Metal Day - Part 2
Sleeping in the Manalishi, in a sleeping bag, after partying down most of the night, does not really qualify as sleeping, especially when the biggest Heavy Metal Party in the world is going on all around you. I can assure you, the majority of people there that night were not as concerned with keeping themselves fresh for the next day's activities as I was. Our resolve weakened, we didn't get all coked out or anything, but we did throw back a good few, as the Skull would have said.
We came through the gates kind of late, although it was still respectable considering our hangovers. Quiet Riot had just taken the stage, so I was kind of looking over toward the huge stage as we walked into the massive crowd of Metal Heads.
"Jesus Christ, look at all of these motherfuckers, Mikey!" Paulie said, with wide-eyed wonder.
We gave each other a high five. Doug was still coming through the gate and was held up over something. Paulie and I just stood there and soaked it in.
There were a lot of people there already, and it was early. It was nothing compared to what it was going to be, either. There were lines of traffic for miles, and people were just now flooding the gates, full force. Fuck man, this was going to be bigger than anybody thought, there were already over 150,000 Metalheads in here!
The production was the most massive thing I had ever seen. You have to remember, this was long before all of the shit we have these days. This was the first time I had ever seen large video screens at a show. There was one over the stage, flown at least fifty feet above the deck, and there were two larger ones, flanking each side of the hundred-yard stretch of rainbow adorned, rigging. The wall of PA behind those scrims gave the Great Wall of China a run for its money. There were also towers of speakers set out strategically across the sloping hill, so the sound would carry evenly over the large area. It actually sounded, great.
I wondered how Quiet Riot got on this bill. This was before they had broken big time with 'Cum On Feel The Noise.' We had all heard of them because they were Randy Rhoads' old band, but that was it. Kevin Dubrow wasn't my kind of singer, and Carlos was no Randy, so we listened with a minimum of interest and just settled in for the experience. I do remember when they played 'Metal Health,' that was a cool song. I think I looked over at Paulie, took a swig off a hot beer, it was already fucking hot at 10:30 in the morning and said: "That's a cool song."
He said, “Yeah, it’ll be,” short for it'll be ahite which was short for Paulie was not impressed.
We could not tell that it was Rudy Sarzo on bass, that probably would have gotten my attention more.
Next up was Motley Crue. Again, not really my cup of tea, but they gave a respectable performance. 'Shout at The Devil' had not been released yet, but they were gaining momentum in the Metal world due to their image, relentless touring, and savvy business management. They actually played some tunes off 'Shout,' and they were good, a major improvement over the stuff on the first record. They were also decked in the new 'Shout' costumes, which was a stark Metal slap in the face this early in the morning, sun shining bright. The leather, spikes, and makeup work better at night.
I would say, Motley, overall, was one of the best Metal performances I had ever seen before noon on a Sunday in the California hills.
It was kind of surreal seeing them all vampired out and standing out in the sun sweating. Nobody burst into flames though, bummer.
Next up, was Ozzy. This was one of the reasons I was here.
For the last year, all of us Metal guitar players had a huge Randy Rhoads-sized hole in our hearts. We were all wondering who the new guy was going to be, and when we would hear him. Well, this was it! Nothing like making your debut at a small no-pressure gig, filling the shoes of one of the most beloved guitarists of our time, who had died tragically only a year earlier. I didn't envy him.
(That's bullshit, I was jealous as fuck!)
As soon as the announcer said: "OZZY OZZZZZZZBOURNNNNNE!"
As soon as the announcer said: "OZZY OZZZZZZZBOURNNNNNE!"
The crowd, which had swelled to over 300,000, proceeded to go fucking nuts! Everybody was getting loose by now, the joints were passing around, along with the beer and whiskey, chicks were jumping up on dudes, flying their bikini tops, life was good.
As soon as Jake E. Lee played the first chords of 'Over The Mountain,' I knew he was the shit. We were pretty far back, but the big screens and the massive sound system told the story. Dude had skills.
I wanted him to be good. Brad Gillis was a great fill-in for the band while they finished the brutal last leg of the 'Diary of a Madman' tour, but as good as he was, he just didn't do it for me. When Jake played the solos in 'Mountain' and 'Mr. Crowley,' I joined the thousands around me, cheering him on because we knew we had a new contender. Decked out in red, with hair flying in the breeze, and kamikaze regalia, Jake and the Ozzy band set the tone for the rest of the day.
I looked over at Paulie and Doug: "They are kicking ass man!"
Tommy Aldridge was on drums, Bob Daisley on bass, and Don Airey on keys. Ozzy's voice sounded good, and even though he had cut most of his hair off, he looked good too. It looked like he was going to make it out of the darkness and the aftermath of Randy's death. Hell yeah.
Next up was Triumph. We had seen them once at the Tennessee Theatre, a couple of years earlier, and they smoked our ass! Triumph was one of the most underrated bands of the time, and they were the most underrated band of the day as well. They came out, and laid waste from the first note.
As soon as Jake E. Lee played the first chords of 'Over The Mountain,' I knew he was the shit. We were pretty far back, but the big screens and the massive sound system told the story. Dude had skills.
I wanted him to be good. Brad Gillis was a great fill-in for the band while they finished the brutal last leg of the 'Diary of a Madman' tour, but as good as he was, he just didn't do it for me. When Jake played the solos in 'Mountain' and 'Mr. Crowley,' I joined the thousands around me, cheering him on because we knew we had a new contender. Decked out in red, with hair flying in the breeze, and kamikaze regalia, Jake and the Ozzy band set the tone for the rest of the day.
I looked over at Paulie and Doug: "They are kicking ass man!"
Tommy Aldridge was on drums, Bob Daisley on bass, and Don Airey on keys. Ozzy's voice sounded good, and even though he had cut most of his hair off, he looked good too. It looked like he was going to make it out of the darkness and the aftermath of Randy's death. Hell yeah.
Next up was Triumph. We had seen them once at the Tennessee Theatre, a couple of years earlier, and they smoked our ass! Triumph was one of the most underrated bands of the time, and they were the most underrated band of the day as well. They came out, and laid waste from the first note.
The place was really packed out by this time, it was mid-afternoon and everybody was getting wild in the festive atmosphere. There was a sea of Metal Heads, feeling the vibe of victory, and reveling in our glorious day of Metal.
I have never seen so many people in one place in my life! I knew we were kicking ass all over New Wave day, but I had no idea by how much. It didn't really matter anyway, it was just nice to know that those pussies were being owned.
(We hated them and they hated us back then, LOL. Now we are all old and know how dumb we were.)
Triumph raised the bar and set the tone for the rest of the day and night.
'Lay It On The Line,' 'Fight The Good Fight,' and 'Magic Power,' were among the highlights, and they executed them flawlessly. Those dudes always had their shit together with the stage gear, sound, sound men, and tech shit.
They sounded, amazing. By the time they finished their set, the crowd was in a frenzy. Paulie, Doug, and I were right in there with them.
Riding high on the wings of the 'Screaming For Vengeance' album and tour, here came...
Judas. Fucking. Priest.
I could probably type nothing else and you guys would get it.
Riding high on the wings of the 'Screaming For Vengeance' album and tour, here came...
Judas. Fucking. Priest.
I could probably type nothing else and you guys would get it.
If Triumph raised the bar, Priest took the bar, melted it down, re-forged it, then made an album cover out of it.
Those dudes had their shit down so tight. They were the Metal Masters.
The best Metal bands don't spend too much time messing around, making you wait for the good shit, they get right to it.
That was Judas Priest.
Their show was one hundred percent, total kick-ass, guitar blazing, all killer, no filler, Metal.
Halford was amazing, as always.
It's hard to hold a regular-sized crowd in the palm of your hand for a whole show, but Halford did it with a whole zip code!
Scorpions came on right as the sun was setting and cool, hazy dusk enveloped the crowd. It had been one hot mother fucker of an afternoon, the coolness of the desert breeze gently blowing made everything just that much more killer. Paulie and Doug were messing around with some chicks we had made friends with, I think Doug even hooked up with one of them in the Porto John - Pretty hardcore if you ask me.
I had this thing I was known for back in the day. It was called the 'Disappearing Mikey.' I could be hanging out in any social situation where some drugs or alcohol was involved, I would reach a certain threshold of highness, and then I was just ready to get the fuck out. I didn't necessarily want to leave altogether or run for my life, no, just do something different by myself. I just had to go.
I mumbled something to Doug about going upfront and I would be right back, then I was gone.
I started to weave my way down towards the stage. I had at least 100 yards to cover to get close enough for my taste. I wanted to see Scorpions up close, at that time I had never seen them in concert. I loved their 'Tokyo Tapes' double live album, it was one of my go-to albums when I was really developing my chops as I grew out of being a strict rhythm player into playing lead. I loved Uli Roth, and even though he was replaced by Mathias Jabs a couple of years prior to this, Scorpions were one of my favorite bands.
The closer I got to the massive stage, the more resistance I encountered. Festival 'seating' at an event like this was similar to war. You staked your claim and then you held your territory like a fucking soldier. Nobody was allowed in your space goddamnit! I think I got pushed and cussed a little bit, but I just kept moving. I finally made it really close to the front amid this sea of people just as Scorpions took the stage.
Standing as one tiny ant, among hundreds of thousands of ants, I looked around and the hugeness of the event really sank in. While the Scorpions played 'Blackout,' their first song, I turned around and looked behind me. All I saw were people, as far as the eye could see, people off into infinity.
"Holy fucking shit." I said and the guy next to me responded: "This is unbelievable!" He then handed me a joint. I thought he was talking about the event, but I was about to find out that he was talking about the weed. It had a sharp taste. It was laced with something; I knew because I had smoked laced weed before. I didn't know what it was, but it was something.
I was so close to the stage now that I had to look up at a sixty-degree angle to see that band, but I could see them really well. They were playing their asses off and the crowd was going wild. It was cool seeing Mathias play the talkbox part on the 'Zoo' and to see his huge face behind him on the screens. Like I said, the screens were a whole new thing and they just added to the massiveness of the show. Badass.
Towards the end of the Scorpions set, whatever was in that joint started to kick in. I looked around again and it felt as if the crowd was closing in on me. It was in a sense, more people were trying to pack in closer to the front, and I had seen more than a few people being hauled over the rail by security because they were passing out from the push of the crowd.
That's it, I had got to get the fuck out of there now.
Like a good soldier who knows he's losing the battle, or he is just too fucking high, I retreated.
I tried to find Paulie and Doug, but it was even packed way back where we had been sitting earlier in the day. I was never going to find them anyway, everything was starting to spin and come at me like the Woodstock movie on fast forward. I found a little place on a rise very far back where the crowd finally thinned out a bit. I could see the huge video screen light up as they began a cool interview of the Van Halen boys backstage before they took the stage. It was funny, I started laughing to myself a little ... goddamn, I was so fucking high!
Van Halen took the stage to a monstrous roar. 300,000 Metal-heads strong! I rose to my feet, it felt like slow motion but the adrenaline was beginning to pump when suddenly...
BAM! There's my hero!
There stands Eddie Van Halen, one man in a spotlight among hundreds of thousands in the dark, tapping away the intro to "Romeo Delight," one of my top five favorite VH songs!
Scorpions came on right as the sun was setting and cool, hazy dusk enveloped the crowd. It had been one hot mother fucker of an afternoon, the coolness of the desert breeze gently blowing made everything just that much more killer. Paulie and Doug were messing around with some chicks we had made friends with, I think Doug even hooked up with one of them in the Porto John - Pretty hardcore if you ask me.
I had this thing I was known for back in the day. It was called the 'Disappearing Mikey.' I could be hanging out in any social situation where some drugs or alcohol was involved, I would reach a certain threshold of highness, and then I was just ready to get the fuck out. I didn't necessarily want to leave altogether or run for my life, no, just do something different by myself. I just had to go.
I mumbled something to Doug about going upfront and I would be right back, then I was gone.
I started to weave my way down towards the stage. I had at least 100 yards to cover to get close enough for my taste. I wanted to see Scorpions up close, at that time I had never seen them in concert. I loved their 'Tokyo Tapes' double live album, it was one of my go-to albums when I was really developing my chops as I grew out of being a strict rhythm player into playing lead. I loved Uli Roth, and even though he was replaced by Mathias Jabs a couple of years prior to this, Scorpions were one of my favorite bands.
The closer I got to the massive stage, the more resistance I encountered. Festival 'seating' at an event like this was similar to war. You staked your claim and then you held your territory like a fucking soldier. Nobody was allowed in your space goddamnit! I think I got pushed and cussed a little bit, but I just kept moving. I finally made it really close to the front amid this sea of people just as Scorpions took the stage.
Standing as one tiny ant, among hundreds of thousands of ants, I looked around and the hugeness of the event really sank in. While the Scorpions played 'Blackout,' their first song, I turned around and looked behind me. All I saw were people, as far as the eye could see, people off into infinity.
"Holy fucking shit." I said and the guy next to me responded: "This is unbelievable!" He then handed me a joint. I thought he was talking about the event, but I was about to find out that he was talking about the weed. It had a sharp taste. It was laced with something; I knew because I had smoked laced weed before. I didn't know what it was, but it was something.
I was so close to the stage now that I had to look up at a sixty-degree angle to see that band, but I could see them really well. They were playing their asses off and the crowd was going wild. It was cool seeing Mathias play the talkbox part on the 'Zoo' and to see his huge face behind him on the screens. Like I said, the screens were a whole new thing and they just added to the massiveness of the show. Badass.
Towards the end of the Scorpions set, whatever was in that joint started to kick in. I looked around again and it felt as if the crowd was closing in on me. It was in a sense, more people were trying to pack in closer to the front, and I had seen more than a few people being hauled over the rail by security because they were passing out from the push of the crowd.
That's it, I had got to get the fuck out of there now.
Like a good soldier who knows he's losing the battle, or he is just too fucking high, I retreated.
I tried to find Paulie and Doug, but it was even packed way back where we had been sitting earlier in the day. I was never going to find them anyway, everything was starting to spin and come at me like the Woodstock movie on fast forward. I found a little place on a rise very far back where the crowd finally thinned out a bit. I could see the huge video screen light up as they began a cool interview of the Van Halen boys backstage before they took the stage. It was funny, I started laughing to myself a little ... goddamn, I was so fucking high!
Van Halen took the stage to a monstrous roar. 300,000 Metal-heads strong! I rose to my feet, it felt like slow motion but the adrenaline was beginning to pump when suddenly...
BAM! There's my hero!
There stands Eddie Van Halen, one man in a spotlight among hundreds of thousands in the dark, tapping away the intro to "Romeo Delight," one of my top five favorite VH songs!
"HELL YEEEEEAAAHHHH!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.
As Van Halen got into their set, finally, I started to come down a little. David Lee Roth was pissing people off in the little area where I was standing, apparently, they didn't like his between-song raps, they really did not go over as well in this setting as they would have in an arena. The people way up front were probably really loud and crazy, but back here the sight of Dave just standing there holding his arms wide, soaking in the adulation for five minutes, did get kind of old.
This was probably the fourth or fifth time I had seen Van Halen; Eddie and Alex always kicked ass and that night was no exception. Dave's antics got a little tiresome at times but I loved him anyway. They were the only band in the world who could have headlined this show and they fucking owned the stage.
The best part of the show was when Eddie and Alex went off on a jam together for about ten minutes. They were jamming on what would later become "Girl Gone Bad," but none of us knew that at the time. They were so fucking badass.
That needed to be me and Paulie up there goddamnit!
That was never going to happen in the situation we were in at the moment. No matter how much we practiced with the band we were currently jamming with, it wasn't going to go anywhere. We were really just wasting time, valuable time. The time for Metal was now! This day proved it! Paulie and I needed to do something and do it now. We had talked about it ever since Skully had called telling us about Easlo. We had been through so much to get out here though, the thought of going back was hard to get with.
The scene before me was absolutely surreal. I was standing on a hill in the California desert; skinny, twenty-year-old budding Metal guitarist, watching my hero among 300,000 fans .... and it hit me:
"We've gotta go back."
I didn't know how, or when we would go back, but we were going to have to go back and see what we could do playing all original Metal with a BAFM singer, even if it was in Nashville and not LA.
Van Halen were winding down.
"Fuck it, I'm outta here," I mumbled under my breath.
As Van Halen got into their set, finally, I started to come down a little. David Lee Roth was pissing people off in the little area where I was standing, apparently, they didn't like his between-song raps, they really did not go over as well in this setting as they would have in an arena. The people way up front were probably really loud and crazy, but back here the sight of Dave just standing there holding his arms wide, soaking in the adulation for five minutes, did get kind of old.
This was probably the fourth or fifth time I had seen Van Halen; Eddie and Alex always kicked ass and that night was no exception. Dave's antics got a little tiresome at times but I loved him anyway. They were the only band in the world who could have headlined this show and they fucking owned the stage.
The best part of the show was when Eddie and Alex went off on a jam together for about ten minutes. They were jamming on what would later become "Girl Gone Bad," but none of us knew that at the time. They were so fucking badass.
That needed to be me and Paulie up there goddamnit!
That was never going to happen in the situation we were in at the moment. No matter how much we practiced with the band we were currently jamming with, it wasn't going to go anywhere. We were really just wasting time, valuable time. The time for Metal was now! This day proved it! Paulie and I needed to do something and do it now. We had talked about it ever since Skully had called telling us about Easlo. We had been through so much to get out here though, the thought of going back was hard to get with.
The scene before me was absolutely surreal. I was standing on a hill in the California desert; skinny, twenty-year-old budding Metal guitarist, watching my hero among 300,000 fans .... and it hit me:
"We've gotta go back."
I didn't know how, or when we would go back, but we were going to have to go back and see what we could do playing all original Metal with a BAFM singer, even if it was in Nashville and not LA.
Van Halen were winding down.
"Fuck it, I'm outta here," I mumbled under my breath.
I remembered Jamie was coming out to visit in a few weeks. He called a while back and said he had started learning the bass. I'll never forget that call.
“I know you guys wanted me to learn keyboards, but fuck that, I wanna play bass.”
Dude. Brothers. Just like Van Halen, only three.
I had to find Paulie and tell him about my idea.
I was still pretty high and I kind of stumbled my way through the gates, down the hill, across the lake on a bridge, and into the parking lot. "Happy Trails" rang off in the background as I approached the Green Manalishi, only to find the doors locked of course.
"Man... I gotta lay down, fuck."
I was still pretty high and I kind of stumbled my way through the gates, down the hill, across the lake on a bridge, and into the parking lot. "Happy Trails" rang off in the background as I approached the Green Manalishi, only to find the doors locked of course.
"Man... I gotta lay down, fuck."
I was about to have a quarter of a million crazy metal heads up my ass in this parking lot and I needed to chill.... Like now.
So, I did what anyone would do, I crawled under the van to rest my eyes.
It seemed like a good idea at the time,
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