Mind you, I'm kind of drunk! I have to drink to prepare for Monday.
Anywho, here is what happened on Friday, from my eyes:
Friday came and I was psyched. I went to work in a good mood and the day passed by fairly quickly until........UH OH! AoG (Aircraft on Ground) Friday! Needless to say, my buddy/coworker Big Joe and I didn't get out of work until 6:30. Doors opened at 7:30 and I work in Kent!
Anyway, we make it to the venue fairly quickly and get in line. Not five minutes before we got in line,the doors opened and they were taking tickets. As soon as I stepped foot inside the door, I looked to the left and noticed what I was planning on getting; MERCH! As I was standing there waiting for my Nevermore T-Shirt, I saw Warrel poke his head out the door right next to the merch booth. I looked at him and he looked at me, but I avoided waving or anything so nobody else would notice him. I know he was checking out the people coming through the door and I didn't want the fanboys to attack him as he's scoping the place out.
I buy my shirt and make my way to the stage floor, which is suprisingly empty. I see bodies at the foot of the stage and who are those people?! You guessed it! I walk over to Will and introduce myself. I meet everyone else and take my spot at the front of the venue, right at the stage. Will, I, Tyler and everyone else just talk about shit while we wait for the show to start. I tell Will that I saw Warrel poking his head out the door and he sets out to find him but to no avail.
We run into Kevin (Shplonged) or rather, he runs into us. We BS with him for a bit then he wanders off. We await the first band to make it onto the stage. MTF finally makes it onto stage; the show has started. I look behind me and the venue is still fairly empty....where the fuck is everyone?! They start playing and I'm actually kind of digging their music. Their set gets over and I look behind me, looking for my friend Lenny who hasn't showed up nor called me.
Next up is Hatefist. They had some pretty brutal shit. I like brutal but at times, their shit didn't fit. Although, their drummer was pretty killer, I thought. After their set, I looked behind and noticed people finally pouring in. Metalsteph finds us and we talk with her a bit, while she takes a couple pictures of us. Next up is Pinch!
Pinch made it on stage with a intro that was pretty fucking killer. I believe I recognized the drum kit from last year's show, but last year I was upstairs at the bar. They came on and blew me away! The vocalist was very precise with his voice and I thought they were fucking killer. There wasn't too much repetition and I was interested throughout their whole set. Not too many people were going crazy in the 'pit' but that was good because quite honestly, I go to shows to enjoy the tunes and have a good time. Sure, you can enjoy the tunes and have a good time via the 'pit' but I'd rather watch the drummer, bassist, guitar(s) and vocalist performing. Maybe it's because I myself am a musician, who knows.
Next up! Two-Headed Chang. I remember these guys from last year and I vividly remember their variation of the middle finger. I actually really dig these guys for their heavy grooves and suprisingly unique sound. Most people consider music like this to all be the same but this band has something different that is often difficult to distinguish. Even though I liked the music, I didn't like the pit. Tyler had some crazy woman and some tweaker looking motherfucker fucking with him throughout the whole set. Will and I tried grabbing him but Tyler stayed put.
During the craziness, Will was protecting his beloved Laura. Will and I grinned to each other as we aggressively pushed back the people who hurled towards us from the madness. This kept up for some time but we didn't forget about our Canadian friend, Tyler. Will motioned towards me and yelled in my ear "Watch this!". He took off his shirt and handed the contents of his pockets to Laura. He went towards the crazy mom and the tweaker looking mother fucker fucking with Tyler and acted like he was a crazy from the pit. After that episode, I think they got the hint!
After Two-Headed Chang got done with their set, I ran into my buddies Justin and Phil from the local band Dimn. We caught up on old times since we hadn't talked since the last Nevermore show and prepared for Drown Mary.
Ahhh yes, Drown Mary. I have heard of these guys via KISW but didn't remember actually hearing them before. The vocalist.......two words: Phil Anselmo. The band was an attempted clone of Pantera. No offense to the band for they are up there not I but goddamn. I didn't hate them but at the same time, if I wanted to listen to Pantera, I would listen to Pantera. After a set that seemed like a eternity, they were done and we were ready for Nevermore!
As we waited, the crew set up the gear and of course, Chris as the nice guy he is, was helping out! The kit was finally set up and Van was doing a before show sound check. We all anticipated the start of the show. The venue crew came out and were taping the set lists to the stage but, we couldn't see the opening song! They hid the shit behind the monitors.
After a quick preperation, they finally came out and opened up with Medicated Nation. This is when the craziness came! I remember looking behind us, at the front of the venue right AT the stage and seeing nothing but bodies trying to make their way to the front. I was having a good time, singing along with the song until the Frizziness occured!
Some dude who was either fucking drunk off of his ass or high on PCP.......or both, made his way next to me, trying to take my spot. For like three songs, he was there, hitting me in the face with his fucking hair and pissing people off. I pointed to the venue security and motioned to get this mother fucker away. They made their way over, looked at him and then left him alone. What the fuck?! He was constantly pushing me which was making me push Will and Laura as I held onto the monitor at the stage. This bitch wasn't getting my spot! I was trying to enjoy myself but this strong-ass dude was taking my energy by me trying to get him the fuck away from me. Finally, four or five of us got him the fuck back and some other dude was next to me. We nodded at each other and I continued to have a good time.
Warrel constantly made fun of Will, which was fucking priceless! At one point, I yelled "Do you folks like coffee?!" and Warrel heard me, then we recited the "We will make everything Metal!" lines. After some good shit, the frizziness was back, this time by Laura and Will. The venue owner who is a friend of Warrel's made his way past the frizziness and was in a drunken headbang at the front, as Warrel made fun of him.
We continued on with the badassness (is that a word?) and then finally, the last song came on. It was JUST for Will! Will went on stage and was on stage during the song, headbanging away and suprisingly, not looking like an idiot!
During the song, the frizziness came back, behind Laura and she hopped on stage, with Will as Will sang the song into the microphone. Next thing I know, the song is over, the lights are on and Will and Laura are on stage. I so envy them!
We stand around for a couple minutes as Will calls over to us, saying that Warrel said to wait for him. We wait, scanvenging water bottles from the stage as all of us are dying from dehydration. We wait.....wait......and wait some more. Van, Chris and Jeff pass by us a few times. Warrel passes by us, saying he's looking for Tracy (Tracy, right?). We wait some more, as people who work for the venue tell us they're closing the doors. Will responds with a - "Warrel told us to wait here." 'Who's Warrel?' ".....the singer from Nevermore..." We wait some more and I watch my buddy Justin going backstage, to the front, to the back, to the front, looking for Jeff. Apparently, him and Jeff talk and as a guitarist who is inspired by Jeff, I am jealous.
We finally say 'fuck it' after about a hour and set out to the back to find Warrel ourselves. My buddy Big Joe is preoccupied by the venue employees who asked him to help them. Big Joe is a BIG motherfucker. He's not fat by obesity, he is a naturally big guy. Trust me, he doesn't eat much. I work with the mother fucker. Anywho, we go backstage and I see Jeff. Wanting to pick his brain, I don't. We wait in the hall.......and we wait some more. Jeff is running back and forth and I finally build the courage to introduce myself (I have social anxiety).
I talk to him a bit and ask if I can get a picture with us. I was so fucking psyched! It was 3:00A.M. and I had been up since 5:30A.M. the previous morning. Tired, but ecstatic! I wanted to talk to Jeff some more; about his influences, his motivation, his style, his gear etc. but he was in a hurry. It was late, afterall. Although, I didn't want to sound like some crazed fan even though I was simple just interested in his playing.
Finally, Warrel emerged from the nothingness (a room)! We sat around and talked and finally set out. I was beat and I still had to pick my car up at work, which I locked inside the building. Just the thought of having to unlock the door, turn off the alarm, open the bay door in the warehouse, pull the car out, close and lock the bay door, set the alarm, lock the door and walk to my car was enough to make me want to sleep for a week!
We walk back towards the front of the venue as everyone (Will, Laura, Tyler, Eric etc.) walk out the back. I shake everyone's hand and we say our goodbyes as I set out to find Big Joe. It's time for sleep! He's up at the bar, smoking a cigarette and drinking a beer that they bought for him as a thanks for helping the crew out. We make our way outside and run into Jeff again. Joe tells him thanks for a great show and I tell him if he's ever up for sharing his guitar knowledge, to let me know.
So, what did I get out of this show? A shirt, a killer performance, meeting one of my favorite bands, meeting fellow Neverboarders, great pictures, lack of sleep and seeing some old friends. Jeff sent me a message thanking me for coming out to the show via MySpace which I though was very fucking cool!
Friday night inspired me to write again and work on my technique as a musician. It was a experience I will never forget and I thank all of those that came out here for the show and especially, Nevermore for allowing our lives to be touched by inspiration. Unfortunetly, I was unable to meet up with Will and everyone to show them around the other parts of the area but hey, there is always next time, yea?
Here are pictures that were already posted twice but have a place in this thread:
Jeff Loomis and I:
A moment that I'll never forget:
Anywho, here is what happened on Friday, from my eyes:
Friday came and I was psyched. I went to work in a good mood and the day passed by fairly quickly until........UH OH! AoG (Aircraft on Ground) Friday! Needless to say, my buddy/coworker Big Joe and I didn't get out of work until 6:30. Doors opened at 7:30 and I work in Kent!
Anyway, we make it to the venue fairly quickly and get in line. Not five minutes before we got in line,the doors opened and they were taking tickets. As soon as I stepped foot inside the door, I looked to the left and noticed what I was planning on getting; MERCH! As I was standing there waiting for my Nevermore T-Shirt, I saw Warrel poke his head out the door right next to the merch booth. I looked at him and he looked at me, but I avoided waving or anything so nobody else would notice him. I know he was checking out the people coming through the door and I didn't want the fanboys to attack him as he's scoping the place out.
I buy my shirt and make my way to the stage floor, which is suprisingly empty. I see bodies at the foot of the stage and who are those people?! You guessed it! I walk over to Will and introduce myself. I meet everyone else and take my spot at the front of the venue, right at the stage. Will, I, Tyler and everyone else just talk about shit while we wait for the show to start. I tell Will that I saw Warrel poking his head out the door and he sets out to find him but to no avail.
We run into Kevin (Shplonged) or rather, he runs into us. We BS with him for a bit then he wanders off. We await the first band to make it onto the stage. MTF finally makes it onto stage; the show has started. I look behind me and the venue is still fairly empty....where the fuck is everyone?! They start playing and I'm actually kind of digging their music. Their set gets over and I look behind me, looking for my friend Lenny who hasn't showed up nor called me.
Next up is Hatefist. They had some pretty brutal shit. I like brutal but at times, their shit didn't fit. Although, their drummer was pretty killer, I thought. After their set, I looked behind and noticed people finally pouring in. Metalsteph finds us and we talk with her a bit, while she takes a couple pictures of us. Next up is Pinch!
Pinch made it on stage with a intro that was pretty fucking killer. I believe I recognized the drum kit from last year's show, but last year I was upstairs at the bar. They came on and blew me away! The vocalist was very precise with his voice and I thought they were fucking killer. There wasn't too much repetition and I was interested throughout their whole set. Not too many people were going crazy in the 'pit' but that was good because quite honestly, I go to shows to enjoy the tunes and have a good time. Sure, you can enjoy the tunes and have a good time via the 'pit' but I'd rather watch the drummer, bassist, guitar(s) and vocalist performing. Maybe it's because I myself am a musician, who knows.
Next up! Two-Headed Chang. I remember these guys from last year and I vividly remember their variation of the middle finger. I actually really dig these guys for their heavy grooves and suprisingly unique sound. Most people consider music like this to all be the same but this band has something different that is often difficult to distinguish. Even though I liked the music, I didn't like the pit. Tyler had some crazy woman and some tweaker looking motherfucker fucking with him throughout the whole set. Will and I tried grabbing him but Tyler stayed put.
During the craziness, Will was protecting his beloved Laura. Will and I grinned to each other as we aggressively pushed back the people who hurled towards us from the madness. This kept up for some time but we didn't forget about our Canadian friend, Tyler. Will motioned towards me and yelled in my ear "Watch this!". He took off his shirt and handed the contents of his pockets to Laura. He went towards the crazy mom and the tweaker looking mother fucker fucking with Tyler and acted like he was a crazy from the pit. After that episode, I think they got the hint!
After Two-Headed Chang got done with their set, I ran into my buddies Justin and Phil from the local band Dimn. We caught up on old times since we hadn't talked since the last Nevermore show and prepared for Drown Mary.
Ahhh yes, Drown Mary. I have heard of these guys via KISW but didn't remember actually hearing them before. The vocalist.......two words: Phil Anselmo. The band was an attempted clone of Pantera. No offense to the band for they are up there not I but goddamn. I didn't hate them but at the same time, if I wanted to listen to Pantera, I would listen to Pantera. After a set that seemed like a eternity, they were done and we were ready for Nevermore!
As we waited, the crew set up the gear and of course, Chris as the nice guy he is, was helping out! The kit was finally set up and Van was doing a before show sound check. We all anticipated the start of the show. The venue crew came out and were taping the set lists to the stage but, we couldn't see the opening song! They hid the shit behind the monitors.
After a quick preperation, they finally came out and opened up with Medicated Nation. This is when the craziness came! I remember looking behind us, at the front of the venue right AT the stage and seeing nothing but bodies trying to make their way to the front. I was having a good time, singing along with the song until the Frizziness occured!
Some dude who was either fucking drunk off of his ass or high on PCP.......or both, made his way next to me, trying to take my spot. For like three songs, he was there, hitting me in the face with his fucking hair and pissing people off. I pointed to the venue security and motioned to get this mother fucker away. They made their way over, looked at him and then left him alone. What the fuck?! He was constantly pushing me which was making me push Will and Laura as I held onto the monitor at the stage. This bitch wasn't getting my spot! I was trying to enjoy myself but this strong-ass dude was taking my energy by me trying to get him the fuck away from me. Finally, four or five of us got him the fuck back and some other dude was next to me. We nodded at each other and I continued to have a good time.
Warrel constantly made fun of Will, which was fucking priceless! At one point, I yelled "Do you folks like coffee?!" and Warrel heard me, then we recited the "We will make everything Metal!" lines. After some good shit, the frizziness was back, this time by Laura and Will. The venue owner who is a friend of Warrel's made his way past the frizziness and was in a drunken headbang at the front, as Warrel made fun of him.
We continued on with the badassness (is that a word?) and then finally, the last song came on. It was JUST for Will! Will went on stage and was on stage during the song, headbanging away and suprisingly, not looking like an idiot!
During the song, the frizziness came back, behind Laura and she hopped on stage, with Will as Will sang the song into the microphone. Next thing I know, the song is over, the lights are on and Will and Laura are on stage. I so envy them!We stand around for a couple minutes as Will calls over to us, saying that Warrel said to wait for him. We wait, scanvenging water bottles from the stage as all of us are dying from dehydration. We wait.....wait......and wait some more. Van, Chris and Jeff pass by us a few times. Warrel passes by us, saying he's looking for Tracy (Tracy, right?). We wait some more, as people who work for the venue tell us they're closing the doors. Will responds with a - "Warrel told us to wait here." 'Who's Warrel?' ".....the singer from Nevermore..." We wait some more and I watch my buddy Justin going backstage, to the front, to the back, to the front, looking for Jeff. Apparently, him and Jeff talk and as a guitarist who is inspired by Jeff, I am jealous.
We finally say 'fuck it' after about a hour and set out to the back to find Warrel ourselves. My buddy Big Joe is preoccupied by the venue employees who asked him to help them. Big Joe is a BIG motherfucker. He's not fat by obesity, he is a naturally big guy. Trust me, he doesn't eat much. I work with the mother fucker. Anywho, we go backstage and I see Jeff. Wanting to pick his brain, I don't. We wait in the hall.......and we wait some more. Jeff is running back and forth and I finally build the courage to introduce myself (I have social anxiety).
I talk to him a bit and ask if I can get a picture with us. I was so fucking psyched! It was 3:00A.M. and I had been up since 5:30A.M. the previous morning. Tired, but ecstatic! I wanted to talk to Jeff some more; about his influences, his motivation, his style, his gear etc. but he was in a hurry. It was late, afterall. Although, I didn't want to sound like some crazed fan even though I was simple just interested in his playing.
Finally, Warrel emerged from the nothingness (a room)! We sat around and talked and finally set out. I was beat and I still had to pick my car up at work, which I locked inside the building. Just the thought of having to unlock the door, turn off the alarm, open the bay door in the warehouse, pull the car out, close and lock the bay door, set the alarm, lock the door and walk to my car was enough to make me want to sleep for a week!
We walk back towards the front of the venue as everyone (Will, Laura, Tyler, Eric etc.) walk out the back. I shake everyone's hand and we say our goodbyes as I set out to find Big Joe. It's time for sleep! He's up at the bar, smoking a cigarette and drinking a beer that they bought for him as a thanks for helping the crew out. We make our way outside and run into Jeff again. Joe tells him thanks for a great show and I tell him if he's ever up for sharing his guitar knowledge, to let me know.
So, what did I get out of this show? A shirt, a killer performance, meeting one of my favorite bands, meeting fellow Neverboarders, great pictures, lack of sleep and seeing some old friends. Jeff sent me a message thanking me for coming out to the show via MySpace which I though was very fucking cool!
Friday night inspired me to write again and work on my technique as a musician. It was a experience I will never forget and I thank all of those that came out here for the show and especially, Nevermore for allowing our lives to be touched by inspiration. Unfortunetly, I was unable to meet up with Will and everyone to show them around the other parts of the area but hey, there is always next time, yea?
Here are pictures that were already posted twice but have a place in this thread:
Jeff Loomis and I:
A moment that I'll never forget:
