Seven That Spells & Jastreb @ Rocas, Luxembourg 23.09.12

Seven That Spells & Jastreb @ Rocas, Luxembourg 23.09.12 This was one I had been looking forward to for quite some time! Got to the venue around 7:30, and started off with some Havana Club and Coke. E. joined a bit later, and after refilling our drinks we headed outside to smoke a few joints before the show.. The entire concert was cozy and familiar, in parts due to the very small size of the venue.

Shortly after 9, Jastreb, and yes this time they actually played, took the stage. They performed as a duo, of drums and guitar, and as such their sound was a bit monotonous, though never boring. The small room was quickly filled by the smoke machine, which made it easier to get lost in the music, as you could barely see your hand in front of your eyes. They performed an excerpt from Ygdrassil, their 36 minute track, but even though I don’t wear a watch, they probably played about 20-25 minutes, so for me too short! I was actually hoping for an extended version, not a shorter one! But they did not bring about the apocalypse with their sound, although that is their ultimate self-proclaimed goal! This is probably due to the fact that the same musicians are in Seven that spells, coming from the future to save the world of rock!

Jastreb left the stage, and shortly after their show (following 10’000 joints) the musicians took the stage again but this time around as Seven that Spells, and they performed as a Trio. Seven that spells kicks as for sure! And even though there were not much more than maybe 50 people at the show, after a song or 2 people actually started to move a bit! Niko had previously noted that in fact the crowd seemed to be a tough one! This is indeed true for Luxembourg as usually people have a mighty stick up their ass that prevents them from any major movement at concerts. Although the show almost lasted for 2 hours, it felt a bit short, probably because in those 2 hours, Seven that spells played about 6 or 7 songs. When they announced their last track, the crowd was audibly and visibly disappointed, and Niko said no one should worry as the track would last 2 hours, which in the end it did not, but it was a gnarly one nonetheless! Following an invitation to buy some merch, not because they are poor but just so they can get more hookers and heroine, the show was over.

We chatted a bit with the band after the show, and gave them a nice little nugget for relaxation after the show! Thanks for coming to Luxembourg, and I for one hope to see both bands again soon!

Terres rouges Festival - Esch sur Alzette 09.09.12 with Therapy and Tricky

Terres rouges Festival - Esch sur Alzette 09.09.12with Therapy and Tricky

We got to the venue around 5 pm, luckily through a friend we had been upgraded to VIP tickets, which gave a nice touch, providing free drinks and food. Shortly after checking out the VIP area, we saw a few friends sitting outside, and next to them was Tricky, so I did not miss the opportunity to say high, and thank the man for his music, which I have liked since Maxinquaye.

The first Band I actually caught most of, was Joshua, which was a lively mix of electronics, reggae, blues and hip hop, so quite worldly music, overall not bad, but for me not focused enough!

Next up were Eiffel a French band, that we caught only from far away, as most of us wanted to fill up on food. Eiffel play a solid rock show, but nothing too fancy either. On my end it was too early for food, and I preferred to heighten my buzz, and added some rhum and coke to my smoking routine.

At 20:45, Tricky took the stage, and although the sound was not all that, overall the performance of the songs did kick ass! The short time that the band spent on stage was a good show, while covering Motorhead’s Ace of Spades, the public was invited to the stage, which looking at how some people behaved (and from the looks of it annoyed Tricky a bit), was not the best idea in a festival setting.. The really good thing as with most Tricky shows, was that the songs are rarely played in their album versions, and as such become much trippier and even better flowing! As with most concerts I did quite a lot of smoking, and used about 6 of the 12 prerolled joints just at the Tricky show, so right along the lines of the music! Very disappointing was the fact that after only 50 minutes they left the stage without an encore, and still 10 minutes available on their slot.. Their was only a small crowd for most of the festival, and yes a 1 hour set is by default to short, but then it would have been essential to at least use the allocated time fully. Other than that still a solid show, but too short, and the sound was not as crisp as I am used to from past Tricky shows!

At 22:15 Therapy? Took the stage, and even though I haven’t listened much to them since the 90’s, I have to say the put forth a good show, and although I have moved on from their music, hearing a few of the older songs did bring back a few fond memories! Andy Cairns did not strike a positive note with the attendees either when he compared Luxembourg to Northern Ireland in the sense that they are both small countries surrounded by bastards, nothing wrong with the comparison, but as usual in Luxembourg a lot of the people probably came from those surrounding countries .. Overall their set was quite short as well, though they used their allocated hour fully.

Considering the price of only 15 € this was certainly worth it, the downside was the sound which was neither ideal for Tricky nor Therapy?.. But we still had fun!

Sonisphere Festival - France with Machine Head, Marilyn Manson, Meshuggah, and Faith No More !!!!! 07.07.12 Galaxie Amneville

Sonisphere Festival - France with Machine Head, Marilyn Manson, Meshuggah, and Faith No More !!!!! 07.07.12 Galaxie Amneville We got to the venue around 16:30, as we were in no rush, we smoked a few more in the parking lot before heading in… The venue was not bad at all, the second stage being an outdoor stage, and the main stage inside the Galaxie.

The first gig we attended was Machine Head on the main stage, which was a solid rock show, I had not listened to them for a while, and they were not bad, although as far as the sound goes, it could have been better, a bit less volume might have helped on the over-steered front…

I heard Combichrist on the second stage from afar, and what I heard did not pull me any closer.. We headed back into the main hall just before Marylin Manson took the stage… And although I like a few of Manson’s album the show at Sonisphere was miserable at best! The sound was shitty as hell, vocals were often not discernible at all, and Manson looked as though he was bored at best, the rest of the band did not seem to be having much of a good time either.. In my humble opinion Manson is done, maybe has been done for a few years, unless with a future album and tour he can get back to such intense performances as on the Antichrist Superstar tour in the 90’s.. The most extreme and shocking act performed was Manson stabbing a self-portrait…. At least we used to the time to get higher, smoking spliff after spliff.

We watched Meshuggah from a bit further back, not wanting to miss a second of the FNM gig. But Meshuggah was the first sign of hope for the day, delivering their metal in a most powerful fashion, with a crisp and clear sound!

Back into the main hall for Faith no More! The stage set up was all white, even the roadies were dressed all white; stage decorations were lots of flowers, perfectly fitting with this year’s tour poster the “Death Notice”. They opened the concert with Woodpeckers from Mars, to which I had to light a joint right away, and what an opening it was, at this point everyone was on stage except Patton. From Woodpeckers they went into covering Tom Jones’ Delilah ! As the rest of the band, Patton was dressed all white, whit the addition of a hat, the now seeming obligatory cane, and what looked like a red satchel.. On to Land of Sunshine and Caffeine at which point I was totally losing my mind, rocking out my soul.. A little chill out with Evidence, all in a perfectly crisp and clear sound, unlike most of the previous acts, Faith no more actually also has a sound tech that is a professional! When it came to digging the grave, I could not hold back anymore, I looked at my friends, and motioned forward towards the mosh pit, as around us people were not really losing their minds, I moved forward and F. joined in the fun as well! What a freaking boiler room the mosh pit was – almost as hot as FNM back in the summer of 97. After Last cup of Sorrow, I was about ready to collapse, wet from head to toe, as was the band. They did a zen meditiation on stage, but of course it was a Faith No More meditation, and as such was an absolute mind blow! The fact that I was smoking more weed sure helped as well. Roddy Buttom told the crowd they came out of San Francisco, and that that shit (the Zen meditation) really works! To which Mike responded if it did not, this would sure do the trick, and they performed Spirit! This blew my mind, as I had never seen them perform this one! Then came Epic, which as always was epic! Midlife crises followed, and as during the last years, it was an altered version, broken up by a C’est la Vie cover, back into Midlife Crisis! A really great performance! CUCKOO FOR CACA, another mind-blowing song, where Patton’s voice is used in full, or is there even a limit to this guy’s vocal performances? To me unquestionably one of the greatest vocalists ever! They ended Cuckoo with a noisy jam that lead right into Ashes to Ashes! Sadly then Patton announced the last track and asked the crowd to enjoy the shit out of it! And the band delivered another stellar rendition of Just a Man!

They came back for an encore, which they started with Ugly in the Morning, where the crowd lost its mind and the moshpit grew exponentially really fast! Finally a show where they did not all have a stick up their ass! Next was Easy, followed by Why do you bother / Niggas in Paris, what a fitting end for a show in France!

At some point, not sure when Patton asked what other bands the crowd had enjoyed, saying that Meshuggah is a good band right there.. And not understanding much else of what the crowd said, gave us a short: oh fuck you and into the next track. Patton humour.

Overall the performances of the day were not all that, but Faith No More sure pulled the boat around! Those guys kick ass! And they do so more intensely and powerfully than most current so called heavy bands! Despite their slightly more advanced age these 5 guys rock their souls out, and a lot of other bands sure could take that as great example of what it is to be a rock band! STELLAR PERFORMANCE! Should this be the last time I saw Faith No More it sure was a worthy one! but I sure hope they’ll keep touring! And anyone who has not seen them should do so NOW! Also a massive thumps up to Faith no more’s sound tech! That guy was the only one with a handle on the venue, at least for the indoor stage all day! Crisp and clear, not too loud, but powerful!

Set list: -WOODPECKER FROM MARS -DELILAH -LAND OF SUNSHINE -CAFFEINE -EVIDENCE -DIGGING THE GRAVE -LAST CUP OF SORROW *zen meditation snippet* -SPIRIT -EPIC -MIDLIFE CRISIS / MINI MINI C’EST LA VIE (Jacques Dutronc) -CUCKOO FOR CACA -*noise jam* -ASHES TO ASHES -JUST A MAN Encore -UGLY IN THE MORNING -EASY -WHY DO YOU BOTHER / NIGGAS IN PARIS

Kyuss Lives @ Rockhal support: heartbeat parade 12.06.12

Kyuss Lives @ Rockhal support: heartbeat parade 12.06.12 Following a nice Indian dinner with plenty of cardamom liquor, on the way to the Rockhal we got a nice high going. We got there a bit late so Heartbeat Parade was already on stage. We caught only a bit of them, as it was indeed time to get a bit higher. Apparently we were not the only ones doing so, as at the merchandise stand the band was also looking for some weed. We helped them out a little, but only a little as none of us had brought a lot, other than the dozen pre-rolled joints I had on me.

S. , C. and I entered a little earlier as we did not want to repeat last years’ experience of missing the intro. House of the rising sun by the animals, was a nice choice, and perfectly fit with the current “desert sun” backdrop. Bruno Fevery, and Billy Cordell entered the stage first, and these 2 sure do kick ass, Nick Oliveri, and Josh Homme (who hasn’t been in a decent band since Kyuss) were not missed at all! Followed by Brand Bjork, and John Garcia, they started us of with Hurricane, and it took all but 2 seconds before we had moshpit going, and plenty of space! At the beginning it was only 3 or 4 of us, but luckily the freaks in attendance started to gather around our spot and joined in the fun! I guess we shocked a few people that probably planned to be standing in the middle of the room for the entire show ;)… But after all it is freaking KYUSS! One inch Man, kicked our asses some more, as did the rest of the set list! By Gardenia I was already dripping wet, and there were about 10-15 people in the pit, which looking around us, was quite a variation to the rest of the room. Not that the band was not seriously kicking ass, but the crowd was at their usual Luxembourgish best. ( a large stick up their ass, so they can’t move anymore.. be careful not to become a victim if you visit concerts in Luxembourg) By the time of Freedom Run, it was time to light up again, after all Kyuss defined stoner rock, so by my standards; at least a few people in the crowd should be getting high. Additionally the jam at the end of Freedom Run, made for an opportune moment to smoke a bit. At least by now the moshpit was going strong and well! Kudos to the nice gal that gave me a sip of her beer, which was very needed by this time. Overall the light show was very basic, and no excessive visuals were in use, ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC, just the way it ought to be! After a brutal 100° the band left the stage for a few minutes only to come back and blow our minds a bit more! Molten Universe was as powerful as ever, Spaceship landing has always been one of my favorites so, thanks for that! And of course Odyssey! “Take one to the mountain, take one to the sea, then you take one to the belly of the beast, and then you’ll take one with me. “ Which we did to the fullest extend! HELL YEAH, and looking forward to hearing and seeing Kyuss again!

Hurricane One inch man Gardenia Supa Scoopa and Mighty Scoop Thumb Green Machine Freedom Run Whitewater El Rodeo 100° Encore: Molten Universe Spaceship landing Odyssey

WERCHTER BOUTIQUE: Metallica - Soundgarden - Mastodon - Channel Zero - Gojira - Ghost: Werchter, Belgium may 28th 2012.

WERCHTER BOUTIQUE: Metallica - Soundgarden - Mastodon - Channel Zero - Gojira - Ghost: Werchter, Belgium may 28th 2012. We arrived a bit late, so we missed out on Ghost but made it up to the front for most of the Gojira set, which was quite fresh and heavy! Followed by the local Belgian heroes Channel Zero which got the crowd moving a bit, I saw at least one Mosh-Pit that looked right! But Channel Zero is not entirely my cup of tea, so that was not for me.

Mastodon pulled of a very solid, rhythmic, and heavy set, but was largely underappreciated by the crowd, who sadly seemed to be focused solemnly on seeing Metallica, and thus ignored some great and heavy music!

Soundgarden, was a risky move on the bookers side, but one that I for one massively appreciated! And Soundgarden thanked their few fans in the crowd with a really cool setlist that you would not expect as such at a festival show. It was not a best of show, but it was a kick your ass show! They focused on their older albums, which was gnarly, but the crowd, unfortunately did not know what happened to them, and confirmed that they wanted only Metallica, which is sad, looking at the great musicians on stage being ignored by people that for the most part can’t even play an instrument. All I can say is respect to Soundgarden, as my friend B. put it, not only are they heavy, but they also sound good! Here is a link to the setlist: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150978826935600&set=a.496741280599.301895.271730225599&type=1

Metallica started their show with a clip from an old Western, which was a nice intro! They started of their set with ‘Hit the Lights’, and ‘master of puppets’. ‘Ride the lightning’ and ‘for whom the bell tolls’, followed by the newer ‘hell and back’. Then Metallica left the stage, to start a short video with a few facts and figures about the ‘Black Album’, and they opened the show with the last track from the album ‘the struggle within’, and proceeded to play the entire album backwards. Fortunately people got a bit loose with Metallica being on stage, but even though the Black Album as well as Metallica’s performance were still as good as on the “where we may roam” tour in 1993, the crowd has lost just about all of its’ power, its’ rage, its’ readiness to rock! We got a small moshpit going a few times, but there were but a few people joining us. Long gone are the days where there were 4 or 5 different pits at a single show, at the same time, nowadays, you’re lucky if you have 1 or 2 small pits in a crowd of 70’000 people.. Metallica are pros, and they worked the crowed well, getting them to sing here and there, but the crowd was overall relatively lame (at least those in the black circle). My personal highlights were ‘Of wolf and man’ as well as ‘sad but true’ . They ended the show with an all hit encore: ‘Battery’, ‘One’ and ‘Seek and Destroy’. Overall for me still a very satisfying experience, and a great show, but I do miss the madness from the older days.

Here is a link for the setlist, as well as some pictures from Metallica: http://www.metallica.com/tour/may-28-2012-werchter.asp

Riders on the storm (aka the Doors, Robby Krieger & Ray Manzarek) in Budapest, Hungary 07.07.07

Riders on the storm (aka the Doors, Robby Krieger & Ray Manzarek) in Budapest, Hungary 07.07.07 This was quite an interesting trip! Riders on the storm (the doors) played on a Saturday 07 of July 07 in Budapest, and as life would have it, a friend of mine, G., knows Robby Krieger, and invited me to go see the show. Saturday morning I hopped on a plane to Budapest. After a little walk around the city, G. and I headed over to the band’s hotel where we met Brett Scallions (vocals), Ty Dennis (Drums), and Phil Chen (Bass). Shortly thereafter Ray Manzarek, and Robby Krieger came down. And off we were to go get dinner with Robby, and Phil. I did not quite expect that one! The hotel had called a restaurant which opened their kitchen a bit early so we were the only guests in the place. I was honestly stunned to be sitting at a table with a true music heavy weight such as Robby Krieger,hearing him tell stories of the old days with Jim Morrison was quite mind blowing! He told us how Morrison and himself had gotten into a bar fight the night before a TV appearance; they were in some town’s local bar, and of course stood out as the long haired hippies, Morrison was provoked, and provoked back, so they both ended up getting their ass kicked. And a few other stories which were quite funny! But honestly Robby Krieger is a really down to earth guy, who loves his music, and nowadays a good golf game as well! A tasty meal and a couple of glasses of good wine later we were in a cab following the band’s van to the venue, a picturesque little amphitheatre style place located on a small “island” in the middle of the Danube (Margaret Island Open Air Theatre). I had been listening a lot to the Doors throughout the years, so I was not sure what to expect! Especially since Morrison’s vocals, are quite distinctive, but, in my opinion Brett Scallions did a great job! The beginning of the concert was a bit odd, people were pretty much all stuck in their seats, which I watched from the side of the stage, up close, ready to let the music take me in, and dance! A cold beer and a smoke in my hands the intro started, and off it went into love me two times, so glad I did not sit in a chair! Scallions, I think agreed, and urged people to come closer right before break on through, and luckily people followed the call, and the party was on! With the first notes of break on through people just went off! Young and old(er), just going with the music! Knowing Robby, and the rest of the band, and crew personally, G. had the privilege of taking photos throughout the entire show. (If I get permission I’ll post some here) But I had no time to take photos, the music was just pulling me in. I think by the time of Peace Frog I was in a complete trance, flowing with the sound, and the people. The sound was great, the nature of the venue, made for a really full sound the crowd was perfect, and kept on asking for more, but after about 2 hours the band left the stage, a great applause later they came back for a great encore, with riders on the storm, and Light my fire. Having an all access pass, we went back stage, and hung out a bit with the band! But Robby and Ray, were quite exhausted from the show, which they had every right to be, these 2 men still love their music, and put their hearts and souls into it!

G. and I hung out a bit at the venue, and ended up getting a ride from one of the organizers back to his hotel. Luckily G. had a nice suite, where I could squad the sofa for some drinks and smokes, listening to music, and enjoying the afterglow of a great concert! As I was on a short trip, I had not bothered to book a room.. A mere 24 hours after my arrival I was on a plane back home to be back at work on a Monday morning ;) Short but intense, and well worth the ride !

Guns And Roses – Soundgarden – Faith No More 30.05.1992 Cologne, Germany

Guns And Roses – Soundgarden – Faith No More 30.05.1992 Cologne. This was my first concert ever, and as you can tell from the line up, it could not have been any better! I was a sweet 14 years of age, and had only for a few years been listening more intensely to music. At that time I of course knew all the Guns’n’Roses albums, and they were on the “Use Your Illusion World tour”. Backed by two of the great bands from the 90’s Faith no More who were touring “the Real Thing”, and Soundgarden who were promoting “Bad Motor Finger”!

We were about 20 people and had rented a bus, as most of us being under 18 had no drivers licence. Luckily my brother had joined as well, as otherwise I doubt I would have gotten permission to go. We arrived around 5 pm, and set out straight to the stadium where we realized that unfortunately we had ordered grandstand seats, but wanted to be on the main floor.. We ended up sneaking past the outside fence of a bridge connecting the stands to the floor.. Luckily none of us were thickset, as we would not have made it through that space. A few others found people that gave them a used ticket to access the floor.

I was about 30 cm shorter than the rest of us, but headed out to the front with everyone else, and faith no more sure did get the crowd going already! WOW, the closer we got to the front, the bigger the pressure got, and about 50 m from the stage the crowd was just going left and right, back and forth as one large mass. The others formed a circle around me, as otherwise I probably wouldn’t have survived! But with the protective circle I was able to fully get into the music, bouncing up and down like a mad man !

Soundgarden had “Bad Motor Finger” going, which was mind-blowing as well! I had never heard these bands, but was pretty much sold for life after this show! And the main act had not even started yet! Being that I did not know any of their songs back then, but I do remember that it was one hell of a powerful concert!

Guns’n’Roses was simply staggering! I think they played around three hours, something which nowadays is very rare. The entire show, stage, and performance were Guns’n’Roses at the peak of their career, and what more can one say than it was the “Use Your Illusion Tour”! Those who were there will never forget, and those that weren’t will never know!