Danzig w/ Doyle June 1 2012

  At the time, I thought this was going to be the closest thing to a Misfits reunion I would ever see. So this was a must see! We had tried to see Doyle with his own band twice a few years earlier, but after a venue change for the show in 08 the show was just canceled. Then on a different tour, a date in my hometown was announced, and then a week before the show, it was canceled also. This was one that I had faith would not get canceled.
  It was just Tim and I for this one. The opening band was Monstro. I had never heard of them and they didn't really do anything for me. The next band was Kyng. Now this was the newest band that I really loved what they were doing. I hate making comparisons to other bands, but for me It was like a great cross between Black Sabbath and Metallica. I really enjoyed their set. I don't know if this is the exact set list as the show I was at, but this is the one they did the day before. I'm pretty sure it's the same.
 1. Pushing And Pulling
 2. I Don't Believe
 3. Trails In Veins
 4. Trampled Sun
 5. Falling Down
 6. Shoreline
  It was Shoreline that really grabbed my attention. It was a short set but it did the job. Definitely made a fan out of me.
  And finally the main event! I've been listening to Danzig since the first album. This was most definitely on my list of must see shows! And he did not disappoint. They started out with a good mix of new and classic songs. They had a little issue with the microphone and feedback for the first few songs, but they got it taken care of.
 1. SkinCarver
 2. Twist Of Cain (One of my favs!) 
 3. Hammer Of The Gods
 4. Rebel Spirits
 5. Her Black Wings
 6. Devil's Plaything
 7. How The Gods Kill (The audience sounded great singing this one!)
 8. Dirty Black Summer
  Up to this point it was a really good Heavy Metal show. No Complaints what so ever. Then Glenn introduced Doyle.... And it went from a somewhat tame metal show to the most intense punk show I have ever been to! When they started into the first song, The whole crowd just went nuts! Everyone pushed towards the stage. I'm a big dude, but my feet left the ground and I believe I was a a bit horizontal for a few without hitting the ground. People that were all the way in the back now had front row spots! We all did. It was crazy! And I was loving it! Here's the Misfits portion of the set.
 9. Death Comes Ripping 
  Glenn took a huge drink of water after this song then threw the rest of the bottle into the crowd. I don't know if I used the Force or if he was throwing it directly to me but I made the catch of a lifetime! I finished off what he had left. I have no proof of this other than mine and Tim's word, but there is an Ice Mountain Water bottle tucked into my music collection that will never leave. Believe me or not, I don't care. I know!
 10. Vampira
 11. Bullet
 12. I Turned Into A Martian
 13. Night Of The Living Dead
 14. Devil's Angels (Not a Misfits song, A cover song from as yet released at the time Danzig cover's album)
 15. Astro Zombies
 16. Last Caress
  At this point, Doyle leaves the stage and the Danzig show concludes.
 17. Bringer Of Death
 18. It's Coming Down
 19. Mother
 20. Snakes Of Christ
  Doyle comes back out. Insanity resumes!
 21. Skulls
  Up to this point in my concert going career, This was the most crazy, sweaty , intense show I have ever been to! I wish all shows were this crazy. And thanks to a guy that goes by the handle "Iron Chef" for recording a bootleg of this show so I can listen to it forever! There was a strict no camera policy in affect for this show. And as much as I love taking pictures, I kind of liked it. you weren't looking at the show through a lens or a screen. It has given me a new philosophy on taking pictures at shows. I try to take as many as I can for the first two songs, then just put the camera away for the rest of the show and enjoy it. So here's a pic of the empty stage and my ticket stub.

Anthrax, Testament, & Death Angel January 27 2012

  This would turn out to be an interesting show! My first time seeing Anthrax. And with Testament to boot! It was myself and (as almost always) Tim. Both of us stoked for this show. Tim missed the first time I saw Testament. We had bought a parking pass for this one. We got there early for some reason so we parked and just killed some time sitting in the car before the show. I was January so it was to cold to stand outside just waiting. As we sat there, Tim joked about everyone that walked near the tour buses saying it was Chuck Billy. And then as one guy walked by and some guys came running up to him, and Tim said "Holy Shit! It really is Chuck Billy!" Those guys were getting their picture taken with him as we tried to hurry and grab the camera and get out there to meet him too. Alas, we were to slow and to far away. He was gone. Oh well.
  As we made our way in, some guy from the venue was out front telling everyone that Scott Ian and Charlie Benante would not be here for this show and they were offering refunds. But, they also said there would still be a show! Now I know what you're saying, An Anthrax show without Scott and Charlie?! Is that even an Anthrax show? Well I'm here to tell you it is! We decided, like everyone else to stay. From the looks of it, I don't think anyone took the refund.
  Now Death Angel is a band that I had always heard about, but never really got into. It makes me a little sad to think of all those years wasted not listening to Death Angel. Grade A Bay Area Thrash Metal right there! A short opening set, but a great one! They made a fan out of me tonight. As well as a few others I'm sure. Here's their set and some pics.
 1. I Chose The Sky
 2. Mistress Of Pain
 3. Truce
 4. Claws In So Deep
 5. Buried Alive
 6. The Ultra-Violence/Thrown To The Wolves

  Up next, Testament! This band is so underrated. Quite literally some of the best musicians in the world in one band! And the most Metal Frontman ever!  Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson are arguably the best metal guitar duo ever! Gene "The Atomic Clock" Hoglan on drums. The nickname says it all! Greg Christian is a phenomenal (and highly underrated) bass player. And then there's Chuck Billy! Not only does he have a killer voice, but he is without a doubt THE best Air Guitar player ever! I would go see Testament on a weekly basis if they toured my state every week. As always, this set was awesome. Here it is and a few pics.
 1. The Preacher
 2. The New Order
 3. The Persecuted Won't Forget
 4. Practice what You Preach
 5. Over The Wall
 6. Souls Of Black
 7. Into The Pit
 8. Electric Crown
 9. Henchmen Ride
 10. More Than Meets The Eye
 11. D.N.R.
 12. 3 Days In Darkness
 13. Disciples Of The Watch

And now, How the Hell are they going to pull this Anthrax set off without Charlie and Scott? Well first of all you get Gene Hoglan on the drums! Probably one of the few drummers that can do Charlie justice. Then you leave the guitar work in the hands of a very capable Rob Caggiano. Now Scott's presence was obviously missed, but Rob was great! One of my favorite guitarist. and then you have the guys from Death Angel fill in on some of the songs. Now to say this set went off without any mistakes would be a lie, but considering how long they all had to put this together shows the professionalism in all of these musicians. And lets not forget Joey Belladonna and Frank Bello! Joey screaming his head off and Frankie soldiering on with I'm sure a heavy heart. All in all this was an amazing and unique show. As much as I would have loved to see all the members be there, you have to realize they are human too. Scott with some form of ailment and Charlie spending time with his dying mother (Frank Bello's aunt) . The rest of the guys really put on a Hell of a show! Here's the set list and some pics.

1. Earth On Hell

2. Fight 'Em 'Til You Can't

 3. Caught In A Mosh

4. Antisocial

5. The Devil You Know w/ Rob from Death Angel

6. Indians w/ Ted From Death Angel

7. In The End w/ Rob

8. Got The Time w/ Ted

9. Medusa w/ Ted

10. Madhouse w/ Rob 

11. Metal Thrashing Mad

12. I Am The Law

  

And the guys from Death Angel made a small Tour Diary Video and shared it so here's that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5NsyxtQTX0

Reba McEntire August 24 2019

  This was the second time to see Reba. I am not a fan of country music, but my wife Maria loves Reba! Our friend Tim even gave her the nickname "MaReba". So I bought these tickets for her. And boy it was a tough ticket to get. The day it went on sale, I was on the Ticketmaster app as soon as it hit. I ended up getting what I thought was decent seats. There was no seating chart online so I just had to guess. 

  This show was scheduled for June 15 2019 at the Harrah's Hoosier Park Casino Outdoor Music Center in Anderson IN. We arrived early on June 15 so we could go to dinner at a buffet away from the casino. As we were sitting there a large storm passed through. It was still going when we finished eating. We waited it out for a little while, but I had had a long day at work prior to this and I decided to go ahead and get out to the car so we could drive to the casino and take a nap in the parking lot before the show started. So we ran out to the car in the pouring rain. When we got to the car, I got an email from the venue saying the concert had been rescheduled for August 24. So we just went home.

  Clear skies on the 24th of August. This time, we went straight to the casino to have dinner at their buffet. That was a mistake. I had been to this casino before, but couldn't really remember all it had to offer. We got there and the line for the buffet was really long. I had hoped it would move fast. It did not. By the time I had got fed up with the waiting, it was to late to go anywhere else. So we waited. And waited! We finally got a table and had a very sub par dinner at a very hefty price. Oh well, lets go the show. As we walked through the rest of the casino to find the show, we passed some sort of little food court! With short lines! Live and learn. 

  The Outdoor Music Center was a mobile stage on the outside of turn 4 of the horse racing track. Maria loves horses. So we stopped to watch a race before we went to our seats. As we stood against the outside wall of the track watching the horses, Some guy who's horse was out front came up next to us very excited. He was about to win some money. And as his enthusiasm spilled out of his mouth, he said the one thing that I knew would drive Maria out of her skin. " YEAH!!! YEAH!!! WHIP IT SON!!! YEAH!!!!" I looked at her and knew she wanted to punch that guy in the face. But she didn't. I was trying not to laugh because I knew her blood was boiling! 

  We headed through security on to our seats. I had planned on buying her a tour shirt. But as we made it in, we saw that there was only one merchandise table. With only what looked like two people manning it. And a line a mile long! I figured we could go to our seats and I would duck out mid show and get it when hopefully the line is much shorter. So we found our seats. What I thought was decent seats, was not. It was literally the last row! There where bleachers behind us, which probably would have been better and cheaper! At least we would have been slightly elevated over all the people in the seats. I was very disappointed with the seats and kept apologizing. She said it was okay and was just happy to be there. I wanted a better experience for her but I failed. Even the big screens looked far away! The one good thing about those seats was they were not fixed together or to the ground. They were folding chairs. With nobody directly behind us. And since I'm kind of a big guy, it was nice to be able to just pull the chair back and sit more comfortably instead of crammed in next to other people. And the guy next to me was wanting to be chatty! Asking me about where I work. coincidentally we both worked for the same company. He had already retired. And I was wearing my Indianapolis Colts shirt and hat, So He wanted to talk to me about that too! I'm not really a chatty person with people I don't know. I never thought I would say this but thankfully the country music show started!  

  Reba was singing, Maria was singing. She looked like she was having fun despite the crappy seats. A few songs had passed and I went to get a drink. I came back and hen decided that maybe now would be a good time to go to the merchandise table. I got over there and the line was still really long. And not moving! I feel sorry for those who were in that line and really wanted to see Reba. I decided I would just buy her a shirt online. So I went back to my seat and finished watching the show. 

  As for the show itself. The sound was great. The musicians were great. And Reba sounded great as well. She's also very funny. Maria had a blast singing along with her favorite songs. And that was all that mattered. I do as much as I can to make her smile. After 25 years of marriage,  I still  love her more than life itself. 

  I can't find a set list, but she played a good mix of a few new songs and all the ones Maria loves. And you know she finished with "Fancy". The show only lasted a little over an hour, which I thought was a little short compared to what I'm used to for a headliner. There might have been people at the back of  the merchandise booth line when the show started that might of missed the whole show! Oh well, Maria was happy so that's all that mattered. I tried to get some pictures, But we were just to far away. Here is what I got.

And after the show, the guy next to me had to show me a text he got from a friend telling him about Andrew Luck's retirement! So that's where I was when I found out! Not the best ending to the night if you're a Colts fan!

Korn & Alice In Chains August 20 2019

  This is the fourth (and final) show of the multi event ticket I bought for my son in law Kaden's birthday. This is the show he wanted to see. It was myself, Kaden, my daughter Kristeen, and their friend Ashton. I'm not a big Korn fan, but I do like Alice in Chains, so There was a little bit for everyone on this one. We tried to upgrade to pavilion seats but again, they were sold out. So back to the lawn we go. I hate the lawn. The pictures I took were horrible. I started taking pics of the big screen they have above the pavilion just to have something.
  There where two opening bands for this one. Fever 333 which we missed entirely. I hear they are a two piece band. The other was Underoath. I have no expectations for opening bands. If they suck, well I'm not out anything. If they are good, well then that's bonus. This was bonus! Underoath is pleasantly heavy! I understand they have a little "Christian Metal" vibe to them. I won't hold that against them as long as they're good. Here's their set list.

 1. On My Teeth
 2. Loneliness
 3. Rapture
 4. Breathing In New Mentality
 5. Ihateit
 6. Hold Your Breath
 7. No Frame
 8. Writing On The Walls
 9. Sink With You

  Almost thirty yeas ago, I was supposed to see Alice In Chains on the Clash Of The Titans Tour with Slayer, Megadeth, & Anthrax. Finally able to complete the bill with this show. The  (not so) new singer William DuVall is a great addition. He does the Layne Staley material justice. Jerry Cantrell was phenomenal! Truly an under appreciated guitar player. Mike Inez was there. But you couldn't tell from the big screen. They never showed him. They Showed Jerry's guitar with a naked chick on it more than Mike! Sean Kinney told a funny story at the end of the set about driving a golf cart into the retention pond out front of the venue. I just know that was the show I missed! Oh well. I was here now, and It was good! Here's their set list .

 1. Angry Chair
 2. Man In The Box
 3. Check My Brain
 4. Again
 5. Them Bones
 6. Dam That River
 7. Stone
 8. Rainier Fog
 9. No Excuses
 10. Nutshell
 11. Dirt
 12. We Die Young
 13. The One You Know
 14. Would?
 15. Rooster

  Kind of like the opening band, I had no expectations for Korn and they surprised me. They put on a great show. Jonathan Davis really impressed me. His voice was perfect throughout the whole show. And the bagpipe solo was a new experience for me. Not to many bands can pull off bagpipes! Here's their set list.

 1. Here To Stay
 2. Blind
 3. Divine
 4. Rotting In Vain
 5. You'll Never Find Me
 6. Twisted Transistor
 7. Drum Solo
 8. Shoots And Ladders

  Now here is where they really caught my attention. They ended this song with a "snippet" of the song "One" by Metallica! It was super Heavy!

 9. Got The Life
 10. Make Me Bad
 11. Somebody Someone
 12. Freak On A Leash
 13. 4 U
 14. Twist
 15. Coming Undone/ We Will Rock You
 16. Falling Away From Me

  All in all it was a great show. And a great time spent with my kids and their crazy friend! I love my kids and all their friends. Here are some (crappy) pics.

Underoath

Alice In Chains

Korn

Knotfest Roadshow August 16 2019

  This is the third show of a multi show ticket package that I bought (see Slayer 2019 post). Slipknot, Volbeat, Gojira, & Behemoth. Again we have lawn "seats" and again , we had every intention to upgrade to pavilion seats. Alas, they were all sold out by the time we got there. So here we go. The next 6 hours of standing on an incline! Oh well, we'll muscle through it. Along with me on this one is my friend Tim and a friend of his from work Eric.
   I have never seen Behemoth before and we got there in the middle of their set. I usually don't go for the "Satanic" bands, or the "Cookie Monster vocals".  Not for any moral beliefs, I just think it's a tired "gimmick". BUT! The music was good! And very heavy! I'm going to have to pick up some albums and give them a chance. The last song in their set (Chant For Ezkaton 2000) really hit me! Here's their set.
  1. Wolves Of Siberia
  2. Daimonos
  3. Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer
  4. Bartzabel
  5. Conquer All
  6. Sabbath Mater
  7. Chant For Ezkaton 2000
 I had seen Gojira open for Metallica almost ten years prior to this, but their sound sucked at that show, so I was hoping for better this time. And it was. Heavy stuff coming out of France. But, nothing really grabbed me by the throat. They were good. Just not anything spectacular. Here is their set list.
  1. Toxic Garbage Island
  2. Backbone
  3. Stranded
  4. Flying Whales
  5. Love
  6. Silvera
  7. The Gift Of Guilt
 Volbeat is a band Tim has been wanting to see for a while now. He has been banging their drum for a long time now. And they have grown on me too. I wasn't sure at first, but the more I heard from them the more I liked. We had not seen Volbeat before but we had seen their guitar player, Rob Caggiano at a very special Anthrax show of whom he used to be a member (I haven't wrote that post yet). They did not disappoint! A great mix of different styles from Johnny Cash to Slayer inspired music. Tim was a little upset that they didn't play certain  songs, but they were not the headliner so they got less time. We will definitely be seeing them again, hopefully when they are the headliner! Here is their set. Oh and Their intro music was the Motörhead song "Born To Raise Hell!" So you knew what was to follow was going to be good!
  1. The Devil's Bleeding Crown
  2. Lola Montez
  3. Sad Man's Tongue (With a snippit of Ring Of Fire")
  4. Black Rose
  5. The Everlasting
  6. Slaytan (with South Of Heaven Intro)
  7. Dead But Rising
  8. A Warrior's Call/I Only Want To Be With You
  9. Last Day Under The Sun
  10. Pelvis On Fire
  11. Seal The Deal
  12. Still Counting
 And now The Mighty Slipknot! This would be the third time seeing them. They always deliver a fun energetic show. But it was taking forever for them to set their stage up, and the incline of the lawn was beginning to take it's toll on Tim's feet. Mine to, to be honest. So we decided to cut out early. We stayed for the first two songs then split. Here's the set list and some crappy pics. (I need a new phone!)
  1. People = Shit
  2. (sic)
  3. Get This
  4. Unsainted
  5. Before I Forget
  6. Solway Firth
  7. The Heretic Anthem
  8. Psychosocial
  9. The Devil In I
  10. Prosthetics
  11. Vermilion
  12. Custer
  13. Sulfur
  14. All Out Life
  15. Duality
  16. Spit It Out
  17. Surfacing

Behemoth

Gojira

Volbeat

Slipknot