Sounds of the Underground
Rating: 4 Skulls
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Sounds of the Underground
Rating: 4 Skulls |
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Death's Review (7/24/05, Los Angeles Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA):
I wasn't sure what to think of the Sounds of the Underground Tour when I first heard about it. It sounded like too much metalcore, and too many bands. Can you say clusterfuck? Well, I'm pleased to report that after attending this year's Sounds of the Underground festival, held this past Friday outside in the parking lot of the Los Angeles Sports Arena (USC Campus), I think the show was better-run and more together than I had expected, and the performances I was into were so good and so much fun that it (somewhat) made up for the bands I wasn't.
Photos by Death
Opeth
UnearthThe problem was that the whole thing started at noon on a weekday (albeit a Friday). I wasn't sold enough on this tour to devote an entire day. That said, no way was I gonna miss a chance to see Opeth play outdoors! So I busted out of work at 4:30, went home, got changed and zipped downtown through the heavy Friday afternoon traffic in the desperate hope I'd get there in time to see Opeth. I did - kinda. I pulled up and parked in a nearby lot (the first place I saw) and ran to the venue, found the will-call window, got my photo pass, went through security and stormed into the venue, all while Opeth was playing. That sucked! Except for one hugely redeeming factor - the show was outside. It was a beautiful summer evening in Southern California, and because the show was outside, in a regular city parking lot, you could hear the bands in crystal clear sound for literally several city blocks surrounding the performance area. So from the moment I got out of the car, I was treated to a CD-quality treatment of the new song, "The Grand Conjuration," which absolutely slayed like very few performances I'd ever heard before. I loved every second of it - and cannot wait to dig into Ghost Reveries, which is sure to be one of the best albums of 2005. Anyway, an extreme added bonus here was that, unbeknownst to me until I got down there, Gene Hoglan was playing drums for Opeth! Seriously. Anyway, the show was amazing. I'm bummed I was too late for the photo pit, but snapped a few shots from the crowd, just to give you a feel of how cool it was to watch Opeth outside in LA amidst the trees. "Demon of the Fall" closed the set, and then it was over. I don't know how many other songs they played that I missed, but que sera. I wish they had played last.
So my photo pass was also good as a backstage pass, and I wandered around between bands, walked amongst the scores of fans covered in green slime (Gwar had just played a few bands earlier), checked out the vendor booths, and then walked around backstage to say hi to friends. Before long Unearth hit the stage, and delivered another high-energy summer festival performance that was more fun than I expected. The band really knows how to work a crowd now and are becoming true professionals. The crowd was large, primed and went crazy, and they got a fantastic response overall. No Opeth, but a real tasty set overall.
ClutchThen the quasi-torture began. Back-to-back sets from Clutch and then Poison the Well. I respect Clutch (heck, I guess I respect both bands, as Poison the Well are one of the originators of what they do). I dug Clutch a little bit, for a few songs, and then got bored. I wandered around backstage, and even left the venue and went across the street to grab some food. Still Clutch played on and on. The venue cleared out a bit too. It was obvious that while there were a few hundred Clutch fans there, the vast majority of the audience was there to see other bands. By the way, as an odd aside, I saw George Lynch (ex-Dokken) wandering around at the show. Anyway, I watched Poison the Well long enough to snap a few photos from the pit, then chatted at the back of the venue for the balance of their set.
Then it was time. The mighty Lamb of God was next, outdoors, at night, with a headlining set. Killer, and something I'd never seen before. Of course, they ruled. "Something to Die For," was a highlight - hearing the whole crowd (approx 4,000?) shout the lyrics like they do in the video was awesome. All in all, it was everything I wanted the show to be (complete with Randy railing against the “white belt” set), because it was so fun to see them command such a large crowd with such confidence, it was definitely one of the better Lamb of God shows I've seen (and trust me, I've seen them at the Wetlands in New York in front of a handful of people). Fuck yes. Next year, I'm hoping they tone down the metalcore and stick to the good bands. A better lineup, or just less crappy bands, as there was enough good stuff here to support a decent show without them. But the two songs of Opeth I caught alone move this seriously close to five-skull territory, and Lamb of God's set pushes it over the top. However, the long stretch between Unearth and Lamb of God definitely sucked a lot of energy from the room, as they say. So I'll hold back a touch, give it four skulls, and promise to take this show more seriously for the inevitable Sounds of the Underground 2006 tour.
Lamb of God
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