This past Friday night, The Metal Tour of the Year, invaded the Ball Arena in Denver Colorado. Featuring, Megadeth, Lamb of God and with special guests, Trivium and Hatebreed. Stepping on to the stage a couple of minutes early, Hatebreed wasted no time in getting the crowd pumped up for a night that so many people have been waiting a long time for, a night of kick your ass metal. Lead singer Jamey Jasta moved across the stage getting the crowd moving and firing them up for what was a preview of the night to come. Through their set, Hatebreed moved about the stage with the energy that poured into the crowd. It was a great start to the night.
Hatebreed Band:
Jamey Jasta – Lead Vocals
Chris Beattie – Bass
Matt Byrne – Drums
Frank Novinec – Rhythm Guitar/Backing Vocals
Wayne Lozinak – Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals
Setlist:
Up next were progressive metalers Trivium. They wasted no time keeping the crowd moving. Starting their set with, In the “Court of the Dragon” from their upcoming new album of the same name. Moving back and forth with songs from their albums, “What Dead Mean Say”, “Shogun” and “In Waves”, Trivium kept the crowd moving, adding to what would continue through the night.
Tivium Band:
Matt Heafy – Guitar/Vocals
Corey Beaulieu – Guitar/Unclean Backing Vocals
Paolo Gregoletto – Bass/Clean Backup Vocals
Alex Bent – Drums
Setlist:
As I made my way to the pit with my family of photographers, I couldn’t help getting excited for the band I have covered a few times before. I knew it would be a high energy show. When the curtain dropped, Lamb of God exploded into, “Memento Mori” from their 2020 album, Lamb of God and the crowd let out a deafening roar. From there Randy Blythe was on the move, leaving no part of the stage untouched. He was then positioned to the front of the stage stepping up onto a platform and encouraged the crowd to get a circle pit moving. The crowd obliged with a massive pit of moving bodies and as Lamb of God broke into, “Walk with Me in Hell” from their 2006 album, Sacrament. Randy moved about the stage, stopping now and then to put a foot up on a monitor and throw his long dreads in a circle. Turning toward drummer Art Cruz, Randy threw up his arms and the stage went up in flames! As you will see the gallery. Randy continued to pour his vocals as he moved about. Bassist, John Campbell with his long white hair, also joined in with Randy letting his hair flow back and forth.
The circle pit grew even larger as more and more fans joined in. Lamb of God continued to excite the crowd with their never ending energy as their set moved on. Moving through their set list with songs like, “Now You’ve Got Something to Die For” from their 2004 album, Ashes of the Wake, from their 2015 album, “VII Sturm Und Drang”. A song Randy wrote in his darker times. The night came to a close with “Redneck”, from their 2006 album Sacrament, finishing in a loud explosion. The band took their bows to a very appreciative crowd.
Lamb of God Band:
John Campbell – Bass
Randy Blythe – Vocals
Mark Morton – Lead Guitar
Willie Adler – Rhythm Guitar
Art Cruz – Drums
Lamb of God Setlist:
1.) Memento Mori
2.) Ruin
3.) Walk With Me in Hell
4.) Resurrection Man
5.) Now You’ve Got Something to Die For
6.) Set to Fail
7.) New Colossal Hate
8.) 512
9.) Vigil
10.) Contractor
11.) Laid to Rest
12.) Redneck
Again as I walk toward the stage, curtain up, my thoughts were of Dave Mustaine, and how he has survived throat cancer and has been able to return to touring. I know, I like many others were wondering how the tour had been going for him. I was about find out.
The curtain dropped and out came Megadeth opening there set with, “Hanger 18″ from their 1990 album, Rust in Peace and the crowd welcomed Dave and the band with roar. With a wall of amplifiers behind them and video screens on either side, the guitars took hold as the crowd watched with great delight. The band sounded tight as ever as they moved though their set with songs like, “She-Wolf” from their 1997 album, Cryptic Writings, and “Conquer or Die” from the 2016 album, Dystopia. Dave’s voice sounded great throughout the night and the crowd showed their appreciation after every song. When the band broke in to, “Symphony of Destruction”, the roar from the crowd was something to hear and Dave’s vocals were outstanding! Finishing out their night, was another big favorite, “Peace Sells” which again the fans went wild over. Capping off the night was, “Holy Wars…The Punishment Due”. Taking their bows, their fans showed Megadeth how much they were missed and how happy they were for Dave’s return to the stage.
On a personal note, this was a great night of metal. The performance from each band was outstanding and it was especially great to see Dave Mustaine healthy and back on stage again.
Megadeth Band:
Dave Mustaine – Vocals/Guitar
Kiko Loureiro – Guitar
Dirk Verbeuren – Drums
James LoMenzo – Bass
Setlist:
Encore:
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I have been dabbling in photography since I was a kid. Box cameras, instamatics, then 35mm film cameras. In the late 70’s I went to a concert and took pictures, no one cared at first. That came to end in 1980. When the first digital cameras came out, I got more interested and serious about photography. For years I did nothing but landscape and even started selling my work with some success. In May of 2014, I walked into a small concert venue and asked about photographing a band that was going to play there. Little did I know then how my life was about to change. My 2 passions, music and photography turned into a wonderful journey. 7+ years later, I have meet artists from all over the world, photographed bands from over 20 different countries. I am living the dream of being a concert photographer. To this day, when I step in front of the stage to cover a show, I still get as excited as a 5 year old on Christmas morning!
