Dillinger Escape Plan @ The Crofoot

The first band I saw was Animals As Leaders.  They were a fantastic all-instrumental band.  If they had their CD at the show, I would've bought it.  Check them out!  Iwrestledabearonce was next.  They were pretty unique, yet cool.  Darkest Hour definitely bring the true metal vibe.  I love that band, but I only have 2 of their CDs.

The Dillinger Escape Plan have always been a hit or miss live band for me.  Sometimes they're sweet, other times they are awful.  Last night was by far the best show I've ever seen them play.  Great setlist with a mix from all their albums.  Highlights (and surprising song choices) were "When Good Dogs Do Bad Things" and "Mouth of Ghosts."  "Sunshine the Werewolf" is always a great live song.  My only complaint was that there wasn't more stuff off of their new CD, which I think is their best album, at least after a few listens.  Go to this tour.  Buy OPTION PARALYSIS, and go see them on Warped Tour this summer.  Do it!  Do it!  

Setlist:

Panasonic Youth
Fix Your Face
Milk Lizard
Sugar Coated Sour
Chinese Whispers
When Good Dogs Do Bad Things
Mouth of Ghosts
Black Bubblegum
Room Full of Eyes
Sunshine the Werewolf
Good Neighbor
Lurch
43% Burnt (I think)
Farewell Mona Lisa

Unearth - 3/27/10 in Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick

Your Demise opened the show.  They got the crowd into it early.  I liked 'em, and I'd go see them again.  At first I was bummed that Darkest Hour wasn't the special guest for the Detroit date of this tour, but Your Demise was good.  Besides, I'll see Darkest Hour with The Dillinger Escape Plan on Thursday.

Next up was The Ghost Inside.  This is when the show really started to get nuts.  Tons of stage dives & sing alongs by the crowd.  These guys are awesome.  Check 'em out.

The Ghost Inside setlist

Destined
Shiner
Provoke
Between the Lines (new song)
The Brave
Siren Song
Faith or Forgiveness


I don't envy any band that has to follow The Ghost Inside, but Carnifex did it well.  They kind of had a bit of a death metal vibe.  I'd go see them again.

Carnifex setlist

Hell Chose Me
My Heart in Atrophy
Entombed Monarch
Sorrowspell
In Coalesce With Filth and Faith
Lie to My Face


This was my 3rd time seeing Veil of Maya.  These guys are really good musicians, and the new songs sounded great.

Veil of Maya setlist

Crawl Back
(don't remember this song)
Unbreakable (new song)
It's Not Safe to Swim Today (w/ Jon from The Ghost Inside)
Namaste (new song)
We Bow in its Aura


Stick to Your Guns was next.  They are one of those bands where the crowd just goes bonkers for them during their live set.  The last song they did was unintelligable for me b/c it was just a bunch of kids on stage screaming.  They let Emery Keathey's (deceased Cold As Life guitarist) kid do a stage dive.  That kid can't be older than five.  That was cool.

Stick To Your Guns setlist

Driving Force (I think)
Part of Me
Where the Sun Never Sleeps (new song)
Enough is Enough
Tonight's Entertainment
What Goes Around (new song)
Impact
(don't know - it was a big mass of 30 people on stage screaming)


Unearth headlined.  I was worried that the crowd wouldn't have any energy left or that the hardcore kids wouldn't be into Unearth.  Neither was the case.  The crowd went off for Unearth.  The pit was especially crazy during "Endless" and "This Lying World."  Seeing Buz do the first guitar solo of "Zombie Autopilot" never ceases to amaze me.  They dedicated "Bloodlust of the Human Condition" to The Black Dahlia Murder and Walls of Jericho.  Good stuff.

Unearth setlist

Crow Killer
The Great Dividers
Giles
Zombie Autopilot
This Lying World
One Step Away
Endless
The March
Bloodlust of the Human Condition
My Will Be Done
Black Hearts Now Reign


This tour was fantastic.  All of the bands were solid, and the crowd went off for all of them.  The music was diverse enough to keep it interesting, too.  The Magic Stick doesn't have a barricade, so there was a real connection between the bands and the audience throughout the entire show.  Tons of stage dives, high fives, and sing alongs.  Plus, you could tell that all the bands were having a BLAST on this tour.

[null]

Wake of Destruction opened the show.  I'd seen them a few times.  They're one of the bigger local bands in the area.  They're OK.

Next up was Gwen Stacy.  I thought they put on a solid set, as always.  The crowd wasn't that into them, though.  While the crowd didn't dislike them, they were sort of indifferent.  Anyway, I thought Gwen Stacy was awesome.


Gwen Stacy setlist

The First Words
The Path To Certainty
Profit Motive
I Was Born With Two First Names
The Fear In Your Eyes
Gone Fishing, See You In a Year


God Forbid was next.  I've seen them live close to 10x now.  Their live show has its moments, but they're certainly not the cream of the crop, IMO.  I like them, but they're not fantastic or anything.


God Forbid setlist

The End of The World
Chains of Humanity
War of Attrition
Antihero
Walk Alone
Mouth For War (Pantera cover)
Bat the Angels
Force-Fed
To The Fallen Hero


Kittie headlined.  I saw them once before about 8 years ago.  I went to that show to see one of the opening bands (E-Town Concrete).  I left that show about 30 min. into Kittie's set b/c Kittie didn't do anything for me.  Likewise, I went last night to see the opening bands.  I stuck around for Kittie to give 'em another shot.  Sadly, as before, their live show was very bland.  It's not bad, but it doesn't do anything to make me want to keep watching.  So, I left after 5 or 6 songs.  Still a decent concert overall.  It was well worth the price of admission to see Gwen Stacy & God Forbid.null

Project 86 in Flushing, MI -- 3/14/10

The first band I saw was a punk band from Chicago called Flatfoot 56.  These guys were great!  Their set was so much fun!  Talk about a group of guys who you can tell love to play live.  They are on the Warped Tour this summer, too.  Can't wait to see them again!  A+.

Next up was Project 86.  The setlist had an excellent mix of old and new songs.  Before playing "Sincerely, Ichabod" Andrew said that the crowd only needs to know 4 words... OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!  One guy in the front row kept yelling (after EVERY song), "Play something off of the self-titled!"  What a moron, or a "maroon" as Bugs Bunny would say.  I hate when people do that.  I mean, the band heard you the first 4x you yelled it.  In the middle of the set the guy yelled it again, and Andrew stared at him for about 5 seconds before saying, "As requested, here's another new song from our album PICKET FENCE CARTEL" before playing "Dark Angel Dragnet."  Then he winked at the guy.  That was really funny.  Andrew later explained that they took a poll for the setlist on Myspace, Facebook, etc, and none of the most popular requests were from the band's self-titled album.  I guess the fans have spoken.  Andrew said the most requested song was "Chimes."  The crowd was bouncing in unison to "Evil," and singing extra loud during "The Spy Hunter."  Anyway, this was a great show.  The band was intense, the setlist was fantastic, and the crowd, though small, was really into it.  I can't wait to see them again.  Setlist:  


S.M.C.
The Butcher
Sincerely, Ichabod
Safe Haven
Oblivion
Me Against Me
One-Armed Man (Play On)
Destroyer
Chimes
Dark Angel Dragnet
Last Meal
Evil (A Chorus of Resistance)
The Spy Hunter

Destrophy opened the show.  I'd never heard of them before, but they were really cool.  Telented musicians w/ good live energy.  I'd go see them again for sure.

Next up was Through The Eyes of The Dead.  This was my 4th time seeing them (with their 3rd different singer).  When I saw them open for As I Lay Dying a few years ago in support of their album MALICE, they were excellent.  The other times, they've been awful.  Last night was equally disappointing.  NEXT!

Bury Your Dead was very good live, as usual, but this was essentially the exact same show I saw 2 months ago on their tour w/ For Today and Throwdown.



Bury Your Dead setlist

Broken Body
House of Straw
Sympathy Orchestra
12th Stroke of Midnight
Without You
Eyes Wide Shut
Fever Dream
The Color of Money
Hurting Not Helping
Lions Den
Mosh N Roll


I considered leaving before Otep, or at least a soon as I heard "My Confession," because the last 2 times I've seen Otep, they have been absolutely terrible.  I'm glad I stuck around.  They were actually pretty desent.  She can scream as well as any metal vocalist (male or female) around.  Also, there was 100x less political whining now that GW Bush is out of the oval office.


Otep setlist (NOTE: I left before the encore, if there was one)

Confrontation
Serv Asat
Smash the Control Machine
Head
Crooked Spoons
Sweet Tooth
Ghostflowers
Run For Cover
My Confession
Rise Rebel Resist
Blood Pigs (w/ Jonestown Tea intro tease)
Breed (Nirvana cover)

Killswitch Engage - 2/20/10 in Royal Oak, MI


Dark Tranquillity opened the show.  I had heard of them but never heard their music before.  They were very cool, and I'd definitely check them out again.  They're very similar to In Flames.  If you are not an In Flames fan, I don't wanna know you.  Here is their setlist, courtesy of metalsetlists.com

1.Terminus (Where Death Is Most Alive)
2.The Lesser Faith
3.At The Point Of Ignition
4.The Endless Feed
5.White Noise/Black Silence
6.Dream Oblivion
7.The Final Resistance


Next up was The Devil Wears Prada.  I had heard mixed reviews of this band before.  A lot of people say they're awesome, but I've heard just as many people say they are the worst band ever.  I was going to find out for myself last night.  I'd never heard their music before.  To be honest, I was skeptical b/c they're one of those big Hot Topic bands right now, so I figured I'm probably 12 years too old to listen to them.  Anyway, I thought they were absolutely fantastic.  They had tons of ebergy live, and they brought a lot of fans to the show.  I bought 2 of their CDs at the show.  They are definitely for fans of bands like Underoath, Still Remains, Haste The Day, and As I Lay Dying.  Once again, the setlist from metalsetlists.com


1.Hey John,Whats Your Name Again?
2.Sassafrass
3.I Hate Buffering
4.Goats On A Boat
5.Ben Has A Kid
6.Gimme Half
7.Danger:Wildman
8.HTML Roolz DooD
9.Assitant To The Regional Manager



Killswitch Engage was up next.  I was super-psyched for this show.  I hadn't seen them since the new CD came out, and also Phil from the great band All That Remains was filling in for Howard Jones.  While Howard is an amazing vocalist, I am a huge ATR fan, so I was really looking forward to this.  To be honest, though, KsE doesn't really need a vocalist because the crowd sings along so loud to every song anyway.  Last night was no exception.  That's part of what makes a KsE show so awesome is that the crowd is so into it.  Adam D. made fun of Phil's height a few times, and he also said that the song "When Darkness Falls" was a song about when Howard Jones took the training wheels off of his bicycle.  hehehe.  As for the setlist, it was pretty much perfect.  The only songs I could've possibly asked for are "Hope Is" and "To The Sons of Man," but those songs rarely get played live anymore, so I wasn't expecting them anyway.  Setlist:



Rose of Sharyn
Reckoning
Fixation on the Darkness
A Bid Farewell
Self Revolution
My Last Serenade
When Darkness Falls
Starting Over
Prelude
Vide Infra
Temple From the Within
My Curse
Take This Oath
Life to Lifeless
The End of Heartache
--encore--
Holy Diver


This tour was great.  All 3 bands were great live and brought something different to the table musically.  Phil did an awesome job on vocals for KsE.  I'm sure I'll see KsE with Howard many more times, so this was a rare treat.

Living Sacrifice & War of Ages - Grand Ledge, MI

I got there right before The Great Commission hit the stage.  They really got the crowd going.  They were fun live, and they seemed to have a lot of conviction.  Check em out.

Next up was Lionheart.  Their drummer was absolutely unbelieveable, but that's about the only positive thing I can say about this band.  They are your stereotypical tough guy macho hardcore band who do not have a shred of originality in their live show.  It was the same crap I've heard 1,000 times over by every wanna-be Terror band.  It was pathetic... NEXT!

Shai Hulud was absolutely AMAZING!  On a scale of 1-10, they were a 10.  It reminded me a lot of old-school Hopesfall or Poison The Well, but they still had their own elements as well.  I can't wait to see them again.  Shai Hulud definitely brought their own small contingent of fans that were at this show just for them.  They were few in number, but they certainly didn't lack enthusiasm.  Shai Hulud made at least one new fan (me) at this show.

Apparently one of the local bands called The Rose Hill got in a car accident en route to the show.  So, they arrived late, and they played next.  They were excellent.  Check em out.

War of Ages came up next and absolutely destroyed!  They had the crowd going crazy.  Also, they played a brand new song from an upcoming album due out in April.  I had no clue there was a new CD on the horizon.  That's awesome!


War of Ages setlist

Through The Flames
Stand Your Ground
Desire (brand new song)
(I don't remember)
The Awakening
Heart of a Warrior
All Consuming Fire


Living Sacrifice hit the stage at about 10:45.  by then a lot of people had already left.  Probably only about 150 people saw Living Sacrifice.  Those people that left missed out.  The set started off slowly, but once they busted out "In Christ" the show was all uphill from there.


Living Sacrifice setlist

(I don't remember the 1st song)
Symbiotic
Not My Own
Flatline
In Christ
Rules of Engagement
Hand of the Dead
Reborn Empowered
Death Machine
Bloodwork
--encore--
(song I did not recognize)

I caught the last 15 minutes of Devin Townsend Project.  They were pretty cool.  Cynic were a very talented band, but their set got old pretty quick b/c all their songs sounded the same to me.

This was my 1st time (FINALLY) seeing Between The Buried And Me.  I've liked them a lot for about 7 years now, but I just always missed them on tour.  They were every bit as good as I expected them to be, and more.  On top of that, the show was completely sold out in advance.  It was originally supposed to be at the Magic Stick (capacity 500), and then they moved it to the Majestic (capacity 900), and it was still completely sold out.  It would've been hard to fit another 40 people in that room, seriously.  Lately a lot of tours have been skipping Detroit, due to the economy.  It seems like Cleveland gets every tour, and we get squat.  However, Detroit is still a big rock and roll town.  This show proved that.  Anyway, back to the show... this band is incredible.  They had a nice stage presence, and they're all great musicians.  The highlight was certainly "Ants of the Sky."  That was AMAZING.  I'll definitely go see BTBAM many more times.  Setlist:


Obfuscation
Disease, Injury, Madness
More of Myself to Kill
Ants of the Sky
Alaska
Swim to the Moon
--encore--
White Walls

Hatebreed / Unearth -- 12/13/09 in Grand Rapids

This was my first time back at The Intersection in Grand Rapids since the Factory 81, Unloco, Memento, From Zero tour in the summer of 2003.  None of those bands exist anymore, and they haven't for about 5 years.  Damn, that makes me feel old.  Hey, F81 is still one of my very favorite bands.

Hate Eternal played first.  They were just noise.

Next up was Born of Osiris.  I had heard a lot about these guys but had never heard their music before.  Honestly, I was a bit skeptical b/c they're one of those Hot Topic bands that you get scene points if you wear their shirts (also see Whitechapel and Suicide Silence).  Born of Osiris was actually pretty cool.  I'd go see them again.

The mighty Unearth was solid as always.  I've probably seen them 15x now, and they're one of those bands that doesn't really ever change their setlist, but it doesn't matter.  They're just that good at what they do.  Also, the all-but-trademarked Unearth beer bong during "The Great Dividers" never gets old.

Unearth setlist

The Great Dividers
My Will Be Done
Crow Killer
This Lying World
Grave of Opportunity
Sanctity of Brothers
Endless
We Are Not Anonymous
Black Hearts Now Reign


I didn't watch Cannibal Corpse.  I don't like them at all.

Hatebreed headlined.  Much like Unearth, even though I've seen them a ton of times (20+) I never get sick of seeing them live.  They're one of the best live heavy bands around.  They step out on stage and kick your teeth in.  They have so much energy, and they always work the crowd into a frenzy.  Plus, they always seem to throw in a few old "rarities," if you will, into their set.  In the middle of their set they brought up the kid who is in the LIVE DOMINANCE DVD (first stage dive) and gave props to him and his family.  Jasta said, "The family that slays together stays together."  Indeed.  Also, I must say I never get sick of hearing the song "Perseverance."


Hatebreed setlist

Everyone Bleeds Now
In Ashes They Shall Reap
Smash Your Enemies
Merciless Tide
To The Threshold
Tear It Down
Defeatist
Puritain
Live For This
Empty Promises
This Is Now
Last Breath
Ghosts of War
Perseverance
Driven By Suffering
As Diehard As They Come
Doomsayer
Destroy Everything
I Will Be Heard
--encore--
Straight To Your Face


I'm so glad I got to go to this tour twice.  Hatebreed said they'd be back this coming summer, and Unearth is doing a headlining tour in March in support of their recent special edition CD/DVD release of their album THE MARCH.

Throwdown / Bury Your Dead / For Today / For The Fallen Dreams @ Harpos

The World We Knew and Abacabb both had van trouble en route to the show, so For The Fallen Dreams filled in for them at the last minute.  I was thrilled when I saw their merch table.  It would've been nice to see Abacabb again, though, and I've never seen TWWK.  Now you would think Harpos could give FTFD more than a 15-min. set, especially since two of the scheduled bands did not make the show, and about 6 or 7 local bands played.  Anyway, FTFD's set was really disappointing.  They played the show, but it felt like they didn't.  I'm not sure that was the band's fault.  Go see FTFD play a full set sometime.  They are absolutely awesome.

For The Fallen Dreams setlist

Nightmares
A Plethora Of
Vengeance
Brothers in Arms


The main reason I came to this show was to see For Today.  They leveled the place.  The crowd was going nuts for them.  They stopped the show in the middle to ask the crowd to stop fighting.  That did little to calm the chaos.  Oh well.  At least they tried.  For Today stole the show, while at the same time playing my 2 favorite songs off of their newest CD ("Immanuel (The Redeemer)" and "Ezekiel").  Bonus!


For Today setlist

Saul of Tarsus (The Messenger)
Ezekiel (The Visionary)
Joel (The Watchmen)
Isaiah (The Willing)
Immanuel (The Redeemer)
Agape


Next up was Bury Your Dead.  They're an excellent live band, and this was no exception.  They got the crowd into it.  They played "The Color of Money" while standing in the midst of the audience.  That was a cool way to change things up.


Bury Your Dead setlist

Broken Body
House of Straw
Vanilla Sky
Sympathy Orchestra
Eyes Wide Shut
12th Stroke of Midnight
Without You
Disposably Yours
Fever Dream
The Color of Money
Hurting Not Helping
Mosh N Roll


A lot of people had already left by the time Throwdown hit the stage.  Those people missed out!  Throwdown played a solid set, yet I must say they were upstaged by the two previous opening bands.


Throwdown setlist

Never Back Down
Nothing Left
Holy Roller
This Continuum
Vendetta
Burn
S.C.U.M.
Weight of the World
This is Where it Ends
Forever

Underoath / August Burns Red - 12/4/09 @ Orbit Room

Emery opened the show.  They were all wearing santa hats, and the stage was decorated w/ snowmen and Xmas trees.  They walked onstage singing "White Christmas" acapella (the version w/ more pep... not the Bing Crosby one).  I had never heard their music before.  They were pretty good.  Actually, they fit in perfectly opening for Underoath.  For the last 2 songs, their bassist sang, and their singer played bass.

Next up was August Burns Red, the main reason I came to this show.  It was great hearing the new stuff live since I haven't seen ABR since the MESSENGERS tour cycle.  It was a solid set, but a big portion of the crowd wasn't all that into their set.  I bet a bunch of people just thought ABR was too heavy for their tastes.


August Burns Red setlist

White Washed
Up Against the Ropes
Meddler
The Truth of a Liar
Thirty and Seven
Existence
Barbarian
Back Burner
Composure


Underoath headlined.  Likewise, it was great to hear their new stuff for the 1st time as well.  The set was heavy on their newest CD, which was OK with me.  The highlight was "It's Dangerous Business..."


Underoath setlist

The Only Survivor Was Miraculously Unharmed
In Regards to Myself
Emergency Broadcast : The End is Near
Young & Aspiring
We Are the Involuntary
Anyone Can Dig a Hole But It Takes a Real Man to Call It Home
Casting Such a Shadow
You're Ever So Inviting
Breathing in a New Mentality
A Moment Suspended in Time
Desperate Times Desperate Measures
Too Bright to See Too Loud to Hear
--encore--
It's Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door
Writing On The Walls

Hatebreed / Unearth @ Harpos - 11/7/09

Unfortunately I got there late and missed Hate Eternal and Born of Osiris.  Doors must've been early for this show.  Oh well.  I will make sure to catch these 2 bands at the Grand Rapids show next month.

Unearth had a huge reaction from the crowd.  That was great to see since the last time they played in Detroit, on the tour with Testament, most of the crowd was disinterested.  There were a lot of people singing along & moshing.  They ended their set w/ a terrific version of "Black Hearts Now Reign."  


Unearth setlist

The Great Dividers
My Will Be Done
Crow Killer
This Lying World
Grave of Opportunity
Sanctity of Brothers
Endless
We Are Not Anonymous
Black Hearts Now Reign


Cannibal Corpse was next and played an hour-long set.  That's about an hour too long for me.  I got tired of the unintelligable lyrics, growling, stupid song titles, and clockwise long hair sychronized headbanging real fast.  All their songs sound exactly the same, and it's just bad music.

Hatebreed is getting up there w/ Sevendust and Nonpoint for the honor of "Band I've Seen Live The Most."  I went to the 1st leg of this tour back in August when they played w/ Chimaira and Winds of Plague and was very dissapointed in Hatebreed's set.  That was not the case this time.  Hatebreed played a great set.  The only negative for me was that they didn't play more stuff from their new self-titled album.  The highlight of the set was "Everyone Bleeds Now."  Another highlight, surprisingly, was their cover pf Slayer's "Ghosts of War."  Slayer is one of my least favorite bands, but that cover was really cool.  "Doomsayer" was a great choice to open with.  They dedicated "Empty Promises" to H8 Inc, Cold As Life, Walls of Jericho, and the Detroit hardcore scene.  Great set from Hatebreed.


Hatebreed setlist

Doomsayer
Defeatist
Smash Your Enemies
Empty Promises
Everyone Bleeds Now
In Ashes They Shall Reap
Merciless Tide
Perseverance
Facing What Consumes You
Live For This
Last Breath
To The Threshold
Destroy Everything
Proven
Tear It Down
As Diehard As They Come
Before Dishonor
Ghosts of War
This Is Now
I Will Be Heard

Megadeth & Machine Head - 11/14/09 in Grand Rapids

This was the 1st show of the tour, and it was completely sold out in advance.  I caught about 5 or 6 songs from Suicide Silence.  They're OK I guess, but I don't understand why so many people are into them.  They're one of the bands right now that aparently scores you 1,00 scene points if you wear their shirt to a concert.

Next up was Machine Head.  There were just as many MH fans as there were Megadeth fans last night.  The crowd loved them, and MH was awesome as always.  It was cool to see them switch up the setlist a bit, especially since they added "Ten Ton Hammer."  Hell yeah!  


Machine Head setlist

Imperium
Seasons Wither
Ten Ton Hammer
Struck a Nerve
Beautiful Mourning
Halo
Davidian


I didn't think anyone could've followed that set, but Megadeth was fantastic!  They're such good musicians.  It was worth the 2 1/2 drive just to hear "Sweating Bullets."  I left after that song b/c I was street teaming at this show.  The setlist is courtesy of Blabbermouth.net



Megadeth setlist

01. 1,320'
02. Wake Up Dead
03. Hangar 18
04. Skin O' My Teeth
05. Head Crusher
06. She-Wolf
07. In My Darkest Hour
08. Take No Prisoners
09. Rattlehead
10. Kick The Chair
11. Sweating Bullets
12. Tornado Of Souls
13. Ashes In Your Mouth
14. Devil's Island
15. Symphony Of Destruction
16. Peace Sells
----------------
17. Holy Wars

After 5 or 6 local bands, Mutiny Within finally hit the stage over 3 hours after doors opened.  Gotta love Harpos.  Anyway, they played a great set.  Unfortunately it was only about 20 min, and very few people had arrived yet to watch their set.  They have a CD dropping in Feb. 2010.  Check it out.  They were really cool.

Cattle Decapitation were awful.  

Prong was next.  They were really cool.  Those guys can jam.  Plus 1,000 points for having Tony from Static-X on bass.  I didn't know that he was/is in Prong.  "Whose Fist is This Anyway" is such a great song... much better than their big hit "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck."  I always thought that song was very cheesy... almost like a bad Powerman 5000 song.

This was around my 10th time seeing Soulfly, but the 1st time since the PROPHECY tour, so it's been awhile for me.  Bobby was wearing a Primer 55 shirt.  Don't get me wrong... I love Primer 55, but that's a little strange to wear the shirt of your own band on stage.  That's so Fred Durst-esque.  Soulfly's set was a little surprising.  They did a lot of jams or medleys that included snippets of songs.  I also expected them to play longer.  I know I'll lose a lot of points for this, but I wish they wouldn't do Sepultura songs.  I understand Soulfly doing that 10 years ago or Cavalera Conspiracy doing that b/c they only had 1 album of material to play, but Soulfly now has 6 albums of material, and their music can stand on its own.  I honestly would've rather heard more Soulfly songs.  The show was still awesome.  Marc Rizzo is a great lead guitarist, and I always love the drum jam that they do.  The pit was absolutely brutal during "LOTM."  I was hoping to hear the song "No" because I saw Soulfly w/ Static-X back in 2002, and they brought out Tony from Static-X to sing that song.  He screamed his ass off on that track, but it didn't happen again last night.  Oh well.  Still a great set, and the crowd loved them.


Soulfly Setlist:

Blood Fire War Hate
Prophecy
Back to the Primitive
Seek N Strike
Refuse/Resist
Doom
LOTM/Raining Blood jam
Drum jam
Fire/Mars jam
Inner Self
Warmageddon
Frontlines
--encore--
Roots Bloody Roots
Eye For An Eye/Creeping Death jam

Taproot @ The Hayloft - Mt. Clemens, MI - 10/10/09

It was a tough choice between this show or seeing It Dies Today @ Harpos.  I definitely made the right choice, though.  This was the one year anniversary of The Hayloft, a very cool venue.  There was a much bigger crowd than I expected.  The place was pretty packed.  I hadn't seen Taproot since their free show in Detroit in June 2008 when Rick "Jessie's Girl" Springfield opened for them.  That was a weird pairing for that bill.  Anyway, last night Taproot absolutely killed it.  Steve said, "You guys are nuttier than squirrel turds, and that's a lot of nuts."  Indeed.  My 2 favorite Taproot tunes are "Time," and "1 Nite Stand."  Unfortunately neither was on the setlist.  That was expected, though, as I haven't seen them play those songs live in about 7 years.  Some guy requested "Comeback" at the end of their set, but the band didn't remember how to play it.  On the bright side, the setlist consisted of a good mix from all of their albums, including my favorite song from their new album, "Karmaway."  That song was the co-highlight, along with "Mine."  Great set!  Setlist:



Mirror's Reflection
Myself
I
Path Less Taken
I Will Not Fall For You
Facepeeler
Wherever I Stand
Smile
Mine
Again & Again
Take It
Birthday
Karmaway
Calling
Poem