ROCKSTAR™ Mayhem Fest 2009
This year’s lineup has proven to be one of the best events I have ever been involved with. Thanks to Metal Blade Records and B|W|R Public Relations for the approval on the photo passes. Maybe next year we will be in a place to request a couple of interviews to go along with our photo passes.

With that out of the way, we move on to the meat.

What an amazing day! I took another photographer along with me on this gig, partially due to the long hauls and lingering pain of walking miles at Rockfest. I had no idea how the stages were going to be setup and I was in no shape to walk 15 miles in 90+ degree heat and then return to work the next day. My hats off to the promoters and organizers of this show. Capitol Federal Amphitheater (Sandstone) did an amazing job with the layout and scheduling of this event (minus traffic control a the end of the event).

All the acts were scheduled back to back with no breaks in between. This left me wondering how in the hell I was going to get from one stage to the next in time. Once there, we saw that the second and third stage were literally side-by-side. I almost broke out in tears it was so beautiful! All we had to do was shuffle from one side to the other and enjoy the shows in between. Then we were off to the main stage for the rest of the evening and the remaining four bands.

Back and fourth on the two stages for the first half of the day, exposed us to White Chapel and Continent of Ash (of which were the only bands I missed), then Behemoth, God Forbid, Black Dahlia Murder, All That Remains, Job For A Cowboy, Trivium, and to finish the two stages off, Cannibal Corpse. I am pretty sure that less than a hundred feet separated the two stages and the whole place just shuffled from one to the other all afternoon.

I really enjoyed seeing quite a few of these bands. Some of which I had never seen before and some I have. Behemoth and Cannibal Corpse were the two bands I was most looking forward to seeing, but Black Dahlia Murder and Job For A Cowboy were very pleasant surprises. I have to say though out all the bands that day on those two stages, Behemoth and Cannibal Corpse had to be the best of all of them.

Leaving the second and third stage behind, we made our way to the main stage. In hindsight, Trivium, God Forbid, All That Remains, Killswitch Engaged and even Bullet For My Valentine (no matter how much I like them), all seemed a bit out of place. But I have to admit that is was a welcomed break from the droning of the darker metal. Everything in moderation, right?

Evening had arrived and I stopped for a quick $5 burger that was more like a dollar hockey puck, and headed for the main stage. First up was Bullet For My Valentine. I really like these guys and it has nothing to do with them being my son’s favorite band. They are good and they know how to work a crowd. Even Jamie, Hardened’s other photographer, mentioned his non-displeasure for them in relation to the others. They opened with their, in my eyes, biggest hit “Waking The Demon” and then set into cajoling the crowd into revealing a little flesh. As they rolled through their set I set back and watched the crowd. They were singing along with them and waves of fans hit the crowd control with the fierceness of a slamming metal forge hammer. It was something of a sight.

Second to hit the main stage was Killswitch Engaged. I have to admit I was really looking forward to seeing this band in action. After their release of the remake of Dio’s “Holy Diver”, I became an instant fan. I gave it up to them for acknowledging Dio, which so many refuse to do, as one of the forefathers of Heavy Metal. They too had a massive impact on the crowd, and after renaming Kansas City to “Kansas Titty”, they pushed the female portion in the crowd into a renewal of frenzied freaky frock removal.

When Slayer hit the stage I was again ready for the heaviness. Disappointment soon set in as Slayer’s stage crew struggled with what seemed to be a plague of equipment failures and ailing sound adjustments. I am not totally sure if it was just happening in the monitors or if the fans were actually hearing it as well, but the reaction of the crowd seemed to justify them taking a break while things were figured out.

I love Slayer. To this day when I hear their work I am reminded of the times my parents chastised me for having “that Satan music”. So needless to say, I was very saddened by the trouble they were having. Regardless, they fulfilled memories of seeing them on Halloween during my military stint in Jacksonville Florida, and renewed that rebelliousness of my youth.

Finally, Marilyn Manson hit the stage. We were given specific instructions that we were only to shoot the first song of his show and after to promptly stow all camera equipment, or else. But I was perfectly happy with this. Many times the three song rule of concert photography is, well, a bit to much. I do have to say though, if something historically had happened, like Jimmy Hendrix lighting of his guitar on fire, I would be saddened if no one was there to catch it for the public. The three songs, and in this case one song rule, is a bit of a bittersweet pill.

I have not had the pleasure of seeing Manson in action here in KC and I was not present for the riot that happened in 2003 where the show was stopped due to a break in the front stage security that failed to be remedied. Manson told reporters: “Even though the show was stopped twice for safety reasons, we wanted nothing more than to continue to play. Although we were not allowed to finish the show, we understand that safety needs to come first.”

Manson has not had the reception of his last two albums as the previous ones. I think that has a lot to do with the current economic and political climate. Manson’s message of antidisestablishmentarianism, combined with a tinge of Nihilism, has softened by the election of Obama, and the forced understanding of our decadent ways in the last three decades. Despite his decline in album sales the band continues to define, in my eyes, what a hall of fame rock & roll show is all about.

All in all, this was an incredible day. I have to thank all of the sponsors, Metal Blade in particular for giving Hardened the chance to be a part of this event.

Below is a link of the cities Mayhem is coming to. Don’t miss out on an experience that will you will talk about for years to come.

Tour Dates For Meyham

Other Links of interest:
B|W|R Public Relations
Metal Blade Records