Taste of Chaos - 2008 (Nassau Colisum NY)

The venue really does make a difference when it comes to a show.  Security was tighter and the crowd was much more vocal about what they liked and disliked.

From a photographer's view, the lighting was excellent, but the stage was very tall and the side stage had two GIANT speakers blocking any possible front shots of the side stage. 

I didn't get to wander as much, since security escorted us to the photo pit and wouldn't let us leave.  I was escorted to the bathroom by a young intern and prayed he wasn't going to follow me in.

The first band up was a local LI group called Life Between Sleep.  I think it's great that ToC is promoting local music and giving small bands a chance to play at a large venue.

The sound for D'espairsRay was excellent, but it didn't seem as if many people knew who they were.  It seemed like the many people who had crushed up front early were determined to stay there and not all of them were Japanese rock music fans.

Is there anything that can describe how wonderful, sincere and rockin' MUCC is?  To be so earnestly happy to be playing in North America even when someone yells at them to go back to Japan, that's perseverance.

I stayed for the remaining headliners this time (Bullet for My Valentine, Atreyu and Avenged Sevenfold) and Blessed the Fall on the side stage. I'm glad I did.  The vocalist of Blessed the Fall tossed himself like a twig out into the outstretched hands of fans.  It was a good 8 foot leap.  Atreyu was pure California and really fun to watch on stage, bouncing back and forth all over the place.  Then the vocalist took his shirt off and pandemonium ensued. 

They're a band that really understands it's fans too.  At one point they asked the audience to hold up their cell phones.  It was the modern day equivalent of the lighter and oh so very cool to see.

Avenged Sevenfold?  Explosions, lights and this strangely cool '80's vibe.  Maybe it was all the bright lights and the giant sunglasses, but they shook the house down.