Tag: Godsmack

On This Day in History

On this date in history, 8/10/2000, I saw my third consecutive Ozzfest at the familiar confines of Deer Creek. The lineup that year included Ozzy Osbourne, Pantera, Godsmack, Static-X, Incubus, Methods Of Mayhem, P.O.D., Queens Of The Stone Age, Taproot, Apartment 26, Soulfly, Kittie, Disturbed, Reveille, Slaves On Dope, Pitchshifter, The Deadlights, Primer 55, and Shuvel.

Out of all those bands, there were only a handful that stood out for me on that day. Soulfly headlined the second stage and rendered all the other bands on that stage null and void with their thunderous tribal warfare.

Max Cavalera stood on the stage like a metal Bob Marley, bringing his people to the promised land of the almighty riff. Queens Of The Stone Age were out of place on this tour, but Josh Homme and company executed their set like ninja assassins, playing with deadly controlled ferocity and elegance.

Incubus were reliably excellent as well. Brandon Boyd sang at a level most metal singers can’t attain, which is to say that Incubus never claimed to be a metal band in the first place. This departure from the norm always suited them and let them separate from the pack in the best way.

Static-X, led by the always unique Wayne Static (R.I.P. Wayne), played their brand of ‘evil disco’ and got the crowd moshing and bouncing throughout their frantic set. Godsmack were the band onstage when the inevitable sod war began. Front man Sully Erna managed to put a quick end to it when he announced that if it didn’t stop, neither Pantera or Ozzy would perform.

Needless to say, the lawn raping came to an abrupt finale then and there. Godsmack played a killer set, but the best was still to come.

PanterA took the stage and top honors for the day. Phil Anselmo’s commanding presence, fearsome vocal power, and drill sergeant crowd control whipped the masses into a crazed volcanic moshing cauldron of humanity.  Dimebag’s guitar cut through our souls and melted all in its sonic path, while Rex Brown’s bass rearranged our chromosomes to Vinnie Paul’s crushing beats.

Ozzy capped it all with a set full of the Ozzman’s finest tunes. Only the Prince Of Darkness himself could follow the Pantera attack and still bring more out of us, but that is precisely what he did. Even on a day where there were quite a few sub par bands, Ozzfest still managed to be the show of the summer.

Written By Braddon S. Williams aka The Concert Critic

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On This Day in History

On this date in history, 8/7/2011, the Mayhem Festival arrived at Deer Creek in Noblesville just in time to make all of us metal fanatics happy…or at least argumentative concerning the lineup, which included Disturbed, Godsmack, Megadeth, Machine Head, Hatebreed, The Athiarchists, Unearth, Suicide Silence, Kingdom Of Sorrow, All Shall Perish, Red Fang, Straight Line Stitch, and The Surface. Every year I attended one of these all day metal festivals I would always try to discover a band I hadn’t previously heard before, and Red Fang was that band on this date.
They were phenomenal, kind of a mixture of Clutch and Mastodon, but very individual and original sounding at the same time. Highly recommended, in other words…check ’em out. Straight Line Stitch were great, too. I have a soft spot for bands with female vocalists, and the woman who sings for Straight Line Stitch can truly sing in addition to sounding like a wounded animal being tortured by hot pokers.
All Shall Perish brought the brutality, as did Suicide Silence. This was the last time I saw Mitch Lucker perform before his untimely death, and the next time that Suicide Silence returned, their new singer came from All Shall Perish, so this show was the beginning of a circle.
Kingdom Of Sorrow combined Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed with Kirk Windstein of Crowbar and Down (at that time) for a monstrous side project.
Bad weather temporarily halted their set, but it passed quickly enough that they were able to return and finish what they started.
We (being crazy metalheads) didn’t even seek shelter! Unearth played a blazing set that paved the way for Machine Head over on the main stage. Machine Head were my favorite band of the entire day. Rob Flynn and his army were simply magnificent, playing with a precision and rage that the iconic Megadeth had trouble following.
Dave Mustaine has always run a tight ship with Megadeth, and they rose to the challenge, showing why they are firmly in the Big 4 of thrash metal.
Godsmack shifted gears somewhat, ushering in the more “radio friendly” format of metal that would continue through their set and into the headliners, Disturbed. My friend and I stuck around long enough to watch the film that lead into Disturbed’s performance and then we left.
Mutually agreed that we don’t like that band. I acknowledge their success and understand they have legions of fans. I hope those fans enjoyed the show, but it isn’t my band and never will be. Overall, I had a fantastic time as always. I discovered a band, rocked to some longtime favorites, and truly had a great day with a really cool person.
Written By Braddon S. Williams aka The Concert Critic
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On This Day in History

imagesOn this date in history, 6/29/1999, I witnessed my second Ozzfest in the friendly confines of Deer Creek in Noblesville, IN. This one was one of the best lineups they ever had, in my humble opinion, featuring Black Sabbath, Rob Zombie, Deftones, Slayer, Primus, Godsmack, System Of A Down, Apartment 26, all on the main stage, with Fear Factory, Static-X, Puya, Slipknot, Hed (Pe), Flashpoint, Pushmonkey, and Drain S.T.H. on the second stage. 88a04e3ef23045e4c5f262e8039b09df

For some unknown reason even to myself, I didn’t see any of the second stage bands that year, but I have heard from many sources that the first Indiana appearance of Slipknot was legendary. I know that Static-X and Fear Factory likely delivered crushing sets as well.

This was a concert of firsts for me. I saw System Of A Down, Godsmack, Slayer, and the mighty Black Sabbath for the first time at this show. I had seen Rob Zombie with White Zombie, but this was also the first time I saw him solo.

System Of A Down were up there doing what they do, and I was having a hard time wrapping my ears around it, having never properly heard them yet, but I started watching this guy who knew every word to every song and through his enthusiasm I caught their passion and became a fan instantly.

I went out and bought their debut cd the following day. Primus provided another first as they brought out Buckethead for an utterly mind blowing guitar solo segment during their performance. They also delighted the crowd by performing their self-penned theme song from the South Park tv show, creating a frenzied mosh pit that would have made Eric Cartman proud.

Speaking of frenzied mosh pits, Slayer came next and incinerated the playing field with their Slaytanic assault, melting faces and unleashing their legendary fury. I felt a little sorry for Deftones, who had to follow the blitzkrieg, but they are an amazing band in their own right, and they played great, as usual.

Rob Zombie put on a stunning visual overload type of show that he has made his career on, and proving beyond a doubt that he is one of the best metal headliners around. During “Thunder Kiss ’65”, Kerry King from Slayer joined Zombie on stage to deliver a ghoulish masterpiece.

imagesWhen Black Sabbath finally took the stage they opened with “War Pigs” and all the hair on my neck and arms literally stood up. I can’t begin to describe the glorious totality of that SOUND…Sabbath is like the slow moving lava cruising down the side of Mt. Doom, crushing all in its path in this infinitely compelling darkness. Without them, metal would have still been born one way or the other, but thankfully it WAS born with them, and this Ozzfest will always hold a special place in my heart. Sabbath and Slayer for the first time at the same concert? Yeah, that pretty much ruled!

Written By Braddon S. Williams aka The Concert Critic

 

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