Hellyeah: Getcha come on!

	CHAD GRAY OF HELLYEAH

HELLYEAH (live pix)
OTEP (live pix)
BLOODSIMPLE (live pix)

December 5, 2007
Rams Head Live
Baltimore, Maryland

By GREG MAKI

I don’t know if I have had more fun at a concert all year. HellYeah—the “supergroup” featuring Pantera/Damageplan’s Vinnie Paul on drums; Mudvayne’s Greg Tribbett on guitar and Chad Gray on vocals; Nothingface’s Tom Maxwell on guitar; and Damageplan’s Bob Zilla on bass—returned to the site of the first show they ever played for another rock n’ roll party. They brought with them Bloodsimple, the band signed to Gray’s Bullygoat Records, and Otep, led by the frontwoman of the same name.

Bloodsimple, supporting its superb second album Red Harvest, did more than rev up the crowd with a 35-minute set. After easing into the show with the largely spoken word “Ride with Me,” they annihilated Rams Head Live, the crowd’s approval growing with each song. A trio from Red Harvest—“Dark Helmet,” “Dead Man Walking” and “Out to Get You”—drew the biggest reactions. These guys are not novices—frontman Tim Williams and guitarist Mike Kennedy did time in hardcore act Vision of Disorder—and they have the seasoned stage presence to prove it. If you want intensity, look no further than bassist Kyle Sanders, who spent the set furiously pounding his instrument, breaking strings left and right. If there is any justice, Red Harvest will elevate Bloodsimple to headliner status. I need to see them play a longer set.

NICK ROWE OF BLOODSIMPLE

BLOODSIMPLE SET LIST: Ride with Me, Red Harvest, Blood In Blood Out, What If I Lost It, Dark Helmet, Dead Man Walking, Out to Get You, Path to Prevail, Straight Hate

Otep followed with what proved to be a drastic change of pace. When the band decided to rock I was there with them. Otep Shamaya is a dynamic frontwoman who can hold her own with the best of them. She and the band augmented the performance with various masks and her anti-establishment, anti-Bush rants. It was interesting and those kinds of theatrics have their place. A HellYeah show, however, is not that place. Crowd interest seemed to wane throughout the 40-minute set as the fans hungered for the evening’s headliner.

VINNIE PAUL OF HELLYEAH

If there is a “good time” band in hard rock/metal better than HellYeah, I’d love to hear it. In fact, “good time” doesn’t do HellYeah justice. From the moment they took the stage until they left a little more than an hour later, it was one of the best parties of the year. No one enjoyed himself more than Vinnie Paul, whose smile never left his face. It is truly a wonderful thing to see him having so much fun.

It helps that the band isn’t too shabby, either. Gray said he had been sick, but you would not have known that from his performance; he was right-on all night. While I’m on the vocals, I must mention how valuable Bob Zilla is as a harmonizing backup singer, something completely unexpected and cool to hear. And though their past work doesn’t show it, guitarists Tribbett and Maxwell, a Baltimore native, can shred with the best of them, and they each took a few solos.

The set included a cover of Queen’s “Stone Cold Crazy” and the entire HellYeah album. This was appropriately dubbed the “Balls, Volume and Strength Tour,” but “Star” and “Thank You,” which Gray dedicated to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, were poignant, powerful moments. The show ended with the knockout 1-2-3 punch of “Alcohaulin’ Ass,” “You Wouldn’t Know” and the anthem “HellYeah,” all of which induced healthy crowd participation.

HellYeah is a fantastic live band and they are planning another headlining U.S. run for early 2008. Eventually, the band members will return to their various other projects. This could be your last chance to see them together for two years. Do not miss it.

TOM MAXWELL OF HELLYEAH

HELLYEAH SET LIST: Matter of Time, Goddamn, Nausea, Rotten to the Core, Stone Cold Crazy, In the Mood, Star, One Thing, Waging War, Thank You, Alcohaulin’ Ass, You Wouldn’t Know, HellYeah