Crüefest 2 consisted of five bands on the main stage: Charm City Devils, Drowning Pool, Theory of a Deadman, Godsmack and, of course, Mötley Crüe headlining the event. There was also a second stage featuring some good, up-and-coming bands. I checked out a band called Schram, out of Detroit. These guys put on a good show. They had a ton of energy and seemed genuinely happy to get out on stage and play. I also caught a band called Silver Stone, out of Arkansas. They also put on a really good show. The singer was good and the guitar player shredded some pretty killer riffs. They also had a third band on the second stage, but I only caught a few of their tunes. Okay, okay, so I was waiting in the beer line and didn’t get over there in time. What? I was thirsty! Thankfully, the second stage was jamming while the main stage was setting up for the next band. I made my way back and forth from one stage to another all night long…with an occasional stop at the concessions.

Watch out, Crüe!

On to the main stage! I got to the main stage in time to catch Theory of a Deadman’s set. It was excellent! Those guys put on a great show. They brought the house down with a kick-ass rendition of ‘Bad Girlfriend’. Tyler Connolly sounded great on vocals and was tearing into his solos on guitar. A good show. The next band up was Godsmack. If I said the Godsmack set was awesome, it would be understating how great these guys are…what a freaking show these dudes put on. Sully is an absolute freak out front! And Shannon Larkin on drums is just ridiculous! They had a fantastic set of all their hits. If you weren’t singing along, you may have been dead because there was so much energy coming from these four guys that you couldn’t help but get up and jam. During the show, Sully jumps on a drum set and Larkin’s set rolls forward on the stage, and these two go face-to-face just beating the piss out of the drums. Sully is a talented guy, he sings, plays guitar, and oh yeah, just happened to play drums for twenty-plus years before he became a front man. You know what; I will make the statement that Godsmack was better then the Crüe on this particular evening. Yeah, I said it. Should it be called Smackfest?

Finally, the main event; the bad boys from L.A. themselves took the stage. After some brief theatrics in front of the curtain, the Mötley Crüe stage was revealed; a padded room with lights on the walls, leading back to the drum set. The remaining three members, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx and Mick Mars came pouring out of the padded tunnel and they busted into Dr. Feelgood to open the show. The plan for this tour was to play the Dr. Feelgood album from front to back, in its entirety. That was fine by me! I have many favorites on that album and they played them all with gusto. ‘Kick Start My Heart’ and ‘Same Old Situation’ both sounded great. I did take note that Tommy Lee was not behind the drum kit. As it turns out, he injured his hand and the guy behind the kit was playing in his place until he healed up. That didn’t detract from the show, in my opinion. Tommy Lee is a good drummer, but nothing spectacular as drummers go. Average will always describe the bass playing of Nikki Sixx. Mick Mars and Vince Neil both sounded great, but didn’t knock my socks off.

Overall, this show is not to be missed! Godsmack was clearly the best band on this night. The Crüe sounded good, but I thought they lacked the sheer energy that they are easily capable of and have displayed in gaudy excess in years gone by. Check it out, if you dare!

Here’s the sources for our images! Image 1 and Image 2.

Radiohead is powerful. It’s amazing stuff. It’s moving and uplifting. Forceful and exciting. It grabs you by the shirt collar and says, “Hey. It’s time to pay attention.” Radiohead is the visual and physical equivalent of Kurt Vonnegut’s trademark phrase, “Listen:”.

Radiohead was almost able to save last night, but it was just far too miserable.

If you were alive last night, and in the state of Virginia or Maryland, or in the District of Columbia, you may have noticed one thing: It was raining balls.

As of the time of this post, it is still currently raining. Of course, now it is not nearly as bad as it was last night.

If you were there, then relive the night with me.

Listen:

You guide your car through traffic cones and large rocks, rain falling steadily around you, and find a parking space in the already full parking lot. You open your door, and it begins: The moment you step out of the car, your feet are already soaked. The rain is unforgiving. But you’re prepared with your oversized poncho, an umbrella and some towels in a backpack. Or maybe you just came in shorts and sandals (and come dressed this way some people did).

The walk to the venue seems to be more annoying than it should be, as you try to avoid large puddles on the gravel path. You can’t avoid the large puddles. The Earth is now a large puddle. Small rivers flow down the hill as you and many others rush towards the front gates. What are you rushing towards? An escape from this misery?

How many times did you think about turning back? The car is far from view now. Your shoes are far from being dry. The rain continues to pour down. You find your ticket, rush past the Attendants and into the venue, only to find that, damn, it’s still raining. In fact, it’s raining even harder.

Up some slick stairs, and, finally, you’re on the lawn of the Nissan Amphitheatre. And for those of us who were not lucky enough to nab seats by the stage, the lawn is now your home. However, the lawn has dissapeared. In its place is this vast muddy slope, leading you towards the front, but beckoning you to move too quickly and fall into the muck.

You look around you and see that everyone is soaked. At least you’re not alone. Some smile, some laugh. Some are just too drunk and high to notice what’s going on. Some are annoyed and tired. Cold and wet. At least Radiohead will come on soon.

1 Hour Later, Radiohead comes on. They play “All I Need”. It is amazing. But it is a slow song, and so is the next. The third song comes from OK, Computer, but it’s not one of your favorites. Then “15 Step” comes on. Thom does his trademark dance. Things are looking up. But the cold front has come in and you feel horrible. The rain is coming down even harder. You look around you. There’s no reason to be out in this.

As you walk away “Weird Fishes” plays. Great song. Radiohead delivered, but the rain didn’t allow the audience on the lawn the chance to give back. It was miserable out there. Maybe next time will be better.

“C’mon, rain down on me…” – Thom Yorke