| 4:01 p.m. |
|
Waiting for left turn on Poole Road
off Beltline. Normal traffic. No metal heads sighted, yet.
Raining. |
| 4:06 p.m. |
|
Have entered parking lot. Portable
sign advises against drinking in parking lot. Vin Diesel
look-alike on right, shirtless. |
| 4:09 p.m. |
|
VIP parking slot # 0083. Second
stage booming with Slipknot. Look at all those tour buses! |
| 4:15 p.m. |
|
Caps of bottled water confiscated on
entry. "Some idiots refilled their bottles and threw them on
stage." Receive VIP bracelet. Blonde chick in black laughs as
I quip "hey, I'm important! Or at least impotent!" |
| 4:20 p.m. |
|
Pass topless painting booth, where
women get their bare chests decorated. Price presumably includes
the two small squares of "nipple tape." |
| 4:25 p.m. |
|
Slipknot finishes last song as we
reach second stage. Crowd quickly clears. Spot sign by
sound board: "Attention! Moshing may take
place. Be aware of your surroundings. Moshing &
entering a moshing area may be dangerous & is at your own
risk." |
| 4:27 p.m. |
|
First "hey man" heard. |
| 4:30 p.m. |
|
Girl in wet t-shirt exclaims
"where's my f_____ beer?" First butt-crack spotted
(male). Vendors in second stage area: Fye, Trojan, Tama,
Jeigermiester, etc. Also shaved ice and snow cones. |
| 4:33 p.m. |
|
Now immobilized in slow-moving
throng. Attire includes black lace, red Mohawks, neck tattoos,
dirty blonde pony tails, string bikinis, and wrap-around
sunglasses. |
| 4:40 p.m. |
|
Ascend lower-level of main stage
lawn. Black Label Society is playing, loudly. Ear plugs in. |
| 4:45 p.m. |
|
Have picture taken with woman from
work wearing black leather halter, short-shorts, and platform
shoes. |
| 4:48 p.m. |
|
Find box seats. Zakk Wylde's band is
playing a Guns 'n' Roses riff. |
| 5:00 p.m. |
|
Zakk introduces the band. I
understand about every eighth word, notably the profanities. |
| 5:01 p.m. |
|
Black Label Society launches into
what sounds like a Sabbath cover. Zakk finishes song with guitar
behind head. |
| 5:15 p.m. |
|
Superjoint Ritual takes stage,
fronted by former Pantera singer. |
| 5:20 p.m. |
|
See work friend again. "I
really like your top" ogles a shirtless stoner. |
| 5:26 p.m. |
|
Happen upon Alltel "free local
calls" phone cart. Call girlfriend. "Hey, guess where
I'm calling from?!?" |
| 5:32 p.m. |
|
Superjoint stage patter is heavy on
the word motherf_____. |
| 5:45 p.m. |
|
Return to box seats to discover
unidentified young male sitting with us. |
| 5:52 p.m. |
|
Dimmu Borgir opens with a taped
introduction so heavy on the bass that I fear imminent structural
collapse. |
| 5:55 p.m. |
|
Band members appear, each looking
like a grungier version of Marilyn Manson. |
| 6:06 p.m. |
|
Norwegian metal, played very, very
loud. I realize that I can read my companion lips. |
| 6:10 p.m. |
|
Topless woman with painted chest
(plus nipple tape) handed ear plugs by member of event staff.
Gratis? |
| 6:15 p.m. |
|
Realize that the, uh, extra bumps
under all those wet t-shirts are pierced nipples. |
| 6:28 p.m. |
|
Sound checks being conducted for
Slayer. Steady, light rain falling outside. |
| 6:30 p.m. |
|
Mysterious male box mate orders
another pizza. |
| 6:35 p.m. |
|
Slayer opens, also with a taped
introduction. "God Hates Us All," I think. |
| 6:40 p.m. |
|
Number of Marshall amps on stage:
24. |
| 6:43 p.m. |
|
Juxtaposition: madly thrashing
Slayer members with unfazed technician walking behind them. |
| 6:54 p.m. |
|
Each song is a little faster than
the previous one. Precious aggression. Electric ejaculate. |
| 6:58 p.m. |
|
Order pizza for self ($8) and glass
of water ($4). |
| 7:10 p.m. |
|
Best t-shirt of night: Spear
Britney. |
| 7:12 p.m. |
|
First handcuffing of night, a
shirtless male patron with bloodied nose. |
| 7:15 p.m. |
|
South of Heaven, favorite
Slayer song, and they're done. "Enjoy yourself! We'll see
you!" |
| 7:25 p.m. |
|
Cold headache! Eating my $3 cherry
Caribbean ice too quickly. |
| 7:30 p.m. |
|
Stainless steel bleachers being
installed for Judas Priest. Banner behind drum riser appears to be
an "electric eye." Insert own Spinal Tap reference. |
| 7:35 p.m. |
|
Another stranger joins the box,
rabid Priest fan and hairdresser to my concert companion.
She's wearing the second best t-shirt of the night: "The only
bush I support is my own." |
| 7:40 p.m. |
|
Tabletop schedule says Priest starts
at 7:45. |
| 7:45 p.m. |
|
On the dot, and the crowd chanting
"Priest! Priest! Priest!" |
| 7:53 p.m. |
|
Rob Halford doing a "robot
walk" during Metal Gods. |
| 8:00 p.m. |
|
Halford singing Touch of Evil
in what appears to be Hugh Hefner's red and black evening
coat. |
| 8:05 p.m. |
|
Give up trying to chart the octaves
he's hopping. |
| 8:15 p.m. |
|
Glenn Tipton takes short, squealing
solo in the middle of Victim of Changes. Well, why not. |
| 8:35 p.m. |
|
Vocal mix too high for final verse
of Beyond the Realms of Death. Push ear plugs in a little
more. |
| 8:37 p.m. |
|
Would you believe an inflated condom
floating about the front rows? Unknown if lubricated. |
| 8:45 p.m. |
|
Varoom goes Halford's Harley as he
emerges from a cloud of fog. |
| 8:55 p.m. |
|
Rob leads the crowd in repeated
roaring. Why can't everyone have this enthusiasm at the start of a
show? |
| 9:02 p.m. |
|
"We'll see you next year!" |
| 9:16 p.m. |
|
Skim "New York Times Book
Review" while sipping $5 strawberry smoothie. |
| 9:20 p.m. |
|
"Let me hear you!" The
voice of Ozzy, followed by a video history of the band and
psychedelic light patterns on a giant curtain. |
| 9:38 p.m. |
|
Ozzy dunks his head into a bucket
and throws the rest of the contents into the crowd. |
| 9:48 p.m. |
|
Tony Iommi on the big screen, his
fingers dancing on the fret board. |
| 9:49 p.m. |
|
Bill Ward on the big screen,
pounding the hell of his kit. |
| 9:50 p.m. |
|
Push ear plug in a little more
during Into the Void. |
| 9:56 p.m. |
|
Ozzy introduces the band. |
| 10:05 p.m. |
|
Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Iron
Man. |
| 10:06 p.m. |
|
Ozzy wants to see some f_____
action, man. |
| 10:16 p.m. |
|
Footage of gravestones during Children
of the Grave. |
| 10:19 p.m. |
|
Band takes a bow. Roadie wipes the
teleprompter. |
| 10:21 p.m. |
|
"You have my permission to go
over the top, man." Encore begins with riff from Sabbath
Bloody Sabbath, segues into "Paranoid." |
| 10:25 p.m. |
|
Confetti blasts from beneath the
stage. Ozzy asks for drug- and drink-free driving. Good night
everybody. |
