This is why I didn't consider this show.
That's unfortunate, because Metal Church was really good. Saw them last night. The new stuff sounded great, and Marc Lopes did a good job on the David Wayne era material and the two songs from Mike Howe's era.
The Mrs. and I tried to time it so we'd miss at least the first local act. We grabbed dinner down the street, walked in the venue about 7:30, and sadly, the first band was only a song or two into their set. Not really my thing. There was a woman from the Ukraine singing, and she did death growls most of the time. A stereotypical type of thing. Then the next band got on, and had a "singer" with the worst stage charisma I have ever seen. We were unimpressed.
The direct support act, The Bites, were actually very good. This just isn't the right tour or crowd for them. They have a vibe very much like The Struts, or The Darkness, if folks are familiar with those two acts. The Bites were energetic and engaging and had a really good set. I talked to the singer and bass player, and they appreciated the comparisons, and said they were close with The Struts. So hopefully, they tour together at some point. I saw The Struts open for the Foo Fighters years back, and they were good. Not my typical musical interest, but good enough for me to be up for seeing them again, particularly if they brought The Bites along. They are based out of LA. If they come back, I'll certainly check them out. Just not a good pairing musically with Metal Church, given the crowd. However, you can tell Kurdt Vanderhoof picked them personally. We saw him before Metal Church's set go back to the merch stand The Bites had, and say how much he loved their set and he bought a shirt. I passed on merch, but I may go check out their material digitally.
Speaking of merch, Metal Church is making a mistake. When we got there, no one was at MC's merch booth. It was covered, with two t-shirts. One of the new album cover, and another with the standard "METAL CHURCH" band name. Neither had tour dates, which sucked. $30. I wanted one of the new record cover, and I waited, but no one showed up. Finally, after The Bites set, I saw someone come and start opening up the MC stuff for sale. They could have made a ton more money had they been there selling at 7:30. Oh well. I got my shirt, and happy to have it, but wish it had tour dates. Not sure why they didn't put dates on it. Maybe to be careful in case of cancelations or something.
When Metal Church came on, looking around, there were sadly only about 150 people. My videos don't show the crowd except for the front couple of rows, but there weren't many people at all. Not unexpected for a Wednesday night in a sleep suburb. But those who were there rocked hard with them and knew all the songs, which was cool. This was the first time Mrs. Samsara and I have been at this venue since it was re-christened as Goldfield Trading Post. We went to this location for lunch like 10 years ago, maybe more, when it was Sammy Hagar's place. But this was the first time for a show (we had tickets to like four shows there, two got canceled, and we missed two). But I have to say, it is set up very conveniently. Free parking, restaurants, easy in, easy out. My one complaint is the wood floor. We sat up in the bar (but had a clear view, as "front row" in the bar) just to avoid being on that hard floor for four hours. Wise choice.
Song-wise, not unexpected, MC played 10 songs from their first two records. I have to admit, that's a bit of a bummer for me. I am a big fan of the Mike Howe era.
Blessing in Disguise is probably my favorite record by them (although it badly needs a remix and remaster). Thankfully, they did my favorite track, "Badlands," and another staple, "Fake Healer." I really enjoy the new record, Congregation of Annihilation, but they only played two from it, which sucked. "Pick a God and Prey," and "Me the Nothing." I recorded all four of these tracks, plus "Beyond the Black" from the David Wayne era. Playlist is here if folks want to watch:
Metal Church - Live at Goldfield Trading Post - September 27, 2023 - https://www.youtube.com/@nexuschord/playlistsReally a bummer they only played 75/80 minutes. Looking back to the last time I saw them (with Ronny Munroe) in 2014, they played the same time, so I should have expected it. But I wasn't as familiar with the material back then as I am now. But that seems to be MC's thing. 75/80 minutes. Apparently I also saw "Badlands" and "Fake Healer" then, which probably prompted me to go get the MC catalog. So they are commonly-played tunes.
We didn't stay after the show, but MC said they'd be happy to hang at the merch booth and take pics and sign anything folks wanted. So that was cool. A tip of the cap to them. So many bands use the VIP thing to make more money (which I totally get), but it is nice when a band goes old school and is just grateful for the fans and willing to spend the extra time and not charge people.
Finally, I think Marc Lopes is a good fit for MC. He really fits a middle ground between David Wayne and Mike Howe. He's got a lot of talent and is pretty engaging.
Topic: Metal Church is back!! UPDATE RIP MIKE HOWE! (Read 7667 times)
