Future Gigs

You need your eyes tested mate! They all look about 40. Especially the drummer   

Ahhhh ha. I was pretty wasted. Yes, up close they do seem older, mind you I was surrounded by old people and God knows what my blood alcohol level was at that point... Still would😉

Saturday, I had the worst concert experience ever. I'm so pissed, still.

We arrive, and decide that now would be the time to head to a water station, fill up the bottles and then find food before the bands we wanted to see started playing. It was hot, 40°+ and add in all the people crunched up against each other, and this is just walking around, nowhere near the main stages.
Within 15 minutes, my wife decides to dart ahead and my son and I lose her. Her phones, cigarettes, and bank card are all in the backpack I'm lugging around 😂.

So now I spend an hour roaming the site looking for her in all the obvious places to find her, I always set up a rally point for this kind of situation, but I didn't even get a chance to because we had just arrived. This is my kids first big festival since 2019, and he's autistic and awkward. So now it's like " ok, stay here and don't fucking move, take mom's phone and if you see her call me so I stop looking. I keep coming back to check on him and at one point venue staff were talking to him to make sure he wasn't lost just as I arrived to check back on him, "It's cool that my kid now F off"
Finally after an hour of searching I find the wife crying out by an info desk, I tell I passed here looking and she says she was there the whole time (except a few times she dipped out of the shade to see Rancid start their set) so of course she WAS there the whole time and I'm just blind.

Ok wife is found, now everyone is hungry. Ok time to stand in line, 40° in the sun, for another hour for some burgers while they chilled in the shade.

Shove the food down my throat while waiting in another line to piss out the beer I had waiting for the food.

Run to the stage for Smashing Pumpkins start up. All is good...for 2 songs... Now the wife is hot and sick, she takes off to the bathroom. I'm trying to enjoy the moment but constantly looking down at the phone for a text or update.

Smashing pumpkins were fantastic. Glad I got to see them. Somewhere near the end of the set, the wife is off by the soundboard, we meet up and she tells me she has to leave, too hot, too loud and crowded. Ok...

So I'm alone at this festival with my kid who is pulling towards the front of the stage for Green Day and spazzing autisticly that we can't miss Green Day.
I'm now hot and starting to get dizzy. I've passed out at shows before and now I'm getting nervous that I'm going to pass out here with my kid left in a panic as I get trampled or something.
I give him a pep talk of what to do if that happens. He says not to worry and that he'll take care of me (so sweet)

I convince him to backup a good 109 feet closer to the ground exit barrier so if I do collapse, at least I'm no trapped in the sea of people.

Green Day start, long fucking ass intro, just get it on already. Ok here we go. 3 songs in, my kid is like ok cool can we leave now. FML! Tried to get him to hang way back were the crowd was open and we could breath while watching the big screens, nope, "I just want to go home"
What fucking choice did I have? So I left.
$500 down the drain.
Never again, there's always something. The only way to have guaranteed fun times these days for me is to not be with my family, which makes me really sad.



-End Rant-

He's 12, starts highschool in a few weeks. He had blast. I was caught between wanting to leave and wanting to stay towards the end. Like you said, had the initial MIA wife not happened, it probably would have been a completely different day.

Also, this festival was not our usual "Metal" festival, this was Osheaga festival which has a way more LGBTQ presence, both in acts and concert goers.
I have no issues at all with that, everyone just be happy you know, but alot of the chicks walking around probably had a bigger D then me lol. The bathrooms were gender neutral. I used to laugh at the women's line up for the can because us dudes line up and are in and out for a piss in 2 minutes while the ladies need a stall and take forever.
Now I have half these chicks (some questionable) lined up in my line also, taking forever.

I really need a sick Metal now show to cleanse my pallet.

On another note, Sunday they fished a dead guy out of the water who was at the show. What a bummer. No clue if he passed out while trying to take a swim or something on drugs. Think he was around 20.

Summer wrap up!

This year, İstanbul got a lot better, finally!

Megadeth

I wasn't going to Megadeth but it was on my birthday and a friend of mine surprised me with a ticket!

Well, I love Megadeth. I love the new guitarist from his Wintersun days, and the band members are all great.
They played well. But somehow it was lacking that "x" factor. I don't know if anyone of you has seen them lately...maybe it was just me.

Unfortunately Dave does not sound well at all. Understandable, though...and the setlist was great. It was a very enjoyable show regardless.

Judas Priest

Despite all of the issues surrounding the Priest camp, they have been going strong. Still.
At 65,66 years old, Rob Halford is still a joy to watch and listen. Yes, he has some trouble here and there but he still delivers what he does best.
The band played extremely well. The stage design was awesome. It was well worth seeing them again. Long live the Priest!

Bruce Dickinson

This was probably the best concert I have seen in quite some time. It was his first "solo" concert in here. The crowd was very much into the gig and everyone had an amazing time, and I believe Bruce himself enjoyed this energy too.
While I was expecting a strong performance, Bruce delivered a gig far beyond my expectations.
No question about why he has become the legend that he is. What a performer! What a singer!
His band members are extremely gifted as well. I'm pretty sure all of these players will be in demand after Bruce is done with his touring.

Amon Amarth

Well, as powerful as one would imagine. Once again, they delivered a loud, strong and a very consistent show. Great stage, great performances, and a charismatic singer at the top of his performance. I always enjoy Amon Amarth's shows, and to be honest, to fully appreciate the band, one must experience them live compared to the albums.
Great show.

Symphony X


Now, this is the second show I was waiting anxiously for months (besides Bruce).
I have been a fan since I was 19-20, and since then, I have been waiting to SX live.
Those who know, would know that these guys are phenomenal musicians. All of them are.
Russel Allen is undoubtedly one of the greatest hard rock / heavy metal singers ever. Romeo is up there with the best guitarsts ever. Pinnella is what Kevin Moore could have been with Dream Theater, Rullo is a great drummer and LePond is a very technical bass player.

I never understand why they don't care about PR at all. Or lack providing the marketing efforts they very much deserve. I don't know.

For any prog metal fan, these guys are a must listen.

The show was beyond my expectation. They were PERFECT! So loud, and to my surprise, the energy was so high as well! I was kind of expecting a more relaxed gig but this was a full on metal show with a lot of intensity and energy.
And Russel Allen made that happen!

What a powerful singer that he is.


**

I missed Opeth, Myrath, Jinjer, Overkill and some others during this summer. But I feel lucky to have watched some of my favourite singers ever. Bruce Dickinson, Russel Allen, Johan Hegg and Rob Halford.

Next in line: Sodom-Samael, Testament, Ne Obliviscaris, In Flames

I watched the Bruce Dickinson set from Hellfest on YT.
I was well impressed, great show.


Iron Maiden tmrw night for me

I bought 2 tix at presale.
1 floor ticket
1 decent seat
I figured I would make my mind up which to use and sell the other one. My older son came over to visit tonite and offered one to him...Im struggling to hand over my floor ticket haha, but he's younger, taller and fitter so I should probably go sit down and hope the people in Row F dont mind standing up when Maiden play my favourites. (which is most of them)

How much were the Maiden tickets each? I'm still trying to snag one but they're going for $400-$650 each on ticket master resale. Freaking ridiculous, people keep telling me to wait until closer to the date, Oct 30 here in Montreal, and I'll get one at original price. I thought the whole point of ticket master digital ticket market was to prevent price gouging?

Tickets were close to AU$200.
Last 2 times Maiden toured here the tickets sold really fast so I was in to it first opportunity. (last show was covidcancelled)
And reselling is a pain in the arse these days...not like handing a physical ticket and receiving cash in hand in the same moment. Had a mate or 2 that wouldve bought the floor ticket but Im glad my boy is available tonite, feels better giving him the ticket than selling it off.

Ticketek, ticketmaster, all the same, they dont give a shit. 

Oh man, I would be so mad if I went to see Iron Maiden and the setlist was like THIS. To me, Somewhere In Time is the weakest of the 80s albums, and while I liked Senjutsu just fine, five songs is a bit much. I applaud them for not doing a "greatest hits show" all the time, but this show wouldn't have been for me.

I totally get you.

I was thinking what a comparative Metallica setlist would look like after the Maiden show.
Is a bit hard to draw comparisons to say which Met album is most like Somewhere in Time. (probably Load I guess)
So, a show with half of Load, half of 72 seasons (latest album), a song from Kill Em All (1st album), and 4 more songs from 4 other albums, and only one of those is a staple, like Maiden's Wasted Years, as the closer....most here would probably love to see Metallica play a show like that, but the kid that loves the Black Album would walk away wondering WTF?

Man, just do it.
These guys are getting on, still deliver 100% and you never know when its the last.
It was a cool show.... if you dont mind spoilers have a look at highlights I found



(Still feel I missed an epic one when the previous Legacy tour was cancelled down here due to covid)

This is the set they're playing. I checked their setlists from the last 10 years, and their setlists remained virtually unchanged through each touring cycle. Very rarely do they change or add even one song during any given tour.