Throughout the two-hour set, Keenan’s chunky riffs blended seamlessly with the bass lines laid down by Mike Dean and the pounding of new/temporary drummer Stanton Moore. Dipping into a deep catalogue of songs, some as old as 1984 when the group debuted as a speed-punk outfit with "Eye for an Eye," COC still could grab a listener by the throat and command attention.

“This song is about getting high!” growled Keenan before leading the group into “Albatross,” the first single off 1995’s Deliverance. The crowd agreed as puffs of smoke filled the auditorium (most of it was NOT tobacco).

On a tour in support of the new album "In the Arms of God," COC seemed at ease with itself this evening and content to jam in front of fans both old and new who forked over a reasonable 18 bucks to see four bands and be in bed by 10 p.m. Ah, the only problem with this show: The silly all-ages requirement to have everything wrapped up by 9:30. That’s not rock-n-roll?

This seemed strange for a metal group with rough-and-tumble fans to be forced to finish so early, but maybe this was done for a reason. I guess show organizer types do not like the idea of long-haired men being allowed to drink past 10.

Earlier, Fu Manchu blazed through a set highlighted by choice cuts off their recent releases "California Crossing" and "Start the Machine," sprinkling old favorites in for spice. The California fuzz-rock group’s sound has remained virtually unchanged since their emergence in the early ’90s.

Lead singer Scott Hill’s surfer whine still complements distorted power chords and syrupy bass lines like a cool summer breeze off the ocean, despite an assortment of different musicians along the way.

I missed the other two bands because, hey, a show starting at 6 p.m. on a weeknight is just insane. I did not work and I still could not make it on time!

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