Rockstar
Energy Drink Mayhem Festival – Toyota Pavilion, Scranton, PA 7/13/13
Review by Jude
Felton
Due to a few
little hiccups prior to heading out for the day, Steph and I got to the
festival site a little later than we had planned. Plus, there’s a hell of a
walk from the parking lot to the venue itself. However, the weather played ball,
with the forecast storms not happening, and all was set for a rocking day of
metal. Not even the shitty prices, $11 for a domestic beer and $13 for a specialty,
could dampen this day. So, complete with t-shirt purchases in hand, we made our
way down to the smaller stages.
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| Born of Osiris |
Having
arrived slightly late we missed Battlecross, which was a bummer, but we did get
there to see the second half of Born of Osiris’ set, which all be said was a
rousing performance that the already decent-sized crowd lapped up. Next up was
LA based Butcher Babies; a band for which, rightly or wrongly, the focus seemed
to be on the dual females pairing of Heidi and Carla. This should not make any
difference as they put on an energy-filled show of full-on death/thrash infused
metal, playing songs from their recently released debut album, Goliath. All
being said they kicked-ass, with a furious pit just in front of us, and
delivered an excellent set.
 |
| Butcher Babies |
You might
think this would be a tough act to follow, and normally you’d probably be
right. That is if the next band on weren’t Motionless in White; a band that
call Scranton their home. Everyone was ready for them, and they did not disappoint.
Opening with Devil’s Night, MiW ripped through their 30 minute set, even
finding time to bang out a new track, which rocked, and for Chris to bring out
his family for a photo. Closing with America, MiW came, they saw, they
decimated Scranton. They are proving that they definitely have what it takes,
and the constant touring is paying dividends handsomely. Next time around I
wouldn’t be surprised to see them on the main stage.
 |
| Motionless in White |
Following
Motionless, it was time for some death metal, and Job for a Cowboy. This was
also the cue for Steph and I to try and make our way back to the car for some
refreshments and to drop stuff off. That was the plan anyway, until it was
scuppered by learning that if we left we’d have to pay to get back in. Fuck
that; they were making more than enough money through the overpriced food and
drink.
Instead, we
chilled on the lawn, in preparation for the main stage to open. Food, drink and
friends, good times indeed. We even got treated to a guitar shredding contest,
which was fun. Then it was time for the Swedish death machine of Amon Amarth to
hit the stage. The Viking ship that filled the center of the stage had been
there for all to see, all afternoon, but it wasn’t until they hit the stage
that the place got plundered.
 |
| Five Finger Death Punch |
Surprisingly,
for me anyway, they opened with Destroyer of the Universe, and then proceeded
to belt out the likes of Deceiver of the Gods, War of the Gods and closing with
a rousing version of Twilight of the Thunder God. My only problem with their
set? We were too far away from the stage and they finished with what I
estimated to be 5 minutes left of their allotted time. Regardless of this, they
destroyed.
Next up was
Mastodon, and truthfully I won’t dwell too much on them. Their slow-riffed
metal seemed to be a real comedown after the feisty Swedes, and their 45 minute
set seemed to go on forever. Even fans in Mastodon shirts were seen wandering
around aimlessly, without looking at the band on stage. Weird, as their music
is pretty good, it just seemed out of place.
 |
| Rob Zombie and Nosferatu |
Five Finger
Death Punch, who judging by the amount of shirts, were one of, if not the, big
draw of the day. Now, whilst I’m not their biggest fan I can’t deny that they
put on one hell of a show…eventually. The power went out shortly into their
set, and there was a long-ass wait for them to come back out. It was well worth
it though, as they delivered one of the sets of the day. The light-show rocked,
but the music rocked even more. This was a triumphant set and they definitely
won over some new fans.
Closing out
the festival was Mr. Busy-as-fuck himself; Rob Zombie. Seriously, the dude does
not stop, and boy does he deliver. I’ve seen him live a few times now, and you
can rest assured that he puts on a damned good show. Opening with Teenage
Nosferatu, he proceeded to belt out classic after classic, with the highlight
for me being House of 1000 Corpses. Flames, beach balls, video monitors, giant
robots, even the bloody kitchen sink were thrown out at us, but it’s his stage
presence, between song banter and the songs themselves that make the show what
it is. Rob Zombie is a true concert headliner, and showed why with this awesome
show.
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| This won't end well... |
Overall, we
had a hell of a good time. The sun beat us up, the prices mugged us and even
the snotty security guard who refused me access to the photo pit for Zombie’s
set (even though I had permission from his management) couldn’t put a dampener
on the day. I was still a little sad that Behemoth had to cancel their plans to
join this tour, due to illness, but the bands we did see were pretty much all
excellent. We didn’t get to see everyone, otherwise I am sure we’d have passed
out due to the heat, but those we did made it well worth the trip. Great show!
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