Ελληνικά
Last Updated on 05:14 PM by Giorgos Tsekas
This year’s winter season of live gigs opened in the best possible way for our city. Machine Head being a part of the global metal scene for many years now, decided to pay us a visit and offer us a night full of madness, oftenly flashbacking to their earlier releases, in the crowded Fix Factory of Sound.
Let’s take it all from scratch. Despite the fact that the city was cut in half, mainly on its west side, paralyzed by the traffic and most of the streets being closed for some reason I still don’t know, the crowd managed to reach the venue, even on foot. Friends and acquaintances met at the venue, filling it both inside and outside. Around 21:30, we entered the venue ourselves and to our surprise it was already packed. The crowd stood even close to the exit door. Fortunately, just before Machine Head went up on stage the upper level of the venue was opened, so things became easier. Without many delays (oddly enough) “Diary Of A Madman” heralded Machine Head’s entrance, who climbed on stage with obvious joy and excitement, ready to give it all; as it happened. They started their gig with “Imperium”, “Beautiful Mourning” and the fresh “Now We Die”, which already caused our adrenaline to flush. Tracks engraved in our minds, such as “Bite the Bullet”, “Locust”, “Then Ton Hammer” caused the expected mayhem, during which Fix trembled by the wild headbang, the walls of death and circle pits in the venue’s front. About an hour after their start, Robb Flynn talked to the crowd for a long time, expressing how happy he and the other members of the band are for returning to Greece. He talked about the previous times the band was here, asking their fans whether they’ve seen them before or if it’s their first time. Flynn urged us to do whatever occurred to us, to diminish everything. Even if you’ve already listened to the same kind of speech by numerous other bands, the difference here lies on Flynn’s excitement and the feedback he received from the fans that couldn’t stop yelling or chanting “Machine Fuckin’ Head” all the time. After this mini break, which was needed so that the band could catch their breath (after all, a two and a half hour setlist is not something easy) Machine Head came back even more dynamic, performing beloved tracks like “Davidian”, “Now I Lay Thee Down” and “Aesthetics of Hate” which Flynn devoted to late Dimebag. They ended their gig with “Game Over”, “Old” and “Halo”, after two hours and a half hours of ecstatic set.
I don’t think anyone can complain about Machine Head’s performance or their setlist. It was a highly professional performance, with the sound on their side, with eruptions of joy and passionate moves by the band itself and with tons of applause from the crowd. A nice moment was spotted right after the end of the set. Machine Head shook hands with their fans on the first row, they gave away guitar picks and drum baguettes, even to those who watched them from the top floor. They took photos of their fans and with the entire venue on the background, which were also uploaded on their facebook page. What more could you probably wish for?
The only downside of the whole evening was the relatively non-existent ventilation. Both on the venue’s front and on the upper floor, we were all dripping of sweat, whether we participated in the mosh pits or just standing as mere spectator.
In conclusion, it was a concert that will surely stick in our minds. This huge setlist, with no support acts and with such a professional performance, is not something you see oftenly. Wish such concerts to take place frequently.
