White River Amphitheatre

Lollapalooza 8/23/03

sc0001b4f203

This was the first time Lollapalooza had hit the road since 1997 (the time Tool melted my brain) and would be the last time it was a touring festival before making Grant Park in Chicago its permanent annual home. This would also be my second and last time to White River Amphitheatre. I went to this show with Earl, Marvin and Ben. I remember getting drunk before getting even more drunk (someone was feeding me whiskey after many beers). At some point we ran into Shane from Loudermilk and talked to him for a little since he played hockey with Marvin and Ben.

The first band I remember wanting to check out was 30 Seconds to Mars. Someone burned me a copy of the first album and I thought it was pretty good. I was curious to see if Jared Leto was the real deal or not and much to my surprise they were really good. They had a unique style both visually and musically. I remember seeing Kings of Leon on that stage in passing because they looked like they were straight out of 1975. This was many years before they gained super popularity.

This was the second time within two months that I missed the band Cold (Endfest). They were slated to be a part of Lollapalooza and dropped out at the last minute for some reason, so the first band playing that I was really there to see was A Perfect Circle. They were about to release their second album less than a month later and the lineup now had James Iha from the Smashing Pumpkins on guitar and Jeordie White (Twiggy) from Marilyn Manson on bass. Maynard was now comfortable embracing his role as front man from the back of the stage as he played the first song or two shadow dancing from behind a curtain. At this point I am certain Marvin basically just walked into the floor section (the beginning of a long history of walking into things for free) while the rest of us watched from the lawn.

Incubus played next and were still touring for the album Morning View. This was the fifth time I saw them but nothing stands out in my memory about this performance (maybe the whiskey?).

Up after that was Audioslave, which I was also excited to see. This band was a no-brainer since I love both Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine. Chris Cornell kicks ass as a singer and Tom Morello is a guitar wizard. They rocked through almost all songs on the debut album and had the crowd whipped into a frenzy. I also remember a moment when Maynard came out to duet with Chris Cornell for a song.

Jane’s Addiction closed the show. I am not a huge Jane’s fan but like a handful of their songs. This was the first time I got to see them and I remember thinking how comfortable they looked onstage. Perry Farrell was in a crazy looking suit and Dave Navarro looked the part of a rock star wearing a boa and sunglasses with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

Ozzfest 7/12/03

sc0003521707

This was the first time Ozzfest was held at the White River Amphitheatre instead of the Gorge. This venue opened about a month before this show so I think the promoters were trying to drive business to it. The promoters probably figured that a large majority of the people who went to concerts at the Gorge were from Seattle anyway so why not move the concert closer to Seattle. The problem is that there is no comparing to the Gorge, especially with a cookie-cutter amphitheatre such as this. I went with my cousin Earl who at the time lived nearby in Renton.

Before they were on my radar Chevelle played the Ozzfest I attended the previous summer, but because they were not on my radar this was my first time actually seeing them. All it took for me to like this band was to hear “The Red” one time from the Wonder What’s Next album that they were touring behind. I remember being highly impressed that it was just three guys on a stark stage rocking out.

Disturbed was still touring for the album Believe and continued where they left off the last time I had seen them with Korn. I believe it was during Disturbed’s set that people up in the lawn section where I was at began throwing water bottles toward the stage for no apparent reason. The bottles got nowhere near the stage and were hitting people that were closer to the stage downhill. It was fucked up but it was probably more fucked up when I started laughing uncontrollably when the people downhill started throwing the bottles back (uphill). Poor people with better seats…

This was the fourth time I had the pleasure of seeing Marilyn Manson. They were touring for The Golden Age of Grotesque that had been released just a few months prior to this show. Both the album and performance gave a heavy nod to 30’s vaudeville and burlesque mixed in with the usual Manson stage antics. Sadly this would be the last time I would see the band with John 5.

Marilyn Manson is a tough act to follow but Korn held their own. Much better than the last time I had seen them with Disturbed. They were still touring for Untouchables but were much tighter this time. I also remember walking through an exhibit that Jonathan Davis had set up in a trailer earlier in the day. The exhibit was basically a freak show with many serial killer artifacts.

I would tell you I remember Ozzy at this show but I really have zero recollection of seeing him here. I know we stayed for the entire show but my mind is drawing a blank. As previously stated I am not all that into solo Ozzy versus Black Sabbath so this does not entirely surprise me.

David Draiman, the lead singer in the Heavy Metal rock group Disturbed, performs at Ozzfest 2003 in Devore, California, late July 5, 2003. Twenty bands on two stages performed during the all-day outdoor concert 60 miles east of Los Angeles, California. REUTERS/Jim Ruymen JR – RTR73L