On a day of what should have been one of remembrance and sadness for the people who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks eight years ago, was a day of great celebration surrounded by a cloud of marijuana and metal. That is not to say that this tragic day and the heinous events that unfolded were overlooked... in fact, Seattle stoner legends the Melvins led an impromptu sing-along of "O Say Can You See" with members of Down and Weedeater joining them onstage. The bands are no doubt proud to be Americans and share this love of their country with those in attendance, even going so far as to order anybody wearing a hat to take it off and place their right hand over their heart and sing.
Upon meeting the members of Down, I found guitarist Kirk Windstein and drummer Jimmy Bower to be in good spirits despite the fact that bassist Rex Brown couldn't make the rest of the tour due to his chronic pancreatitis and being replaced by fellow NOLA player Danny Theriot, who did an admirable but otherwise ho-hum performance. Guitarist Pepper Keenan was, in a word, a douchebag. I'm not too surprised or bothered by this. Whatever his contributions are to the band, his surly attitude and inability to connect with fans, or at least put forth an effort to connect, rubs me the wrong way and needs to learn to respect people who pay money to watch his crusty, 40-something, over-the-hill, stoned-out self noodling and fiddling his instrument like he's someone important. Let's face it, when you say "Down" the first person you think about is Phil Anselmo, not Pepper Keenan. He is the last person to have any ego! So fuck you, Pepper! And what of Phil, you may ask? I have to say that he is one of coolest, sincerest person you could meet. And despite his previous doings with heroin and mud-slinging from Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell's widow Rita Haney about his character, Philip Anselmo was a true gentleman and in his words, certainly did "take care of us," his fans.
WEEDEATER - To light up the evening's first joint, this band seemed to relish burying their "music" in feedback and distorted noise rather than actually sing. There was some initial growling that couldn't be heard and after a while the band just gave up and simply played "noise." Not a whole lot else, except that douchebag Pepper seemed to like them a lot and paid ample attention to their set. My guess is that the band is a possible discovery of his. I think he needs to do better than this. Set Grade: C
MELVINS - The legendary and mysterious band from Seattle who may, or may not, have been responsible for the start of Grunge in the 80s. Certainly they didn't popularize the genre, but they were one of the first. So when I expect to hear something akin to early Nirvana or Soundgarden, but get Weedeater Part II instead. At one point, notoriously nappy-headed frontman peers out into the crowd and notices the otherwise bored, tired looks on the faces of the people in the front row, including mine, and assures us that "Down is here tonight, don't worry!" which actually proves to be one of the most hilarious exclamations ever made at a concert that I've been to. There are moments when the Melvins get a good riff going, but then stop immediately in favor of sludgy 10-minute riffs which put the front row back to sleep. Despite a rousing double-drum intro from Dale Crover and a second drummer (!!!!) that lasts for what feels like almost five minutes of continuous cymbal bashing and the rousing, impromptu sing-along for America, the Melvins fall short and disappoint. Set Grade: C+
DOWN - When all is said and done, what we want to see is Phil! The man behind the mic for metal saviors, the late Pantera, is back after two years to spread the good message that "real metal" has returned to New York City. The crowd is all over this one and bodies immediately start flying. Down pummel through several favorites such as opener "Eyes of the South" and other favorites from the first two albums, such as "Stone the Crow," "Bury Me in Smoke," "Ghosts Along the Mississippi," and "New Orleans Is a Dying Whore," while playing only one song from the latest album, "Nothing in Return (Walk Away)." But the best, and most surprising, moment was when the band kicked into their faithful rendition to Van Halen's "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love." Immediately, the crowd and myself went wild with delight and anyone who knew the words, which was EVERYONE, sang along to Phil who had a similar quality to VH's latest frontman David Lee Roth! For my first Down show, this was an unexpectedly pleasant one... and definitely one of the Top 5 best shows this year! Set Grade: A-
Overall Show Grade: B
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