The other day an old friend(soundman for Opeth) of the band, called and told me he was in town on Saturday, and we could all go to Opeth no problem.......So we set off in my car, to the big city for a Saturday night out........Rob Lewis, Stevie D, Derrick R., & me........first off, on the way there, I asked them, what they wanted to hear, Still Life(Opeth), or Tempo Of The Damned(Exodus)?.......well everyone choose Exo...We did listen to the Opeth Epic....The Moor, before parking (This tour was the first time they played it live).......We went to our favorite warm up spot, Tommy's Joint, the same place Jason Newstead, was told he would be in Metallica........anyway, we had dinner, & and a beer & set off to The Fillmore.....We decided since we were early & in no rush, to buy some beer & drink it in an alley across the street from the venue.....somehow we ended up with Mickey Big Mouth's(its been so many years).....2 each & Rob, passed out some "enhancers"......(thats what he told me they were), but I was'nt allowed one cause I had to drive everyone home.......We got our tickets & VIP passes........Thanks Lorenzo(Dio, former Slayer, & Testament), and went straight to the bar....Thats where we meet up with Steve Smyth, with Cocktail in hand......their were so many kids in the Sold Out show, they had a line of people waiting to buy Opeth Merch........but no line at the bar, thats a sign of a young crowd...They were selling signed Opeth CD's for $30 a pop, what a rip off, Testament sells them signed for $15, why rip off your loyal fans?......MoonSpell came on first......they were not bad, but nothing special, just a mellow melodic growl band.......and not at all like any of my favorite superior ones.......Next up DevilDriver.......well they were not my cup of tea either......time to go outside for a break........Well I did see Leonard Haze(former drummer of Y & T), pumping gear(he's a stage hand for BGP)......I did go up to him & shake his hand, & told him that Y&T, was great High School music for me, in fact they played my High School, when I was a Junior, & 8 students were kicked out in one afternoon, a Private Catholic School Record, at the time....We got to see & visit with lots of our Bay Area Friends in attendance.....Next up.....The mighty Opeth......Now let me say this, the place was sold out, and full, and the people there LOVE Opeth to death, just great fans, for sure......The singer said they all had the flu, & were sick, but they were going to give it 200% anyway......And the frontman & band leader(Mikael Akerfeldt), was super nice to the crowd.......he was so polite, saying thank you after each LONG song, to the cheers of his audience......It was like watching a composer get a standing ovation, at the end of a classical piece......impressive for me to witness...Sound was perfect, thanks to Lorenzo......And yes they are all great musicians......The venue is one of the best places to watch a show........Mikael Akerfelt is like a Dave Meniketti(Y & T)...they both sing & play guitar & are the band leaders, its just that Akerfelt is on a whole different level......musically.....If I had my choice, I'd rather see Dave & Y&T.........I tried to get into them hard.....I'd say 25% of their material.....was really great, but at times I was bored, I'd say that 95% of the people there had a better time enjoying Opeth than I did, and the people that I came with all felt the same way. Still Life is a great title and a good way to describe this band........I wish MindInsane were with me, so she could cheer me up, and give me moral support, I know she would of been enthralled, I did think of her often, while watching Opeth......cause I was bored(at times).......So after 2/3's of the show was over, we formed a huddle, and all decided in unison.......to leave early.....We exited, and talked about what we liked about them & did'nt, but their were alot more did'nt's.......Derrick said that he liked the newer material from Deliverance better than the older songs......Stevie D's reply...."Ya Deliverance,......now that was a good movie!"...we all laughed ....And Stevie, also said......."They just Lacked Ball!s"......So that about summed up our night......We piled in the car, & of course King Louie, wanted to make a booze stop, so we pulled over at Post/Polk, at a small store.......Now me being "The City Boy".....and the rest of the guys being from the suburbs, they did not at first realize, that the Chicks hanging out on this corner, & in front of this bar....were really dudes in skirts & Pumps, now that tripped them out.......But thats Big City Life......You gotta stay on your toes.....Derrick yelled out the window as we passed them....."Hey Show Us Your Cocks!"........we were all laughing so hard.......
