Motörhead Overkills The Dome
Three extremely loud bands, one small stage, numerous fans ranging from ages both old to young. That perfectly describes tonight's Motörhead show in Wallingford, CT. When the sun went down the bands came on. The bill was stacked with heavy decibel powerhouses. Crobot... Anthrax... and the loudest band in the world...Motörhead.
The night started with Crobot out of Pennsylvania. Crobot reminded me of a cross between the bands Crowbar and Sound Garden. Doom metal mixed with the high pitched melodies of Chris Cornell. They are a definite band that you'd want to open the show. Despite only having a few heads nodding Crobot continued to shred. They blew through their opening set which included songs such as "Fly on the Wall," "Skull of Geronimo," and "Necromancer." However it seemed as though the fans were more interested in grabbing a spot for Anthrax which upset me a little bit.
Up next were the thrash legends Anthrax who got the mosh pit moving with the opening riffs of "Caught in a Mosh." One hit after another got cranked out including the band's Grammy nominated single "Neon Knights." The five piece band also paid tribute to Ronnie James Dio and Dimebag Darrell with their song "In The End." At the end of their set guitarist Scott Ian delivered the news to the crowd that their upcoming album was essentially finished. The fans threw up their metal horns to that! It was great to see both Anthrax and Motörhead on the same tour again. This would be the first time since the 2012 Mayhem Festival.
"We're Motörhead and we play rock and roll!" a bold statement from Motörhead's front man Lemmy Kilmister. What a way to open your show. Fans jumped up and down with excitement to see an extremely healthy Lemmy on stage. He then launched into the bass licks of "No Class" and nearly shook the venue. The trio was surrounded by stacks of Marshall amplifiers. Alongside Lemmy "on my right and on your left" as he would proclaim was Phil Campbell the guitarist for the three-piece band. In the back is "the best drummer in the world" Mr. Mikkey Dee.
Motörhead would play through their thirteen song set playing an array of songs both old and new. Surprisingly though the band would not include any songs from their latest release Bad Magic. Songs like "Lost Woman Blues," and "Just 'Cos You Got The Power" provided groovy riffs for people to sway to.
One of the highlights of the night had to be when Phil Campbell got to do his own thing on stage. That's right... I'm talking about the guitar solo. Equipped with his fedora, a pulp fiction t-shirt, and one of his signature guitars Campbell went on to shred. The crowd soaked in the amazing tones of Campbell's playing just as he had fed off of their screams and cheers. Such an amazing sight. Phil's solo eventually lead to the rest of the band coming out and playing "The Chase Is Better Than The Catch."
But Phil wasn't the only one to get his chance to shine. Drummer Mikkey Dee got a few minutes to entertain the crowd during "Doctor Rock." Dee's solo was possibly one of the best that I've seen in a long time. To click the sticks together and get an entire room clapping along with the rhythm is a feat that not every drummer can accomplish. Beating the living snot out of the drum kit and kicking the bass drums relentlessly. You can clearly see why Lemmy calls him "the best drummer in the world."
Towards the end of the show is when Motörhead busted out the classics. One of them was "Bomber" and he next one was "Ace of Spades." That has to be when the crowd went the craziest. It was one of the band's most popular songs and everyone was singing along and getting pushed while they stood shoulder to shoulder. The band left the stage after a strong finish but the fans knew that they'd be able to get them back for one more song.
"Motörhead! Motörhead!" "LEMMY! LEMMY!" "LEMMY IS A GOD!" chants among chants erupted pleading the band to return to the stage for a final song. That song was "Overkill." "Don't sweat it, we'll get it back to you. Overkill, overkill, overkill!" The audience sang along in partial unison with Kilmister as bodies flew over the crowd and people slammed into each other behind me. It felt as though I were sucked back into the 1980's in a small club with Motörhead on stage and each fan dressed in leather or denim vests' spackled with patches. Vocals, riffs, and drum beats all as clear as they would have been back then. Age was obviously not a factor.
Motörhead's set came to a close and ended with a group bow. But before the band started to the next city Lemmy retold the crowd what he had said earlier. "We're Motörhead.. and we play ROCK AND ROLL!"