Rock On The Range
These past three days have been long, but entirely worth the literal rblood, rsweat, and tears. Here's some thoughts about the best (and worst) rbands I rsaw. |
| 1 | Day 1
Top three bands: |
| 2 | Killswitch Engage
This was an easy choice for the best band of the day. I was a little nervous that
they would only play stuff that Jesse was a part of originally, but they didn't. They
even played "Holy Diver." I'd seen a lot of videos of them with Howard and always
wanted to see them live, and they completely lived up to my expectations. |
| 3 | Lacuna Coil
Most people went to see Living Colour instead of these guys, so it was a pretty
small crowd. They sure didn't let that stop them from putting on a great show. I'm
not too familiar with their music, but I recognized a couple songs. I'm going to try
to find some of their CDs now. |
| 4 | We came As Romans
These guys just exuded fun. They came out to "Cure for the Itch" and then played
for their entire set, only stopping a couple times to say they were glad to be there
and see so many people coming to see their set. I would definitely see them again,
I think they're the best of this style of metalcore that I've seen live. |
| 5 | Guns N' Roses
Honorable Mention.
A lot of people thought they were terrible, but I thought it was a great show.
However, it wasn't great enough to get a three hour set, which I think was because
they were afraid Axl wouldn't show up on time (he actually got there early.
Shocker). Something I enjoyed a lot and really didn't expect was when they
covered "Holidays In The Sun." Axl didn't sing it, though. The bassist did. |
| 6 | Seether
Dishonorable Mention.
They were so boring. They only put energy into a couple songs (the radio hits, which
admittedly were fun) and their stage presence was pretty much nonexistent. They
weren't "bad," but they could/should have been so much better. |
| 7 | Quote of the Day
"This next song is about women. We love women." - Jesse Leach
"ESPECIALLY ONES WITH BIG LABIAS!!!" - Adan Dutkiewicz |
| 8 | Day 2
Top three bands: |
| 9 | Avenged Sevenfold
Second time seeing them, and it blew away the first (which is quite a feat because
they were incredible the first time). Their setlist was great, and they had the best
stage setup of all three days. Say what you want about them, but they know how to
put on an strong live show. |
| 10 | Slayer
Third time seeing them. Pretty much the same show as the other two times, except
bigger. And yo know what? That doesn't even bother me, because it's a great show
and I really can't complain. |
| 11 | Texas Hippie Coalition
Never heard of them before, but they put on quite a show. I enjoyed it a lot, even
if I wasn't familiar with their music. The southern tinge to their music is what makes
them fun. |
| 12 | Nothing More
Honorable Mention.
These guys might have been able to make it into the top three list, but their
equipment got rained on and shorted out. They only got to play two and a half full
songs because of all the problems. But holy shit, what they did play was incredible.
If I get the chance, I'm seeing them again. |
| 13 | King 810
Dishonorable Mention.
Shit tier vocals, shit tier guitar playing, hilarious "tough guy" stage presence complete
with Ak-47s and M16s. There was almost no one there, and only three people who
actually knew the band. But everyone fucking loved them except for me. I don't get it.
Someone actually said they were better than Staind because Staind "needs to learn
there's more than three frets on the low strings." What the fuck, these guys just
played open chugs and when they tried to do anything more complex they messed it
up. |
| 14 | Quote of the Day
"Strippers love change, especially quarters. Seriously, just start tossing quarters up
there." -some guy in the audience |
| 15 | Day 3
Top three bands: |
| 16 | Kid Rock
In my first list, my response in anticipation of seeing him was "lololololololololol."
But holy shit, he was incredible. There was a great moment where he came out for
his last song and played "Picture," but when the first chorus ended there was a
blast of static. Everyone thought the mics got messed up, and then Beavis and
Butt-Head popped up on the screens and started making fun of him, calling him
"Kid Soft Rock" and said he should play more stuff like "Bawitdaba." Of course he
went straight into it. Seriously, he put on one hell of a show. I only planned on
staying for a couple songs but ended up staying for his whole set. 10/10
performance. |
| 17 | Monster Truck
Hard rock/blues, this was a lot of fun. They brought tons of energy, had a large
crowd, and they were only the second band playing. On the smallest stage, too.
They deserved to be on the bigger one. |
| 18 | Adelitas Way
I expected them to have a basic radio rock performance. I was prepared for them
to be on the same level as Seether. But here they are on the top three list. They
knew how to pump up the crowd, and only Kid Rock got them crazier. For their last
two songs, the singer said that whichever side (the field area is split down the
middle to make it safer) had the most crowdsurfers would be the one he would
jump into. I was on the winning side, and got a high five from him as he surfed
around. |
| 19 | Twelve Foot Ninja
Honorable Mention.
I'd heard their name before, but knew nothing about them. When they were doing
their soundcheck I saw that they had a six string bass. I was sure they would be a
shitty djent-core band. But then reggae happened and it was awesome. He also used
every string on his bass, which shocked me and also made me happy. Fun band, need
to get their mucus. |
| 20 | Wolfmother
Dishonorable Mention.
I couldn't tell when a song stopped and the next one started. It was a wall of fuzz
that occasionally sounded like riffs. I left early to get a good spot at the next stage. |
| 21 | Quote of the Day
"If you grab their balls, leave a phone number." -Ivan Moody |
| 22 | Overall Top 3 |
| 23 | Avenged Sevenfold
#1 |
| 24 | Kid Rock
#2 |
| 25 | Killswitch Engage
#3 |
| 26 |
Also there were some excellent tits flashed. |
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