And then....it was time for Motley Crue... and it was pretty disappointing to be honest. The stage set up was lame and half assed. They didn't have the Cruecify (roller coaster) for Tommy, perhaps because of the venue. It was great to see Nikki Sixx and Mick Mars work the stage (as much as Mick can) but Vince was looking overweight and was struggling with the vocals. This is the first (and only) time Crue have been to NZ and it's a shame they didn't bring their full stage set up. They have since played in Melbourne (last night and tonight) and Melbourne got the full package. Im not saying that pyrotechnics and a drummer in a rollercoaster would have improved Vince's vocals but it definitely would have been more impressive than the wide open desolate stage set up we got. Glad I got to see the Crue and I still enjoyed myself though. The highlights for me were:- * scoring 3 Nikki sixx pics * the chick behind me (whose boyfriend left after he vomitted) grinding her tits into my back all night while apologizing to me * Nikki sixx throwing his bass into the crowd over my head as he did an unexpected stage dive right next to me at the end of the night, and I got to help throw him back over the rail (as security tried to recover his bass from the crowd) Crue 5/10
arrived thursday afternoon after crawling irvine traffic in the rain forever. bands started the next day. just gonna jump right into this..
I should start out by saying that I had a better time at this than I thought I would, given the lack of communication from the promoters, the no re entry policy, and the band drop offs. some shit was still fucked up, but it went better than expected and I ended up really loving it.
also a huge plus that the security didnt give a flying shit about smoking weed as long as it wasnt near the food trucks, merch stands, bar, or in the bathrooms. so if you were outside or in the in the pit/terrace/seats for the main stage, you could toke away.
got to the venue with my friend on friday around 115 with doors opening at 2, and got in fairly fast... line was probably 300 people long. first thing we saw on the right were tons of sleep/om prints, which were dope af but most of them were for specific dates and tours, with no santa ana one in sight, so we didnt get anything. we went to the main room and saw radio moscow still playing, who were pretty decent.
explored a bit more during their set but there wasnt much to see yet because the food trucks were coming 4 hours later and the whole merch/back lot area wasnt set up. next band started shortly after anyway.
samothrace -- sounded awesome and had a chick in the band, which I didnt know about. played maybe 4 songs, I dont remember a ton of details that well from this whole weekend.
samsara blues experiment -- from germany. really great. been wanting to see them for a good while because I got into them around the time I started getting really into kyuss.
toke break
got back in and saw some band playing in the side room and they sucked. never found out who they were though.
conan -- also really great, with the guitar and vocals standing out a perfect amount against the other instruments.
author & punisher -- the place I was standing for conan was directly in front of the A&P setup. he was fucking awesome, all 3 days. kept going back and getting a really good spot directly in front of him or just to the side the whole weekend. the new stuff sounds cool as hell.
cave in -- not bad, but not my style really. it was still cool to see them perform.
bedemon -- everyone was watching them because it was their first live show ever. they were good, but nothing amazing. wino had hipster glasses.
a while passes and I stand outside in the back with a few people lined up for merch. heres where it gets fucked. they wont even let us see the merch yet. they closed off the access to the other side of the lot and you couldnt even get a visual of what you wanted to buy. I was pretty drunk at that point and had to piss really badly but I didnt care, I wanted merch. they finally let us in. five at a time. I was 6th in line. motherfucker.
anyway I ended up getting in about 15 minutes later and bought a cough shirt, patch, and koozie. samsara had nothing. old man gloom stuff was meh. fest shirts were printed by obey clothing, so they had their logo, and I absolutely wasnt having any of that cholo ass shit. left immediately after and went to grab another beer and watch bell witch play outside.
bell witch -- they played some new stuff, which crushed, and a couple sad jams from longing. kept vaping during the set and the bitch and her boyfriend next to me offered me a bump. fucking really? during bell witch? left as soon as bell witch were finished to catch OMG.
old man gloom -- they fucking ruled, but I only got to see 20 minutes (3 songs) of their set before I had to leave to get a good spot for cough. fortunately, one of the songs was common species.
cough -- one of the best bands of the fest. the sound was perfect and it was outside in the cool weather. lit up some one hitters and doomed out hard.
eyehategod -- heavy and pissed as fuck. I was definitely drunk at this point and couldnt stand up that well, but we were leaving before russian circles so whatever.
dont remember many details, so jumping right into the bands:
acid witch -- killed it... sounded very close to how they do on album, Id definitely go see them again.
mammatus -- ruled hard and even played some slow shit, which isnt typical of their sound. tons of guitar solos over deep jams. if you havent listened to them before but you love lead guitar heavy stoner rock, you really should [ @based@nolafree810@suh ]. I think they play the santa cruz area a bit but nothing at all where Im from, so Im really happy I got to see them.
true widow -- theyre just ok to me. saw them at earth and watched a little of their set here.. not bad but nothing that impressive. its like emo doom.
dead meadow -- only got to watch a few minutes of them because little did I know getting food outside would take a fucking hour. they were really good though.
subrosa -- got a decent spot at the edge of the stage for them. one of my favorite bands of the weekend:
beneath the crown ghosts of a dead empire cosey mo fat of the ram the usher
earth -- didnt watch them at all, but sat down upstairs at a booth with my friends and listened to the remaining 30 or 40 minutes of their set. they actually sounded really really good in that venue.
kylesa -- the wildest I got the whole weekend for a band because I know every song and they fucking bring it live. they played natures predators and I really lost my shit.
heres where it gets literally hazy
I remember bailing right before running red was over to get outside and start toking up. halfway out the exit it became clear that everyone else had the idea as well. not only was the outside packed, but so was the inside, and leaving for the food area was a real pain. had a few one hitter hits and a dude passes me a j. felt good but took a few pen hits and then some chick offered me a hit of their hash joint on the way back in. I get in the venue and about two minutes later I realize Ive loaded up on weed an uncomfortable amount. my friend and I get a spot for sleep.
sleep -- I dont even know man. I dont even fucking know about this one. the lights went out, the place started getting hazy as shit and smelling like a grow room, and this moon landing sequence just continues on for what seems like 20 minutes. they started up holy mountain and the joints and bowls start getting passed. it was at this point that I realized it really must not matter where or how much anybody here smokes, security doesnt care as long as no fights or vandalism occur. the set was fucking killer, but I was so out of it it was unbelievable. seeing them again in october, though I doubt security will be that lax for terrorfest:
holy mountain dopesmoker 1 sonic titan the clarity dragonaut aquarian from beyond dopesmoker 2
merch: grabbed a sleep pillowcase (should have gotten 2... I regret that), mammatus sticker, subrosa sticker, and pallbearer koozie. day 3
bang! -- good, though kind of generic stoner rock but apparently they formed a long time ago but havent played. one of those things.
truckfighters -- second time seeing them and they sounded even better here. they all have so much energy they let out during their sets, its really cool. I think that made a lot of people stay when they normally would have bailed.
tombs -- one of the bands I was also most looking forward to this weekend because I got screwed out of seeing them with pelican in oakland last summer. not a lot to say besides great sound, though their keyboardist/vocalist looked really out of place with his pink dyed skrillex haircut.
took a toke break fast and furiously because I wanted a good spot for the next act...
bongzilla -- arguably my most anticipated band of the festival. they played a number of songs I knew by name, and although I knew the other tunes, Ill have to go back and see what exactly they were. they fucking ruled so hard it was ridiculous. vaped endlessly during their set and then the singer passed around a pen and a joint in the crowd which I got to hit. so if you ever go to a bongzilla show, free weed.
elder -- only got to see about 20 min of them due to needing food, plus the line to get into the room was absolutely packed. they did some good jams and the sound was great quality. Id love to see them play a headliner sometime.
coffinworm -- didnt think Id get to see these guys, both before the fest announcement and even after, with the conflicting set times. but I got a good 15 minutes in when it was looking more like 5-10 before they changed the sunday set times. people werent all that into them, but I thought they were cool.
earthless -- the Yes of stoner rock. good thing I had a seat. ate some dank cheese fries during their set, so thats how Ill remember them: satisfying.
om -- pregammed hard and got a spot on the outer part of the pit. also turns out I didnt need to smoke beforehand because just like sleep, it kept getting passed around. place was paradise. they played cremation ghat I & II, which I hadnt seen the other two times I saw them.
pentagram -- cool but my night mostly ended with om. sat down for pentagram in a booth upstairs and watched. sound was really good for them actually, im just not a huge pentagram fan in general.
merch: didnt get anything besides an om sticker because bongzilla didnt have anything at all
anyway, 8.5/10 fest, would do again if it were good enough.
Took 3 hours to get there but I don't mind traveling by train. Had never heard of Crobot before but I was dying for some Anthrax so here's how that all went:
Crobot
Were actually not bad. They had this weird hippie metal vibe with like classic rock vocals and early Nugent guitar. What won me over was how much energy they put into their live setting. At one point, the singer straight up lept onto the guitarist's shoulders during his solo and just started waving his arms back and forth lol pretty decent.
Anthrax
The fucking GOAT live show. So goddamn amazing. I respect the fuck out of all of them. The show was loud and intense and I seriously thought I was going to fall and dislocate my knee again during the pits. Worth it though. Went to the floor and was able to find a spot right on the rail up front. Watched for the first few songs then just jumped into the pit. They all played flawlessly. They still got it. Energetic, loud, just pure metal and I loved every second. Really wish they were headlining. But it was worth the 3 hour trip and a $50 ticket for that hour of Anthrax.
Caught in a Mosh Got the Time I Am The Law Madhouse Sorror Irruminator (Game of Thrones) Fight Em' Til You Can't In the End
Encore: Anti-Social Indians Volbeat-Idk. After Anthrax, my group and like 30% of the venue dipped. I don't hate them, but I've been forced to see them twice and they just do nothing for me. Went to the bar around the corner, had a couple drinks and here I am. Sore and achey and have to work in 4 hours lol totally worth it.
Honestly could have showed up like 4 hours after when I did and had just as good a time, but I spent $40 a ticket and wanted to get as much out of it. Showed up around 3:30 at the end of some band called Phinehas. They were pretty funny and knew how to play.
The Atlas Moth... I dunno man. I've always dug their stuff and thought they looked like a cool live band, but they were performing without the guy who does the clean vocals and it definitely affected the show. They had a cool ambiance and groove but I got bored quick. Maybe if I were stoned.
Fit For An Autopsy were pretty fucking horrible.
Jasta was pretty cool. Highlight of his set was the one Hatebreed song he played, made me wish them or KoS could have been on the bill instead. I watched his set from the back.
Dipped from the venue early to grab some coffee and made it back to the side stage right as Overcast came on. It's always entertaining to watch Brian Fair rip it and they sounded good. Their music is pretty shitty proto-metalcore but still.
After Overcast finished the upstairs started to fill a shitload for Code Orange, and neither of my friends wanted to stay so I decided to dip downstairs for fake-Corrosion of Conformity instead. Put on a hell of a show, so I can't imagine how good the Pepper Keenan version of the band is live. They played most of if not all of "Blind" and sounded great.
Death Angel absolutely shredded. Standard thrash but they put on the best show of the night aside from BTBAM. Got a guitar pic too.
Cavalera Conspiracy had a slow start with some shitty mixing but picked up the pace and the volume, definitely a worthwhile set. Territory, Refuse/Resist, Inflikted, and Roots all ripped live.
The Red Chord were entertaining. Definitely the best show from a deathcore band I've seen. Guy has a lot of energy and definitely seemed ecstatic to be doing a live show after years of working as a cop. They were billed way too high and got boring but still, worthwhile.
BTBAM, even with a subpar setlist, still fucking owned. Mixing was perfect, everything was on point, and the crowd went wild. I was directly in front of Paul the entire night going insane. Finally got to see White Walls, and the surprise of the night was Bohemian Rhapsody at the end. That was pretty cool. When they went off stage roadies never came out and I was waiting hoping to cop a setlist. Eventually security yelled at as to leave. Fags.
Comments
and it was pretty disappointing to be honest.
The stage set up was lame and half assed.
They didn't have the Cruecify (roller coaster) for Tommy, perhaps because of the venue.
It was great to see Nikki Sixx and Mick Mars work the stage (as much as Mick can) but Vince was looking overweight and was struggling with the vocals.
This is the first (and only) time Crue have been to NZ and it's a shame they didn't bring their full stage set up.
They have since played in Melbourne (last night and tonight) and Melbourne got the full package.
Im not saying that pyrotechnics and a drummer in a rollercoaster would have improved Vince's vocals but it definitely would have been more impressive than the wide open desolate stage set up we got.
Glad I got to see the Crue and I still enjoyed myself though.
The highlights for me were:-
* scoring 3 Nikki sixx pics
* the chick behind me (whose boyfriend left after he vomitted) grinding her tits into my back all night while apologizing to me
* Nikki sixx throwing his bass into the crowd over my head as he did an unexpected stage dive right next to me at the end of the night, and I got to help throw him back over the rail (as security tried to recover his bass from the crowd)
Crue 5/10
I dislike House of Blues now
arrived thursday afternoon after crawling irvine traffic in the rain forever. bands started the next day. just gonna jump right into this..
I should start out by saying that I had a better time at this than I thought I would, given the lack of communication from the promoters, the no re entry policy, and the band drop offs. some shit was still fucked up, but it went better than expected and I ended up really loving it.
also a huge plus that the security didnt give a flying shit about smoking weed as long as it wasnt near the food trucks, merch stands, bar, or in the bathrooms. so if you were outside or in the in the pit/terrace/seats for the main stage, you could toke away.
got to the venue with my friend on friday around 115 with doors opening at 2, and got in fairly fast... line was probably 300 people long. first thing we saw on the right were tons of sleep/om prints, which were dope af but most of them were for specific dates and tours, with no santa ana one in sight, so we didnt get anything. we went to the main room and saw radio moscow still playing, who were pretty decent.
explored a bit more during their set but there wasnt much to see yet because the food trucks were coming 4 hours later and the whole merch/back lot area wasnt set up. next band started shortly after anyway.
samothrace -- sounded awesome and had a chick in the band, which I didnt know about. played maybe 4 songs, I dont remember a ton of details that well from this whole weekend.
samsara blues experiment -- from germany. really great. been wanting to see them for a good while because I got into them around the time I started getting really into kyuss.
toke break
got back in and saw some band playing in the side room and they sucked. never found out who they were though.
conan -- also really great, with the guitar and vocals standing out a perfect amount against the other instruments.
author & punisher -- the place I was standing for conan was directly in front of the A&P setup. he was fucking awesome, all 3 days. kept going back and getting a really good spot directly in front of him or just to the side the whole weekend. the new stuff sounds cool as hell.
cave in -- not bad, but not my style really. it was still cool to see them perform.
bedemon -- everyone was watching them because it was their first live show ever. they were good, but nothing amazing. wino had hipster glasses.
a while passes and I stand outside in the back with a few people lined up for merch. heres where it gets fucked. they wont even let us see the merch yet. they closed off the access to the other side of the lot and you couldnt even get a visual of what you wanted to buy. I was pretty drunk at that point and had to piss really badly but I didnt care, I wanted merch. they finally let us in. five at a time. I was 6th in line. motherfucker.
anyway I ended up getting in about 15 minutes later and bought a cough shirt, patch, and koozie. samsara had nothing. old man gloom stuff was meh. fest shirts were printed by obey clothing, so they had their logo, and I absolutely wasnt having any of that cholo ass shit. left immediately after and went to grab another beer and watch bell witch play outside.
bell witch -- they played some new stuff, which crushed, and a couple sad jams from longing. kept vaping during the set and the bitch and her boyfriend next to me offered me a bump. fucking really? during bell witch? left as soon as bell witch were finished to catch OMG.
old man gloom -- they fucking ruled, but I only got to see 20 minutes (3 songs) of their set before I had to leave to get a good spot for cough. fortunately, one of the songs was common species.
cough -- one of the best bands of the fest. the sound was perfect and it was outside in the cool weather. lit up some one hitters and doomed out hard.
eyehategod -- heavy and pissed as fuck. I was definitely drunk at this point and couldnt stand up that well, but we were leaving before russian circles so whatever.
dont remember many details, so jumping right into the bands:
acid witch -- killed it... sounded very close to how they do on album, Id definitely go see them again.
mammatus -- ruled hard and even played some slow shit, which isnt typical of their sound. tons of guitar solos over deep jams. if you havent listened to them before but you love lead guitar heavy stoner rock, you really should [ @based @nolafree810 @suh ]. I think they play the santa cruz area a bit but nothing at all where Im from, so Im really happy I got to see them.
true widow -- theyre just ok to me. saw them at earth and watched a little of their set here.. not bad but nothing that impressive. its like emo doom.
dead meadow -- only got to watch a few minutes of them because little did I know getting food outside would take a fucking hour. they were really good though.
subrosa -- got a decent spot at the edge of the stage for them. one of my favorite bands of the weekend:
beneath the crown
ghosts of a dead empire
cosey mo
fat of the ram
the usher
earth -- didnt watch them at all, but sat down upstairs at a booth with my friends and listened to the remaining 30 or 40 minutes of their set. they actually sounded really really good in that venue.
kylesa -- the wildest I got the whole weekend for a band because I know every song and they fucking bring it live. they played natures predators and I really lost my shit.
heres where it gets literally hazy
I remember bailing right before running red was over to get outside and start toking up. halfway out the exit it became clear that everyone else had the idea as well. not only was the outside packed, but so was the inside, and leaving for the food area was a real pain. had a few one hitter hits and a dude passes me a j. felt good but took a few pen hits and then some chick offered me a hit of their hash joint on the way back in. I get in the venue and about two minutes later I realize Ive loaded up on weed an uncomfortable amount. my friend and I get a spot for sleep.
sleep -- I dont even know man. I dont even fucking know about this one. the lights went out, the place started getting hazy as shit and smelling like a grow room, and this moon landing sequence just continues on for what seems like 20 minutes. they started up holy mountain and the joints and bowls start getting passed. it was at this point that I realized it really must not matter where or how much anybody here smokes, security doesnt care as long as no fights or vandalism occur. the set was fucking killer, but I was so out of it it was unbelievable. seeing them again in october, though I doubt security will be that lax for terrorfest:
holy mountain
dopesmoker 1
sonic titan
the clarity
dragonaut
aquarian
from beyond
dopesmoker 2
merch: grabbed a sleep pillowcase (should have gotten 2... I regret that), mammatus sticker, subrosa sticker, and pallbearer koozie.
day 3
bang! -- good, though kind of generic stoner rock but apparently they formed a long time ago but havent played. one of those things.
truckfighters -- second time seeing them and they sounded even better here. they all have so much energy they let out during their sets, its really cool. I think that made a lot of people stay when they normally would have bailed.
tombs -- one of the bands I was also most looking forward to this weekend because I got screwed out of seeing them with pelican in oakland last summer. not a lot to say besides great sound, though their keyboardist/vocalist looked really out of place with his pink dyed skrillex haircut.
took a toke break fast and furiously because I wanted a good spot for the next act...
bongzilla -- arguably my most anticipated band of the festival. they played a number of songs I knew by name, and although I knew the other tunes, Ill have to go back and see what exactly they were. they fucking ruled so hard it was ridiculous. vaped endlessly during their set and then the singer passed around a pen and a joint in the crowd which I got to hit. so if you ever go to a bongzilla show, free weed.
elder -- only got to see about 20 min of them due to needing food, plus the line to get into the room was absolutely packed. they did some good jams and the sound was great quality. Id love to see them play a headliner sometime.
coffinworm -- didnt think Id get to see these guys, both before the fest announcement and even after, with the conflicting set times. but I got a good 15 minutes in when it was looking more like 5-10 before they changed the sunday set times. people werent all that into them, but I thought they were cool.
earthless -- the Yes of stoner rock. good thing I had a seat. ate some dank cheese fries during their set, so thats how Ill remember them: satisfying.
om -- pregammed hard and got a spot on the outer part of the pit. also turns out I didnt need to smoke beforehand because just like sleep, it kept getting passed around. place was paradise. they played cremation ghat I & II, which I hadnt seen the other two times I saw them.
pentagram -- cool but my night mostly ended with om. sat down for pentagram in a booth upstairs and watched. sound was really good for them actually, im just not a huge pentagram fan in general.
merch: didnt get anything besides an om sticker because bongzilla didnt have anything at all
anyway, 8.5/10 fest, would do again if it were good enough.
Took 3 hours to get there but I don't mind traveling by train. Had never heard of Crobot before but I was dying for some Anthrax so here's how that all went:
Crobot
Were actually not bad. They had this weird hippie metal vibe with like classic rock vocals and early Nugent guitar. What won me over was how much energy they put into their live setting. At one point, the singer straight up lept onto the guitarist's shoulders during his solo and just started waving his arms back and forth lol pretty decent.
Anthrax
The fucking GOAT live show. So goddamn amazing. I respect the fuck out of all of them. The show was loud and intense and I seriously thought I was going to fall and dislocate my knee again during the pits. Worth it though. Went to the floor and was able to find a spot right on the rail up front. Watched for the first few songs then just jumped into the pit. They all played flawlessly. They still got it. Energetic, loud, just pure metal and I loved every second. Really wish they were headlining. But it was worth the 3 hour trip and a $50 ticket for that hour of Anthrax.
Worship (Intro) @Wizard
Caught in a Mosh
Got the Time
I Am The Law
Madhouse
Sorror Irruminator (Game of Thrones)
Fight Em' Til You Can't
In the End
Encore:
Anti-Social
Indians
Volbeat-Idk. After Anthrax, my group and like 30% of the venue dipped. I don't hate them, but I've been forced to see them twice and they just do nothing for me. Went to the bar around the corner, had a couple drinks and here I am. Sore and achey and have to work in 4 hours lol totally worth it.
I AM THE LAW
Follow me or die!
Honestly could have showed up like 4 hours after when I did and had just as good a time, but I spent $40 a ticket and wanted to get as much out of it. Showed up around 3:30 at the end of some band called Phinehas. They were pretty funny and knew how to play.
The Atlas Moth... I dunno man. I've always dug their stuff and thought they looked like a cool live band, but they were performing without the guy who does the clean vocals and it definitely affected the show. They had a cool ambiance and groove but I got bored quick. Maybe if I were stoned.
Fit For An Autopsy were pretty fucking horrible.
Jasta was pretty cool. Highlight of his set was the one Hatebreed song he played, made me wish them or KoS could have been on the bill instead. I watched his set from the back.
Dipped from the venue early to grab some coffee and made it back to the side stage right as Overcast came on. It's always entertaining to watch Brian Fair rip it and they sounded good. Their music is pretty shitty proto-metalcore but still.
After Overcast finished the upstairs started to fill a shitload for Code Orange, and neither of my friends wanted to stay so I decided to dip downstairs for fake-Corrosion of Conformity instead. Put on a hell of a show, so I can't imagine how good the Pepper Keenan version of the band is live. They played most of if not all of "Blind" and sounded great.
Death Angel absolutely shredded. Standard thrash but they put on the best show of the night aside from BTBAM. Got a guitar pic too.
Cavalera Conspiracy had a slow start with some shitty mixing but picked up the pace and the volume, definitely a worthwhile set. Territory, Refuse/Resist, Inflikted, and Roots all ripped live.
The Red Chord were entertaining. Definitely the best show from a deathcore band I've seen. Guy has a lot of energy and definitely seemed ecstatic to be doing a live show after years of working as a cop. They were billed way too high and got boring but still, worthwhile.
BTBAM, even with a subpar setlist, still fucking owned. Mixing was perfect, everything was on point, and the crowd went wild. I was directly in front of Paul the entire night going insane. Finally got to see White Walls, and the surprise of the night was Bohemian Rhapsody at the end. That was pretty cool. When they went off stage roadies never came out and I was waiting hoping to cop a setlist. Eventually security yelled at as to leave. Fags.
kos > hatebreed