Hellyeah, Machine Head, Nonpoint
Amos' Southend
Jan. 30, 2008
The Deal: Metal supergroup brings along their friends to rock the foundation of Amos'.
The Good: It's been a while since I've seen a really good mosh pit, but the one at Amos' rarely stopped as four metal acts hit the stage and hammered home a heavy beat. Nonpoint tore through a melodic 30-minute set as singer Elias Soriano stood at the front of the stage and belted out all he had. They made the most of their cramped space on the stage and sounded as good as they ever have. Machine Head played for 45 minutes to a ravenous crowd that soaked up every bit of sweat — and Jagermeister — that the band threw out. Chants of "Machine Fuckin' Head!" fueled the band. Once the stage was cleared of the superfluous equipment, Hellyeah hit it and rifled through their entire debut CD, plus one cover ("Stone Cold Crazy"). The experience of the band showed as singer Chad Grey knocked back beer and growled to the masses. It's no surprise that Vinnie Paul was spot on throughout the night and showed why he's one of the best drummers out there. Nothing flashy, just keeping an intricate beat. Both Paul and Machine Head singer Robb Flynn made tributes to "Dimebag" Darrell.
The Bad: The first band, Bury Your Dead, hit the stage at 7 (the same time it was listed that doors would open) and most of the crowd was still outside. The sound and ambiance at Amos' is great, but the lighting kinda sucks. Maybe I notice more as a photographer, but having the singer spend most of the night in the dark doesn't make for easy viewing. A few fights broke out and someone without too much intelligence jumped from the balcony into the crowd below to crowd surf. I also have no idea why Hellyeah guitarist Tom Maxwell was continually drooling on himself...
The Verdict: A great mix of metal that left the crowd drained of just about every ounce of energy they had.
Hellyeah setlist
Matter of Time
GodDamn
Nausea
Rotten to the Core
Stone Cold Crazy
In the Mood>
Star
One Thing
Waging War
Thank You
Alcohaulin' Ass
You Wouldn't Know
Hellyeah
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