John 5 @ State Theater 3/15/2016

Guitar godling John 5

I went to see guitarist John 5 and the Creatures ($26) at the State Theater in Falls Church, VA.  I wasn't up to anything in particular and a chance to see a guitar very night was not a bad option at all. It did seem a bit pricey for just him, no openers. If you're wondering who the hell John 5 is, you may remember him from stints with David Lee Roth, Marilyn Manson, and of course Rob Zombie. I did see Kris, Ariel, Di, and Lacy there.

Coheed and Cambria / Glassjaw @ Echostage 3/2/2016

I went to see Coheed and Cambria at Echostage ($49.50) in the middle of nowhere in DC. I last saw them in 2014, but never at this venue. Echostage is apparently some converted warehouse near Northeast Washinton. The venue usually hosts electronic music events, apparently. The area seems not a great place for a venue, or anything really, and it could benefit from some more public transportation an a parking area. Or some lights. Regardless, there were a ton of people there, and it was crowded, but not uncomfortably so. I was wondering how all these white people got there!  This was supporting their newest album, The Colour Before the Sun, which I thought was a bit of a drop in quality since their Afterman set of albums.

SOTO / Martyr's Asylum / Ghost of War @ Baltimore Soundstage 2/16/2016

I went to see Jeff Scott Soto's band SOTO ($16) up in Baltimore Soundstage. I saw Ariel, Juan, James, Lisa, Renea, Raul + su mujer, Ronnie, Zac, Gary, Dickey, and Bobbie. I was pretty excited to see Jeff Scott Soto, as I had not seen him live before- I was not sure what mix of material he would be playing, as I know he's got his solo, his band, and a variety of other bands he's been in (ex: Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, W.E.T., Solo, Journey, Talisman, etc.).

Fleshgod Apocalypse / Carach Angren/ Abigail Williams @ Metro Gallery 2/11/2016

I went to see Italy's Fleshgod Apocalypse ($22.50) at the Metro Gallery in godforsakenBaltimore.  I saw Ariel, Maery, Dorothy, Scott, Sean D, Jason, Renee, Renae, Zach, Joel, Antonio, Dylan, Danielle, and Daniel G there. The one-two punch of the black metal Carach Angren and then the pummeling symphonic death metal of Fleshgod Apocalypse was a big draw for me. I got my ticket in advance for what would be a pretty packed show.

Fleshgod Apocalypse from Italia!

Lamb of God / Anthrax / Deafheaven @ Fillmore Silver Spring 1/17/2016

I went to see Lamb of God with Anthrax and Deafheaven at the Fillmore, Silver Spring ($45). This was a close to if not sold out show- tons of people were there. The rogue's gallery included Kris, Ariel, Ielm, Kris, Jen, Bridget, Dale, Sean, Annie,Scott, Victoria, James, Dwayne, Tom, and Gary!

Tesseract / The Contortionist @ Baltimore Soundstage 12/6/2015

I went to see Tesseract ($13) at Baltimore Soundstage for the last show of 2015. Last time it was sold out at Empire, so I made sure I got a ticket before hand. Also, there was some promotion for cheaper tickets as well! I think Jason, Erin, and Scott were there. Tesseract just released their latest album Polaris, so this tour would be promoting that.

Kamelot / Dragonforce @ Fillmore Silver Spring 11/18/2015

I went to see Kamelot at Silver Spring (~$29) as another part of their North American Tour (leg 2).  They were supposed to come to 4/27 to Baltimore Soundstage, but that was cancelled due to a state of emergency in Baltimore (!) and riots, etc. I was there for the VIP experience, but a little before Dragonforce was set to start, they turned on the house lights and announced all the insanity. They did play an early show a couple days later (due to the curfew(!)) but I was not able to make that show :( Unfortunately my notes were lost regarding timing and who all I saw at this show (not as many due to another conflicting show, and um... not everyone loving Kamelot)- but I think at least a couple people I knew were there.

Moshing' like the Fahrenheit...not at all

Blind Guardian / Grave Digger @ Baltimore Soundstage 10/27/2015

I went to see German power and true metal legends Blind Guardian w/ Grave Digger ($30) at the Baltimore Soundstage. Blind Guardian's last US tour had been years before (I'd never seen them) and Grave Digger hadn't been to the US on a full tour at all. I saw Bobbie and Armon, Dan and Bonnie, Dan, Daniel G, Ti, Dorothy, Marie,and Renee there.

BLIND GUARDIAN

Overkill / Symphony X / Ghost of War @ Fillmore Silver Spring 10/16/2015

I went to see Overkill ($28.75) with Symphony X and Ghost of War at the Fillmore, Silver Spring. I saw Annie, Dan, Dave and Kevin, Erin and Ti, Ariel and Ilem, James, Dwayne, Kyler, Lisa, Dorothy, Lindsey and Blake, Kris, Gonzalo, Marie,Navid, Marc and Marysol, Allie an Nathan, Sean, Jason, and Sara.

Sanctuary / A Sound of Thunder / Burning Shadows @ Baltimore Soundstage 10/14/2015

I went to see Sanctuary ($20), with A Sound of Thunder opening for them at the Baltimore Soundstage. I saw Ariel, Bobbie, Armon, Raul, Chris Crazy-Wolf, Dan, Tom, Jessica, and Jason W (and ASOT of course) there.

Ghost @ The Fillmore Silver Spring 9/22/2015

I went to see Ghost (BC) ($29) at the Fillmore, Silver Spring. I saw Marie, Ti and Dr Erin Laser, Spencer, Ray F, Shabba, and Renae there. This was a much hate or much love show depending on who you were. Ghost seems to be very polarizing, for a variety of reasons. So I can only imagine the comments that this will generate.

Epica / Eluveitie / The Agonist @ Baltimore Soundstage 9/8/2015

I went to see Epica with Eluveitie on the opening night of their Revolver North American tour at Baltimore Soundstage.  It sucks that most all of the heavy shows come up to Baltimore. Last time, Eluveitie sold out the place! I got a ticket in advance, in anticipation of this- but this time, it wasn't as crowded.  I saw Scott, Spencer, Jacinda, Dave and his brother, and even Rockandrollexperience(!).

Van Halen @ Jiffy Lube Live 8/29/2015

I went to see Van Halen ($20 good ol' groupon) with Ariel and Ilem. Saw Heathen and Jason, Marysol, her mum, and Marc there. I was on the lawn, but nevertheless had to see Van Halen on a Saturday. I went in expecting Eddie and the Van Halens to ROCK, and Dave.... well to be Dave.

Diamond Dave and Eddie

Slipknot / Lamb of God / Bullet For my Valentine @ Jiffy Lube Live 8/11/2015

I went to see Slipknot with Lamb of God and Bullet For my Valentine ($20 groupon!) at Jiffy Lube Live. Motionless in White also played, but I didn't see them again. As I just got a lawn seat, it was with the masses (or lack thereof until LoG) for me. I did see Scott, Jen P, Chris Crazy-Wolf, and Bridget there.

Slipknot's 1000 members

AC/DC / Vintage Trouble @ Gillette Stadium, MA 8/22/2015

I went to see AC/DC  ($59) for the first time up in Massachusetts! It was a  perhaps more expensive trip than I wanted to take, but made a weekend out of it. I was pretty excited finally getting to see them (sans Malcolm, but how much longer will these guys tour?!). And as of this writing I see rumours of them making their way to DC.

ANGUS AND THE BOYS

Iris Divine / MindMaze / Dogs & Day Drinkers @ Club Orpheus, Baltimore 8/1/2015

I went to see Iris Divine with MindMaze, and special guests Dogs and Day Drinkers at Club Orpheus ($12) in godforsaken Baltimore. There were a number of people I knew there- Russell, Tom, Lacy, Bobbie, Lauri, Xtina, Gary, Mujeeb, and Josh.

Iris Divine

Whitesnake @ Trump Taj Mahal 7/25/2015

I went to see Whitesnake ($18 +) in godforsaken Atlantic City, NJ. I will say that this is probably the first and last Atlantic City trip (unless it's someone REALLY amazing). It was a different experience to say the least. I'd never seen David Coverdale and his crew live before, so I was pretty excited.

Mr. Snake and his band 4.3

Sebastian Bach / We Love The Underground @ Rams Head Live 7/7/2015

I went to see Canadian metalhead Sebastian Bach ($20) at Rams Head Live in Baltimore. I unfortunately missed local hard rockers Aries due to traffic. I did see Tim Sir, Bobbie, Karen, SarahS, Christian, and of course RocknRollexperience there! Despite being in the first 3 rows, I didn't get a lot of great pics. Oh well.

Mägo de Oz @ Howard Theater 6/9/2015 (en Español)

Fui a ver la banda de folk metal de España - Mago de Oz al Teatro de Howard ($38). Ví ellos unos años pasados aquí también. Ellos fueron magnificos, pero yo no los conocía. Esta vez ellos tienen una disco nuevo (Ilussia, 2014) y quizas van a tocar musica de esto. Ví Mujeeb, Diaz, Bessy, y creo que  Scott. Kesta Happening DC, quien reporta en todo de los eventos en el DC tomó muchos fotos (hay un link abajo). Puedes verme en la camista de King Diamond.

Mago De Oz (el nombre significa Wizard of Oz)

Mägo de Oz @ Howard Theater 6/9/2015

I went to see Spanish folk/power metal legends Mago de Oz at the Howard Theater ($38). I had last seen them a couple years ago at this same venue. They were amazing then, and I barely knew them. This time, they have a somewhat new album (Ilussia, 2014) out and they were sure to play some from that. I ran in Mujeeb, Diaz, Bessy, and I think I saw Scott. Kesta Happening DC, who covers nearly all the Spanish language music and other events in the area, was taking a ton of pictures (see below for links). You can see me lurking in my King Diamond shirt if you scour.

Mago De Oz (Wizard of Oz)