Digital Diversion

Metal Gods Judas Priest steamrolled through Concord, California’s Sleep Train Pavilion on their Epitaph World Tour courtesy of local radio station 107.7 the Bone’s annual Bone Bash (that’d be XII for those of you keeping score). While folks made have had a tough time hoofing it out to the boonies on a Thursday evening in time to catch an early Thin Lizzy set, by the time Black Label Society wrapped up the seats were full and the crowd was pumped.

At 8:45, the curtain dropped to reveal a stoic Halford in all his studded-leather glory and the metal began. Launching into British Steel’s Rapid Fire, Halford prowled the stage while the twin guitar attack of Tipton and Faulkner blazed and Ian Hill held down the bottom end, somehow without moving his feet during the entire set. During Metal Gods, Halford summoned the pyro … with a perfectly timed flick of the wrist, flames erupted from the stage and all things metal were a-okay. The crowd, which had been relatively sedate during BLS’s set, finally hit its stride during Heading Out To The Highway … singing along, pumping fists and finally giving Priest their well-earned due.

With nearly 40 years under their belt, I would have forgiven a few flubs, but even when I had my doubts that Rob wasn’t going to be able to hold a note, he proved me wrong time and again. And it was during Priest’s cover of Joan Baez’s Diamonds and Rust that Halford truly shined … nailing the vocals as Scott Travis exercised his drumstick gymnastics while keeping the simple beat. Any doubt to whether Halford deserved the title “Metal God” quickly evaporated.

The Priest fanatics will be quick to point out K.K. Downing’s poorly timed retirement from the band in April of this year. Frankly it was an epic shame that he did not participate in this farewell but I must say that Richie Faulkner held his own and, despite being unable to dodge the obvious comparisons to K.K., brought some of himself to the leather suit.

While Priest brought the metal song after song, it was tough to ignore the fact that this was probably the last time anyone in the audience would see the mighty Priest again live. And while it was a work night, I was astounded by the number of people trickling out to the parking lots (presumably heading out to the highway, haha) only one and a quarter hours into this epic set. Don’t make the same mistake and squander your last chance to see the metal gods live EVER AGAIN (link to tour dates)!

Setlist:

• Rapid Fire
• Metal Gods
• Heading Out to the Highway
• Judas Rising
• Starbreaker
• Victim of Changes
• Never Satisfied
• Diamonds & Rust (Joan Baez cover)
• Dawn Of Creation / Prophecy
• Night Crawler
• Turbo Lover
• Beyond the Realms of Death
• The Sentinel
• Blood Red Skies -
• The Green Manalishi (With the Two Pronged Crown) (Fleetwood Mac cover)
• Breaking the Law
• Painkiller

–Encore–

• The Hellion / Electric Eye
• Hell Bent for Leather
• You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’

–Encore 2–

• Living After Midnight

Supporting acts: Black Label Society, Thin Lizzy, The Butlers

© 2011 Alan Snodgrass | www.digitaldiversion.net. Please do not use without express permission (contact). If you like what you see, leave a comment below and subscribe so you can be notified of new posts. You can also become a fan on Facebook for access to exclusive photos.

The Bay Area loves a good party and nothing sets the right tone for that party like a little Pepper. Winding down their Last Calls and Liabilities tour at Oakland’s Fox Theater with local-ish openers (Santa Cruz), The Expendables priming the crowd for what was to be a 90 minute set of the best Reggae the Big Island has to offer.

Pepper took the stage at a prompt 9:30 pm and were met with a thick haze of smoke wafting off the packed floor. A simple stage setup with only rotating paper lantern spots gave the guys plenty of room to work the stage … Bret taking the most advantage of it when not chained to the vocal duties. Someone once said that the fourth member in a three-piece band is rhythm … well, Pepper had the rhythm going on Sunday night and blasted the Fox with some thumping beats which seem to instigate some borderline inappropriate behavior (at least in public) amongst the crowd members.

It was great to see these guys rocking hard.

Supporting acts: Ballyhoo!, The Expendables

© 2011 Alan Snodgrass | www.digitaldiversion.net. Please do not use without express permission (contact). If you like what you see, leave a comment below and subscribe so you can be notified of new posts. You can also become a fan on Facebook for access to exclusive photos.

© 2011 Alan Snodgrass | www.digitaldiversion.net. Please do not use without express permission (contact). If you like what you see, leave a comment below and subscribe so you can be notified of new posts. You can also become a fan on Facebook for access to exclusive photos.

One of the hardest working bands in metal, DevilDriver made another stop in the Bay Area, providing support for Arch Enemy before heading off to Europe with the mighty Machine Head. San Francisco got treated to what was probably one of the tightest and heaviest sets I’ve ever seen from these guys.

The band seems to have really gelled with Aaron “Bubble” Patrick (one of the most dynamic and physical bass players out there) after the departure of Jon Miller earlier this year. And don’t get me started on Spreitzer and Kendrick; when you see Kendrick assuming the position (if you’ve seen DevilDriver before you’ll know what I’m talking about), you know you’re about to get blasted with both barrels. For his part, Dez owned the crowd during the 40 minute set which covered a nice sampling from their entire catalog including the highlight, Dead to Rights from this year’s Beast.

It all went by way too fast for my liking; let’s hope we see these guy back out this way soon.

Setlist:

• End of the Line
• Hold Back the Day
• Dead to Rights
• Clouds over California
• I Could Care Less
• Not All Who Wander Are Lost
• Head On To Heartache (Let Them Rot)
• Pray for Villains
• Before the Hangman’s Noose

Be sure to check out the interview with Dez Fafara from April, 2011.

© 2011 Alan Snodgrass | www.digitaldiversion.net. Please do not use without express permission (contact). If you like what you see, leave a comment below and subscribe so you can be notified of new posts. You can also become a fan on Facebook for access to exclusive photos.

Hank III is one of those few entertainers where it’s okay for punks and metal heads to admit they like country music. So it was no surprise when San Francisco’s Regency Ballroom drew a sold out show hosting everything from cow pokes sporting ten-gallon hats to studded punks with mohawks. It could also be the reason the SFPD preemptively parked a paddy wagon and a pair of uniformed officers out in front of the venue. The SFPD may have been expecting some trouble, but anyone that knows Hank knew what they were getting themselves into when they stepped inside that door. Let’s face it, it shouldn’t be a surprise to find a mosh pit and crowd surfers during the show of the guy who sings Pop Country Really Sucks.

And let’s just say that Shelton Hank Williams III is not one for sticking with the status-quo. Already known for having a diverse set of influences spanning country, punk and metal, Hank took once again bucked the establishment by simultaneously releasing a total of four albums (Ghost To A Ghost, Guttertown, Attention Deficit Domination, Cattle Callin’) last month on his own label.

Known by his fans by consistently providing one of the best values in live music, there was a healthy air of anticipation as the set kicked off shortly after 9 pm with nearly two hours of classic country tunes covering fan favorites such as Punch, Fight, Fu©% and highlighted by a haunting rendition of 3 Shades of Black. The fans of the new material weren’t disappointed, either; between Ghost to a Ghost and Guttertown, Hank has put out some of the best material he’s ever done and, despite the newness of the release, the crowd was right there singing along word for word.

After a short break, Hank returned to a stage accompanied by his drummer for a deep, doomy, drone of the Attention Deficit Domination material. Mood appropriately lit by a single green light attached to his mic stand as well as the video being projected behind him, this provided a cue for the country crew to shuffle off for a beer or a smoke while the headbangers took over the center of the barrier.

Coming into the show, I was particularly curious about how (or if) the material from Cattle Callin’ would be integrated into the set. It was hard to imagine what Hank would do with the material from the concept album with ferocious metal riffs backing … well, a caller from a cattle auction? The answer came three hours into the show with Hank bringing out what I can only assume was an actual auctioneer, rapid-firing lyrics over the din. It didn’t come as a surprise that only the die-hards stuck it out to the end of the three and a half hour performance.

There’s certainly no need for an opening act when the headliner is three acts in one and wears down the crowd with a three and a half hour barrage. And that paddy wagon that I mentioned? As far as I can tell it went home empty.

© 2011 Alan Snodgrass | www.digitaldiversion.net. Please do not use without express permission (contact). If you like what you see, leave a comment below and subscribe so you can be notified of new posts. You can also become a fan on Facebook for access to exclusive photos.