RE: Chicago Powerfest 2007

Jeremy — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 13:47:47 GMT

[quote][b]paranoidmexican009 (6/10/2007)[/b][hr]nice. i wish i could go to concerts like that. houston sucks :([/quote]

This summer, Helstar, Hallow's Eve and Solitude Aeturnus will be playing a festival together somewhere in Texas.

Awesome review, Jodi!

RE: Chicago Powerfest 2007

paranoidmexican009 — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 12:31:08 GMT

nice. i wish i could go to concerts like that. houston sucks :(

RE: Chicago Powerfest 2007

voodoo — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 12:05:25 GMT

bad. ass.

Chicago Powerfest 2007

The Iron Maiden — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 10:27:10 GMT

The Chicago Powerfest, as I witnessed firsthand, is more than just a typical metal festival. It's a gathering of the metal community and a huge party for everyone in attendance. I was fortunate enough to be a guest of Rob Such, Powerfest co-organizer and bassist for Chicago metal band Twelfth Gate, for this year's fest. We first met with Rob shortly after arriving at our hotel in Mokena, Illinois, which was fully booked for the fest, but he had somehow managed to secure a room for us in the "party block," an area of the hotel where bands, promoters, media and fans alike were staying. He recruited us for a beer run, which we were more than willing to partake in. After a quick stop at the venue, The Pearl Room, where we met Chris Lotesto, another co-organizer of the fest and guitarist of Chicago's Ion Vein, and where we were given media passes, we headed to the nearest liquor supplier to pick up recreational beverages for the bands who would be playing that night and those who would be at the afterparty.

After fully stocking two shopping carts with cases of beer, we headed to the checkout lane and were soon out the door. We loaded while Rob talked business on his cell phone. It was then 6:00 pm, and the fest was set to start at 6:30. We realized we were cutting it close, so we hauled ass back to the hotel for a few last minute items, then drove across the street to The Pearl Room. We helped Rob unload the beer from his van and slowly carried it to the green room, a private area that only bands, promoters and certain members of the media were allowed to enter. The road to the green room was a grueling one, strewn with neverending stairs, twists and turns, security-guarded doors and various other obstacles. Once we arrived at our destination, we realized why it was so difficult to get in.

The green room was essentially a separate location in itself, a huge space decked in green decor with a private bar and couches for the ultimate comfort of those fortunate enough to gain access. After deciding which beer belonged to what band and a fiasco with a British sound engineer who refused to drink Miller Lite because of "the chemicals in the beer" that made for a terrible headache the next day, we were finally able to relax and wipe the sweat from our brows. We stared wide-eyed at the inhabitants of the green room. Shatter Messiah, the fest's opening band, sat at the bar and on couches, preparing for their performance in their own way. Other industry folk and sound technicians littered the room, almost all talking eagerly about the show to come. Shatter Messiah was called downstairs and we quickly offed our beers, anticipating the beginning of Powerfest.

The show started with a bang. Shatter Messiah stormed the stage, their energy electrifying. Vocalist Greg "Wags" Wagner was wired like a switchboard. Suspyre was originally set to open, but their set time was pushed back due to a delay in their arrival time that spawned from a bird flying into their plane's engine. They were next. They played with a maturity that deceived the member's young appearances. Grabbing another quick beer in the green room after Suspyre's set, we ran into drummer Sam Paulicelli, who was dripping with sweat and panting from exertion. He announced that it was his last show with Suspyre; he was leaving to join a band called Mutiny. We made it back downstairs in time to watch Benedictum, a no-frills heavy metal band fronted by the exotic Veronica Freeman. They swept through their set, covering Black Sabbath's "Heaven and Hell" and "The Mob Rules" to great effect. Next was Solitude Aeturnus. Vocalist Robert Lowe addressed his doting crowd in a priest's cassock, offering lyrics like prayers, and we ate every bit of it up. During Solitude's set, we decided to venture to the closed-off balcony to take pictures from a different angle, but didn't stay there long. The last band to play Friday night was Lethal. With a few cult hits under their belts, the legendary power/prog metal band closed the night in a strong fashion, and the crowd slowly dwindled as the show came to an end.

Where one party stopped, another began. The fest's afterparty was held across the street in the hotel we were staying in, on our floor, even. Metalheads began trickling out of rooms and elevators toward the festivities, and before long the hallway was lined with longhairs. People casually chatted with those known and unknown to them while all waited for the beer. Eventually we entered a room with a bathtub filled with the beer purchased earlier in the day, grabbed a few, and set forth on our goal to party with metalheads from all over the place. We met quite a few interesting people, all of whom were drawn together by the indescribable force that metal creates. Some were fans, some were media, and some were bands, but on that night, everyone was on the same plane.

Suspyre vocalist Clay Barton, obviously feeling good, sauntered through the room and hallway, chatting with fans. We made our way to one of the room's beds and had a seat. We spoke to Twelfth Gate's new vocalist, whom we had met earlier in the day, and whose name has not yet been released to the public. Across from us, a short man in a baseball cap chatted with a few guys donned in metal t-shirts. Upon introducing ourselves, we found him to be none other than Steve Flynn, drummer of the legendary Atheist. We were flabbergasted, to say the least. He spoke candidly about his influences and his time spent in both Atheist and Gnostic, his newest band. Five feet away, sitting cross-legged on the floor, was Kelly Shaefer, Atheist's vocalist and former guitarist, sharing wisdom with an enraptured group of fans. It was amazing and completely surreal, but more than feeling starstruck, we were at ease. I rounded out my night by drunkenly chatting with the sweet Lenny Jacobsen, bassist for Denmark's Saturnus, and meeting members of his band and Belgium's Thurisaz. A multitude of members from various Powerfest bands were having an all-acoustic karaoke session in the hallway, and a kiss on the hand sent me back to my hotel room, buzzed from both the beer and the amazing experience I'd had that day.

Unfortunately, Saturday didn't go as well as Friday did for me. My pounding headache suggested the sound engineer was right about "the chemicals" he kept going on about the night before. I eventually realized that my pain was more than just a hangover, and I spent the day in my hotel room vomiting and delirious, unable to keep down even water. My cohort took the opportunity to jam the Benedictum and Shatter Messiah CDs that he'd bought Friday for us, but even that couldn't cheer me up. I was miserable and could barely move from the bed, let alone think about showering and heading to the fest in a few hours. It was on my mind, though. Soon 6:30 rolled around, and then 7:30, and before I knew it, most of Saturday night's show had passed me by while I went through my cycle of becoming sick and then sleeping. I had missed Thurisaz, Novembers Doom, Saturnus and Martyr, so the only band left was the one I had driven 500 miles to see – Atheist. Realizing I could either pout in my room or haul ass over to the venue in time to see them play, I quickly and painfully cleaned myself up and headed toward The Pearl Room.

I arrived as Atheist was playing their first song. Since I hadn't been able to obtain a press pass for the night due to my late arrival, I paid the $25 cover charge and hurried toward the stage. The sight there was nothing short of orgasmic. Shaefer, Choy and Flynn were joined onstage by Chris Baker and Sonny Carson of Flynn's other band, Gnostic. They tore through fan favorites from each of their three groundbreaking albums. Highlights were "I Deny," "Mother Man" – which featured short solos from both Choy and Flynn – and "Piece of Time," which closed out the band's set. Any questions about Atheist's relevance in today's metal community were buried after their performance, which was to be their last ever in the midwest. After the show, Shaefer was found signing autographs and talking to fans by the merchandise. I took the opportunity to thank him for playing, to tell him how amazing it was to see "Piece of Time" live, and to have him sign my Unquestionable Presence shirt. He was very humble and appreciative, thanking me for making the journey to Chicago and giving me a quick kiss on the hand before my departure. I was in a state of bliss as I walked back to the hotel, head and gut still pounding.

Chicago Powerfest was a life-changing experience for me. Not only did we see some of the most impressive bands in metal today, we got to be a part of a two-day metal worship session that metalheads from all over the country – and the world – flew and drove in to see. More than just a fest, it was a celebration of heavy metal and its power to those involved in some way. A sense of brotherhood came over us upon arrival, and it dawned on us while we made the long journey back to Kansas that this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and one that we would never forget. Looking back, it is easy to see that The Chicago Powerfest is the fan's fest, combining great music with an atmosphere you can't experience anywhere else. All of those in attendance can attest to that.

Here's a link to my blog with some pictures from the show:

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=10004981&blogID=274559411&MyToken=8cdcf771-451c-4c08-b0a0-f6f24185b84c

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RE: Chicago Powerfest 2007

RE: Chicago Powerfest 2007

RE: Chicago Powerfest 2007

Chicago Powerfest 2007