HERSHEY, March 14, 2022 — Brit Floyd vocalist Eva Avila earned a standing ovation for her thrilling performance of “The Great Gig in The Sky” from Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” album last night to a sell-out crowd in Hershey, PA.
The energy kept climbing from the start, leading to more standing ovations as Brit Floyd performed the Pink Floyd classics and dug deep in the Pink Floyd playlist to thrill the crowd with their flawless musical talent. Beginning with “Cluster One,” the band treated the audience to “High Hopes,” “Welcome to the Machine,” “Another Brick in the Wall” and more for the first set.
After a 20-minute intermission, the show regained its intensity with “Echoes” featuring organ riffs and Damian Darlington’s magical guitar. Ian Cattell showed his masterful guitar solos and Ryan Saranich’s dramatic saxophone added to the richness of Brit Floyd’s renditions of the Pink Floyd masterpieces.
Images of co-founder Syd Barret beamed on the screen as the band performed “Shine on You Crazy Diamond.” Darlington ‘s steely acoustic rendition of “Wish You Were Here” delivered another ovation. The second set ended with a skillful guitar solo in “Comfortably Numb.”
The sound was flawless. Video projections on the immense circular screen and choreographed dancing lights added to the experience. Everyone had a good seat in this small, but impressive theatre built by Milton Hershey in the early twentieth century. From its inception, the theatre was designed to be a beautiful place for Central Pennsylvanians to gather and enjoy a wide assortment of entertainment and Britt Floyd added to Hershey’s vision.
The crowd roared for more and Brit Floyd answered with an encore of “One Slip” and “Run Like Hell.” Many in the crowd asked about Brit Floyd’s performance schedule, as they wanted more.
Walter Zapotoczny is an author, historian, and local Pink Floyd aficionado. He can be reached at [email protected].
The 12th annual LAUNCH Music Conference has been rescheduled for July 23-July 26 due to the recent global pandemic.
Statement from LAUNCH Music Conference and Festival organizers:
These new dates are both in an abundance of caution, and with an abundance of hope 🙂
This is a crazy time we are all living through. Uncertainty seems to be at the center of our lives. We are proceeding with this timeframe, with a true spirit of positivity, and in the sincerest hope that life will be liveable the way we had all come to know and love, by July.
Because no one really knows where we will be, with respect to gatherings, over the next couple months, we are concurrently organizing a virtual version of LAUNCH 2020.
Should we find that 3+ months from now, we’re still not quite out of the woods, LAUNCH will be fully prepared to stage the entire event; daytime live panels and Q&A, mentoring, and nighttime festival performance schedule, in real time, on the web.
In the event that the in-person rendition of the event is canceled, attendees will be fully refunded on lodging, of course. People can continue to make your lodging arrangements through www.launchmusicconference.com/where-to-stay.
LAUNCH Founder & Director, Jeremy Weiss, states:
“What we are facing…we will adapt to. We will not lose contact with each other, or commitment to our craft. One way or another (or both!), we will come together July 23rd-26th, 2020. We will forge new relationships, and reinforce current ones. We will tweak older ideas, and introduce new best practices. We will think, and grow; bond, and not break.
LAUNCH is a community, and our mission will continue!”+++++Now entering its TWELFTH year, LAUNCH Music Conference has redefined what a start-up music conference could be, bringing together musicians, music industry professionals and music lovers from all over the world to downtown Lancaster, PA, for a weekend of instruction, networking, and entertainment. Showcasing artists ranging from Grammy-nominees to high school upstarts, from regional touring acts to major label veterans.
LAUNCH has attracted a wide swath of respected, relevant industry experts who speak on panels, mentor musicians and attend conferences, from label reps to booking agents to managers, instrument sponsors, publicists, and manufacturers– In short: every type of contact a working artist needs in order to function in the current music business landscape.
The mission of LAUNCH Music Conference & Festival is to serve aspiring musicians and industry professionals from across the country & around the world, employing the expertise of an array of elite industry professionals, while maintaining unparalleled low pricing for all attendees, even FREE attendance for those who submitted for performance consideration.
Each year LAUNCH Music Conference strives to redefine what a music conference can be, bringing together musicians and industry professionals for a weekend of instruction, networking and entertainment.
LAUNCH Music Conference and Festival is only made possible by the support of our many generous brand partners, including Bud Light, Stella Artois, Goose Island, Bon & Viv, Reverbnation, City of Lancaster, PA, Atomic Design, PRS Guitars, GHS Strings, York College, D’Addario, SoundRink, SJC Drums, and more.Despite its historically low attendance fees, LAUNCH is repeatedly ranked as one of the Top 5 music conferences in the world.
We have grown exponentially since the pilot year in 2009.Past performers and panelists include Atreyu, August Burns Red, Dredg, The Early November, Emarosa, Felice Brothers, Foxy Shazam, Ice Nine Kills, Meaghan Trainor, Panic! At The Disco, Rusted Root, Twenty One Pilots, Whitechapel, Holly Williamsand more.
Former panelists include Kevin Lyman (Vans Warped Tour), Randy Nichols (Force Management), Talinda Bennington (320 Changes Direction), Mike Mowery (Outerloop Management), Vince Edwards (Metal Blade Records), Lou Plaia (ReverbNation), Nick Storch (Artist Group International), David Silbaugh (Milwaukee Summerfest) Kyla Lombardo (Firefly Festival, Riot Fest)and many more.
Event Being Held April 30-May 3, 202015+ Hours of Panels, One-on-One Industry Mentoring, 170+ Live Performances Across All Genres, on 12 Stages Over Three Nights
LAUNCH Music Conference and Festival has announced the addition of metal/hardcore giants HATEBREED to the list of performers slated to appear at this year’s event. The GRAMMY® nominated quintet will play on Saturday, May 2nd 2020 at Chameleon Club in Downtown Lancaster, PA.
LAUNCH director and founder Jeremy L. Weiss says, “The LAUNCH Music Conference & Festival parent company, The CI Companies, has had the pleasure of producing Hatebreed shows several times over the last couple decades. They are a colossal force in Metal & Hardcore music, and a big-time personal favorite! Easily some of the best dudes in the business, to boot. Love what they add to LAUNCH, and how this year’s event has such incredible musical diversity, and choice for attendees, top-down!”
The announcement follows on the heels of the previously-announced addition of Smokepurpp, The Juliana Theory and more to the list of artists performing.
Celebrating its 12th year, The LAUNCH Music Conference and Festival will once again take over Historic Downtown Lancaster April 30-May 3, 2020. ____________________________________________________
About HATEBREED:
With steadfast determination, drive, and dedication, Hatebreed have cemented themselves as one of heavy music’s strongest institutions. Since 1994, the Connecticut quintet—Jamey Jasta [vocals], Chris Beattie [bass], Wayne Lozinak [guitar], Frank Novinec [guitar], and Matthew Byrne [drums]—has risen to the ranks of hardcore and heavy metal elite with a GRAMMY® Award nomination, main stage slots on festivals, and countless fans worldwide.
Slayer, Lamb of God, Anthrax, Testament, Napalm Death
Tuesday, July 31st, 2018
Toyota Pavilion @ Montage Mountain, Scranton, PA
Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars
Thrash legends Slayer made a stop at the scenic Toyota Pavilion high atop Montage Mountain in Scranton, PA on July 31st as part of their 2018 final world tour. Now in its second leg the tour lineup features newly added Napalm Death and returning favorites Testament, Anthrax and Lamb of God giving fans plenty of metal music for their money.
Opening up the night was the veteran UK thrash band Napalm Death, having just joined the tour replacing Behemoth the band certainly had some very large shoes to fill. Vocalist Mark “Barney” Greenway hit the stage shaking and convulsing like a mad man as the four piece band from Meriden, West Midlands, England tore through songs such as “Suffer the Children”, “Scum” and “Dead” before closing out their early set with a cover of the Dead Kennedys song “Nazi Punks Fuck Off”. When an opening act exudes the amount of energy and furry that Napalm Death does you know right away that you’re going to be in for a very intense evening. The Bay Area’s very own Testament would take the stage next helmed by legendary vocalist Chuck Billy who sounded great as he belted out songs like “Brotherhood of the Snake” and “D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate)” which had the ever growing Scranton crowd frothing at the mouth only before being hit between the eyes with the formidable “Into the Pit” and “Over the Wall” which closed out the bands set. Each member of the group put on solid performances with a tip of the hat going to guitarist Alex Skolnick and drummer Gene Hoglan.
Anthrax would take the stage next with their signature New York sound and attitude that put on the map back in the 1980’s bassist Frankie Bello jump, ran and writhed like a demon spit from hell as the band performed tracks like “Caught In A Mosh”, “Madhouse” and the anthemic “Anti Social” which had the PA crowd on their feet and singing at the top of their lungs when cued by front man Joey Belladonna which certainly heightened the evenings intensity. After a quick set change Lamb of God would take the stage next flanked by their signature black and white single star flag side scrims. From the first note all system were go as the band chugged and thumped through songs like “Walk With Me in Hell”, “512” and “Laid to Rest” before closing out with the track “Redneck” from the bands “Sacrament” album. The band wasted little time between each song and really let the music do all the talking for which the crowd seemed to enjoy. Drummer Art Cruz did an amicable job filling in for Chris Adler who announced in late July that he would be sitting out this leg of the tour due to unforeseen circumstances. Though Cruz performed well was in fact handpicked by Adler there was just something different about the band without the veteran member.
Finally the clock struck 9:20pm and it was Slayers turn to take the stage for the final time at Montage Mountain. The stage which was now hidden behind a giant black curtain started to come alive with fire and smoke as the band found their places and the opening of “Delusions of Saviour” blasted through the speakers giving away to the curtain dropping and the band launching into the break neck paced “Repentless”, Vocalist/bassist Tom Araya sounded and looked great sporting a much slimmer look than when I last had the chance to see the group perform. Both guitarists Kerry King and Gary Holt were on their game this evening showcasing their precision on amazing performances of “Mandatory Suicide”, “Black Magic” and “Seasons in the Abyss” before closing out the night with the always formidable “South of Heaven”, “Raining Blood” and “Angel of Death” which serves as a homage to fallen guitarist Jeff Hanneman.
If you have never seen Slayer live I strongly urge you to do so now! The band will remain in the States through August before taking some time off prior to a full overseas tour. The band has stated this will be their last US tour so your time to see them is limited. If that alone doesn’t get you out to one of the few remaining shows then consider the stellar line up they bring with them as just one or two of these groups would make for a great night of head banging. Instead you get a total of 5 bands in all! Each of the groups on this bill give it their all from beginning to end and if you don’t end the night with either ringing ears or a sore neck then you clearly did something wrong.
Napalm Death Set List:
1.) Multinational Corporations
2.) Instinct of Survival
3.) Smash a Single Digit
4.) Standardization
5.) Suffer the Children
6.) Breed to Breathe
7.) Scum
8.) You Suffer
9.) Dead
10.) How the Years Condemn
11.) Nazi Punks Fuck Off
Testament Set List:
1.) Brotherhood of the Snake
2.) Rise Up
3.) Dog Faced Gods
4.) The New Order
5.) Stronghold
6.) D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate)
7.) Into the Pit
8.) Over the Wall
Anthrax Set List:
1.) Cowboys from Hell
2.) Caught in a Mosh
3.) Got the Time
4.) Madhouse
5.) Be All, End All
6.) Evil Twin
7.) Antisocial
8.) Indians
Lamb of God Set List:
1.) Omerta
2.) Ruin
3.) Walk with Me in Hell
4.) 512
5.) Now You’ve Got Something to Die For
6.) Engage the Fear Machine
7.) Blacken the Cursed Sun
8.) Laid to Rest
9.) Redneck
Slayer Set List:
1.) Repentless
2.) Blood Red
3.) Disciple
4.) Mandatory Suicide
5.) Hate Worldwide
6.) War Ensemble
7.) Jihad
8.) When the Stillness Comes
9.) Postmortem
10.) Black Magic
11.) Payback
12.) Season in the Abyss
13.) Dittohead
14.) Dead Skin Mask
15.) Hell Awaits
16.) South of Heaven
17.) Raining Blood
18.) Chemical Warfare
19.) Angel of Death
“Charm Cities Tour”
Carousel Kings, Abandoned By Bears, Bad Case of Big Mouth, American Arson, Take Two
Saturday, April 8th 2017
Ground Floor 2.0, Williamsport, PA
Our score: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Victory Records artist Carousel Kings brought their “Charm Cities” tour to the impressive Ground Floor 2.0 venue in Williamsport, PA on April 8th for a night of high energy punk rock. The quant Pennsylvania town which is best known as the home of the Little League World Series now has another claim to fame as the Ground Floor 2.0 venue boasts a fun and safe environment for all concert goers while providing top notch sound, lighting and amenities for its performing artists making for a great experience for everyone involved and the “Charm Cities” tour was no exception.
Kicking of the night was the Elmira, NY based band Take Two. The five piece group whose sound could be described as progressive punk rock performed a hand full of original material including a few songs off their recently released “Weekend Warriors EP”. The band did a great job warming up the crowd and received a hefty round of applause as their set came to a close. Michigan natives American Arson would be up next and though not originally part of the shows line up the band consisting of only two members guitarist/vocalist Evan Baker and drummer Jesse Gentry put forth a sound and style that would make full sized bands shake in their boots. The duo performed a brief, high intensity set which featured songs of their latest “Waymaker” EP. Taking the stage next would be NJ native Bad Case of Big Mouth or simply just “Bad Case” the band worked the stage like seasoned professionals as the bands vocalist and dual guitarist whipped up a solid helping of pop-punk goodness. In the direct support slot for the nights show was Sweden’s own…yes I said Sweden easy-core band Abandoned By Bears. The band which sports dual vocalist brought a heavier element to the shows lineup which contrasted nicely with the other bands on the bill as it set the stage nicely for tour headliners Carousel Kings. Flanked by numerous lighted pillars Carousel Kings would close out the night performing a variety songs including a handful from their latest release “Charm City”. It had been a little while since I had seen the guys perform live and since that time the band has undergone some lineup changes however they were just as solid as the previous incarnations.
Very rarely do you come across a tour and venue that are both equally great. However, in the case of the “Charm Cities” tour stop at the Ground Floor 2.0 both venue and artists clicked on all levels. The bands on the bill were all very personable and thankful to those in attendance and the same could be said for the venue staff as they treated every person that came through the door with the utmost respect. Though the “Charm Cities” tour comes to close on April 13th do yourself a favor and check out each of the bands on this line up as each one will not disappoint.
Date: April 15, 2016
Venue: F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts, Wilkes Barre, PA
Our Score: 2 out of 5 stars
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley made a stop at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes Barre, PA on April 15th, as part of a 12 show east-coast run promoting his latest album release titled “Origins Vol.1” The night was a series of ups and downs which at one point had the near capacity crowd on their feet cheering and the next moment had them scratching their heads while leaving the theater to a slow din of boo’s.
Being a huge fan of Ace I was certainly well aware of the fact that when it comes to the “Spaceman” you never know what you are going to get and, this night was certainly a testament to that. The show kicked off with the NYC based band KillCode whose modern rock tinged sound was met with a warm response from the Wilkes Barre. This could have been attributed to the fact that one of the bands guitarists was from the rural esque town or possibly that their performance was the most consistent of the night. Either way the band seemed well rehearsed and fit the opening slot well. After a brief set change and following the sounds of “Fractured Mirror” which played over the P.A. Ace and his band consisting of drummer Scot Coogan, guitarist Richie Scarlett and bassist Chris Wyse would take the stage. The group kicked off the set with one of Ace’s signature songs “Rip it Out” which gave way to several Kiss classics such as “Rocket Ride”, “Parasite” and “Love Gun”. It was at the start of “Parasite” that I began to notice that the night was in for an awkward turn. The songs tempo shifted back and forth as it seemed Ace and the rest of the band were clearly on separate pages. Thankfully after a bit of back and forth things leveled out and songs like Thin Lizzy’s “Emerald” and “Rock Soldiers” sounded great. Towards the end of the bands set Ace began to move less and less and at one point he was even sitting on one of his speaker cabinets. After a lackluster solo and his signature smoking guitar trick the band quickly ran through the Kiss/Ace staple “Cold Gin” before immediately leaving the stage. Previous shows on the tour featured a two song encore which the fans were anxiously waiting and cheering for. After several minutes the house lights came fully on and music began playing over the P.A signaling the show was over. As fans made their way out the doors loud boos and other un-pleasantries filled the air. With a set a set that ran just under 90 minutes there was certainly cause for such reactions.
Fast-forward about 12hrs. to when it was announced that immediately after the Wilkes Barre show Ace was rushed to a nearby hospital and treated for exhaustion and dehydration. (As a side note the last show of the tour scheduled for 4/16 was canceled) I understand people get tired and things happen but when you are at the level Ace is at and have been performing as long as he has shouldn’t steps be taken to prevent these types of avoidable occurrences? Especially on a tour consisting of only 12 dates! This however is the typical type of Ace behavior which partly makes him so entertaining yet which has also plagued his career since his early days in Kiss. Will it ever change? That’s very hard to say. What I can say is that on 4/15 Wilkes Barre was treated to classic Ace all the way.
Set List:
1.) Rip It Out
2.) Toys
3.) Rocket Ride
4.) Parasite
5.) Love Gun
6.) Snowblind
7.) Sister
8.) Emerald (Thin Lizzy Cover)
9.) Rock Soldiers
10.) Bass Solo/Strange Ways
11.) New York Groove
12.) 2 Young 2 Die
13.) Shock Me/Guitar Solo
14.) Cold Gin
“An Evening with Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield”
Date: Saturday, March 14th 2015
Venue: Keswick Theater, Glenside, PA
Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Singer songwriters Jessica Lea Mayfield and Seth Avett made a stop in the quaint town of Glenside, PA on March 14th to perform at the intimate Keswick Theater. The duo is out on a brief 13 show tour in support of their recent release titled “Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield sing Elliot Smith”. The album a 12 song showcase of some of singer/songwriter Elliot Smith’s best works is the first collaboration between Mayfield and Avett and hopefully not the last as the magic heard on the album was flawlessly created on stage.
About 40 miles outside of Philadelphia sits the historic Keswick Theater. The theater which originally opened on Christmas Eve in 1928 was the perfect setting for the night’s performance as the vintage theater seemed a perfect host for Avett and Mayfield’s sound which was made up off the two sharing singing and guitar duties along with Paul Defiglia on stand up bass. Though small in their approach the trio’s sound instantly filled the theater and sounded as good if not better than some of the recorded studio tracks. Songs such as “Baby Britain”, “Between the Bars” and “Twilight” were definite highlights of the set as were “I Me Mine” originally by The Beatles and a great version of Bob Dylan’s “Just Like a Woman”. The set also featured several songs from Mayfield and Avett’s personal catalogs along with a brand new track from Avett titled “Lines On My Face”.
The night’s performance was certainly very solid and sounded great however before you knew it, it was over. Clocking in at less than 90 minutes (which included the band leaving the stage prior to the night’s encore) there was certainly plenty of time left for more material especially since the show features no opening act. With the shows being billed as “An Evening with Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield” I guess I was expecting a little more. Don’t get me wrong 21 songs is not a short set list by any means however when most of those songs come in at 4 minutes or less and the artists(especially Avett) have a fair amount of material they could pull from to make these13 shows something really special however don’t it certainly was a bit disconcerting.
Set List:
1.) Bay Britain (Elliot Smith)
2.) A Fond Farewell (Elliot Smith)
3.) Pitseleh (Elliot Smith)
4.) Just Like a Woman (Bob Dylan)
5.) There is a Time (The Darlings)
6.) Let’s Get Lost (Elliot Smith)
7.) Ballad of Big Nothing (Elliot Smith)
8.) Rain on My Tin Roof (Seth Avett)
9.) Somebody That I Used to Know (Elliot Smith)
10.) Settin’ the Woods on Fire (Hank Williams)
11.) For Today (Jessica Mayfield)
12.) Angeles (Elliot Smith)
13.) Lines On My Face (Seth Avett)
14.) Kiss Me Again (Jessica Mayfield)
15.) Memory Lane (Elliot Smith)
16.) I Will (The Beatles)
17.) Our Hearts are Wrong (Jessica Mayfield)
18.) Between the Bars (Elliot Smith)
19.) I Me Mine (The Beatles)
20.) Miss Misery (Elliot Smith)
21.) Twilight (Elliot Smith)
“Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival”
Avenged Sevenfold, Korn, Asking Alexandria, Trivium, Body Count, Cannibal Corpse, Mushroomhead, Suicide Silence, Miss May I, Emmure, Veil of Maya, Upon a Burning Body, Texas Hippie Coalition, Darkest Hour, Ill Nino, Wretched, Islander, King 810, Erimha
Date: Saturday, August 3rd 2014
Venue: Toyota Pavilion, Scranton, PA
Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars
The “Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival” one of the summers most anticipated traveling heavy metal festivals pulled in to the quiet hills of Scranton, PA on August 3rd and completely turned the tables upside down. This summer the festival featured 19 bands spread over 4 stages. Sporting one of the tours biggest main stage line ups to date the tour once again proved why they are the premier package for heavy metal in the summer time.
Though it would be several hours before the main stage festivities engulfed the remote Toyota Pavilion quickly became a bevy of excitement as fans packed the side stage areas to check out several up and coming bands along with an impressive slew of veteran acts. The Victory Records stage was home to some of the most brutal ear splitting music of the day as bands like Ill Nino and Emmure pulverized the crowd’s senses with their brief yet no holds barred approach. Directly to the left of the Victory stage was the Cold Cock Whiskey stage which sported a lineup featuring Suicide Silence, Miss May I and the always entertaining Mushroomhead that evoked a huge response from their chaotic stage show. The masked 9 piece band made several trips over the security barricade which only added to excitement of the bands set which also featured water filled drums and an inflatable killer whale!
Further down the festival grounds was the Head bang for the Highway/Sumerian Records stage which played host to impressive sets by Upon a Burning Body and Veil of Maya before being dominated by the one and only Body Count featuring Ice-T. Ice and his crew dominated the stage with their unique blend of punk/metal/hip hop that had fans from all ages on their feet with their fists in the air.
As night slowly descended on the venue the festivities shifted to the main stage which was instantly ignited by the sounds of Trivium. Front man Matt Heafy commanded the audience’s attention as they barreled through their 7 song set which included the popular “Anthem (We Are The Fire). Next up was UK import Asking Alexandria who received heavy applause from the crowd however did little to impress this concert goer. I’m not sure if it was singer Danny Worsnops incoherent rambling or just his lack luster attitude that made the bands set painful to endure. Quite possibly it was both.
Korn would take the stage next complete with lighted floor and day glow colors adorning the sparse stage set up. The band went through hit after hit and never sounded better. It’s great to see guitarist Brian “Head” Welch back in the fold permanently as it just never seemed right during his time away from the band. The night set was closed out by the band member’s children taking the stage to add a little extra fun to the group’s signature song “Blind” which was immediately concluded by an onstage wedding proposal between two lucky fans.
Closing out the long day of music was Avenged Sevenfold who impressive stage setup consisted of a large skeleton on top of a burning throne which peered out at the audience with an evil grin. The band performed a variety of songs from its catalog including several songs off their latest album “Hail to the King”. Though the band sounded great their performances were overshadowed by their smug facial expressions and lack of interaction with the crowd. Only ever so often did it appear as though the band was having somewhat of a good time. After the brief “leave the stage so people can cheer” moment the band returned for two more songs. The cartoonish “A Little Piece of Heaven” blasted through the mountainous hills before the band brought the night to a close with the fan favorite “Unholy Confessions”.
All in all a long day of music was absorbed by my ears and body.This year’s Mayhem Festival certainly lived up to my expectations and it is was very apparent that the festival shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon leaving me to only dream of what Kevin Lyman and company have in store for next summer.
Trivium Set List:
1.) Black
2.) Built to Fall
3.) Through Blood and Dirt and Bone
4.) Strife
5.) Dying In Your Arms
6.) Anthem (We Are The Fire)
7.) In Waves
Asking Alexandria Set List:
1.) Don’t Pray For Me
2.) Run Free
3.) To The Stage
4.) The Final Episode (Let’s Change the Channel)
5.) Moving On
6.) Killing You
7.) The Death of Me
Korn Set List:
1.) Falling Away From Me
2.) Twist
3.) Got the Life
4.) Did My Time
5.) Spike in My Veins
6.) Hater
7.) Shoots and Ladders
8.) Coming Undone
9.) Here to Stay
10.) Never Never
11.) Freak on a Leash
12.) Blind
Avenged Sevenfold Set List:
1.) Shepherd of Fire
2.) Nightmare
3.) Bat Country
4.) Hail to the King
5.) Almost Easy
6.) Buried Alive
7.) So Far Away
8.) Afterlife
9.) The Means War
10.) A Little Piece of Heaven
11.) Unholy Confessions
“Rob Zombie & Megadeth”
Rob Zombie, Megadeth, Lacuna Coil
Date: Saturday, May 12th 2012
Venue: Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain
Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars
On Saturday May 12th Rob Zombie and Megadeth came to the Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain in Scranton, PA. The co-headlining tour featured Rob Zombie, Megadeth and Lacuna Coil. It was a great night for music as the weather was perfect and the secluded hill top setting at the Toyota Pavilion made for a great concert experience.
The Italian rock/metal band Lacuna Coil started the show off and though the venue was still filling up at this point the fans that got there early were treated to a solid performance. Front woman Cristina Scabbia commanded the crowd’s attention which helped take the bands performance to the next level. Megadeth would take the stage next and were relentless in their approach. The band sounded fantastic blasting out song after song. The set was a mixture of newer songs such as “Never Dead” and “Public Enemy No. 1” as well as Megadeth classics “Sweating Bullets” and “Peace Sells”. Dave Mustain interacted off and on with the crowd and he and the rest of the band seemed very appreciate of the crowds applause and reactions. Horror Rock icon Rob Zombie would close out the night backed by his band consisting of John 5, Piggy D and newly acquired drummer Ginger Fish formerly of Marilyn Manson. The band played what could be considered as a greatest hits set, minus a few of the hits to the estimated 4,500 fans in attendance. Though the band sounded decent, I think it’s time for Rob to go back to the drawing board and design a new show. Fans saw an almost exact copy of the 2010 Halloween Hootenanny/Gruesome Twosome show and a similar set list. The brief 12 song set featured staple tracks such “Superbeast” and “Living Dead Girl”. The most notable event of the night came in the way of Zombie’s encore which started off with a pieced together trailer for his new film “Lords of Salem”.
Co-headlining tours are becoming more and more of a staple due to the ever changing economy. This has been both a blessing and a curse. Yes fans get to see several great acts for the price of one ticket however, in the essence of time bands are cutting their sets shorter and shorter. This tour is a perfect example of that. 12 songs by the tour “headliner” is just sad in my opinion. I only hope that if these co-headliner tours continue bands remember that it’s about the quality of the performance not the quantity of the bands on the bill.
Megadeth Set List:
1.) Never Dead
2.) Hangar 18
3.) Head Crusher
4.) In My Darkest Hour
5.) Trust
6.) She-Wolf
7.) Sweating Bullets
8.) A Tout Le Monde
9.) Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)
10.) Public Enemy No. 1
11.) Symphony of Destruction
12.) Peace Sells
13.) Holy Wars…The Punishment Due
Rob Zombie Set List:
1.) Jesus Frankenstein
2.) Superbeast
3.) Scum of the Earth
4.) Never Gonna Stop (The Red, Red Koovy)
5.) Living Dead Girl
6.) More Human Than Human
7.) Demonoid Phenomenon
8.) Sick-Bubble Gum
9.) Mars Needs Women
10.) Pussy Liquor
11.) Thunder Kiss ‘65
12.) Dragula
