This is seriously the best show i’ve seen in a very long time. Maybe it had something to do with the thrill of it though. Because this is also the first time I didn’t have my tickets in advance. I had been wanting to go since I found out about it, but there was a possibility I could miss it due to these conferences for work I thought I might have to go to. So needless to say, I didn’t get to go to the conferences so I was able to go to this concert.

And I am extremely happy I was able to go to this because it really was worth it. I’m still not happy I missed the conference for work (because they are so important for what I do) but at least I can say there is a definite upside to not being able to make either of them.

Now, this should have been my 3rd time seeing LOG and my second time seeing KSE. But I lost the tickets to the previous KSE show I was supposed to go see (which would have been at the Chicago House of Blues). I was not happy about that at the time. And if I would have known how good they are in concert, I would have been even more pissed. So this was actually my 3rd time seeing LOG and only my first time seeing KSE.

Lamb of God Band Pic

As much as I like Killswitch Engage, I have to say I went to see Lamb of God. And I was very surprised to hear that they were not the closer. But that didn’t matter too much, they still had a great set. I was most excited about the fact that they were going to be at Congress Theater. I had seen Slipknot and Unearth there before and it was a killer show. So before I actually saw it, I could only imagine what a LOG show would be like at Congress Theater; and it was just as crazy as I thought it would be. They PACKED the house. Waaaay more than Slipknot did (not surprisingly).

LOG actually had some technical difficulties during the show, which really kinda sucked. So much so that one of the guitarists was actually off stage for what seemed like about 2 songs. I remember my brother being like “dude, aren’t they missing someone?” But I gotta hand it to them, even with the issues they had, they still just rocked the place. The breakdown at the beginning of the song “Walk With Me in Hell” was one of the most bad ass things I’ve witnessed. There was no wall of death for “Black Label”, but that’s ok. Congress isn’t as great of a place for something like that; at least not like the lawn seating at Ozzfest was. That was the biggest pit I’ve ever seen. Randy, the lead singer of LOG, said it was the biggest pit of the summer. I know that’s kinda one of those things bands just say, but I really wouldn’t doubt that it was. I mean, they even mentioned it last night at this concert (completely separate tour).

Killswitch Engage Band Pic

So after LOG got off stage, they started setting up for KSE and you could tell that it was going to be a great show. They were putting up ramps, new lights, new backdrops… just the works. And as soon as they came on and started playing, it was apparent that it really was a KSE show last night. It was just obvious that they had the most fans there as the show went on. People were really getting into it. I knew they were big, but I didn’t expect them to out-show LOG.

And as I’m listening to all the KSE I have today at work, I would almost say that you really shouldn’t judge them until you see them live. They’re just that good. Howard Jones, the lead singer, was nothing short of perfect. And Adam Dutkiewicz, that lanky goof with the glasses in the pic above was a riot. Crackin’ jokes between songs and just having a great time dressed in his skeleton suit and cape. But I think the thing I love most about this band is the drummer, Justin Foley. Not that he’s like some ridiculously amazing drummer that is better than everyone else or anything (like Hate Eternal’s drummer, Derek Roddy), but because of his simplicity. He really doesn’t have that huge or necessarily impressive drum set, but man can he really make the best of it. I mean, he plays in a modern day metal band, so obviously the double bass drumming is essential, yet he only uses one bass drum. And he’s really good at it. He had a very small solo at the show and it was freakin awesome. And he seems like an awesome dude, too. Here’s a pic with him and a fan:

Baahahahaha… He looks like a gnome or something!

Overall, the whole band seems like an awesome bunch of dudes. And you can tell they really love performing, too. They just shine on stage and I really wish I would have seen them at the House of Blues last year. But oh well, at least I can say I’ve seen them now. And to all that were in Chicago, like the music, and didn’t go… Shame on you. But also thanks for not going because then I might not have been able to get tickets ;)

So the moral of the story is… if you get a chance to see them on this tour, do it. Period. You won’t regret it. I certainly didn’t.

So Maynard James Keenan released a new album under the name Puscifer. It was originally introduced to me in the Underworld Evolutions soundtrack. My little brother told me about it and, being the huge fan of Maynard that I am, I looked into it immediately. So I bought the new album, V is for Vagina and I just have to say I really liked it.

It really isn’t too much like any of his other work with Tool or even A Perfect Circle for that matter. But I always go into new experiences with an open mind and no expectations. It was no different this time and I was very pleased with the ride I took.

If any of you are fans of either Tool or APC, I would say check this out, but keep in mind that it is different. I definitely hear some of Maynard’s singing style he brought from the APC album, eMotive, but other than that I really can’t see too many similarities with anything else he’s done.

With that being said, Maynard worked with a number of other people on this project. Danny Lohner being the name that stuck out the most. As some of you may know, Danny Lohner was involved with a lot of great bands in this area. I know he’s worked with Trent Reznor on multiple albums and even Maynard and Billy Howerdel for APC. So to me, this just kinda shows that Maynard is branching out in his artistic style.

And to be honest, I’m freakin excited Maynard has gone down this path. Let me explain in one word: Tapeworm. Tapeworm was a project that was comprised of mostly NIN band members as well as Maynard and some other people including Phil Anselmo. As far as I understood it, the main reason this project could never come to fruition due to record label contracts and things like that. So, with recent news that Trent Reznor is no longer confined by his record label and Maynard is doing his own thing with Lohner included, I really really hope this means that Tapeworm is going to come back to life (if you could ever say it was alive in the first place).

In conclusion, I say YAY FOR PUSCIFER!!!

BTW, when you heard about this, did you wonder about the name? I sure as hell did. I mean, I guess Puscifer is this creature that Maynard created, but what about the name? If its original, I can only imagine how Maynard came up with that. My thoughts are that its a combination of one of the devil’s names (Lucifer) and a slang term for female pubic hairs (pussy fur). So I guess if you wanted to break it out mathematically (I know, I’m heavy), it would go something like this:

Lucifer + Pussy Fur = Puscifer

But I don’t know, I could be totally off. What do you think? And I’m sorry for anyone offended by some of the word usage here, but in this instance, I really don’t care. If you understand Maynard, then you would understand why it was necessary.

Any thoughts from anyone else?