Before I get into this actual show I want to see if anyone reading this remembers the Clash of the Titans tour back in 1991? It was June 28, 1991 in Madison Square Garden in New York City for me! That show was Alice in Chains, Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth. This show at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, really reminded me of that show back in 1991 for a number of reason which I will get into during this concert review. I will say that it was a beautiful night in Nashville and I was really looking forward to this show. There were a handful of photographers there and most of them were familiar faces that I’ve shot along side before. It was good to be around others excited to capture some great moments!
The show started at exactly 6:00PM with In Flames taking the stage. I’ve photographed In Flames before and I have always had gotten great images of their high energy performance. Hailing from Sweden, In Flames has a long history of music and members. This lineup consists of the former Megadeth guitarist, Chris Broderick. Chris’ shredding abilities are legendary and he is a great addition to In Flames and really compliments Björn Gelotte very well in this band. In Flames singer, Anders Fridén came out after the first song in a Nashville Predators jersey that had “In Flames” imprinted on the back of it. The crowd went wild and it was a cool nod to being in Nashville that evening. The band powered through an eight song set like a well-oiled machine. The whole band opened this show with what it needed… a great performance with a high-energy set and the ultimate musicianship!
In Flames Band Members:
Björn Gelotte – Guitar
Anders Fridén – Vocals
Chris Broderick – Guitar
Bryce Paul – Bass
Tanner Wayne – Drums
YouTube video by Perry Creason from this very show…
In Flames Set List:
1. Cloud Connected
(with extended intro)
2. Behind Space
3. Everything’s Gone
4. Where the Dead Ships Dwell
5. Call My Name
6. All for Me
7. I Am Above
8. Take This Life
One of the main themes to this concert, besides all the bands delivering a great stage performance was the skilled musicians that graced the stage that evening. Trivium are four guys that can play and play well. The dual guitar attack of Matt Heafy and Corey Beaulieu is amazing since what they are playing is so intricate along with being able to head bang and drive such a good show. When they were about to take the stage I counted five microphones up front knowing that there are only three performers that were going to be there. Now I know why and that is because Matt Heafy used three of them as he moved from one end of the stage to the other. This was pretty cool for the fans that were off to the sides to be able to see him up close instead of just from center stage. It was a nice touch and the crowd appreciated it. It also made for some alternate image locations for the photographers instead of being stuck in one spot all evening. Much appreciated!
Trivium Band Members:
Matt Heafy – Guitar/Lead Vocals
Corey Beaulieu – Guitar/Vocals
Paolo Gregoletto – Bass/Vocals
Alex Bent – Drums
YouTube video by Perry Creason from this very show…
Trivium Set List:
1. In the Court of the Dragon
2. Like a Sword Over Damocles
3. Beyond Oblivion
4. Throes of Perdition
5. Rain
6. Feast of Fire
7. Capsizing The Sea
8. In Waves
Now I’m going to go back to my comparison of the Clash of the Titans show from 1991. In that show Megadeth was the headliner just like they were with this particular show. In 1991 we had Slayer as the third band. This time it was Lamb of God. Just like with Slayer, I think a good portion of the crowd were there to see Lamb of God perform. The three songs that we got to shoot of Lamb of God were unbelievable! As you will see in the image gallery below we got the best of everything! Stage diving, pyro, and a never ending moving target that is Randall Blythe! What a great frontman! He brought the energy of this show to the same level that Slayer did many years ago. The swirling mosh pit in the center of the arena reminded me so much the Slayer set in 1991. Simply watching it from my seat after I shot the first three songs was almost exhausting! I do believe that Lamb of God have taken over the Slayer reign!
Lamb of God Band Members:
John Campbell – Bass
Randy Blythe – Lead Vocals
Mark Morton – Lead Guitar
Willie Adler – Rhythm Guitar
Art Cruz – Drums
YouTube video by Perry Creason from this very show…
Lamb of God Set List:
1. Memento Mori
2. Ruin
3. Walk With Me in Hell
4. Resurrection Man
5. Now You’ve Got Something to Die For
6. Contractor
7. 11th Hour
8. 512
9. Ghost Walking
10. Vigil
11. Laid to Rest
12. Redneck
Megadeth are a very polished band that know how to create an interactive stage set to go along with their songs and performance. I couldn’t believe how high the drum riser was and the video walls in between the stacks of Marshal cabinets changed what they showed the crowd for each song. Getting to see Kiko Loureiro for the first time was a big guitar geek time for me. He was smooth and note perfect throughout his performance. I really enjoyed seeing James LoMenzo on bass and getting to photograph him. He is such a seasoned pro and he delivered the bass duties perfectly that evening. Dave Mustaine is an iconic singer/songwriter/guitarist and he definitely owned the show, and in a good way. During the song “Trust” (#4 in the set) I could see from my seat a security guard standing up on the barrier between the crowd and the stage getting pretty crazy and pointing to what I thought was a girl on some guy’s shoulders. Not sure if that was it or not but it looked that way to me. Dave Mustaine took notice and started motioning that something was going on while he was playing. When the song ended he sort of stopped the show and called out the security guard for being an a**hole and let the people in the crowd have fun. He said that it was his show and that guy was ruining it. If it didn’t stop he was going to have the security guy thrown out of of the pit. The crowd cheered and starting chanting, “Dave, Dave, Dave”. I actually agreed with him on this. I took notice to it and it was way over the top. I give Dave Mustaine credit for controlling the situation. In the end… Megadeth was as awesome as I had remembered from the other times I’ve seen them. They delivered a great show and Dave Mustaine thanked the crowd for spending their hard earned money on coming out to see live music again. Well said from a new Nashville resident! (See the video below to understand that…)
Megadeth Band Members:
Dave Mustaine – Lead Vocals/Lead Guitar
Kiko Loureiro – Lead Guitar
Dirk Verbeuren – Drums
James LoMenzo – Bass/Vocals
YouTube video by Perry Creason from this very show…
Megadeth Set List:
1. Hangar 18
2. Dread and the Fugitive Mind
3. The Conjuring
4. Trust
5. She-Wolf
6. Sweating Bullets
7. Conquer or Die!
8. Dystopia
9. Angry Again
10. Tornado of Souls
11. Symphony of Destruction
12. Peace Sells
Encore:
13. Holy Wars… The Punishment Due
In Flames Online:
Trivium Online:
Lamb of God Online:
Megadeth Online:
Scott Diussa is a photographer, guitarist, bassist, videographer and audio engineer based in the Nashville, Tennessee area. Scott has been photographing concerts since 1994 and has a degree in commercial photography. You can follow Scott on Instagram at @sdiussa. www.scottdiussa.com
