Rockstar Mayhem Festival
Review: Adrian Kelly | 14 July 2009
Yesterday I decided that while eating tacos and drinking Bud Light in Long Beach is fun, seeing Slayer is way more important. I think you would all agree.
Slayer were part of the huge lineup for the second annual Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. It's basically Warped Tour for metalheads and done by the same peeps. This year's lineup includes Marilyn Manson, Killswitch Engage, Bullet For My Valentine, Trivium, Cannibal Corpse, The Black Dahlia Murder, Job For A Cowboy, Behometh... you get the idea!
We arrived at the venue in San Bernadino, west of Los Angeles and holy shit, it is fucking hot! Added to that, the lineup to get in is an actual mile long as every patron has to be patted down by security. If you ever whinged about Soundwave, thank God or Satan we don't have to put up with this! On the plus side, the great American tradition of the heavy metal parking lot is in full swing, with people BBQing in the backs of their trucks and others spewing after demolishing too much beer in the heat.
After cutting the line we get in to see God Forbid. Snooze.... why the hell did Kris Norris leave Darkest Hour for these guys!? The heat is obscene so we hide behind a tent, occasionally sneaking out to watch Polish death metallers Behemoth do the whole frostbitten satanic thing... in the scorching desert. Luckily they kick serious arse.
After a $5 water and $10 beer (motherfuckers!) it's time for more side stage bands. This festival works with the side stages going through the day, surrounded by merch tents and motocross riders, with the main stage opening as the sun goes down. All That Remains are another snoozeworthy act, allowing us to seek shade until the almighty Black Dahlia Murder hit the stage. 1 word... awesome! They managed to get the crowd going mental and drop a new song from their forthcoming record that will kick serious arse; it was worth the sunburn. Trivium are up next and are a minor inconvenience before Tampa death veterans Cannibal Corpse close the side stages. The band are hitting Australia later in the year and I urge you to check em out, they killed it (pun
intended,) even dropping Hammer Smashed Face!
Bullet For My Valentine open the immense main stage, which consists of a dance floor, tiered seating then a huge lawn at the back. My pal Monty has serious rage issues with this band, spending the set screaming for them to fuck off, and with good reason, they are incredibly bland.
Thankfully the sun is sinking behind the mountains as the comedy machine that is Killswitch Engage hit the stage in matching sleeveless tuxedo tshirts; and of course, the crowd go mental. Plowing through the hits plus some new songs, they kick serious arse. Adam D is in fine form too, delivering a speech on the importantance of girls getting their tits out at rock shows.
As Killwitch end, shit starts getting weird. It is now the last stage of twilight and bonfires have been lit on the lawn, the crowd throwing plastic beer cups into the fire, creating a thick oily smoke that hangs over the ampitheatre. A tape of Darkness Of Christ starts blasting through the PA, inverted crucifixes are being flashed everywhere then Slayer step on stage and start thrashing Disciple. As you would expect, all hell breaks loose. Dudes are circle pitting round the bonfires, making it look like some 13th century pagan ritual, while the floor is total carnage. They then rip through War Ensemble, a new song called Pyschoapathy Red, Dead Skin Mask, Mandatory Suicide, Born Of Fire and Angel Of Death before it all comes crashing down with Raining Blood. It's actually hell on earth, 16,000 drunk metalhead's collectively losing their minds.
After that is Marilyn Manson, but watching him was never going to happen after Slayerrrrrrrrrr!!!!
