Author Archives: Special to TVD

WORDS AND IMAGES: CHRIS LOOMIS | The summer of 2024 ended in epic fashion on Labor Day weekend as the reunited Grammy Award winning rockers Creed headlined The Summer of ’99 and Beyond Festival with eight other bands at the historic Glen Helen Amphitheater in San Bernardino, CA on Saturday August 31. Touring for the first time in over a decade, Creed is selling out dates across the country with 3 Doors Down and Finger Eleven but on this day in California, Creed corralled several additional bands that have been special guests on the tour in various cities and the show was a day long celebration and no doubt the largest of the 40-date tour.

It was a hot one with temperatures right at 100 degrees, but the performances were hotter as Verve Pipe, Vertical Horizon, Dorothy, Fuel, Hinder, and Daughtry were the added guests to this show which made it a must see to end the summer. With doors at 1PM, the music started at 2PM and for the next nine hours, Glen Helen was rocking like the summer of 1999.

Melodic Rock veterans Verve Pipe kicked off the day of music in solid fashion as the band took the stage with all members in all white outfits as vocalist Brian Vander Ark and his brother on bass Brad Vander Ark led the band through a short set that included hits “Photograph” and “The Freshmen” as the Verve Pipe diehards braved the mid-afternoon heat—a successful start to the day. Vertical Horizon served up a bit of alternative rock with a country song mixed in next with original vocalist Matt Scannell sounding fantastic.

The incredibly beautiful Dorothy and her soaring voice delivered a bit more of an upbeat set followed by Fuel who took the oomph up a notch as frontman Aaron Scott prowled around the stage as founding guitarist Carl Bell shredded through the hits that included “Shimmer” and “Hemorrhage (In My Hands).” Now, as killer as all the bands have been up to this point the highlight of the early afternoon was Finger Eleven as these guys played the most powerful and energetic set so far as they blasted through 35-minutes of beautiful chaos. With Scott Anderson’s powerful vocals and the insane guitar antics of James Black and Rick Jackett—especially Jackett who constantly looks like he is in a battle with his guitar—Finger Eleven infused a new energy into the day.

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WORDS AND IMAGES: CHRIS LOOMIS | Death metal in an arena . . . YES it happened in epic form on Saturday, May 25 as the Viking Metal Gods Amon Amarth made the final stop of their Metal Crushes All Tour 2024 at the 18,000 capacity Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. This culminated the 24-date trek across North America that had fellow Death Metal heavyweights Obituary and Cannibal Corpse in direct support with Dallas Texas youngsters Frozen Soul opening the show. This was without a doubt the must-see heavy metal event of the year.

With an early start at 6:30PM, Frozen Soul took the stage as fans were filtering into the venue, although the first third of the floor was already jammed packed with death metal die-hards. Vocalist Chad Green wasted no time getting the early-birds fired up as he belted out some serious guttural vocals and demanding the crowd to do push-ups in the pit. The band squeezed in seven killer songs in their short 30 minutes on stage and proved they are indeed part of the next wave of death metal giants to carry the metal torch for years to come.

Having toured with Amain Amarth on The Great Heathen tour in late 2022, Florida’s Obituary took the stage next with a seven-song set that weighed heavily on their latest album Dying of Everything. Opening with the killer instrumental “Redneck Stomp” then into the brutal track “Barely Alive,” John Tardy owned the stage with his unique Death Metal vocals. Tardy joined his brother Donald on the drums for the killer rhythms of “Slow Death” as the band proved their longevity in the death metal scene is not a fluke and that Obituary in 2024 is delivering their most brutal music and stage performances of their 30-year career.

Now things were about to get exponentially more brutal as Cannibal Corpse took the stage. From the first note of “Scourge of Iron” to the last beat of “Hammer Smashed Face,” Honda Center may have just experienced the most brutal performance in the venue’s 31-year existence. Vocalist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher not only has the thickest neck in death metal, the most haunting, guttural voice in death metal, but he can headbang and do hair whips like no other human being can.

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WORDS AND IMAGES: CHRIS LOOMIS | The 5th annual BeachLife Festival took over Redondo Beach for a three day celebration of music, art, and beach life culture. The 2024 edition of BeachLife included headlining sets from Sting and Incubus as well as performances from Seal, ZZ Top, Devo, Dirty Heads and many more. BeachLife curates its performances with an eclectic grouping of artists who span everything from rock to indie pop, country, new wave, punk, reggae and everything in between which makes for one of the premier festivals in the state of California.

Set up with four stages strategically placed throughout the festival grounds, the Hightide and Lowtide stages cater to the larger well-known acts, the Speakeasy stage allows for intimate acoustic performances from punk legends and indie artists while the Riptide stage mixes established artists and up and coming acts. What makes BeachLife standout amongst festivals is the Hightide and Lowtide stages NEVER overlap performances, and each artist gets a full 60 minutes on stage so you don’t have to make those tough decisions on what artists to watch and which to miss.

In addition to bringing top live musical acts to fans, the festival gives back to the community by partnering with nonprofit organizations in the area as well as offering multiple levels of VIP options, special culinary choices while dining side stage, galleries with art created by members of the music community, beautiful SoCal beach scenery, games, shopping and the opportunity to say “I was there” . . . what’s better than music on the beach.

While the weather was partly sunny and mild on Friday and overcast on Saturday, Sunday was plagued with high winds which ultimately forced the festival to shut down early (about 5:30PM) as dangerous wind gusts kicked up forcing Fleet Foxes, Trey Anastasio, and Sunday’s headliners My Morning Jacket to not play their respective sets—an unfortunate situation for paying fans and the bands, but safety first always wins.

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WORDS AND IMAGES: DANIEL GRAY | It was a rainy Sunday night in downtown Los Angeles, but that didn’t stop Porno For Pyros from setting The Belasco on fire. (Figuratively, of course.) The packed house was there to see the group in what was billed as their farewell tour: Horns, Thorns, En Halos. Even though it was touted as such, it was a joyous occasion. Before the show, smiles could be seen on everyone’s faces all throughout the venue in anticipation as to what was to come.

Porno For Pyros brought along two opening bands (both three-piece) that were appreciated by the audience and seemed to fit The Belasco well. The first was Los Angeles-based, Glossy. They describe themselves on Instagram as, “3 smelly mfs scarin Karens on the west coast.” Next up was Tigercub from Brighton, UK. Jamie Stephen Hall, vocals and lead guitar, James Allix, drums, and Jimi Wheelwright, bass, were a bit more melodic than the opener and had the crowd ready to go for the headliners.

But let’s face it, the crowd was on hand to see Perry Farrell on vocals, Peter DiStefano on guitar, Mike Watt on bass, and Stephen Perkins on drums. They burned through (another fire pun) a sixteen-song set with most coming from their two studio albums. Rounding out the band on stage were touring keyboardist Robin Hatch and backup singer Etty Lau Farrell (Farrell’s wife). Farrell entered the stage with a bottle of red wine in his hand and while he took periodic swigs, this wasn’t a wine sippin’ type of show.

The alt-rock veterans brought the energy, the groove, and the power. Farrell was in fine form and voice. DiStefano showed his range whether it was using a bow on the opener, “Orgasm,” or wailing on “Meija” right after. Perkins laid down beats that propelled the band the entire night. Even sitting down, Watt thundered on bass in a way that matched the stormy evening outside.

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WORDS & IMAGES: CHRIS LOOMIS | Progressive metal juggernauts, Tool made a triumphant return to their home base in Los Angeles for back-to-back nights at Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center). The band delivered a 2-hour masterpiece each night with the Tool Army packing the world-famous venue from the floor to the rafters.

For those who don’t know, a live Tool show is a sonic experience not soon to be forgotten including cutting edge music coupled with an incredible visual journey taking fans through each song in its entirety (via large video screens and killer laser arrays). Band members have little to no stage lights directly on them, allowing the fans to fully absorb the visuals and sound without focusing on the band members themselves, resulting in the ultimate band encounter that is truly second to none.

Tool is out on the road once again supporting their critically acclaimed fifth full length studio album Fear Inoculum, released back in August 2019, with this run most likely being the last in this touring cycle. Opening the show were Massachusetts based progressive/psychedelic rockers Elder. They dropped a killer 30-minute set that gave Los Angeles a sonic-boom of musical soundscapes. These guys are super tight and should definitely be checked out—a perfect fit to open a Tool show.

After a brief intermission, it was on to the main attraction, Tool. Continuing to open the show with the title track “Fear Inoculum,” the band took the stage and the song’s slow haunting beginning eased the crowd into the show as the song builds into an intense, pounding rocker as Maynard James Keenan was his ever-elusive self, prowling the riser behind the stage, belting out his vocals—sporting a blonde mohawk and blacked out eyes—sounding magnificent. At the end of the first song Keenan reminded the fans about putting their phones away for 2-hours and stay in the moment and to be connected with the live experience. Most fans complied with the request, and it was certainly a nice change to see a live show without a sea of cell phones in the air all night.

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WORDS AND IMAGES: CHRISS LOOMIS | The highly-anticipated “Machine Killer Tour” featuring Static-X, Sevendust, and Dope took the stage at the House of Blues in Anaheim on October 31, 2023. The concert, held on Halloween, was a thrilling spectacle of industrial metal and nu-metal music that captivated the audience from start to finish. The 2200-capacity music hall was filled with fervent fans who were treated to a memorable night of heavy riffs, thunderous percussion, and powerful vocals. Despite being a weekday show, the energy and enthusiasm were palpable, making it a resounding success.

Now five years into version 2.0, Static-X headlined the Machine Killer North American tour when it stopped in Anaheim on Halloween night at House of Blues along with Sevendust, Dope, and Lines of Loyalty. A nu-metal party right out of 1999 with this lineup, and they rocked Anaheim like never before and then some—a night not soon to be forgotten for sure.

Lines of Loyalty, this magnetic rock trio out of Kenosha, WI kicked off the night in fine fashion and successfully lit the metal fuse to ignite the House of Blues in preparation for the upcoming 1-2-3 punch of nu-metal.

Dope took the stage led by frontman Edsel Dope and played a short but ferocious set of powerful metal anthems fueled by piss and vinegar. The set kicked off with the recent “Blood Money,” then you got all the Dope hits you would expect and the crowd was intensely giving Edsel tons of energy as they sang every word. With Acey Slade on guitars for this tour, the band delivered “Bitch” as well as the medley “Die, Boom, Bang, Burn, Fuck” which gave you a little of all your favorite Dope songs. The band ended the set with the Dead or Alive cover “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record).” Now half-way through the night band-wise, the crowd was PUMPED for Sevendust.

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WORDS AND IMAGES: CHRIS LOOMIS | The celebration of music, art, and Southern California beach life culture—that is BeachLife Festival. Now in its fourth year (2020 was cancelled due to Covid-19) this epic event took place May 5th–7th in beautiful Redondo Beach, CA with another outstanding and diverse lineup featuring some of music’s biggest acts with headliners The Black Keys, Gwen Stefani, The Black Crowes, Modest Mouse, Sublime with Rome, John Fogerty, and a long list of many others.

With four stages well placed amongst the festival grounds, each day was packed with over 8 hours of music as well as a Popup Art Gallery from Punk Rock & Paintbrushes, lots of beer choices, silent auctions, games, and lots of food choices from all over Southern California. The weather was about 70 degrees with mostly sunny skies all weekend—BeachLife 2023 was on track to become the best one yet.

The large Hightide stage was placed in a beautiful open area with synthetic grass, VIP areas were perfectly placed on each side of the stage for prime comfort and viewing. The Lowtide stage was a 2-minute walk out onto the beach where additional VIP areas flanked each side of the area. The Riptide stage was a small stage out on the blacktop where you could grab a beer and watch the performers and the Speakeasy stage was a very small, intimate stage under a small covering that allowed you to enjoy the performances in the shade. The Vinyl District was on location in Redondo Beach on Friday and Saturday to catch all the excitement that BeachLife had to offer.

Friday the crowd started to increase in size late in the afternoon, while Saturday was filled with early-birds as by 2:00pm as the festival grounds were packed—Saturday was the only day to reach a complete sell-out but the three-day event tallied over 40,000 music lovers. The Hightide Stage was the main attraction throughout the weekend and Alternative Rock veterans The Pixies rocked BeachLife Friday evening with an hour long set that included a brief mosh-pit (the only one seen all weekend). The Black Keys fronted by vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney closed out the day with an epic set that included mega hits “Lonely Boy” and “Gold on the Ceiling” among others.

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