He Is

Five years ago I met a Swedish guy in a new band on his first tour. He already knew about Murder In The Front Row before we met.. Which was kind of crazy. Fast forward 5 years and this friend's band is the sole support act on Iron Maiden's current North American Tour. A couple of weeks ago I bum rushed the meet & greet before this friend's band shared the stage with our old heroes at Oracle Arena in Oakland. Bros before Satan.

Three days before that Maiden show, Ghost also headlined their own Bay Area show in San Francisco at the historic Warfield Theatre. Papa Emeritus once told me that The Warfield was a venue he dreamed of playing as a kid in Sweden after he read a review in Kerrang! magazine of the 1991 Guns 'N Roses secret show there... and now he and his band have played The Warfield twice. Dreams do come true... Trivia: Some people collect guitar picks.. Others setlists.. Umlaut collects day sheets from shows he attends.

I've been following Ghost since almost Day One and the various incarnations of their leader Papa Emeritus is one of the most creative people I've ever met. It's been fun and amazing watching them get to this next level. The new stage production for the band's headline shows is almost Broadway-like.

PYRO!! Five years seems like a long time ago...

The Roxy, Hollywood, California - February 2012

Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco - February 2012

It's been beyond F-U-N to follow a band again from their almost baby steps to full-blown success.. and that's the point a lot of people miss about Ghost.. Metal tends to take itself too seriously and Ghost are F-U-N. Also, comparing them to "Mercyful Fate" is lazy.. If you listen to their music it's more obvious they are a Satanic version of The Beatles... Deceptive melodies that deliver and punctuate deceptively clever dark and evil lyrics.. That are F-U-N to sing along to.

HAIL.


"He is the disobedience that holds us together.."

Body And Blood

Ghost
House Of Blues, San Diego, California
April 26, 2014

Ghost has been my favorite band for the past 2 years or so and sometimes the Rock Godz work in mysterious ways.  One thing led to another and I found myself in San Diego for the first time in several years and it wasn't for ComiCon!  I did not take this blessing lightly given the fact that Ghost are not visiting Northern California on this tour.

Before the show I had to wander over to the venue for a work related mission.  I must give a shout out to the pair of House Of Blues security guys (Terrance and another guy whose name I missed).  They went above and beyond assisting me despite the fact I didn't have the proper backstage pass yet.  The House Of Blues chain has a dubious reputation for being dogmatic with their "house" rules, but the attitude of these guys was very un-House Of Blues like... and for that I thank them and I hope this doesn't get them into trouble.   Long story short, a door was held open for me to enter and, among other things, I was able to witness tonight's ritual site being erected.

Exciting?  I guess so... but watching someone assemble a drum kit is about as exciting as watching someone put IKEA furniture together... but I admit I can be a jaded mofo.  Anyway, after doing what I needed to do for work it was off to a delightful pre-show dinner with great company.  Then we few, we happy few, made our way back over to the venue and up to the Will Call window.  If only all shows were this easy:

AccessAllAreas

It's been an interesting ride watching Ghost over the past 2 years as they've gained momentum and attracted a worldwide following.   The first time I saw them I knew this was going to happen and I still pity those who can't suspend their jaded attitude and simply have F-U-N with a band.  Ghost reminds me how fun it was to follow a band when I was a kid and also makes me realize I can be a kid about a band again even at my age.  A band who sing melody soaked songs about Satan and who aren't afraid to create an air of mystery around themselves despite the fact that the Internet prevents anything from being a secret.  The killjoys can find out what Papa's human form looks like... but who cares?   So many of the Metal heroes from my salad days are aging or passing away now.  It's nice to simply follow a band that rekindles that sense of escapism which attracted me to Metal bands in the first place; for an hour or two I can forget about real life.  Anyway...

After watching a song or so of the opening band I was summoned via text for an audience with Papa Emeritus II and the Ghouls.   While I had met Papa Emeritus I several times, tonight would be my first audience with his successor.   Our meeting was as intense and cerebral as you can imagine and included Papa's observations on Star Wars toys and other sobering and profound subjects of the day.  Papa Emeritus II is a worthy successor to Papa Emeritus I and I came away feeling inspired and even more motivated to evangelize on behalf of Ghost. They say a picture is worth a thousand words... so here are 3,000 words about my meeting:

 

The most profound moment came when Papa Emeritus II said "We have met before..." to my associate, who had only met Papa Emeritus I previously.  I took this as proof that part of Papa Emeritus I still lives on in the being that is Papa Emeritus II.  Discuss amongst yourselves.  Amen.  Alas, our audience with Papa and the band had to end as they needed to prepare for tonight's performance.  Papa graciously bid us adieu with a handshake and a hug as we left the dressing room just as 2 nuns were being ushered in... Hmmm.

Seeing Ghost again gave me the shot of adrenaline that I needed in my Music Geek brain.  They are the Satanic Beatles.  They are the most F-U-N band here in the 21st Century.  It was interesting seeing them in a city they were visiting for the first time in front of an audience who were mainly Ghost virgins.  I glanced around the crowd during every song to watch the awestruck excitement on the faces of San Diego as they fell under the spell of this band.

 [Photo courtesy of Cable Car]

For the geeks:  The setlist on this tour has been mixed up nicely compared to last year's run. 'Ritual' is placed in the all important 2nd song of the set slot.   For me, the 2nd song of a band's set can be the make or break part of a live set... It's when an audience's excitement is still riding on the high of the band coming onstage.  This is the point when a great live band should take their audience to another level with a roundhouse kick song... and that's what Ghost did.  'Ritual' has closed the set on past tours; having it early in the set blew the roof off things.  Magic.

This night in San Diego was my 8th Ghost ritual since their debut U.S. Tour.  The crowd was a mix of Metalheads and, for lack of a better term, normal people.  The pit was more like a fistfight than a proper pit and that was good.  There were a pair of grey-haired older gentlemen standing to my right who looked somewhat out of place.  However, they were completely engaged with the show and stayed for the entire duration.  Evil has no boundaries even with age.

As the night progressed it was filled with other memorable moments.  The pair of nuns who we had seen backstage came out during 'Body And Blood' to offer sips of sacramental wine to the front row from golden goblets during the song.  Papa noticed a child with his parents in the front and told the crowd to "Look after the little one..." and then later berated a crowd surfer for ignoring these instructions. The return of 'Here Comes The Sun' (The Beatles) to the setlist and the inclusion of 'If You Have Ghosts' (Roky Erickson) could not make it more obvious where the musical roots of Ghost lie.  The rapturous reception and response to 'Year Zero' was godlike and the crowd / band interaction during the show ending 'Monstrance Clock' mirrored that song's lyrics profoundly:

"To the sound of The End of Days.. Mesmerized the assembled sway.. Black candles burn all minds aligned.."

It was a perfect evening.

If you bought one of every Ghost merch item you would have paid around $500.  On the way back to San Francisco, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag.  Anyway, haters are still going to hate on Ghost but I still love everything about them.  Besides, how many bands quote Goethe on their day sheets here in the 21st Century:

Haze Over Umlaut

Ghost
The Regency, San Francisco
April 25, 2013

Ghost have come a long way since the first time I saw them over a year ago.  It's been great to follow a band from obscurity to popularity again, but with Ghost it's felt more special because they don't fit the mold.  Making Satanism F-U-N via catchy songs is not a standard genre that a major label like Universal Music usually embraces especially here in the 21st Century... but the Rock Godz work in mysterious ways.  Before tonight's ritual I met up with some good friends at Tommy's Joynt where the conversation included way too much chat about KISS and Ace Frehley.  Then we few, we happy few, made our way down Van Ness Avenue to The Regency.

I have a love / hate thing with The Regency.  I hate going there because the parking in the neighborhood sucks.  However, I love The Regency because the lobby at a Metal show is generally a great gathering place to see friends both old and new... and tonight was no exception.  In fact, I decided not to check out Ides Of Gemini because I was having such a good time socializing.  Sorry Ides Of Gemini... but I was to catch up with them 48 hours later.

It's pretty amazing that Ghost went from headlining the small Bottom of the Hill to the somewhat prestigious hall that is The Regency in just over a year.   Some would say it's because of "The Hype" but in Ghost's case I think it's simply a good band finding its audience quickly.  All of you bitter old Metal fans can mumble in disagreement and outrage until you pass out.  I pity you all for missing out on all of the F-U-N... because Ghost are F-U-N.. and what's wrong with that?

The anticipation for Ghost's arrival was thick enough to cut with an imaginary knife as the house lights dimmed.  It became even thicker as the Nameless Ghouls marched onstage to begin tonight's ceremony with the opening tracks of the new album.  The instrumental 'Infestissumam' led into 'Per Aspera Ad Inferi' that heralded the arrival of Papa Emeritus II onto the San Francisco stage... and all Hell broke loose for the next 70 minutes.

Photo courtesy of Photo Ray

Judging from the crowd reaction, I realized that the majority of the 1,000+ in attendance probably had not seen Ghost live before.  Songs from the debut album garnered the biggest response, but the new songs worked even better live.  The new song 'Year Zero' really put into focus how far Ghost have come.  It has that huge epic intro chant that melts into an 80's style electro underbeat that makes it as much of a Dance anthem as a Rock anthem as a Satanic anthem. When unleashed onto a big crowd the song is as infectious as all Hell.

The band and their new staging looked absolutely magnificent on the big stage of The Regency. 'Ritual' is one of those rare songs that instantly became a classic and the response to it was almost 'Freebird'-like.. except it's a song about human sacrifice.  A year ago, after seeing Ghost for the first time, I said in this space that I'll never see any of the band's songs performed in exactly the same way again... because the next times they come around the crowds will be bigger and the shows will be bigger... and that's exactly what has happened.  Hail Satan.

Appropriately, San Francisco was the 6th time I've seen Ghost... so to quote them I say "6.. 6.. 6.. evoke the King of Hell."  On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. Tonight Ghost proved they belong on a big stage, but as I left the show I felt nostalgic about seeing them at least one more time in an intimate setting like on their debut U.S. Tour.  Be careful what you wish for...

Click HERE to see Photo Ray's awesome photos from the evening!

Then 48 hours later it was...

Ghost / Ides Of Gemini
The Showbox, Seattle, Washington
April 27, 2013

One thing led to another and I found myself in the Emerald City again for the first time since my Slaycation awhile back.  It felt good to see a show outside of my Bay Area zone and the Seattle crowd had a similar vibe but perhaps were not as jaded as San Francisco can be.  Sorry hometown, I love you, but sometimes you're a bit too serious. As I entered the venue I was completely surprised how intimate the Showbox feels and the crowd ended up being just over half the size of the S.F. show.  It was going to be a special night.

Umlaut had not watched Ides Of Gemini in San Francisco but I was interested in checking them out since they're on the Neurot Records roster.   I liked them and they fit the foggy surreal feeling that I had been having all day in Jet City.  Yes, I will buy their music.  Yes, I will see them again.

After so many years as a Music Geek, at this point when I've seen a band multiple times I start tripping on the little things during their performances.  Besides the smell of incense that was blowing from the stage, tonight I was tripping on the uncapped water bottles onstage, each with a straw in them.  So THAT'S how Papa and the Ghouls stay hydrated onstage!  Number of times Papa glided back to his water bottles for hydration during the set = 4.  Yes, the Geeks shall inherit the Earth.

[Photo courtesy of Cable Car]

The reason why Ghost are my current favorite band is because they sing about Satan.. and evil.. but they do it in a F-U-N way.   Seeing them live isn't like seeing the standard "Satanic" band and being engulfed by anger, and nihilism, and growling.  Ghost offer Satan in a catchy, retro horror package laced with humor and amazing melodies that make their message even more effective.  People are smiling and laughing during a Ghost show... and what's wrong with that?!  We're laughing with Satan not at Satan... Although I don't really consider Ghost a "Metal" band anymore, when I was a kid I got into Metal bands like Iron Maiden because their songs and lyrics offered an escape from reality.  Ghost have hit that nerve for me here in the 21st Century.  People need to lighten up and stop over thinking what Ghost are supposed to "mean" for "Metal"; the band is simply F-U-N... and if you can't relate to that you can go back to your Hatebreed MP3s.  Y-A-W-N.

[Photo courtesy of Cable Car]

I (and many others) literally laughed out loud when Papa introduced 'Elizabeth' by saying "This one's for the ladies..." and introducing the main set closing 'Ritual' with "How do you say it.. Let's wrap this shit up.." in his spooky old man voice.  F-U-N in the name of S-A-T-A-N.  A kid at the rail in a wheelchair was an inspiration to me.  After 'Ritual' he grabbed onto the rail to raise himself up to flash the horns to the band.  For a second I thought Papa was healing him so he could walk again.

As 'Monstrance Clock' ended Ghoul Guitarist at stage right (White Gibson) flicked his pick into the crowd in my general direction.  Those around me looked for it but it seemed to have disappeared into the ether.  Then I looked down and this was basically on my right foot:

That never happens to me at home.  Hail Satan!

Number of people at the show besides me who had Metallica's 1st demo tape in 1982 = 2 (Hail K.J. and Cable Car!).  If you bought one of every Ghost merch item on this tour you would have paid $325.  Yeah, the merch looked great.  On the way back to the hotel, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag.  The next day was Sunday and on the way back to the Sea-Tac we stopped to pay homage to some dead idols.  First stop was the Jimi Hendrix Memorial and gravesite where people have left lipstick traces on Jimi:

Then it was a profound visit to the final resting place of The Dragon and The Crow:

Visiting the graves of such icons long gone reminded me that life is too short... and it's too short to worry about reasons not to like a band or rationalize why they're "not Metal".  I don't give a shit what the haters think about Ghost; I love 'em.  To quote from the new album "Come together.. together as a one.. Come together.. for Lucifer’s son.."

F-U-N.

Wherever I May Roam

My brain has been completely fried for almost 2 weeks now and it's showing no signs of clearing. At this point I'm just going to have to power through this post and get it out of the way. The final days of June that I'm going to attempt to rant about were some of the most action packed 3 days of my life; brain overload. Anyway... Here we go..

Orion Fest
Bader Field, Atlantic City, New Jersey
June 23-24, 2012

Back in early February Metallica announced their eclectic Orion Fest featuring a bill that was decidedly not Metal. At first I was about to dismiss the festival, especially since it was in Atlantic City. However, sometimes the Metal Godz work in very mysterious ways. Long story short, I soon got word from Umlaut's kindred spirit band Landmine Marathon that they had been personally selected by Mr. James Hetfield to play Orion Fest. Did you hear that sound? It's the sound of Umlaut's past and present smashing together in an amazing full circle moment. I can't completely articulate the magnitude of how special this moment was for me: One of my all-time favorite bands connecting with a band who have become my good friends over the past several years. Amazing... but that wasn't the end of it. Long story short (again), I was then contacted by the Metallica camp and asked if I would participate in a Q&A session with the band's fan club members about Murder In The Front Row at Orion. What the fuck... Metallica validating our book so publicly was not something we ever expected to happen! Wow.

Fast forward to June 22nd and I found myself on a flight from San Francisco to Philadelphia... Then I found myself in a car taking me from Philadelphia to Atlantic City. Then I found myself in Atlantic City. Atlantic City is a shithole, but I was wearing a Motörhead shirt and I was fist bumped, shouted out, and a bartender gave me the thumbs up because of it. I also found myself in a bizarre rain forest themed restaurant and then we met a guy named Jesse in a Trump Plaza bar who ended up being inappropriately annoying. Then the bar's DJ played 'Jessie's Girl'. I think Bruce Springsteen should be punched for romanticizing New Jersey.

Orion Day One:

The day started off with breakfast at the hotel and then it was a blur of sun and volume for the next 12 hours or whatever. After a minor hiccup with Will Call drama ("Not on the list..") I made it inside, met up with friends, and saw the tail end of Baroness on the main stage (Orion Stage) before wandering around the huge festival grounds to get my bearings. At this point The Sword were playing on one of the side stages (Fuel Stage) to a big crowd and they were a good soundtrack to my reconnaissance of the grounds. Then we made our way to the Frantic Stage in time to see Roky Erickson take the stage and it set the tone for the rest of the weekend. I really embraced the eclectic billing of the festival and it was cool to see a lot of people posting up to see Roky and the version of 'Creature With The Atom Brain' was one of my favorite performances of the weekend. After Roky we wandered back to the Orion Stage and into the vaunted Snake Pit at the very front (special pass needed... natch..) to watch some of Lucero. The band's Southern Fried sound was perfect for the heat and humidity of New Jersey and I liked them alot... but they also made me want a beer so that became my next mission. Then this happened:

Sandwiched between Metallica management and their legendary soundman Mick who has been with them since 1984. Mick was also joined by Cliff Burton's father. Crazy, man.

The Q&A session with Metallica Fan Club members was... pretty fucking cool. I was taken aback by how genuine the fans from South America, Japan, and Europe were; they reminded me of how I was back in The Day. The Bay Area takes Metallica for granted and you can't understand how massively popular the band is until you travel thousands of miles away from the Golden Gate Bridge. Seeing dozens of Metallica shirts on the streets and then meeting people who had traveled to... uhhh... Atlantic City from places like Argentina and Japan to see the band was crazy. I wouldn't travel to a similar shithole city in Argentina to see a band. Just saying. Anyway, I was caught off guard about how much interest there is about the original Bay Area Metal Scene and how much people from faraway lands know about it. Anyway, that was my 15 minutes of fame at Orion. Now back to the music..

Hearing Suicidal Tendencies on the Damage Inc. stage dueling with Modest Mouse on the Orion Stage as their set times overlapped was surreal. My brain didn't know what to do so I chose to return to the VIP area for a beer and some food. I know: Poser. To be honest at this point of the first day I was kind of burned out from the heat and the first day's excitement. So much so that I chose to have another beer instead of wandering out to watch Artic Monkeys... and then we made our way back to the vaunted Snake Pit to post up and wait for the headliner's set which was to feature them playing the Ride The Lightning album in its entirety for the first time. The return of the Snake Pit was pretty cool.

Photo courtesy of Metallica.com

Watching Metallica from the Snake Pit was not unlike watching the Blue Angels perform. I’d catch something out of the corner of my eye and it would be, like, Kirk running past. I have a vivid memory of driving to Tower Records in Mountain View in the Summer of 1984 to buy Ride The Lightning on import when it came out. It's a sacred album to Umlaut and it's still weird to see my name in the liner notes. I saw 4 shows on the Ride Tour so it was special to be in New Jersey to witness this performance... and it included another full circle moment as quite a few of my co-author Harald's photos from Murder In The Front Row were used in the intro film that was played before the band launched into 'The Call Of Ktulu' (YES, Metallica asked permission to use the photos).


Pretty fucking cool, right? Yes, the headliner played their iconic 2nd album in reverse order, which was a brilliant move as the pacing completely worked! Seeing Metallica perform 'Trapped Under Ice' was something I can finally cross off my bucket list... but I felt VERY dubious about being there to witness the first ever performance of 'Escape'; it's been my least favorite Metallica song since 1984. However, it seems that the younger generation of fans have no such baggage about the song and I have to admit it was cool to see James, Kirk, and Lars cracking up while they played it. Also, ironically 3/4 of me was caught in one of Metallica's official photos of The Snake Pit from the night... Good thing I was wearing a white t-shirt (on the left):

Photo courtesy of Metallica.com

I will also admit that I still get chills during the intro to 'Fade To Black' and it just might be my favorite live song that Metallica plays. The version performed in New Jersey was stunning.

As the dust settled and the crowd exited into the balmy New Jersey night, we returned to the sedate backstage area, chatted with a couple of friends, and had another comp Budweiser. I also met one of the filmmakers responsible for Lemmy: The Movie, which was pretty great (Hey Wes!)... Then realized I was starving. Fast forward to 1:30am and I found myself in an establishment called the Chelsea Pub & Inn with a cheeseburger and Heineken in front of me while drunk patrons fed the jukebox and played Motörhead, Scorpions, Metallica, and Pantera. Atlantic City is not without its charms.

Wes Orshoski (Lemmy: The Movie)

Then less than 12 hours later it was...
Orion Day Two:

The second day was less hectic and more enjoyable since there were more bands playing who I wanted to see. After another decent breakfast at the hotel the 12 hour or so blur of sun and volume started all over again. Here's a quick rundown:

• Liturgy. I texted a friend during their set and they told me Liturgy recently lost 1/2 of their lineup including the drummer.. which explained why "the band" only consisted of 2 guys and a drum machine. Liturgy are a polarizing "band" with people either liking them or hating them. I have to say I fall in the latter category; Liturgy seems to take the piss out of Death Metal by presenting it with a safe Hipster aesthetic that ignores the legitimate mythos and traditions of the Death Metal genre. Fuck that.

• A Place To Bury Strangers. I lasted about 5 minutes into Liturgy before I wandered back out into the sun and over to the Fuel Stage to watch APTBS. I was glad to see the band's great fuzzy volume again, but it didn't have the same impact in the daylight as it does in a dark club. Still, Oliver Ackermann's guitar strangulation was a perfect way to be woken up on this balmy Sunday.

Next came the two bands who meant the most to me and who's inclusion at Orion Fest had me the most jazzed. Ghost is my favorite band at this time in my life for a myriad of reasons. I was curious about seeing them in full daylight, but the band has been playing this time slot all Summer in Europe and they stepped things up by changing their stage gear to white. This color move was fucking brilliant and made them stand out magnificently onstage. The highlight of the set was Papa Emeritus taking a "Pope Walk" around the entire Snake Pit stage during 'Death Knell'.

Papa Don't Preach

The Swedes played a 60 minute set that was identical to the headline set they played on their debut U.S. Tour back in February. However, due to an ironic bit of scheduling I had to bail away from Ghost a couple of songs before they finished so I could make it back to the Damage Inc. Stage for the set that I wanted to watch the most in Atlantic City.

To be honest, this bit is a little more difficult to write. As I said earlier, Landmine Marathon are good friends and it was emotional for me to walk up on the stage as they prepared to play the biggest show in their 7 year history. I've seen them in empty clubs in front of less than 20 people... I know how hard they've worked and toured... Their last U.S. Tour was 37 shows in 38 days.. They've played alot of shitty shows in shitty towns... but here they were playing Orion Fest at the personal invitation of Metallica. Amazing. All of the awkward emotions that the band and I have felt for each other over the past several years were finally acknowledged as they erupted into a explosion of Metal Mayhem on the stage in New Jersey. My favorite kidz from the desert absolutely killed it in front of their largest crowd to date. It was one of those rare, special moments when I witnessed a band go to the next level with their confidence and, judging from the reaction, the crowd watching them understood this too.

Landmine has taken my sight

At one point in between songs, Ryan (guitar) stepped over to me as I stood at stage left and shouted "WE'RE PLAYING WITH METALLICA!!" with the biggest smile on his face. That said it all... and it caught me off guard when Grace (vox) dedicated to band's set to me. Awww! After the set my head was buzzing from the emotions and the Metal. A very special 45 minutes... and it will probably end up being my favorite set of 2012.

One element of Orion Fest that was intriguing was how each member of Metallica curated something based on something near and dear to them outside of the band. Lars hosted a tent that screened some of his favorite recent films. Trujillo showcased skateboarding with a Vans sponsored area. Hetfield hosted a custom car show featuring vehicles from his collection. Kirk's showcase featured his vintage Horror movie collection and also served as the official launch event for his upcoming book Too Much Horror Business. It was pretty cool... and these personal Metallica showcases were WAY more interesting than if they had been the members of Pearl Jam, right?

After Landmine's set we found ourselves being ushered in the back door of Kirk's Crypt so we didn't have to stand in the ridiculous line out front (Thanks Paschke!). We were placed in a makeshift VIP area and listened to an interesting Q&A with Kirk and the guys responsible for the restoration and acquisition of his Horror artifacts. I had no idea about the restoration efforts that went into some of the one of a kind movie posters and lobby cards. It was very interesting and informative, but we then took advantage and wandered around the Crypt to look at the displays while the rest of the crowd listened to the Q&A. The collection was fun and impressive, but ultimately I felt like I was missing out on things... so it was back outside into the heat and humidity of lovely Atlantic City.

The Geeks shall inherit The Earth

Unfortunately, I missed Torche while spending time in Kirk's Crypt... but did watch some of Volbeat on the Fuel Stage (a solid live band who attracted a massive side stage crowd) and also some of the great Charred Walls of the Damned back on the Frantic Stage. I meant to watch some of Country superstar Eric Church for the hell of it... but one thing led to another and I ended up backstage chatting with my friend Papa Emeritus of Ghost. I know I sound like an asshole, but it's the truth. Among other things Papa and I had a conversation about how 'Escape' is the most important song to him personally on Ride The Lightning. Discuss amongst yourselves.

For tonight's headline set, Metallica performed The Black Album in its entirety which reminded me that I saw 3 shows on The Black Album Tour. However, 'Shortest Straw' was my favorite song of the set. While it's not the band's most mainstream song, seemingly the entire crowd of 50,000+ was singing every word of it. It was pretty fucking cool. When it came time for The Black Album (performed in reverse order) I felt my interest level waning halfway through and it was off to take advantage of the uncrowded concession area to refuel. Is there anything more satisfying than exchanging a drink ticket for a ice cold beer on a hot evening? Nope.

After the headline set we found ourselves in the backstage area reserved for the side stage bands where much free alcohol was being distributed and annoyingly loud, bad dance music was being played by a run-of-the-mill DJ type. Although there were plenty of friends to keep me occupied the bad music was too much and I made my exit back into the balmy New Jersey night... Thus ending my Orion Fest experience on a somewhat quiet note.

Behind the Metal Stage

Much to my pleasant surprise, Orion Fest was a completely awesome experience. I didn't see all of the bands who I wanted to catch, but I saw the ones that meant the most to me. For the most part it was well run and organized and the eclectic nature of the bill made it even more enjoyable because it meant it wasn't the usual Metal crowd. The vibe of the weekend was (not to sound all Hippie Shit) communal and mellow. I didn't see any fights. I didn't see any stumbling, passed out in their own vomit drunks.... and I think that was a good thing for once. The one thing that did kinda sorta bug me about the weekend was I couldn't believe that Metallica did not play 'Orion' at Orion Fest. Weird... However, this minor oversight was forgotten the next morning: I traded messages with the guy who wrote 'Master Of Puppets' and told him how my friends Landmine Marathon had been so excited to play the festival and they absolutely killed it in front of their biggest audience. His response was pretty amazing and I hope he doesn't mind me quoting it here:

"That's why we did this thing. Exposure. Bands mature and grow when they get big crowds to play to."

Say what you will about Metallica, but that statement is pretty fucking cool. Deep down they do remember what it was like being that unknown band playing shitty tours in shitty towns... and now look at them.

THANKS to the members of the Umlaut Nation who kept me company over the weekend (Audrey, Cable Car, Canada Dave, Dylan, Grace, Matt, Raul, Ryan, Tony). Good times.

Then 48 hours later it was...

Iron Maiden / Alice Cooper
Comcast Center, Mansfield, Massachusetts
June 26, 2012

Sometimes the Metal Godz work in mysterious ways, man. After the weekend of sun, humidity, and volume in New Jersey I found myself on a short 50 minute flight to Boston. However, not before the flight was delayed around 2 hours because of a crazy ass thunderstorm. Thankfully the real life ride the lightning arrived late so it didn't ruin the weekend.. Long story short, if only all shows were this easy:


The ice cold $9 beer was worth every penny after the drive to the venue. While in the Men's Room pre-show a woman came to the entrance and shouted "MAHRK!! GET BAHCK OUT HEARA!" in a thick Boston accent... Then all the dudes started chanting "MAHRK! MAHRK!" in their Boston accents. New England is hilarious.

Since Alice Cooper isn't on the Maiden dates out West, I was glad to be able to see the tour with him on the bill. Alice pretty much had his full stage show (robots, guillotine, etc..) and played a brief 10-song set that included the hits you'd want to hear in such a short time ('Billion Dollar Babies'...'I'm Eighteen'.. 'School's Out'..). His latest band is good and got the job done. Alice is always the classic showman onstage. Thankyougoodnight!

As they have since the beginning, Maiden proceeded dimming the houselights by playing 'Doctor Doctor' by UFO. I love tradition! As sacred as Maiden are to me, you have to sometimes take their setlists with a grain of salt because they tend to play what they want and not what fans expect. Thankfully, on this 2012 Tour Maiden have stocked the set with more old goodies than on the previous trek 2 years ago. I can't remember the last time they played 'The Prisoner' live and the fantastic mid-set 1-2-3-4 punch of 'The Trooper' into 'The Number of the Beast' into 'Phantom of the Opera' (!) into 'Run To The Hills' was... awesome.

Phantom of the Opera from the soundboard

As with my Metallica experience at Orion Fest, I was glad to finally see Maiden outside of California. The East Coast crowd sang loud and the entire venue from the back to the front was going off the entire night. After closing the main set with the standard 'Iron Maiden' my favorite English band came back onstage and after all these years I still lose my shit when they play 'Aces High'. At this point I made a strategic decision and bailed early to beat the traffic out of the antiquated amphitheater's parking lot. I was cool with my decision since I intend to see at least 2 or 3 more shows on the Maiden England Tour. Fly to live... Do or die.

The next day time was killed before the flight home in North Boston where I had a fantastic lobster roll and ice cold beers at Goody Glover's while sitting outside in the balmy East Coast Summer.. When it was all said and done, Umlaut traveled over 6,300 miles on this Musical Odyssey. On the way back to San Francisco, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. Good times... However, I hate to say it but after 8 years my brain feels like it's totally hit a writer's block wall with this space right now. Let's see if I can snap out of it...

"Rover... Wanderer.. Nomad.. Vagabond.. Call me what you will."

Prime Mover

The exciting sequel to 48 Hours Of Ritual!

Opeth / Mastodon / Ghost
Gibson Amphitheatre, Hollywood, California
April 26, 2012

Ghost are Umlaut's favorite band at this moment in history. Why? Because I dig their combination of diabolically catchy songs about Satan and their retro Horror movie aesthetic. More often than not these days Umlaut finds his "professional" life and "Umlaut" life blending into the same thing. Long story short, on the morning and afternoon before the show I found myself on a plane and then working out of the cavernous high tech Hollywood Rock 'N Roll HQ of Tour Manager Doug. Then as show time approached we made our way over to the Gibson Amphitheatre, which happens to be located on the Universal Studios lot.

After the deserved hype and frenzy of their debut U.S. Tour back in February, I had been looking forward to seeing Ghost as a support act in front a bigger audience who they'd have to win over. Would a more mass audience *get* them?? I was also looking forward to seeing Ghost on a big stage, where I expected their theatrical presentation to shine. The Gibson is basically an outdoor amphitheater inside of a building, which makes for an disconcertingly sterile concert environment. Backstage in the VIP area a red light is turned on to tell the very important people that a band is about to go onstage. When the red light went on for the first time at around 8:15pm, the venue was far less than half full to greet Ghost as they descended onstage.

As the intro tape started, a couple of kidz behind me started laughing as the Nameless Ghouls solemnly walked onstage and took their places. The anticipation was allowed to build a bit longer before Papa Emeritus emerged from stage left, swinging his incense burning thurible that I'm sure made every Catholic in the room cringe. Then Nameless Ghoul on bass put pick to string and rang out the intro to 'Con Clavi Con Dio' and tonight's ritual was off and running.

Ghost converts Tinseltown

It did not take long to realize that Ghost would easily bring their message successfully to a larger venue and audience. As the set progressed you could see and feel the newbie members of the audience converting to Ghost and join the fans who had arrived early for them. The kidz standing behind me quickly went from laughing at the band to shouting with them. Pretty cool. Ghost have a subtle sense of humor that is apparent if you're not a Christian. This side of the band is more obvious when Papa is onstage; I could not help but laugh out loud every time he called tonight's city "Tinseltown". The short 30 minute and 6 song set honestly felt longer; I also think the fact the set was 6 songs was significant. To quote from the band's song 'Death Knell': "6-6-6 evoke the King of Hell.."

After Ghost I returned to the VIP Area until the red light started flashing again to announce Mastodon. According to the Umlaut Archives this was my 13th time seeing Mastodon and the creative arc that the band has been on with their last 3 albums has been one of my favorite things to witness by a band. On the last album cycle, Mastodon were entrenching themselves in a Prog Rock groove that was impressive, but made me wonder where they could take it. Fuck the haters: Their latest album The Hunter is their best yet and one of my favorite albums in recent times.

Mastodon channeled their inner Zeppelin and Floyd brilliantly in Tinseltown and I have to say it was my favorite set by them in awhile. Due to the co-headline billing of this tour, their staging was not elaborate but still very effective. A simple album art backdrop and an arsenal of criss crossing and rotating colored spots positioned behind and on either side of the stage. The venue was full at this point in the night and there was also some surprisingly healthy pit action on the main floor. The band members also seemed more animated than at previous shows I've seen... and the set, which featured most of The Hunter album but was also more of a mix of material than their tour 5 months ago, closed on a very personal note when Brann came out from behind the drums to give a shout out to Armand Crump, Kerry King's longtime guitar tech who recently passed away. Umlaut will only say that I knew Armand and he was a good guy who should definitely rest in peace. Anyway...

As much of a Bay Area Snob as I am, I was surprised by how many people who I knew or ran into at this show; well into double digits. It almost felt like I was seeing a show at home. Also, Rock Star sightings included Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney, Blasko, Josh Homme, Adam of Tool.

I was chatting with friends and colleagues back in the VIP area when the red light went on for a 3rd time to signal the arrival of Opeth onstage. I had to choose between carrying my beer inside or staying outside with it. I chose the later and saw some of Opeth because I ventured inside to find a bathroom. Did I say I'm not into Opeth? Oh, sorry... well... yeah.

Then 24 hours later it was...

Opeth / Mastodon / Ghost
The Fox Theatre, Oakland, California
April 27, 2012

Sometimes I live vicariously through my own Lock 'N Loll lifestyle. Umlaut caught a morning flight back to the Bay Area and hit the ground running again with the work thing. Around 3 hours after landing I found myself delivering these to the venue so they could be sold at the show (Limited edition of 75 prints, dude!):

Birth. School. Work. Metal.

Unlike the night before in Tinseltown, the main floor of The Fox grew completely packed as Ghost brought their message back to The Bay Area. I had been anticipating seeing the band within the gorgeous art deco confines of The Fox and it seemed like the band picked up on the special vibe of the space. Again, the limited 30 minutes and 6 songs seemed to ignore time and Ghost's moment in Oakland felt longer. I stood directly behind a kid wearing a denim vest with a Mercyful Fate Don't Break The Oath back patch who sang along to every song. He was so enthusiastic that late in the set Papa Emeritus came to the front of the stage and acknowledged him with a gesture of his gloved hand. Awesome, right?

Photo courtesy of Photo Ray

Obviously, the focus of Ghost is Papa Emeritus, but the band members are all solid musicians... whoever.. or whatever.. they are.. One thing I noticed while watching Ghost on these consecutive nights is how much of a Guitar God the Nameless Ghoul on the black guitar (aka the Rhythm Guitarist... Lead Guitarist = Nameless Ghoul on the white guitar..) is with his cocky poses while adding his riffs from Hell to the ceremony. At one point during one of the shows, a song ended and this Nameless Ghoul knew he (or should I say it?) had nailed his part and he did the classic Guitar God move of flicking his pick back over his shoulder into the crowd as he turned towards his backline. Metal.

Photo courtesy of Photo Ray

Another thing that was reinforced for me about the band is how seriously they take their theatrical side. As I've said before, Ghost are not merely a band who wear costumes onstage. They are performers with Papa playing up his role as the puppet master of the Nameless Ghouls; throwing his arms and hands up and in their direction like a puppeteer to manipulate them when a guitar solo is taken or a solo bass line thunders out. Magical.

Photo courtesy of Photo Ray

Unlike the previous night in Tinseltown, the Rock Star action was much more subdued in Oakland with only 1/2 of Machine Head being sited. If you bought one of every Ghost merch item you would have paid around $125. Mastodon and Ghost had the most kick ass merch; their merch company must rule. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. The Master was pleased by the frenzy around the merch table after Ghost's set.

After Ghost it was time to bail and head back across The Bay Bridge for...

A Concert For Ronnie Montrose
The Regency, San Francisco
April 27, 2012

Yes, it was a double header night for Umlaut! Obviously, Ronnie Montrose greatly influenced me during my teenage years via the first Montrose album, Gamma, and his other work such as the song 'Frankenstein' which he wrote for the Edgar Winter Group. If you grew up in the 70's he was one of THE guitar icons, especially here in the Bay Area. It was only after he died on March 3rd that I found out Ronnie lived only 10 minutes from Casa de Umlaut. WOW.

No offense to the staff of The Regency because I know it's not their fault, but when this space is sold out and packed it is awful; no ventilation being the reason. As we sprinted inside the wall of humid heat hit me in the face and, as expected, it was a sweat box of bodies and the floor was unbelievably sticky from the condensation and spilled drinks. However, this was easily ignored because Sammy Hagar was onstage with surviving original Montrose members Denny Carmassi on drums, Bill Church ("The Electric Church"!) on bass, and Joe Satriani on guitar in place of Ronnie blasting out songs from the legendary first Montrose album! 'Bad Motor Scooter' (one of the iconic San Francisco Rock songs, dude!), 'Rock Candy', 'Space Station #5', 'Make It Last' and all the rest. Hagar sounded amazing and there obviously couldn't have been a more perfect tribute moment for these songs to be performed again in Ronnie's memory. Obviously, it's just a shame this reunion could not have happened sooner when Ronnie was alive.

After the Montrose set things sort of went off the rails for awhile, but I do not want to bag on what was a very special event to honor an iconic musician and an important figure in my hometown Bay Area. All I will say is that there were ALOT of drunk and stoned people in the house... but among them one lone teenager wearing an Iron Maiden shirt with his parents. That kid is gonna be alright.

I can hear what some of you are saying: That's all you're going to say about the Montrose show??! Yes, it is... To be honest, while witnessing the Montrose "reunion" was a once in a lifetime event the rest of the bill didn't really engage me. My 48 hours with Ghost and Mastodon are more where my head is at here in the 21st Century. Hope I die before I get old.

48 Hours Of Ritual

Ghost / Blood Ceremony / Ancient VVisdom
The Bottom Of The Hill, San Francisco
February 1, 2012


"On this night of ritual.. invoking The Master... to procreate the unholy bastard.."

I checked out Ghost over a year ago because of the underground buzz about them... but it took me 3 listens for their debut album to *click* with me. I can't remember the last time I even gave an album or a band multiple chances to win me over like that. Usually, if I don't like something the first time I move on... but Ghost had other plans for me. Opus Eponymous has been at the top of my personal album playlist for almost a year now. Tonight's show was the smallest venue of their debut North American Tour and I couldn't comprehend how the band would be able to fit on the Bottom of the Hill's tiny stage.

Although this show sold out a month in advance, San Francisco crowds can be such jaded mofos. However, when the 6 band members emerged from the back of the club and walked down the hallway to the stage you could literally feel the entire crowd freeze for a split second in anticipation. It's been awhile since there's been a show around here with this much built up hype and anticipation; the fact that Ghost had dropped off Enslaved's U.S. Tour 5 months ago only ratcheted it up that much more.

Ghost sings about such everyday subjects as Satan and human sacrifices.. but their crowd is smiling and singing along to their every word. Magical. The Swedes opened with 'Con Clavi Con Dio' and then straight into 'Elizabeth' and I can't remember the last time a band came through town for the first time and the crowd knew all of their songs. Magical. Every song off their album was played with the live versions being even more robust and compelling than the recorded versions. At this early stage in their history I think that Ghost's "agenda" can be defined by the cover song they chose to fill out their set... a stunning version of The Beatles 'Here Comes The Sun' that turns the hippie Beatles message into an upside down cross that "The Son" of the Dark Lord is coming but "it's alright". Any doubt about this blasphemous use of George Harrison's words was erased by the crying baby intro tape that proceeded the song. BRILLIANT! During the set closing 'Ritual', Papa Emeritus gave communion to the front row with wine and wafers as the band closed out the song.

Communion In The Front Row

'Ritual' is already one of those iconic songs for me and it's by far THE catchiest song ever written about human sacrifice. When Ghost launched into it to close the set I was seeing it performed live in person for the first time; it was one of those great Music Geek moments that will never be replicated. After the show, Ghost held an audience with a human named James Hetfield... and then graced myself and my colleagues with an audience as well. The band were gracious and I thank them for granting us mere mortals with the meeting... I will never say or post anything publicly to ruin Ghost's mystique. However, I will reveal that Papa Emeritus was already very aware of my involvement with Murder In The Front Row before we met and had requested an audience with me. True.

I was attracted to Metal as a kid because it gave me an escape from my boring teenage suburban environment. Most of my earliest Metal heroes like Black Sabbath, Blue Öyster Cult, Iron Maiden and Mercyful Fate didn't make me want to fuck shit up; their songs gave me a place for my imagination to run to and escape my teen reality. Now, here in the 21st Century, Ghost reminds me of that feeling again. This band makes me feel like that teenage Metalhead again... and for that I am grateful to the Swedes.

Orchid shirts = 2 (including mine). On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. Then 24 hours later it was...

Ghost / Blood Ceremony / Ancient VVisdom
The Roxy, Hollywood, California
February 2, 2012

Groundhog Day 2012 and I basically repeated the previous day... which was not a bad thing at all. Tonight was also the 13th and final show of Ghost's debut North AmericanTour... and with only 3 hours of sleep I found myself jetting down to the Burbank Airport first thing in the morning. No rest for the wicked, man.

After spending the afternoon doing work-related duties and having an awesome Ahi Tuna / mashed potatoes / salad lunch we headed over to the infamous Rainbow Bar & Grill for pre-show drinks. The fact that The Rainbow is right next door to the venue is one thing I actually like about L.A.. The opening acts came recommended to me by some friends... and they weren't bad... but in the end neither band has songs... and in Blood Ceremony's case they try too hard at being "dark" and it simply looks forced IMO... and a flute is NOT Metal and never will be. Anyway...

This was one of those shows that I would call "triumphant". Unlike the night before, Ghost had a full stage and lighting to work with in front of the sold out crowd of 600... and they absolutely killed it. For a band on their first tour they perform effortlessly and with awesome confidence and charisma; it's mesmerizing to witness when combined with their infectious songs. Ghost are already a polarizing band, with people either loving or hating them for whatever reasons... but I would guess that 95% of the haters haven't seen the band live (and watching YouTube videos doesn't count)... and live is where this band transcends most others.

Ghost converts Hollywood

'Ritual' is already one of those iconic songs for me... and when Ghost launched into it to close the night and their tour the crowd went crazy and sang along as they had the night before in S.F. It was (again) one of those magical Music Geek moments. Also as with the night before, I'll never see any of the band's songs performed in exactly the same way again... because the next time they visit America in April it will be in front of bigger audiences and many more fans. It's always special to catch a band at the beginning of something special and I've been lucky to have witnessed this ascension with many of my favorite bands over the years. It's cool to add these Swedes to that list. Fifteen minutes prior to Ghost taking the stage for the biggest show of their young history to date this happened:

On This Night Of Ritual

I will never say or post anything publicly to ruin Ghost's mystique... but I will say that I have talked to the Nameless Ghouls with their hoods off.. and I've had conversations with Papa Emeritus. TERRIFYING.. Why even worry about what the band members look like?? Why speculate if they're really Satanic? Who fucking cares. Suspend reality you bitter jaded fucks.

Ghost are not simply another band who wears costumes and masks onstage. They have great songs with fantastic melodies and lyrics and an overtly theatrical approach that makes them more than simply a "Metal band". They entertain instead of simply playing songs and that's something very, very few bands do these days. Ghost remind me that sometimes a band can simply be F-U-N... and the fact that they present themselves in a retro Hammer Films horror darkness way with a Satanic wrapper has made me even more of a fan. It's not a sin to smile at a Metal show... especially if the band is singing about Satan.

If you bought one of every Ghost merch item you would have paid $210. The merch Ghost sold was awesome; their merch company totally rules. On the way back to San Francisco, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. I sold my soul for Lock 'N Loll...

"Recite now from the text... pray for all to die."