Summer\’s Last Stand Tour

It was a wet and muggy night at the (insert latest venue name here) in Tinley Park, Illinois. The weather did not keep any heavy music fans at home. Rockstar Energy Drink presented the long awaited, Summer\’s Last Stand Tour. This bill featured Motionless In White, Bullet For My Valentine, Lamb of God, and Slipknot. The line-up for Summers Last Stand was a traffic stopper and it has also been viewed as the event of the summer for metalheads. Yet, it begs the question for one to ponder on, if  this could be a permanent replacement to the now defunct, Mayhem Festival. That is, if more bands signed on. It was really surprising the amount of vendors and Rockstar product placement areas were inside and around the venue. Again, begging the question as to how the Rockstar sponsorship affected the relationship with Mayhem organizers. Slipknot obviously had the loudest crowd of the night but Bullet For My Valentine had a huge following as well. I thought they sounded pretty good. I was intrigued by their new material, it was heavy and had a distinct old school 1980\’s feel. I say that because of the speed picking and relevant time signatures. Lamb of God had a high energy feel. Vocalist, Randy Blythe  sounded great and had a sense of rejuvenation in his step. Blythe\’s attitude was one of humility and almost seemed grateful of the reception and crowd participation. I thought that the music, however, was a little off. There were some sloppy breakdowns and rushed solos. I definitely noticed this during the drum full in \”Ruin\”. Overall though, I was pleased. Slipknot as per norm, was a HUGE stage production. It took at least forty minutes for them to set up. They focused mainly on material from their latest release,  .5: The Gray Chapter. The band did throw in a few old random songs as well. Those in attendance didn\’t seem to care one way or the other as they were hanging on every hook. It\’s undeniable that Slipknot has not lost their touch with their fan base. Not that it matters, but I noticed that they did not have the new bass player, Alessandro Venturella in the spotlight very often. I get it, he\’s new. However, he\’s still a valid band member….or is he? New drummer, Jay Weinberg\’s focus was a bit more heavy but it\’s clear that the band isn\’t quite out of the honeymoon stage yet with their new members. All in all, Slipknot\’s performance was well tuned with perfect timing. Believe this, Slipknot is well oiled touring machine that is going to be at the top of the mountain for a long, long time.