Metal Allegiance Recap from House of Blues Anaheim – Part 2
NAMM2015 After months of preparation, the day we were all waiting for finally arrived! Metal Allegiance was ready to rock their first live performance since the inaugural show on Jackson and ESP guitars through a 3 full stack set up from EVH, Marshall and Orange amps while Rex Brown, Frank Bello and David Ellefson thumped their low end through a thunderous bass rig . The rotating cast of vocalists including Chuck Billy, Mark Osegueda, and Troy Sanders worked on remembering lyrics by plugging in their earphones and memorizing the old school way – on paper!
A complete soundcheck of the 20+ songs took hours to complete, and you could tell by the end that the guys were more than ready to deliver a performance that not only captured their talents, but their love for heavy metal music.
Shortly after 6PM we took a look outside and caught some dedicated fans already lining up to secure their spots at the venue. You could get a sense right away that they had no idea what they were in for tonight, and honestly – neither did we! When doors finally opened around 8PM, the rabid metal fans marched into the venue and enjoyed a few cold ones in preparation of an incredible night of music.
Scott Ian opened up the show with his hilarious, yet honest Speaking Words set that included a bit of pointers to metal fans and some great interaction with the lively crowd. You know that any time fans have the chance to yell “SLAYER!!!” that it’s going to be a good night…
Prior to the Metal Allegiance performance, host Jose Mangin from Music Zoo founder Tommy Colletti’s favorite hard rock band – the legendary Van Halen. Ellefson and Bello handled backing vocals for Troy Sanders while Alex Skolnick proceeded to steal the show with his mindblowing version of “Eruption” – of which we will be posting a video of in the very near future!
As the show approached the 2 hour mark, you could tell the band was ready to close out the show in style with 2 of the best anthems in rock and roll music – “Cold Gin” and “I Love it Loud” from the 70’s shock rock legends KISS. The entire lineup of metal all-stars jumped on stage and ran through these 2 songs as if the party would never end, with Troy Sanders leading the crowd through the sing-a-long choruses with his youthful energy and incredible stage presence (silly string included). Much to the appreciation of the crowd, the Allegiance closed out the show with yet another stellar 70’s hard rock cover – AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell”.
This show was by far the greatest event that The Music Zoo has been a part of, and we were thankful to be part of such a special night to kick off NAMM 2015! See below for some amazing live shots captured by The Music Zoo!
Missed the live stream? Stay tuned to The Music Zoo blog, as we will soon be posting the historic performance in its entirety!
