CrueFest 2: The White Trash Circus

[NSL]

This year's CrueFest line-up looks to be amazing.

Motley Crue - Of course they're headlining. I've always been a fan of their's, and it was only strengthended after seeing them on last year's CrueFest. Their music is not bad, and is good for a fun show.

Godsmack - YES! You heard right! They've always been my favorite band, and their music means so much to me. When they announced an "extended hiatus" after releasing their Greatest Hits, I thought it was over. But, late last year, I heard they were writing new stuff, and would be recording this spring. That means that we can expect to hear something new from them this year, as well as get them on a huge tour.

Theory Of A Deadman - While I'm not surprised to see them at CrueFest, I am kind of surprised to see them get 3rd billing. They're obviously rising up the charts, but they're still fairly new to the rock world. Last year, this spot was held down by Papa Roach. While I wouldn't say Theory is bad, they're not in Papa Roach's league. I've never seen them, but they should be able to put on a good show.

Drowning Pool - Possibly the band I'm most psyched to see. I was a huge fan of their's before Dave died, and it tapered off a bit after Jason took over. Once I heard Ryan McCombs (formerly of SOiL) was taking over, I made sure to give them another listen. Enemy is a great song, and the new stuff reminds me a bit more of original Drowning Pool stuff. I've never seen them, with any line-up, so it'll be nice to be front and center for that.

Charm City Devils - Never heard of them...Anyone know anything?

 

[NSL]

Bump, for relativity.

This show is coming up tomorrow for me, and I'm finally getting a chance to get excited for it. Local radio has pretty much played Motley Crue to death, so if I don't rip my ears off at the show, at least I know that they won't be on 4 times an hour after that.

Godsmack's new song is great, and I'm really hoping they play another new song or 5. They're one of my favorites ever, and I hear nothing but good things about their set on the tour.

I've also heard some good things about Theory Of A Deadman and Drowning Pool, so that's a big bonus, since they're the two I've never seen before. I'm looking forward to hearing Ryan sing some old school Drowning Pool...

 

[NSL]

Since no one else posted

This show was a series of major ups and downs. Charm City Devils opened, and were at least listenable. I don't see myself buying any of their stuff, but I wouldn't change the station. Drowning Pool kicked ass with a few old school songs, and even played Step Up, the one song that got any airtime with Jason Jones.

Theory Of A Deadman sucked out loud. They were so bad...It was almost enough to make me laugh. There were people that actually left during their set, and said "I don're who's on next, I can't stay for this shit". They played only the songs from the radio, and they still couldn't get a reaction. It was awful.

Godsmack...Oh, Godsmack. They tore the fucking place down. Everyone was singing and screaming and moving to their set. The drum battle was fucking epic, and the entire setlist was great. Sully proved why he's one of rock's great frontmen, and Shannon proved he's one of the best drummers out there today. There's nothing I can say to cover it all.

Motley Crue was OK. Here's what brought it down. They advertised that they were playing the entire Dr. Feelgoode album. I figured, OK, they'd play it through the night. No. They opened with the entire album, in order. Then, there was a 10 minute intermission, and then they played like 5 songs, and were done. While some of it was good, there's definitely some songs on that album I can stand without listening to.

Overall, it was an OK show, but Godsmack alone made it worth the price of admission.