The Metal Masters Tour Entertainment Art First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre Tinley Park, IL Tue, Aug 19, 2008

I didn't get to see Testament open the show, as I was asked to wait outside the fence for "a woman" who would eventually be around to let me in, but I was entertained nonetheless. There was no shortage of guys (occasionally leather-clad) offering suggestions for ways the members of the loooonnng ladies line could get in quicker. Speaking of the ladies line...Apparently belt-loop key chains are not allowed in the FMBA, and I watched as several of them were thrown to the ground in anger. One woman pulled an enormous plastic bag full of lotions, potions and whatnot out of her purse that would have easily been too large to even make it onto a plane.

Anyway...

I walked in right about the time Testament's set ended. I was told they were great, and I don't doubt it. These are, after all, the same guys that released Demonic in '97. "Wait" you say, "What about Souls of Black, or Low, or..." "No." I say. "Demonic...Demonic"

Despite the horrible sound the FMBA is pretty well-known for (I mean no disrespect, but don't think that is an unfair statement), and that Lemmy spent a good deal of the show pestering the sound-man to correct, Motörhead were great. I think it is common knowledge that Lemmy will never die, nor kill the Motörhead name, and I take a great deal of comfort in that. They played a good mix of new and old, and while it all sounds like it moves in a somewhat similar direction, that's not a bad thing when your direction is guided by sheer awesome-ness.

All I really have to say about Heaven & Hell is, Ozzy who? Look, I (mostly) prefer the Ozzy-era Sabbath material when it's coming out of my speakers or headphones, but I've seen him live/solo, I've seen him live with Sabbath, and it's as painful for him as it is for me. If you can find a DeLorean or something transport me back to the early-mid 70's, I'm back on-board with THAT Sabbath. Until then, Dio fucking rules the school! Beyond his impeccable voice, he's an amazing performer who enjoys being on that stage. I don't think there's any question how intensely influential and talented Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and even Vinny Appice are either. Iommi doesn't even have two of "his original" fingertips for christ's sake...These guys were impressive, with or without the ginormous, red-eye glowing, smoke-breathing gargoyles that adorned the stage.

Judas Priest played what I would imagine to be a great Judas Priest show. It's not them, it's me. I clearly just don't get it. I truly have nothing but respect for these guys. They've stood the test of time. Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing were innovators in creating and evolving the dual-guitar signature. If you refer to a scream as "A Halford Scream", people know what you're talking about (and probably can't come close to duplicating it). However, along with all their leather goodness they also bring a huge brick of cheese to the table, and I guess I've never personally been able to get past that. Halford came onstage in a sparkle-motion-esque cloak of sorts and sang the entire first song, towards the back of the stage, hidden under it. This was followed by a hefty onslaught of coordinated stage moves that were already lame when Heavy Metal Parking Lot first arrived on VHS. So again, not really my thing...But if you're a Priest fan, and this sounds like the beginning of an awesome show to you, then I'd say it was a success. Strangely similar to my wait outside the fence, people-watching, I was still genuinely entertained by what I saw.

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