By HANNAH ZIMMERMAN
Hot and heavy was the name of the game at the Johnny Dare Morning Show 15th Anniversary Bash put on by 98.9 the Rock on Friday and not in a good way. The sweat rolling off the crowd of 10,000 plus people could be measured in swimming pools and the heavy stench of B.O. mixed with port-o-potty funk drifted over the City Market's cramped quarters. But despite the less-than-favorable conditions of the venue, the actual show was impressive. The bands performing were different enough from each other that the show stayed interesting, offering an excellent distraction the gargantuan shirtless man next to you, throwing his fist high into the air, thrusting a moist armpit inches from your face with each excited pump. Take my word for it -- damp, rock-loving behemoths were abundant.
The first band to take the stage was local band, Federation of Horsepower. Most local musicheads will know that Federation got the gig because the lead singer, Gregg Todt, works for the station that put on this shindig. While that may be true, the band, which has played the majority of shows put on by 98.9, has really grown as a band over the years. The quartet of churlish, fume-huffing rockers looked relaxed and confident playing music they were proud of. Though Federation didn’t play long, the crowd seemed pleased with the band, which set the bar for the rest of the show.
Next up was nu-metal band Drowning Pool, a band that goes through hits like Kleenex. The relatively new lead singer, Ryan McCombs, with his huge voice and small stature commanded the audience as he belted out songs from their newest album, Full Circle, which continues shooting out radio friendly singles. The small venue seemed to jolt into a frenzy though when the band hammered out the old favorites such as “Bodies” and “Step Up.”
As the sun began to set, the Southern hair-rock band Jackyl graced the stage. This self proclaimed redneck band hasn’t come out with anything new, minus a few solo albums from separate members of the band, so the show really wasn’t different than any show they might've done in the '90s. Nonetheless, it was still entertaining. Standards like “Redneck Punk” and “I Stand Alone” were expected, but the duet lead singer Jesse James Dupree did with his son plus the band's bringing out what can only be described as high-class prostitutes from a Nevada brothel, the Moonlite Bunny Ranch, along with the owner/pimp, Dennis Hof, changed up the otherwise predictable show.
As Black Sabbath's “War Pigs” poured from the speakers and a soft purple light filtered through the smoke filled stage, it set in that everyone in the now slightly drunk crowd was about to see the rock icons, Judas Priest. The bands before seemed like garage bands compared to these fathers of metal, and the uncomfortably hot and cramped area seemed like a palace as everyone awaited the first shrieking note of the set.
The band emerged from behind the stage and went right into the music with front man Rob Halford lurking in the corner, clad in some kind of metallic cape and leather chaps for the first two songs. 15 songs (check out the set list below) and probably 13 jacket changes for Rob (I personally enjoyed the completely mirrored jacket with fringe) later, the aged rockers had proved that they still had it. Swinging their Flying V guitars in unison and hitting the high notes appeared not to be a challenge to the band who has been around since 1970. True, the band moved a little slower than when they were in their prime and it looked like Rob may have been reading his lyrics from something on the floor, but they still knew how to put on a show.
As everyone shuffled out, physically drained with shirts dampened by spilt beer, their own sweat, someone else’s sweat, or some combination of the above, a feeling of satisfaction swept over the crowd, the kind satisfaction that only happens in the rare instance (especially rare in a show put on by 98.9) when a show is surprisingly decent from start to finish.
Sweet Set List from Judas Priest
Intro - Dawn of Creation
Prophecy
Metal Gods
Eat Me Alive
Between the Hammer and the Anvil
Devil's Child
Breaking the Law
Hell Patrol
Dissident Aggressor
Angel
Electric Eye
Rock Hard Ride Free
Painkiller
Encore:
Hellbent for Leather
The Green Manalishi
You've Got Another Thing Coming
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