The Bad Examples

This metal festival concert did not disappoint!  The concert started off with the band Newsted, formed by the former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted. This band just shredded all of the material they played!  Jason was super intense, while Mike Mushok ( No mic Mike ) on guitar was in headbanger mode he reminded us of Cousin It because we could barely see his face! Newsted added Twisted Tail of the Comet to their set list it was a great addition! King of the Underdogs was a highlight with Jessie's intense ghoulish guitar riff. Next up was Hellyeah. The only thing we knew about Hellyeah before the show was that Vinnie Paul from Pantera was the drummer. Hellyeah had a very entertaining stage presence with Vinnie Paul showing his skills on the drum set and Chad Gray providing a charismatic lead. We were only able to see about half of Hellyeah s set because we had a \u2018meet and greet with Newsted right in the middle of their set. That was a bit of a downfall you wouldn t think you d have to miss another artist to meet with the one you d paid for. But in the end, it was well worth it! All of the members of Newsted were great to their fans, ensuring that we had signed posters, other items, photo ops, etc.  They even took time afterward to talk to us about what the fans mean to their group. They seemed really appreciative of the opportunities they have.  Next up was Device. David Draiman (of Disturbed fame) is the lead singer, and of course his smooth voice and attention to enunciation highlighted their new material. To our surprise, there was no bassist in the band we hope that this is something they address as we think it would enhance the live viewing experience for fans, rather than pumping that part of the music in. The highlights were \u2018Penance , \u2018Vilify and \u2018You Think You Know .  A hilarious moment occurred at the beginning of their set, when a drunk fan, who was complaining the entire first two bands about how Hellyeah should have been the headliner, was physically and verbally disrespectful of Device.  Not because they were bad, but because they came AFTER Hellyeah in the concert lineup. David Draiman very coolly walked to the back of the stage, picked up a cup of water and rifled it directly into the rude fan s face, while never missing a lyric or offending fans around him.  He even had a few choice words for the idiot after the song was over. It s called RESPECT.  Next up was Black Label Society.  This band, headed by Zakk Wylde the former guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne had a HUGE following!  And it was well deserved.  Zakk s set-up on the mic was as cool as hell and he was constantly stepping out from behind it to show his prowess on one of many of his unique guitars. We had fun trying to capture them all digitally! His long guitar solo demanded and received absolute respect.  Their set list was full of their best music, from \u2018Destruction Overdrive' to 'Suicide Messiah to \u2018Stillborn there were too many highlights to list them all.  It had to be a highlight of one BLS roadie's night to take charge of the megaphone during 'Suicide Messiah'. And last, but certainly not least was Megadeth. They had a great stage and all the band members showed command of it. Dave Mustaine showed the fans why he s been so successful over the past 30 years with his skill on guitar and his eclectic personality.  Some of the highlights of the set were \u2018Symphony of Destruction , \u2018Peace Sells and \u2018Sweating Bullets .  The best part had to be when Jason Newsted came out and sang \u2018Phantom Lord a Metallica song, with Dave Mustaine & Megadeth. Dave Mustaine even mentioned that he hadn t performed "that other band s" music in almost 30 years. For Metallica lovers, to have two former Metallica band members (not at the same time) singing/playing a Metallica song on the same stage when they are both with different bands now was pretty awesome!  And to know that the only reason they did it was because it was the last date of the Gigantour 2013 at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre in Toronto Ontario was special.

These boys never dissapoint; the music brings everyone together - the lyrics, in midst of what was going on you could feel the emotion behind the words and tommy was smiling all night, dave had great pumped up energy, jay was super into it and goofed around, and jake is always the performer - wishing these boys a wonderful come back. All your day ones will be here waiting for a kickass and heart felt album. Thank you !!

Amazing venue Amazing artist. comedy and Banjo music does it get any better.

I couldn't believe how incredibly unique and awesome. The venue alone was completely different than I had ever been in before, and created a beautiful community for those few hours and completely enveloped me.

William Patrick Corgan's solo show was simply amazing. Billy on acoustic guitar or piano with the occasional harmonica. No accompaniment, just Billy. The simplicity made for an incredible atmosphere with a quiet, seated crowd just listening to the beautiful sounds. No gimmicks, just a musical genius in his barest form. The first set was the new album Ogilala in full. The second set and encore were mostly Smashing Pumpkins songs with some Zwan and cover songs thrown in. As a huge Smashing Pumpkins fan with over a dozen shows attended, this was better than all of them except for the Pumpkins' 2007 "residency" of the Fillmore shows I was blessed to see. Buy the new album and go see this show, you won't regret it.

The Kirby Center in WillesBarre continues to hit home runs with their lobby shows. This one featured Allison Moorer as opener with Hayes Carll as the main attraction. Both performers were stellar with their songs and Hayes is quite droll and humorous.

This was a fun, wonderful, experience. Only thing not so pleasant was the pricing of drinks. Crazy expensive as if the $86/ticket wasn't enough. Also, this is not your classic rave style event so don't spend time putting your rave fit together.

If you ever get the chance to go don't turn it down. It was great! Many great bands played there. Great set up. It was amazing!

Hit The Lights is such a great band! I highly recommend seeing them if you are a rock/punk/power-pop fan, because they are high energy mixed with melodic power punk and they are really great guys off-stage. Frankie's Inner-City in Toledo, Ohio is the a great venue to see your favorite bands because the stage areas is really intimate and you can get close to the bands. Frankie's also has a reputation for being one of the premier venues in Ohio for bringing in the best in well-known and up-and-coming Alternative musicians. It's a great place to hangout and see a good rock show.

Doc Walker and the Road Hammer show was excellent. Those bands know how to engage a crowd and HAVE A GOOD TIME!!