Tomorrow's Dream

A Benefit For Nikki Davis
Robb Flynn & Friends Black Sabbath All Star Tribute
Oakland Metro, Oakland, California
January 17, 2014

This was the type of event that made me damn fucking proud to call The Bay Area my home and the Bay Area Metal scene my people.  Murder In The Front Row alumni and Bay Area Metal band leaders Robb Flynn (Vio-Lence / Machine Head) and Craig Locicero (Forbidden / Spiralarms) organized this event and it was a gathering of the tribe for a very profound and worthy cause.  As the official event statement explained:

A good friend of ours and all around great person, Nikki Davis, was in a motorcycle accident with her husband Jeff. Sadly, Jeff died at the scene. Fortunately, Nikki survived but she was unconscious for a few days. She awoke to the daunting reality that her husband, soulmate and best friend had passed away. It was heartbreaking to all of us in the Bay Area scene.

Click HERE to read the complete statement about the night.

Tickets went on sale a week before and the show was sold out in less than 24 hours; it was by far the hottest Metal ticket of the year so far.  The specific lineup of players was not completely announced in advance so the element of surprise only elevated the once in a lifetime nature of the show.   The cast of players ended up being as follows:

• Rob Flynn (Vio-lence / Machine Head)
• Craig Locicero (Forbidden / Spiralarms)
• Chuck Billy (Testament) – vox
• Brad Barth (Spiralarms) - keyboards
• Paul Bostaph (Forbidden / Slayer) - drums
• Will Carroll (Death Angel) - drums
• Cornbread (Spiralarms) - bass
• Dean Dell (Vio-lence) - bass
• Phil Demmel  (Vio-lence / Machine Head) - guitar
• Andy Galeon (Death Angel) – drums
• Eddie Hermida (Suicide Silence) - vox
• Gary Holt (Exodus / Slayer) - guitar
• Tom Hunting (Exodus) – vox
• Jeff Matz (High On Fire) – bass
• Tim Narducci  (Spiralarms) - vox
• Jim Martin (Faith No More) – guitar
• Matt Pike (Sleep / High On Fire) - guitar
• Damien Sisson  (Death Angel) – bass
• Robert Trujillo (Metallica) - bass

Holy shit, right?  It was basically a Who's Who of Bay Area Metal bands, all with long histories. Of course, there will be the negative assholes who will point out who was not there, but if you have that attitude you have no clue or experience about what made The Bay Area scene special back in The Day and what continues to make it special today when it matters.   Besides, tickets were only $20... Twenty dollars for a show with that lineup.  Not only was tonight in support of worthy cause, it was also an insane value for the money.  Leave your negative attitude at the door, man.

Apologies to the rest of the world, but no other area could have pulled off a show like tonight featuring this level of Metal history and hometown talent. It was epic.. and I still don't have my head completely around it.  The night was about all of these major band guys being onstage with zero egos.  The night was about these Black Sabbath songs that we all grew up with.  The night was about celebrating life while supporting Nikki Davis, a longtime member and friend of the Bay Area scene.

Opening the night was an ACDZ, an AC/DC tribute band fronted by scene veteran Zetro (Legacy / Exodus / Hatriot) on vocals.  Given the atmosphere of the event, what better songs to get things warmed up with than Bon Scott-era AC/DC.  Perfect.

I was able to talk with several of the band guys before the main set backstage and the sense of happiness and positive energy was very profound.  Obviously, the reason for the night was profoundly sad... but the sense that this was a celebration of life was the unstated but obvious vibe.  It's not often that something born of sadness can create something so life affirming.

The epiphany of the night:  Who knew that Tom Hunting of Exodus could sing?!  The drummer nailed the vocals for about half of the setlist while channeling his inner Ozzy in a heartfelt and not in a cheesy way despite his awesome kimono.  "We love you all!!"

There were so many other moments and details that made this night F-U-N and special.   Although the setlist was Ozzy-era Sabbath songs I loved how the running order didn't follow expectations and they went for inspired deep cuts.  As I mentioned earlier, besides being a benefit for a friend in need, the show was also a celebration of the songs that put us all on the life path that we're on now.  I think it's safe to say that Sabbath influenced the lives of everyone in the room.  The fact that all of the band guys onstage were constantly smiling also showed that Sabbath influenced some of us in the room to do even greater things with our lives.

What was mind blowing was how tight all of the performances were despite the revolving cast of players and only a week's worth of rehearsals.  This was not your typical "weekend cover band" playing Sabbath songs!   The gathered players are all seasoned and, in some cases, iconic musicians.  Robb Flynn acted as the onstage leader and master of ceremonies and his energy and awe about the night was palpable and genuine.  

'Into The Void' with Matt Pike and Jeff Matz 

I am not overstating it when I say tonight ranked up there with some of the most iconic Bay Area Metal events.  However, rather than give a routine review of the night I want to convey how special the atmosphere and vibe was instead of merely reporting who played on what songs with whom.  You can find that trivia on other sites here on The Internets.  To be honest, tonight was one of those once in a lifetime events where if you were not there, watching the videos on YouTube won't do it justice.  The sense of community and friendships was so thick in the air that you could cut it with a broad sword.  I lost track of how many old friends I saw; at least one of them I hadn't seen in maybe 3 years.  I also had beer spilled on me 3 times by random overzealous dudes, but it was all cool.

One particularly special moment happened during a brief delay before 'N.I.B.' when there was a problem with Dean Dell's bass.  Instead of letting the momentum die, Will Carroll and Flynn spontaneously went into a brief jam on the Vio-lence song 'Bodies On Bodies' which the Bay Area crowd immediately recognized.  Energy maintained.  Amazing!

As I've ranted a couple of times already, tonight was a celebration of life and also a tribute to Sabbath being a force in our lives.  In that spirit, the setlist was obviously put together and arranged by Sabbath fanboys for Sabbath fanboys and fangirls:

1. CORNUCOPIA (INTRO)
2. SUPERNAUT
3. CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE
4. SYMPTOM OF THE UNIVERSE
5. IRON MAN
6. N.I.B.
7. ELECTRIC FUNERAL
8. A NATIONAL ACROBAT
9. LORD OF THIS WORLD
10. TOMORROW’S DREAM
11. CHANGES
12. SWEET LEAF
13. INTO THE VOID
14. KILLING YOURSELF TO LIVE
15. PARANOID
16. HOLE IN THE SKY
17. WAR PIGS

So solid, right?!

Yes,  Matt and Jeff of High On Fire played on that song.. and Robert of Metallica played on those songs.. and Gary of Exodus played on that song.. and Jim Martin of Faith No More came out and played on that other song... and Will of Death Angel sang that song!  Who knew that he could sing?!   Between him and Tom Hunting it was The Night of the Singing Drummers.

'Paranoid' with Gary Holt and Will Carroll on vocals

'War Pigs' with Jim Martin and Chuck Billy 

Okay, my personal favorite songs of the night were 'Into The Void' with Matt and Jeff of High On Fire (which was the perfect song for Matt to play) and 'Killing Yourself To Live' with Tom Hunting channeling the Live At Last album to perfection.  "SMOKE IT!!  GET HIGH!'

Another especially awesome touch to the night was that only Dio-era Sabbath was played over the PA in between the bands and after the show.  It was perfect and kept the Sabbath theme going all night long.  Despite what Zakk Wylde thinks, Dio-era Sabbath is very legitimate and sacred to folks like me. So STFU Mr. Zakk Wylde.

Although it's only January I can't even imagine another show this year that will be this special.  If you bought the event t-shirt you would have paid $20.  On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags.  Unfortunately, the event shirt sold out so this is my favorite souvenir from this epic night:

As the event's statement said:  "We hope to raise enough money to help Nikki continue to get back on her feet because the healing is not finished. She still has medical bills to pay and we want to do anything we can to help our old friend."

My understanding is the support for Nikki from this event will continue, with online auctions and maybe other activities.  For those who couldn't attend the concert, donations can be made to Nikki's PayPal account at:

help_jeff_n_nikki_d@yahoo.com  

Being part of "a scene" means more than simply going to see bands or following bands on Facebook.  Sometimes a scene has to rise up together for a just and worthy cause on behalf of one of their own... and that's exactly what The Bay Area Metal scene did tonight.  Dog bless you, every one of us!  Special kudos and karma points to Craig and Robb, the band guys, and all of the others who worked on and supported this event.  Tonight completely inspired me.  Of all the Sabbath lyrics that were recreated tonight, 'Tomorrow's Dream' rang out as the heaviest and most appropriate:

"We hope to raise enough money to help Nikki continue to get back on her feet because the healing is not finished. She still has medical bills to pay and we want to do anything we can to help our old friend."
For those who can't attend the concert, donations can be made to Nikki's PayPal account at help_jeff_n_nikki_d@yahoo.com.

Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/metallica-slayer-machine-head-exodus-members-to-perform-at-robb-flynn-friends-benefit-concert/#16IUF6eSjAKZ7crL.99 Of all the Sabbath lyrics that were recreated onstage tonight, these lines struck the heaviest chord to me:

"When sadness fills my days
It's time to turn away
And then tomorrow's dreams
Become reality to me.."

Hail and Amen.

[Live photos courtesy of Sensory Abuse]

Lazy From The Heat

Mayhem Festival 2013
Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, California
June 30, 2013

I realized the day before this show that I've attended every Mayhem Festival except one since the debut trek in 2008.  Weird.  Anyway, I'm going to keep this short since it was that kind of day.  It was hot but not unbearably so.  Unfortunately, the lower temperature was compensated by more annoyances this year.  Huntress and Battlecross were onstage and wailing in the background as I dealt with Will Call drama upon arriving at the venue.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, then here's 1,000 words about Mayhem Festival 2013:

The Wristbands to Nowhere

Anyway, the day basically went like this:

Side Stages:

• Butcher Babies - Awful.
• Born Of Osiris - Watched them until my mind wandered and I found myself having a profound conversation with a cold beer.
• Job For A Cowboy -  I've seen JFAC several times but I still can't name 1 song and I still find their name annoying.
• Machine Head - During the first 40 seconds of their opening song 4 beers and 2 different shoes were thrown in the air above the pit action.  Home cooking rules.

 [Photo courtesy of Photo Ray]

• Children Of Bodom -Their stage backdrop showing a Finnish snowstorm scene was ironic but also made me hungry. I soon found myself having a delightful conversation with a plate of overpriced "organic" amphitheatre food.

Despite the 18 bands playing today, THE MOST METAL moment was this random Murder In The Front Row reunion:

 Ted of Death Angel!!  Rick Hunolt!

Bonded by blood 4-ever, man.  Anyway after that glimmer of awesomeness the hot day continued with..

Main Stage:

• Amon Amarth - The Swedes brought their awesome Viking long boat drum riser to America for the first time... but I think it lost something in translation to a crowd that was primed for some Five Finger Death Punch.   I think "Amon Amarth" in Swedish means "Dethklok".  I actually like the Swedes quite a bit.. cheesiness and all.  What's the Viking word for "cheese"?

  [Photo courtesy of Photo Ray]

• Mastodon - Maybe it was because I had just seen the band at a rare club show, but the energy level seemed low; this was my 15th time being in the same venue as Mastodon.  Their vocal mix seemed *off* but I still enjoyed their brief time in the direct sunlight.
• Five Finger Death Punch - Since I don't own any Affliction or Tapout this was how I watched 5FDP:

If there is one band that represents everything I hate about Metal in the 21st Century it's 5FDP.  Jocks and the Jock mentality ruined the soul of Metal a long time ago.  Remember when Jocks had no clue who Lemmy was?  Me too, man.  Me too. 

• Rob Zombie - I have to say tonight was the best Zombie performance I've seen in years.  He was engaged, funny, and the set and song choices were focused.  This probably means that an hour set might be the perfect length for Zombie to play before my attention starts to wander.  That being said, his Hippie stage clothes started making me hungry for some organic food again..

  [Photo courtesy of Photo Ray]

There was way too much merch to do a merch audit, but I have to say that Zombie, Mastodon, and Machine Head had the best looking merch; their merch company nailed it.  On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags.  This was not the smoothest or the most fun Mayhem Festival for Umlaut by a long shot.   Let's just move on with this year, shall we...

The 7 Days Of Murder

Every once in awhile a week like this happens in this magical land called The Bay Area. This week was like a Murder In The Front Row live showcase with the only bands missing being Metallica and Exodus... although members of Exodus did make an appearance.. as you will see. The Metal Godz work in mysterious ways, man.

Machine Head
The Warfield, San Francisco
Saturday - February 18, 2012

Whitney Houston's funeral was earlier in the day... I believe that children are the future.. Teach them well and let them lead the way.. in Metal. According to the Umlaut Archives tonight was the 85th time I'd visited The Warfield for a concert. Tonight was also the final night of Machine Head's U.S. Tour and it's always cool when a band can end a trek at home, right?

In my opinion, one of the greatest things about having the proper pass at a show is the ability to leave a no-ins-and-outs venue anytime you want, walk across the street, order a cheeseburger and onion rings, enjoy it properly over good conversation with a friend (who also has the proper pass to the show), then walking back across the street and reentering the venue with no hassles. Kidz, that's what Rock 'N Roll is about! The sex and drugs are for the amateurs..

The only "Rock Star" of note who wasn't onstage in the house tonight was... Jello Biafra? Odd.. but kudos to Jello for showing up... I guess. To be honest, whenever I see Machine Head live I find myself watching their audience almost more than the band. Their most fanatical fans are the type that make me wish I could be that passionate about any band again.

I kind of got mesmerized watching 4 or 5 dudes at the front of the balcony who sang along to every song as if they were screaming along with Robb Flynn at Hell itself. Impressive. "Headbang motherfucker!"

Then 24 hours later it was...

Testament
The Avalon, Santa Clara, California
Sunday - February 19, 2012

Four years ago on this date Umlaut was seeing Iron Maiden indoors at The Forum in Los Angeles. Today was also the 32nd Anniversary of the death of Bon Scott. Respect. It's always weird to see a Metal show at a venue that's literally 15 minutes from where I grew up, because there were never Metal shows this close to home when I was a kid. Trivia: The Avalon space was a Bullwinkle's Pizza Parlor back in The Day; the area where the stage is now was a dancing waters show. Tonight was also the final night of the Testament tour and it's always cool when a band can end a trek at home, right?

A sold out show on a holiday weekend Sunday night is always a good thing... and it was also a "who's who" of Bay Area Metal guitarists tonight with Gary Of Exodus, Phil of Machine Head, and Ted of Death Angel all in the house; cue standard Thrash Metal riff. Testament took the stage and destroyed my old 'hood... Absolutely destroyed it.

(Photo courtesy of Photo Ray)

Besides their already formidable lineup, Testament also had the legend that is Gene Hoglan on drums for this tour... and Alex Skolnick was unbelievably on fire with his Guitar God work tonight.. even more so than usual... and the crowd action was unusually excellent for the 'burbs as well. The original Bay Area Metal bands have been on this cool trend of inviting former members onstage. It started with Metallica at The Fillmore in December... Then Exodus earlier this month... and tonight Testament brought up Steve "Zetro" Souza to perform the Legacy era song 'Alone In The Dark'. Nice.

On the way back to the car this happened...

Mr. & Mrs. Gary Holt

The first time I saw that guy onstage was when we were both 18 years old. Then 4 days later it was...

Gigantour 2012
Megadeth / Motörhead / Volbeat / Lacuna Coil
San Jose State Event Center, San Jose, California
Thursday - February 23, 2012

For the first time since 1984, Lemmy and Phil Campbell shared a Bay Area stage with Hank Shermann (who was playing with Volbeat). The last time was on this epic night in San Francisco:

Why doesn't the History Channel report this stuff?? According to the Umlaut Archives tonight was the 18th time I've seen Lemmy onstage... and... WTF... it was the 2nd time in 4 days that I found myself down in my old 'burbs for a Metal show. Since Megadeth were headlining I wore a Slayer shirt to the show to offer the opposing viewpoint... and on the drive to the show I also listened to the opposing viewpoint in honor of Hank Shermann:

"Howl like a wolf and a witch will open the door"..

Hank Shermann warmed up before Volbeat's set in their dressing room by playing Thin Lizzy riffs; seeing him onstage again was pretty damn awesome! Long story short... as Volbeat were onstage I happened to be walking down a hallway backstage and one thing led to another and this happened:


... and then this happened:

I drank beers with this guy on my 19th Birthday... but I'm happy to report that our religious and political differences did not ruin our quality time; it was all about the Old Metal Days. Just like the Pied Piper led rats through the streets.

After a brief air raid siren intro tape, Motörhead unloaded all barrels into the face of San Jose with 'Bomber' and Lemmy, Phil, and Mikkey played one of my favorite sets in recent years. The set was short and, while the song selection was basically the same as the past 2 tours, they switched the order around a bit that made their performance as tight as the Maginot Line was supposed to have been in 1940. The only way to feel the noise is when it's good and loud... Amen.

Megadeth landed onstage with 'Trust' while I was checking out the merch... and during their set I wandered around a bit... and ended up on the GA floor to watch most of their performance. To be honest, my head was still buzzing from my quality time with Dave and Dave Jr. (it had been YEARS since I'd had face time with them) and I have to admit that made me enjoy Megadeth's set more than I have in recent years. However, I was distracted by how many boys and girls were dancing during their set... not dancing together.. but just dancing alone to the Megadeth beat. Not very Metal.

Then 24 hours later it was...

Death Angel / Hammers Of Misfortune / Anvil Chorus
Slim's, San Francisco
Friday - February 24, 2012

According to the Umlaut Archives tonight was the 72nd time I'd visited Slim's for a concert. Out of all the shows of the week this one was the most special. Death Angel headlining at home with locals Hammers Of Misfortune and that blast from the past Anvil Chorus supporting. I arrived late and only caught the last 2 songs of Anvil Chorus, but at least it included the set closing 'Deadly Weapons' and it was cool to see them with original guitarist Doug Piercy onstage again. The current lineup of Hammers includes members of two of Umlaut's favorite R.I.P. Bay Area Metal bands (Ludicra and Saros) and if Hammers were from Sweden instead of The Mission District they'd probably be huge.

Death Angel had set expectations high for the night by announcing they'd be playing an extra long set AND that original guitarist Gus Pepa would be joining them onstage for the first time since 1990. That kind of hype combined with it being a Friday night meant that Slim's was packed and filled with a huge number of old familiar faces. I'm not really exaggerating when I say literally half of the people pictured or thanked in Murder In The Front Row were in the house... and this happened:

Murder authors with Tom Hunting of the mighty Exodus

Best Quote: "Tonight is like a high school reunion!"

Death Angel killed it in their big hometown revue... I got my fix of 'Seemingly Endless Time' (one of my favorite songs, like, ever..)... but I have to admit that this old man hit a wall at 1:00am as the band still raged onstage.. and I snuck out down the street to get a slice of pizza to reload. I guess that makes me a poser... Guilty. This made 4 shows in 7 days and I'm out of gig shape these days (this isn't 2009 after all).

Tank shirts = 3. I didn't do a merch audit at any of the shows, but Machine Head, Motörhead, and Volbeat had the coolest gear during the week; their merch company rules. On the way back to a mellow weekend after the 7 Days Of Murder, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. At this point, Umlaut doesn't have another gig scheduled for around a month... Hope I die before I get old.

Last Caress

Metallica / Machine Head
Arco Arena, Sacramento, CA
December 8, 2009

(color removed to make it harder for sneaky fucks to counterfeit)

This was Umlaut's final concert of 2009... #84 for those keeping score... which is an average of a show every 4.3 days.. which isn't bad for an Old Fart like me. Appropriately my final show of the year was Metallica. Long time readers of this space know what an amazing full circle of life year it's been for me with this band. For the newbies click HERE and HERE to read about it... Go ahead... I'll wait.

Also appropriately, my concert year ended with an old fashioned road trip with Umlaut Nation brothers Timo, Photo Ray, and Old Metal Tim... and in old school fashion Timo borrowed his dad's SWEET armored personnel carrier as he had back in July when we traveled into the dark heart of California to see Judas Priest at a county fair... EPIC... and, yes, we're mentally still 16-year old Teenagers. "Dad, can I borrow the car?"

The SWEET Armored Personnel Carrier

This was my 3rd visit to the Sacramento area for a show this year and my 2nd visit to Arco Arena. I like Arco Arena: It's slightly smaller than the other big arenas in NorCal that are commonly used for concerts (Oracle Arena in Oakland and HP Pavilion in San Jose) and its round configuration versus the more traditional oval shape of the other venues makes a difference. Because of its design, Arco feels more intimate despite the fact it holds 17,000 people... and since Metallica's stage was in the round that intimacy was magnified.

The show started early at 7:00pm so those other hometown heroes Machine Head were already onstage when we arrived... which was a bummer since I wanted to see them as much as the headliners. MH are one of my favorite live bands and it was weird seeing them on Metallica's in-the-round stage but they made the best of it. Unfortunately Robb Flynn's wireless unit for his axe had gone out so he was tethered to his amp via an old school guitar cable... and Robb looked like a pit bull on a leash trying to get away from his collar so he could run around. Born free, as free as the wind blows... Since today was the 5th Anniversary of Dimebag Darrell's death, MH busted out their cover of Pantera's 'Fucking Hostile' and did a Jaeger toast to Dime as well. Nicely done. Eventually, Robb's leash got the best of him and he ended up getting the cable tangled up on some gear, so he tossed the guitar down and did the final song without it and let Phil Demmel carry the axe duties. This was my 3rd time seeing Machine Fucking Head on this tour and it's pretty amazing that by the time they play their final show in Europe early next year they will have been on the road for almost 3 YEARS on this album cycle. MH are road dogs of the highest order who unabashedly fly the flag for Bay Area Metal. Dog bless 'em.

It's been awhile since I've seen Metallica 4x on a tour, actually 5x when you count the Death Magnetic tour rehearsal. At this point, I've seen the band so many times over the years (37x and counting) that for much of their shows I'm more interested in watching the production and the crowd reaction more than watching The Rock Stars... It's also gotten to the point now where I know what song is coming in the set by details such as what guitar Kirk is given by his tech (Black Jackson = 'Sad But True') or by what seemingly random guitar doodle Kirk or James play. Total Geek shit.

I have to say that at this point in my history with the band, my favorite part of a Metallica show is the moment when the houselights go down and their 'Ecstasy Of Gold' (For the newbies: From The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly movie soundtrack) intro tape starts... The fans know the intro tape as well as any of the band's songs and the roof is always blown off by the crowd reaction when those first notes start in the darkness of the venue. The band has been using that intro tape since practically Day One in the clubs and that connection to the past means alot to an Old Fart fan like me.. Tradition, man... Tradition.



Anyway, show highlights for Umlaut:

• 'Fade To Black' performed with James alternating between an acoustic and electric guitar. The band has never performed it that way before. Awesome.
  
• The part in 'Fade To Black' when Kirk goes into his solo and Lars steps up with the double bass. METAL.. I've loved that part of the song since the first time I heard the song in 1984...
  
• Kirk had a problem with his guitar during 'Enter Sandman' but, in a display of why he's a true Guitar God, he casually walked to the side of the stage, took the guitar off and was immediately handed another one by his tech, and within several seconds (literally) he was back at the lip of the stage at his wah wah pedal and hit his solo in the song without missing a note. This all happened in a matter of seconds and I'm sure not many fans even noticed it. You do NOT learn that kind of musicianship by playing fucking video games like Guitar Hero.
• Looking to my right during 'Nothing Else Matters' (still yawning... after all these years..) and seeing Umlaut Nation Metal brother DeVito standing 2 sections over from me... and both of us waving at each other and saying in that unspoken Old Metal Brother way that we were simply waiting for the next song.
  
• Favorite songs of the set: 'Sad But True' and 'Breadfan'... Especially the opening moments of 'Sad' when Kirk bent the note before James started singing. As he bent the note and held it for a moment, Kirk leaned backwards... pointing his Black Jackson at the sky as a spotlight bathed him in Arena Metal glory... FUCK YEAH.. and the riff in 'Breadfan' is still total godhead. Budgie!
  
• 'Fight Fire With Fire'... PYRO.... GOOD.
  

(Vid by Umlaut)

After the show we made our way to the designated elevator that would take us into the bowels of Arco Arena to the "VIP Club" for the obligatory After Show "wait and see what happens" tedium. It was your typical Arena Rock after show set up... snacks... drink tickets... bar.. standing around..


Joking aside, the best part of the After Show is that I met up with old friends and acquaintances to chat and catch up. At this point in my history with Metallica, going to their shows is very much like attending a high school reunion because I see so many people who I met back in The Day because of the band and there's a friendship and a bond there. It's pretty fucking cool.. and a shout out to John Marshall and to Paschke and his O.G. Trouble patch:


At one point a girl wearing a laminate came up to me and asked "Are you Brian??" and I said "Umm, yes.." and she said "Lars wants to see you.." I almost laughed out loud because that sounded funny (actually I think I did laugh out loud..)... and I wondered how Lars described me to her ("Go find the one Oriental Metalhead in the VIP Room...").... HAHA! Long story short, I was soon escorted to a dressing room where... I had a VERY nice personal conversation with The Drummer. I haven't had a mellow one-on-one conversation with The Drummer like that since The Reagan Administration; we used to bullshit like that all the time back in The Day, man. We chatted about life, the show, etc... but I was most impressed that he remembered my parents' house is in Sunnyvale. It was cool.. and say what you will about The Drummer... but I can't talk shit about him.

All in all, it was another FUN night in the land of Metallica. As I've stated in this space before, I've come to terms this year with the fact that Metallica are my favorite band... However, they are not my favorite band because I'm fanatical about their music... No, they're my favorite band simply because I have so much HISTORY with them... and they acknowledge that history and their organization goes out of its way to do stuff like calling to see if I want to attend a show. Remember, they're now in The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame and they are basically the Led Zeppelin of their generation... The fact that they still give me the time of day is pretty fucking amazing to me.

Anyway, it was another successful 180 mile round trip for Metal... On the way back to San Francisco, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags... which makes sense I guess. THANKS to Timo for driving and to his dad for allowing us to borrow his SWEET armored personnel carrier... and so another year of concerts comes to an end for Umlaut. See y'all in the pit next year.

"Exit light, enter night..."

Click HERE to see Photo Ray's pics from the show!