Day 2
B: There was a bit more energy in the air on Sunday. I mean, Metallica had played a surprise set the day before, so surely there had to be some kind of surprise. A rumor started swirling around that the Foo Fighters would be playing a surprise set on the same stage Metallica had, quickly reaching fever pitch until it didn’t happen.
K: To the person who circulated that Foo Fighters rumor: thanks for getting my hopes up, dick.
B: The energy level might have had to do with the fact that two metal bands kicked off the festivities on Sunday. All Shall Perish played an hour-long set of deathcore, definitely riling up the younger metalheads in the crowd on the same stage that Metallica would close out the evening with later that night. And Canada’s Cauldron played a very tight set that got the old schoolers pumped – I noticed multiple Accept shirts in the crowd.
There were some surprises, though. One big question that came up was whether or not The Dillinger Escape Plan was going to play following news that their guitarist Benjamin Weinman broke his hand. We’d heard that they would play without him, which proved to be only partially true. Weinman was onstage for the entire show, but as a hype man, sitting in a lounge chair and holding up scores after each song. While the band’s onstage antics (singer Greg Puciato climbing the stage, the band trashing Billy Rymer’s drum kit to end the set) likely won over many unfamiliar with the band, the lack of Weinman’s guitar and his onstage intensity was missed.
K: Dillinger without Ben is fun, but not legendary like DEP usually is.
B: One of my favorite parts of the set was Rob Trujillo introducing the band. Maybe he really is a longtime fan of theirs, but if he really was, he probably wouldn’t have called them “Dillinger’s Escape Plan.”
B: Sunday was also a great day for stoner rock. Fu Manchu haven’t really gone away, but it seems like the California band is undergoing a resurgence right now, and seeing them play on the Vans “Damage Inc.” stage as Steve Caballero and Christian Hosoi skated next to them on a vert ramp felt like the most natural thing ever. And for Vista Chino, who were playing their first show under that name, it was an opportunity for Kyuss fans to hear some songs from the long-defunct band that spawned Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme (the band had been performing as Kyuss Lives!). Joining original Kyuss members singer John Garcia and drummer Brant Bjork was Corrosion of Conformity bassist Mike Dean, making his live debut with the band.
K: Vista Chino with Mike Dean of COC on bass is kind of the most awesome thing. Don’t go away from that too soon, gents.
B: And now, a word about the EDM tent. Dubstep isn’t my thing, like at all. However, it’s not supposed to be. Metal has always been misunderstood, mostly hated by parents, and different from the norm. That’s a pretty apt description of what dubstep’s place in music is as well (cue up parents saying “that’s not music, that’s noise”). However, the tent was full, upbeat, and had great lighting and visuals, which basically means it served its purpose. Seeing women walking around with fur boots and a handful of people proudly wearing dubstep shirts leads me to believe that there are some people that came just to see the likes of Borgore, Datsik and Bassnectar (who actually played with Exhumed!). So why not throw in an EDM stage in a town that’s known for its dance music scene?
