Halloween Homecoming/15 Years of Revolution: ill Niño, 40 Below Summer, Dope, (Hed)PE, Infinitis Mortis, Metal Life Crisis, Ender, Blue Lizard, Negative Sky
I had high hopes for this concert, but I was cautiously optimistic as the New Jersey homecoming of 40 Below and ill Niño was certainly bringing bands that I hadn't seen in several years and most people would say they are past their prime. After seeing this show, I'm not so sure those people would be right! I first saw ill Niño at Ozzfest '02 where I met a drunk Christian Machado (lead singer) stumbling out of a tour bus before his set. He refused to sign autographs because "I gotta fuckin' piss...I'll be back." Although he never returned to the same spot, he sobered up enough to play a blistering set. I first saw 40 Below Summer in March '03 headline a show at the old Birch Hill and then later in the year I saw them open for ill Niño at the same venue. Both times were awesome and lead singer Max Illidge was impressive with his smooth singing, powerful vocal range, and gutteral screams emphasized with his stylized microphone shaking.
Dope was actually the first band I ever saw live at my first concert in NYC's Roseland Ballroom on 2/8/00. Though my friend warned me that they were "the scummiest guys ever," I ended up appreciating their brand of nu/industrial metal. (Hed)PE I have blogged about before, and are another favorite. This was a great lineup for a very reasonable ticket price. Here are some notes from headliner on down:
ill Niño setlist:
1. God Save Us
2. If You Still Hate Me
3. Unreal
4. Nothing's Clear
5. What Comes Around
6. Liar
7. Rumba
8. Predisposed
9. No Murder
10. Rip Out Your Eyes
11. Revolution/Revolucion
12. Te Amo...I Hate You
13. How Can I Live
14. This Is War
(Played All of Revolution/Revoluçion except With You - crossed it off the setlist probably because it was a slow song)
At one point Christian took a backwards dive toward the drum riser, but it was more of a trip than a drunken stumble. At a couple points his mic stopped working, seemingly due to a wire connection problem. Besides these minor stumbles, the band sounded tight. They maybe weren't as energetic as in their younger days, but they interacted well with the crowd and playing the old songs was a refreshing sound!
At one point Christian took a backwards dive toward the drum riser, but it was more of a trip than a drunken stumble. At a couple points his mic stopped working, seemingly due to a wire connection problem. Besides these minor stumbles, the band sounded tight. They maybe weren't as energetic as in their younger days, but they interacted well with the crowd and playing the old songs was a refreshing sound!
40 Below Summer setlist:
1. Bottom Feeder
2. Rope
3. Falling Down
4. Snake Charmer
5. Rain
6. My Name is Vengeance
7. Monday Song
8. Wither Away
9. F.E. (f/Christian Machado of ill Niño)
10. Step Into the Sideshow
40 Below were also not as violently in-your-face as I remember from the old days, but they sounded as good or better. They didn't play my favorite song "Self-Medicate." However, hearing "Wither Away" and having Max call out Christian from backstage to play "F.E" was so friggin cool, especially with me being near the stage rail.
40 Below were also not as violently in-your-face as I remember from the old days, but they sounded as good or better. They didn't play my favorite song "Self-Medicate." However, hearing "Wither Away" and having Max call out Christian from backstage to play "F.E" was so friggin cool, especially with me being near the stage rail.
Dope
Again, I saw Dope at my first concert in 2000 and I hadn't seen them since 2004. They have several different members now, but they still sound great. They played a mix of old and new songs including
F*ck the Police, Die MF Die, Bitch, and Blood Money
(Hed)PE
I love Hed PE, but not as much as when they were heavier back in the day. Jared sounded better than the last time they played Starland when he was really high and drunk. He seemed to be having fun on stage. They played a very similar set to last time with their reggae re-working of songs like Bartender and Killing Time. Guitar player Gregzilla is out and Will Von Arx is in, which I think is a downgrade because Greg could shred and his solo was the highlight of their set the last time I saw them. I also got to meet Greg at Stanhope House and he was a really nice, chill dude. Bassist KB sounded good and was impressed when I called him out by name and dapped him after the set. The surprise highlight this time around was a full on rap-metal version of 2009's Renegade.
https://www.facebook.com/jason.bink.3/videos/1779386922103872/
Infinitis Mortis
They are fronted by a female singer with a pretty good voice. The band is a motley crew. They weren't bad, but suffer from immature song writing in my opinion.
Metal Life Crisis
They have a black lead singer that sounds a lot like Ronnie James Dio. They were definitely my favorite of the openers and spiced up their set with an Iron Maiden cover.
Ender were kind of posers. They had a bleach blonde brown guy singing and you couldn't understand the lyrics. The entire band was dressed in their own t-shirts. 'Nuff said.
Blue Lizard
These guys were pretty good. They had their own songs which were decent and they worked in covers of Helmet and Rage Against the Machine. Pretty awesome for openers.
Negative Sky
This band had a tatooed guy with a shaved head singing hardcore scream vocals. Their lead guitar player was great and the lyrics had positive messages about living your life. I saw the singer in the crowd after their set and told him I liked them and he was appreciative and seemed like a cool guy.
From the Depths I came in to the venue while they were wrapping up. They sounded pretty hardcore as well.
Again, I saw Dope at my first concert in 2000 and I hadn't seen them since 2004. They have several different members now, but they still sound great. They played a mix of old and new songs including
F*ck the Police, Die MF Die, Bitch, and Blood Money
(Hed)PE
I love Hed PE, but not as much as when they were heavier back in the day. Jared sounded better than the last time they played Starland when he was really high and drunk. He seemed to be having fun on stage. They played a very similar set to last time with their reggae re-working of songs like Bartender and Killing Time. Guitar player Gregzilla is out and Will Von Arx is in, which I think is a downgrade because Greg could shred and his solo was the highlight of their set the last time I saw them. I also got to meet Greg at Stanhope House and he was a really nice, chill dude. Bassist KB sounded good and was impressed when I called him out by name and dapped him after the set. The surprise highlight this time around was a full on rap-metal version of 2009's Renegade.
https://www.facebook.com/jason.bink.3/videos/1779386922103872/
Infinitis Mortis
They are fronted by a female singer with a pretty good voice. The band is a motley crew. They weren't bad, but suffer from immature song writing in my opinion.
Metal Life Crisis
They have a black lead singer that sounds a lot like Ronnie James Dio. They were definitely my favorite of the openers and spiced up their set with an Iron Maiden cover.
Ender were kind of posers. They had a bleach blonde brown guy singing and you couldn't understand the lyrics. The entire band was dressed in their own t-shirts. 'Nuff said.
Blue Lizard
These guys were pretty good. They had their own songs which were decent and they worked in covers of Helmet and Rage Against the Machine. Pretty awesome for openers.
Negative Sky
This band had a tatooed guy with a shaved head singing hardcore scream vocals. Their lead guitar player was great and the lyrics had positive messages about living your life. I saw the singer in the crowd after their set and told him I liked them and he was appreciative and seemed like a cool guy.
From the Depths I came in to the venue while they were wrapping up. They sounded pretty hardcore as well.
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