South Of Comic-Con

One thing led to another and Umlaut found himself in San Diego for a week working at the iconic global event known as San Diego Comic-Con.  From a nerd fan perspective it must seem like a magical celebration of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and entertainment (oh yeah... and comics).  However, if you're working Comic-Con it's mainly a shit show of long hours, hard work, and humanity on an insane scale in a confined space:

That was the human gridlock outside of our booth because of a Game Of Thrones thing that was literally 100 yards down the aisle.  Comic-Con in Umlaut's world is basically just like any other tradeshow (meetings with partners, customers, and industry friends) so it could be far worse.  At least it wasn't a plumbing tradeshow.  Anyway, the Rock Godz work in mysterious ways and, miraculously, two of my favorite bands had shows in San Diego while I was there... which went a very long way to keeping me sane outside of the work stuff.

SLAAAYEER
July 21, 2016
House Of Blues, San Diego, California

Slayer were participating in Comic-Con 2016 due to their comic collaboration with Dark Horse Comics with this show (I thought I heard $17 tickets were sold first to Comic-Con attendees) and a couple of autograph sessions at the convention.  Metal.. Pretty cool, right?

Upon arrival at the venue there was no Will Call drama, but I didn't have a pass.. Which wasn't that big of a deal since it was such a small venue.  However, one thing led to another and after a couple of text messages I found myself standing at stage right getting a bro hug from that old friend who I've known for over 30 years who now plays with Slayer at stage right.

"BEER"

I'll cut to the chase and say this was the best Slayer performance I've seen in recent years, certainly during the post-Hanneman era.  I would need to consult the Umlaut Archives, but I can't remember the last time I saw SLAAAYEER in such a small venue (1,000 capacity).  When I arrived the room was already packed, drunk, and the lack of ventilation made the floor slippery from the condensation and spilled beer.  Perfect.. and the setlist was a SOLID 18 songs.. All killer.  No filler. 

"TEA"

Also, the stripped down stage with no production outside of lighting jacked up the vintage atmosphere as well.  The songs and performance ruled on this night, with the band having a loose gunslinger quality onstage that fed profoundly off the drunk Thursday night crowd.  On top of that, Tom was downright chatty between songs.  Clearly, a happy Slayer is not a bad thing.. sometimes.

Adding to the old school vibe, a punter spit on Tom so he stopped the set to confront the asshole... which led to a guy down front getting beaten by dudes in the crowd and then dragged over the barrier to be tossed out.  Hopefully it was the right guy and not some innocent dude... SLAAAYEER!  The show was delayed another time because of the wave of drunken humanity coming over the barrier on the stage left side.   A SLAAAYEER show should not be any other way and it made my heart happy that it can still feel like a dangerous place.  The only Metal band that still matters?  On this night I would say YES.

Oh... and this is what happens when your old friend flicks his pick at you after his band played 'Angel Of Death':

Adorable, right?!

Seeing a show in a foreign city meant I had to "prove" my cred:  On my way out, some smart ass San Diego Metal guy noticed my Maiden - 'Number Of The Beast' tee and pointedly asked me "What's your favorite Maiden song!!?"  Without missing a beat I said "Prowler..." and kept walking and I heard him say to his buddies "I didn't expect that..."  Fuck you too, dude.

After the show I literally tried 3 times to get a Lyft and Uber ride to go meet up with my co-workers, but all of them failed.  I ended up going old school with a reliable cab and was informed Lyft and Uber drivers usually don't pick up from the House Of Blues after shows because they're afraid of trouble.  Noted.

A perfect night.

Then 24 hours later it was...

Boris / Earth
July 22, 2016
The Casbah, San Diego, California

According to the Umlaut Archives, I hadn't been inside The Casbah since 1994 when I was on a brief California tour with the Melvins and Acid King.  I realized I'm working for the right company when the common band between myself and 7 co-workers is Boris and we all geeked out that the band were playing while we were in San Diego.  The anticipation for the show made the pummeling work day at Comic-Con that much easier.

The Casbah felt like entering a time warp back to the early-90's, when venues like this ruled my world; it felt familiar.  Honesty is my only excuse and I have to admit I wasn't into Earth tonight... or at least my head wasn't into them.  I spent most of their set leaning against the FOH area waiting for the Japanese to come onstage. Sorry, Earth.. It wasn't you.. It was me.

Shortly before Boris started their set, a guy in a wheelchair made his way to the front and everyone let him through so he could be against the stage in front of Wata.  It was very cool and I ended up standing directly behind him with the the handlebars of his chair ending up on either side of me.. which ended up being both a blessing and a curse as the show progressed.

Tonight was the first show of U.S. Tour and for 90 minutes Boris leveled San Diego with their wall of volume and it was by far my favorite time seeing them.  On this tour the band is playing their seminal 2006 album 'Pink' in its entirety and the crowd's familiarity with the material gave the night an extra boost of energy. 

Phone pics by Joe and Brandon 

The crowd action got a little rough (I would say a 5 on a 10 scale) and it was a challenge a couple of times keeping the overzealous punters from crashing into my wheelchair-bound friend.  I ended up teaming up with the guy standing to my right and we did our best to run interference, which ended up being really cool in that unspoken concert brotherhood way.  We didn't say a word to each other all night, just helped out, and at the end of the set did the bro handshake and that was it.  It was an experience that inspired me to remember that seeing bands live is still my favorite thing... next to Giants baseball games of course.

However, seeing a show in a foreign city meant I had to "prove" my cred: I was wearing a Motörhead  - 'Iron Fist' tee and I know every other guy wearing a Motörhead tee thought I was a poser.  Fuck you too, dudes.

After working the combat zone that is Comic-Con, with another 2 1/2 days to go, Boris was the exact kind of head cleaning I needed.  Volume blasting the nerd slime from my brain.  A perfect night. Following the show my co-workers and I wandered around looking for late night food and found some shitty, over-priced pizza place that served its purpose.  We just had to ignore the nod time guy passed out in the booth next to us.  Lock 'N Loll.

Since I no longer work in merch, I didn't do a merch audit.  On the way back to the Bay Area, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag on the plane.  For the record, the "best" costume I saw at Comic-Con 2016 was an overweight Hispanic dude dressed as a Japanese anime girl.. complete with short skirt and ankle socks.  You can't unsee that level of wrong.

World Painted Blood

The other night Umlaut was having dinner with some old friends in The Mission District of San Francisco.  Near the end of the meal one of the friends mentioned how he thought there was a mural nearby that included some old school looking Metalheads.  Odd, right?!  Umlaut lived in The Mission in the early-90's but I had never heard of such a mural but it sounded awesome.

However, my friend couldn't remember exactly where it was and it had been at least 7 or more years since he'd last thought about it.  Since his memory said the mural was sort of on the way back to our cars we headed in that direction... and after walking down a side street we came across a crazy cool mural painted on the side of a building!

It had various scenes of Mission and San Francisco life and seemed to date from 1980's S.F. since there were details like Joe Montana in his full Niners glory depicted... and near the end of the mural were these two dudes:

Heaven & Hell

Show No Mercy

To quote Slayer:  "Trapped in purgatory... A lifeless object alive.."   Of course, The Interwebs was able to reveal the story of this awesome mural.  It was done in 1985 so it does date from the time of the original Old Metal Days of San Francisco!  Amazing!!

Click HERE for the story and location of this piece of San Francisco art history.

To quote Dio-era Black Sabbath:  "If it seems to be real.. It's illusion.."

Black Magic Nights

Slayer / Suicidal Tendencies / Exodus
The Fox Theater, Oakland, California
November 11, 2014

Yeah, these shows were almost 2 weeks ago... but better late than never in the name of this "blog".  Anyway... This year is closing out with a tidal wave of great heavy shows here in The Bay Area (Melvins, Satan, King Diamond) but I have to admit I had been looking forward to this event most of all.  It's not often that a big Metal show rolls into town at a proper venue featuring a bill of this historic caliber... and when was the last time there were 2 sold out nights of Metal in a large indoor venue here... and it wasn't a lame 15 band bill in the local amphitheater and its parking lot.  Impressive.  I will also be honest and admit I got emo thinking about how it's been 30 years since the last time these same 3 bands shared a Bay Area stage at the legendary Day In The Dirt show back in August 1984:

[From the Umlaut Archives]

Of course, getting to the show on a Tuesday meant driving into the teeth of Bay Area rush hour traffic... and it sucked... but it didn't kill me so that's all that matters.  I should come clean and say that I used the commuter lane to get onto The Bay Bridge eventhough I didn't qualify to use it and risked a hefty fine... but I didn't get caught and it probably saved me 45 minutes getting over to the 510.  To quote the headliner:  "Blasting our way through the boundaries of Hell!"   Upon arriving I was pleasantly surprised that, despite it being the first night of the tour, there was zero Will Call drama.  If only all shows were this easy:

Since I arrived later than expected I quickly made my way downstairs to give my regards to the hometown heroes and old friends Exodus before they went onstage... and then watched from stage right as they hit the stage before moving out front.  For the newbies:  Although it might seem cool to watch a band from the side of the stage the sound sucks.  

Anyway, 6 songs was criminally too short of a hometown set for Exodus.  After opening with 2 songs off the new album the local boyz sprinted home with a solid punch of 'Blacklist' into 'Bonded By Blood' into 'Toxic Waltz' and closing with the old warhorse 'Strike Of The Beast'.   Exodus with Zetro back is great too. No more instructing a crowd to do a Wall Of Death but just letting the crowd action happen naturally.  As I said back in July, no disrespect to Dukes, but Zetro brings the East Bay vibe back to Exo that had been missing. The way he talks to a crowd, etc.. 

I guess I'm not a Suicidal For Life because I spent their set downstairs catching up with and chatting with old friends from near and far.   However, for the newbies: Backstage isn't as exciting as you might think.  Tom Araya used the dressing room blender and made a fruit smoothie while chatting.  Metal.

Back upstairs later:  Slayer pulled out an excellent setlist that was a cross section of their catalog but, since I'm having writer's block and still recovering from a flu thing, I think this photo courtesy of Umlaut's iPhone sums up the night accurately:

This dude standing in front of me took his shirt off because Slayer started playing 'Dead Skin Mask'.  SLAAAYEER!

As good as the show was performance wise I was a bit put off by how many hipster types were in the house... I mean the types who wear fashion correct denim vests with "the right" vintage looking band patches but who drunk dance to SLAAAYEER.  Anyway, who am I to judge... It was still a great show.  Then 24 hours later it was... 

Slayer / Suicidal Tendencies / Exodus
The Fox Theater, Oakland, California
November 12, 2014

Tonight I stepped up my game and arrived earlier and was able to watch some of Suicidal's soundcheck.  In the end, they were fucking with me subliminally.

War. Inside. My. Head.

After this I popped back outside to the civilization of downtown Oakland and met some friends for a pre-show dinner at the supernaturally convenient Rudy's Can't Fail.   The vibe at tonight's show was definitely cranked up a couple of notches from the previous evening as the crowd was more Metal, a little more liquored up, and a little more East Bay in general.  It was obvious that the bands picked up on this as well.  The set Exodus played, while again criminally brief, was one of my favorite sets by them in years.

Strike. Of. The. Beast.
[Photo courtesy of Photo Ray]

Again, I proved that I wasn't a Suicidal For Life as I managed to not watch their set.  Homies can bitch slap me and call me a poser the next time you see me, 'kay?  Suicidal still wanted a Pepsi but all this guy wanted was a beer... and I got one.. as well as good hang time with some old friends from near and far again.

Yes, Slayer played a different setlist tonight which was awesome. I took advantage and watched the set from different spots in the venue.

South. Of. Heaven.

Obviously, Slayer 2014 is different than the "classic" version but, as I've said before in this rant space, this lineup is so rooted in history it's profound. Both Gary and Bostaph are from the orig Bay Area Metal scene of the early 80's so the fact OG Bay Area and L.A. have joined together is profoundly full circle. More importantly this lineup has completely jelled and has a vibe that's better than you should hope for post Hanneman and Lombardo. Haters will always hate and complain because that seems to be what Metal fans do best now. Whatever.. The past is the past. Slayer 2014 is fucking great.

 Seasons. In. The. Abyss.

If you bought one of every Slayer merch item you would have paid around $500 I think.  On both nights on the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. All in all, a very great pair of nights in beautiful downtown Oakland amongst old friends and old bands.  Hope I die before I get old.

"Cursed... Black magic night.. We've been struck down.."

Tomorrow's Dream

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

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

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

Click HERE to read the complete statement about the night.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

'Into The Void' with Matt Pike and Jeff Matz 

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

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

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

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

So solid, right?!

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

'Paranoid' with Gary Holt and Will Carroll on vocals

'War Pigs' with Jim Martin and Chuck Billy 

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

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

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

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

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

help_jeff_n_nikki_d@yahoo.com  

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

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

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

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

Hail and Amen.

[Live photos courtesy of Sensory Abuse]

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.."

Raining Blood

Jeff Hanneman Memorial 
The Palladium, Los Angeles, California
May 23, 2013

I still don't have my head around this yet and I might not for awhile: An original member of Slayer is gone.  Despite the usual band trials and tribulations over the years, Slayer have always been SLAAAYER.  When I first saw them at venues like Ruthie's Inn we were all still pimply-faced teenagers.  The Metal Godz work in mysterious ways and approximately 10,585 days later my professional life involves SLAAAYER. However, I was still shocked and honored to receive a VIP invitation to Jeff's memorial.  As I drove to the memorial this started playing on the rental car radio:

Amazing, right?  "An unforeseen future nestled somewhere in time..."

The sadness of this day was made at least a little bit positive by all of the old friends who were in one place again.  There were at least a half dozen people in the VIP area who I've known since we were all teenagers.  Many other friends and acquaintances were also in the house who have entered my life over the years.  One of those old teenage friends later spoke from the podium about releasing Slayer's first two albums on his indie record label that's still called Metal Blade Records.

I'm not going to detail who said what from the podium since you can see and read about that all over The Internets by now.  I'm not going to list what Rock Stars and Metal elite were standing around me up in the balcony.  This event was so much bigger than all of that.  Who would have thought a public event associated with Slayer could be so overtly emotional?

As I said at the start of this rant, I still don't have my head around this day.  However, while typing this, some order has started to come out of the conflicted chaos that are my current thoughts and old memories.  When Cliff Burton passed away a million years ago we were all still young and he wasn't a legend yet.  His death represents an unfulfilled future to me.  When Paul Baloff passed away I wasn't following Metal at that time in my life so unfortunately I wasn't completely engaged with him leaving. His death represents an unfulfilled past to me.  Jeff Hanneman's death represents an unfulfilled present to me.  Slayer are still relevant here in the 21st Century.  If you don't agree then just choke on some Halestorm MP3s.  No, I don't know how to perform the heimlich maneuver.  To quote SLAAYEER:  "Before you see the light you must die.."

Best Quote:  "FUCK SPIDERS!!" - A random fan during one of the testimonials after Hanneman's battle with necrotizing fasciitis was mentioned.

While the testimonials were all heartfelt and powerful, the emotional highlight of the service for me came when the retrospective slideshow began. It was an extreme honor and also very surreal to have a few photos and some flyers from Murder In the Front Row included in the slideshow... and then magic happened.

As 'Raining Blood' started playing over the PA a massive pit opened up on the floor with everyone singing along.  I must have had something in my eyes.. but I wasn't crying, goddammit... (Yes I was...).  "Now I shall reign in blood!" felt more like a prayer than a war cry at that moment.  Amen.

Of all the things that came full circle on this day, my favorite one was the profound irony that Hanneman's memorial was being held in the same venue that Slayer was banned from playing.  Local L.A. Metal veterans still tell the story of when Slayer played The Palladium on the South Of Heaven Tour in 1988 (with Danzig supporting).  Fans who couldn't get into the sold out show rioted outside and Slayer were banished from The Palladium... just like Satan being cast out of Heaven in that book of ancient stories.  Full circle AND Jeff got the last laugh.

Number of times the Krokus song 'Screaming In The Night' was played over the PA = 2.  If you bought one of every Hanneman memorial merch item you would have paid $25, but all of the proceeds went to Music Cares.  Rest in peace and thank you, Jeff..

"Rancid Angel of Death... Flying free..."

Hanneman

January 30, 1984... Wolfgang's, S.F.. Slayer's first show in San Francisco. Photo taken by Umlaut and his Canon AV-1. 

Rest in Peace, Jeff... Rest in Peace.

Close your eyes
Look deep in your soul
Step outside yourself
And let your mind go