If you have been spending any time at all in Tulsa lately, you know that the weather has been unbearable. Triple digit temps make for some very uncomfortable settings. What to do? What to do? Hey, how about an outdoor festival?
Sunday, July 17, DCF Promotions decided to do just that. An all day event, aptly named “Hot As Hell” Festival. Made up of several different bands that gave thousands of die hard metal fans plenty of chance to bang, mosh and burn for the better part of the afternoon and night.
Headlining the festival was Rob Zombie. Bringing his brand of diabolical and demented rock to the masses and heating up an already scorching July night.
Sadly, (okay maybe that is pushing it), I was not able to be there for all of the festivities that kicked off around 1:00 pm. But with a lineup that was made up of heavy hitters, as well as up and comers it offered a little something for everyone.
I made it to the festival grounds around 7:00 pm and it was close to 102 degrees at that point, so I was not really all that surprised find what I did. Red bodies everywhere. Guys with no shirts, young ladies with shorts and bikini tops, and some of the (sorry, but I would be doing an injustice if I didn’t say it) ugliest people I have every seen in my life.
Brady Village Stage Photo
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Photos by: Kevin Pyle
Metal shows tend to bring out the fringe of society and this fest was no different. Add to that the extreme heat and you have a breeding ground for quite an interesting night. I counted at least 5 altercations in the time I was there. Yeah, heat, alcohol, music with built in anger, sounds like a recipe for a happy-fest.
All that said, DCF did do a very good job of keeping the peace and making sure people were taken care of. There was plenty of water available, misting tents and water being shot into the crowd to help keep things tolerable. The thought is to create a festival environment downtown to create a buzz and bring in some class A talent. The setting is there, the venue could be a good one, and it just may take some trial and error to make it a fully functional atmosphere. But enough about the settings.
As I said, I didn’t make it to the grounds until around 7:00 pm. By that time Sevendust was wrapping up their set. These guys are always a crowd favorite and bring serious energy to their set-list. If you have never been to a 7Dust show, you really owe it to yourself to catch it at least once. You will not be disappointed.
Sevendust Photos
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Photos by: Kevin Pyle
Next up was Five Finger Death Punch, with all due respect to their fan base, I am not sure what the buzz is about these guys. To be blunt they sucked. From what I can understand of them they came upon the scene with a brutal raping cover of a classic song, Bad Company’s “Bad Company.” (Which they played and should have been water-boarded for.) This band is highly overrated. The talent I saw was in the guitars only. Lead singer, Ivan Moody has very little stage presence and his only claim to anything press worthy is his use of profanity. Dude, seriously tone it down. You aren’t going to have a career like the Stones. You might want to work on honing something with a little more personality. Getting the crowd to say your bands name so you can hear it being shouted is lame at best
Five Finger Death Punch Photos
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Photos by: Kevin Pyle
As the evening grew darker, but not really any cooler, the stage began to change form and props, screens and risers were added to make way for the man of the day, Rob Zombie, now touring under the “Zombie” moniker. Zombie is known for lots of theatrics, face paint and maniacal antics during his set and did not disappoint in delivering just that. A robot-like figure is center stage and bursts into flames and smoke, it opens up and out comes Rob, top hat, trench coat, and skeleton prosthetic hand for added effect. He slowly makes his way to the mic and we are off on a journey of sight and sound that is pure demented ‘70’s tinged campy horror show.
RZ is best known for his take on the horror genre and allows for those images and themes to make there way into his songs. It is catchy and draws you in. His hits are all in place, “Dragula,” “Living Dead Girl,” “Sick Bubblegum.” As well as songs that made him famous with former band, White Zombie, “More Human Than Human,” and “Thunderkiss 1965.”
Rob Zombie Photos
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Photos by: Kevin Pyle
All in all it was entertaining although his voice was not all that it could have been. Stating early on, “I blew out my voice [last night] so you will have to bear with me and feel free to sing along.” That statement aside, he did tear through an hour and 45 minute set, complete with 3 encores.
Rob Zombie is one of those rare talents that comes along and has you watching to see what he is going to do next. As a writer, director, producer and musician it is safe to say that he will be around for quite some time with something that will stir interest in just about everyone. Love him or hate him he is one act not to be missed.
All That Remains Photos
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10 Years Photos
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Times Of Grace Photos
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Photos by: Kevin Pyle