Amazing....
In all honesty, most of the evening was a blazing blur. The date, April 22. The day, Friday. The location, Sonar in Baltimore.
After successfully nabbing a hotel room at an affordable price, albeit a bit far from the venue, settling in after check-in was somewhat difficult due to the sheer joy and excitement I've been feeling for days leading up to this momentous event. Volbeat was in town, and for weeks, Rock the Rebel Metal the Devil (RTRMTD) was on constant Shuffle / Repeat-All on my MP3 player. Not only was the excitement keeping my anxiety on full throttle, the fear of their performance not meeting my already high expectations literally pushed them past redline.
Getting to the venue was a bit of a hike. Hotel accommodations were not in the city, as everything was booked that weekend (probably due to the RUSH concert at nearby First Mariner Arena). A twenty-eight dollar cab ride later, we arrive at Sonar with inhibitions slightly lower than the norm (thanks Jackie D! :)) We arrived there in perfect time, as the opening bands just completed their sets, and Volbeat was setting up. Enough time to replenish some vital liquids in our bloodstream.
Volbeat opened up with "The Human Instrument", a fitting opener as it is the first track on what I believe is their best album, RTRMTD. One of the most notable thing was that there were only three of them on stage. It was later announced that their bass player had to stop touring with the band due to family reasons. I suppose they used a "ghost" bassist (or a bass track) to fill this void, as the sound was definitely "full." Nonetheless, I was genuinely surprised at the turnout. I had no idea this band has such a huge following. They played at the main stage at Sonar, and if you haven't been there, its about the size of Rams Head Live. And it was packed! We secured a great spot within an earshot of the bar, but close enough to see the band! :)
Energy was awesome! Michael Poulsen, lead singer, took control of that mic and set the stage for an amazing show. Heavy guitar riffs echoed and their infamous rockabilly drum beats thumped throughout the venue as the crowd went berserk, including yours truly.
Their setlist was as follows:
1. The Human Instrument
2. Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood
3. Heaven nor Hell
4. A Moment Forever
5. Radio Girl (my favorite song!)
6. The Mirror and the Ripper
7. Sad Man's Tongue (awesome mosh pit song)
8. Mary Ann's Place (great head-banging guitar riff)
9. Angelf*ck (Misfits cover)
10. Mr. & Mrs. Ness
11. We
12. Still Counting
Encore:
13. Who They Are
14. Fallen
15. Thanks
16. Pool of Booze, Booze, Booza
17. I Only Want to Be with You
By the time Volbeat did their encore, Jackie D has taken a hold of me so much so that anything after that was mostly vivid flashed images. I do remember (and very vaguely) fighting my way to the front of the stage, going through epicenters of mosh pits. Probably wasn't the best of all decisions, but did I mention Ms. Daniels? I do know that I had one of the best times of my life at a concert. Most times, since venues are in boonfrick nowhere such as Jiffy Lube Live, alcohol consumption is a luxury and a great risk, so I don't do it. This time around, knowing the hotel is only a cab ride away, hanging out with Jackie D was absolutely a welcomed and much anticipated reunion. Only other time I was in this same place was when I saw Better Than Ezra a few months ago (but that's another blog article and review, I digress).
In summary, Volbeat destroyed and demolished Sonar, Baltimore that night! They are one of my favorites and are probably one of the most unique bands and sound out there right now within the metal genre. I will see them again if they decide to come back to the DC area. In the meantime, RTRMTD and all their other albums will be a constant rotation in my playlist for years to come.
And I really hope this isn't one of those bands that just "goes away" due to lack of support by their labels and their "non-radio friendliness." They have four albums so far. I plead you, oh dear Volbeat, to keep 'em comin'. You have my undying support! Hope to see you guys again!
Rock on, DC!
\m/
DCVince
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