Metallica!

Sylvia mentioned in a post a few days ago that for our anniversary (which was the 20th - 5 freaking years!) that we indulged ourselves in a little heavy metal mayhem that is Metallica.  This concert marked my fourth Metallica show, and Sylvia's second.  I myself got into Metallica back when I was 14, when one of my best friends introduced me to their older stuff (as I was familiar with only the Black Album at the time).  Sylvia has liked them for quite some time too, but swears that it wasn't me who got her into them...which may be correct, but I think that I pushed it a little more.  Whether it be from me or not, their song Nothing Else Matters is special to us as it was our first dance song at our wedding (now THAT is love - my favourite band as our first dance song.)

So anyway, on with the concert.  The concert was called Rock the Hill, which is apparently supposed to mark the first of an annual event, and also featured the likes of Death Valley Driver (local band who won a battle of the bands), Matt Mays, Protest the Hero, Seether, and Coheed and Cambria (all of which, surprisingly, I haven't seen before).  All the bands were fantastic.  Seether was a real stand out, because I wasn't too sure what to expect, but they had a fantastic set.  They were a true warm up act, as the whole crowd really got into them.

I was also all stoked to see Coheed and Cambria.  Their set was balls to the wall fantastic.  I got really into the set.  They were all business.  They came out and played the hell out of an hour.  The crowd got pretty intense when they came on, because everyone started to surge forward, likely to get up close for Metallica.  I was surprised though with how many people I talked with afterwards that have never heard of Coheed and Cambria, and most weren't very impressed with the set.  Me - I really want to see them where they are the headlining act.

Finally, the time had come for Metallica to hit the stage.  They played a blistering 2 hour set which left me with no voice and a ringing right ear - just like old times.  The only thing I thought was surprising was that they didn't play Battery, but I guess that is OK because they did play Hit the Lights.  It was amazing.  I could do it every week and never get tired of it.  All in all, it was a great time.  I can't wait to see them again.

-d

O_o

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Sucks

Dear Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:

You suck.  Plain and simple.  Most of this years inductees are a slap in the face of what rock and roll is.  Does Alice Cooper deserve to be in the hall of fame?  Yes, certianly.  Does Neil Diamond...perhaps.  I guess he could be rock n' roll.  Does Leon Russel deserve to be inducted?  Who in the blue hell is Leon Russel?!

I mean really, things were starting to really look up in 2009 when Metallica, Jeff Beck and even Run DMC were inducted.  In 2010, there was Genesis and The Stooges.  Two acts that deserve to be inducted into a ROCK HALL OF FAME!  But where the hell is Rush?  Red Hot Chili Peppers?  KISS? You are telling me that Dr. John and Darlene Love deserve to be in the Rock hall of fame more than the above mentioned three acts.  The worst is that a "little known" publication, "Rolling Stone Magazine" even stated that the Chili Peppers were front runners for induciton.  The irony is that Rolling Stone is owned by Jann Wenner, who is also the Charman for the Hall of Fame.

Now, I know that lesser known acts and such deserve some recognition, but does Rush really not deserve to be in the same class as Genesis, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin?  Do the Chili Peppers not deserve to be in the same class as Metallica?  It is a freaking injustice!

I hate you, hall of fame!

Love,
-Andrew

Korn Concert in Zurich

So I am back.  Well, I came back a couple of weeks ago, but factor in visits from family, unpacking, job hunting and slothing, I just found some time now while number one is eating her breakfast.  Switzerland was good, but, in typical me fashion, one of my favourite things was heading to Zurich and catching the Korn concert there.  Sure, Switzerland offers mountains and chocolate and people walking around with cow bells, but it also offered at the time that we were there a Korn concert, which I had to go to.  The show was a place called the Volkshaus, which was a little ballroom that housed about 1500 people, which was awesome because it was an intimate set.  It was a completely different experience, they allow beer and alcohol on the concert floor, which in Canada anyways never happens, and they also handed out ear plugs at the door (which was good because I forgot mine, since I promised that I would wear some to the next show I was going to after the Slayer concert).

Korn has gone through a few line up changes for the past few years.  Guitarist Brian "Head" Welch left the band after finding god in 2005, and drummer David Silveria left in 2006 to focus or his restaurants.  David has subsequently been replaced by Drummer Ray Luzier.  But anyway, enough of the back story.

The open act was a band called Dimmu Borgir, which is a Norwegian black metal band.  Now, I was just as excited to see Dimmu Borgir as I was to see Korn.

I have been a fan of them for quite some time now, and always wanted to see what they were like as a live band.  They incorporate pipe organs and symphonies to their music, and most recently a choir.  Very interesting type of stuff, but definitely not everyone’s taste in music.  They were a pretty good live band, loud and head-bangy, but their music doesn't really have the mosh factor to it.  There isn't a lot of rhythm to the guitars, just loud and fast.  They were cool to see live, and I would likely see them again given the chance, but not the best I have seen.  Here is a video of theirs that shows what type of music they play.



Korn came on and played around a 90 minute set.  Because the show was in such a small venue, there weren't many theatrics that I have seen at the other Korn shows I have attended in Toronto, but that wasn't even an issue.  They blazed through songs from all of their albums, and strangely only playing one song, Let the Guilt Go, from their newest album.  They opened with Here to Stay, from 5th album Untouchables, which was different from other times where they have opened with lead track from their debut album, Blind.

As with all the other times that I have seen Korn, the energy was high in the crowd.  Lots of pogo-ing and moshing but no one getting stupid or getting hurt.  The encore was great, because Jonathan came out playing the bag pipes to start of Shoots and Ladder, which led into Metallica cover One.  (Great to hear them play One, but even better to hear Metallica play it themselves).  Great show.  I love Korn.  I recommend for anyone to go and see them if even if you only have the slightest interest in them.  After seeing them live, you would love them.  They are a great live band.




Some final notes.  Yes, I wore ear plugs.  It was the first time that I did ever at a show.  My hearing is in the shitter as it is, and a promise is a promise and I wore them.  Surprisingly, it was worth it because I could actually hear the next day.  Also, a friend of mine (J)  turned me onto Korn when Follow the Leader came out, and I am happy about that.  Finally, in no way should Korn be considered Nu-metal.  Just because they have rhythm and beats doesn't mean that they are nu-metal.  They don't rap in their songs, they rhyme.  And if rhyming is a criteria for nu-metal then nearly all acts should be considered n-metal.

Cheers,
-d