Sonisphere - Sunday
2 August 2009
Knebworth

The skies looked much clearer as the sun shone down on us for the start of day two featuring a much heavier line-up. An earlier 11.20am start saw Buckcherry kicking things off on the mainstage. By second song Next To You it was apparent all was not well with frontman Josh Todd who appeared to be struggling with his vocal. It was confirmed it wasn’t just the time of day when Todd requested, “You’re gonna have to help me out, I’ve been sick man”. This was confirmed by the subsequent cancellation of the band’s German tour, due to Todd’s “severe respiratory tract infection and laryngitis”. Under such circumstances Todd’s effort at Sonisphere is to be applauded. As usual it didn’t take long for the singer to strip down to his bare chest, strutting around the stage like a boxer. The band’s latest album Black Butterfly is getting a re-release in the UK and hence it wasn’t a surprise to hear its better tracks, though it was the two songs from 15 that got the better response, with the funked up Crazy Bitch closing the set.

Buckcherry set list:
Tired Of You / Next To You / Lit Up / Talk To Me / Rescue Me / Crazy Bitch

The timing was so tight today that as soon as the guitars of Buckcherry ceased ringing, Paradise Lost’s intro started up. The second stage sound was not as powerful as the main stage meaning the guitars of Gregor Mackintosh and Aaron Aedy weren’t roaring as much as I’d hoped as The Enemy started the set. In Nick Homes terms, the frontman was surprisingly lively for this time of day, attempting to get the crowd to clap along and imploring, “Cheer up, you should try being me!” Yes, his usual sarcastic banter was in force. On getting a loud cheer following Hallowed Land when asking if there were any Metallica fans, he conceded that he’d got the “Cheap cheer”. Something we noted many other band accepted throughout the day. Despite having finished up a new album, Paradise Lost chose to preview nothing from it and were perhaps a little road rusty. Holmes admitted “The wheels came off” during Pity The Sadness. Overall it was a solid if not spectacular showing.

Paradise Lost set list:
The Enemy / Pity The Sadness / Requiem / Hallowed Land / One Second / Say Just Words

I was pleasantly surprised by Killing Joke’s inclusion today. The band rarely appear at the bigger festivals and it was apparent that a good portion of those watching knew little of them, leading to many thinking they were performing a Metallica cover when The Wait was played. Currently touring a very backwards looking set, none of the more recent albums were touched with the newest songs dating back to 1985. This I guess is not completely surprising with original bassist Youth back in the band following the tragic death of Paul Raven. Youth certainly puzzled the Lamb Of God fans down the front having chosen to dress in a cream jacket and white trousers. The focal point as ever was frontman Jaz Coleman. With is eyes blackened he absorbed himself in each song, warning us of satellites watching our every move and resource wars. On an emotional note Love Like Blood was dedicated to the artist working on the artwork for the next Killing Joke album, who is terminally ill and had booked a date with Dignatas, planning to pass away to that very song. Killing Joke jettisoned playing material from their late 80s material some time ago for the right reason – it wasn’t very good. I do hope they will revisit their material from 1990s onwards again.

Killing Joke set list:
Requiem / Wardance / Love Like Blood / Eighties / The Wait / Psyche

Saxon can match Killing Joke for longevity, but kick off their set with the lead track from their latest album. Unfortunately the soundman was caught napping and there were no drums for the first half of the song. Obviously this wasn’t noticeable on stage as Saxon ploughed on with impressive energy for men of their age. Particularly when Biff Byford pointed out they were at the Wacken festival in Germany until 3am this morning. With only 30minutes Byford told us they haven’t bothered with a setlist and did we have any requests. 747 (Strangers In The Night) was an unsurprising shout from the crowd and remains a high point of any Saxon setlist. This was a solid display from Saxon, though it never felt that they pushed the levels up to 11.

Saxon set list:
Battalions Of Steel / Heavy Metal Thunder / 747 (Strangers In The Night) / Let Me Feel Your Power / Princess Of The Night / Denim & Leather

I guess you don’t want to know this but nature called next. It has to be mentioned however, as the lack of gaps between bands meant that any toilet trip, food break or trip to the bar meant missing part of a band’s set. In this case the start of Lamb Of God. When I did make it to the main stage, it was apparent that the kids that had been pumped up by the Monster Energy disco the previous night were unleashing their energy in front of the stage, as they were battered with Walk With Me In Hell. The first thing of note was that the sound was absolutely fantastic for a festival, with the guitars of Willie Adler and stand-in Buz McGrath punishing the crowd. Randy Blythe informed us that Unearth’s McGrath is present today due to Mark Morton’s impending fatherhood. I have to say I wasn’t sure Laid To Rest was the most appropriate song to dedicate to that happy event! Blythe himself was a bundle of energy, flying around the stage and summoning circle pits at will. There was no need to ask for one when Redneck kicked in with the testosterone levels of the crowd peaking.

Lamb Of God set list:
The Passing / In Your Words / Set to Fail / Walk With Me In Hell / Now You’ve Got Something To Die For / Dead Seeds / Laid To Rest / Redneck / Black Label

Lamb of God’s approach was like cracking eggs with sledgehammers, but it was now time for the progressive behemoth Mastodon to crack the sky. With some lengthy songs in their cannon, there was no time for conversation and in fact the sole word uttered to the audience throughout the set was “Gracias” by Troy Sanders as the band departed. A constant run of dates since the release of their latest album have tightened Mastodon significantly. In particular their now more melodic vocals, which are shared between Sanders, guitarist Brent Hinds and most impressively drummer Bill Kelliher. The Blood Mountain album was completely ignored, splitting the set between the more in depth Crack The Skye and catchier numbers from the bands earlier material. Much like the joy of sitting through that latest album with no pause, the pressure cooker of one song after another in such a short space of time worked a treat and Mastodon walked away with one of the more impressive sets of the day and certainly the best performance I’ve seen from them outdoors.

Mastodon set list:
Oblivion / Megalodon / Blood and Thunder / The Czar / Crack The Skye / Iron Tusk / March of the Fire Ants

Despite the next slot being labelled “Special Guests” it had been known for some time that Machine Head were returning to the bill. A huge cheer greeted the raising of the band’s backdrop and Rob Flynn later jokes “Fancy meeting you here”. With all the usual macho stage talk and saying f**k every other word, Flynn’s near to tears speech about coming back to the bill for the fans was a little hard to swallow, but when he did shut up Machine Head were on fine form. I’ve tired of hearing pretty much the same songs umpteen times since The Blackening was released, now two years ago. Therefore it was pleasing to have the likes of Bulldozer and Struck A Nerve added to the setlist. Of course Flynn and co. are preaching to the converted here, with probably the biggest crowd of the day after Metallica. His request for 20 circle pits was maybe a little ambitious but it certainly caused chaos across the field. A little less talk (and swearing) and more action and this could have been even better.

Machine Head set list:
Imperium / Ten Ton Hammer / Beautiful Mourning / Old / Bulldozer / Struck A Nerve / Halo / Davidian

After a quick detour Feeder were already into their set by the time I made it back to the Saturn stage. Seemingly a bit of a square peg on today’s bill, the forecasts that they wouldn’t fair well actually turned out to be incorrect with the band putting in a surprisingly good set. The change in style was actually a breath of fresh air and as each memorable song was played I’d forgotten just how many Feeder tunes I actually knew. Buck Rodgers got the crowd bouncing up and down and afterwards Grant Nicholass said he was going to dedicate the next song to whoever was up next on the mainstage. Comically then asking the crowd who that was, the reply of Limp Bizkit drew a slight pause and “Oh….this one’s for Limp Bizkit then.” An energetic cover of Nirvana’s Breed was well received but it was closer Just A Day that got the loudest response. Feeder played this crowd and festival slot perfectly.

Feeder set list:
Pushing The Senses / Come Back Around / Godzilla / Sentimental / Insomnia / Feeling A Moment / Buck Rogers / Just The Way I’m Feeling / Lost And Found / Breed / Just A Day

Reunions always draw renewed attention as people look back at a band through rose tinted glasses. There was great excitement about Limp Bizkit returning at Download, but you somehow get the feeling that the bubble of warmth has burst already. The whole debacle with Machine Head’s billing didn’t do them any favours, but the occasional snipe during today’s set doesn’t help. The biggest let down however is Mr Durst himself. He actually admitted at one point during the set that he couldn’t sing, which I guess we all knew anyway, but for much of the set he seemed to be whispering. This is however probably preferable to is incredibly grating voice. Wes Borland once again had gone for the avant garde appearance. Best to check out the photos than me fully describe what bizarre outfit he had chosen today. That’s about as interesting as it going during a tiresome display.

Limp Bizkit set list:
Space Odyssey (intro) / My Generation / Livin’ It Up / Show Me What You Got / Hot Dog / Eat You Alive / Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle) / Break Stuff / My Way / Nookie / Faith / Take A Look Around

Having rested the Alice In Chains name following Layne Stayley’s death in 1996, in 2005 Jerry Cantrell, Mike Inez and Sean Kinney reconvened and have been taking respectful baby steps back towards the release of a new album this year. Comes With The Fall’s William DuVall has taken on the difficult task of standing were an iconic frontman once stood and today was my first chance to experience the new Alice In Chains. On today’s showing nobody need worry about the Alice In Chains legacy being damaged as DuVall is exactly the right person for the job. Looking as cool as Lenny Kravitz, DuVall possesses an amazing voice which really shows itself during second song Man In The Box, when he reached up to the high notes with ease. DuVall can also pick up a guitar when required giving the band’s songs an extra depth, which was particularly noticeable on new composition A Looking In View. The crowd’s cheers gravitate towards Cantrell with a chant of “Jerry, Jerry”. The guitarist thanks the crowd but asks them to “Say hello to William, Mike and Sean. We are Alice In Chains”. They are, and they’re definitely back.

Alice In Chains set list:
Angry Chair / Man In The Box / Again / A Looking In View / Them Bones / Check My Brain / Would? / Rooster

Now this was a strange one. The crowd had built at the mainstage for Nine Inch Nails for what will possibly be their last ever UK appearance. Things had really heated up with the aggression of second song Wish, but then all that changed. I’ve heard rumours that Trent Reznor had declared that this heavier crowd were going to get what he wanted, not what they expected. Now being a big fan of Reznor’s work, I thoroughly enjoyed the introspective selection of songs that followed, but for a festival crowd if Reznor wanted to seem obtuse he achieved that aim. As each slow song or instrumental followed the next, it became more and more apparent that the hits weren’t going to make an appearance today. Drummer Iian Rubin seemed to spend as much time playing keyboards as drumming and Justin Meldal-Johnsen was often playing double bass. As Hurt arrived the crowd sang along but then dispersed quietly with puzzled expressions.

Nine Inch Nails set list:
The Way Out is Through / Wish / I Do Not Want This / Something I Can Never Have / Gone, Still / The Frail / The Wretched / Non Entity / Lights In The Sky / The Downward Spiral / Hurt

I don’t like Avenged Sevenfold at all so after a quick trip back to the tent is was off to get a good vantage point for Metallica. Having already caught them twice on the Death Magnetic tour I have to admit that a twinge of apathy had crept in about seeing them again. However, that was soon banished as the four horsemen hit the stage with Blackened and followed it up with a bruising rendition of Creeping Death. It was already apparent that Metallica were seriously up for it tonight as huge flames shot up into the sky at the start of Fuel.

What was particularly pleasing was the revised setlist for a festival. I was with a group of friends whose interest in Metallica ranged from the die-hard to the disinterested. Each and every one of us walked away impressed by what we experienced. Mixing the obvious One, Nothing Else Matters and Enter Sandman with the rarely played such as Dyers Eve and Hit The Lights, this set had me grinning like a Cheshire cat from start to finish.

Given we were at Knebworth were Queen played their last gig with Freddy Mercury, it was no surprise that Stone Cold Crazy was tonight’s cover tune. Hetfield downed his guitar and strolled the stage as Seek and Destroy started, joining in later in the song on his six string as Metallica concluded a triumphant show. The stage was then invaded by the Metali-kids who cream-pied Hetfield as we learned it was his Birthday. Following a rendition of Happy Birthday from the crowd, the band remained on stage for some time and it really felt that headlining at this legendary location meant something special to Metallica.

Metallica set list:
Blackened / Creeping Death / Fuel / Of Wolf And Man / Fade To Black / Broken, Beat And Scarred / Cyanide / Sad But True / One / All Nightmare Long / The Day That Never Comes / Master Of Puppets / Dyers Eve / Nothing Else Matters / Enter Sandman / Stone Cold Crazy / Hit The Lights / Seek And Destroy



LINKS:
Sonisphere