Rockstar Mayhem Festival @ White River Ampitheatre 7/3/2012
Rockstar Energy Drink’s Mayhem Festival is one of the biggest touring summer music festivals. It hit Auburn, WA on July 3rd and was up and running by 1PM when gates were opened to attendees. The main stage housed Motörhead, Slayer, and Slipknot every night whileThe Devil Wears Prada, As I Lay Dying, and Anthrax were bands that took part in a rotating schedule playing the main stage as well.
As we entered the venue, not long after the gates were opened, we wandered around for a few minutes before stumbling upon a huge crowd. These fans were already locked and loaded to rock, despite it being the middle of the day. Whitechapel soon appeared onstage and launched into a half-hour set of pure energy. It was a pleasant surprise to see so many people energetically participating in mosh pits, crowd surfing, and fist pumping in unison even with it being a Wednesday afternoon. The crowd’s boisterous enthusiasm only continued to grow throughout the day with every band that played. Next up, As I Lay Dying was greeted by eager fans as well as a sudden downpour of rain, neither of which let up. Eventually the rain stopped towards the end of their set, but there was virtually no displacement in the way the crowd rocked out. Next on the bill was Asking Alexandria, followed by thrash metal legends Anthrax.
This entry was written by , posted on July 6, 2012 at 8:52 pm, filed under ELEVEN, Live and tagged 2012, Anthrax, As I Lay Dying, Auburn, Concert, ELEVEN MUSIC, ELEVEN PDX, Energy Drink, Kimberly Lawson, Live, Mayhem, Mayhem Festival, Metal, Motorhead, PDX Music, Portland, Rockstar, Slayer, Slipknot, The Devil Wears Prada, Washington, Whitechapel. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
The Devil Wears Prada w/ Whitechapel @ Roseland Theater 11/15/11
“End Of Flesh.” “Festering Fiesta.” “Prostatic Fluid Asphyxiation.” After a cursory once-over of Whitechapel’s albums and history, I have to admit being unsure as to how my evening was going to pan out. Track titles and lyrics that span the band’s three full-length releases since their inception in 2006 call to mind gory horror film scenes rather than anything aural.
But after watching openers For Today and Enter Shikari play enthusiastic, but somewhat droning sets (rife with fist pumping fans, dubstep breakdowns, and a smoking speaker being carried offstage) Whitechapel came to the stage and certainly set the room up with a change of pace. From the first song of their set to the very last, the Knoxville, Tennessee natives commanded attention from the audience with grinding metal riffs offset against chugging bass lines and heavy artillery drums that have helped in setting them apart from fellow bands who also play this kind of technical deathcore. With a total of six members, their stage show was engaging and well-received by an animated crowd.
This entry was written by , posted on December 14, 2011 at 1:27 am, filed under Live and tagged ELEVEN PDX, hardcore, Live Music, Mike Hranica, PDX, Phil Bozeman, Portland Music, rock, TDWP, The Devil Wears Prada, Whitechapel. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.