noun informal
plural noun: selfies
a photograph that one has taken of oneself and shared via social media.
Here are 30 years of these guys taking selfies with me. Ironically both are in bands whose names begin with "Me"...
Showing posts with label Megadeth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Megadeth. Show all posts
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Selfies
sel·fie
Here are 30 years of these guys taking selfies with me. Ironically both are in bands whose names begin with "Me"...
Here are 30 years of these guys taking selfies with me. Ironically both are in bands whose names begin with "Me"...
Friday, November 29, 2013
Mega Thanksgiving
AWWW! Dave Mustaine gave me a shout out in one of his Thanksgiving tweets:
Warm Thrash Metal fuzzies.. I listened to the Rust In Peace album after seeing this. True.
Warm Thrash Metal fuzzies.. I listened to the Rust In Peace album after seeing this. True.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Run To The Hills
The Battle of San Bernardino
Iron Maiden / Megadeth / Anthrax / Testament / Overkill
September 13, 2013
This show went onsale over 4 months in advance back in April, which seemed like a 100 years in the future back in the Spring... but now the day had finally arrived. This was the type of bill that would only happen in Europe when I was a Teenage Metalhead in the 80's; one that we could only dream would happen in America. That was over 30 years ago, so better late than never I guess.
After taking a late night flight out of Oakland I found myself in a hotel parking lot at midnight and it was still almost 80 degrees outside. There was a car with Slayer, Anthrax, Exodus, Testament, Iron Maiden, and "All I Want To Do Is Listen To Heavy Metal" bumper stickers on it. As I walked past this Metal Mobile I said "Hi" to the kid who was leaning against it. He replied with "You going to Maiden?"... and I said "Fuck yeah"... and he nodded and replied with "Fuck yeah.." Then I walked past a car with 2 kids making out in it. Then I got into the elevator with 3 kids, one wearing a Metallica tee, who reeked of doobage. They suddenly bailed out of the elevator before it closed; maybe they thought I was a narc despite my Motörhead shirt. The kidz are alright.
The next day when we arrived in the amphitheater parking lot the Maiden tail gate parties were already in full roar with tents and even campers set up. Gathering of The Tribe! The tone was set early on when we walked past a Maiden fan wearing a Maiden hockey jersey in the 90+ degree heat but who also had an artificial leg with The Trooper art painted on it (!). Metal! Despite how the day would unfold, I was overwhelmed a couple of times by a sense that I was amongst "my people".
Anyway, I became involved in some Will Call drama that makes this story kind of convoluted, so I'll try and relate this tale as organized as possible. First off, we had tickets so English Bob and I made it inside and watched Overkill play on a small side stage crammed into a corner of the concourse. More importantly, we made it inside to get a cold beer after standing in the hot sun at Will Call. Unfortunately, Overkill sounded like shit and we couldn't really see them. The next hour or so was a blur of heat and beer combined with some nice conversations with a couple of Bay Area friends who had also made the trip (Hey Liz and Tiyo!) and some other Metalheads who we randomly met. One of them was wearing an Orchid tee and his friend without warning told me she had given the guy wearing the Orchid tee a copy of Murder In The Front Row for Christmas. Wow.. They had given no indication they knew who I was up until then.. Thanks for the support! Then Testament opened up on the main stage.
Our Bay Area heroes unloaded into the sunburned face of San Bernardino with a short and concise 30 minute set. The newer song 'Rise Up' opened things up followed by old standards like 'The New Order', 'Practice What You Preach', and 'Into The Pit'. A half hour was criminally short for a band of Testament's stature but it was clear that the crowd understood it was quality over quantity this time. Thankfully Chuck Billy & Company are hitting the road in the U.S. again this Fall because they were just getting heated up in San Bernardino when they had to unplug and head back to the comfort of backstage.
Anyway, back to my Will Call drama: Yes, I had tickets but my name was not on a certain guest list for a pass as it was supposed to be. Back in the ancient times before The Internets and mobile technology you couldn't call or text someone to help you with a Will Call problem. You could try to slip a handwritten note to someone backstage via a security guard, but unless you were a cute girl the odds of that working weren't that great. For all of the things technology has ruined here in the 21st Century (record stores, etc..) it's also made situations like this much easier to deal with... as long as you have a cell signal... which was very hit and miss at this venue (Trivia: The US Festival was held on this same site in 1983). So during the time after Testament played the following happened...
Despite my initial Will Call setback, the Metal Godz once again proved they work in mysterious ways. One thing led to another and I contacted an old friend (via text) who lives on the other side of the country. This friend (Hi Patrick!) contacted a mutual band friend (who we've known for years) whose band happened to be playing today. Then this band friend passed on his contact info to me and I contacted him directly. Then after trading messages back and forth with this band friend and his assistant this was delivered to Will Call for me:
Unfortunately I only saw the first song of Anthrax's set ('Caught In A Mosh') since I used the plastic to go backstage and thank my band friend before his set. Considering that (1) his band was playing direct support at the show and (2) it was his birthday and he had his family with him, the fact that he went out of his way to help me was amazing. Then this happened:
Pretty cool. Anyway, after a short chat my band friend told me to come back after their set. I just want to say this: No matter what Dave Mustaine's politics or opinions might be, the bottom line is he still treats me like a friend after 30+ years... and that's all that matters to me. He genuinely remembers the Old Metal Days... and he still shreds.
We stopped in Catering to grab some waters... and it was surreal seeing 2 members of Maiden casually hanging out with crew and guests. I ran into another Bay Area friend who's on the Testament crew (Hey Walter!) and also managed quick chats with Alex and Chuck of Testament as well. We also finally met up with Photo Ray and the day's Bay Area circle of Metal was finally complete. All of the earlier crazy from the heat Will Call drama was forgotten.
Right before Megadeth came on they played Diamond Head - 'Lightning To The Nations' and Exodus - 'Bonded By Blood' back to back over the PA... which was a nice old school touch. Then the houselights went down and Megadeth tore into 'Hanger 18' and then 'Wake Up Dead'. The band's production consisted of video screens behind them and on the back line which worked very well with the band's set of precise Metal. Over the next 50 minutes Megadeth were my favorite band for obvious reasons. The band executed a tight set that included a great version of 'In My Darkest Hour' as well as solid versions of 'Symphony Of Destruction' and 'Peace Sells' that closed the main set with the encore of 'Holy Wars' nailing it all down. Solid.
I missed the first 3 1/2 songs of Maiden's set because I was at Mustaine's birthday cake party in his trailer. The symphony of destruction of Dave's birthday cake:
For the record it was a chocolate cake with a creme filling shaped like a Flying-V. Deliciously Metal. Yes, we sang 'Happy Birthday' to him. It should also be noted that Accept was playing on the stereo during the birthday cake party.
After the Mega-Birthday party we returned to our seats midway through '2 Minutes To Midnight'. Ironically today was Friday the 13th... and according to the Umlaut Archives this was my 13th time seeing Maiden. Trippy. This was also the 3rd time I've seen Maiden on this tour and, despite having missed the beginning, it was the best performance out of all of them. Maiden were on fire, with Bruce sounding especially strong and the sound was pretty much perfect; the huge crowd sang along loudly to every song. Epic. The version of 'Wasted Years' was special. As during the previous shows I saw on this tour last year, the middle section of 'The Trooper' into 'The Number of the Beast' into 'Phantom of the Opera' into 'Run To The Hills' had the most impact. However my favorite tonight was the epic complex progressive hammer of 'Seventh Son of a Seventh Son' while 'Wasted Years' and 'Aces High' were the emotional highlights for me. Is there any more life affirming concert moment than singing along with 30,000 other Metal fans to 'Aces High'?! Nope. "Fly to live!! Do or die!"
There was a group of 4 young Hispanic Metal kids sitting right in front of me.. all decked out with denim vests, patches, and band tees... and they sang along to EVERY song. They were going nuts the entire time and knew all the songs and not just "the hits". I almost got teary eyed watching them sing along with Maiden during 'Wasted Years'.. They stood on their chairs every once in a while to bang their heads.. If it had been any other show I would have been the annoyed old guy, but they were just like me at their age. It was awesome. The kidz are alright.
Number of strangers who told me they were Murder fans as I walked through the crowd at Maiden = 2. On the way back to San Francisco, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. As with the epic Big 4 show a couple of years ago it took me a couple of days to decompress from this monumental day of Metal... but I didn't have a lot of time to reflect because a couple of days later I was attending the fancy U.S. red carpet premiere for the movie by a local Metal band called Metallica... but maybe I'll rant about that later.
"Run to the hills... Run for your life.."
Iron Maiden / Megadeth / Anthrax / Testament / Overkill
September 13, 2013
After taking a late night flight out of Oakland I found myself in a hotel parking lot at midnight and it was still almost 80 degrees outside. There was a car with Slayer, Anthrax, Exodus, Testament, Iron Maiden, and "All I Want To Do Is Listen To Heavy Metal" bumper stickers on it. As I walked past this Metal Mobile I said "Hi" to the kid who was leaning against it. He replied with "You going to Maiden?"... and I said "Fuck yeah"... and he nodded and replied with "Fuck yeah.." Then I walked past a car with 2 kids making out in it. Then I got into the elevator with 3 kids, one wearing a Metallica tee, who reeked of doobage. They suddenly bailed out of the elevator before it closed; maybe they thought I was a narc despite my Motörhead shirt. The kidz are alright.
The next day when we arrived in the amphitheater parking lot the Maiden tail gate parties were already in full roar with tents and even campers set up. Gathering of The Tribe! The tone was set early on when we walked past a Maiden fan wearing a Maiden hockey jersey in the 90+ degree heat but who also had an artificial leg with The Trooper art painted on it (!). Metal! Despite how the day would unfold, I was overwhelmed a couple of times by a sense that I was amongst "my people".
Anyway, I became involved in some Will Call drama that makes this story kind of convoluted, so I'll try and relate this tale as organized as possible. First off, we had tickets so English Bob and I made it inside and watched Overkill play on a small side stage crammed into a corner of the concourse. More importantly, we made it inside to get a cold beer after standing in the hot sun at Will Call. Unfortunately, Overkill sounded like shit and we couldn't really see them. The next hour or so was a blur of heat and beer combined with some nice conversations with a couple of Bay Area friends who had also made the trip (Hey Liz and Tiyo!) and some other Metalheads who we randomly met. One of them was wearing an Orchid tee and his friend without warning told me she had given the guy wearing the Orchid tee a copy of Murder In The Front Row for Christmas. Wow.. They had given no indication they knew who I was up until then.. Thanks for the support! Then Testament opened up on the main stage.
Our Bay Area heroes unloaded into the sunburned face of San Bernardino with a short and concise 30 minute set. The newer song 'Rise Up' opened things up followed by old standards like 'The New Order', 'Practice What You Preach', and 'Into The Pit'. A half hour was criminally short for a band of Testament's stature but it was clear that the crowd understood it was quality over quantity this time. Thankfully Chuck Billy & Company are hitting the road in the U.S. again this Fall because they were just getting heated up in San Bernardino when they had to unplug and head back to the comfort of backstage.
Anyway, back to my Will Call drama: Yes, I had tickets but my name was not on a certain guest list for a pass as it was supposed to be. Back in the ancient times before The Internets and mobile technology you couldn't call or text someone to help you with a Will Call problem. You could try to slip a handwritten note to someone backstage via a security guard, but unless you were a cute girl the odds of that working weren't that great. For all of the things technology has ruined here in the 21st Century (record stores, etc..) it's also made situations like this much easier to deal with... as long as you have a cell signal... which was very hit and miss at this venue (Trivia: The US Festival was held on this same site in 1983). So during the time after Testament played the following happened...
Despite my initial Will Call setback, the Metal Godz once again proved they work in mysterious ways. One thing led to another and I contacted an old friend (via text) who lives on the other side of the country. This friend (Hi Patrick!) contacted a mutual band friend (who we've known for years) whose band happened to be playing today. Then this band friend passed on his contact info to me and I contacted him directly. Then after trading messages back and forth with this band friend and his assistant this was delivered to Will Call for me:
Unfortunately I only saw the first song of Anthrax's set ('Caught In A Mosh') since I used the plastic to go backstage and thank my band friend before his set. Considering that (1) his band was playing direct support at the show and (2) it was his birthday and he had his family with him, the fact that he went out of his way to help me was amazing. Then this happened:
Pretty cool. Anyway, after a short chat my band friend told me to come back after their set. I just want to say this: No matter what Dave Mustaine's politics or opinions might be, the bottom line is he still treats me like a friend after 30+ years... and that's all that matters to me. He genuinely remembers the Old Metal Days... and he still shreds.
We stopped in Catering to grab some waters... and it was surreal seeing 2 members of Maiden casually hanging out with crew and guests. I ran into another Bay Area friend who's on the Testament crew (Hey Walter!) and also managed quick chats with Alex and Chuck of Testament as well. We also finally met up with Photo Ray and the day's Bay Area circle of Metal was finally complete. All of the earlier crazy from the heat Will Call drama was forgotten.
Right before Megadeth came on they played Diamond Head - 'Lightning To The Nations' and Exodus - 'Bonded By Blood' back to back over the PA... which was a nice old school touch. Then the houselights went down and Megadeth tore into 'Hanger 18' and then 'Wake Up Dead'. The band's production consisted of video screens behind them and on the back line which worked very well with the band's set of precise Metal. Over the next 50 minutes Megadeth were my favorite band for obvious reasons. The band executed a tight set that included a great version of 'In My Darkest Hour' as well as solid versions of 'Symphony Of Destruction' and 'Peace Sells' that closed the main set with the encore of 'Holy Wars' nailing it all down. Solid.
I missed the first 3 1/2 songs of Maiden's set because I was at Mustaine's birthday cake party in his trailer. The symphony of destruction of Dave's birthday cake:
For the record it was a chocolate cake with a creme filling shaped like a Flying-V. Deliciously Metal. Yes, we sang 'Happy Birthday' to him. It should also be noted that Accept was playing on the stereo during the birthday cake party.
After the Mega-Birthday party we returned to our seats midway through '2 Minutes To Midnight'. Ironically today was Friday the 13th... and according to the Umlaut Archives this was my 13th time seeing Maiden. Trippy. This was also the 3rd time I've seen Maiden on this tour and, despite having missed the beginning, it was the best performance out of all of them. Maiden were on fire, with Bruce sounding especially strong and the sound was pretty much perfect; the huge crowd sang along loudly to every song. Epic. The version of 'Wasted Years' was special. As during the previous shows I saw on this tour last year, the middle section of 'The Trooper' into 'The Number of the Beast' into 'Phantom of the Opera' into 'Run To The Hills' had the most impact. However my favorite tonight was the epic complex progressive hammer of 'Seventh Son of a Seventh Son' while 'Wasted Years' and 'Aces High' were the emotional highlights for me. Is there any more life affirming concert moment than singing along with 30,000 other Metal fans to 'Aces High'?! Nope. "Fly to live!! Do or die!"
There was a group of 4 young Hispanic Metal kids sitting right in front of me.. all decked out with denim vests, patches, and band tees... and they sang along to EVERY song. They were going nuts the entire time and knew all the songs and not just "the hits". I almost got teary eyed watching them sing along with Maiden during 'Wasted Years'.. They stood on their chairs every once in a while to bang their heads.. If it had been any other show I would have been the annoyed old guy, but they were just like me at their age. It was awesome. The kidz are alright.
The next morning I was preparing to return to The Bay Area when the Metal Godz provided us with one final blessing for the weekend. While packing up I texted my farewell to a friend who then mentioned how I was only 15 minutes away from the grave of.... RANDY RHOADS. WTF!? Since we had time before our flight, English Bob and I found an awesome old school diner for breakfast (Tole House Cafe... Open since 1951!) and jetted the rental car towards Mountain View Mortuary & Cemetery... where we quickly found the final resting place of Randy Fuckin' Rhoads:
I was speechless. I worshipped Randy Rhoads during his short time with Ozzy and had been lucky enough to have seen him onstage twice. However, it had been almost 32 years (!) since the last time I was in the same venue as him. Seeing "1982" etched into his tomb profoundly reminded me how much time had passed since he left this world. ALOT has happened since then and it felt like my Teenage Metalhead had come full circle (again). Over the mountain, man... Over the mountain.
I was speechless. I worshipped Randy Rhoads during his short time with Ozzy and had been lucky enough to have seen him onstage twice. However, it had been almost 32 years (!) since the last time I was in the same venue as him. Seeing "1982" etched into his tomb profoundly reminded me how much time had passed since he left this world. ALOT has happened since then and it felt like my Teenage Metalhead had come full circle (again). Over the mountain, man... Over the mountain.
Number of strangers who told me they were Murder fans as I walked through the crowd at Maiden = 2. On the way back to San Francisco, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. As with the epic Big 4 show a couple of years ago it took me a couple of days to decompress from this monumental day of Metal... but I didn't have a lot of time to reflect because a couple of days later I was attending the fancy U.S. red carpet premiere for the movie by a local Metal band called Metallica... but maybe I'll rant about that later.
"Run to the hills... Run for your life.."
Saturday, February 25, 2012
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.
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 HoltThe 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 ExodusBest 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.
Saturday, September 04, 2010
48 Hours Of Carnage
Slayer / Megadeth / Testament
Cow Palace, San Francisco
August 31, 2010
To be completely honest, this post was VERY hard to write... This 48 hours was so amazingly epic that my head is still spinning and I couldn't focus on where to even begin. Anyway, to quote Testament: "Into The Pit..."
To call the Cow Palace legendary is an extreme understatement. For the newbies: The Cow Palace hosted SO MANY shows back in The Day. SO MANY of my memories from early concerts are from the Cow Palace... and more than any other venue it was here that I paid my dues as a teenage concert goer. In many ways I grew up at the place and according to the Umlaut Archives this was my 25th visit to the Cow Palace dating back to 1981; click HERE for Umlaut's Cow Palace Archive project. As far as the connection with tonight goes, the original Clash of The Titans Tour (featuring Slayer / Megadeth /Anthrax / Alice In Chains) visited the Cow Palace back in May 1991:
(From the Timo Archives)
When the American Carnage Tour was announced last November, Umlaut and many of my friends were as giddy as little school girls because it was a show at the Cow Palace; the last Hard Rock / Metal show the Cow Palace hosted was Metallica back in 2004! In the years since the old venue has been on the brink of being torn down at least a couple of times, but thankfully plans for its demolition seem to have quieted down. The giddiness only intensified when the tour was postponed due to Tom Araya's medical problems... but after a delay of 8 months the tour finally launched.
As a nod to the original Clash Of The Titans Tour, both Slayer and Megadeth were playing their respective 1990 albums in their entireties (For the newbies: Seasons In The Abyss and Rust In Peace). Trivia: They couldn't call the current tour "Clash of The Titans" because MGM Studios owns the copyright to the title because of the 1981 movie! Also, Testament played on the European leg of the original 1990-91 tour. So there you go...
As I took the left turn off of Geneva Avenue into the parking lot I almost got misty eyed from the deja vu; it's always trippy visiting a place that meant so much to you as a kid. The tail gate action was in full swing and the line to get inside snaked from the entrance back into the parking lot since the doors weren't open yet. In time honored tradition, there was a small group of Christian protesters standing across from the front of the line with their protest signs while one of their group barked their ideology over a bullhorn... As I walked past the Christians I almost got misty eyed when the kidz in line started chanting "SLAAAYER!! SLAAAYEER!!! SLAAAYEER!!!!" to drown the God Squad out. Throw The Horns 'cause the kidz are alright.
There was some Will Call drama and as I waited for it to get sorted out I witnessed the doors being opened to let the Metal Mob inside. The first kid in the door started to yell "SLAA...." and then realized he was alone because those behind him were caught in the security search; it was like watching The Charge of The Light Brigade and I felt sorry seeing the kid's excitement deflated. The kid was told to keep moving inside... but instead of going quietly he raised his arms and yelled "SLAAAYEER!!" and bolted inside. Throw The Horns 'cause that kid is gonna be alright.
When I walked into the arena, one of the first things I noticed were the 3 skinheads who were openly flying their red suspenders and "White Pride" shirts. It was odd they had shown up early since Testament is fronted by a Native American (i.e. Non-White). It was also odd seeing the White Pride Tribe in San Francisco; I was expecting them to be out in force the next night in Sacramento. I assume they must be Megadeth fans, since 1/2 of Slayer is Non-White as well (Kidz, it's Tom ARAYA not Tom ARYAN...). Anyway...
TESTAMENT:
The first time I saw Testament back in The Day they were called Legacy. It was cool that even though the local heroes were the first band on, they still had full production and lights for their 40 minute set, including an impressive stage with scrims and a backdrop depicting a castle. METAL! At exactly 6:55pm the houselights went down and Testament stormed their hometown stage with 'More Than Meets The Eye' and Umlaut's hometown Bay Area Pride spiked as the locals set the tone for the night.
Unlike the other bands, Testament's set was a balance between killer recent songs and killer old songs... and for me Alex Skolnick was THE Guitar God of the night. It was cool having Bay Area Metal represented on this tour since without our old scene Megadeth and Slayer would not have become the bands they are today. Don't argue with me; Umlaut was there. During the final song of the set ('The Formation Of Damnation') Chuck Billy led the crowd in a rousing Wall Of Death and I wondered if those skinheads who I'd seen earlier had gotten their asses kicked yet.
MEGADETH:
I have some history with Megadeth but I don't feel like trying to write about it; click HERE for the story in pictures. I tried reading Mustaine's autobiography and, to be honest, I stopped reading it after around 100 pages or so... although there are some cool old photos in it... some of which look very familiar. Let's just say that it wasn't fun to read for me... so I stopped. 'Nuff said.
I wandered out from backstage to watch Dave & Co. a couple of songs into their set... To be honest, despite my history with the band, I'm not the biggest Megadeth fan at all. That being said, it's undeniable that Mustaine is an iconic figure onstage and having Junior back in the band just looked right. However, after awhile I got bored and waded through the masses to the soundboard to watch the last part of the set with The Talent, which is always fun. With both the singer and drummer of his former band watching from stage right, Mustaine added 'My Last Words' at the end of the set and dedicated it to The Big Four coming to America. Evidently the song had not been part of the tour's setlist so that was a nice treat... I think Mustaine said the Danish drummer from his former band requested the song. Awww..
After Megadeth I wandered back through the concourse and it was SO OLD SCHOOL... The air was hot and sticky, the floors slick from spilled beers and the condensation from the 9,000 bodies crammed into the arena... There were an unusually large number of Hell's Angels giving hard stares... and the walls of the concourse were lined with the drunk and pit injured casualties. It was downright medieval and I almost started to get misty eyed; it was as close to being back in The Old Days as I'll ever experience here in the 21st Century! Since Umlaut attends so many Metal shows in clubs, it's easy to forget how much better Metal can be at a packed, general admission arena show. The thousands in attendance are equal at a general admission show... and at a show like this it was Natural Selection at its finest; the weak in The Pit were quickly weeded out. Survival of the fittest, whether in Pit Action or alcohol consumption... The weak are left to fend for themselves or die by the sword.
The packed floor prior to Slayer... Medieval.
SLAAAYEER:
I've been following Slayer since Day One but I don't feel like writing about it; click HERE for the story in pictures. A white curtain hid the stage as the houselights went down and swirling images of the band's logo and pentagrams were projected on it until the curtain fell to reveal the band hurtling out of the gates with 'World Painted Blood' > 'Hate Worldwide'. It was interesting that, instead of launching straight into their classic album, Slayer played 2 newer songs to warm the crowd up before jacking the mayhem into overdrive with 'War Ensemble' and the Seasons In The Abyss portion of the set was off and running.
Photo courtesy of Sensory Abuse
I watched the entire set from stage left, which was fine for All Access shits 'n giggles but not the best way to watch a band onstage. I spent alot of the set watching the crowd, especially the kidz crushed down front on the rail... and I almost got misty eyed watching them headbang and singing along to SLAAAYEER. It reminded me how I used to be that innocently fanatical about bands in this same venue... and how I'll never react to a band like that ever again. I guess there is a downside to growing up. I was surprised by how many girls were coming over the rail after crowd surfing. I lost count, but there was at least one young lady who came over at least a half dozen times. It was Ladies Night at SLAAAYEER!
I felt like a poser watching Slayer from the safe confines of the VIP Area next to the stage. My Inner Teenage Metalhead wanted to watch the crowd action up close, but my Inner Old Fart won the argument and I stayed put behind the barrier as I got text messages from friends "on the other side" informing me how insane the mayhem on the floor was getting. From my vantage point it was like watching an ancient battle scene from a distance where I'd catch glimpses of the carnage... arms and legs randomly appearing above the crowd... a beer or shoe flying into the air... a kid coming over the barrier and collapsing as he landed and the medical staff carrying him off to the side to perform triage. It was medieval. Then during 'Expendable Youth' this Old School Bay Area Metal Moment was provided by Chris Kontos of Attitude Adjustment:
R.I.P. Toby Rage.
The backstage scene at the Cow Palace was a mind boggling Who's Who of Bay Area Metal; actually it wasn't just Bay Area Metal represented because there were Metal luminaries from the East Coast and SoCal in attendance as well. What bands? Let's see... 1/2 of Metallica (the original half), 2/3 of High On Fire, current and former members of Death Angel, 1/2 of Machine Head... among other Metal scenesters, movers, and shakers.
The Cow Palace backstage is funny because the common area outside of the dressing rooms is basically the loading dock area; nothing fancy! However, the openness of the space contributed to an old school communal vibe that is rare at most concerts in the "VIP / All Access" area; I was introduced to at least one member of Metal Royalty who I'd only seen on t.v. and in magazines. There were also ALOT of Umlaut Nation friends and it was the closest thing to a high school reunion I'll experience because of all the people there who I've known since we were teenagers. One of my teenage friends in attendance was the guy who sings 'Master Of Puppets'... As we were talking the headliner's drummer came up and the two legends had a quick chat.
Best Backstage Quote: "Thanks for coming out! Go anywhere you want, man.." - The headliner's drummer to the guy who sings 'Master Of Puppets'.
... and with that the headliner's drummer left to get ready for his set... and the guy who sings 'Master Of Puppets' looked at me and I said "You can go ANYWHERE!" and we both cracked up. METAL. My favorite moment of the entire 48 Hours of Carnage occurred soon after that exchange: As we were standing outside of the headliner's dressing rooms we noticed a clanking sound... and the clanking sound got louder and louder. We stopped talking to see what the sound was... and it was Kerry Fucking King walking past us in his onstage battle gear on his way to the stage. I said to my friend "Now THAT'S Metal..."
After the show, one thing led to another and we ended up in K.F.K.'s dressing room. Drinks flowed, no blood was spilled, but if the boys wanna fight you better let them. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. The best part of the night is that, unlike The Old Days, it only took me 15 minutes to get home... and since I hung out late the Prius was the only car left in the parking lot!
Then 24 hours later it was...
Slayer / Megadeth / Testament
Arco Arena, Sacramento, CA
September 1, 2010
At around 4:00pm, Photo Ray, Healy, and I hit the road and headed up I-80 North towards Sacramento. I tried to write something about the previous night as I sat in the back seat of Photo Ray's car, but I didn't get much done. Despite all the fun and unbelievable nostalgia at the Cow Palace show, I didn't feel like I got the full experience of watching the bands because of all the social distractions. I was looking forward to focusing on watching the bands in Sacramento.
In many ways, Sacramento Carnage was the complete opposite of San Francisco Carnage. I had absolutely no drama at Will Call and I gave an extra ticket from my envelope to a random kid for free. In contrast to the prison yard atmosphere of the Cow Palace, Arco Arena was pretty civilized. Although it was in the 90's outside, inside the arena's air conditioning was in full effect. BOO!! A show like this needs to be experienced without air conditioning. However, I wasn't complaining..
TESTAMENT:
We were a bit late and entered the arena just after Testament had started their set. It was smaller crowd than the night before but the floor was already full as Testament laid waste to the Central Valley. It was cool to see so many people showing up early to support the locals and The Wall of Death during 'Formation Of Damnation' that closed the set did Sacramento proud.
MEGADETH:
According to the Umlaut Archives this was my 10th time seeing Megadeth. We watched Mustaine & Co. come onstage from down front as they launched straight into the Rust In Peace album from start to finish again. During 'Hanger 18' we moved back to the soundboard for awhile and watched the Central Valley crowd soak in their Metal. I got the vibe that Sacramento was more of a Megadeth crowd than a Slayer crowd tonight.
As I had the night before, I got bored and wanderlust took me over. The floor was less crowded than at the Cow Palace so wandering around was much easier. I ended up in the stands and watched the remainder of the set from up there because I wanted to watch the crowd action almost more than the band onstage. At one point I noticed a timer set up at stage left that was counting down the time remaining in Megadeth's set:
"Countdown To Extinction" = 2:26 minutes...
Don't get me wrong, it's cool that Megadeth are experiencing a rebirth with Junior back in the band... but to my ears here in the 21st Century Megadeth are too clean sounding... sort of like the crisply ironed button down shirts they wear onstage. As I've gotten older I need more darkness in my Metal. Am I Evil? Yes I am...
SLAAAYEER:
According to the Umlaut Archives this was my 21st time seeing Slayer. However, in some ways, I felt like I was watching the band for the first time. In this age of blast beats and drum triggers, Lombardo's old school drumming was an epiphany all over again. When he'd launch into a burst of his trademark double bass I looked around to see if the crowd appreciated the effort as much as me; they did. Much has been made about Tom's surgery and the fact he's not headbanging onstage anymore. Aging is a bitch, but as far as Slayer goes, it doesn't matter. Despite the change in Tom's stage behavior, his voice is sounding better than ever and Jeff and Kerry have stepped up with their onstage presence by being more engaging onstage and trading sides of the stage more often. I loved how Slayer contrasted with Megadeth; Mustaine & Co. had a brightly lit stage with Rust In Peace themed staging while Slayer were all business with nothing but Marshall cabinets and 2 steel Eagles hanging above the backline. Light vs. The Dark... white button down shirt vs. black t-shirt. Give me 'Spirit In Black' any day.
'South Of Heaven' from the soundboard..
I was impressed by how great Slayer sounded (everything was clear and crisp) with 'Temptation' being my favorite song of the night... However, after the completion of Seasons In The Abyss the end of the set was beyond crushing: 'South Of Heaven' > 'Raining Blood' > 'Aggressive Perfector' (!!) > 'Angel Of Death'. Very few bands can shotgun 4 unrelenting classic songs of that magnitude and leave the stage as if walking away from a murder scene. It was like getting 4 shells from a 12 gauge in the face and it never gets old to me. SLAAAYEER! During the show, this Old School Bay Area Metal Moment happened: Debbie Abono onstage with Slayer one last time...
Photo courtesy of Canada Dave
R.I.P. Debbie. Besides being a mindblowing musical event, the 48 Hours of Carnage was a reunion for many of us original Bay Area Metal crew and reminded us of what we have and what Metal gave to us in regards to friendships and life experiences. It's pretty amazing to have something that profoundly influenced your life when you were a kid to still have an influence on you as an adult. The Rock Godz work in mysterious ways, man.
Best Backstage Quote: "Do you want to go take your picture with the Slayer Eagles?" - Canada Dave
Yes, Umlaut lives in a retarded state of adulthood... Backstage was MUCH quieter tonight, which was fine since we had a 90 minute drive back home. However, in a random small world moment, I met the brother of an old friend (Hi Ruth!)... although I guess it wasn't that random because their cousin is Paul Bostaph of Testament. Too funny!
On the way back to San Francisco some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags... which makes sense I guess. It will be difficult to top the 48 Hours of Carnage as my favorite experience of 2010... EPIC. When it rains blood it pours...
Man, it's been 2 days since these shows and I'm still not caught up from them; the price of having consecutive epic nights during the week. I almost fell asleep while driving home across the Bay Bridge yesterday... and tonight I'm fading while trying to finish this fucking post. The price I pay... and to quote from 'Temptation' by SLAAAYEER: "Have you ever wondered why it seems that Evil you're attracted to..."
Cow Palace, San Francisco
August 31, 2010
To be completely honest, this post was VERY hard to write... This 48 hours was so amazingly epic that my head is still spinning and I couldn't focus on where to even begin. Anyway, to quote Testament: "Into The Pit..."
To call the Cow Palace legendary is an extreme understatement. For the newbies: The Cow Palace hosted SO MANY shows back in The Day. SO MANY of my memories from early concerts are from the Cow Palace... and more than any other venue it was here that I paid my dues as a teenage concert goer. In many ways I grew up at the place and according to the Umlaut Archives this was my 25th visit to the Cow Palace dating back to 1981; click HERE for Umlaut's Cow Palace Archive project. As far as the connection with tonight goes, the original Clash of The Titans Tour (featuring Slayer / Megadeth /Anthrax / Alice In Chains) visited the Cow Palace back in May 1991:
(From the Timo Archives)When the American Carnage Tour was announced last November, Umlaut and many of my friends were as giddy as little school girls because it was a show at the Cow Palace; the last Hard Rock / Metal show the Cow Palace hosted was Metallica back in 2004! In the years since the old venue has been on the brink of being torn down at least a couple of times, but thankfully plans for its demolition seem to have quieted down. The giddiness only intensified when the tour was postponed due to Tom Araya's medical problems... but after a delay of 8 months the tour finally launched.
As a nod to the original Clash Of The Titans Tour, both Slayer and Megadeth were playing their respective 1990 albums in their entireties (For the newbies: Seasons In The Abyss and Rust In Peace). Trivia: They couldn't call the current tour "Clash of The Titans" because MGM Studios owns the copyright to the title because of the 1981 movie! Also, Testament played on the European leg of the original 1990-91 tour. So there you go...
As I took the left turn off of Geneva Avenue into the parking lot I almost got misty eyed from the deja vu; it's always trippy visiting a place that meant so much to you as a kid. The tail gate action was in full swing and the line to get inside snaked from the entrance back into the parking lot since the doors weren't open yet. In time honored tradition, there was a small group of Christian protesters standing across from the front of the line with their protest signs while one of their group barked their ideology over a bullhorn... As I walked past the Christians I almost got misty eyed when the kidz in line started chanting "SLAAAYER!! SLAAAYEER!!! SLAAAYEER!!!!" to drown the God Squad out. Throw The Horns 'cause the kidz are alright.
There was some Will Call drama and as I waited for it to get sorted out I witnessed the doors being opened to let the Metal Mob inside. The first kid in the door started to yell "SLAA...." and then realized he was alone because those behind him were caught in the security search; it was like watching The Charge of The Light Brigade and I felt sorry seeing the kid's excitement deflated. The kid was told to keep moving inside... but instead of going quietly he raised his arms and yelled "SLAAAYEER!!" and bolted inside. Throw The Horns 'cause that kid is gonna be alright.
When I walked into the arena, one of the first things I noticed were the 3 skinheads who were openly flying their red suspenders and "White Pride" shirts. It was odd they had shown up early since Testament is fronted by a Native American (i.e. Non-White). It was also odd seeing the White Pride Tribe in San Francisco; I was expecting them to be out in force the next night in Sacramento. I assume they must be Megadeth fans, since 1/2 of Slayer is Non-White as well (Kidz, it's Tom ARAYA not Tom ARYAN...). Anyway...
TESTAMENT:
The first time I saw Testament back in The Day they were called Legacy. It was cool that even though the local heroes were the first band on, they still had full production and lights for their 40 minute set, including an impressive stage with scrims and a backdrop depicting a castle. METAL! At exactly 6:55pm the houselights went down and Testament stormed their hometown stage with 'More Than Meets The Eye' and Umlaut's hometown Bay Area Pride spiked as the locals set the tone for the night.
Unlike the other bands, Testament's set was a balance between killer recent songs and killer old songs... and for me Alex Skolnick was THE Guitar God of the night. It was cool having Bay Area Metal represented on this tour since without our old scene Megadeth and Slayer would not have become the bands they are today. Don't argue with me; Umlaut was there. During the final song of the set ('The Formation Of Damnation') Chuck Billy led the crowd in a rousing Wall Of Death and I wondered if those skinheads who I'd seen earlier had gotten their asses kicked yet.
MEGADETH:
I have some history with Megadeth but I don't feel like trying to write about it; click HERE for the story in pictures. I tried reading Mustaine's autobiography and, to be honest, I stopped reading it after around 100 pages or so... although there are some cool old photos in it... some of which look very familiar. Let's just say that it wasn't fun to read for me... so I stopped. 'Nuff said.
I wandered out from backstage to watch Dave & Co. a couple of songs into their set... To be honest, despite my history with the band, I'm not the biggest Megadeth fan at all. That being said, it's undeniable that Mustaine is an iconic figure onstage and having Junior back in the band just looked right. However, after awhile I got bored and waded through the masses to the soundboard to watch the last part of the set with The Talent, which is always fun. With both the singer and drummer of his former band watching from stage right, Mustaine added 'My Last Words' at the end of the set and dedicated it to The Big Four coming to America. Evidently the song had not been part of the tour's setlist so that was a nice treat... I think Mustaine said the Danish drummer from his former band requested the song. Awww..
Photo courtesy of Sensory Abuse
After Megadeth I wandered back through the concourse and it was SO OLD SCHOOL... The air was hot and sticky, the floors slick from spilled beers and the condensation from the 9,000 bodies crammed into the arena... There were an unusually large number of Hell's Angels giving hard stares... and the walls of the concourse were lined with the drunk and pit injured casualties. It was downright medieval and I almost started to get misty eyed; it was as close to being back in The Old Days as I'll ever experience here in the 21st Century! Since Umlaut attends so many Metal shows in clubs, it's easy to forget how much better Metal can be at a packed, general admission arena show. The thousands in attendance are equal at a general admission show... and at a show like this it was Natural Selection at its finest; the weak in The Pit were quickly weeded out. Survival of the fittest, whether in Pit Action or alcohol consumption... The weak are left to fend for themselves or die by the sword.
The packed floor prior to Slayer... Medieval.(Photo courtesy of Timo)
SLAAAYEER:
I've been following Slayer since Day One but I don't feel like writing about it; click HERE for the story in pictures. A white curtain hid the stage as the houselights went down and swirling images of the band's logo and pentagrams were projected on it until the curtain fell to reveal the band hurtling out of the gates with 'World Painted Blood' > 'Hate Worldwide'. It was interesting that, instead of launching straight into their classic album, Slayer played 2 newer songs to warm the crowd up before jacking the mayhem into overdrive with 'War Ensemble' and the Seasons In The Abyss portion of the set was off and running.
Photo courtesy of Sensory AbuseI watched the entire set from stage left, which was fine for All Access shits 'n giggles but not the best way to watch a band onstage. I spent alot of the set watching the crowd, especially the kidz crushed down front on the rail... and I almost got misty eyed watching them headbang and singing along to SLAAAYEER. It reminded me how I used to be that innocently fanatical about bands in this same venue... and how I'll never react to a band like that ever again. I guess there is a downside to growing up. I was surprised by how many girls were coming over the rail after crowd surfing. I lost count, but there was at least one young lady who came over at least a half dozen times. It was Ladies Night at SLAAAYEER!
I felt like a poser watching Slayer from the safe confines of the VIP Area next to the stage. My Inner Teenage Metalhead wanted to watch the crowd action up close, but my Inner Old Fart won the argument and I stayed put behind the barrier as I got text messages from friends "on the other side" informing me how insane the mayhem on the floor was getting. From my vantage point it was like watching an ancient battle scene from a distance where I'd catch glimpses of the carnage... arms and legs randomly appearing above the crowd... a beer or shoe flying into the air... a kid coming over the barrier and collapsing as he landed and the medical staff carrying him off to the side to perform triage. It was medieval. Then during 'Expendable Youth' this Old School Bay Area Metal Moment was provided by Chris Kontos of Attitude Adjustment:
R.I.P. Toby Rage.
The backstage scene at the Cow Palace was a mind boggling Who's Who of Bay Area Metal; actually it wasn't just Bay Area Metal represented because there were Metal luminaries from the East Coast and SoCal in attendance as well. What bands? Let's see... 1/2 of Metallica (the original half), 2/3 of High On Fire, current and former members of Death Angel, 1/2 of Machine Head... among other Metal scenesters, movers, and shakers.
The Cow Palace backstage is funny because the common area outside of the dressing rooms is basically the loading dock area; nothing fancy! However, the openness of the space contributed to an old school communal vibe that is rare at most concerts in the "VIP / All Access" area; I was introduced to at least one member of Metal Royalty who I'd only seen on t.v. and in magazines. There were also ALOT of Umlaut Nation friends and it was the closest thing to a high school reunion I'll experience because of all the people there who I've known since we were teenagers. One of my teenage friends in attendance was the guy who sings 'Master Of Puppets'... As we were talking the headliner's drummer came up and the two legends had a quick chat.
Best Backstage Quote: "Thanks for coming out! Go anywhere you want, man.." - The headliner's drummer to the guy who sings 'Master Of Puppets'.
... and with that the headliner's drummer left to get ready for his set... and the guy who sings 'Master Of Puppets' looked at me and I said "You can go ANYWHERE!" and we both cracked up. METAL. My favorite moment of the entire 48 Hours of Carnage occurred soon after that exchange: As we were standing outside of the headliner's dressing rooms we noticed a clanking sound... and the clanking sound got louder and louder. We stopped talking to see what the sound was... and it was Kerry Fucking King walking past us in his onstage battle gear on his way to the stage. I said to my friend "Now THAT'S Metal..."
After the show, one thing led to another and we ended up in K.F.K.'s dressing room. Drinks flowed, no blood was spilled, but if the boys wanna fight you better let them. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. The best part of the night is that, unlike The Old Days, it only took me 15 minutes to get home... and since I hung out late the Prius was the only car left in the parking lot!
Then 24 hours later it was...
Slayer / Megadeth / Testament
Arco Arena, Sacramento, CA
September 1, 2010
At around 4:00pm, Photo Ray, Healy, and I hit the road and headed up I-80 North towards Sacramento. I tried to write something about the previous night as I sat in the back seat of Photo Ray's car, but I didn't get much done. Despite all the fun and unbelievable nostalgia at the Cow Palace show, I didn't feel like I got the full experience of watching the bands because of all the social distractions. I was looking forward to focusing on watching the bands in Sacramento.
In many ways, Sacramento Carnage was the complete opposite of San Francisco Carnage. I had absolutely no drama at Will Call and I gave an extra ticket from my envelope to a random kid for free. In contrast to the prison yard atmosphere of the Cow Palace, Arco Arena was pretty civilized. Although it was in the 90's outside, inside the arena's air conditioning was in full effect. BOO!! A show like this needs to be experienced without air conditioning. However, I wasn't complaining..
TESTAMENT:
We were a bit late and entered the arena just after Testament had started their set. It was smaller crowd than the night before but the floor was already full as Testament laid waste to the Central Valley. It was cool to see so many people showing up early to support the locals and The Wall of Death during 'Formation Of Damnation' that closed the set did Sacramento proud.
MEGADETH:
According to the Umlaut Archives this was my 10th time seeing Megadeth. We watched Mustaine & Co. come onstage from down front as they launched straight into the Rust In Peace album from start to finish again. During 'Hanger 18' we moved back to the soundboard for awhile and watched the Central Valley crowd soak in their Metal. I got the vibe that Sacramento was more of a Megadeth crowd than a Slayer crowd tonight.
As I had the night before, I got bored and wanderlust took me over. The floor was less crowded than at the Cow Palace so wandering around was much easier. I ended up in the stands and watched the remainder of the set from up there because I wanted to watch the crowd action almost more than the band onstage. At one point I noticed a timer set up at stage left that was counting down the time remaining in Megadeth's set:
"Countdown To Extinction" = 2:26 minutes...Don't get me wrong, it's cool that Megadeth are experiencing a rebirth with Junior back in the band... but to my ears here in the 21st Century Megadeth are too clean sounding... sort of like the crisply ironed button down shirts they wear onstage. As I've gotten older I need more darkness in my Metal. Am I Evil? Yes I am...
SLAAAYEER:
According to the Umlaut Archives this was my 21st time seeing Slayer. However, in some ways, I felt like I was watching the band for the first time. In this age of blast beats and drum triggers, Lombardo's old school drumming was an epiphany all over again. When he'd launch into a burst of his trademark double bass I looked around to see if the crowd appreciated the effort as much as me; they did. Much has been made about Tom's surgery and the fact he's not headbanging onstage anymore. Aging is a bitch, but as far as Slayer goes, it doesn't matter. Despite the change in Tom's stage behavior, his voice is sounding better than ever and Jeff and Kerry have stepped up with their onstage presence by being more engaging onstage and trading sides of the stage more often. I loved how Slayer contrasted with Megadeth; Mustaine & Co. had a brightly lit stage with Rust In Peace themed staging while Slayer were all business with nothing but Marshall cabinets and 2 steel Eagles hanging above the backline. Light vs. The Dark... white button down shirt vs. black t-shirt. Give me 'Spirit In Black' any day.
'South Of Heaven' from the soundboard..I was impressed by how great Slayer sounded (everything was clear and crisp) with 'Temptation' being my favorite song of the night... However, after the completion of Seasons In The Abyss the end of the set was beyond crushing: 'South Of Heaven' > 'Raining Blood' > 'Aggressive Perfector' (!!) > 'Angel Of Death'. Very few bands can shotgun 4 unrelenting classic songs of that magnitude and leave the stage as if walking away from a murder scene. It was like getting 4 shells from a 12 gauge in the face and it never gets old to me. SLAAAYEER! During the show, this Old School Bay Area Metal Moment happened: Debbie Abono onstage with Slayer one last time...
Photo courtesy of Canada DaveR.I.P. Debbie. Besides being a mindblowing musical event, the 48 Hours of Carnage was a reunion for many of us original Bay Area Metal crew and reminded us of what we have and what Metal gave to us in regards to friendships and life experiences. It's pretty amazing to have something that profoundly influenced your life when you were a kid to still have an influence on you as an adult. The Rock Godz work in mysterious ways, man.
Best Backstage Quote: "Do you want to go take your picture with the Slayer Eagles?" - Canada Dave
Yes, Umlaut lives in a retarded state of adulthood... Backstage was MUCH quieter tonight, which was fine since we had a 90 minute drive back home. However, in a random small world moment, I met the brother of an old friend (Hi Ruth!)... although I guess it wasn't that random because their cousin is Paul Bostaph of Testament. Too funny!
On the way back to San Francisco some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags... which makes sense I guess. It will be difficult to top the 48 Hours of Carnage as my favorite experience of 2010... EPIC. When it rains blood it pours...
Man, it's been 2 days since these shows and I'm still not caught up from them; the price of having consecutive epic nights during the week. I almost fell asleep while driving home across the Bay Bridge yesterday... and tonight I'm fading while trying to finish this fucking post. The price I pay... and to quote from 'Temptation' by SLAAAYEER: "Have you ever wondered why it seems that Evil you're attracted to..."
Thursday, June 24, 2010
The Big Four
Remember when the AC/DC concert movie Let There Be Rock was originally shown in theaters? Me too.
"Exclusive San Francisco Engagement" - 1982
Yes, besides Let There Be Rock Umlaut saw other concert films at midnight movies when he was a teenager... The Song Remains The Same... The Kids Are Alright... However, that was back in ancient times before there was a 46" Hi-Def television and Blu-Ray player in my home... but the announcement that one of The Big Four concerts featuring Metallica / Slayer / Megadeth / Anthrax was going to be "simulcast" to theaters worldwide sounded intriguing.
The Big Four "Simulcast"
Century 9 Theater, San Francisco
June 22, 2010
Forty-eight hours after seeing one of my favorite bands live again, Umlaut found himself at the Century 9 Theater in the Westfield Mall in Downtown San Francisco for the "simulcast" of The Big 4 concert from Sofia, Bulgaria. Tickets to this event were $18 each, which was a lot cheaper than traveling to Bulgaria... and sitting in a comfortable movie theater in downtown San Francisco seemed a lot better than wallowing in the cold and rain of Bulgaria as well.
Anyway, it was misleading to bill The Big Four event as a "simulcast" since Bulgaria is 10 hours ahead of S.F. and the footage onscreen was not only tape delayed but also edited. This event was also another example of how The Internets has destroyed the element of surprise. Details of the show (including the "historic" finale) were posted online hours before the S.F. screening's 7:30pm start time... was "spoiler alert" even part of the English language 25 years ago??
To be honest, although The Big Four are from Umlaut's generation of Metal, I don't think of these bands in that awestruck way... "The Big Four" is a convenient phrase that a younger generation of Metal fans and The Media created to personify a time in Metal history. I mean, for Umlaut "The Big Four" is Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Motörhead, and Thin Lizzy. I'm just saying... Anyway, priorities being what they are, before the screening I met up with members of The Umlaut Nation for some quality bar time first...
Before and after the screening I got into a somewhat heated debate with an Old Metal friend about my indifference towards The Big Four... which caused me to ponder why I felt this way. Hmmm... Cue swirly, introspective sound effect and graphic.....
The truth is The Big Four aren't iconic to me because I saw all of these bands in their infancy when they were pimply-faced teenagers; I even got to know a couple of them as friends before any of us could buy alcohol legally. So, while these bands did go on to change Metal, I'm not in awe of them. Yes, I'm a fan... but I don't worship them because I remember when we were all on the same denim & leather wearing level.
Anthrax: I got a promo copy of their 1st album Fistful Of Metal and it was alright. I also saw them on their 1st tour supporting Raven when Neil Turbin was on vocals. They were alright.
Megadeth: At the request of Dave Mustaine, I ran Megadeth's fan club out of my bedroom in my parents' house from their demo up until their debut album came out. Click HERE for more insight into my history with Megadeth.
Slayer: The first time I met Tom Araya was before Slayer even put out an album; he was visiting S.F. with a mutual friend. My first impression of Tom was that he was wearing a tweed blazer to a Metallica show at The Stone and listening to a Santana tape in his Camaro.
Metallica: This story is well documented already, but for the newbies click HERE and HERE for some insight into my history with the biggest Metal band on the planet.
What? Oh yeah... as far as "the simulcast" went:
Anthrax: We arrived late from the bar in time to only see them play 'I Am The Law' and say their thanks and goodbyes to the Bulgarians.
Megadeth: We watched the first two songs ('Holy Wars' > 'Hanger 18') and then decided the gourmet food court in the basement of the mall beckoned. Sorry Dave... Food over Megadeth.
For those keeping score, the meals our group ordered broke down Internationally as American > Japanese > Mexican food.
Slayer: The food and conversation got the best of us and we scampered back into the theater late but in time to see Slayer destroy Bulgaria with:
The audience members in the movie theater singing along to 'Angel Of Death' was a nice moment... and a couple of kidz got up and tried to start a pit in the area under the screen. Cute.
In between bands they showed interview segments with various Big Four band members. As Lars appeared onscreen a dude yelled "FAGGOT!"... and then when Mustaine appeared onscreen the same guy yelled "FAGGOT!!" However, the guy did not call Umlaut a fag on the way back to the car.
Metallica: It was cool to see the local heroes take the stage in Bulgaria with 'Creeping Death' and owning the crowd of 90,000. Robert wore his standard "Metallica - San Francisco' basketball jersey onstage and I dare any local not to feel some level of hometown pride. If anything, the "simulcast" gave a perspective of just how hugely popular the band is around the globe. From the streets of S.F. to a muddy stadium in Bulgaria. I slouched down in the comfy theater chair and enjoyed performances of the following:
Yes, I missed the "historic finale" that came during Metallica's encore when they were joined by members of the other Big Four bands on a version of 'Am I Evil'... but I'll see it on Blu-Ray when it comes out... or I'm sure it's on YouTube... and it is of course:
Wait... they didn't even play the entire song! I'm sure we'll see this spectacle repeated when they bring The Big Four to The States next year. Anyway, this has been my half ass reaction to what many have called The Metal Event of The Year... and if this was 1990 I would agree. Just saying...
While we're on the subject, Umlaut's *other* Big Four would be Kyuss, Melvins, Neurosis, Sleep... and while the Old Metal guard mulls over Joey Belladona rejoining Anthrax AGAIN, Umlaut is more intrigued by the collaboration between Boris and Ian Astbury that includes a version of The Doors' 'The End' combined with an original composition called 'Magickal Child'... What the what??
"Exclusive San Francisco Engagement" - 1982Yes, besides Let There Be Rock Umlaut saw other concert films at midnight movies when he was a teenager... The Song Remains The Same... The Kids Are Alright... However, that was back in ancient times before there was a 46" Hi-Def television and Blu-Ray player in my home... but the announcement that one of The Big Four concerts featuring Metallica / Slayer / Megadeth / Anthrax was going to be "simulcast" to theaters worldwide sounded intriguing.
The Big Four "Simulcast"
Century 9 Theater, San Francisco
June 22, 2010
Forty-eight hours after seeing one of my favorite bands live again, Umlaut found himself at the Century 9 Theater in the Westfield Mall in Downtown San Francisco for the "simulcast" of The Big 4 concert from Sofia, Bulgaria. Tickets to this event were $18 each, which was a lot cheaper than traveling to Bulgaria... and sitting in a comfortable movie theater in downtown San Francisco seemed a lot better than wallowing in the cold and rain of Bulgaria as well.Anyway, it was misleading to bill The Big Four event as a "simulcast" since Bulgaria is 10 hours ahead of S.F. and the footage onscreen was not only tape delayed but also edited. This event was also another example of how The Internets has destroyed the element of surprise. Details of the show (including the "historic" finale) were posted online hours before the S.F. screening's 7:30pm start time... was "spoiler alert" even part of the English language 25 years ago??
To be honest, although The Big Four are from Umlaut's generation of Metal, I don't think of these bands in that awestruck way... "The Big Four" is a convenient phrase that a younger generation of Metal fans and The Media created to personify a time in Metal history. I mean, for Umlaut "The Big Four" is Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Motörhead, and Thin Lizzy. I'm just saying... Anyway, priorities being what they are, before the screening I met up with members of The Umlaut Nation for some quality bar time first...
Before and after the screening I got into a somewhat heated debate with an Old Metal friend about my indifference towards The Big Four... which caused me to ponder why I felt this way. Hmmm... Cue swirly, introspective sound effect and graphic.....
The truth is The Big Four aren't iconic to me because I saw all of these bands in their infancy when they were pimply-faced teenagers; I even got to know a couple of them as friends before any of us could buy alcohol legally. So, while these bands did go on to change Metal, I'm not in awe of them. Yes, I'm a fan... but I don't worship them because I remember when we were all on the same denim & leather wearing level.
Anthrax: I got a promo copy of their 1st album Fistful Of Metal and it was alright. I also saw them on their 1st tour supporting Raven when Neil Turbin was on vocals. They were alright.
Megadeth: At the request of Dave Mustaine, I ran Megadeth's fan club out of my bedroom in my parents' house from their demo up until their debut album came out. Click HERE for more insight into my history with Megadeth.
Slayer: The first time I met Tom Araya was before Slayer even put out an album; he was visiting S.F. with a mutual friend. My first impression of Tom was that he was wearing a tweed blazer to a Metallica show at The Stone and listening to a Santana tape in his Camaro.
Metallica: This story is well documented already, but for the newbies click HERE and HERE for some insight into my history with the biggest Metal band on the planet.
What? Oh yeah... as far as "the simulcast" went:
Anthrax: We arrived late from the bar in time to only see them play 'I Am The Law' and say their thanks and goodbyes to the Bulgarians.
Megadeth: We watched the first two songs ('Holy Wars' > 'Hanger 18') and then decided the gourmet food court in the basement of the mall beckoned. Sorry Dave... Food over Megadeth.
For those keeping score, the meals our group ordered broke down Internationally as American > Japanese > Mexican food.
Slayer: The food and conversation got the best of us and we scampered back into the theater late but in time to see Slayer destroy Bulgaria with:
- 'Hate Worldwide'
- 'Angel Of Death'
- 'Dead Skin Mask'
- 'Disciple'
- 'South Of Heaven'
- 'Raining Blood'
The audience members in the movie theater singing along to 'Angel Of Death' was a nice moment... and a couple of kidz got up and tried to start a pit in the area under the screen. Cute.In between bands they showed interview segments with various Big Four band members. As Lars appeared onscreen a dude yelled "FAGGOT!"... and then when Mustaine appeared onscreen the same guy yelled "FAGGOT!!" However, the guy did not call Umlaut a fag on the way back to the car.
Metallica: It was cool to see the local heroes take the stage in Bulgaria with 'Creeping Death' and owning the crowd of 90,000. Robert wore his standard "Metallica - San Francisco' basketball jersey onstage and I dare any local not to feel some level of hometown pride. If anything, the "simulcast" gave a perspective of just how hugely popular the band is around the globe. From the streets of S.F. to a muddy stadium in Bulgaria. I slouched down in the comfy theater chair and enjoyed performances of the following:
- 'Creeping Death'
- 'For Whom The Bell Tolls'
- 'Fuel'
- 'Harvester Of Sorrow'
- 'Fade To Black'
- 'Cyanide'
Yes, I missed the "historic finale" that came during Metallica's encore when they were joined by members of the other Big Four bands on a version of 'Am I Evil'... but I'll see it on Blu-Ray when it comes out... or I'm sure it's on YouTube... and it is of course:
Wait... they didn't even play the entire song! I'm sure we'll see this spectacle repeated when they bring The Big Four to The States next year. Anyway, this has been my half ass reaction to what many have called The Metal Event of The Year... and if this was 1990 I would agree. Just saying...
While we're on the subject, Umlaut's *other* Big Four would be Kyuss, Melvins, Neurosis, Sleep... and while the Old Metal guard mulls over Joey Belladona rejoining Anthrax AGAIN, Umlaut is more intrigued by the collaboration between Boris and Ian Astbury that includes a version of The Doors' 'The End' combined with an original composition called 'Magickal Child'... What the what??
Boris / Ian Astbury - Live in Australia - May 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Before E-Mail: Old Metal
Another exciting installment of Before E-Mail!
Umlaut's old friend Konaquon found this letter that I sent to him a long, long time ago in a galaxy that was WAY more Metal than you will ever be. Note that it was typed on a typewriter as well! Reading this letter from the last century is the closest thing you'll ever get to time travel:
The letter dates from the short time when Umlaut *ran* (for lack of a better term) the Official Megadeth Fan Club out of my Teenage Metalhead bedroom at the request of Dave Mustaine. Up to that point the band had only played around 6 shows. For the newbies: These early Megadeth shows featured Kerry King on 2nd guitar but, as the letter says, he had not left Slayer... and he never did.
It's interesting to note that Megadeth was selling shirts before they had even recorded their 1st demo tape! Impressive, but it shows what kind of icon Mustaine was in the underground Metal Scene back then despite his short time with Metallica. For the newbies: Metallica's only releases featuring Mustaine were 3 cassette demo tapes.
The other mind blowing thing about this letter is all of the long forgotten details it contains: Local concert dates, band gossip, album gossip, and even when Cliff Burton was back home in the Spring of 1984 (after Metallica recorded Ride The Lightning in Europe). I was an information junkie even at a young age and the letter notes 2 Slayer shows I attended that are not listed in the Umlaut Archives! I'll have to add them now.. Also, how can you not love that Mustaine described his own new drummer as looking like a poser! That poor guy was doomed from the start... Hilarious, right?
However, the ironic thing is that Umlaut was selling merch back then... from my bedroom. Fast forward to the 21st Century and my life continues to come full circle. For those who give a shit, you can learn more about Umlaut's history with Megadeth at:
In the future will people get as much nostalgia from finding old e-mails and attachments?? I'm happy I grew up when I did...
"Did you see Scorpions? They sucked so badly!!!!!!"
Umlaut's old friend Konaquon found this letter that I sent to him a long, long time ago in a galaxy that was WAY more Metal than you will ever be. Note that it was typed on a typewriter as well! Reading this letter from the last century is the closest thing you'll ever get to time travel:
The letter dates from the short time when Umlaut *ran* (for lack of a better term) the Official Megadeth Fan Club out of my Teenage Metalhead bedroom at the request of Dave Mustaine. Up to that point the band had only played around 6 shows. For the newbies: These early Megadeth shows featured Kerry King on 2nd guitar but, as the letter says, he had not left Slayer... and he never did.It's interesting to note that Megadeth was selling shirts before they had even recorded their 1st demo tape! Impressive, but it shows what kind of icon Mustaine was in the underground Metal Scene back then despite his short time with Metallica. For the newbies: Metallica's only releases featuring Mustaine were 3 cassette demo tapes.
The other mind blowing thing about this letter is all of the long forgotten details it contains: Local concert dates, band gossip, album gossip, and even when Cliff Burton was back home in the Spring of 1984 (after Metallica recorded Ride The Lightning in Europe). I was an information junkie even at a young age and the letter notes 2 Slayer shows I attended that are not listed in the Umlaut Archives! I'll have to add them now.. Also, how can you not love that Mustaine described his own new drummer as looking like a poser! That poor guy was doomed from the start... Hilarious, right?
However, the ironic thing is that Umlaut was selling merch back then... from my bedroom. Fast forward to the 21st Century and my life continues to come full circle. For those who give a shit, you can learn more about Umlaut's history with Megadeth at:
In the future will people get as much nostalgia from finding old e-mails and attachments?? I'm happy I grew up when I did...
"Did you see Scorpions? They sucked so badly!!!!!!"
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Rattlehead
This should be interesting.... Dave Mustaine's autobiography is being published by HarperCollins next April and photos and other artifacts from the Umlaut Archives will be featured in it. At least Dave contacted me personally to ask me to contribute. Stay tuned.
Click HERE to get an FYI about Umlaut's history with Megadeth.
From the book's press release:
Megadeth has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide, including six consecutive platinum albums, with seven consecutive Grammy nominations for Best Metal Performance.
A founding member of Metallica, Dave Mustaine was officially fired from the band in April 1983 for his alcoholism and because of clashes with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Unceremoniously dropped off at a Greyhound station in Rochester, NY, with a ticket back to LA, Mustaine went on to become the founder, lead guitarist, and singer of the equally popular heavy metal band Megadeth.
Here, for the first time ever, he tells the tale of the two biggest metal bands in history, a story that has yet to be told from the inside. Mustaine recounts the highs and lows of a life in hard rock.
Click HERE to get an FYI about Umlaut's history with Megadeth.
From the book's press release:
Megadeth has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide, including six consecutive platinum albums, with seven consecutive Grammy nominations for Best Metal Performance.
A founding member of Metallica, Dave Mustaine was officially fired from the band in April 1983 for his alcoholism and because of clashes with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Unceremoniously dropped off at a Greyhound station in Rochester, NY, with a ticket back to LA, Mustaine went on to become the founder, lead guitarist, and singer of the equally popular heavy metal band Megadeth.
Here, for the first time ever, he tells the tale of the two biggest metal bands in history, a story that has yet to be told from the inside. Mustaine recounts the highs and lows of a life in hard rock.
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Megadeath [sic]
While doing research in the Umlaut Archives for a project at the request of a certain Heavy Metal Rock Star, I came across this piece of historical literature:
I'm almost positive this was THE very first article ever written about Megadeath [sic] aka "Megadeth". It was originally published in Issue #1 of my fanzine Whiplash (that I published with my old buddy Sam Kress... R.I.P..) circa late 1983. Reading it again here in the 21st Century, it's not bad writing for a 19-year old Metalhead who hated English classes in high school. I learned about the written word on the streets, man!
For more history about Whiplash click HERE. Also, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so for 1K words on my history with Megadeth click HERE.
A million years ago.
I'm almost positive this was THE very first article ever written about Megadeath [sic] aka "Megadeth". It was originally published in Issue #1 of my fanzine Whiplash (that I published with my old buddy Sam Kress... R.I.P..) circa late 1983. Reading it again here in the 21st Century, it's not bad writing for a 19-year old Metalhead who hated English classes in high school. I learned about the written word on the streets, man!
For more history about Whiplash click HERE. Also, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so for 1K words on my history with Megadeth click HERE.
A million years ago.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Nostalgia Is My Business, And Business Is Good
The exciting sequel to Megadeth: Smith Corona Days Revisited!
This video clip was recently posted on YouTube: Megadeth @ The Keystone Berkeley - April 1984 with Kerry King of Slayer on 2nd guitar.
In another classic Metal Geek outburst, the video caused an e-mail firestorm amongst Umlaut's Old Metal Bruthas:
UMLAUT: WOAHHH....... I was there...... I've NEVER seen this!! Megadeth - Berkeley 1984 with Kerry King.
BIG WAYNE: It's Keystone Berkeley for sure. Look at the stage pole!
UMLAUT: Look at all the headbanging! I have pics from the soundcheck before this gig.. Will dig 'em up.
(Pics by Umlaut)
TED: where are these master videos?
UMLAUT: I have no idea.... I never knew the show was even filmed until today!
BRAD: I have visions of Sean Smithson and his big friend, Mr. Cuevas and myself guzzling a bottle of Smirnoff Blue label on the grassy knoll of the hospital parking lot before the gig then badgering Brian for the guest list - which he was waiting for from someone else.. Lee, the drummer, was a 19-year old from Kansas City who broke a cast off of his fractured foot to play this gig. He was booted from the band a week or two later. Didn't a female fronted Sentinel Beast open this show?
No matter how many years go by, when I see the parking lot off of Shattuck behind the hospital I think of being horribly drunk on the worst tasting (IMO) 100 proof vodka in the world. (Yes, I did throw up at some point during the evening. Never drank blue label again.) I think this was the first time I was backstage before a band I came to see played. Being sozzled definitely helped mask my disappointment at the time.
UMLAUT: Once again Brad's amazing photographic memory comes through! I forget the time frame... but when was the time Megadeth played the Keystone Palo Alto? When they had that HUGE plywood drum riser (as seen in the YouTube vid) and the Keystone stage manager raised a stink about it. It was ridiculous... It weighed a TON (and a half).
Rattle your f*cking head.
STEVE: So drunk in fact that the headbangers in question almost started a fight with an innocent passerby (who probably woulda kicked all our asses). Cuevas and Smithson were so soused they traded jackets. Smithson got the (not all that cool) leather, Cuevas the denim. And I still say denim is more metal than leather (discuss amongst yourselves)...plus I could stash more recording equipment in the many pockets...
The Palo Alto gig: Kerry King was wearing gigantic black-metal spikes all over. He looked like he was in GWAR. It was a storming show though.
Mustaine got me and Brad in for free. I had written him a letter requesting a demo. He was so pleased with the positive message that he not only sent the demo of his "new band", but wrote a long drunken note about how appreciative he was of fans and how fucked Metallica was. Then said to look for him before the show in PA. We did, and he was and he did (He was wearing a sweater by the way). I lost the letter, pathetic archivist that I am. And the demo. But at least no one called us fags (at least not that night)
MICKI: I used to have the entire show on video!
DRUNK TED: Well if I remember from the bootleg tapes I had of those first shows, I believe it was 4/15/84. The first 2 shows were 2/17 and 2/19 of '84. Then they did 3 more (also with Kerry King) in April (I believe it was the 15, 16, & 17th)
Of course you guys would know more, being there and all that!
UMLAUT: The geeks shall inherit the Earth....
TOUR MANAGER DOUG: I have the entire April 15, 1984 Keystone Megadeth show on video. Twice. Two different cameras. I'll get it to Mr. Umlaut who will be responsible for copies.
From the Doug archives :
LAURALOHA: How come I was at all these shows and I didn't know any of you people???? I guess you didn't talk to chicks back then.... LOL. You guys are killing me with this thread.....
TOUR MANAGER DOUG: I was easy to spot, no other DEVO shirts within a mile.
TED: they didn't talk to chicks with feathered red mullets.
UMLAUT: METAL was my girlfriend... and it was a demanding beeotch... but it was HOT.
LAURALOHA: the mullet was blonde back then......my natural color, of course......and I did have the parachute pants thing going on.....so yes, perhaps you are right, they did not talk to large chicks in parachute pants with mullets.......i really need to dig up some of these pictures......the visuals are so much more exciting.....
===
Fast forward to the 21st Century: Umlaut's friends know that I've come full circle with Megadeth via the power of "The Resume".. No matter where you go, there you are. Too fawkin' weird, man.
This video clip was recently posted on YouTube: Megadeth @ The Keystone Berkeley - April 1984 with Kerry King of Slayer on 2nd guitar.
In another classic Metal Geek outburst, the video caused an e-mail firestorm amongst Umlaut's Old Metal Bruthas:
UMLAUT: WOAHHH....... I was there...... I've NEVER seen this!! Megadeth - Berkeley 1984 with Kerry King.
BIG WAYNE: It's Keystone Berkeley for sure. Look at the stage pole!
UMLAUT: Look at all the headbanging! I have pics from the soundcheck before this gig.. Will dig 'em up.
(Pics by Umlaut)TED: where are these master videos?
UMLAUT: I have no idea.... I never knew the show was even filmed until today!
BRAD: I have visions of Sean Smithson and his big friend, Mr. Cuevas and myself guzzling a bottle of Smirnoff Blue label on the grassy knoll of the hospital parking lot before the gig then badgering Brian for the guest list - which he was waiting for from someone else.. Lee, the drummer, was a 19-year old from Kansas City who broke a cast off of his fractured foot to play this gig. He was booted from the band a week or two later. Didn't a female fronted Sentinel Beast open this show?
No matter how many years go by, when I see the parking lot off of Shattuck behind the hospital I think of being horribly drunk on the worst tasting (IMO) 100 proof vodka in the world. (Yes, I did throw up at some point during the evening. Never drank blue label again.) I think this was the first time I was backstage before a band I came to see played. Being sozzled definitely helped mask my disappointment at the time.
UMLAUT: Once again Brad's amazing photographic memory comes through! I forget the time frame... but when was the time Megadeth played the Keystone Palo Alto? When they had that HUGE plywood drum riser (as seen in the YouTube vid) and the Keystone stage manager raised a stink about it. It was ridiculous... It weighed a TON (and a half).
Rattle your f*cking head.
STEVE: So drunk in fact that the headbangers in question almost started a fight with an innocent passerby (who probably woulda kicked all our asses). Cuevas and Smithson were so soused they traded jackets. Smithson got the (not all that cool) leather, Cuevas the denim. And I still say denim is more metal than leather (discuss amongst yourselves)...plus I could stash more recording equipment in the many pockets...
The Palo Alto gig: Kerry King was wearing gigantic black-metal spikes all over. He looked like he was in GWAR. It was a storming show though.
Mustaine got me and Brad in for free. I had written him a letter requesting a demo. He was so pleased with the positive message that he not only sent the demo of his "new band", but wrote a long drunken note about how appreciative he was of fans and how fucked Metallica was. Then said to look for him before the show in PA. We did, and he was and he did (He was wearing a sweater by the way). I lost the letter, pathetic archivist that I am. And the demo. But at least no one called us fags (at least not that night)
MICKI: I used to have the entire show on video!
DRUNK TED: Well if I remember from the bootleg tapes I had of those first shows, I believe it was 4/15/84. The first 2 shows were 2/17 and 2/19 of '84. Then they did 3 more (also with Kerry King) in April (I believe it was the 15, 16, & 17th)
Of course you guys would know more, being there and all that!
UMLAUT: The geeks shall inherit the Earth....
TOUR MANAGER DOUG: I have the entire April 15, 1984 Keystone Megadeth show on video. Twice. Two different cameras. I'll get it to Mr. Umlaut who will be responsible for copies.
From the Doug archives :
- 2/17/84 - Berkeley, CA - Ruthies: Megadeth / Trouble / Abattoir
- 2/19/84 -San Francisco, CA - The Stone: Megadeth / Abattoir / Brocus Helm / Recluse / Black Leather
- 3/09/84 - San Francisco, CA - On Broadway: G.B.H. / Crime +4
- 3/17/84 - Berkeley, CA - Ruthies: Slayer / Black Leather
- 3/19/84 - Santa Rosa, CA - Steele / Deadly Blessing
- 3/20/84 - Santa Rosa, CA - Veterans Memorial: Ted Nugent / Scanner
- 3/22/84 - San Francisco, CA - Kabuki: M.S.G.
- 3/30/84 - Berkeley, CA - Ruthies: Exodus / Vicious Rumors / Temptress
- 4/15/84 - San Francisco, CA - The Stone: Megadeth / Razors Edge / Empire
- 4/16/84 - Santa Rosa, CA - Veterans Memorial: Saxon / Accept
- 4/17/84 - San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theater: Saxon / Accept
- 4/18/84 - San Jose, CA - Civic: Accept
- 4/18/84 - San Francisco, CA - The Stone: Megadeth / Steele +1
LAURALOHA: How come I was at all these shows and I didn't know any of you people???? I guess you didn't talk to chicks back then.... LOL. You guys are killing me with this thread.....
TOUR MANAGER DOUG: I was easy to spot, no other DEVO shirts within a mile.
TED: they didn't talk to chicks with feathered red mullets.
UMLAUT: METAL was my girlfriend... and it was a demanding beeotch... but it was HOT.
LAURALOHA: the mullet was blonde back then......my natural color, of course......and I did have the parachute pants thing going on.....so yes, perhaps you are right, they did not talk to large chicks in parachute pants with mullets.......i really need to dig up some of these pictures......the visuals are so much more exciting.....
===
Fast forward to the 21st Century: Umlaut's friends know that I've come full circle with Megadeth via the power of "The Resume".. No matter where you go, there you are. Too fawkin' weird, man.
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