event to another level.

 When The Regency is sold out and packed it's possibly the most uncomfortable sweaty venue in The Bay Area... which only added to the dense sensory atmosphere.  There are some who lament that Neurosis have abandoned the visual side of their live shows.. and I get that.. because it's what made them the "Pink Floyd" of the dark underground.  I miss that aspect of the band's creativity to a certain extent... but now as the years continue to march on I think it's more appropriate that the band uses their music and audio aura to immerse a crowd.  You cannot be lazy at a Neurosis show now.  You're either paying attention or you should not be there.  I was almost brought to tears when they launched into the vintage strain of 'Takeahnase' and their equally vintage cover of Joy Division's 'Day Of The Lords' rang even truer now.   When it was all said and done.. 13 songs.. 2 hours.. and 30 years came back around full circle for Night 1 of this 3-night hometown stand.  The other nights just weren't in the cards for Umlaut and I was fine with that because this was the bill I "needed" to see and I'm glad I did.


Since I no longer work in the merch biz I didn't do a merch audit; change is good.  However, the merch line was hella long all night but the event screenprint was only $20.  On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me fag.  In hindsight I realize it's not very common to follow a band for 20 or 30 years of your life.  For Neurosis to still be around and completely relevant and with their integrity intact is something to behold.  No seed will grow of this barren Earth, like, forever, man..
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Monday, February 15, 2016

Home Field Advantage

Metallica
AT&T Park, San Francisco, California
February 6, 2016


I know.. I know.. It's been almost 2 weeks since this show.. but better late than never.  Long story short since this is old news:  There were some who thought Metallica should have played the clusterfuck that is the Super Bowl halftime show since it was being hosted here in The Bay Area.  Yada yada...It didn't happen and instead they were booked into playing their own show at AT&T Park as part of the festivities surrounding the game.  It would be Metallica's first proper non-festival, non-fan club only, non-corporate event headlining show on their Bay Area home turf in 7 years.

The show sold out in 28 minutes.

Fast forward:  The band did their soundcheck the night before the show in front of around 300 friends and fan club members.  I've seen a couple of Metallica tour rehearsals in years past but it was interesting to attend this; Umlaut tends to geek out on the production side of concerts in his old age.  Obviously it was pretty cool to see a glimpse of the "nuts and bolts" side of a huge Lock 'N Loll show so intimately without thousands of drunk fans falling into me.  I arrived at the designated time and, long story short, found myself inside the stadium ahead of most of the guests.. which really didn't matter.. but it was still a nice experience.


The band ran through around an hour or so of songs here and there, but it was really about them working out stage cues and other entertainment details of the show.   Trivial: AT&T Park is only 2 miles from where the teenage me took the following photo back in the last century:

The Stone, San Francisco - March 5, 1983
[Photo by the teenage Umlaut - From the Umlaut Archives]

Every now and then I still trip out on how far Metallica have come from that homemade plywood drum riser.  Crazy, right?   Anyway, probably my favorite moment of the entire weekend was finding myself alone as the only non-crew person in The Snakepit directly in front of the stage as the sound was checked:

Umlaut View of the Stage

Stage View of Umlaut
[This photo courtesy of Jeff Yeager / Metallica.com]

How this happened I kind of have no idea.. but it was special.. and also kind of awkward when I made eye contact with the various members of the band as they made there way around the pit's ramp.  Cue 'One'.   This also happened:


Is it baseball yet?!


The next day was the big Rock Show and the area around AT&T was buzzing and crowded like a Giants game day on steroids.  As I approached the stadium it was surreal seeing thousands of people wearing Metallica t-shirts on the streets with thousands of people wearing various NFL team jerseys and gear.  It made me realize that San Francisco was literally the center of the professional sports world at that moment.  It's too bad the Niners suck so bad these days.

Anyway, long story short since this show is old news at this point, the evening for me was like a high school reunion as I saw friends old and new from near and far.  One thing led to another and I found myself in the deepest bowels of the stadium in the dressing room area... where there was a really amazing art piece on display that was a gift to the band from the promoter:


... but, aside from grabbing some cold water bottles from a 'fridge and some snack items from the catering table, this is pretty much as exciting as backstage got:


However, one exciting moment did happen when a trio of SFPD officers with a BOMB SNIFFING DOG entered the dressing room area to make sure our homeland security was secure.  After some tense moments of "searching" all they found was Sammy Hagar.. who posed for selfies with them and the dog.  Thank you for your service.


Fast forward:  One thing led to another (again) and I found myself back in The Snakepit in front of the stage.  This time there were around 300 other folks with me while another 45,000 or so packed the stadium behind and on either side of us.  Obviously, unlike the night before, I was not alone but it was once again special as I was standing with a half dozen or so old friends this time.  My favorite moment of a Metallica show is when the houselights go off after a traditional old school song from our salad days is played over the PA (that song tonight was 'The Boys Are Back In Town') and they start 'The Ecstasy Of Gold' intro tape accompanied by The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly footage on the screens.  The fact that they've used this same intro tape since literally Day One back in the clubs at their first shows still gets me emotional.  Tradition, man..  Then they stormed onstage with 'Creeping Death' and for the next 2 1/2 hours Metallica owned San Francisco lock, stock, and barrel as hometown heroes should.


Long story short since this show is old news at this point (you can read legit media outlet reviews about the show on The Internets.. Google it..), but my favorite song of the show was the first encore of 'Whiskey In The Jar' dedicated to Cliff that featured Kirk playing the iconic Greenie Les Paul onstage.


So cool... and the other highlight for Umlaut were the heartfelt things each band member said to the hometown crowd after the final encore ("I was born 5 miles from here!" - KRK).  I think it was smoke from the fireworks or something in my eyes... Home cooking always rules, man.

If you bought one of every Metallica merch item you would have spent around $500.  On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced football fans called me a fag.. but before I returned to the car this happened:   One thing led to another (again) and I found myself at the After Show party not far from the stadium at a restaurant called Tres with a couple of hundred other folks who had the required wristband.   The atmosphere was extremely bubbly given the open taco and alcohol bars and it was a nice way to end the weekend with the old friends in attendance.  Yes, band members were there but THE Rock Star moment of the weekend happened when my San Francisco Giants fanboy brothers and I worked up the courage to approach Larry Baer.


For the newbies:  Without Mr. Baer there would be not be an AT&T Park, 3 championships in 5 years, etc. etc. He is also a born and bred San Franciscan who knows all about and appreciates local roots.  The best part was being about to thank him for everything he's done... and despite our initial nervousness, Larry could not have been cooler!  He even said "I like your shirt.." when he noticed my bootleg Giants Misfits tee. He even adjusted his Giants World Series ring to make sure it showed in the photo.  

Honesty is my only excuse:  I care more about baseball than I do about Metal at this point in my life.   Is it baseball yet?!  This year's annual Metallica Night at the San Francisco Giants game is May 6th... and it cannot come soon enough.  Hit 'Em All!


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Friday, January 22, 2016

Sons Of Satan

Venom Inc.
DNA Lounge, San Francisco
January 20, 2016


A couple of days before this show the anticipation was so thick in the air amongst old school Metal friends you could cut it with a knife.  Yes, there are 2 versions of "Venom" active now here in the 21st Century.  One is fronted by Cronos (aka Venom) and the other features the other 2/3 of the original band plus Tony Dolan of Atomkraft on vocals / bass (aka Venom Inc.).  Honesty is my only excuse:  People focus too much on Cronos being "Venom".  The original guitar tone of Mantas and the drumming of Abaddon were as much a part of the original band as anything else.  This makes Venom Inc. completely valid plus Tony Dolan was there back in The Day in Newcastle, England fronting Atomkraft.  Ironically, my teenage Metal 'zine featured both bands in 1983:


The Atomkraft article was probably the first thing ever written about the band (Peace in Rest, Sam Kress).  A couple of hours before the show things suddenly got crazy old school full circle with this message from the band's tour manager:

"Hi Brian - Just shooting an email to you real quick - I've got ya down for tonight. Also wanted to mention that I have that copy of Whiplash mag - bought at my local metal shop in Arlington TX when it came out!! Hell yes!"

Crazy, right!?

When I arrived at the venue it was immediately obvious the show had brought a lot of old school Metalheads out of the woodwork.  It felt like a high school reunion seeing so many familiar faces; not bad for a Wednesday school night.  Beers were shared with some good friends before all Hell broke loose (in a fantastic way of course).

As the support bands played I met up with John, the tour manager, and it was as if we'd known each other for 30 years.  Most people believe only the old Punk scenes had a D.I.Y. underground ethic.. but the early-80's Metal scene worldwide had just as much of that.  The fact that John and I met for the first time here in the 21st Century but our easy conversation was like we were right back in 1983 was a testament to our roots (bloody roots).   It was during this time I also met Tony "The Demolition Man" Dolan and a circle started 33 years ago with my old Whiplash 'zine was completed.  Amazing!

 The only other times "Venom" has visited San Francisco

I was standing at stage left as the house lights went down for the headliners and I noticed someone standing to my right... and it was Abaddon.. drumsticks in hand... ready for battle... and he still looks exactly as he did in 1983... long hair and aviator sunglasses!  It was a profound moment because tonight was the first time Abaddon and Mantas had performed in San Francisco since 1985 on that first U.S. Tour.  The original band never returned here after that.  Crazy.

Obviously there was some doubts in my head about how this version of "Venom" would be onstage.  However, my expectations were fueled by very positive reports from friends who had seen Venom Inc. before... The set opened with 'Prime Evil' and then for the next 90 minutes it was full-on classic greatest hits one after another after another after another.  'Die Hard' into 'Don't Burn The Witch' into 'Live Like An Angel (Die Like A Devil)' into 'Buried Alive' into 'Raise The Dead'...  My expectations were completely hung, drawn, and quartered.  The band was fantastic... and judging by the rabid crowd action on the floor below my San Francisco Metal brothers and sisters felt the same.

[Photo courtesy of Umlaut's iPhone]

As the next song, 'One Thousand Days In Sodom', got going someone came up next to me, fist in the air, and shouted the lyrics into my ear as the band roared onstage.  It was the guy who sings 'Master Of Puppets'.   It was adorable watching the guy who sings 'Master Of Puppets' play air guitar and drums for the entire set... and after the show he hung out for a long while chatting and reminiscing with the headliners. 

[Photo courtesy of Venom Inc.]

Like I said earlier, tonight felt like a high school reunion.. and it was pretty fucking cool that the class valedictorian showed up, right?

When it comes to vintage Metal bands it's not often that the present is BETTER than the past.  However, Venom in this incarnation was without question BETTER than the "Venom" that last played in San Francisco in 2006.  The performance tonight was about THE SONGS and was one of the most focused, no bullshit sets by a vintage Metal band that I've seen in recent years.  Tony Dolan's vocal delivery and bass playing is more direct and less cheesy than Cronos... and his stage presence more appropriate for the songs now.

[Photo courtesy of Umlaut's iPhone]

This BAND is fucking tight!  No sloppy rambling interludes.  I started geeking out watching Mantas and Abaddon playing these songs again.  At times I only watched each of them, soaking in their individual performances, and being reminded how important each of them is to what "Venom" meant to me.  Mantas' guitar tone.  Abaddon's double bass thunder.  Even after all these years it's all still right where it belongs.  Time travel does exist.

The main set closed with probably my favorite Venom song, 'Sons Of Satan', and the epic timeless evening was encored to a close with 'Black Metal' into 'Countess Bathory' into 'Witching Hour'.. and then the gates to Hell were closed and the band said goodnight.  The after show hang was something the teenage me would not have believed possible as all of the band members told me separately how they still have their copies of my old 'zine Whiplash.  Wow..

For those who care, chew on this setlist:
  • Prime Evil 
  • Die Hard 
  • Don't Burn the Witch 
  • Live Like an Angel (Die Like a Devil) 
  • Buried Alive 
  • Raise the Dead 
  • One Thousand Days in Sodom 
  • Warhead 
  • Schizoid
  • The Seven Gates of Hell 
  • In Nomine Satanas 
  • Bloodlust 
  • Sons of Satan 
  • Welcome to Hell 
  • Black Metal 
  • Countess Bathory 
  • Witching Hour
All killer... No filler.

The subject of Venom (Cronos) vs. Venom Inc. (Mantas, Abaddon, Demolition Man) is not something I'm going to debate.  I have not seen the Cronos band since 2006 when he last visited The Bay Area.. but I have seen the recent footage posted online.  That being said, Venom Inc. captures the essence of what made the original band iconic to me in my salad days.  Ironically, a day or so after the show, I received a message from the band asking me a question:


I will leave it at that. 

I didn't do a merch audit... I was too distracted all night.  On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag.  It's rare for Umlaut to still be buzzing with excitement about a show days after it happened... but that's how I still feel after Venom Inc..  Amazing and this photo was 33 years in the making:

Abaddon.. Mantas.. Whiplash.. Demolition Man
[Photo courtesy of Photo Ray]

"Join Venom's Legions... 'cause we're going wild.."
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