First things first. About 8 hours before tonight's gig was due to start, I didn't feel much like going at all, and I'm sure many felt the same way after hearing about the untimely demise of the legendary Dimebag Darrell. But in another way, it was important that we did attend, for Dime would have wanted it. The metal faithful have a wonderful way of coming together in times of tragedy, and as I walked along the side lane adjacent to the Astoria, the feeling of community among those in line (many in Pantera T-Shirts) was clearly evident.

Security getting in was particularly tight, no doubt in reaction to the tragic events of the previous night across the pond.

Mnemic were due to open the show with Shadows Fall in the sophomore spot. However Shadows Fall cancelled due to a death in the family (I wonder?) bumping Mnemic up the order. There was a band before this but I was not in the venue at the time. Mnemic played a decent set but I must admit to not really paying much attention. Many in the room were probably also caught up in their own thoughts, some still in shock, some trying to make sense of things, others only just finding out the news then from their mates.

Whilst waiting for Fear Factory to come on, I did happen to notice that the Marshall stracks on stage were painted with the letters "RIP DBD" in bright green, a touching tribute to the great man that the lads in Fear Factory no doubt had enjoyed a personal relationship with (see photo, it's blurry but you can make out the letters).

Fear Factory exploded onto the stage in their usual fashion. Kicking off with "Slave Labour", the riffs were tight and the guitars were heavy. They rocked through "Cyberwaste" (what a song!) before Burton addressed the crowd. As expected he reflected upon the events that had occured and announced a minute's silence to honour a fallen comrade. He then aptly dedicated the awesome "Martyr" to Darrell, and as the Astoria shouted "suffer, bastard!" in unison I'm sure many were thinking of Dime's assailant. We were then treated to "Scapegoat", "Demanufacture", "Self Bias Resistor" and "Zero Signal". Interestingly enough the mighty FF delivered tonight's set in album blocks, with "Shock" and "Edgecrusher" also delivered back to back. Off the latest platter, the impressive back-to-roots "Archetype", we also heard the title track, as well as "Bite the Hand that Bleeds". Capping off tonights performance with usual show-ended "Replica", FF left everyone suitably rocked. Interestingly, the misunderstood "Digimortal" album was totally overlooked, with not even "Linchpin" getting a dust-off. Nonetheless, the gig was thoroughly entertaining, and at a time of sadness provided some much needed respite, as well as being a celebration of the music so many have lived, and some have unfortunately died, for.

Long live metal!

Back to the bootlegs page