I got there at 2:30 and waited with under 15 people outside. By the time the dorrs opened at 4:30 the crowd was larger (100 or so) but still a lot smaller than I had expected. I was in - got my GA wristband - and headed immediately to the first row, center area of the pit. I have been attending concerts for 17 years, and I have never been this close to the stage. It was pretty sweet.
Overkill hit the stage right at 5. They played a blistering set. I knew most of the songs (Rotten to the Core, Hello From the Gutter, Elimination, Fuck You, and others) and I was banging with the others around me. The place was empty during this set - there was no one behind me. I could have left to get something and come back to my same spot. Wierd. I caught a pick from the bass player D.D.
Arch Enemy put on a great show. I only know one of their songs, Nemesis, which they opened with. The sounds that that little singer can make are pretty brutal. I was impressed and happy again to be in the front. The place had filled up a little but was still mostly empty.
Then Opeth came on. In order to honor Mr. Samsara's request, I'm not going to complain about the 4-song set. I'm not going to complain that the songs souded like they were chosen by a RoadRunner rep rather than the band. I'm not going to complain that with all of Mikael's talking, they missed the opportunity to play a fifth song.
But, I am going to complain about their interaction with the crowd. The other bands took lots of time to say thanks, throw some picks, slap some hands, and basically show their appreciation. Opeth finished Deliverance, said thanks, and quickly walked off stage. They were the only band not doing signings, and in general seemed putoff being there. None of these things effected me personally, but it just felt to me like they could have put more effort into it. I really enjoyed their set, but I'll be looking forward to the next headlining tour.
At this point, I decided to leave my place on the fence and get some highly overpriced dinner. I bought an Opeth tshirt, and mingled with the dregs of New England for awhile. Then LOG came on. The place went apeshit. The pit, which had been maybe 1/3 full during Opeth's set was now packed to the brim with hundreds of maniacs crowdsurfing, moshing and generally going nuts. People everywhere were dancing and headbanging in the aisles.
But here's the thing. I don't get their music. At all. I tried really hard to find something in their performance that I enjoyed, but I just couldn't. They fall into the category of bands that I label as "screaming for the sake of screaming". I couldn't tell the difference between any of the songs. I rolled my eyes everytime the singer growled at us and called us fuckers. But, they seemd to be popular with the kids, so what the hell do I know?
After they finished, I made my way back to the pit in anticipation of Megadeth. The place was still only 50 - 60% full with most of the back seats completely empty. The pit was crowded, and I was only able to get to about the 4th row. Megadeth hit the stage and put on a great show. Their setlist was fantastic, covering songs from their latest album all the way back to the early days. They even played the first 2/3 of The Mechanix in their encore.
The pit was rowdy during Megadeth. Lots of crowdsurfers, so I spent most of my time watching for flying limbs (why is it that heavy guys wearing size 12 boots want to crowdsurf)? I found a cellphone that had obviously suffered the harmful effects of being trampled by 100 people. Security came several times to take certain people away. But I was able to enjoy most of the show.
Dave seemed really, something. Not stoned, or tired, or drunk, but something. His eyes seemed really red and he did a lot of just staring at us in between songs. They played a blistering set and showed their appreciation at the end, though, so I'm not going to worry too much about his well-being.
The last time I saw Megadeth was 17 years ago, and even though the classic lineup is gone, the new guys can still belt it out pretty well.
Overall, for a $30 ticket, a $35 tshirt, a $10 dinner, a $12 parking fee, $4 in tolls, and about $15 in gas, I had a pretty good night.
