Concert Photography
Rammstein Storm Montreal to Kick Off North American Tour: Recap + Photos
In the hours leading up to the kickoff of Rammstein’s North American stadium tour in Montreal, Canada on Sunday (August 21st), a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for the city and surrounding area. The threat of heavy rains, potentially dangerous gusts of wind, oversized hail, intense lightning and pounding thunder were forecast throughout the day. And while there were flashes and bursts of all these elements throughout the afternoon, the weather report had it wrong. It was not the Earth’s atmosphere that was about to deliver on this powerful barometric disturbance. It was the German industrial-metal icons. It’s not hard to imagine that their impending 2-million-watt assault on Montreal’s Parc Jean Drapeau and its home on St. Helen’s Island was about to cause such a seismic ripple acr...
Circle Jerks Celebrate Group Sex and Wild in the Streets in New York City: Recap, Photos + Video
The legendary Circle Jerks finally made their way to New York City on Thursday night (July 7th) for a two-night stand at Irving Plaza following a number of pandemic-related postponements. The pioneering hardcore-punk band more than made up for the delay, delivering a 33-song set while headlining a bill that featured fellow veteran acts 7Seconds and Negative Approach. Originally, Circle Jerks had planned to hit the road in 2020 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their iconic debut album, Group Sex. After playing a smattering of shows in 2021, the band kicked off a proper North American run in February, only to have it curtailed when frontman Keith Morris contracted COVID, forcing the postponement of the remainder of the tour, including the NYC dates. In addition to founding Circle Jerks, ...
Deftones Bring on the Blood Moon with Rooftop Performance in NYC: Recap, Photos + Video
Setting the Stage: After twice postponing their highly anticipated tour due to the pandemic, Deftones have finally hit the road again. Most of the fans in attendance at the Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York City had been holding onto their tickets for two years, and they were rewarded with a beautiful night of perfect weather on Sunday (May 15th). Not to mention, a full moon hung over the evening’s festivities, with a sensational real-life backdrop that included the Empire State Building to the left and the Brooklyn Bridge to the right. In fact, later on that night, a “blood moon” would be visible due to a total lunar eclipse. If that weren’t enough, French metal masters Gojira were providing direct support, with Australian electronic duo VOWWS opening the evening. Taking the Stage: With...
Ministry, Melvins, and Corrosion of Conformity Bring a Legendary Lineup to New Jersey: Recap + Photos
Industrial icons Ministry rolled into the Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, New Jersey, on March 12th, bringing fellow legendary acts Melvins and Corrosion of Conformity with them. In addition to supporting their 2021 album, Moral Hygiene, Ministry are also celebrating the belated 30th anniversary of The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste. As such, frontman Al Jourgensen and company performed four songs off the 1989 album: “Breathe,” “Burning Inside,” “So What” and “Thieves.” The Ministry setlist also offered up a rare treat with a pair songs by Pailhead, Jourgensen’s ’80s side project with Ian MacKaye (Fugazi, Minor Threat), as well as a set-closing cover of the Iggy & The Stooges classic “Search and Destroy” (which appears on Moral Hygiene). For most of the set, Ministry performed b...
In Photos: Bands Featuring Sons of Metallica’s Hetflied, Ulrich, and Trujillo Team Up for San Francisco Gig
As part of Metallica’s “San Francisco Takeover” to mark their 40th anniversary, a handful of club gigs were announced to surround the metal titans’ massive shows at the Chase Center. One of those shows included three bands — OTTTO, Taipei Houston, and Bastardane — with each featuring at least one son of a Metallica member. The gig took place Saturday night (December 18th) at The Chapel, with Bastardane taking the stage first. Based out of Savannah, Georgia, the group features drummer Castor Hetfield, son of Metallica frontman James Hetfield. The trio had a sound that was just as much thrash metal influenced as it was hard rock, and put on an impressive set. Next up were Taipei Houston, a two-piece whose members Myles (drummer) and Layne (singer-bassist) are the sons of Lars Ulrich. Althoug...
Metallica Rep Every Album At First of Two 40th Anniversary Shows: Concert Review + Photos
Setting the Stage: It’s hard to believe, but it has been 40 years since thrash legends Metallica first formed. And to celebrate this impressive career accomplishment, the band — frontman James Hetfield, guitarist Kirk Hammett, bassist Robert Trujillo, and drummer Lars Ulrich — booked two arena shows (December 17th and 19th) at San Francisco’s Chase Center. When those concerts quickly sold out, the metal titans announced they were making the shows available to stream for free via Prime Video and Amazon Music. Unlike their livestreams from last year, including the charity show Helping Hands Concert & Auction, Live & Acoustic from HQ, each night of the “40th Anniversary Live” performances is taking place in front of a sold-out arena, with tickets initially being made available exclusi...
In Photos: Testament, Exodus and Death Angel Play Only “Bay Strikes Back” Show of 2021
Although the official “Bay Strikes Back Tour” has been postponed until 2022, Testament, Exodus, and Death Angel brought the joint bill to the Fox Theater in Oakland on Saturday (November 27th) for a sold-out one-night gig this past weekend — giving their hometown fans a chance to celebrate the legacy of not only the music, but also the rich history of all three bands. Together, the three legendary acts combined to write yet another chapter in the ongoing story of Bay Area thrash metal. Hitting the stage with the intro to “The Ultra-Violence,” Death Angel were in top form from the word “go,” and kicked off the evening with a blistering eight song set, wasting no time pumping up the already voracious crowd. Vocalist Mark Osegueda had every person in the already packed venue in the palm of hi...
In Photos: Slipknot, Killswitch Engage, Fever 333, and Code Orange Bring “Knotfest Roadshow” to New Jersey
Slipknot invaded the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, on Sunday (October 10th), headlining the “Knotfest Roadshow” with support from Killswitch Engage, Fever 333, and Code Orange. On an overcast day, Code Orange opened the festivities with a fiery eight-song set, including five tunes from their genre-defying 2020 album, Underneath. The sociopolitical-minded Fever 333, who have established themselves as one of rock’s most dynamic live acts over the past few years, were up next. Singer Jason Aalon Butler threw himself all over the stage, as he jumped off monitors, attempted a skateboard trick, and broke said skateboard during the course of their explosive seven-song set. Advertisement Related Video Killswitch Engage had the dubious task of playing right before the mighty Slipknot...
Louder Than Life 2021 Gallery: Metallica, Machine Gun Kelly, Korn, Jane’s Addiction, and More
The Louder Than Life festival returned to Louisville over the weekend, after last year’s edition was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s fest provided fans with four days of rock, including two headlining sets by the mighty Metallica. The festival saw a whopping attendance of 160,000 over the four days at Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Expo Center. Day 1 (Thursday) was headlined by Korn, with singer Jonathan Davis still feeling the after-effects of his recent bout with COVID-19, but still delivering a strong performance. Staind (with right-wing singer Aaron Lewis wearing an “Impeach Biden” baseball cap), Sevendust, Anthrax, Beartooth, and more were also on the Thursday bill. Advertisement Related Video Metallica headlined the Day 2 (Friday) bill, playing a set t...
In Photos: 2021 Inkcarceration Festival Fueled by Slipknot, Mudvayne, Rob Zombie, Mastodon, Halestorm, and More
The 2021 Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival took place this past weekend at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio. The three-day event was headlined by Slipknot, a reunited Mudvayne, and Rob Zombie. The Ohio State Reformatory is best known as the Shawshank Redemption prison, providing a macabre setting to the massive rock festival. Mega-promoter Danny Wimmer Presents signed on as a co-producer of Inkcarceration this year, and the sold-out extravaganza featured an overall attendance of 75,000 over the three days. Slipknot headlined the Friday night (September 10th) bill, with singer Corey Taylor sporting his new mask. The masked metal band’s set was preceded by performances by Mastodon, Killswitch Engage, The Hu, Steel Panther, and more. Advertisement Related Video Mudvayne’...
In Photos: Psycho Las Vegas 2021 Brings Doom, Sludge, and Metal Merriment to Sin City
After canceling last year’s event due to the pandemic, and a plethora of last-minute lineup changes due to travel restrictions, Psycho Las Vegas seemingly pulled an ace from their sleeve. The festival returned this past weekend for a reworked and revamped 2021 edition that still rivaled any of their previous years. The festivities kicked off on Thursday (August 19th) with the annual Psycho Swim party, despite the cancellation of The Skull (sadly, singer Eric Wagner just passed away from COVID pneumonia). Old Man Gloom, Bongzilla, and Blackwater Holylight had all those who arrived to the festival early in the pool, beers in hand. The festival got off to its official start on Friday, with Twin Temple on the main stage at 1 p.m. COVID protocols were in place throughout the resort, and everyon...
In Photos: Rise Against and Descendents Bring the Punk to New York City
On Friday night (July 30th), Rise Against and Descendents played one of the first big rock shows back in New York City since the pandemic started. The veteran punk acts rocked a sold-out concert at The Rooftop at Pier 17 on a beautiful night in the Big Apple. The show marked the second proper concert for Rise Against and first for Descendents since the concert industry came to a halt in early 2020. Thankfully, a clear night with low humidity greeted the bands and the fans, as the Empire State Building could be seen to the left of the stage, while the Brooklyn Bridge was visible to the right. Rising Los Angeles punk act Spanish Love Songs opened the evening’s festivities with a set of anthemic songs, including cuts from their most recent album, 2020’s Brave Faces Everyone. For many in ...
