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Metal Masters at Glen Helen on August 30th 2008
By Jose "Diablo" |
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I arrive to the newly named San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore California for the Metal Masters show. To my surprise it isn't as hot as I thought it was going to be. It's still in the 90 degree zone though. The show kicked off at around 5:30 in the afternoon. Kind of early for a metal show, but that didn't matter, because the lawn was already starting to fill up and so were the seats.
Testament kicked off the show right at 5:30. They opened with the thrasher favorite Over the Wall. A great song to start off a night of ass kicking Metal! Testament played a short half hour set. In my opinion that's too short for a band that has so many great songs. They managed to only squeeze in 6 songs in their short set. Still they kicked ass and got the pits going. Their set consisted of songs like Over the Wall, Practice What You Preach, and one of my new favorite Testament songs The Henchmen Ride. The next band to hit the stage was Motorhead. I have never seen Motorhead but I have always heard good things about them. Their set was a little bit longer than Testaments. They played a few new songs off their new album Motorizer as well as fan favorites like Ace of Spades and Overkill. The only complaint I had about Motorhead's set was that they gave drummer Mikkey Dee an unnecessary drum solo. It was about a 10 minute drum solo for an already short set. That didn't make much sense to me, other than that good set, and great show. The sun had come down, and the moon had come up. On stage are Vinny Appice, Geezer Butler, Toni Iommi, and Ronnie James Dio aka Heaven and Hell. One thing that always amazes me is how loud Toni Iommi's guitars are. His guitar work just stands out. Heaven and Hell had another great show. Just as or better than their previous show back in October of last year. They did all their fan favorites like Mob Rules, Children of the Sea, and The Sign of the Southern Cross. Somewhere in the middle of the show was yet another drum solo. I guess they are giving drummers solos now to give the rest of the band time to rest or something. Vinny is a great drummer and this is not a shot at him, but I would much rather hear a song than a drum solo. If you're not Neil Peart or Mike Portnoy, stay away from drum solos. H&H ended their set with Neon Knights. Dio had yet another great performance. High voice sounds just like as if you are hearing the album. His voice needs no equalization, or effect. It's all raw natural metal! I am actually waiting for him to announce a solo tour with his band. 
The night was not over just yet. Judas Priest was about to hit the stage. KK and Glenn come out and break into Nostradamus from their latest album of the same name. From the top corner of the stage rose the Metal God himself Rob Halford in a shiny robe bearing Judas Priest scepter. Right after Nostradamus they went into an old favorite Eat Me Alive. The night went on and Priest continued to rock the crowd with songs like Breaking the Law, Angel, and Painkiller, which instantly got the pits going. The band walked off the stage. Chants of "Priest…Priest…Priest” filled the air. Then the sound of a Harley over takes all. Two doors in the middle of the stage open revealing Halford sitting upon a Harley. KK, Glenn and the rest of the band join Halford on stage and they go right into Hell Bent for Leather. It was good to see Priest again. They hadn't toured the states since their Priest Feast tour back in 2005. I didn't realize it had been so long since Priest had come to the states. They sound better than ever and can still rock the crowd. I hope they announce a headlining arena tour soon. I would also be curious to see Rob Halford go out on his own as well. Who knows maybe a Dio/Halford tour? |
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