http://www.allaccessmagazine.com


August 7, 2008
Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival
Phoenix, Arizona
Review and Photos by David Svendsen

The Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival rolled in to Arizona in July to a sold out crowd (18,000+) at the Cricket Pavilion amid 113 degree temperatures. To say it was hot would be the year’s worst understatement.


THE SHOW STEALERS

Owners of the Jager stage seemed to be a tie between Five Finger Death Punch and Airbourne. While the two bands couldn’t be any more different in their respective genres, the crowd size and reaction to both sets solidify the title. FFDP brought a brutal set at one of the hottest parts of the day, and it didn’t faze them a bit. Their set list included Ashes, Way of the Fist, and Salvation and the 5,000+ crowd ate up every minute of their short set. At times, the crowd was louder than vocalist Ivan Moody.

Airbourne hit the stage an hour later and took advantage of the frenzy that FFDP had whipped up. Hitting the stage with Stand Up for Rock and Roll, Running Wild and Too Much Too Young Too Fast, the band has been called an AC/DC knockoff, but unlike the scream-o genre, there is always room for one more in the gritty/bluesy hard rock category. I, for one, was glad to see this band on the bill. A solid, catchy debut was sure to come across live very well and secure the band a whole new world of fans. By the end of their set, you could see that they had done just that.

Machine Head put in a solid performance as well, but maybe it was just that the fans had been in the sun/heat for roughly five hours before MH came on, the crowd seemed to diminish after half their set. Blame it on the heat. Or maybe it was the mass migration to the main stage for shade and Dragonforce.

Black Tide hit the Hot Topic stage to very heavy anticipation from the crowd. The crowd size seemed to be slightly less than that of FFDP, but the band hit their mark regardless. Their nod to the old school guitar riffs had the crowd raising fists at almost every turn, the climax hitting during Shockwave. The kids have their shit together, and put on a solid performance.

On the main stage, the crowd gathered early to catch Dragonforce. The band has become Arizona favorites, and with Ultra Beatdown being released Aug. 25th, the crowd was waiting to hear a new tune. Their wait was rewarded when the band played Heroes of Our Time (if you dug Inhuman Rampage then you will dig Ultra Beatdown, as it sounds like it could have been disc 2 of IR). The rest of the set contained the Dragonforce staples such as Through the Fire and the Flames and Operation Ground and Pound, among others. The sheer energy the band displayed was enough to tire out the crowd! Herman Li and Sam Totman switched stage sides faster and more often than Pamela Anderson changes ex’s.

The crowd was evenly divided between Disturbed and Slipknot. Disturbed, having just released their third straight number one album Indestructible, ate up the crowd attention and began with Perfect Insanity (perfect opening song as David Draiman was wheeled out a la Hannibal Lector style) followed by Liberate and Just Stop. The band played tunes that spanned across all their releases, including the cover of Land of Confusion (guess which current president that was meant for?).

Slipknot, by comparison, came out with full theatrics and masks. I have to admit, this was the first show I photographed of Slipknot, so when Corey Taylor or one of the other members would stop and look directly at me, shit was creepy. Especially with the newer masks. Yes, I’ve seen one too many horror movies.

The band was solid and had just as huge a crowd response as Disturbed. DJ Sid Wilson was the first to be wheeled across the stage in a wheelchair, as he broke both heels in the opening date of the tour. The band then opened with Surfacing, Before I Forget and their new single Psychosocial.

Drummer Joey Jordison owes Tommy Lee some cash. While maybe not all that imaginative, Jordison did surprise the crowd by having his drum riser tilt straight up (much like Lee’s did during the Theater of Pain tour), but then it spun around in a circular motion (clockwise). Not sure who was having more fun, Jordison or the crowd.

COULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT

While I personally like Mastodon, I think they may have been the odd choice on this bill. Their set was powerful, but lackluster. It also could have been the time of the day they came on, as most people were seeking shade when they hit the main stage and unfortunately less interested in their performance.

Boys will be boys – Black Tide came out in nothing but boxer shorts and socks/sneakers. While this may have seemed like a good idea considering the Arizona heat, the baby ass white of their prepubescent skin was worse than looking at direct sunlight. Not to mention, when the band hit the stage, bassist Zakk Sandler came running out, grabbing his junk. The crowd looked back at him as if to ask “Dude, have they even dropped yet?”.

The most annoying factor of the day, other than idiots who drink all day in the heat and then pass out or don’t know where they are, was the fact that security couldn’t count to three. I know they are there to protect the bands on stage, help out concert goers and whatnot. But how safe do you feel knowing these people can’t count to three?? The reason I bitch here is mainly due to the fact that… these stupid bastards can’t count to three! Photographers are usually allowed the first three songs to photograph the band. Occasionally, a prima dona artist (most notably in the pop or country genres) will come up with obscene restrictions. But for rock/hard rock/metal – it’s usually three. When I was shooting Dragonforce, I was told – after two songs – that the previous song was the last song. I explained it was only the second song, security said it was the third song. Now, being a fan of Dragonforce, I know their songs. I rattled off the song titles and asked security to name the third song. They couldn’t. All they could do was repeat “That was the third song”. I now have more respect for people who flip burgers for a living because it was then that I realized they are higher up on the food chain.

Overall, this was a fantastic inaugural run for the Mayhem tour. I sincerely hope they continue to be a force to be reckoned with, as the “other” summer tour (the one that was reduced to a one day show this year in Texas) seemed to care less about the fans as each year moved on.

Here, the fans were the clear winners.