Victim Of Changes

Judas Priest
Sleep Train Pavilion, Concord, CA
October 27, 2011


When it was announced earlier this year that K.K. Downing had left Judas Priest on the eve of their "Farewell" Tour I decided there was no way I wanted to see them again. K.K. and Glenn Tipton have been the most enduring axe duo in Metal; for me and most of you reading this we've never known a time when that guitar team was not blazing the planet. Now that team is no more. I decided there was no fucking way I was going to this show.

Then days before the show I was put on a guest list via work... What's a good Priest song to symbolize me being a hypocrite?

Unbelievably horrible traffic out to Concord as usual but zero drama at Will Call = A trade off. Calling a band Thin Lizzy without Phil Lynott is a complete abomination and I want no part of it; but we arrived late and completely missed their set anyway. I can't stand Black Label Society; evidently Zakk Wylde wore an Indian head dress onstage this time. I thought he was from New Jersey?? I'm so glad he's not "part" Chinese so he doesn't wear a coolie hat onstage. Thankfully my mates and I spent most of their set eating some dubious venue food and having a beer. Then I had some work related responsibilities to take care of so I ducked backstage, but it was all good. Just another day at the office...
I reemerged into the Real World from the magical world of Backstage mere minutes before Priest were due to take the stage. After being directed around a couple of times by ushers we found ourselves in 4th row seats, dead center. To be honest, the seats made up for K.K. not being in the building; this was my 7th time seeing Priest and I've never been that close to the stage. Sorry K.K... but I can be fickle and shallow like that. "I'm made of Metal.. My circuits gleam.."

The focus on this "Farewell" Tour is that Priest are playing at least one song off of every studio album. A VERY cool idea... if only they'd done this when K.K. was in the band! Anyway we were only in our seats for a couple of minutes, beers in hand, before the houselights went down... the intro tape started... the curtain covering the stage fell... and Priest were right in front of us as 'Rapid Fire' announced the start of the set. It was fucking awesome... until I glanced to the left side of the stage and saw Fake K.K... Buzz kill.. However, I quickly got into the mindset that I was going to have a good time instead of obsessing on K.K.'s absence... and thankfully Priest made it easy by going from 'Rapid Fire' into 'Metal Gods' into 'Heading Out To The Highway'. I sipped on my beer and sang along like the aging Metalhead that I am... and it was good.

Photo by Umlaut iPhone

The high point of the 21-song set for Umlaut was the one-two nostalgic punch of 'Starbreaker' (HOLY SHIT.. They played 'Starbreaker'!) that went into 'Victim Of Changes'. The latter is probably my favorite Priest song and watching the middle solo without K.K. playing it felt wrong even with lasers lighting up the stage... but I still sang along to it. For whatever reason, Slayer and Judas Priest are the only bands that cause me to sing along when I see them live. I have no idea why. Discuss amongst yourselves. However, watching dozens of dudes singing along with Halford to 'Turbo Lover' made me think of a 70's San Francisco bath house... not that there's anything wrong with that.

Because I like to nitpick, I was bummed that the Rocka Rolla track performed was 'Never Satisfied' which Halford had performed on his solo tour last year. However, I tried to stay focused on having fun instead of being a jaded old fart... and the return of 'Beyond The Realms Of Death' to the setlist had me singing along again.. "He'd found a place in his mind and slammed the door..." still gets me every time after all these years, man.

Although I hate to admit it, this was the most F-U-N show of the year! Probably due to the beers, but I made the mental leap and simply got caught up in the songs and tried to ignore Fake K.K. onstage as much as possible. Granted, Fake K.K. did a good job... but it just wasn't the same... but I had F-U-N despite myself. I genuinely felt like I was that 16-year old Judas Priest fan again. "Breaking the what?!"

Photo by Sensory Abuse iPhone

Although I should have, I didn't do a merch audit, but Priest did have the best merch IMO. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Going into the show I ignored any spoiler posts online about the setlist... but I ran into Gary Holt in the concourse before the show and he blew it for me when he rattled off some of the songs Priest were going to play (Exodus had just supported Priest in Poland in August..). Thanks, Gary.

Click HERE to see Photo Ray's shots from the night!

Auf Wiedersehen

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Blood Brothers

Iron Maiden
Sleep Train Pavilion, Concord, California
June 20, 2010

Umlaut's VIP Laminate
(color removed to make it harder for sneaky fucks to counterfeit)

It was a special occasion as Skychick was attending her first Maiden concert! According to the Umlaut Archives this was my 10th time seeing Maiden, so it was a landmark evening all around... However, prior to the show Skychick and I killed time in downtown Walnut Creek shopping at Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma... I know, NOT METAL. Then we met up with Scott, Photo Ray, and Sensory Abuse for some pre-Maiden food and beers at Pyramid Ale. Number of bootleg Maiden shirts at the bar = 1. Also, after our meal Sensory Abuse presented me with a vintage (1992) Maiden picture disc that I didn't have:

"Free Plinth" for display purposes

THANKS, brother! Umlaut loves picture discs long time.

Trivia: Umlaut only recently found out that Sleep Train Pavilion (originally called Concord Pavilion) was designed by legendary architect Frank Gehry…. Who knew, right? To be honest, it has to rank as one of Gehry’s minor efforts IMO. Just saying..

Given my past experience with the guest list at Maiden shows, I was pleasantly surprised that there was absolutely no drama at Will Call this time. However, the wait to enter the venue looked to be insanely long as thousands of Maiden fans lined up at the entrances for what seemed like miles... to which I said "Fuck that..." and we went looking for the back door way into The Metal. Long story short, we asked a security guy and, since we had the proper pass, he directed us to hop into a nearby golf cart... which sped us backstage faster than you could say "The Number Of The Beast".

The Golf Cart of The Beast..

As Dream Theater played their opening set we hung out in the Hospitality area with Robb Flynn and Umlaut Nation friends DeVito, Pam, and Nikki Blakk as various members of Maiden hung out or darted from their buses to the dressing rooms. We also had the chance to have a group chat with one of Maiden's long time crew guys about how it's hard to get a proper cup of tea made in The States (because Yanks don't understand the water must be BOILING HOT and not simply "Hot"..). Only time will tell, but I think the defining image of my Summer of 2010 just might be Dave Murray wearing a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and flip flops holding court backstage in Concord. He was running free... yeah... running free. As Maiden's start time neared we made our way to the soundboard and I had a sense of deja vu because DeVito and I had stood in the same spot for Maiden on the last tour... and here we were again. Metal.

For the newbies: Maiden has ALWAYS played the UFO song 'Doctor Doctor' over the PA right before they take the stage... and it still gives me chills when the intro to the song starts pumping from the speakers... and it was cool how alot of the crowd knew what the song meant as well. As the song's final notes rang out the house lights went off, the roar from the crowd went up a notch, and it was MAIDEN time. MAGIC! Reason #57 why I love Iron Maiden: Their sense of tradition. Longtime Maiden fans also know that the band (or rather Steve Harris) gets most of their inspiration for songs from either (1) History or (2) Literature / Films. Judging from the stage design and theme for this tour I would say the band (or rather Steve Harris) saw District 9... probably multiple times. The Geeks shall inherit The Earth!

Prior to the show there was alot of hating and debating online about the setlist on this tour and how it was weighted heavily towards more recent songs. Of course, one thing that The Internets has destroyed is the element of surprise; was "spoiler alert" even part of the English language 25 years ago?? The show opened with 'The Wicker Man' which is one of the band's best songs from the past decade... which was followed by 'Ghost Of Navigator' (which is an alright song from the past decade).... and then the crowd was rewarded with the nostalgic Old School rage of 'Wrathchild'! My Inner Teenage Metalhead approved... and at one point I pulled out my camera and noticed that the number of shots I had left was The Number Of The Beast:

METAL!

The majority of the set was songs from albums that have been released since 2000. Yeah, some of the songs aren't as strong as "the old classics" but a couple like 'Blood Brothers' (dedicated to Ronnie James Dio) and 'These Colours Don't Run' are classic Maiden songs IMO. In fact, 'Blood Brothers' is a song that captures that geeky feeling of belonging that Metal has always given to Umlaut. Yeah, it's cheesy... Yeah, it's mellow dramatic... but the song translates the sense of belonging and commaraderie that my Inner Teenage Metalhead still appreciates. Sorry, I just don't see an Indie Rock Hipster having my back as effectively as a Metalhead.

Despite what people may have thought about the song selection, the power and performance of Maiden as a band is undeniable. They operate on another level compared to almost every Metal band, from their musicianship to their demeanor onstage. Maiden always look like they're having the time of their lives onstage and that's what makes them timeless and also why they have been my heroes for over half my life. Watching Maiden perform is life affirming because, despite the passing of almost 30 years (!) since I first saw them, they're still just as good as they were back in The Day.... and Steve Harris is still 1 of only 2 Rock Stars who I honestly give a shit about (the other one is Lemmy of course).

Pic courtesy of Photo Ray

As on tours past, the song 'Iron Maiden' ended the main set and it sounded extremely punchy and great tonight.... and speaking of "punchy" at one point during the song I felt someone hitting me on the shoulder repeatedly in time to the song. When I turned around it was Robb Flynn caught up in a Maiden frenzy and singing along. How METAL is that?! Umlaut NEVER sings at concerts, but I sing at Maiden; Skychick was shocked. "Iron Maiden can't be fought!! Iron Maiden can't be sought!"

The 2+ hour show ended strong with 'The Number Of The Beast' > 'Hallowed Be Thy Name' > 'Running Free'. There are certain moments in every Maiden show that *get me* every time... and 3 of those iconic moments happened during this song sequence:

• During 'Number Of The Beast' as the guitar solos finish and Steve does his brief but iconic bass solo... It gets me every time.
• Just as Bruce finishes the first verse of 'Hallowed Be Thy Name' (the line "The sands of time for me are running lowwwww....") and the band kicks in... Up to that moment Dave, Adrian, Steve, and Janick have stood near the backline... but as soon as Bruce hits that line and the song kicks in all 4 guitarists rush forward in unison to the front of the stage. It's like watching a bayonet charge... It gets me every time.
• During 'Hallowed Be Thy Name' (and I've documented this moment in this space before)... During the last 1/4 of the song when Adrian and Dave go into their climatic breathtaking duel axe harmonies that bring the song to its conclusion... It gets me every time.

"Scream for me Concord!! Scream for me!!!"

'These Colours Don't Run' from the soundboard

The complaining about this tour's setlist is annoying to Umlaut. Yeah, I would have liked to have heard more old songs, but the band's last 2 tours in 2005 and 2008 were their "Greatest Hits" tours. Just saying... and just the chance to see Maiden perform should be reason enough for Metalheads to show up. If the recent passing of Ronnie James Dio taught us anything it's that Metalheads need to see their heroes at every possible opportunity. Maiden are as Old School Metal as it gets and no other band from their era is still as popular now as they were back in The Day (they drew 25,000 in L.A. the night before and a sold out crowd of 13,000 in Concord)... and no band from their era of Metal sells as much merch as Maiden either.. believe me.

Watching the band again here in the 21st Century I was fascinated how Janick and Dave still use cords with their guitars instead of wireless systems. Old School! Paying attention to where your guitarists' cords are onstage is a hazard most major bands never deal with anymore... but seeing a guitar physically tethered to amps on a big stage again was as quaint as it was nostalgic. Besides, without a guitar cord to flail around Janick couldn't mimick all of Ritchie Blackmore's old stage moves properly.

Thanks to DeVito for sharing the wealth!

Another aspect of the Iron Maiden mythos is their road crew. Ancient Maiden fans like Umlaut remember how Maiden not only credited their crew guys in tour programs, but also had their pictures featured as well... and since they had the same crew for every tour Maiden Geeks came to know who the crew guys were as well as the band members. This only magnified the sense of "family" that Maiden has always presented. From the fans to their crew.... we were all blood brothers. So, even after all these years, I can still be that Maiden Geek when I recognize an original Maiden crew guy.

Umlaut > Maiden's longtime soundman Doug Hall at work..

I didn't bother doing a merch audit... because Maiden were selling a shitload of it anyway. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. On the drive home I realized that I was in full-on Maiden Geek mode, which is something that has been part of my personality since I was, like, 16-years old. It's cool to have old Rock Star Heroes who can still turn me into a starstruck Metal Geek like that. Hope I die before I get old.

Maiden... Always.

48 Hours Of Mayhem

Mayhem Tour
Sleep Train Amphitheatre, Marysville, CA
July 10, 2009

A Metal Road Trip with Umlaut's music journalist friends Photo Ray and Hard Rock Chick (HRC)!! SPECIAL! Sometimes arriving early at a big festival seems like a good idea until you actually do it... especially when you have to travel over 100 miles to bumfuck Marysville and its scorched Earth Summer heat. I think the weather forecast for the day was "blow torch with a chance of lava.." I was too fried from spending all day under the hot Marysville White Trash Summer Sun to do a "proper" review of this day, so I'm simply going to do a Harper's Index style list:

• Times I heard a band say "pit" or "circle pit" to the audience = 7
• Swastika tattoos = 3
• Unicorn tattoos = 1

The Black Dahlia Murder: They used the Ewok 'Yub Nub Song' from Return Of The Jedi as their intro tape. NOT Metal...

Behemoth: I was half expecting the Poles to melt under the intense heat of the afternoon, but their Black Metal makeup didn't run and they blasted through a great set. However, I have to admit it was almost more entertaining seeing them backstage afterwards sans makeup... and I know HRC will agree with me.

Bullet For My Valentine: My 4th time seeing the Welsh Rock Stars and I still like them despite the fact they tend to remind me of my past professional history. No, Bullet are not Emo despite their name... and '4 Words (To Choke Upon)' is still a good song. Does that make me a Poser? Oh well...

Cannibal Corpse: This was the best set of the day for pure uncut Metal brutality; the pit action was intense and magnified by the heat like ants under a magnifying glass. At one point it was obvious someone was down in The Pit, but it took forever for the medical staff to arrive with a stretcher and fight their way to the injured. It was the only time during the day that the intensity of the crowd matched the intensity of the music.. cue 'Fucked With A Knife'.

Killswitch Engage: I watched their set on the t.v. monitors in the VIP bar... unlike the last time I saw them, at least the guitarist didn't brag about being a pedophile in between songs.. but I can't imagine they were much better in person versus the t.v. monitors. Plus, they somehow think it's cool to wear those novelty t-shirts with a tuxedo printed on the front onstage.. NOT Metal.

Slayer: The masters opened with 'God Hates Us All' > 'War Ensemble'... AND they're playing 'Ghosts Of War' on this tour! Despite the GA floor, this was probably the tamest Slayer crowd I've ever seen; about 1/2 of the people around me were sitting down! WTF... but the band's solid 60 minute set was awesome as usual.. There were no Marshall cabinets arranged into upside down crosses onstage this time, but they made up for it with FIRE:

Slayer!! Fire!
(Vid by Umlaut)

I've been following Slayer since Day One... and I still love them long time. Awww...

(Sidebar: Umlaut needs to upgrade his point & shoot camera to one with (1) a better microphone that can handle high volume levels and (2) one that is good with low light situations sans flash. If anyone has brand / model suggestions please e-mail me!)

Marilyn Manson: I completely missed his set because Paschke invited me to visit the Angel Of Death's tour bus with him, where that band's new album was played for us. Yes, it's FUCKING GREAT!!!

For the second time within a week this concert was also punctuated by 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. Fook 'em.

Holy shite, the drive back from bumfuck Marysville is brutal... Cheers to Photo Ray for driving; I owe you one! I didn't even bother doing a merch audit. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. As I pulled off the freeway towards Casa de Umlaut my normal route was blocked by some heavy police activity around the local gas station... Friday Night Crimes!

Mayhem Tour
Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA
July 11, 2009



Since I wanted to coordinate my arrival with some colleagues, I was able to hang out and chill at Casa de Umlaut for most of the afternoon. Although the previous day had been good, this was a different Mayhem experience than bumfuck Marysville.. It was a more relaxed day for me, mainly because some underlying professional drama that had distracted me in bumfuck Marysville was basically resolved in Mountain View. Longtime readers know that I live to see concerts, but I can't remember the last time I was in such a good mood at a show. Anyway, here's the long and the short of the day from my perspective:

Behemoth: I arrived too late to see their set, but as I entered the backstage common area the Poles were eating sans makeup. I was taken aback that these beings, who appear to be inhuman Metal Gods onstage, eat common food like mere mortals and even use common human eating utensils. Shocking...

Job For A Cowboy: They're not necessarily bad, but I've never been able to get past their name...

Trivium: I've never liked this band, even when they were helping to pay my mortgage... and I thought it was funny that the bassist is all short-haired and GQ now when he used to try so hard to be Metal.

Bullet For My Valentine: While attempting to get to the side of the stage to watch Bullet's set we had to deal with a clueless venue security person who didn't understand the meaning of "All Access". However, Bullet's set paled in comparison to their bassist's chick stalking moves later that night...

Cannibal Corpse: My Harper's Index of things thrown during CC's insane 40 minute set:

• Beers, Bottles, and/or Drinks: 16
  
• Cell Phones: 1
• Garbage Cans: 3
  
• Hats: 10
  
• Jackets: 2
  
• Lit Packs of Firecrackers: 2
• Shirts: 3
  
• Shoes: 10

(Pic by Umlaut)

Dude, the crowd was out of control!! It was the only time during the day that the intensity of the crowd matched the intensity of the music.. cue 'Fucked With A Knife'.

Killswitch Engage: I watched their set on the t.v. monitors in the Angel Of Death's dressing room... but I can't imagine they were much better in person versus the t.v. monitors. Plus, they somehow think it's cool to wear those novelty t-shirts with a tuxedo printed on the front onstage.. NOT Metal.

Note: At this point I must give a HUGE THANKS to HRC for upgrading me to the 3rd row!

Slayer: They say a picture is worth 1,000 words... well here is one thousand words about Slayer from this night..

Kerry King amid fire and smoke onstage from the 3rd row
(Pic by Umlaut)

I can't remember the last time I watched Slayer from this close with the volume from the PA moving my clothes.. According to the Umlaut Archives this was at least my 17th time seeing Slayer dating back to 1984... and I'm pretty sure I said "Amazing!" out loud after almost every song.. with the set closing sprint of 'Angel Of Death' > 'South Of Heaven' > 'Raining Blood' being one of the highlights of my year. In addition to my senses being assaulted from the stage, my head was spinning (in a good way) about the professional drama that had basically been resolved during the day. I actually got kind of emotional as I thought about that drama and the juxtaposition of it with fucking Slayer being onstage right in front of me again. Yes, I'm the type of sensitive guy who can get emotional about Slayer. Does that make me a pussy? If so, then let me be guilty..

Marilyn Manson: I hadn't seen Manson live in 12 years and was not planning to watch his entire set, but since I found myself in the 3rd row I got caught up in the moment. I suppose Manson is trying to create theater onstage, and since I was in such a good mood I went with it. Some of the shtick was silly of course, like having a roadie give him a bottle of water, take only ONE sip every time, and then either throw it down or give / toss it to someone in the front row; I regret not counting how many times he did that. Kudos to any of the Manson Kidz in the front row who got one of the water bottles;they now have some Manson DNA for their collection and / or Ebay.

Manson amid confetti and smoke from the 3rd row
(Pic by Umlaut)

There were also a couple of "wardrobe people" onstage who would alternately bring Manson different stage clothes or props and / or an oxygen tank so he could take a hit. Silly.. but in the end I was surprised that I actually enjoyed his set, although I only knew 2 songs.

For the third time within a week this concert was also punctuated by 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. Fook 'em.

Then it was time to go home and sleep! I didn't do a merch audit again. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. As I started the drive back to Casa de Umlaut, my iPod on shuffle played 'South Of Heaven'. So... fucking... perfect.. Dude, the lyrics perfectly reflect events that are going on in Umlaut's World right now. To quote the mighty Slayer:

"An unforeseen future nestled somewhere in time..
Unsuspecting victims, no warnings, no signs..
Judgement Day, the second coming arrives..."

Amen.

48 Hours Of Back To The Future

Marty: "Wait a minute, Doc. Are you telling me that you built a time machine out of a DeLorean?"

Doc: "The way I see it, if you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?"

Umlaut went back to The Future in a Prius:

Iron Maiden
Sleep Train Pavilion, Concord, CA
May 28, 2008

Question: Is there anything more degrading than standing around waiting for a band's guest list to show up at the Will Call window and hoping your name is on the list as promised?

Answer: Nope.

That being said, Umlaut was eventually sorted for his pre-arranged access to that magical place known as The Rock Concert... so let the magic begin:

Of course, the Umlaut Nation was out in force for Maiden.. So a shout out to Timo, Teri, Johnny, Dave, Richard, Raymond, Whitney, DeVito, and Eric CPA. It's reassuring when you're surrounded by friends and people you know at an event like this... It's, like, when you think you're alone because you're a freak, but then you realize you're not alone... and there are those around you who are just as twisted as you... METAL.

During the opening set by Steve Harris' daughter, I wandered backstage to find the rumored Hospitality Room for band guests. When I entered the room the only other guests present were 3 normal looking guys wearing polo shirts and 1 other normal looking guy wearing an FC Bayern jersey. I got a beer and started chatting with them; they were all Golf Pros and guests of Nicko McBrain (who is a fanatical golfer). Remember when you'd be backstage at a Big Rock Concert and the room would be filled with strippers? Me too, but not no 'mo, I guess. The guy wearing the Bayern jersey revealed that he wore it to "mess with" Steve Harris (who is a fanatical West Ham supporter)... Ooookaay... Dork.

For The Newbies: Bayern is a German soccer team. West Ham is an English soccer team. Cue the Maiden song 'Aces High'..

Maiden were due to hit the stage at 8:30PM, so I wandered back out to the amphitheater to stake out a place in the "Guest" area at the soundboard. When I arrived at the soundboard I noticed there were stairs behind it leading down to the venue's "VIP" bar... so I made a beeline for it. As I started to descend, a Security Guard who was probably fresh out of high school stopped me and said I couldn't go down there. I said "Uhh.. WHY??" and he said I needed a pass... So, I waved the ALL ACCESS PASS that was hanging around my neck in his adolescent face.. The kid then said "That's NOT a REAL pass... Where did you get that??"... and he turned to his colleague (another stupid kid) and asked if that pass looked real to him.. I was, like "WHAT THE FUCK..." and I asked them both if they had the xeroxed sheet of all the passes for the show that defined the type of access each pass gave. They stared at me blankly... At that point I wasn't going to argue with the stupid kids and abandoned my idea of visiting the "VIP" bar.

However, the stupid kids didn't try and stop me as I brushed past them and found a spot on the "Guest" platform in front of the soundboard to watch the show. Also on the platform was Chuck Billy of Testament and 2 guys who either were or are members of Exodus (I can't keep up with Exodus anymore... Is Baloff still in the band?).

Maiden hit the stage at around 8:40PM and I thought I'd gotten the worst of my Maiden Geekdom out of the way at the L.A. show in February; I was wrong. I will fully admit that I became a shrieking Maiden Geek as the 'Churchill's Speech' intro tape (accompanied by historical Battle Of Britain footage on the video screens) heralded the band storming onstage with 'Aces High' > '2 Minutes To Midnight'.. However, my Maiden Geekdom this time spiked during 'Powerslave' when Dave Murray and Adrian Smith went into their "doodle-lee-doo" dual guitar solo. Chills, man. Chills.

Best Time Management Moment: As Maiden launched into 'Can I Play With Madness' (a song from their late-80's sucky period that I cannot stand... keyboards?!), DeVito and I silently seized the moment and scurried down the stairs behind the soundboard to the venue's "VIP" bar to use the Men's Room; the stupid Security kids were now no where in sight to hinder us. DeVito and I then scurried back up to the soundboard just as the song was ending, thus missing the weakest part of Maiden's set. Fawkin' brilliant, right?

For the rest of the set I became fixated on watching my hero, the 52-year old Steve Harris, basically running wind sprints during every song: starting at the drum riser, sprinting across the stage parallel to the back line, and then along the front of the stage. There is a good reason why the man is a legend; no pussy Indie Rock band shows that kind of energy onstage. None.

After the houselights came up, a guy came up to me and said "I recognize you from your Old Metal pics on Flickr!" I was like "WTF..."... The guy explained that he had flown in from Florida for the Concord and L.A. Maiden shows because the band hasn't played in his home state in 12 years, and that he'd seen my Old Metal photos online. If he's reading this: Hey man, I forgot your name, but thanks for the kind words! The Internets can be a crazy place.

Maiden Geek Moment #1: After the show, I walked around a corner backstage and almost ran into the band's wardrobe cases... and then I noticed Bruce Dickinson's Trooper stage outfit hanging on a clothing rack. Then, while watching the crew tear down the stage after the show, I noticed the huge Mummy stage prop curled up in its storage case waiting to be driven to the next show. Cue photo ops both times.

Maiden Geek Moment #2: My NDA prevents me from divulging details, but the highlight of my entire day (No week... No month... No YEAR..) was being introduced to Steve Harris in the Hospitality Room... Steve Harris has, like, been my Metal hero since I was fucking 16-years old... Chills, man. Chills. Note: He's a bit shorter than me. Shocking.

Another highlight of the evening was when I was chatting with a guy backstage who was accompanied by his 4 teenage kids (3 boys and a girl) who were all sporting Maiden gear; I believe that the children are our future, teach them METAL and let them show the way. As he explained that his kids were huge Maiden fans, I realized he was *that guy* who directed *those movies*. Yes, you've seen the movies and, especially if you have kids, I'm sure you own the DVDs. A "Doh" moment for sure, like, totally.

Maiden 2008 Tour Picks (From the Umlaut Archives)

Types of beer offered backstage: Bass and Corona. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. I didn't do a merch audit, but as we entered the venue there were dozens of people lined up at the merchandise stand and they were all staring in stunned silence at all of the Maiden merch that was for sale; it was like they were at church and waiting for their turn at the altar... Ka-ching!!

Maiden... Always.

Then 24 hours later it was:

Arch Enemy / Dark Tranquility
Slim's, San Francisco
May 29, 2008

As much as I love Arch Enemy, I wasn't expecting this show to match the previous night's Maiden Metal Storm... but it did... but in a completely unexpected way:

I was standing at the soundboard and found myself staring at the back of a denim vest a kid was wearing... The vest looked ancient (older than the kid) and there were band patches on it that were incredibly vintage (Diamond Head, Tygers Of Pan Tang, Iron Maiden - 'Women In Uniform'..)... Then I noticed the kid's father standing next to him... He looked familiar.

After awhile the father and son moved closer to where I was standing... I watched them out of the corner of my eye.. Suddenly the father came up to me and started to say "Excuse me.. I was wondering if your name was Bri..." and I interrupted him and said "HANS!?"

The father was a guy from my original gang of Metal friends who I saw all of the early-80's S.F. Metal shows with.. I hadn't seen Hans since at least 1985!! Crazy... crazy... fucking crazy.

Hans' son is 17-years old and way into Metal... To the point where he's wearing his dad's old denim vest now.. and his Dad got back into Metal because his son found his old Metal albums in the basement several years back and asked about them.. Now they go to shows together. METAL: Is there anything it can't do? I kept tripping on seeing Hans' old Metal vest again, since mine is long gone.

Long story short, Rich Hellhound, Umlaut's best friend from HS and another Old Metalhead, was also in the house with his 18-year old son... so I guess you could say this show was the closest thing to a HS reunion Umlaut will attend this year. Time travel is a trippy thing, dontchaknow.

Also in the house was Timo, Johnny, and Raymond... as well as the guy who manages Machine Head, who Umlaut has known since back in the early-80's San Francisco Metal Days as well... It's reassuring when you're surrounded by friends and people you know at an event like this... It's, like, when you think you're alone because you're a freak, but then you realize you're not alone... and there are those around you who are just as twisted as you... METAL.

What? Oh yeah... Arch Enemy were good, but they were better the last time I saw them at The Warfield last year supporting Machine Head. They're the type of band who perform better on a big stage versus a club IMO; they're larger than life when the PA is bigger and the stage gives them more room to rage.

The Amott Brothers did rip it up good on their axes, and Angela commented how she'd eaten a burrito earlier in the day that wasn't sitting well with her now, and it was affecting her performance. T.M.I. or METAL? Discuss amongst yourselves.

If you bought one of every Arch Enemy merch item you would have paid $185. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Umlaut can't remember the last time he was so tired after 48 hours of activity... Either I'm getting old or this 48 hours was that special.. I think it was the latter. METAL.

Footnote: Ironically, the Town Square set from Back To The Future was destroyed in a fire this past weekend.