Sound: The sound wasn't the best during bands like The Chariot and The Black Dahlia Murder (the volume kinda swelled) and one of the mikes failed during As I Lay Dying's set (it was fixed though) but the rest of the bands had good sound. Apparently Matt Heafy from Trivium doesn't scream anymore, either (he leaves that to Corey Beaulieu). Instruments used by all the bands included Gibson Les Pauls, ESP's, a really cool looking red see-through BC Rich Warlock (owned by Robb Flynn of Machine Head), and more. // 8
Perfomance: The audience had so much fun during this concert. It was pretty much one f--kin' huge party. The bands that played were:
Evergreen Terrace - I saw them from the Cannibal Corpse meet & greet line. They were a bit mediocre.
The Chariot - I didn't really like them too much.
Behemoth - here's where things started to get good. I have never seen a single band control the crowd so well. Even the guys in the back got really stoked. They had a huge fan base and they didn't leave anyone unsatisfied.
The Black Dahlia Murder - these guys were cool. It's a shame that I had to see them from a distance because I was waiting in line to meet Machine Head. The audience looked like they were having a good time.
Terror - what they lacked in muscicianship, they more than made up for in raw energy. They're definitely following in the footsteps of Hatebreed. Moshpits were raging at all times, and in between songs, the singer kept saying stuff among the lines of "Life Is Beautiful."
Gwar - if a picture is worth a thousand words, then a taped Gwar show would give you enough to write your master thesis in college. They were the most amusing band that played. They started out by bringing a pig in a police uniform out saying that SOTU was cancelled. Oderus came out with a huge sword and killed it. The slaves then proceeded to sodomize it. They also shot out a red mystery liquid into the crowd, and later killed the Nazi Pope, the president of the Gwar fans Who can no longer walk, and they killed George Bush during Bring Back The Bomb. They also brought out Gor-Gor the Dinosaur, who killed one of the slaves and almost killed Oderus before he and the other slaves killed him. These guys were funny as hell, and when I came home, I looked at myself in the mirror and I looked like I was bruised. Then I took a shower and realized it was the red stuff. Regardless of whether or not you like the music, everyone should see them live.
Cannibal Corpse - they were just plain insane. In my opinion, they were the best band there (and I got to meet them and they autographed my poster). The moshpits were huge and the entire performance was just plain brutal. They even got a few girls to flash their tits. 'Nuff said.
Trivium - Like I said earlier, Matthew K. Heafy doesn't scream anymore. Their set consisted of all the singles from Ascendancy, the song Ember To Inferno, Detonation (from their upcoming album The Crusade) and what would have been a great cover of Master of Puppets if they had finished it (they only did it up to the first chorus). They did good.
Machine Head - this was MH's hometown show, and everyone loved them. I actually got to meet them and they autographed my ticket. They were a really cool bunch of guys. Dimebag Darrel's widow Rita was in attendance, as well as Travis from Trivium. They played one of the songs from their upcoming album. It was about a web journal that made fun of Dimebag after he died by saying he was a bad example of an american, and that all metal and hardcore fans were fat, ugly, and stupid for saying otherwise. Almost everyone was saying "F--k them!" They also played songs like Imperium and Davidian. In short, they kicked ass.
In Flames - I swear, I still have no idea how As I Lay Dying got to headline over them. They totally owned the evening. They opened with Pinball Map, then went on to play Leeches, Cloud Connected, Trigger, Come Clarity, The Quiet Place, Take This Life, and they ended with My Sweet Shadow. I personally would've picked a slightly different setlist, but they still did great.
As I Lay Dying - they had some bad luck today. In addition to one of the mikes failing right before their last song, their tour bus broke down on the way here and In Flames had to turn around and pick them up. Regardless of these setbacks, they came onstage on time and they played extremely well. The singer from The Chariot helped them out on one song, and there were so many crowd surfers during Forever, it wasn't even funny. Some fights broke out in the crowd, mainly because a bunch of guys (including me) tried to stop the hardcore dancers by starting a good old-fashioned circle pit. Good times.
The only bands that decorated their stages were AILD (4 different backdrops), In Flames (just a backdrop), Machine Head (same as In Flames), and Gwar (they didn't hesitate. They went all out on their decorations). // 10
Impression: USA, Mountain View, CA, Shoreline Amphitheatre parking lot on July 29, 2006. I loved how you could meet and greet the bands and not worry about not seeing another band you wanted to see (it's not ridiculously huge like Warped Tour, and the bands are better). I hated that I didn't get to meet Trivium (they cut off the line while I was watching Machine Head). The ticket was $30 USD, and it was definitely worth it. Unforgettable moments were Gwar's entire set, Trivium's "Gunshot", AILD's "Forever," In Flames' set, and Cannibal Corpse's moshpits. I will probably go again next year, and I will definitely go if Gwar goes again. // 10
review (
Was this review helpful to you? 
