Type O Negative / Moonspell @ London Astoria • December 21, 1996

October Rust was released in August of 1996 which became a highly anticipated album from the 'Bloody Kisses' masterpiece. Mixed reactions from not only metal heads but also goth enthusiasts created a strange vibe of this album. Was it Sisters of Mercy on acid? The timing of this show was perfect -- so close to Christmas that you couldn't ask for a better present. Miraculously, there were a few extra tickets left to purchase at the box office even though the signs outside the London Astoria indicated "sold out show."

Moonspell, all dressed in pure black, had the slickest mafia type outfits I had ever seen a metal band wear. You just could not help imagining what was in their dressing room -- loads of stolen British pounds, guns, gold chains, etc...! "Wolfheart" was finally reaching top success which called for only the hit songs to be performed such as "Wolfshade", "Love Crimes", "Vampiria", and "Alma Mater."

The 2000+ attendees only needed a brief 15 minute wait for Type O Negative to appear. Opening to "Christian Woman" set the right tone for a long show yet "My Girlfriend's Girlfriend" and "Love You to Death" also crept onto the set list. Boo! Kenny sort of fucked up while playing the latter song which summed up how uninteresting material from "October Rust" sounded. All of a sudden, fake snow dropped from ceiling and "Black No. 1" grabbed the crowd by the balls. Merry Christmas.

THE OZZFEST '98 @ Milton Keynes Bowl, June 20, 1998

Main Stage: Black Sabbath / Ozzy / Foo Fighters / Soulfly / Pantera / Slayer / Fear Factory / Therapy?
Second Stage: Coal Chamber / Life of Agony / Human Waste Project / (h?d) p.e. / Entombed / Pitchshifter

Being in England twice in as many years was reminiscent to visiting the local dentist. This time the trip consisted of me, my Dad, & my brother and we all had the crazy idea of checking out The World Cup in Paris. With a few days to spare, there was no question checking out one of the biggest & freshest metal fests to date.

Milton Keynes is an hour train ride from London and going solo, I had no one to talk to which felt strange. Luckily, the metalheads in the same cabin were listening to Strapping Young Lad "City." This put me at ease and knew the whole day would totally fucking rock.

The set up of this fest was great - two stages side by side and bands would alternate between the main and second. Merchandise tents were in the shade so you wouldn't suffer in the heat and food stands were conveniently located by the stage. It was impossible to miss bands.

Missed Pitchshifter by a heartbeat so next up were Entombed and factoring in their lineup changes as well as musical direction, odds of a decent set were slim. However, "Left Hand Path", "Wolverine Blues", and "Hollowman" all made it possible for no complaints.

Slayer had just released Diabolus In Musica and thankfully, only a few songs from this album were played. Tom Araya greeted the audience to "War Ensemble", "Mandatory Suicide", "South of Heaven", "Killing Fields", and others.

No idea how the Foo Fighters were on the bill but one moment I'll never forget is Dave Grohl having some fun by openly asking the crowd, "Do you want to see my butt?" About 300 different answers were yelled out but all was silent when Dave's rear end had the final laugh.

Napalm Death / Obituary / Machine Head @ The Oak Theatre August 20, 1994

While waiting in line I eavesdropped to hear a few metalheads discussing Machine Head's sound which interpreted as savvy yet experimental. Twelve days before this gig, "Burn My Eyes" hit the stores and went unnoticed. Their inimitable style of music just did not hold any water therefore no one could relate, but seeing numbers such as "Davidian", "A Thousand Lies", and "The Rage to Overcome" with the original recording lineup (including Chris Kontos & Logan Mader) remains a never forgetting experience.

Next up were Obituary whom were touring for their latest masterpiece 'World Demise' and with three successful albums on their resume, touring money was evident. A huge "End Complete" logo banner justified a strong presence along with the bat "T" shaped guitar amp covers. "Don't Care", "World Demise", "Dying", "Chopped In Half", & "Final Thoughts" were among my favorites.
Napalm Death was at their prime upon unleashing "Fear, Emptiness, Despair" to the world. Very early in the set saw the light of "Suffer The Children", then "Mass Appeal Madness", "I Abstain", upon moving to newer material like "Twist the Knife (Slowly)", "Plague Rages", and "State of Mind."

One of the best things about shows is getting to know the band members who portray a masked image as untouchable rockstars. Not the case with these guys. Mitch Harris, Barney Greenway, and Jesse Pintado (RIP) were ever so willing to take photos and sign autographs after the gig. This is the kind of attitude that reflects a band and their music.

Check out a photo of me and Barney Greenway:

My Dying Bride @ London Astoria 2 • December 19, 1996

Ah, witnessing two legendary British metal acts in a five day stretch -- I had seen Cradle of Filth five days before (see my CoF review). My exposure to My Dying Bride was limited to skimming through 'As The Flower Withers' not being very memorable.

Walking around the venue had its moments, among staring closely at Rick Miah's (MDB drummer at the time) girlfriend. Her long blonde hair and black outfit defined what a rockstar's wife should always look like. Doom metal was hard to digest, given thrash & death metal was way more popular. However, seeing it live totally changed my view.

Aaron Stainthorpe's stage antics reminded me of seeing a Shakespeare play. He was emotional yet cunning and very un-metal. For the first time I saw a violinist perform with a metal band, and amazingly, it fit perfect -- Martin Powell deserves tremendous recognition. "Cry of Mankind" is one of the best doom metal songs of all time which MDB executed flawlessly. The show ended with a classic old song that involved deep cookie monster vocals, fast double bass drums, and genuine fast picking guitar riffs.

Motörhead / Morbid Angel @ House of Blues, May 8, 2002

If the above mentioned lineup doesn't appeal to you more than holding a brand new glass pipe packed with super green Afghan weed, then you're fucked up. If it does, keep reading.

The day before, both bands played in Dekalb, IL, a college town about an hour fifteen minutes outside of Chicago at a tiny dive bar called Ottos. A uniquely designed multi-level shit hole, this place reeked of dropouts majoring in the 'Getting Drunk' Bachelors Degree Program. Not a bad view of the stage anywhere you stood and after Morbid Angel finished, obtaining a front railing spot for Motörhead was inevitable. Out came Lemmy wearing off-white cowboy boots, a shiny bullet belt, and round aviator glasses followed by Phil Campbell & Mikkey Dee. The luxury of headbanging within an arm length of the band was not just the best part, but witnessing a twenty minute drum solo totally defined a true spirited metal show. How I ended up leaving the place not going deaf amazes me to this day.
I went to the HOB show solo and being in a professional venue has its advantages sound wise, but opposite view wise. It was sold out and this time I was about 150 arm lengths away from the band. The real gig was the night before, simply for being so old school.

Mercyful Fate @ Metro Chicago, November 4, 1996

Other than hearing 'In the Shadows', the only Mercyful Fate material to my ears was Bewitched's version of "Evil." It was a terrific cover and figured there was so much more to discover within the world of early King Diamond/Mercyful Fate. The night of this show was ice-cold but quickly changed upon entering the Metro.

Ended up finding out King was sick the day of this show and remarkably it had no effect on his performance whatsoever. Each falsetto lick was dead on. It's a shame I did not know any songs or even realize the classic lineup including Michael Denner, Hank Shermann, & Timi Hansen until a few years later. "Evil", "A Dangerous Meeting", "Black Funeral", and "Come To The Sabbath" were among the classics of the set list.

The day after this show I bought Melissa, Return of the Vampire, and Don't Break the Oath which will never leave my collection.

Iron Maiden / Dio / Motörhead @ Tweeter Center, August 10, 2003

Without a doubt, the metal tour to kick anyone and everyone's ass bestowed Chicago on this glorious Sunday. A few of my buddies paid a mere $300 for front row tickets close enough to touch Lemmy's moles. A lineup in this fashion was a once in a lifetime ordeal which made sense to spend top cash.

Motörhead is the type of band who sound much better live than on CD and when you have 10,000 screaming maniacs all singing along to the easiest song in the world (Ace of Spades), your only choice is to chime in. Loud as fuck? Not a chance. Motörhead were louder than a busted chainsaw. Throw in a few more fist banging tunes such as "Motörhead", "Killed By Death", "Iron Fist", & "Orgasmatron" and you have a glimpse of the band's set. Lemmy made it clear to pay homage to Joey Ramone by asking the crowd to stir up a heavy cheer from which a Ramones cover ended their set.

Rumors surfaced that Warren DeMartini (Ratt) would handle guitar duties for Dio and it's unfortunate this didn't happen. Craig Goldy, who seemed like a last case resort, took over guitars. Lacking any drive or emotion, Goldy was about as stale as an open bag of potato chips. Even worse, Vinny Appice, plunged into a drum solo not even capable of using double bass beats. Quite a disappointment for an artist with over 30 years experience.

In fine Maiden tradition, "Number of the Beast" was the opener followed by "The Trooper" and as soon as the song finished Bruce's words couldn't have been more perfect: "If you're gonna die...." "DIE WITH YOUR BOOTS ON!" What a fucking surprise! Of course there was room for "Evil That Men Do", "Iron Maiden", "Run to the Hills", and even "Wildest Dreams" from Dance of Death. Due to over headbanging, my $105 Ray Ban sunglasses were lost in the shuffle. A word of advice - never bring any expensive valuables to a show.