This year's tour was co-headlined by Slipknot and Disturbed, and also featured Dragonforce, Mastodon, Machine Head, Airbourne, Five Finger Death Punch, Walls of Jericho, Underoath, Black Tide, Suicide Silence, 36 Crazyfists, and the Red Chord.
The tour featured three separate stages, the main stage and the Jagermeister and Hot Topic side stages. The use of 3 stages allowed for quick setup and very little dead time in between bands.
Things started off early with 36 Crazyfists going on at 2:20 in the afternoon, and getting the crowd moving. The band mixed old favorites with cuts from it's newest offering "The Tide and its Takers".
From that point on, it seemed like a blur, with band after band alternating between the 2 side stages, and getting the crowd primed for the evening crowds. Without a doubt, home town favorites Machine Head owned the side stage, crushing the crowd with an abbreviated 5 song set.
Mastodon kicked things off on the main stage, and played well, but suffered from the trickling in crowd(coming from the side stage area) and having to play on a big stage in plain daylight.
Disturbed hit the main stage, and seemed to keep the crowd captivated from the start. Even though I'm not a big fan of these guys, they're a little too commercial for my tastes, they delivered the goods live. The crowd participation was steady for their entire set, as they played radio hit after radio hit.
Slipknot were the last band of the night, and seemed to have their work cut out for them following up on Disturbed set. They did not disappoint. What the band lacked in crowd sing-a-longs, they more than made up for with their intensity. Alot of people have been questioning Slipknot's commitment, saying this is only a money making machine, and the band is not 'into it' anymore. While their over the top stage antics are nothing new at this point, the band still delivers live, sounding as tight as ever. Corey Taylor's vocals are still in top form, and guitarists Mick Thomson and Jim Root are as proficient as ever.
Overall, the Mayhem Fest provided a solid lineup, and a great day's worth of metal. It definitely seemed to carry the torch from the ozzfest's of old, providing its own spin on the annual summer metal traveling circus. I'll be looking out for next year's tour.
Pictures from the Mayhem Fest 07/12/08:
