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.

Dream Theater @ Vic Theatre Sometime in '98

Think back when luck was the only thing on your agenda. You found a $20 bill on the floor, green lights all the way home, boss did not yell at you for coming in late, she/he finally said yes to that long awaited date. You know what I'm talking about? Similarly, luck was on my side for this show.

Notice the ticket stub has no date and a number 46 written in black marker. Not in one million years would I imagine it falling into my hands. A friend of mine from Tampa (a huge Dream Theater fan) recommended I check out this show. It was on a week day and had no plans in the evening nor was I familiar with Dream Theater so what's the worst that could happen? As my turn arrived to purchase a ticket, the counter lady said, "Sorry, the guy before you bought the last one and the show is sold out!" My jaw dropped and thought the worst took over. Sooner than you could say "Mike Oxsmall" the counter lady reaches over and says, "Here you know what…just take this….it's no problem…enjoy the concert!" Low and behold it's a free guest pass that was unclaimed! Holy fuck! I get to see Dream Theater for free.

Now onto the gig, there was no support band. Dream Theater reached a point where they could tour by themselves. Selling out the 1500 capacity Vic Theatre is an achievement especially on a weekday. Having no idea what to expect I grab a seat in the upper balcony and wait. Lights are off, band appears, show has begun and everyone is standing & yelling. This is absolutely killer. Dream Theater has a tendency to cover classic tunes while in the middle of one of their originals and they certainly did not stop here. Not sure which song it was, but out of nowhere they jump into "The Trooper", then "Moby Dick", followed by "Have a Cigar."

I don't care if it costs me $50.00 for a shot of Jaeger at the Vic, I will always support this place because of how I was treated. Overall, it was an absolutely amazing gig and experience.

Deicide / Dismember / Vader @ The Oak Theatre, May 23, 1993

If you had to pick three death metal bands out of a fishbowl, chances of getting mega selling national acts was probably as likely as Eddie Money touring with Gorguts. Think back to 1993 and ask yourself what death metal bands would you put on the road to tour the US? Deicide, Dismember, and Vader would be my last three. Arguably, this was the best tour lineup since Exodus, Slayer, and Venom being only nine years prior. Again, this show was at the Oak Theatre which intersected at the major streets of Armitage & Western, the latter a major avenue in Chicago with heavy traffic passing by. As drivers honked their horns and waved to expect a cheer (as if it were a GNR concert), the response from drunk metalheads was appropriately fitting: "HEY, FUCK YOU ASSHOLE!!!" Before the doors opened, the entry line wrapped around the building - TWICE!

Not surprisingly, no one had even heard of Vader. I don't even recall "The Ultimate Incantation" hitting stores until after this tour. Therefore the response was quite mediocre. Their set lasted a mere 25 minutes which included "Dark Age", "Vicious Circle", "The Crucified Ones", and "Final Massacre." Vader would reappear in Chicago a month later at the Thirsty Whale with Suffocation, Dismember, and The Dead Youth.

Dismember had completed the "Pieces" EP in 1992 and it was the rawest, sickest, most pulverizing Swedish death metal to date. A great support band, you just knew these guys were going to make a mark in death metal history. "Override the Overture" was the ultimate rush followed by "Skin Her Alive", "Soon To Be Dead", and the colorful "Dismembered."

All 800 or so attendees were there for only one band: Deicide. Keep in mind, death metal was fresh and no one could predict a huge turnout for an underground cult. It was not one of those, "Hey, Muffy, let's go hang out with those scary long haired guys" ordeals. No, this was above and beyond the subculture. The place completely exploded when the lights disappeared. Come Glen Benton with his mean demeanor opening the set with "Satan Spawn, the Caco Daemon" wearing a classic all-covered Slayer logo'd guitar strap. The rest was all too powerful and the show belonged to Deicide.
Being young (and not too bright), we had a fascination of meeting with Glen after the show and our wish came true. One notable comment from a fan standing next to us was, "Why don't you guys just settle down and act normal?" We had no choice. What seemed as the most evil man on the planet was signing autographs and giving us a connote look. We were in heaven. I mean hell!

Death / Sacrifice / Gorefest / Demented Ted @ The Oak Theatre, July 23, 1993

Our modes of transportation for coming in and out of downtown Chicago (mostly for metal concerts) was relying on friends for rides. Reasons were simple: I was too young to drive & my brother had a four seat sporty camaro that only fit two people comfortably. Usually we went as a group of 6 to these shows so it made sense for two people to drive. Oversized SUVs were not around at this time.

Given everyone's different schedules, it was best for both groups to meet at the concert venue rather than all go up together. I went with the group that arrived late and remember walking in just as Demented Ted finished. Next up was Gorefest, touring for their legendary 'False' album. Due to the late arrival, I was stuck in the middle of the mosh pit area gracefully joining other headbangers to air guitar to classics such as 'State of Mind', 'Get A Life', & 'The Glorious Dead.' Interesting enough, Gorefest would not tour the US again.

Since the Oak Theater had an upstairs seated balcony, we rushed up to cool off while Sacrifice entertained.

Death took the stage. They were touring for 'Individual Thought Patterns' and filling the spot for Any LaRoque was Ralph Santolla. I enjoyed just about every single song including 'Living Monstrosity', 'Lack of Comprehension', 'Flattening Of Emotions', 'The Philosopher', 'Pull The Plug', etc… The crowd was more enthused and you could tell by comments such as, "Steve DiGorgio…GOD OF BASS!!!" What do you think his reaction was? No, he was not a rock star that shrugged it off. It was a big smile and cheers to the entire crowd.

After the show, fans brave enough to stay after had a chance to 'hang' with the bands outside the venue adjacent the tour buses. Boudewijn Bonebakker (nice name!), lead guitarist of Gorefest, was not the friendliest cat. Just a simple conversation would have been nice but this guy had no clue. I remember asking him, "How is it touring with Death?" And unfortunately I got a slap in the face response. It was, "I already told the others…I am not into their music at all." By the way, this was AFTER I asked him to sign my Gorefest tape. What a cunt!
Chuck & Gene were the only guys from Death signing autographs, taking photos, and listening to fans fire questions away. Someone actually had the balls to ask Chuck his thoughts on the Massacre - From Beyond album which he happily replied, "I think it's a piece of shit!" He was right. Finally, Gene had a great sense of humor and did not bullshit around. Another interesting question was asked, but this time to Gene, "Are you going to be on the next Death album?" His response, "I don't know ask Chuck. He is the band."

Cradle of Filth • London Astoria 2 • December 14, 1996

The oddity of how I ended up at this show still gives me chills to this day. For those of you unaware, the London Astoria was a great venue located in downtown London, England. My parents, my brother, and I took a flight from Chicago to London the day before and the purpose of the trip was definitely not to see this show, but sort out some family business. We arrived at Heathrow Airport around 5:00 AM and after being in a plane for 7 hours, you would imagine laying low was the plan. Not so. It was off to the races: Sainsbury (grocery store), Southall (East Indian village with great kebobs & curry food), family visit in Harrow (suburban London), shopping along Oxford Circus & Picadilly Circus (downtown London), HMV, etc… all in one day!

One key item I picked up while shopping was the latest issue of Kerrang! and towards the end of this magazine were advertisements for all metal/punk/grind shows. Guess who was playing that night? You bet your sweet ass - it was Cradle of Filth! Skip a few hours to the evening and we are all exhausted but just a slight bit of energy exists for me and Abbas. Both of us are trying to persuade Dad to let us go to the show and his response is negative. Bluntly put, "It's too far to drive, you are tired, and get some damn sleep!" We were both pissed. Finally, the plea bargain begins: Abbas comes up with the brilliant retort that if we do not go to this show, then both of us will act in accordance with the most annoying children on earth for the rest of the trip. Dad quickly obliges and drops us off to the nearest Underground Tube Station where we rush to arrive at the Tottenham Court Road stop right outside the venue.

Upon seconds of entering, the lights are near dim and the first thought to mind was 'we missed show.' Quite the opposite, we missed the openers and arrived just in time for Cradle. Other than hearing songs on various metal compilations, I was new to Cradle of Filth's music & image. Seeing them live was beyond anything I had seen before. Everyone was into it. Sound was clear as a bell. And best part of all, the clever words of the night from Dani Filth was, "THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT IS A CUNT!" I believe the final song was 'The Forest Whispers My Name." Guitarist Stewart superbly ended the show by smashing his guitar against the stage like an axe. Fucking awesome!
Talk about luck, sheer madness, and the perfect ending to a long (and I mean LONG) day.

Cannibal Corpse / Unleashed / Epidemic @ Vic Theater, March 17, 1993

I had about five death metal shows under my belt prior to this and it was challenging to get used to loud music, weirdos, hot metal chicks, and not to mention a big city like Chicago. Just about nine months before I saw Cannibal for the first time on the "Complete Control Tour" (Obituary, Agnostic Front, & Malevolent Creation were also on the bill) in which they only played material from the first two albums. Now they were touring for 'Tomb of the Mutilated.'

Epidemic opened. This band was new to Metal Blade Records and my guess is Cannibal needed an opener so why not pick fellow label mates? They were anything but acceptable to the crowd. It sounded cheap and tinny along the lines of unused Exodus rehearsal tapes mixed with Believer (they were an early band on Roadrunner Records that never went anywhere). The highlight of their set was the vocalist asking the crowd, "You suck Satan? What the hell does that mean?" Apparently, the tid-bits in between song breaks from the crowd were "YOU SUCK" and "SATAN."

I remember listening to "Shadows In The Deep" over and over until I could memorize each song. Such a brilliant album deserved live attention and Unleashed's set proved to complement this point. Opening with 'The Final Silence', crushing into 'The Immortals', then breaking into the album title track made the night inquisitively fulfilling. Unleashed were in their element blowing Epidemic away like a Kawasaki Ninja racing a moped. These Swedes had the look, sound, and desire to win the crowd over. You could tell they dug Chicago (one of the guitarists was wearing an 'Alley' t-shirt -- a nearby hip metal store). On a side note, being a rookie to concerts leaves room for mistakes and I'll never forget buying a short sleeve Unleashed "Thor Hammer" shirt but became too lazy to wear or carry it around. As any clumsy fool would do, I decided to leave it in the booth where our jackets were stored hoping to pick it up after the show ended. Turns out the shirt was gone along with my Morbid Angel 'Altars of Madness' & Slayer buttons. The folks sitting behind the booth knew I was looking for this shirt and clarified "No one was here" hence my gut feeling was they took it. Lesson learned!

Onto Cannibal Corpse, one can only laugh when hearing song titles thrown out (in fine Cookie Monster style) such as "Edible Autopsy", "Entrails Ripped From A Virgin's Cunt", "I Cum Blood", & "Addicted To Vaginal Skin." But, quite the opposite when you're young, energetic, and curious to hear & watch brutal death metal. For me, this was the next greatest thing to skipping school. Since Unleashed took the crown for this show, I'll give an honorable mention that Cannibal had their classic lineup still in tact before Chris Barnes, Bob Rusay, and Jack Owen jumped ship.