Gigs 2010: From Fear Factory to Muse

Didn't see the variety of gigs this year that I had in the past but did fit in a few crackers, including of course the Metallica madness.

January saw the Big Day Out roll around and, whilst I missed the big event, I did jump into two sideshows. FEAR FACTORY, with Dino back on board and half of Strapping Young Lad as the the rhythm section, blew apart the Prince Bandroom with all the brilliance of the original lineup. The non-Dino albums were completely ignored which meant we got some classics (Shock, Edgecrusher, Martyr) and some of my favourite album tracks (smasher/devourer, acres of skin). Easily the heaviest (in terms of size) band in the world, the highlight was the closing "selections from Demanufacture" in which they played seven of eleven songs from the album- brilliantly closing with intense versions of Pisschrist and Replica. It was hot and sweaty and great chance to relive my youth! (8/10)

The next night Mel and I took in LILY ALLEN at Festival Hall. A different kind of pop gig, since it lacked the big production of Pink or Kylie. Miami Horror did a good job to get things going before Lily took the stage. (Little did I know how much I would hear about this band once school started.) Lily came out and got the crowd moving with a succession of new tracks (back to the start, everyone's at it, the brilliant 22) and old singles (LDN). With only two albums to draw from she struggled to justify the hefty ticket price and played for just over an hour. The latest album singles went over best, especially The Fear, and the encore of Not Fair, which was doubled when they launched into a remix version to finish the show. A good time. (6/10)

SOUNDWAVE 2010 was another rousing affair at the Showgrounds. The line up wasn't as impressive as the year before so I arrived late and took in ANTHRAX with John Bush on vocals (6/10) who put on a great how for those packed into the shed. Highlights were Indians and Caught In A Mosh. Actually, Only went over pretty well too. It was a shame they played so many covers though. TRIVIUM (7/10) followed up with a greatest hits set, which means they played mostly songs off their one classic album (Ascendancy). You can say what you like, but must acknowledge Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr is a great modern metal song and worthy closer as the circle pits opened up. Really though, SW11 was all about the headliner- the reunited FAITH NO MORE (10/10). Words can't describe it. Opening with Don't Dream It's Over and pushing straight into From Out Of Nowhere and Be Aggressive, Mike Patton and Co were on fire. The massive crowd sung along with every word, especially during Gentle Art Of Making Enemies and Ashes To Ashes. The use of a live feed to Chat Roulette led to some humourous moments too. Other highlights included the vocals on CuCoo For Caka and Last Cup Of Sorrow. It was a perfect festival set list with most of the big hits played and a number of unreal album tracks thrown in. Even after all these years the band were tight and Patton was on vocally. The set closer of Epic and Just A Man was brilliant. The huge afternoon climaxed with the final encore of We Care A Lot. Best performance of the year.

Not for the first time (and certainly not the last) Mike and I raced to Festival Hall to see metal. That night in march was to see Hatebreed (who we only caught the end of) and MACHINE HEAD! Now seeing MH for the third time in around two years as part of the Blackening Tour you would think we would have seen it all- but no! This was their first full headlining set and they didn't disappoint. As well as bringing in the majority of 2008's The Blackening, the band played some older tracks that we hadn't heard live in years. Highlights were Clenching The Fist Of Dissent, Imperium, Blood The Sweat The Tears, Blood For Blood, Bite The Bullet, Take My Scars, The Burning Red and of course, the outstanding encore of Davidian. The crowd was wild and it was certainly a different vibe to the last time I was in the hall. At various points there were two or three circle pits on the floor, especially during the Dimebag tribute Aesthetics Of Hate. (8/10).

After the hot summer Winter was fairly quite though a number of tickets were bought for later in the year. Most of these were to see METALLICA. Kicking off with front row at the second September show (9/10) this was a sight to behold. From the ginormous coffins above us to the lasers in the opening That Was Just Your Life, this was an epic metal show, the likes of which have never been seen on these shores. This night had three Death Magnetic songs, which sound great live, and a great load of classics- led by Creeping Death (which wouldn't be played at subsequent shows), Four Horsemen and Battery- and some rarely played gems- Holier Than Thou, The Unforgiven and climaxing in And Justice For All (all 9.44 of it!!). Best of all? I caught one of the giant Metallica beachballs during Seek And Destroy! The supports were quality too. THE SWORD (6/10) were good in the short slot, though FEAR FACTORY (4/10) struggled with sound problems and a poor vocal performance from Burton.

It was therefore a pain in the arse that I had to wait 6 weeks to see them again. November 18 (8/10) was a more diverse set than September, with Shortest Straw, Memory Remains, I Disappear and Turn The Page getting a run. That this was Kirk's birthday made for a memorable moment. November 20 (7/10) was probably the most interesting set list, with a double hit of rare Black Album (through the never, god that failed), and the sixth ever performance of Outlaw Torn! Capping this off with an intense version of Dyers Eve made for a great show. The final night of the three year World Magnetic Tour was amazing and anticipation was high. November 21 (9/10) was therefore a special night for many reasons. Despite being seated in the very back row, Mike and I had a ball. We have now seen all of Master Of Puppets played live (they ripped out Leper Messiah and Disposable Heroes) and saw the tour debut of Call Of Kutulu. Between this and a brief jam on Escape and full performance of Trapped Under Ice, we've seen most of Ride The Lightning. A great set that was full of emotion was the tour, and five nights in Melbourne, came to an end. It was worth the money to see 52 different songs over the four shows. The November supports were hit and miss. Baroness had potential but were ultimately boring, while it is always awesome to see LAMB OF GOD (7/10) even in a short set of main tracks from the most recent albums. They did play Ruin though which is always appreciated and the wall of death for Black Label was a sight to see at Rod Laver Arena!

After this, U2 were always going to be hard pressed to outdo Metallica. Opener Jay-Z was great, really had the crowd jumping early, and played my favourites (Encore, 99 Problems, Empire State Of Mind, Dirt Off Ya Shoulder). U2 followed with all the spectacle you'd expect. This was by far the biggest show I'd ever seen and was impressive from that stand point. But the sound was terrible and it was difficult, in such a large setting, to feel the crowd vibe. The set was mostly hits, all of which were brilliant, and the new songs had enough happening visually to work well. Highlights were Pride, Mysterious Ways, Where The Streets Have No Name, I'll Go Crazy If I don't Go Crazy Tonight and Miss Sarajevo. Overall a good experience but not the best show I've ever seen. (7/10)

Bon Jovi was my second trip to Etihad in as many weeks. Having last seen them at the Music Bowl, during their terrible country music phase, I didn't have high expectations. They certainly exceeded those with a show that featured many classics (You Give Love A Bad Name, Keep The Faith, Sleep When I'm Dead were my favourites) and a few more obscure songs. Things really kicked into gear and crowd lifted the quality of the gig up by the time they played a medley of Bad Medicine/Roadhouse Blues/Shout. The stadium was rocking along after this, even through the ballads (I'll Be There For You and Always the pick of the bunch). The crowd was so pumped that their booed Jon when he donned a Melbourne Heart jersey for the encore! All in all a great show that was fairly low key compared to U2 or Metallica. (7.5/10).

A few days later Mel and I left awards night early so we could hit Rod Laver Arena again to see MUSE. Now having endured giant juke boxes, needles to the sky, muti-colored fire and rotating coffins, the was some query over what experience Muse could possibly give me. Well how about 20ft high light platforms? Holy shit this was amazing! Opening with Uprising the poms made sure they put on a memorable show, one that went off when they got their groove on for Supermassive Blackhole. The newer stuff isn't as strong as their classics, and was overbearing at times, but the light show was phenomenal. Like Tool, the lack of crowd interaction was forgivable in light of the musicianship on display. By the time the climaxed with Time Is Running Out, Starlight and Plug In Baby (which featured confetti filled beach balls) I was out of gas. But the gig year was never going to end quietly and by the time Knights Of Cydonia finished and Muse left the stage I was in RnR heaven. Perfect end to a stellar couple of months! (8/10)

Already there is much to look forward to in 2011. IRon Maiden return for Soundwave, which should be unreal with Queens Of The Stone Age and Slash amongst the other performers and a trip to Byron Bay for Bluesfest (Bob Dylan, BB King, Franti, Harper etc) already booked in. Can't wait :)

What were your favourite gigs this year? Comment!

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