2000

Corrosion of Conformity 12/4/00

By this time I had recently rekindled my friendship with Jack (the roommate who owed me money), partially because he finally paid me back. We shared a liking of both Clutch and Corrosion of Conformity so we decided to go. I don’t remember the other bands probably because we were both drinking pretty heavily in preparation of the two bands we actually went to see. Clutch was on tour for Jam Room but I hadn’t yet heard it. Claude is once again responsible for me ever hearing of Clutch. He gave me their first album and by the time the self-titled album came out all my friends were loving it. It was when Clutch came on that I lost Jack, which is no small feat in a place of this size. I first heard Corrosion of Conformity by way of the song “Albatross” that was on a sampler CD given to me with a pair of Airwalk shoes that I purchased. This lead me to buy the Deliverance album and later Wiseblood but they were touring for the album America’s Volume Dealer that had just been released about a month prior to this show. By the end of the show I was all rocked out and still couldn’t find Jack. It turns out he lost a shoe in the mosh pit and stumbled his way onto the MAX (public transportation in Portland). He said he felt like a bum walking around downtown with only one shoe and since it is Portland we’re talking about of course it was raining. Then he got lost on the MAX because he had only been in Portland a few short weeks…

Limp Bizkit/Eminem 11/14/00

I didn’t really start listening to Eminem until after I got with Lucinda. There are very few artists of this kind that I’m into but he’s definitely one of them. It’s like comedy hour set to phat beats. He was touring for The Marshall Mathers LP that had just been released in May. I remember him coming out in a Jason mask from Friday the 13^th with a chainsaw and overalls. He lived up to his reputation as one of the greatest rappers to ever be. Papa Roach played before Eminem and they were alright but not as good as the first time I saw them. Then to close the show was Limp Bizkit. This was the third time I was able to see them. One of the big draws of Limp Bizkit for me is Wes Borland. I love the style in which he plays the guitar and he has an affinity for putting himself into costume for their performances. They had just released Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water about a month earlier. It has moments but I don’t like it as much as the previous two albums. One particularly memorable moment in this show was when I got into a scuffle. I was getting rowdy down on the floor in front of Wes and apparently a few people around me didn’t like that I was having a better time than them. There was pushing, which I thought was just friendly moshing, but at one point I turned around and there was a fist coming at my face. I ducked and laid a punch square in the face of my attacker. It was like slow motion after that for a second as the guy flew through the air. I turned back around to watch the show and tried to move out of the area a little bit but the next thing I knew I had about three people punching the back of my head. This time I was a little more successful at leaving the area and that was the end of it. Angry people at the Anger Management tour after people have been drinking? I know. Weird…

Deftones 10/15/00

Alright, so at this point I know it’s starting to look like I’m obsessed with Deftones. This was already the sixth time I had seen them and had just seen them about two months prior, as well as just seeing Taproot and Incubus at Ozzfest. It seemed like a good deal plus something to do because Portland can be pretty drab most of the time due to the rain. Besides, going to concerts is something that gives me great pleasure in this life. This also gives you an idea of how much devotion these bands put into touring. I believe it was just Lucinda and I this time. I don’t really have much to say about the show itself except every band rocked. I brought a stick of cookies n’ cream incense with me into the show because I thought it would be novel but in reality the ashes kept falling all over everyone and those that were in direct line of the smoke got a very concentrated whiff. This was also the most elaborate stage show I have ever seen Deftones put on. They actually had lights, etc. instead of just a bare bones stage with them rocking out. “Dai the Flu” is one of my favorite songs from Around the Fur and after all the times I’ve seen them this remains the only time I have ever seen it played live.

SETLIST: Korea, Feiticeira, Change, Root, Lifter, My Own Summer, Dai the Flu, Mascara, Back to School, Digital Bath, Teenager, Around the Fur, Headup, Be Quiet and Drive, Birthmark, 7 Words

Tonic 10/2/00

I had first took notice of Tonic by way of their song “Casual Affair.” Based on that I had my friend Marvin burn me a copy of the album Lemon Parade (sidenote: burning CD’s was still a very new thing). I grew keen on the whole album but somehow failed to notice the album Sugar, which had come out almost a year before this show. Lucky for me they played most of the songs off Lemon Parade. I’m almost positive that this was one of the first concerts I ever attended by myself. Berbatis Pan was packed for this show because it is not that big of a place to begin with.

Ozzfest 8/24/00

Main Stage: Ozzy Osbourne, Pantera, Godsmack, Static-X, Incubus, Methods of Mayhem, P.O.D., Queens of the Stone Age

Second Stage: Soulfly, Kittie, Disturbed, Taproot, Reveille, Primer 55, Black Label Society

So here I am again returning to the Gorge with my honey Lucinda for some good old rock/metal. Friends Mark and Claude joined us. Taproot was touring for their debut album Gift and the first band up that we were interested in seeing. They seemed pretty polished to be playing on the second stage. Disturbed played next. There was a buzz around them and they did not disappoint. They had just released The Sickness in March and played the finer moments of the album in their set. I remember wanting to watch Soulfly but the distance between the second and main stages at the Gorge is sometimes too great for the time allowed between bands. I didn’t want to miss whoever was up next on the main stage. Speaking of the main stage, Queens of the Stone Age should have been there but for some reason our show was the first they were not at (they took a break from Ozzfest August 24th-30th). Methods of Mayhem were the first band there that we watched on the main stage instead. Tommy Lee did a great job as a frontman/guitarist for being known as a drummer. He had a funny narrative about crawling back home after a night of heavy drinking. Incubus was next and this was the first time I had got to see them perform songs from Make Yourself. After seeing them open for 311 I forgot about them until I heard an acoustic version of “Pardon Me” that blew my mind. They definitely impressed the crowd. Static-X followed with almost the same setlist as the year before but had pumped up their stage show a little. Wayne’s hair may have grew a little longer too, which for those who are unfamiliar with it is about two feet of hair sticking straight toward the sky. Godsmack was after Static-X. Their debut album slowly grew on me after hearing Lucinda play it a number of times to the point of me actually looking forward to seeing them. They rocked their ass off and even played the then unreleased song “Awake.” As the theme of the summer seemed to be, I was once again really at this show to see one band: the almighty Pantera. I was turned onto them by Claude right after Vulgar Display of Power came out and have been a fan ever since. I was lucky enough to be able to buy Far Beyond Driven and The Great Southern Trendkill the day the albums came out. For this show they were on tour for the album Reinventing the Steel that had just been released a few months prior. I remember the crowd going crazier than I have ever seen a crowd go. They were fucking going off. I remember trying to protect Lucinda from the debauchery since she was so small and we were in the floor section. Dimebag was a showboater but with his level of talent had every reason to be. We stayed around to watch Ozzy but weren’t really that stoked to be there. Pantera kicked our ass and I’ve never really been a fan of Ozzy’s solo efforts because I have Black Sabbath to compare to. Don’t get me wrong, he was nuts but unfortunately he had the displeasure of playing after Pantera and competing against my previous year’s experience of watching Black Sabbath. If you are fan of Pantera then unfortunately you know how the rest of their story unfolded, which is why I never got to see them again.

Big Stink 5 8/6/00

I’m pretty sure it was just Lucinda and I that attended this one. This wasn’t the greatest of lineups for me but there were enough bands to spark my interest. Jimmie’s Chicken Shack was pretty good for the second time seeing them. 3 Doors Down was reeling from their hit “Superman” and save for that song were pretty disappointing. I remember at one point the power flickered and they had to start whatever song they were playing over again. Papa Roach was definitely the surprise of the day. I’m not that big of a fan but the guitar player won me over with his amazing playing. Just like the previous concert I was really here to see just one band, Deftones. This was the fifth time seeing them but this was special because they had just released White Pony less than 2 months before this show and consequently played a number of songs from the album. I believe this was the first show I ever saw Chino strap on a guitar. I remember it was during “Change (In The House Of Flies)” and he had a beautiful natural brown colored Gibson SG. Besides that they just flat out rocked and I didn’t leave the show unsatisfied. Thankfully this was the last time I ever saw a concert at the Portland Meadows. It probably took a good two or three days to blow all the dust out of my nose!

KUFO Rockfest 7/15/00

The Tattoo the Earth tour was a tour that featured several bands and prominent tattoo artists. It also took the place of the normal KUFO Rockfest for the year 2000. I was interested in Downset because my friends and I had got into their self-titled album years earlier. Their set was alright. I would have been into Sepultura but Max Cavalera had already left the band by this point. Mudvayne was there but not yet on my radar. Coal Chamber was scary to watch simply because the band members look scary. Slayer was Slayer. Even though I’m not a huge Sevendust fan they impressed me because the two guitar players were doing some insane things going back and forth feeding off each other. This was the second time I saw Slipknot but I was still not really a fan of their music. I remember one moment when Corey Taylor wanted everyone to crouch down and jump up right when the song hit its peak. That was pretty weird because I have never seen so many people do as they were told at a rock show. The truth is that I really could of gave a shit about the other bands; I was there to see STP again for the first time in six years. This show marked STP’s return to Portland for the first time since they had reunited. They had just released their comeback album, No. 4, the previous fall. I attended the show with Joe, Roscoe, and Lucinda. Joe and Roscoe had both driven in from out of town to stay with Lucinda and I and had a little quarrel later this night at our house. As far as STP’s performance, it was pretty flawless. Scott Weiland was upset with one of the DJ’s at KUFO because in an interview earlier that day he had been asked questions about his family. One highlight was putting Lucinda on my shoulders so she could see (she’s about 5 foot 2). She was the only one at this point towering over the crowd and therefore Scott Weiland was looking right at her for a good portion of time while he was singing. Another highlight was when they played “Crackerman.” The place just erupted. The final thing I remember was them pumping police siren sounds through the sound system when they left the stage, which was funny because they seemed to be mocking all of Weiland’s recent problems with the police.

STP-4

Nine Inch Nails 6/9/00

This concert ranks as my #2 favorite concert of all time right behind Tool at the Gorge. It was a similar set of circumstances in many ways. The three words that come to mind are intense, spiritual, and surreal. Lucinda and I made the approximately four hour drive to meet up with Jason, Roscoe, and Joe. We were armed to the teeth with LSD and ready for the time of our life. This was to be the first time any of us had seen Nine Inch Nails, the first time Lucinda had been to the Gorge and the first time she had taken LSD. To top it off A Perfect Circle was the opener. They had just released Mer de Noms a few weeks prior to this show and by the time of the show we were already in love with the album. I remember laughing hysterically on the hill with Lucinda before either band came on because the acid was starting to take hold. It was creeping up on us progressively the whole time A Pefect Circle was on stage. They played almost every song on the first album. Maynard was clad in a long dark wig and commented that it was “a nice day for a picnic” as the sun set behind them with the beautiful backdrop of the gorge. During the breakdown in “Magdalena” he began to spin around in a circle faster and faster as the musical landscape intensified. Then came time for Nine Inch Nails. They were touring for their double album The Fragile, which had come out the previous September. Their show was just absolutely amazing and not just because I was on acid. They had these three giant screens that moved about, accentuating every little thing. The band reminded me of army ants onstage because there were times when the band was moving around the stage as frantically as the music was fierce. The guitarist Robin Finck was aptly nicknamed “Lizard Man” by my friends and I from this point on because of his costume and general stage presence. I swear he was shaking guitar notes out of his leg. Incredible. There is a wonderful DVD out called “And All That Could Have Been” that documents the entire tour, with snippets from this actual concert. It is a great reminder for me of one of the best nights of my life and will give all those not in attendance a little glimpse of what they missed out on.

And All That Could Have Been

“Lizard Man”

Sweaty Nipples 4/21/00

This was my first concert at The Roseland Theater but was not my first time seeing the Sweaty Nipples. I was turned onto them by a guy in one of my classes in high school via their eponymous EP and they periodically came through the Tri-Cities. One night some friends and I went to see them somewhere but the show got cancelled. By random happenstance we ended up at a party after the cancellation that they showed up at. Remember that drummer Isaac Carpenter I mentioned earlier? He played drums that night in the living room of a duplex with a little side project known as the Prude Sluts.

The Roseland is a pretty small place with a balcony on the three sides of the building that the stage doesn’t occupy. I believe this was sort of a reunion type show for the Sweaty Nipples. The thing about them is they have one of the most energetic shows I have ever seen. I believe there are six guys in the band and they are all talented enough to interchange their instruments and positions in the band on seemingly almost every song. A standout moment was when one of the cymbals was removed from the drum kit and lit on fire. Unfortunately this would be the last time I would see them.

This is right around the time that Lucinda and I decided to get a place together. I could no longer stand living in the bedroom I rented out of the house and we were always at each other’s place anyway. After piling all of her belongings in my room for about a week unbeknownst to the owner we found a place not far away on 26th and Main. Both of us also became full time employees at Meier & Frank. Looking back on it is strange because at one point we worked the exact same schedule and carpooled as well as lived together. The truth is I never really saw her at work and we loved each other enough to not want to strangle each other from being around one another too much.

Korn 3/7/00

It turns out all the previous crap I dealt with in the past to try to see Korn had been rewarded back to me in the form of good karma. I received the Issues album a few days before it was in stores because I had won it off a radio contest on KUFO. Then I won tickets to the show and a meet and greet backstage off the radio when they came to town to support said album! I had never previously won anything before so I was pretty excited. I enlisted Roscoe to be my “date” since I knew he would be the person that would appreciate meeting Korn the most. I really didn’t know what to expect but I guess I figured that we would get to be in a room with the members, have a beer and be able to shoot the shit with them for a little bit. Quite the contrary. They lined up all 10 of us winners and guests of winners against a wall backstage and one by one the members appeared and went down the line to sign autographs and that was it. I’ve never been a fan of autographs because anyone can write someone’s name on a piece of paper and say so and so signed it. This being said I didn’t get their autographs. Instead I shook their hand and said, “thanks for rocking.” Fieldy seemed annoyed that I didn’t want his autograph, David was way shorter than I thought he was, and Munky was pretty funny. He said something to the effect of “I just woke up” and actually did stay and talk longer than anyone else. The show itself was blistering. Staind opened for them and during the interim “Spike & Mike’s Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation” played on a few very large screens. As you can tell by the setlist Korn played for quite awhile on this night. I don’t think anyone in the building minded one bit.

SETLIST: Dead, Falling Away From Me, It’s On!, Got the Life, Ball Tongue/Lodi Dodi, Twist, A.D.I.D.A.S., Good God, Trash, Clown, It’s Gonna Go Away, Shoots and Ladders, Freak on a Leash, Let’s Get This Party Started, Make Me Bad, Dead Bodies Everywhere, Somebody Someone, Faget, Kill You, 4U, Blind

Rock N Roll Recollections

Fuzzy recollections of bands that rocked my world