Down, Brittany's New Metal Hearthrob and the Drive From Hell

Down rockin' the house at the Knitting Factory.

Britt and I hit Boise yesterday to see Down. The drive to Boise was going well until we hit Glenn's Ferry. Thick-ass fog had caused some major accidents with numerous semi trailers and driving speeds were reduced to 0-5 mph for about 5 miles. At one point IDT closed the interstate and we thought we were screwed from getting to Boise. Alas, the road was cleared enough to allow passage – not cleared from ice and snow but cleared from strewn semi trailer parts and accidental debris. As we drove past the carnage, we were actually glad to have been behind what must have been a nasty series of accidents with very large vehicles. Let's just say we were very relieved when we finally arrived to Boise with just enough time to hit Ha Penny's for a bite and much deserved stiff drink before the show.

A band named Warbeast went on before Down and although I certainly won't be running out to buy their CD, they were pretty classic to watch live. Pretty much the epitome of cheesy, thrash metal, with songs like "Nightmares in the Sky" and "Ignorant Bastard" riddled with lyrics like "I hate everyone" and well, "Nightmares in the Skyyyyyyyy…" But it was one of their guitarists that really drove their METAL point home, his name is Scotty. He was a badass. Britt even managed to get her picture with him. Classic.

Warbeast. That's the badass Scotty in the middle.

Britt and her heavy metal heartthrob Scotty from Warbeast!

Down came on and absolutely tore the house down, (no pun intended). They opened with Lysergic Funeral Procession and closed the encore with Bury Me In Smoke. I saw Pantera years ago in SLC and remember Phil coming across as quite the arrogant prick that the press made him out to be. It seems all that's changed now – receptive, funny and genuinely appreciative of his fans, Phil's attitude nowadays seems to have changed for the better. By injecting several cheeky remarks and making fun of himself as well as interacting with the crowd, Phil seems to be pretty humble on being who he is and where he's at. That's always a plus in my book when someone of his stature doesn't take themselves too seriously.

 

One of the highlights of the show was when the band was finishing Bury Me In Smoke when the opening band came on and swapped instruments with Down and actually finished the song as Phil and crew slapped hands with fans and such. Another highlight that made me grin was when Phil got on the mike and instructed one of the security men to personally hand a blind fan one of Jimmy's drumsticks. That was fuckin cool.