Soundwave 2011
SOUNDWAVE 2011 REVIEW
MELBOURNE SHOWGROUNDS, FRIDAY 4TH MARCH
A roar erupted as the main gates opened at the Melbourne Showgrounds, as thousands eagerly awaited entry into one of Australia’s biggest music events. Once the bag and ticket check was passed and you had collected your Soundwave map and timetable, you were ready to explore what soundwave had to offer this year.
The action began at 12pm sharp with the first bands of the day. Apart from the music there were show rides, a great variety of market stalls, as well as numerous food stalls and bar areas. If you were so inclined there was also a signing area where lesser know bands would make appearances.
With 70 plus bands on throughout the day there was plenty of entertainment and variety for everyone. Although with many bands scheduled for the same time on different stages, priorities had to be taken into account.
I was mainly there to see Slash, Rob Zombie and Iron Maiden, however waiting until 5:20 for Slash meant that I had the opportunity to witness many other bands, some of whom I hadn’t heard of before. Festivals are great for giving insight into other areas of music which you wouldn’t normally approach.
Monster Magnet captured my attention with their great live abilities, I also saw The Sword who I had seen last year supporting Metallica. A top quality performance was put on by Bullet for My Valentine, which gathered a large and very enthusiastic crowd. Stone Sour were also a great band live, as were Primus, whose front man entered wearing a pig mask. Their performance was a fun combination of great musical ability and a certain quirkiness which was intriguing. Thirty Seconds to Mars put on an audience orientated set, although musically they seemed somewhat out of place. Front man Jared Leto seemed driven to stop every one of their songs in order to point out or pull people up on the stage. Evidently those waiting for Slash didn’t like this and started numerous chants including ‘We want Slash!’
Slash finally appeared and the audience was in absolute awe and bellowed with excitement. They opened with Ghost from Slash’s latest solo album and continued the set with 9 other songs, 5 of which were Guns N Roses classics Nightrain, Mr Brownstone, My Michelle, Sweet Child O Mine and Paradise City. The crowd lapped up every moment and sang along with touring singer Myles Kennedy (From Alter Bridge). All the waiting paid off, as the band played a fantastic set.
Straight to wait for Rob Zombie, I was thrilled to catch 20 minutes of Slayer’s set which was excellent and the crowd absolutely loved it.
Rob Zombie was 10 minutes late due to technical difficulties with the backing screen, which was meant to produce different graphics for each song. However this didn’t hinder the performance or the crowd’s reaction, as they were just happy for Rob to be back for the first time in 16 years. This band nearly makes me speechless, from the first moment they entered the stage in their makeup and costumes you knew there was something special coming, quite theatrical. Vocalist Rob Zombie, bassist Piggy D, guitarist John 5 and drummer Joey Jordison play so well together, their vibes and interaction with the crowd was amazing. With crowd favourites such as Living Dead Girl and Dragular, you were left wanting more.
With the Zombie set finishing right when Iron Maiden’s started, we missed the phenomenal Satellite 15...Final Frontier; however there were many more highlights within their two hour set. A lot of material was from the great Final Frontier album, however they also played crowd pleasers such as Fear of the Dark, Number of the Beast and Hallowed be thy Name. After years of touring this band is still incredible and even though the men are all in their 50s they can still put on a top quality performance. Of course there was also the appearance by Maiden mascot Eddie, which is always a highlight of a Maiden show.
Overall Soundwave was a fantastic day, full of fun. Now the wait for next year.
