Crypt Keeper

Kirk von Hammett's Fear FestEvil
High On Fire / Orchid / Ghoul
Rock Bar Theater, San Jose, California
April 11, 2015

It's cool when an old friend has the means to take a childhood hobby to the next level as an adult... and that's exactly what Mr. Kirk Hammett has done.  What began as a child with an obsession with horror movies and comics has evolved into an adult world class collector of all that is dark and fun.. and it's been made even cooler that he wants to share it with the public instead of sitting in a dark room surrounded by his valuable rarities.  This was the 4th official Kirk von Hammett event dating back to the book release party in 2012.   As with last year's event, this year was a 3-day celebration but Umlaut was only able to attend the Saturday event which featured performances by my longtime favorites High On Fire, Orchid, and Ghoul.

Back in The Day the space that is now the Rock Bar was a gambling joint called Garden City Casino.  It was odd seeing how they've basically jammed a stage into the space to fit the existing floor plan.  Interesting and odd.  This was my first visit to this relatively new venue and I had heard nothing but good things about it.

Upon arriving there was a ginormous line waiting at the entrance so I killed time in the vendor tent adjacent to the entrance as well as a small carnival games area that was next to it.  The FestEvil vibe was definitely in effect as costumed humans wandered the area.. but it was only a matter of time before things were sorted out for me.  If only all Horror conventions were this easy:

Once inside there was time to kill before the bands started... Running into friends, chatting with friends, drinking beers with friends, and also checking out this year's version of Kirk's Crypt featuring some of his collection on display.  Honesty is my only excuse:  Umlaut only has a casual interest in Horror films and there were really only 2 items that caught my undivided attention... mainly because I am a fan and had seen the items at past events but had failed to take pictures of them.  Not this time...

Re-Animator

The Walking Dead

Yes.. Umlaut is one of those now-mainstream types who adores The Walking Dead.. The show and the comics.  Anyway, one thing led to another and this happened..

"Devil's grip.. The Iron Fist.."
[Photo courtesy of Photo Ray]

... and in case you were wondering this is what "backstage" looked like at FestEvil:

Magical.

As the sun set outside the musical portion of the event started up.  Ghoul are one of my favorite bands and it warmed my heart that these band friends were asked to perform.  Obviously they were a natural fit and it was cool that they immediately won the crowd over during the first song even as they sprayed the front row with blood-like liquid.  Orchid are another group of band friends and they were making a return performance after having been included in last year's party.  The Orchid lads were as thunderous as ever but their set was a bit overshadowed by guitarist Mark's vintage Motörhead 1983 Tour shirt in the dressing room:

According to the Umlaut Archives this was the 18th time I'd seen High On Fire.. but I only watched moments of their set as I found myself socializing with friends again more than rocking out.  Again... Honesty is my only excuse.. but I was just going with the flow, man.

Far and away the highlight of the day was the jam session finale featuring the host lead guitarist backed by High On Fire as well as guest appearances by Corey Taylor of Slipknot on vocals, John 5 on guitar for most of the set, and Charlie Benante of Anthrax taking over drums for half of the set as well.  Before all of that Rock Star power hit the stage this happened in a hallway behind the stage:

The best thing about this All-Star jam was that it did not include the usual cover songs that every Metal All-Star jam usually plays (cue 'Highway To Hell'..'Iron Man'.. etc..).  This being Kirk Hammett's party he dug deep into his teenage album collection and pulled out some nerdy song choices!

 

 "BRAIN!!"  Yes, autographed by the host after the show..

For the newbies that would be Thin Lizzy, Black Sabbath, Motörhead, Uli Roth-era Scorpions, Riot, Venom, and Judas Priest.  FUCK. YEAH.  The performance was loose as all of the Rock Stars seemed to tap into their teenage heads again for the duration of the jam.  Oddly, I watched this once in a lifetime moment while kneeling inside a fake fireplace at stage left that evidently is a remnant of the space's previous incarnation.  The suburbs can be very weird, man.

Kirk and High On Fire channel Phil Lynott as they launch into 'Emerald'

I did not do a FestEvil merch audit.  On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced suburban teenagers called me a fag.  FestEvil is the type of event that people in The Bay Area tend to observe with a jaded ho-hum hometown attitude.  "Oh great.. A member of Metallica doing this and that.. blah blah.."  If this event were held in another city the buzz and the energy around it would probably be on another level.  Instead it was just another of many, many "only in The Bay Area" events and moments to add to the list.  Ain't we lucky!? 

On This Date: January 8th

Tonight in San Jose, California in 1999: The first Black Sabbath reunion tour with Pantera and..  Incubus??  This was only the 5th show of the tour and they had just played L.A.; Ozzy said from the stage how lame the L.A. crowd had been compared to S.J.. 

As I was making my way to my seat I ran into Steve Von Till and Dave Ed of Neurosis who were sitting in the section next to me. Full circle. Thanks to a last minute ticket switch I ended up with a great seat only one row up from the main floor on the stage left side.  It was my first time seeing the original lineup and I was completely geeked out... and a great 'board feed bootleg emerged from the show as well.  The limited edition boot done by some friends:

It was only the 5th show of the tour and Bill Ward fucked up at the start of 'War Pigs' by coming in way too early.  Awkward... but as I type this I'm listening to the show again after 16 years and for the most part Ward pulled it together for the rest of the set after that.  The band were dialed in and Ozzy sounded great.  Needless to say, Tony and Geezer were godlike.

Ozzy after the opening song 'War Pigs': "I gotta tell you guys.. We just played Los Angeles but you guys fucking kick their asses, man.. This is where it's at!!"

In hindsight it was a pretty emo show for Umlaut since Sabbath are one of my all-time favorite bands and are without a doubt the one band that influenced my head the most in my salad days.  Seeing the original lineup in a packed arena was, like, special.... man.

Sabbath confetti from the show.. Never throw anything away.

"Faeries wear boots.. yeah.. you gotta believe.."

Defenders Of The Faith

Judas Priest / Steel Panther
City National Civic, San Jose, California
November 16, 2014 

Although the Silicon Valley is the land of my birth, I'm always surprised what a ghost town downtown San Jose becomes after 6:00pm on a school night.  However, this was a nice mini-road trip down with 3 good buddies but it was weird to see a show in this building again.  I hadn't set foot inside the Civic since the 80's when the likes of April Wine, Dio, and Iron Maiden played there.  Anyway, if only all shows were this easy:

 Fonts

Steel Panther are awful... I get it.. They're supposed to be funny but I'm not laughing.  All I will say further is that I couldn't understand why they were on this tour...until my friend on the Priest crew informed me that 1 or 2 of the members were in Fight with Rob Halford.  Nepotism uber alles I guess.  Perhaps the worst thing about them being on the bill was the 3 or 4 jock types who came to the show dressed in "Hair Metal" costumes complete with wigs and spandex.  One of them didn't take kindly when I said "Halloween is over.." as they walked past us.  So lame... During Steel Panther's set I wandered into catering... where it was empty.. but it was interesting that probiotics are on the 2014 Priest backstage rider.

  
Delivering the goods?

I suppose Priest played as solid of a set and song mix as you should expect here in the 21st Century.  The current tour not only features the new album but also celebrates the Defenders Of The Faith album... but as they started my least favorite song of their entire catalog ('Turbo Lover') I went to get a beer and discovered that San Jose beer sales were already cut off... and it was barely halfway through their set!  WTF San Jose...  No beer.. No KK Downing at stage right.. but at least 'Beyond The Realms of Death' came a couple of songs later... and it was a really great version.  That song and 'Devil's Child' reminded me how much Priest meant to me in my Salad Days a million years ago in a suburban bedroom just down the freeway from this venue.

[Photo courtesy of Photo Ray]

I'm not going to nitpick about Priest and this was the 2nd time I've seen the current lineup.  Tonight was a good show and I enjoyed it.  Halford was more animated and sounded better onstage than he has on the past couple of tours.  I will also admit that Richie Faulkner is a really good guitarist and holds his part of Priest 2014 down admirably... but he's not KK.. and the fact that Priest still plays KK's signature song 'Victim Of Changes' with his replacement bothers me... but I said I'm not going to nitpick about Priest.  I had beers.  I had fun.  Priest played songs I like.

 Living After Midnight from stage right..

If you bought one of every Priest merch item you would have paid around $400 I think.  On the way back to the car, some pimply-face kids called us fags.  As mixed as my feelings are about seeing Priest 2014 I caught myself from being too jaded.  I reminded myself that I must pay respects and see my old heroes.  They will not be around forever, man... and they're still better than 95% of the newer crap Metal bands out there today.  O.K.. Old Man rant over.

"Feast your eyes on a whole lot of sin..."

At Dawn They Sleep

Slayer  
San Jose State Event Center, San Jose, California
Roctober 30, 2013

 

This might have been the last show I go to in San Jose on a week night.  It took Umlaut 2 1/2 HOURS from driveway to parking space; this drive should only take 45 minutes given the distance.  Rush hour traffic through Silicon Valley here in the 21st Century is ridiculous.  Anyway...  If only all shows were this easy:

Once inside I had to take care of a work related task that basically involved me carrying a 30 pound box across the San Jose State campus... but after that it was Metal.  Unfortunately, I missed Gojira because this was happening:

Ruthie's Inn Reunion

[Photo courtesy of Cable Car]

For the newbies that would be 2/5 of the Bonded By Blood-era Exodus lineup (Rick Hunolt, Tom Hunting) and Mr. Tom Araya.  Crazy how time flies. It's funny how a Slayer show is like a high school reunion for me now.  Double digit old friends are always in the house and the vibe is very tribe-like.  Slayer shows are supposed to be angry affairs but I find myself laughing and smiling almost the entire time.  Since I was caught up in socializing it didn't hit me right away that this would be my first Slayer show since Jeff Hanneman passed away.  Reality check..

Yes, there is much debate about Slayer these days, but I really don't care what anyone else thinks.  The bottom line is that Slayer are on fire again. Yes,  it's only 1/2 original members now but the other 1/2 are guys who were there in the beginning too. The current version of Slayer is so heavy with history and bonds of blood it gets me all emo. Slayer is now 1/2 L.A. Thrash and 1/2 Bay Area Thrash.  It's all a direct line straight back to Ruthie's Inn and San Pablo Avenue circa 1984.. and the band guys know it. Their nod to the Bay Area by playing 'Strike Of The Beast' (EXODUS!) in the middle of the set unannounced and with zero fanfare is proof of that.  I was standing next to 2 current members of Exodus as this happened, watching their Exodus brother Gary onstage, and it was special.  SLAAAYER!!  In fact the entire set was all old school vintage material with nothing post 1988 performed... 19 songs that kicked off with 'Hell Awaits' and they played 'At Dawn They Sleep'!!
 

 [Photo courtesy of Cable Car]

There is a different energy with Slayer onstage now.  It's not better or worse than the old days.  It's just different.   Tom smiles onstage now and I like how it's obvious he is watching the crowd and paying attention to the other side of the barrier.  Gary and Kerry bring a special volume storm to things that is unrelenting both sonically and historically; so much history is shared by those 20 fingers now channeling their departed brother.  Hanneman is definitely a spirit in black that hovers over it all now and if you don't believe that then you're way too jaded to be reading this blog.  Bostaph is the logical drummer now and he really does hold it down great for the most part, but I will say that 'Angel Of Death' is not the same. Some things can't be replicated or summoned again, but that is not Paul's fault.  Haters will bitch and rant about why Slayer should call it quits, but why should they?  Umlaut is old.  My Metal heroes are old.  Alot of my old Metal heroes are gone.  I'm thankful for who is still here and I'm thankful Slayer can still deliver us to evil.  I've been supporting them since literally Day One and I have no reason to stop supporting them now.

  Holt Awaits
[Photo courtesy of Cable Car]

Maybe I should grow a beard. It's funny how the Slayer front line (Kerry, Tom, Gary) is now the Beard Wehrmacht.  I dance with the beards in my dream.. Listen to their hallowed screams.. the beards have taken my soul....

Anyway, if you bought one of every Slayer merch item you would have paid around $600.  On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags.  Who knows what the future holds for Slayer.. but for now I say just cherish them because there are a lot of kids out there who think Avenged Sevenfold are, like, the best band ever.

"An unforeseen future nestled somewhere in time.."

Then 24 hours later it was... 

Danzig / Butcher Babies / Ghoul / A Pale Horse Named Death
The Warfield, San Francisco
Halloween 2013

Unlike the night before, tonight's trek to the show was much more tolerable and realistic.  Twenty minutes from driveway to parking space is more like it... Oh yeah, it was also Halloween.  When did Halloween become a 2 week "holiday" and just another reason for douchbags to get fucked up?  However, seeing Danzig on Halloween had a nice, nostalgic ring to it... and if only all Danzig shows were this easy:

Yes, liking Glenn Danzig is problematic here in the 21st Century but as soon as I hear any of those old Misfits or Samhain songs or the first pair of Danzig albums I remember how great he used to be.  Then I see that video of him getting punched in Arizona and the reality of today returns.  Oh Glenn...

Halloween... and tonight was also the last night of the tour.  There were a surprising number of Umlaut Nation friends in the house tonight, which was a nice surprise.  Evidently the first band, A Pale Horse Named Death, included Danzig's drummer and a former member of Type O Negative... but I didn't pay attention to them.  Honesty is my only excuse: I was never a Type O Negative fan.  However, also on the bill were local Thrash Horror kings Ghoul!

Maybe I was caught up in Halloween or something, but I assumed that Ghoul's East Bay-centric fanbase wouldn't be at the show in force due to the pricey ticket.  Wow, was I wrong!  Naively we made our way to the front and as soon as Ghoul hit the stage some nice pit action immediately opened up and the drinks we were holding were knocked out of our hands.  Sadly Ghoul were denied from using their usual blood-colored liquids by the headliner so their stage show was neutered... but the hooded locals and their mechanical and diabolical stage friends made up for it with one of the best sets I've seen them play.  Their 30 minutes was quintessential Halloween mayhem.

Uh, yeah... Butcher Babies.  I will be polite and only say that I had a wonderful conversation with a cold beer during their set.  Anyway, there was a very strict "No Photo" policy in effect tonight, which included phone cameras.  However, one thing led to another and I ended up watching the headliner from this vantage point:

Twist Of Cain

Long story short, "Danzig" here in the 21st Century does feel like a cover band who are required to dye their hair black to be in the band, but Glenn was better than I expected.  It still surprises me how I know the lyrics to almost all of his songs.  'Twist Of Cain'... 'Dirty Black Summer'.. 'Mother'... but it was the Misfits set with Doyle that was the obvious draw tonight.  Danzig and Doyle playing 'Halloween' on Halloween was cool.. but not as entertaining as the guy wearing the gorilla mask who randomly attacked a guy in zombie makeup right in front of the soundboard.  Security!  I will admit without any guilt that 'Skulls', 'London Dungeon' and 'Bullet' made me smile.  All in all it was a fun, easy night and I must thank Wedge for sorting me and letting us watch the show from his office.  Cheers, brother!

If you bought one of every Danzig merch item you would have paid around $260.  On the way back to the car, some-pimply faced teenagers called us fags.  Actually, on the way back to the car I saw Ross of Ghoul and he gave me a hug when I told him how our drinks were spilled by the pit mayhem during his set... Then we passed a new Prius on Market Street that was basically surrounded by 8 (EIGHT) SFPD officers wearing riot helmets.  Hybrid Horror!

 "I remember Halloween.."

Rock Bottom

Michael Schenker Group
Rodeo Nightclub, San Jose, California
Rocktober 4, 2012

Attending this show meant returning to my suburban homeland.  Before heading over to the venue there was an epic hang session with Murder In The Front Row veterans Brad, Big Wayne, and Timo at Gordon Biersch.  Food 'n Beerz were consumed and Old Metal war stories were told.  Brad was back visiting from his current foreign land home for the first time in 5 years... It's crazy how time flies.

The Rodeo Nightclub is a Mexican Country & Western bar that recently started dabbling with booking Metal / Rock shows... However I heard that experiment is ending soon; I guess the economics of hosting local Metal / Rock shows isn't working for them.  Ironically the space was a Metal / Rock venue back in The Day and in 1986-87 hosted a Kreator / Voivod show and also a Megadeth show that ended up being cancelled.

The Rodeo is a weird place.  The stage sits awkwardly in the middle of the room facing sideways from entrance.  The side of the club directly across from the stage is open to the outside and into a large patio bar / smoking area.  There was a guy wearing an Elvin Bishop shirt.  Who the fuck knows who Elvin Bishop is here in the 21st Century??   I wanted to ask him if he had a Pablo Cruise shirt at home.  You can take the 1970's out of San Jose, but you can't take San Jose out of the 70's... I guess.  The vibe of the place was like a big trashy neon beach-themed bar in Reno. 

We missed the first band (Spiral Arms featuring Craig Locicero of Forbidden) but unfortunately caught the middle band.  They featured a guitarist who evidently has won a Guitar Center contest and they played a cover of the Rush instrumental 'YYZ' in the middle of their set.  Dude!  A Rush cover... They should have closed with 'YYZ'.. Just saying.  Wank 'N Roll.

Anyway, this was the 2nd show of Schenker's current 32 show North American Tour.  Our world weary Guitar God walked on to the small stage behind his current anonymous band at around 11:00pm and kicked the set off with a vintage Scorpions double shot of 'Lovedrive' into 'Another Piece Of Meat'.  The set then meandered through a mish mash of early MSG songs ('Assault Attack'.. 'Into The Arena'..) and a couple of newer songs... I think... I'm not sure because I didn't know them.  Then for the rest of the set it was full tilt, pedal to the metal UFO songs with 'Shoot Shoot' / 'Let It Roll' / 'Love To Love' / 'Natural Thing' / 'Lights Out' for the rest of the main set.

I had to ignore Schenker's band because they were too cover band-ish for me, but Schenker's playing was surprisingly great all night.  When he went into his insanely melodic solo during 'Let It Roll' I could feel everyone in the room say "HOLY SHIT!" because it was so good.  'Love To Love' brought the romantic hammer down... which felt awkward since the dudes to chicks ratio in the room was at least 5 to 1.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.

However, as great as Schenker played, I couldn't help but feel sad at the same time.   Schenker should be bigger than this.  Schenker should be playing in front of way more than 100 or so people in a suburban neon Country & Western bar that's across the street from a strip mall. 

Despite his current disturbingly gaunt physical appearance, when Schenker is onstage he is like a God who has fallen to Earth and who is ill-fated to wander amongst us mere mortals.   He deserves so much more than that, especially when so many other bullshit guitarists are garnering more fame and fortune with far less originality and influence.  Evidently Pearl Jam's guitarist has a Schenker-era UFO cover band called Flight To Mars. Discuss amongst yourselves.

The late night ended with the 3-song encore of 'Armed & Ready' that led into his signature song 'Rock Bottom' and closed with 'Doctor Doctor'.  The last song featured a guest appearance by fanboy Phil Demmel of Machine Head; that was a nice Bay Area Metal moment.  Thankyougoodnight!

I didn't do a merch audit, but Schenker's merch designs were depressingly uninspired.  On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags.  Now go listen to the UFO live album Strangers In The Night and ponder why Schenker is still playing to empty depressing clubs here in the 21st Century.

"Minutes pass so slowly by the hands on your clock... Heaven's door don't open when you can knock.. Rock bottom.."

The 7 Days Of Murder

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

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

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

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

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

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

Then 24 hours later it was...

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

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

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

(Photo courtesy of Photo Ray)

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

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

Mr. & Mrs. Gary Holt

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

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

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

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

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

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


... and then this happened:

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

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

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

Then 24 hours later it was...

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

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

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

Murder authors with Tom Hunting of the mighty Exodus

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

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

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

Last Minute

Black Diamond Skye Tour
Alice In Chains / Deftones / Mastodon
The Event Center, San Jose, CA
Rocktober 11, 2010

Back in February, Alice In Chains played a stellar show in Oakland that ranks as one of my top gigs of 2010. When the Bay Area stop of the Black Diamond Skye Tour was announced it was a letdown because it was booked at my least favorite local venue. The February show in Oakland had been at a historic art deco theater while this show would be in a concrete box on a college campus. I decided I would pass on it.

Fast forward to the day of the gig and at 5:50pm I received a text and e-mail from the Mastodon camp saying I was "on the list" for tonight's show... DOH. To make it even more last minute, Mastodon were due to go onstage at 7:00pm and the drive from Casa de Umlaut to the venue is around an hour with Monday traffic. Long story short, Skychick and I got our shit together and made the mad dash south down Highway 101 to the valley of my birth... and on the drive we listened to the Giants wrap up Game 4 and win the NLDS in Atlanta on the radio. FUCK YEAH!

An envelope with my name on it was waiting at Will Call as promised, but unfortunately we had completely missed Mastodon's brief opening set and caught about 1/2 of the Deftones. I've never been a Deftones fan and the only other time I'd seen them was last October when they supported Slipknot in this same venue. The kidz on the floor were certainly into them but the band were definitely a contrast to Alice In Chains. I was curious how AIC's more cerebral volume would compare following the Deftones testosterone-fueled party. Missing Mastodon was the perfect reason for someone to develop an affordable transporter ala Star Trek. Can some Science Nerd get on that, please? Thanks..

As the Deftones stirred the crowd up, we walked around the concourse in search of a cold beer and a glass of classy Event Center wine. It was then I was reminded that I had seen Alice In Chains on the Dirt Tour in this very same room:

(From the Umlaut Archives)

Life and Lock 'N Loll come full circle, man. Alice In Chains were one of my favorite bands back then and here in the 21st Century they are again; what goes around comes around.

After the Deftones' set ended, and with drinks in hand, we made our way to the safe confines of the guest area at stage left. We immediately ran into several people I know including that guy who I see at alot of shows... the manager of that band... the guy who I haven't seen in a while... the tour manager of that band... and Umlaut Nation members The Bassist and Wexford Girl. The guest area also included a rather surreal mix of Bay Area Jocks and Rock Stars with 4 players from the San Jose Sharks, 1/4 of Faith No More, 3/4 of Machine Head, and local resident Tony "I Didn't Make The Playoffs" La Russa. Again, a transporter ala Star Trek would have been nice so some of the S.F. Giants could have been there to rub their NLDS victory in La Russa's Cardinal face. Can a Science Nerd PLEASE get on that...

The changeover between bands was pretty quick (20 minutes tops..) and AIC took their places onstage behind a white back lit curtain as their intro tape played right on schedule. As the intro tape ended the curtain dropped as the band went straight for the throat with 'Them Bones'... and then proceeded to play the first 3 songs off Dirt back to back to back ('Them Bones' > 'Damn That River' > 'Rain When I Die').. WOW... Epic... and, yeah, I had a flashback to that 1993 San Jose show. Pretty cool. Trivia: My hair was Jerry Cantrell-long in '93.

Umlaut's view from stage left..

Whenever I watch a band from the side of the stage my attention tends to wander as I notice things about the production... or the staging... or something in the crowd... or something a band member is doing in between songs. Tonight I became fixated on watching Sean Kinney's drumming.

Kinney's playing has kind of an odd flow about it; he plays with more of the swing and swagger of a Jazz drummer than with the caveman pounding of a Rock drummer. Kinney's demeanor is also less hyper compared to other Rock drummers which was especially evident as the band played 'Rooster':

• As Cantrell and DuVall began the song's intro, Kinney casually puffed on a cigarette ("Ain't found a way to kill me yet..."). Then he..
  
• Took a sip from a beer ("Eyes burn with stinging sweat...")...
• Puffed on the cigarette some more ("Seems every path leads me to no where...")....
• Stared up at the lighting rig ("Wife and kids household pets.. Army green was no safe bet..")....
  
• Took another sip from the beer ("The bullets scream to me from somewhere...")...
• Put the beer down next to him and took a last puff on the cigarette ("Here they come to snuff The Rooster...")...
• Picked up his sticks ("Yeah, here comes The Rooster... You know he ain't gonna die..")...
• Raised the stick in his right hand and waved it above his head ("You know he ain't gonna die..")...
• Pointed the stick at the crowd and brought it down to hit his first beat of the song ("Here come The Rooster.. yeeeeaaahhh.. He ain't gonna die...")

Pretty Lock 'N Loll... and Rock Drummer 101 in a nutshell. I should also note that I can't remember the last time I saw a band smoke onstage as much as AIC.. At any given time at least one member of the band had a fag on his lip. Lock 'N Loll. Also, it's always interesting to me what shoes Rock Stars wear onstage; it was nice to see Jerry and Mike wearing Rock Star issue pointy boots to go along with their cigarettes. Plus, I'd like to know where AIC buys their jeans.

As far as the set tonight, San Jose wasn't as transcendent as the AIC show in Oakland earlier this year. It was still a great performance and the band were definitely on the top of their game (despite Cantrell being sick). In general, it was a solid workmanlike performance by a band that's been on the road for a year. That being said, I couldn't help but notice the contrast between AIC 1993 and AIC 2010: AIC '93 onstage were powerful because of the charisma coming off the stage but the band didn't move around as much. AIC in the 21st Century are a band reinvented and with DuVall they're a more dynamic live band in some ways. It's not often a band can reinvent themselves and have their old self meld so effortlessly with the new incarnation to create something special all over again.

Anyway, it was a solid 100 minute set that was a healthy mix of old AIC and the newer songs (which I like as much as the Layne-era material). I have to say 'Rain When I Die' was the top old song for me tonight but 'Lesson Learned' was my overall favorite moment of the night. The show ending encore sprint of 'Nutshell' > 'Man In The Box' > 'Would?' was perfect. At the end of 'Would?', as he's done every time I've seen AIC, Cantrell took off his guitar and literally threw it at his tech... who caught it. As the band made their exit stage left, Cantrell came over to Tony "I Didn't Make The Playoffs" La Russa and gave him a greeting and a hug. Awww. Jocks and Rock Stars getting along... but have all Rock Stars forgotten that it was The Jocks who were the biggest assholes to them in school?? I'm just saying...

If you bought one of every Alice In Chains merch item you would have paid around $360. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. All in all, it had been an unexpected Monday night out that reminded me (once again) that The Rock Godz work in mysterious ways. To quote AIC: "In your darkest hour you strike gold..."

First And Last

Dethklok / Mastodon / Converge / High On Fire
San Jose State Event Center, San Jose, CA
November 21, 2009

Earlier in the week, Umlaut found himself riding in a limousine through Hollywood on my way to a business meeting... when I spotted this billboard on Sunset Boulevard:

Since I was seeing the Dethklok / Mastodon tour again 3 days later I thought it was *funny*... Sometimes when you're riding in the back of a limo through Hollywood mundane things seem interesting I guess... but I just noticed that the speed limit sign is upside down... *Funny*. Anyway... I can't remember off hand the last time I saw the first show of a tour and the final show of the same tour. Over a month ago, Umlaut was in Portland and caught opening night of this package tour... and now 50 days later I arrived at the San Jose State gymnasium (for a mind boggling 3rd time this year..) to witness the final night of this trek.

Photo Ray and I arrived early so we could catch High On Fire... but at Will Call those dreaded 4 words stopped us in our tracks: "NOT ON THE LIST!". Goddamnfucksonofabitchfuck! Evidently there was a fuck up with the guest lists and almost nobody had anything waiting for them, press and band guests alike. So for the next hour or so I stood around in the chilly San Jose night with press friends and various photographers waiting for something to happen. Unfortunately at that point I went into Lock 'N Loll survival mode and basically abandoned my friends in order to sort out my situation (SORRY Photo Ray, Hard Rock Chick, and Photo Alan...). Thankfully, Mastodon / High On Fire's manager is a stand up guy and, although he was at home in L.A. and it was a Saturday night, he responded to my text message and put me directly in touch with his tour manager backstage... who got my tickets and passes sorted (THANKS Nick and Dave!).

Since I didn't need the extra ticket, I handed it to a random kid who was walking past me with him Mom.. My Metal good deed for the day. However, even this good deed couldn't make up for completely missing High On Fire's set. Goddamnfucksonofabitchfuck!

Once inside, Umlaut encountered the same scenario as in Portland: A VIP pass that was basically useless. I don't mean to look a gift horse in the mouth (or maybe I do...), but it was annoying that a VIP pass tonight only allowed access to a backstage foyer area next to doors that led outside, but not into any of the adjoining areas or hallways. For comparison, a VIP pass at the recent Slipknot show in the same venue allowed me to mooch food in Catering and watch the Rock Stars up close in their natural habitat. The pass tonight also granted access to a taped off VIP area in the stands at stage left, which was gratuitous at best since "civilians" kept jumping the tape and after awhile security stopped policing the section seriously. I know I'm being a spoiled bitch about this, but generally "VIP" means something more at big Lock 'N Loll shows. It really does... but the Will Call drama had set the tone for my night and I was getting annoyed by alot of things by then. ANYWAY... sorry to be a whiny bitch.. but I'm better now.

I'm not that familiar with Converge, but they reminded me of Gallows in some respects... I was most impressed by the fact that a good portion of the nearly sold out crowd booed them in between songs. I haven't heard a crowd boo a support act in a LONG time and this made me like the band even more. Fuck this mainstream suburban crowd! During their set, I wandered backstage with Wexford Girl and The Bassist and we happened to be standing in the backstage foyer area as Converge came offstage. As the singer passed me I tapped his arm and said "GOOD SET" (which I genuinely meant..) and he actually GRUNTED at me in response! WTF.. The Bassist and I looked at each other and started cracking up. Oh, Rock Stars.. During the break in between bands a beer vendor bonded with a customer over how "AWESOME" High On Fire had been, which featured the beer vendor air guitaring.

Prior to this show I was hesitant about seeing Mastodon again because I was afraid I was burned out on them; this would be the 4th time Umlaut has seen them on this tour, where they have been playing the entire Crack The Skye album. It's one of my favorite albums of the year, but did I really need to see it played in its entirety for the 4th time in 7 months? However, as their set time neared I found myself standing behind Mastodon for the 2nd time in 3 months as they prepared to go onstage. This is what it looked like back in August:

Golden Gate Park, S.F.

As I mentioned / bitched about earlier, the Will Call drama put me in kind of a foul mood and I found myself not being into watching Mastodon at all after awhile. As they started to play 'The Czar' (Track 4 on Crack The Skye...) Wexford Girl and I scampered upstairs to the merch table to check out the product and to get another beer. At the merch table we were shocked to find out that Dethklok had basically sold out of merch already except for a few Small size shirts. Impressive! Never underestimate the power of a band backed by corporate cable television marketing. So... as much as I genuinely love Mastodon... I spent most of their set chatting with people, drinking a beer, and geeking out over a poster for a show I saw at the Event Center a thousand years ago.

1993: One of my favorite shows ever..

Sorry Mastodon... I've been following you a long time dating back to your club days, dudes... and I'll still support you... but my head just wasn't *there* for you tonight. During the break between bands I saw a guy who I had seen earlier who was sporting a black eye and a Slayer shirt. METAL!

I tried to go into the show with an open mind about Dethklok, especially since I had a bad attitude about them in Portland... Also, the new season of Metalocalypse has been fucking genius and LAUGH OUT LOUD hilarious so I wanted to like Dethklok tonight. I really did.. However, my opinion wasn't swayed. Yes, the musicianship is good... but come on. This is a Metal band geared for kids and casual Metal fans... There, I said it... and I LOVE the t.v. show.. but those are cartoon characters.. and the acid test for me is if you take away the animation and t.v. show context would the music stand on its own. IMO: Nope. However, it was impressive watching 7,000 cable television viewers going bonkers.

San Jose screams for its cream..

Anyway, it was a jagged night that my head wasn't really into 100% but it was still fun.. and that's all that matters, right? Photo Ray and I bailed after Dethklok played 'Murmaider' (a song about mermaid murder...) in order to grab food and beer at Gordon Biersch.... which was funny because it was the exact same moment that I bailed out of the Portland show. I have to admit, the lobster tacos and pint of Pilsner at Gordon Biersch were THE most brutally excellent things of the evening for me... During the meal I traded text messages with a friend in NYC about a Slaughter video... WTF. Up all night.. sleep all day.

Most band shirts in the crowd = SLAYER. If you bought one of every Mastodon merch item you would have paid around $200. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. I just read what I've typed here and, man, am I really that spoiled and jaded!? Wow..... I'm looking at the man in the mirror... This morning I woke up to a news report that Michael Jackson's trademark glove sold for over $350,000.. WTF.