Amnesia Rockfest – Day 2

Amnesia Rockfest – Day 2 – Oceans Of Piss

Last year we didn’t stay in Montebello for the two-day Rockfest, but this year we did, and it was a good and bad thing. First off, I thought that we had a campsite available for us, but when we got there we quickly discovered that we did not. My advice to you is that if you’re going to plan to stay the night, make your arrangements well in advance, but that won’t even guarantee your place. Being the resourceful guys that we are, we managed to find a pretty decent spot to put our tent.

Day Two at Amnesia Rockfest was pretty much all about the metal, and the crowd surprisingly seemed to be in a much cheerier mood (those who made it in, that is), despite endless lines, oceans of piss (as our poster, Pat, said it, and which you could smell as soon as you entered the grounds), chafed ass cracks, unwashed bodies, and probably a few hangovers. Maybe they were high on the fact that they’ve been partying for nearly 24 hours — or they were just high.

On Day One cell phone and Wi-Fi connections were hit and miss, but they seemed a little better on Day Two. There were countless other problems on Day One, which is terribly sad because this is a great annual event. Fortunately, organizers were able to improve the situation on Day Two.

In defense of Rockfest, organizers had, for the first time, hired a company to handle logistics instead of handling things themselves. At least, that’s what we were told.

But, let’s focus on the positive here. So, after we wiped our asses, got some cash, and stocked up on provisions and smokes, we hit the fest grounds again and ramped it up with Lionheart, who hit it hard with style and swagger.

Then we had Shai Hulud’s old-school hardcore blow us away. Though the singer on stage (Justin Kraus) wasn’t Chad Gilbert, vocalist on the latest album, *Reach Beyond the Sun, he ripped it up good. We’ll have more on that when we bring you our interview with Shai Hulud’s longtime member, Matt Fox.

Biohazard and Black Flag were obvious must-sees, as were Anthrax and Lamb of God. And it still baffles me how Rise Against headlined over Marilyn Manson and Alice Cooper.

More to come.

Rock Hard \m/