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]

Thrashy

Lamb Of God / Killswitch Engage / Testament / Huntress
The Fox Theater, Oakland, California
November 9, 2013

YES I'm behind with this blog thing and NO I haven't really been motivated to write recently for some reason.  Anyway, this show was over a week ago and it was pretty chilly that night and I should have worn a heavier jacket.  Before the show Photo Ray and I fueled up at Rudy's Can't Fail before diving into the potential drama that can be the guest list at Will Call.  Long story short, if only all shows were this easy:

Before entering The Fox I had a long overdue drink and catch up session with my Murder In The Front Row co-author / brother Harald O. at a nearby bar that I'd been to before but had completely forgotten about.  Then I found myself inside The Fox watching the last songs of the Huntress set.  Oddly, I had not seen Huntress before... although I had seen the singer in a Metal cover band called Chelsea Girls several years ago in Vegas.  Huntress were not awful and I appreciate how their music is based on Classic Metal, but I will offer the opinion that a song like 'I Want To Fuck You To Death' sung by a witchy woman in a leotard and cape might cause people to pigeonhole the band into a certain stereotype.  Just saying..

During the changeover there was a nice mellow social scene in the VIP area with a few friends as well as 1/2 of Machine Head.  I was kind of surprised there weren't more familiar faces in attendance, especially since it was a Saturday night. However, given that we were in downtown Oakland the local vibe was in full effect.. something that Mr. Robb Flynn commented on as well. 

Anyway, local heroes and legends Testament were up next and it pains me to see them playing so far down on bills like this.  Eight songs and 40 minutes for the longest running and most influential band playing tonight?!  Also, I can't remember the last time Testament actually played inside Oakland city limits.  Of course, they destroyed their hometown with the newer song 'Native Blood' being my fave of the set.  However, given the brief time onstage, it was a classics heavy setlist with 4 songs from The New Order album alone and 'Over The Wall' closing things out.  Then it was "Thankyougoodnight!" and Testament disappeared into their hometown night to be with family and friends before leaving for the next city in the morning.

Uhh, the last time I saw Killswitch Engage they had a different singer and that one guitarist wore a cape onstage and told jokes about having sex with underage girls. I think I'm too old to *get* Killswitch so I'll just leave it at that.  So while they entertained the kidz I had a nice conversation with my good friends a cold beer, Photo Ray, and Nikki Blakk in the bar during their set.  Since The Fox has an in-house video system that's shown on the big screens in the bar, I can at least say I saw Killswitch tonight.

Last but not least, the heirs to the Pantera crown Lamb Of God exploded onstage and I'm sure there was a guy wearing a Pantera shirt in the pit trying to start a fight.  LOG's production was not unlike the recent Megadeth staging that was heavy on video projected behind them on screens behind the backline.  Honesty is my only excuse:  The only song I wanted to hear was 'Walk With Me In Hell' and they blasted that out as the 3rd song of the set.  LOG should headline a Beards of Metal Tour; fake beards could be sold at the merch stands so the entire crowd could participate.

If you bought one of every Lamb Of God merch item you would have paid around $260.  On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag.  Then 5 days later it was...  

Kreator / Overkill / Warbringer
The Fillmore, San Francisco
November 14, 2013 

Honesty is my only excuse:  The main reason I was interested in going out tonight was because it was a rare Metal show at The Fillmore.  There's so much history in the space and it's my favorite hometown venue... and if only all shows were this easy:

I've seen Warbringer several times and they are good at the retro Thrash thing... but I'd like them more if the singer didn't talk to the crowd in his Metal character voice in between songs.  The voice sounds silly... and Baloff didn't have to use a character voice onstage..  but I'm nitpicking because they are one of the better younger bands who dress like we did back in The Day.

The fact this show was at The Fillmore was surprising because the last time Overkill were scheduled to play in San Francisco the show was cancelled due to tepid ticket sales.  However, tonight the old school New Jersey veterans made up for it by playing one of the best sets I've seen them play in these parts... but they didn't play 'Wrecking Crew'.. which I thought was odd.  There were a lot of kidz in the house tonight and it was cool to see them respond to Overkill like it was 1987 again.  I watched the set from the lazy person's spot in the VIP balcony. I noticed a guy in a wheelchair heroically pushing himself around the pit.  After one time around a random guy started pushing him and then another guy helped out.  They ran into people like a careening car on a busy street going the wrong way but no one cared.  I got teary-eyed watching it.  A Metal band of brothers!  Yes, I was a hypocritical jerk for being up in the balcony while those kidz kept it real... but I salute them.

After Overkill I went to the bar and ran into Tom Hunting of Exodus.  Then, after a longish changeover, those veteran German thrashers Kreator returned to a San Francisco stage. At this point Umlaut was a bit punchy from a long work day, but the German's set pretty much went like this the entire time:

Video courtesy of Umlaut's iPhone

Yes, they played 'Pleasure To Kill'.  Despite my fear earlier in the evening that the show would not be well attended, the floor of The Fillmore ended up being decently full and action packed.  There were enough young kidz in attendance to give the floor action some good energy.  It wasn't one of those Old Metal shows where it's just 45-year old men shoving each other and calling it a pit.  All in all an unexpectedly great show!

I was lazy and didn't do a merch audit.  On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag.  Although I didn't do a merch audit there was some juicy merch drama tonight:  Overkill have a different shirt for every night on this tour specific to each city.  Pretty cool, right?  Unfortunately, evidently there are certain rules of conduct when using a venue's name on merch (I might or might not know about this...) and, long story short, Overkill were not able to sell the San Francisco event tee.. which was pretty cool:

Tee pics courtesy of Alan Ralph

Since I may or may not know something about this, I'm disappointed that Overkill's merch person didn't sell the tees outside the venue after the band's set.  Oh well... Anyway, such is the drama behind the scenes at some of your favorite concerts, kidz.

Run To The Hills

The Battle of San Bernardino
Iron Maiden / Megadeth / Anthrax / Testament / Overkill
September 13, 2013

This show went onsale over 4 months in advance back in April, which seemed like a 100 years in the future back in the Spring... but now the day had finally arrived.  This was the type of bill that would only happen in Europe when I was a Teenage Metalhead in the 80's; one that we could only dream would happen in America.  That was over 30 years ago, so better late than never I guess.

After taking a late night flight out of Oakland I found myself in a hotel parking lot at midnight and it was still almost 80 degrees outside.  There was a car with Slayer, Anthrax, Exodus, Testament, Iron Maiden, and "All I Want To Do Is Listen To Heavy Metal" bumper stickers on it.  As I walked past this Metal Mobile I said "Hi" to the kid who was leaning against it.  He replied with "You going to Maiden?"... and I said "Fuck yeah"... and he nodded and replied with "Fuck yeah.." Then I walked past a car with 2 kids making out in it. Then I got into the elevator with 3 kids, one wearing a Metallica tee, who reeked of doobage. They suddenly bailed out of the elevator before it closed; maybe they thought I was a narc despite my Motörhead shirt. The kidz are alright.

The next day when we arrived in the amphitheater parking lot the Maiden tail gate parties were already in full roar with tents and even campers set up.  Gathering of The Tribe! The tone was set early on when we walked past a Maiden fan wearing a Maiden hockey jersey in the 90+ degree heat but who also had an artificial leg with The Trooper art painted on it (!).  Metal!  Despite how the day would unfold, I was overwhelmed a couple of times by a sense that I was amongst "my people".

Anyway, I became involved in some Will Call drama that makes this story kind of convoluted, so I'll try and relate this tale as organized as possible.   First off, we had tickets so English Bob and I made it inside and watched Overkill play on a small side stage crammed into a corner of the concourse.  More importantly, we made it inside to get a cold beer after standing in the hot sun at Will Call.  Unfortunately, Overkill sounded like shit and we couldn't really see them.  The next hour or so was a blur of heat and beer combined with some nice conversations with a couple of Bay Area friends who had also made the trip (Hey Liz and Tiyo!) and some other Metalheads who we randomly met.  One of them was wearing an Orchid tee and his friend without warning told me she had given the guy wearing the Orchid tee a copy of Murder In The Front Row for Christmas.  Wow.. They had given no indication they knew who I was up until then.. Thanks for the support! Then Testament opened up on the main stage.

Our Bay Area heroes unloaded into the sunburned face of San Bernardino with a short and concise 30 minute set.  The newer song 'Rise Up' opened things up followed by old standards like 'The New Order', 'Practice What You Preach', and 'Into The Pit'.   A half hour was criminally short for a band of Testament's stature but it was clear that the crowd understood it was quality over quantity this time.  Thankfully Chuck Billy & Company are hitting the road in the U.S. again this Fall because they were just getting heated up in San Bernardino when they had to unplug and head back to the comfort of backstage.

Anyway, back to my Will Call drama:  Yes, I had tickets but my name was not on a certain guest list for a pass as it was supposed to be.  Back in the ancient times before The Internets and mobile technology you couldn't call or text someone to help you with a Will Call problem.  You could try to slip a handwritten note to someone backstage via a security guard, but unless you were a cute girl the odds of that working weren't that great.  For all of the things technology has ruined here in the 21st Century (record stores, etc..) it's also made situations like this much easier to deal with... as long as you have a cell signal... which was very hit and miss at this venue (Trivia:  The US Festival was held on this same site in 1983).  So during the time after Testament played the following happened...

Despite my initial Will Call setback, the Metal Godz once again proved they work in mysterious ways.  One thing led to another and I contacted an old friend (via text) who lives on the other side of the country.  This friend (Hi Patrick!) contacted a mutual band friend (who we've known for years) whose band happened to be playing today.  Then this band friend passed on his contact info to me and I contacted him directly.  Then after trading messages back and forth with this band friend and his assistant this was delivered to Will Call for me:

Unfortunately I only saw the first song of Anthrax's set ('Caught In A Mosh') since I used the plastic to go backstage and thank my band friend before his set.  Considering that (1) his band was playing direct support at the show and (2) it was his birthday and he had his family with him, the fact that he went out of his way to help me was amazing.  Then this happened:

Pretty cool.  Anyway, after a short chat my band friend told me to come back after their set.  I just want to say this:  No matter what Dave Mustaine's politics or opinions might be, the bottom line is he still treats me like a friend after 30+ years... and that's all that matters to me.  He genuinely remembers the Old Metal Days... and he still shreds.

We stopped in Catering to grab some waters... and it was surreal seeing 2 members of Maiden casually hanging out with crew and guests.  I ran into another Bay Area friend who's on the Testament crew (Hey Walter!) and also managed quick chats with Alex and Chuck of Testament as well. We also finally met up with Photo Ray and the day's Bay Area circle of Metal was finally complete.  All of the earlier crazy from the heat Will Call drama was forgotten.

Right before Megadeth came on they played Diamond Head - 'Lightning To The Nations' and Exodus - 'Bonded By Blood' back to back over the PA... which was a nice old school touch.  Then the houselights went down and Megadeth tore into 'Hanger 18' and then 'Wake Up Dead'.  The band's production consisted of video screens behind them and on the back line which worked very well with the band's set of precise Metal.  Over the next 50 minutes Megadeth were my favorite band for obvious reasons.  The band executed a tight set that included a great version of 'In My Darkest Hour' as well as solid versions of 'Symphony Of Destruction' and 'Peace Sells' that closed the main set with the encore of 'Holy Wars' nailing it all down.  Solid.

I missed the first 3 1/2 songs of Maiden's set because I was at Mustaine's birthday cake party in his trailer.  The symphony of destruction of Dave's birthday cake:

For the record it was a chocolate cake with a creme filling shaped like a Flying-V.  Deliciously Metal.  Yes, we sang 'Happy Birthday' to him.  It should also be noted that Accept was playing on the stereo during the birthday cake party.

After the Mega-Birthday party we returned to our seats midway through '2 Minutes To Midnight'.  Ironically today was Friday the 13th... and according to the Umlaut Archives this was my 13th time seeing Maiden.  Trippy.   This was also the 3rd time I've seen Maiden on this tour and, despite having missed the beginning, it was the best performance out of all of them. Maiden were on fire, with Bruce sounding especially strong and the sound was pretty much perfect; the huge crowd sang along loudly to every song. Epic. The version of 'Wasted Years' was special.   As during the previous shows I saw on this tour last year, the middle section of 'The Trooper' into 'The Number of the Beast' into 'Phantom of the Opera' into 'Run To The Hills' had the most impact. However my favorite tonight was the epic complex progressive hammer of 'Seventh Son of a Seventh Son' while 'Wasted Years' and 'Aces High' were the emotional highlights for me. Is there any more life affirming concert moment than singing along with 30,000 other Metal fans to 'Aces High'?!  Nope.  "Fly to live!!  Do or die!"

There was a group of 4 young Hispanic Metal kids sitting right in front of me.. all decked out with denim vests, patches, and band tees... and they sang along to EVERY song. They were going nuts the entire time and knew all the songs and not just "the hits". I almost got teary eyed watching them sing along with Maiden during 'Wasted Years'.. They stood on their chairs every once in a while to bang their heads.. If it had been any other show I would have been the annoyed old guy, but they were just like me at their age. It was awesome. The kidz are alright.

The next morning I was preparing to return to The Bay Area when the Metal Godz provided us with one final blessing for the weekend.   While packing up I texted my farewell to a friend who then mentioned how I was only 15 minutes away from the grave of.... RANDY RHOADS.  WTF!?  Since we had time before our flight, English Bob and I found an awesome old school diner for breakfast (Tole House Cafe... Open since 1951!) and jetted the rental car towards Mountain View Mortuary & Cemetery... where we quickly found the final resting place of Randy Fuckin' Rhoads:

I was speechless.  I worshipped Randy Rhoads during his short time with Ozzy and had been lucky enough to have seen him onstage twice. However, it had been almost 32 years (!) since the last time I was in the same venue as him.  Seeing "1982" etched into his tomb profoundly reminded me how much time had passed since he left this world.  ALOT has happened since then and it felt like my Teenage Metalhead had come full circle (again).  Over the mountain, man... Over the mountain.

Number of strangers who told me they were Murder fans as I walked through the crowd at Maiden = 2.  On the way back to San Francisco, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags.  As with the epic Big 4 show a couple of years ago it took me a couple of days to decompress from this monumental day of Metal... but I didn't have a lot of time to reflect because a couple of days later I was attending the fancy U.S. red carpet premiere for the movie by a local Metal band called Metallica... but maybe I'll rant about that later.

"Run to the hills... Run for your life.."

The Home Team

Testament / Overkill / 4Arm / The Butlers
The Fillmore, San Francisco
January 30, 2013

The feeling of Bay Area pride that I felt in the air as I entered The Fillmore was thick enough to cut with a fictional knife.  It's been amazing to witness so many bands from back in the Murder In The Front Row days who have gotten a second (or 3rd... or 4th..) wind in recent years and come back stronger than ever.  Testament is one of those bands from the 415 / 510 who are now seemingly immortal here in the 21st Century.  The Butlers were already onstage and a lot of old friends were there early as well.

Umlaut generally loathes cover bands, but The Butlers are so good that I must admit I dig them.  The band features former members of such veteran Bay Area bands as Exodus, Jetboy, and Ruffians so their musical chops are as real as the Golden Gate Bridge.  It was a nice 35 minute warm up of Thin Lizzy, Black Sabbath, and Alice Cooper tunes.  Then the band played their trump card by bringing out their buddies Phil Demmel of Machine Head for UFO ('Shoot Shoot') and then Rob and Mark of Death Angel for Judas Priest ('Green Manalishi'!).   Dude, it was one of those only in The Bay Area moments!  I thought it was funny that the kid on the rail with the Machine Head back patch on his denim vest got WAY more excited about Rob and Mark then he did for Phil.  Kind of awkward...

Rob of Death Angel and Craig of The Butlers

[Photo courtesy of Photo Ray]

I spent the entire duration of 4Arms set in the upstairs bar getting some food / beer and quality hang time with old friends (Hail to Photo Ray, Cable Car, and The Behrhorsts!)... and then this happened:

[Photo courtesy of Photo Ray]

Yes, Phil Demmel of Machine Head (and Vio-lence) carries around his copy of Murder In The Front Row with an old school written-on-a-piece-of-paper autograph hit list of people in the book.  His list is not just band people but also old friends and local Metalheads who are in shots.  So fucking cool... Murder is our yearbook.  Yes, I was on his list.  Anyway, meanwhile downstairs there was a Metal show going on...

Overkill...I'll be honest.. I've never been a big fan.  Although I do still have their original 1983 'Power In Black' demo tape that an East Coast penpal sent me back in The Day. Overkill are at 2/5 original members these days and they were good.. MUCH better than the last time I saw them. The had the crowd action going nicely all night especially during older songs like 'Wrecking Crew'.. and Bobby did have the best quote of the night with "Sweet baby Jesus in a Slayer shirt we've got ourselves a Thrash show!"   I couldn't have said it better myself... I guess.

It was the first night of the tour, which always means there will be some fine tuning needed.. but despite a couple of miscues Testament destroyed their home field tonight.   The 4 songs performed off their great new album Dark Roots of Earth fit right in with the older material; Testament are a machine of mayhem these days from their seemingly endless touring.  The vintage 'The New Order' was the highlight of the set for me but 'Practice What You Preach' was the quintessential moment when the hometown band became profoundly one with the hometown crowd.

Chuck and Greg of Testament

[Photo courtesy of Photo Ray]

It's still mind blowing watching Testament onstage with the legend that is Gene Hoglan sitting atop the drum riser.  The guy is the Cozy Powell of his generation and he never seems like he's phoning a performance in despite the fact he's playing with, what, 2 or 3 bands at the moment?  Drum God.  After the main set, and after a good chunk of the crowd had already left, Chuck Billy and the guys came back out for an unscheduled version of 'Over The Wall' that was not on the printed setlist.  Nicely done.. Home cooking rules! 

If you bought one of every Testament merch item you would have paid around $220.  My only question is why don't they have a simple logo tee?  On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag.  Five days after this show the Niners returned to the Super Bowl for the first time in 18 years and lost because they couldn't score from 5 yards out... Ridiculous... but I'm sure Testament were okay with that since they're Raiders fans. 

Road Trip

Anthrax / Testament / Death Angel
Ace Of Spades, Sacramento, California
September 14, 2012

Sometimes this blog writes itself. What should have been a surgically precise Metal Road Trip with my Murder In The Front Row co-author Harald O., the great Ian Christe of Bazillion Points and Sirius XM Liquid Metal, and Photo Ray took a very Metal turn when Harald's cell phone rang mere minutes after getting in the car. On the phone was none other than the mighty Chuck Billy of Testament asking if we could stop at the band's rehearsal space and pick up their... SMOKE MACHINE. Dude, I could not make this stuff up! Anyway, long story short, we ended up at the Oakland Music Complex picking up Testament's SMOKE MACHINE.

At this point in our Road Trip, I sort of half expected a call from Death Angel asking us to stop at their Mom's house for the sandwiches she made them for the road. Also, parked out in front of the studio was a blue Ford Festiva with a Watain sticker on it:

Cue "Out on the road today I saw a Watain sticker on a Ford Festiva.." sung to the tune of that Don Henley song 'Boys Of Summer'. Long story short, after this detour the 90 mile drive was not as hellish as expected. However, things got decidedly more upscale and New York City / European when Mr. Christe broke out the... WHITE WINE and CHEESE (??!) while the Scorpions Animal Magnetism album blasted on the car stereo.

NOT METAL... but classy... I guess.  To quote the Scorpions:  "Have you ever had a secret yearning?  Don't you know... It could come true?"

Anyway, upon arriving in Sacramento we sort of got hijacked into paying for parking by a dubious parking lot "attendant"... and then Harald disappeared as he went to deliver the SMOKE MACHINE to Testament backstage. At this point the rest of us had a decision to make: Should we risk missing Death Angel and get some much needed FOOD. I strongly suggested the latter (Sorry Death Angel!) and we found ourselves at the pub next door to the venue called Burgers & Brew. We were joined by Murder In The Front Row alumnist Chris (who can be seen in the photos on pages 97 and 99 of Murder!) for some excellent food, beers, and conversation. The meal was punctuated by me receiving a text message from the guy who sings 'Master Of Puppets'. What a nice Metal touch, right? Right after the meal we ran into Ted and Mark of Death Angel in front of the pub who confirmed that we had missed their brief opening set. Sorry, my brothers... but Umlaut will see you next month in Oakland!

Trying to enter the venue proved to be an adventure unto itself. First, a security guard told us that Will Call was across the street and wasn't willing to explain it further when I pointed out that the only thing across the street was an empty sidewalk and a parking lot. However, a 2nd security guard informed us that Will Call was actually inside the venue (DUH!)... but once we got to the Will Call window there was nobody there. So, as Testament charged through the opening songs of their set we stood waiting until the person "working" Will Call finally returned to their station. Cue impatient foot tapping... but thankfully there was no guest list drama. When it comes to gigs, Sacramento has always been a "2 steps forward, 1 step back" place and I honestly don't know why.

Testament were in full on roar when we finally got inside and it quickly became obvious that the venue was way too small for this bill. The capacity of 1,000 was filled to the brim with humanity (a high percentage of whom were wearing Iron Maiden shirts) and the air was thick with sweat and spilled alcohol. Metal. In all honesty, Testament looked great on the small onstage but the sound pretty much sucked. I'll just chalk it up to it being the first night of the tour and things weren't dialed in yet and leave it at that.

It had earlier became obvious there was way too much security and rules for a Rock venue, and this was only magnified once we were inside. Inside you couldn't bring your drinks outside of the designated bar areas.  Outside you couldn't stand in certain places in front of the venue.  We were told by the club's security not to stand on the sidewalk and to move to the bricked area next to the street... and then Sacramento cops told us we couldn't stand in that bricked area! WTF Sacramento... It probably didn't help things that the police station was only a few feet away on the next corner.

Anthrax moshed onto the stage and were entertaining as always; I always like to watch kids react to 'Caught In A Mosh'. However, the annoying rules of the venue made me choose between watching the band or going to the bar that didn't have a sight line of the stage for a beer. I chose the latter. It turned out to be a good decision because over the course of my stay in the bar I was handed 2 beers that a fan of Murder bought for me. Thanks, dude! Sorry I forgot your name, brother.

At that point, Anthrax had worked the Salt of the Earth residents of Sacramento into a frothy Metal frenzy. I then found out that Mr. Ian Christe had been ejected from the venue by the overbearing security for literally looking at one of them wrong. WTF Sacramento? I'm sure the 3 Sacramento cops hanging out in the lobby during Anthrax bobbed their heads when 'I Am The Law' was played. However, by the time that song was played we were back next door at Burgers & Brew for another round, good conversation, and a nice moment with Chuck Billy of Testament who was also there hanging with his family and friends after his set. Chuck is one of THE nicest dudes in Metal. Later, as we zoomed back towards San Francisco, Baloff was our co-pilot:

"Murder in the front row.."

If you bought one of every Anthrax merch item you would have paid $360; Anthrax had the best looking merch IMO... On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Yes, we drove all the way to Sacramento to basically hang out more than to watch the bands. Yes, it was worth it. Yes, it was one of the most fun nights of the year so far.

The 7 Days Of Murder

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

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

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

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

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

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

Then 24 hours later it was...

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

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

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

(Photo courtesy of Photo Ray)

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

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

Mr. & Mrs. Gary Holt

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

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

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

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

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

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


... and then this happened:

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

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

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

Then 24 hours later it was...

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

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

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

Murder authors with Tom Hunting of the mighty Exodus

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

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

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

The Big 4, 6, & 7

Anthrax / Testament / Death Angel
The Warfield, San Francisco
October 23, 2011

It's taken me several days to get my head around this night. This show represented A LOT of things in Umlaut's past and present that have come full circle this year... and it was kind of overwhelming a couple of times. This was the biggest Metal show to hit The Bay Area in 2011 and was the perfect bookend to Umlaut's epic experience at The Big 4 show in Indio back in April. However, tonight's bill carried more emotional weight because 2 of the 3 main bands were playing in front of their hometown! EPIC.

Prior to the show Photo Ray, Sensory Abuse, and I performed the all too common pre-show ritual of pints and food at The Irish Bank. Then we few, we happy few, made our way to The Warfield for a night of vintage Metal. Within literally a minute of arriving at The Warfield two people commented on The Record Vault shirt I was wearing, including Ted of Death Angel who said he was wearing his Vault shirt onstage tonight! The Bay Area Metal pride was thick in the air and I hadn't even gone inside yet... Once inside I was overwhelmed by the number of old friends who were at the show; it felt like the high school reunion that I never attended in so many ways. However, before I could really socialize I had to take care of some work related responsibilities, but it was all good. Just another day at the office...

(Photo courtesy of Cable Car)

Death Angel were the only band that had the crowd chanting their name before they hit the stage. The hometown heroes detonated immediately with one of their newer songs 'I Chose The Sky' before blazing into 'Evil Priest' from their classic 1987 debut album. The band has been on the road for 18 months and it showed; they were simply awesome. No band works a stage better than Death Angel and their San Francisco hometown pride was in full effect with Ted wearing his Record Vault tee and Will on drums wearing a Niners jersey. I literally got chills down my spine as the hometown crowd (including the balcony) went off during the band's set. It was very special and the first time Death Angel had played The Warfield since 1990 (!). 'Seemingly Endless Time' is always the highlight of a Death Angel set for me... Oddly the band did not play their original war cry 'Kill As One' which was kind of a bummer; it would have been cool to hear the big crowd singing that chorus with the band. It was a criminally short 35 minute set but Death Angel was my favorite band of the night. It's so fucking great to see the band rising above the lineup upheavals of recent years to recapture that fire which made them special to begin with.. and it warmed my heart to hear the crowd chanting "Death Angel... Death Angel.." again after they left the stage.

Death Angel
(Photo courtesy of Sensory Abuse)

Click HERE to see Photo Ray's Death Angel shots!

For the only time on this tour, Testament had their full stage show for tonight's hometown appearance. Whenever Testament walks onstage I get kind of overwhelmed because the band is so larger than life to me now. There's Chuck Billy's gigantic charisma of course, but the rest of the band also exude a swagger that makes me proud to call The Bay Area home along with them. Their hour long, 13 song set exploded with a 1988 double shot of 'The Preacher' into 'The New Order'.. WOW. Testament were even more crushing tonight than usual, with the mix and volume being more thunderous even by their standards. 'Into The Pit' is always the set highlight of a Testament set for me... especially when Chuck Billy holds his half mic stand like a Metal Wizard churning a cauldron of metal to get the crowd action going. The set was so solid, heavy, and loud it kind of left my head spinning... At that point I should have gotten a beer but I don't think I did.

Testament
(Photo courtesy of Sensory Abuse)

Click HERE to see Photo Ray's Testament shots!

Not long after Testament's set one thing led to another and I found myself having an enlightened chat with Alex Skolnick in his dressing room. It made me wish for a day when all Rock Stars were cool and intelligent human beings... Just saying. I then managed to duck upstairs to the stage just as the stage changeover was completed for Anthrax. As the houselights went down I found myself at stage left with Joey Belladonna doing his vocal warm ups right in front of me. I'm not a singer so I found it interesting...

It had been 5 years since Anthrax last played inside the San Francisco city limits. To be honest, the set Anthrax played was very strong but it didn't blow me away. The new songs work well live, but playing a cover of Sepultura's 'Refuse / Resist' seemed misguided when they have so many of their own songs after 30 years. However, the old classics like 'Madhouse', 'Antisocial', and 'Metal Thrashing Mad' were top notch and Belladonna proved he's still a great front man.

While Anthrax raged onstage, the area around me at stage left filled up with a Who's Who of Metal featuring Kerry of Slayer, Gary of Exodus, Robb of Machine Head, Mark of Death Angel, and Kirk of that band Metallica. Impressive, right?! I was also impressed when Scott Ian gave a shout out to San Francisco and mentioned his band's first show here in 1984 at The Kabuki with Raven and Exodus. Who else reading this was at that show besides Umlaut?

Mr. Kerry Fucking King
(Photo courtesy of Cable Car)

The end of Anthrax's set turned into one of the quintessential Old Metal moments of the year. As they launched into the set closing 'I Am The Law', Kirk Metallica snuck behind the PA stack at stage left watching the song. It was cute watching the kids in the front row notice their hometown hero and lose their shit. Then when the chorus of the song came, Kirk and Mark Death Angel casually walked onstage to share vocals with a surprised Scott Ian. When you think about how much shared history Metallica and Anthrax have together it was cool seeing it all come back around onstage in Metallica's hometown. As the song ended Anthrax suddenly started an impromptu version of 'Whiplash' during which Ian took off his guitar and handed it to Kirk... and the impromptu version of the song took flight for several more minutes. So. Fucking. Cool.

(Photo courtesy of Cable Car)

Although I should have, I didn't do a merch audit, but Anthrax did have the best merch IMO. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. It was an epic night and I didn't roll back into Casa de Umlaut until 1:00am.. and it was a school night... but the Metal Godz had blessed us with a spectacular night... and it was cool to be able to catch up with two of my favorite non-Caucasian band friends:

Ted Death Angel

Not Dave Mustaine

(Photos courtesy of Cable Car)

"DROKK IT!"