MELLODRAMATICA

 

Review - MELLODRAMATICA MAN WAS IT HOT! I'm talking dust in your throat, sweaty, stanky, belligerent drunk ass, HOT! Sept. 1st saw the biggest SHOW arrive at Cal-Expo since the Amphitheatre was removed last February.  DAYS OF THE NEW, JERRY CANTREL, & METALLICA performed during a blistering 4 1/2 hr. period.

The stage was bigger (by far) than that of the old Amphitheatre and it was not surrounded by a retaining wall. 'Wide open spaces' in the western parking lot. Let's get to the goods...

DAYS OF THE NEW - This band of 4 youths (the singer is something like 18) from the south (I think) were by far the best act of the night.  Performing their brand of acoustic metal that, in any club, would have people tearing the walls down.  Deep grooves and razor sharp edges keeps these songs sharp and unexpectedly 'ROCKIN' Guttural deep vocals and a distortion effects box on his acoustic helped make DOTN's singer a character to watch for in the future.

JERRY CANTREL - Ok, not my favorite guy, but he was cool.  Bringing together a band comprised of members of Queensryche, Fishbone, and Alice In Chains; Jerry has managed to make a road worthy step at a solo career.  But it's not that easy.  Jerry performed only 2 songs from his solo album (I forget it's name) and the rest of his set relied on distant Alice In Chains tunes: Them Bones, No Excuses, Heaven Beside You, and a few more.  I never liked AIC and I gotta tell you I can't stand an AIC cover band (anybody see Vince Neil's solo show?)  Now the best of Jerry's show were the 2 official covers.  'The kids are alright' & 'The Darkside of the Moon'. Darkside - just a cover but man what a great song. The winner was ‘TKAA’ but it wasn't the song.  The crowd began the all too familiar sight of throwing water bottles and tortillas (I swear). The air was filled and it continued for the entire song.  When the song was finished Jerry told everybody to stop that before someone got hurt; trying to tell the crowd it was stoopid.  PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES & CORN TORTILLAS JERRY!  YOU WANNA FRIGGIN' BADGE JERRY! Get Off My Stage!!!!!!!

Now: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly METALLICA - The Good: The opening set of songs, 5 total- Breadfan Master Of Puppets (the full version) The Thing That Should Not Be Of Wolf and Man Fuel (Enter Sandman on steroids) Coming out of a steep nose dive about an hour and 15 into the set with- Wherever I May Roam (Not my song but Kirk SHREDS) One (you can feel the double kick rattle your bones) Fight Fire With Fire (did they really just do that?) and closing the night with- Creeping Death (17,000 people chanting DIE! DIE! Can’t be wrong) The band- The guys are as tight as a...Well they're tight and fast. Time has not diminished their ability but it has confused them.

The Bad - Fuel...The white-knuckle burner that shows the apex of all Metallica is since the end of 'Justice' set everybody on fire.  But they drove that plane into the ground.  It was followed by: The Memory Remains (just shut up)? (something slow off of Reload) Nothing Else Matters (can we go any slower) Until It Sleeps (it seems we can...Where's my chair?) King Nothing (if the King ain't Diamond it aint shit) more Metallica slow death was to follow - Sad But True (not again) Where The Wild Things Are (intro only) Lowman's Lyric (cool song but I'm already asleep) 1 Bass and 2 Guitar doodles (No Solo! Play that damn thing don't pet it!)

The Ugly- Lowman's lyric was the 1st song played during a 3 song acoustic (yes that's what I said) set.  All right I'm thinkin, that's cool, now let's hear Fade to Black.  Not Gonna Happen.  The ACOSTIC set was wrapped up with - The Four Horseman (some swamp blues crap.  I'm not singing to that) Last Caress (hop-along-Cassidy-style) you know what.  I used to laugh about going to Vegas and singing METALLICA show tunes and now I cry cause I saw them actually do it. It was horrifying. The Set List.  I want that guy fired.  I didn't come to a Metallica show to here virtually every slow tune they've written IN A ROW. Fuck that guy. 'Slam pits' were turned into 'arm waving hippy fucker ditches' thinking this was a Peter, Paul, & Mary show.  What is METALLICA inspiring in their fans? The worst was when Jaymz told the crowd that he was thankful to all the METALLICA fans from old who'd come out and that we should show the new fans what a METALLICA show is all about.  If I'd only had a gun Jaymz...If I'd only had a gun...

-m-