Saturday came quickly after the ferocious night before with headliners Godsmack, and Las Rageous Day 2 got underway with KOMP Battle of the Band winners Honor Amongst Thieves on the “F” Stage. Las Vegas rallys together to support local music and Las Rageous had their share of Vegas talent in addition to national acts over the two day event. Several of the Stage “F” an “U” bands on both days were from Vegas or have Vegas roots, including Code Red Riot who took the stage following Honor Amongst Thieves.
Code Red Riot’s Corky Gainsford is an alumni of Vegas’ own Otherwise and Blue Man Group drummer, but traded drums for vocals with this latest endeavor and showed his vocal prowess on this second show for the band, with guitarist Tyler “Taz” Azure, bassist Jon “Woz” Wozniak, and co-BlueMan drummer Todd Watzig on drum duties for the Las Rageous date. The band has a single “Living Low” out at present, and things are in the works for more music and news soon! Check out their single at http://coderedriot.com.
Escape the Fate followed Code Red Riot on the “F Stage, another band originally formed in Vegas, although with only one native son still in the band after numerous lineup changes over the years. Local mate and drummer Robert Ortiz was back in the city of sin with ETF, and the fans were packed on the barricade for the bands’ Las Rageous set. Vocalist Craig Babbit announced earlier this year that Escape the Fate would be recording a sixth CD this year, follow up to 2015 Hate Me. Follow the bands news at http://www.escapethefate.com.
Vegas natives Nations opened the MainStage “U” on Saturday, with dual vocalists that alternated melodies and growling screamo vocals for a diverse sound and a lot to watch on the big stage, playing single “Dirty Fire” and hinting at a new release this summer. All That Remains were next on the Main Stage, and although not local boys, singer Phil Labonte has a six-degree-of-separation link to Sin City, filling in as vocalist for 5FDP last year for the remainder of the tour as Ivan Moody took a needed hiatus. Labonte led All That Remains, his self proclaimed “modern metal band” into a power filled set, and gave Vegas a taste of “Madness”, their new cd released just last month.
Honor Amongst Thieves photos: Jo Anna Jackson/Stardogphotos
COde Red Riot photos: Jo Anna Jackson/Stardogphotos
Escape the Fate photos: Jo Anna Jackson/Stardogphotos
Nations photos: Jo Anna Jackson/Stardogphotos
All That Remain photos: Jo Anna Jackson/Stardogphotos
As night set the heavy hitters came out to play, and Eagles of Death Metal became the sleeper hit of Las Rageous as the always humorous, snappily dressed and eclectic vocalist Jesse Hughes was joined by Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds on EODM’s opening number “I Only Want You”, featuring Hinds on a little AC/DC influenced solo, and Hughes gyrating and getting the crowd dancing and singing along from the start. Later in the set Hughes dedicated Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream” to Mastodon, who took the Main Stage following EODM for the heaviest set of the night. Beginning with “Sultan's Curse” from their newly released album, Emperor of Sand, Mastodon pummeled the crowd with their prog/metal wall of sound, with bassist Troy Sanders, guitarist Hinds and drummer Brann Dailor all taking turns at vocals during the set. A definite high point of the festival, and Mastodon continues their tour along with support from EODM, check out tour dates near you at http://www.mastodonrocks.com.
Eagles of Death Metal photos: Jo Anna Jackson/Stardogphotos
Mastodon photos: Jo Anna Jackson/Stardogphotos
Breaking Benjamin headlined the “F” stage, fronted by namesake Benjamin Burnley they kicked off their show with “So Cold” and “Angels Fall”, and a medley of Tool, Rage Against The Machine, Nirvana, Pantera, and Metallica. BB included “Sooner or Later,” “I Will Not Bow,”, and finished with “The Diary of Jayne” to a packed 3rd street stage.
Breaking Benjamin photos: Harold Mountain/JustAFanPhotos
Main Stage “U” headliners Avenged Sevenfold took ‘the stage’ for their first US show since the release of their album The Stage, with frontman and vocalist M. Shadows sporting the flannel and baseball hat, with multi-story video screens and larger than life production for the closeout of the festival. Missing were the over the top pyro A7X has been known for, but the crowd didn’t seem to miss the fire and brimstone of prior shows, watching the live as well as video show that featured some eyebrow raising video clips and live crowd footage from the front rows. The 11 song set included “The Stage”, “Afterlife”, “Paradigm”, “Buried Alive”, “Bat Country”, “Unholy Confessions”, and “A Little Piece of Heaven”. Anthems “Hail to the King” and “Nightmare” kept thier punch and power, and the band made a powerful finale to close out the first annual Las Rageous festival.
Avenged Sevenfold photos: Harold Mountain/JustAFanPhotos
We give a hats off to the venue, bands, vendors, workers, volunteers and fans that made Las Rageous a great two days of local and national music, and look forward to next year!