A Day at Mayhem: Part III (The Mainstage)
We now present the third and final part of David Buchanan’s “Day at Mayhem”. Between the early morning fun and the sights and sounds of the side-stage, the Virginia Beach stop of the first annual Mayhem Festival had already proved to be quite the memorable experience. But with darkness filling the Verizon Beach Amphitheater, signaling the start of the event’s main draws, the fun had only truly just begun…
MAIN STAGE OPENING - MASTODON
Until I made my way to Mayhem, I knew very little about Mastodon.
Sure, I had seen album reviews in Revolver, which have seemingly showered this band since it’s early stages (their album, Leviathan garnered several Album Of The Year notices). However, as naive teen, who didn’t understand the definition of real progressive metal during the Atlanta natives’ early years, I didn’t give the four-piece outfit much thought.
Now, I do.
For anyone who has ever heard these guys, live or on record, you’ll note the extremely elaborate artwork associated with them - primarily on their first release under Reprise, Blood Mountain. On the stage, a large curtain dropped bearing the image of this three-headed, blue-colored, viciously pissed off deer. The whole thing was visually stunning, with multiple shades of vivid color that beg the question “Is this metal or is this something to get stoned and chill too?”.
That answer came quickly, as all four members entered on stage and went right to business.
No songs were properly introduced, it was just full-throttle from the get-go.
Troy Sanders’ distinctly-bearded face hammered focused vocals down our throats, as the band as a whole showed the true meaning of metallic stoner prog rock. Nothing was safe, especially during the performance of Blood Mountain’s title track.
The only downsideZ? I don’t think anyone has a clue about a single word in any given song, let alone song titles. Not because they’re unknown, but because the vocals are either relatively inaudible or just garbled.
For the few goodly enough to catch this main stage opener, I hope you had just as much fun as me.
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MAIN STAGE 2ND ACT - DRAGONFORCE
A spotlight hung over ZD Theart, the lead singer of Dragonforce, just moments before the the six-piece outfit from England punched head-first into power metal and wailing vocals that offered a sound mixing “Nintendo metal” and “Slayer meets Journey”.
As they began each song, you regularly notice more and more fans slinking towards their seats - probably to see if that song “Through The Fire And Flame” from Guitar Hero fame will be performed. But after talking with Frederic earlier in the day, it’s intently noted that they expect crowds to want the song their most familiar with, but they still want the audience entertained, and therefore will shred until
the bitter end.
With antics such as a keytar player in his prime (yes, you 80s buffs I said keytar), a vocalist who doesn’t mind running through the crowd and into the lawn seats, and a stylized face-melter complete with each guitarist holding the other’s fretboard while playing his own instrument in what can only be described as a “musical menage trois”, Dragonforce did not disappoint.
Between songs like “Through The Fire…” and “Operation Ground And Pound”, these nostalgia-laden rockers swing through powerful melody and a phenomenal vocalization that is easily a step-up from any typical alternate headliner.
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MAIN STAGE 3RD ACT - DISTURBED
Picture, if you will, a dark night.
The crowd is hushed.
Smoke streams across the stage.
All of a sudden, David Draiman is rolled out onto the stage in a straight-jacket Hannibal Lector style. The crowd rejoices, and as the band known as Disturbed begins with Indestructible’s title track, he summons us all to fist-pump until we can’t fist-pump anymore.
I think my friend Mariese said it best, when referring to a previous performance by Disturbed at Ozzfest in 2006:
“It’s mob mentality. They could’ve told us to march on the city and burn it to the ground, and we probably would have.”
Most everyone knows Disturbed’s setlist, because in whatever order, they are all songs familiar to us: “Inside The Fire”, “Voices”, “Liberate”, “Land Of Confusion”, “Ten Thousand Fists”, and the all-time favorite closer, “The Sickness” (complete with the ‘no mommy don’t’ uncensored bridge included).
The only real tragedy for a Disturbed performance is the predictability.
Each and every song is anticipated, even expected, regardless of their location in the set. But when you’re in the mood for nonstop head-banging and fist-pumping, the diversity of the set really doesn’t matter all too much.
The sickness was there, the presence was felt, and by set’s end, all those present at the Verizon Amphitheater were in a perpetual state of awe.
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MAIN STAGE FINAL ACT - SLIPKNOT
Another hush wafted through the crowd, and in the darkness a black curtain loomed,
A low rumbling of “742617000027″ began to echo aloud, before the members of Slipknot, one by one, entered the behind a rising curtain - taking their place, all 9 members of Slipknot prepared to destroy us.
Between my nearly decade long fandom and the fact that their upcoming album, All Hope Is Gone, will be released on my birthday, added a sort of sentimentality, not to mentioned, bias, to their show
Be that as it may, the whole set was complete with stunning lights, pyrotechnics, antics from Shawn “Clown” Crahan, and a ranting and raving Corey Taylor who told the audience that “this is for the people who want to take this all away from you” (referring of course to the FCC and the Conservative government officials who run it). The entire performance was a mix of mass hysteria and pure adrenaline.
What’s more, hearing the crowds amp up and chant with rage, the chorus to both “The Heretic Anthem” and their encore song, “(sic)” - which was brought on by heavy demanding chants from the audience, and loud drumming upon seats all around me, would make a memorable night for anyone, regardless of the implications. But then again, as with any Slipknot show, unless you were there, present for the chaos, expecing the mayhem (hey, now I know why they are included on the bill!), accurately describing a Slipknot performance is virtually impossible.
Adding to the treat of their long-awaited Virginia return, the band put on a show that included the song “Prosthetics” from their self-titled debut. Slower in style, the audience ate it up right until the bombastic conclusion. “Before I Forget”, another late staple to any Slipknot set, was preset with a call to arms from Taylor and a comedic display of beer keg and baseball bat percussion - “I want to see all you mother f***ers jump!”.
Jump, we did - and my concert t-shirt still smells of sweat and angry metal bliss.
Oh, and let’s not forget to mention drummer Joey Jordison’s flipped drum set in true Tommy Lee style, as his set was toppled and turned during the final song, while DJ Sid Wilson sat in his moon boots and wheelchair due to an injury sustained from the first Mayhem performance they attended.
Despite the lead vocals occasionally being drowned out by major metal amplitude, these guys just can’t seem to be stopped, and provided a fitting end to the remarkable debut of Mayhem Festival
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Aug 26th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
[...] off its headlining duties at the Mayhem Festival and release of Ultra Beatdown, which in fact, hits records stores today, Dragonforce has announced [...]