Haze Over Umlaut

Ghost
The Regency, San Francisco
April 25, 2013

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

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

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

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

Photo courtesy of Photo Ray

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

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

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

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

Then 48 hours later it was...

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

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

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

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

[Photo courtesy of Cable Car]

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

[Photo courtesy of Cable Car]

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

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

That never happens to me at home.  Hail Satan!

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

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

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

F-U-N.

Slaycation

Slayer / Rob Zombie / Exodus
WaMu Theater, Seattle, Washington
August 6, 2011


Because of my decision to travel to Seattle for this weekend of Metal, I missed not one but two Yob / Dark Castle shows and also the return to San Francisco of my kindred Metal friends Landmine Marathon, but my plans had been made in advance of those shows being announced. Metal guilt was eating me up inside as I arrived at SFO for the flight North and although part of me was really bummed about what I was missing at home, the Metal F-U-N in Seattle proved to be worth the sacrifice. Ironically a mob of Bay Area people also made the trip North of Heaven for the Portland and Seattle shows since they were the only West Coast dates on this 12-city tour (a shout out to Paschke, Cable Car, and Lisa P..).

Upon landing I picked up the rental car and the first song that came on the radio was Soundgarden as I drove out of the airport; I'm not kidding. For the rest of my stay, Seattle Rock radio KISW displayed a blatant narcissistic trait of playing Seattle bands way too often (Soundgarden, Heart, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains.. etc.). Okay, I get it, those bands are from here. Prior to the show we did a Yelp search of the area looking for food and the very first place that came up was called… Araya’s Place! I shit you not. The Metal Godz work in mysterious ways… but we didn’t eat there.

After parking the rental car a block from the venue, the echos of people shouting "SLAAAYEER!" could already be heard in the streets and alleys. I can't think of another band that causes such primal behavior so randomly... and it makes me laugh out loud every time. On another note, it's always nice when a show is this easy:

The inside of this venue had the weird hybrid vibe of a nightclub, a sports bar, and a warehouse; a soulless multipurpose space if there ever was one. However, I didn't have to suffer the details of the space for very long since the houselights went down and Exodus arrived onstage to give Seattle a proper Bay Area-style ass kicking. We quickly made our way past the security barrier and watched the mayhem from stage right. With only 30 minutes and 6 songs to work with the Bay Area heroes wasted no time in getting things going with 3 newer songs... 'The Ballad Of Leonard & Charles' into 'War Is My Shepard' into 'Blacklist'. For the kill shot, Exodus finished off with 3 old songs... 'Bonded By Blood' into 'Toxic Waltz' and then an amazing set-closing 'Strike Of The Beast' that featured a guest appearance by Kerry Fucking King!!

Photo courtesy of Cable Car

While 'Strike' was the obvious highlight of the set, my Inner Teenage Metalhead couldn't stop smiling as I watched a kid against the barrier singing along to 'Bonded By Blood'. That kid is gonna be alright! There's only one other band who I have as more history with than Exodus... and it was pretty fucking cool that Slayer put them on this tour as pay back for "borrowing" Gary during Hanneman's recovery over the past 10 months. That kind of Old School loyalty doesn't happen very often these days.

During the changeover before Rob Zombie we walked back out amongst the civilians to check out the merch table in the lobby. At one point during our trek through the drunk Saturday night masses I heard someone behind me cough followed by the unmistakable sound of vomit hitting a concrete floor. I didn't turn around and just kept walking.

As we found a spot at the soundboard to watch Zombie's set I was prepared to be as underwhelmed by him as I've been in the past. While I love his aesthetic and I like John 5 on guitar, Zombie's dance music disguised as Metal (with its electro beat under everything) has never really done it for me. Tonight was the last show of Zombie's Hellbilly Deluxe 2 Tour and I have to admit tonight's final show was... really great! The show I saw early in the tour in San Jose quickly became a distant bad memory as Zombie ripped through a tight 70-minute set filled with his usual theatrics of horror video, pyro, and no less than 7 mechanical beasts that wheeled or marched onto the stage at various times. Maybe it was because it was the last night of the long tour, but the band seemed to be in overdrive as they worked the stage effectively and Zombie seemed to be way more engaged than the last time I saw him.

An odd end of the tour moment came when Zombie introduced Rob of Exodus onstage to help him with a pretty lame crowd participation segment followed by Rob contributing back up vocals to 'Sick Bubblegum'. It was odd. Anyway, the final song of the set and the tour was a spirited version of 'Dragula' that featured fire and confetti cannons... and then Rob Zombie slipped into the night to return to making horror movies featuring his wife.

Photo courtesy of Cable Car

During the 40 minute changeover break between Zombie and Slayer we wandered backstage to find the usual distractions that civilians expect backstage (use your imaginations...). We also got a glimpse behind the scenes of Zombie's cabaret act as his stage props were brought offstage:

Photo courtesy of Cable Car

Having a bill of Slayer and Rob Zombie gave the audience two different versions of Hell: Zombie's is a comic book version of Hell filled with hot chicks, hot rods, and monsters. Slayer's version of Hell is a bleak blood-soaked reality. Whereas Zombie relied heavily on theatrics to communicate his version of Satan's playground, Slayer only needed a wall of Marshall cabinets, a pair of huge metal Slayer Eagles above the stage, and their unrelenting and brutal music. During the opening song 'World Painted Blood' there was something going on in the crowd down front but because of the lighting I couldn't figure out what it was... Then it hit me: It was a guy in a fucking WHEELCHAIR crowd surfing:

Photo by Umlaut's iPhone

Fucking insane!! According to the Umlaut Archives, tonight was around my 23rd time seeing Slayer and I've NEVER seen anything like that! I know it sucked for those underneath him, but kudos to that guy and to his buddies for lifting him up. You do not see someone enjoying life that hardcore and to the fullest very often! That guy was the definition of handi-capable! HAIL!

In recent years it's become cathartic and even a spiritual thing for me to witness Slayer onstage. Seriously. Their brutality through volume serves as a mantra straight to those dark places where normal people won't go... Their dark and violent Metal vision gives me perspective to balance out the lighter Classic Rock side of life. At different times during the set I knew I wasn't the only one who felt that way as I saw fans raise their hands to the sky, palms open, as if they were testifying to an unseen "something". God had nothing to do with it. Nothing.

The most profound difference in Slayer's approach to Metal compared to Zombie's came during 'South Of Heaven'. While Zombie put on a pop culture and effects fueled extravaganza to get the crowd going, Slayer's approach was so minimalist it was brilliant. As 'South Of Heaven' slowly built up from its intro to its full speed fury, the plain black backdrop fell to reveal a massive SLAYER logo. The effect of this happening half way through the song, and well into the set, was awesome and the crowd went apeshit. Brilliant... AND cost effective.

SLAAAYEER!!!
[Photo courtesy of Cable Car]

This was the final indoor show of Slayer's World Painted Blood Tour which started in 2009 and was plagued by events that would have derailed a lesser band. First there was Araya needing neck surgery and then Hanneman being stricken by the very Metal disease Necrotizing fasciitis (the most Metal disease ever..), the latter requiring the band to enlist the help of Gary Holt to complete the tour. This was the 2nd time I'd seen the band with Gary and, while it will be the best day when Hanneman is back onstage, I have to say it's been a revelation watching Slayer be energized by Gary's presence. Given the uncertain future of the original lineup the band has looked hungry and filled with bloodlust in their recent performances, especially Kerry.

Gary 'n Kerry
[Photo courtesy of Cable Car]

The night's final assault of 'Raining Blood' into 'Black Magic'(!) into 'Angel Of Death' was completely obliterating as Slayer finished this final indoor show of the tour. I also liked how Lombardo's playing during the final minute of 'Angel Of Death' alone blew away the drumming during Zombie's entire 70 minute set... and I couldn't help but smile when I noticed the kid in the middle of the pit holding up the national flag of Chile for Tom towards the end of the set. For the White Power Slayer fans: Tom is Chilean (aka a brown person) and his last name is Araya and not "Aryan"... Oh and Lombardo is Cuban (aka also a brown person).

White Power tees = 1. If you bought one of every Slayer merch item you would have paid over $400. On the way back to the hotel, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag.

The next day I had all day to kill before my flight home so I checked out the Nirvana exhibition at the Experience Music Project. It was interesting... but to be honest it's completely weird when I see something that I was into when it was happening be presented in such a portentous way years later.

The exhibit featured such Nirvana artifacts as old cassette demos, show flyers, articles of Cobain's clothes, Cobain's guitars, and candid photos from Nirvana's pre-fame DIY tours. Unlike most "Metal fans", Umlaut is of the opinion that it was not Grunge that killed 80's Metal. It was the bullshit Hair Metal bands that destroyed it! Once those bullshit bands became legitimized then anything associated with "Metal" became tainted by their cancer of mediocrity. Seriously. I think it's funny that you've never heard Slayer complain about Grunge but you STILL hear a bullshit "Metal" band like Ratt complaining how Grunge ruined their career. That being said, while the Nirvana exhibition was interesting in a surreal way I completely geeked out when I stumbled upon the Battlestar Galactica exhibition that was upstairs!! HOLY FRAK!

The exhibit had such show artifacts as full-size Vipers and Cylon fighters (!), Number Six's iconic red dress (!), as well as other costumes, models, and props. Sorry Grunge... BSG at its best was better than your flannel. I also had time to visit the sculpture that inspired the Soundgarden song 'Black Hole Sun':

I like the song more now knowing it was inspired by a piece of public art; Grunge lives in our (he)arts. Anyway, a few hours after all of this my Slaycation was over as I sat on a jet airliner heading back to Casa de Umlaut.

Slaycation all I ever wanna do... Slaycation had to get away.

Road Trip

The long awaited sequel to Good Riddance!

If you're one of those whose perception of Green Day is stuck in 1994 then bummer for you, man.. You might as well stop reading this right now. For the rest of you: Back in April, Umlaut got a taste of what was ahead with Green Day. IMO Green Day are The Who of their generation and Umlaut, like, totally digs them... If this loses me even more of my overrated cred with Metalheads I really don't give a shit.. 'cause I'll always have more Metal cred than you... seriously. My resume is available upon request, dude.

As soon as this tour was announced Skychick and I had decided we'd be making a road trip up to the Northwest. We arrived in Jet City 2 days early with the intent of playing tourist but, within hours of landing, real life intruded to ruin our vacation for the next 24 hours. Long story short: The dogs ran away at home (which they've NEVER done before) and the asshole, soulless housesitter COMPLETELY fucked us over. Bottom line: Casa de Umlaut is extremely fortunate to have some unbelievably compassionate and good friends and neighbors who basically worked to locate and rescue Dixie and Fredo. Epilogue: Fuck that housesitter. The thought of him walking away from his responsibilities while my dogs sat terrified and alone in the Humane Society shelter is something I'll never forgive; where's my baseball bat? Fuck.... that... housesitter.

On the afternoon we arrived, Skychick and I randomly decided to have lunch at The Pike Brewing Company which happened to be across the street from The Four Seasons. I figured the band and crew were staying there, but I hadn't checked in with Tour Manager Doug (TMD) yet. During our meal, all of the drama back at home unfolded on us via cell phone calls... but at one point I noticed a couple of dudes being seated near us and recognized one as Green Day Security. Long story short, after leaving the pub we found ourselves sitting next to TMD as he held court in the lobby of The Four Seasons with various band and crew members, which would have been more fun if we hadn't been worried sick about the dogs back home (Fuck that housesitter..).

The next morning was spent on cell phones working with our unbelievably compassionate and good friends and neighbors as they located and returned Dixie and Fredo to Casa de Umlaut. The one highlight of the morning was going to the Starbucks across the street from the hotel and witnessing the woman in front of me tip the female cashier by sticking some dollar bills in her cleavage stripper-style; it was hotter than the coffee.

That afternoon, once the dogs were safely back at home and a new housesitter was in place, Skychick and I finally did tourist shit like visit the Space Needle and Experience Music Project (EMP). The EMP's current exihibition features a history and retrospective on Nashville's Hatch Show Print, which was pretty cool and also featured the stage clothes of Country legends such as Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. The exhibition reminded me that I have a Hank Williams Hatch Print in my closet that I need to get framed (DOH!).. The EMP's Hendrix collection was interesting, but I was more interested in having my pic taken with Michael Jackson's glove on the eve of his funeral:

Thriller...

That night, on the way back to the hotel, some 206 kidz tried to bait me with racist heckling... Sorry, me no speaky Ching Chong, dudes. Then it was time to R-O-C-K in the U-S-A.

Green Day
Key Arena, Seattle, WA
July 3, 2009

The first date of Umlaut's Stalking Tour Manager Doug 2009-2010 World Tour was nicely packed with close to 17,000 jammed into venerable Key Arena. Prior to the show we had a lovely dinner and quality time with Umlaut Nation members Lance, Beth, and Nina who were going to The Big Rock Show with us. After dinner we few, we happy few, made our way onto The Monorail for the quick ride to the arena.

When we arrived at the venue, Will Call was a total clusterfuck as there was one line for all of the Will Call windows (Ticketbastard sales, band guest list, etc..) so literally hundreds of people stood in a single line. Maybe it was because of the hot weather, but I was a total dick and cut in front of all those hundreds of people to get my Will Call envelope. Sorry, folks...

The anticipation inside the venue was thick enough to cut with a knife and it spiked as the band's intro music went from Cheap Trick > Jacko > Queen > Ramones songs while a roadie in a Pink Bunny costume led the crowd in a cheer.. Then the houselights went down and the crowd's roar / screaming was pretty deafening.

The first 45 minutes of the set was made up of songs from the 21st Century Breakdown and American Idiot albums, with the highlight for me being 'Holiday' and the vintage WW2 archival footage that was projected on the screen behind the stage. You can't go wrong with vintage WW2 footage, man! I'm just saying.. AND another highlight was seeing vintage Gilman St. and Bay Area Punk flyers from Big Wayne's collection projected on the screen during 'Jaded'!! It was surreal and cool seeing a flyer for Neurosis projected 20 feet high during an Arena Rock show.. and even cooler knowing that the flyers were in the show because of an Old Metal connection (Big Wayne > TMD).. Umlaut's world is *this* small sometimes.

In recent years, I've become amazed how versatile Green Day are onstage; they are no longer simply that snotty MTV Punk band, but a genuine Arena Rock band in the finest tradition of the term. While their set is generally pretty scripted, there are many moments every night where their interaction with the crowd encourages spontaneity and it's cool watching how the entire band rolls with whatever comes their way. Very few bands have the confidence or balls to let that happen these days.

In Seattle, at least 6 people were pulled from the crowd at different points during the show (including Billie Joe's older sister... !) to interact with the band's show. During the encore, Billie Joe pulled a kid out of the audience who said he could play 'Jesus Of Suburbia'... and the kid played the entire 9 minutes flawlessly!! It was UNBELIEVABLE.. and TMD confirmed the kid was not a plant and it was a completely random incident. Metallica has never pulled a kid out of the crowd to play the 9 minutes of 'Master Of Puppets' with them... I'm just saying.

Backstage there was an epic Old Metal reunion with Umlaut, TMD, and K.J. Doughton all appearing in the same room together for the first time since probably 1984! Trivia: TMD and K.J. were both on Slayer's first road crew during that band's first tour and their war stories from those early times are epic and hilarious... like the time Slayer crashed at K.J.'s parents' house and his mom made the band pancakes. Oh, and K.J. once ran the official fan club for a little band called Metallica too. We may all be Green Day fans now, but we're still WAY more Metal than you'll ever be, kidz..

Ye Olde Metalheads: Umlaut, K.J., TMD..

Also backstage, K.J.'s 11-year old son lost a tooth... which was pretty Metal of him as well.. although it wasn't very cool of K.J. to punch his son like that (I'M JOKING!).

Rock Star Sightings: Duff McKagan (who wore his sunglasses indoors the entire night) and producer of the band's latest album Butch Vig.. I was impressed that Vig had a firm handshake and introduced himself ("Butch Vig") to everyone he was introduced to.. Didn't Vig produce, like, every album that mattered in the early 90's?

Who shirts = 1 (mine). If you bought one of every Green Day merch item you would have paid >$700. On the way back to the hotel, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. As we left the arena at around 12:30AM there was a MARATHON being run in the streets of Seattle that made it harder for us to return to our hotel. Who runs a MARATHON after midnight!?

Then 24 hours later it was:

Green Day
GM Place, Vancouver, Canada
July 4, 2009

The next morning, Skychick and I hopped on a "tour bus" heading North; how do you sing 'Tiny Dancer' in Canadian? OMFG, the butch Canadian border guard was a fucking bitch!! Skychick and I were grilled with questions for several minutes, including this exchange:

Ms. Border Guard: "Have you ever been to Canada?"
Me: "Yes... 15 years ago.."
Ms. Border Guard: "Fifteen years? Why haven't you been back sooner?!"

I almost snapped and said "Because it's CANADA..." but I didn't feel like having a Maple Leaf fist shoved up my ass so I simply said "There were other places to visit.."... which was actually very smart ass of me, but Ms. Border Guard just gave me a hard stare and then asked "Have you ever been convicted of a crime.."... etc. etc.. and so began our visit to the oppressive Socialist state of Canada. Green Day: Behind The Maple Leaf Curtain!

It's always interesting spending July 4th in a foreign country; it makes you realize that not everyone blows up things on the 4th day of the 7th month every year. Seeing Green Day in an oppressive Socialist society like Canada was an eye opening experience. The people are starving for anything from America (or as the Canadians call it "America, eh..") and Green Day's Rock & Roll (or as the Canadians call it "Rock And Roll, eh..") is a profound symbol of Capitalist freedom that gives the people living under their oppressive Socialist regime some hope. Canadians may rationalize that this oppression is okay because it gives them free health care, but this society also begat Celine Dion and Loverboy so it's debatable whether a greater good has come out of the "Canadian Experiment". Discuss amongst yourselves.

Getting into the venue was easier than the previous night since Skychick and I were able to flash our magic plastic and walk in the back door... but I was halfway expecting another grilling by a Canadian authority figure. When we settled in our seats I noticed that the dude next to us had a And Justice For All tattoo on his arm. Sad but true.

It's also always interesting seeing the song 'American Idiot' performed in front of a foreign audience since the crowd seems to sing the line "I don't wanna be an American Eeedeeeot!!" with an especially intense fervor. On the last tour, Umlaut witnessed this in Amsterdam and London and it was no different in Vancouver.... but after two shows I have to say my favorite song of the set was the new anthem 'The Static Age'.

As in Seattle, Billie Joe pulled a kid out of the audience who said he could play 'Jesus Of Suburbia'... but unlike the kid in Seattle this kid failed. I was watching what he was "playing" and it was obvious he had been turned down in the mix since his bullshit moves like sliding the pick down the strings was not heard over the PA. Finally, the guitar was gently taken away from him midsong and he was politely returned to the pit.. all done without the band missing a note in the song. Amazing... but an example of how Green Day's live sponteniety sometimes doesn't work.. but it still makes for a great concert experience. As TMD said afterwards "I think we got lucky on opening night.."

Another major reason why Umlaut digs Green Day is because they play arenas the way they should be played... with PYRO, PYRO, and more PYRO.

Vids by Umlaut

Green Day uses more PYRO than Metallica and AC/DC... and that's a good thing. If you're one of those whose perception of the band is stuck in 1994, then bummer for you, man.

Backstage I had a weird encounter with an "ex" from my professional life... which was a bit awkward.. but it was a good thing I had business cards with me. TMD also introduced us to the guy who designed Green Day's new stage; his past stage design clients include Beyonce (Okay, everyone at once: "That's NOT Punk!"). Celebrity Gossip: John Cusack was in town filming a new movie and was supposed to attend the show, but couldn't make it because he was picking his g/f up at the airport. Umlaut's High Fidelity moment was so close..

Yes, Umlaut is METAL at heart... but I always leave a Green Day show with a smile on my face.. and sometimes that's more important than METAL.

Vid by Umlaut

Umlaut's Inner Music Geek found it fascinating watching a major band develop its new live show from pre-album release sneak shows in clubs to the first shows of their international arena / stadium tour. Over the past 3 months I was fortunate to have seen 6 Green Day shows (3 in clubs, 1 in a theater, and 2 in arenas) and the progression was cool to witness... The first club show in April (the band's first time onstage in 3 years) was tentative and very loose, with the band displaying nervousness while playing the new songs. Fast forward to these first arena shows and the band displayed their veteran stage presence and worked the huge crowds effortlessly... and it was cool to see that the audiences at both shows was a mix of old and young fans and not exclusively the Hot Topic crowd that some people think the band draws; if you're one of those whose perception of the band is stuck in 1994, then bummer for you, man. Green Day are THE best Arena Rock band going today.

THANKS as always to Tour Manager Doug for taking care of us at The Big Rock Shows. Keep it real out there, my brutha.

Obituary shirts = 1. If you bought one of every Green Day merch item you would have paid >800 Canadian Dollars. On the way back to the hotel, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. I'll say it again: Green Day are The Who of this generation.


While I was in Vancouver I wore my Anvil - 'Metal On Metal' shirt and the only people in Canada who acknowledged it were (1) a guy who worked in a liquor store and (2) Tré Cool. Ohh... Canada.