Zilla's Concert Experiences: RBO Edition

[Zilla2112]

The Machine

Artpark
August 30, 2011

Have a Cigar
Pigs (Three Different Ones)
Fearless
Hey You
Keep Talking
Money
The Happiest Days of Our Lives
Another Brick in the Wall Part 2
On the Turning Away
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V)
One Slip
Goodbye Blue Sky
Empty Spaces
What Shall We Do Now?
Young Lust
Wish You Were Here
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI-IX)
Brain Damage
Eclipse
Time
Comfortably Numb
Run Like Hell









The Machine are a relatively well known Pink Floyd cover band that plays this in this area quite a bit. They also played a show last year, but I wasn't able to attend it due to some reasons I forgot about.

First, my dad and I picked up Alex, Donny, and Elysia, and we went Artpark, which is about a half hour drive or so. Afterwards, we arrived at the park and met up with Zac, his mom, Rachel, Chris, and Jake, who all had already set up a spot.

The place was PACKED, and I truly mean it. We were unable to go down to see the band on the floor, as it was incredibly crowded, so we saw the band through a giant monitor that was close to us. The band started their first set at 7:00, which is very early compared to most of the other bands I've seen.

The band's set covered material from most of Pink Floyd's catalogue, including practically all of their major hits. The band did a good job covering the songs, as they sounded very similar to the recordings. However, saxophone parts, such as the one in "Money", were left out and replaced with keyboards, which was a little disappointing, but they made the best of it.

During the second set, once it got darker out, there was a cool light show. We couldn't see much of it due to where we were, but I bet it was amazing seeing it up close.

Otherwise, I thought the show was good, but not great. There were some songs that were incredibly boring, and there were also some random jams that were somewhat unnecessary. I probably doesn't help that I'm not that much of a Pink Floyd fan either. Regardless, it was a fun time, hanging with my friends and talking about random stuff.

We left the show early so we didn't have to deal with crazy crowds and bad traffic. The last song we heard was "Time", and it wasn't a big loss missing the last two songs as I already saw Roger Waters perform them live last year. All in all, it was a good show to end my summer of concerts.

[straf]

Nov 4, 2011 17:41:41 GMT -5 Zilla2112 said:

Nov 4, 2011 16:28:47 GMT -5 straf said:

You mentioned stuff from the Wall movie being played at the Wall concert. If it was that animated stuff like the Trial and the Goodbye Blue Sky, I do believe that it's the other way around. It was written for the concerts (back in '80) then reused in the film (in '81 or '82).

Just some useless trivia that I know. <.<

Interesting. It makes sense, but I've looked it up a bit and it doesn't specifically say that Gerald Scarfe's animations were made for The Wall Tour.

Not all of them were, IIRC. Like that leaf-man was recycled from the WYWH tour, according to the film commentary.

[Zilla2112]

Gonna see Anthrax, Testament, and Death Angel tonight! I'll write about it here sometime, probably tomorrow or something.

[Soup567]

Have fun.

[Zilla2112]

Thanks!

[Zilla2112]

Anthrax and Testament
with Death Angel

Town Ballroom
November 15, 2011

Anthrax:

Worship
Earth on Hell
Fight 'Em 'Til You Can't
Caught in a Mosh
Antisocial
I'm Alive
The Devil You Know
Indians
Hymn 1
In the End
Got the Time
Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)
Among the Living
Madhouse
Metal Thrashing Mad
I'm the Man
Refuse/Resist
I Am The Law

Testament:

The Preacher
The New Order
The Persecuted Won't Forget
Envy Life
Practice What You Preach
Over the Wall
Souls of Black
Into the Pit
Electric Crown
Henchmen Ride
More Than Meets the Eye
D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate)
3 Days in Darkness
Disciples of the Watch

Death Angel:

I Chose the Sky
Evil Priest
Claws In So Deep
Relentless Revolution
Seemingly Endless Time
The Ultra-Violence
Thrown to the Wolves













What an awesome concert! The week of this show was a busy one, with several tests on that day, a project due the next, and an Area All state festival a few days after. However, this show made everything so much better. My dad and I drove down to the Town Ballroom, where we bought a really cool concert t-shirt, with Anthrax being attacked by zombies for their new single, "Fight 'Em 'Til You Can't". After waiting in line for a little bit, we met up with my dad's friend Dan Bess, who I not only saw play with Ball Cheeze Psychotics, but who toured with Death Angel with his band, Liquid Violence.

We then got inside the venue. However, my dad had to sacrifice his mini Swiss Army knife because it wasn't allowed in the venue, even though it really couldn't be used as much of a weapon anyways. We found a great spot where we could see everything, and we hung out with Dan and his friend for a little bit until they left to find a better spot for themselves. I also bought Anthrax's new CD, Worship Music, for 10 bucks, a pretty good deal considering the quality of the album.

Then, Death Angel took the stage, and they kicked ass! They had a ton of energy and were very tight. Mark Osegueda in particular was really cool, as he had this crazy long hair that was perfect for whiplashing. The other members played well as well, with fast drumming and crazy solos all around. Even though I didn't recognize many of the songs, they were very good and it was great way to start the show.

After a small break, Testament went on stage. I was unsure if Paul Bostaph had recovered from his injury, or if Gene Hoglan was gonna play instead. I had seen Gene with Fear Factory in 2010. Paul did get better though, and even though Gene Hoglan is one fuck of a drummer, Paul has some crazy chops too.

Testament did a great job as well! They played a variety of stuff from their entire career, from more groove oriented songs to their thrashier material. Alex Skolnick is an excellent guitarist, and Chuck Billy was fun as hell to watch. He has this mic-stand that he often pretended to play guitar on, and later on in the show, it lit up like a lightsaber.

Finally, the stuff for Testament was taken down, Anthrax's stuff was put on stage, and Anthrax took the stage. The first two bands were great enough to do their own show, but Anthrax took everything up to a new level. I can definitely say that Anthrax put on a hell of a show!

The band themselves were in top form. Charlie Benante's drumming was spot on, Frank Bello did a great job on bass, Scott Ian played with a ton of energy, and Rob Caggiano nailed all of the classic Anthrax guitar solos. Joey Belladonna, who is easily the best vocalist in the Big 4 and one of the best in metal, still has it. Even though his voice doesn't have all of the range he had back in the 80's, he still could sing most of the songs.

The band played large number of songs from Worship Music and Among the Living, as well as other classics like "Madhouse", "Metal Thrashing Mad", and their covers of "Antisocial" and "Got the Time". The mosh pit below me went insane during "Caught in a Mosh", and the band actually took a break during the middle of "Indians" in order to motivate the crowd, with Scott Ian getting a lot of people to do the war dance. During the encore, Joey went behind the drum kit to play some extra percussion for sections of "I'm the Man" and a cover of Sepultura's "Refuse/Resist".

Once Anthrax finished with "I Am the Law", I was exhausted. I didn't get home until about 12:30, and it was a school night, but those are the sacrifices that are needed to be made for heavy metal. After this show, I can probably say that Anthrax is my favorite of the Big 4, and I'd love to see all of these bands again. During the show, I found out what my next show is going to be, as Machine Head is coming to the Town Ballroom in January, and I'm excited for that now. This Anthrax concert was definitely a great way to end this year of excellent shows, and I hope that there's a lot more to come next year!

>implying this was the last concert this year

[Toki]

I hope you had a wonderful time.

[Zilla2112]

I did! Thanks.

[Zilla2112]

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

First Niagara Center
December 27, 2011

Who I Am
An Angel Came Down
O Come All Ye Faithful/O Holy Night
Music Box Blues
First Snow
A Mad Russian's Christmas
Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24
Ornament
Old City Bar
Promises to Keep
This Christmas Day
An Angel Returned
Epilogue
Mozart and Memories
The Mountain
Someday / Child Unseen
Christmas Canon Rock
Back to a Reason, Part II
Queen of the Winter Night
Drum Solo
Siberian Sleigh Ride
Wizards in Winter
Keyboard Duel
Wish Liszt (Toy Shop Madness)
Requiem (The Fifth)
Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 (Reprise)





Before Christmas, my mom saw that the Trans-Siberian Orchestra was coming to Buffalo, and that it would be a great event for her, my brother, and I to attend. However, the tickets were pretty expensive, so she decided not to purchase them.

However, on Christmas, I opened a gift from my step-dad that had three tickets to the show plus parking, which was awesome and quite the surprise! Even though my mom was very busy over the break, we made the arrangements for it to work out. We all drove down to the First Niagara Center, where the parking situation was a mess. We were able to find a spot though, and we went inside the arena. Our seating was right to the left of the stage in the second section, which, despite not being up close, was a really good spot.

We got there just in time, as it was only minutes before the band was on stage. The makeup of the group was interesting, with not only two guitarists, keyboardists, a drummer and a bassist, but there was also a small string section with the leader playing an electric violin, as well as a large number of singers, both male and female, as well as even a narrator. They started the show with a set containing a lot of their Christmas material.

For the most part, the show was fun, lively, and enjoyable. The band played with great energy, and everything sounded perfect as well. There were a few moments in the first act that got somewhat boring, including some of the slower songs and the narration, but their second act contained more of their rock material.

The lighting and effects during the show were well done as well, complete with pyrotechnics and laser lights. There was also this giant, Y-shaped platform that hung over the audience and was raised and lowered during the show. Members of the band would walk across the platform, as well as make their way through the audience as well. I must admit, it did get pretty cheesy at times, but it was the enjoyable kind of cheese.

All in all, it was a great show and experience to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra live. I may attend one of their summer shows, which they mentioned during the concert, but even if I don't do so, I'll probably end up seeing them again sometime.

[civplayah]

Awesome.

[Zilla2112]

Added the info for the TSO concert.

[Soup567]

Savatage > Trans-Siberian Orchestra

[Zilla2112]

I've heard Savatage has some good stuff before some of their members formed TSO, though I haven't given them much of a listen. I'll probably check them out soon.

[Zilla2112]

Machine Head
with Suicide Silence and Darkest Hour

Town Ballroom
January 29, 2012

Machine Head:

I Am Hell (Sonata in C#)
Be Still and Know
Imperium
Beautiful Mourning
The Blood, the Sweat, the Tears
Locust
This Is the End
Aesthetics of Hate
Old
Darkness Within
Declaration
Bulldozer
Ten Ton Hammer
Who We Are
Halo
Davidian

Suicide Silence:

You Only Live Once
Wake Up
Unanswered
O.C.D.
Bludgeoned to Death
Slaves to Substance
Lifted
Smoke
Disengage
Fuck Everything
No Pity for a Coward

Darkest Hour:

The World Engulfed in Flames
No God
Savor the Kill
With a Thousand Words to Say but One
Violent by Nature
Love as a Weapon
Your Everyday Disaster
Doomsayer (The Beginning of the End)













During the Anthrax concert last year, we saw this show advertised when we got to the Town Ballroom, so my dad and I automatically knew that we were going to go. After a few months of waiting and receiving tickets as a Christmas gift, we finally went on our way to the Town Ballroom on a Sunday evening. Mother nature, however, didn't want us to go, as it snowed immensely on the way there, lengthening our trip by several minutes. We did make it to the heart of Buffalo without any trouble.

Now, this next part is one of the coolest moments in my life. A friend of my father's, Steve K, who is the host of a local radio show on 103.3 The Edge, was able to give my dad and I backstage in order to meet Machine Head. We were initially worried that the bad weather would have made us late, but we got outside the venue in time, and Steve and some others were waiting outside. We went backstage, and after a few minutes of waiting, the members of Machine Head all greeted us.

It was so awesome that I can't put it into words! Rob Flynn talked to us first, and I got to shake his hand, get a photo with him (posted below), and talk a bit about the concert. Afterward, I got into a nice discussion about drums with D a v e McClain, as I mentioned how he's inspired me as a drummer. Guitarist Phil Demmel came up to us next, and he took notice of my dad's Raiders shirt, as they're also Raider fans, being from Oakland. Finally, I got to speak and get a photo taken with bassist Adam Duce (also posted below). All four of them were cool to hang out with, and it's a once in a lifetime experience I'll never forget.

Our meet and greet ended with the start of the concert, as Darkest Hour started to play. After leaving the backstage area, my dad and I went around to the front of the Town Ballroom and got in after a brief period of waiting. I bought myself a Machine Head shirt and we made our way to a good spot behind the mixing booth. We missed much of Darkest Hour's performance as the result of the meet and greet, but what we did see was pretty good.

Suicide Silence took the stage after a 20 minute break, and they did a good job putting on a show as well. They gave a very energetic performance filled with headbanging and audience engagement. I know a lot of people hate on them in general, and I understand why, but they're a lot better live. Their music is really repetitive, and I'd probably get bored if they were headlining, but having this shorter set worked out well.

Finally, once Suicide Silence was done, Machine Head began their set with "I Am Hell", and I can say that they owned. Everything worked perfectly: D a v e's drumming was tight, Robb and Phil played some insane dual guitar lines, and Adam kept things going with his bass playing and backing vocals. Robb's vocals were also solid, which was good considering I had heard some pitchy performances in the past. Machine Head played a variety of songs, covering every one of their studio albums, though most of their material came from their newest release, Unto the Locust, as well as stuff from The Blackening and Burn My Eyes. Machine Head also had a cool visual show too, complete with flood lights and a projector.

Once of the highlight moments of the night, though, was when Robb Flynn invited a 13 year old guitarist on stage to play "Aesthetics of Hate" with the band. Robb gave Anthony his guitar and pick, and he preceded to play Robb's parts very well, aside from a few mistakes here and there. He even played all of the solo section, which wowed the entire crowd.

After this, Machine Head finished their set, and after a brief break, they came back for an encore of "Halo" and "Davidian", both of which sounded excellent. Afterwards, the band threw picks and drumsticks into the audience, and we left the Town Ballroom satisfied by the astounding performance Machine Head gave. Here's those pictures I mentioned earlier:

[Soup567]

I would not be able to sit through that show without committing suicide.