Live-Metal.Net - Concerts: MMRBQ

Nothing gets me in the summer mood quite like spending a day in the sun and heat with several thousand of my closest friends, many of whom will end up so falling down drunk that they won’t even remember the parade of bands providing the entertainment. Unfortunately, the huge metal festivals that dominate the European summer are virtually unheard of here in the United States. For us, it’s Ozzfest, Sounds of the Underground or nothing. Instead, we have radio festivals, and though they are typically light on the metal, there are plenty of good times to be had with the right lineup. Philadelphia’s 93.3 FM, WMMR, entered the fray this year, holding the first-ever MMR *B*Q with headliners Velvet Revolver and Evanescence.

Local act Shovelhook began the festivities. The crowd was small when they took the stage, but many of those who arrived early were vocal in their support of the hometown boys. Their set featured solid, yet unspectacular melodic hard rock that, mainly through the use of turntables, felt a little too close to late ‘90s nü-metal for my liking.

Up next, The Exies made more noise pimping their petition to keep Paris Hilton in jail (more than 80,000 people have signed it; visit www.myspace.com/theexies to do the same) than they did with their music. I don’t mean to imply their performance was bad; it’s just that most of their set consisted of unfamiliar material culled from their new album, A Modern Way of Living with the Truth. They closed with their most well known song, “Ugly.”

THE EXIES SET LIST: Lay Your Money Down, A Fear of Being Alone, Hey You, These Are the Days, Different Than You, Ugly

The first mosh pits of the day broke out during Flyleaf’s set. Every time I see them perform, I’m blown away by the passion and energy on the stage. It makes them entertaining to watch but a challenge to photograph. Their set included most of their self-titled debut release (as much as I enjoy seeing them live, it’s getting to be about time for them to take a break from the road to write and record album no. 2) and ended with a spellbinding cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Something I Can Never Have.”

FLYLEAF SET LIST: Red Sam, Breathe Today, Justice & Mercy, I’m Sorry, Sorrow, All Around Me, I’m So Sick, So I Thought, Cassie, Something I Can Never Have

The crowd surfing intensified during Chevelle, who started strong with the combination of “Comfortable Liar” and “The Red,” both from their breakthrough 2002 release Wonder What’s Next. My interest steadily waned as the set continued, though. Their songs are good enough, but there was a noticeable lack of energy, especially after Flyleaf’s high-octane performance.

CHEVELLE SET LIST: Comfortable Liar, The Red, Vitamin R, Well Enough Alone, Get Some, Send the Pain Below, Another Know It All, The Clincher

Buckcherry, riding the platinum success of last year’s comeback album 15, kicked the party into high gear. Frontman Josh Todd demands the audience’s attention as he upholds the time-honored tradition of sex, drugs and rock n’ roll. 15 dominated the set list, which saw the monster hit “Crazy Bitch” and “Lit Up,” the song that introduced Buckcherry to the world eight years ago, induce two of the day’s biggest crowd sing-alongs.

BUCKCHERRY SET LIST: So Far, Broken Glass, Porno Star, Whiskey in the Morning, Out of Line, Everything, Crazy Bitch, Next 2 You, Lit Up

Fuel had the difficult task of following Buckcherry. Their job was even harder because they have a new singer and they’re promoting a new album, Angels & Devils, that doesn’t hit stores until August. The crowd was mostly uninterested until they broke out hits like “Shimmer,” “Falls on Me” and “Hemorrhage,” on which new frontman Toryn Green sounded almost exactly like former singer Brett Scallions.

FUEL SET LIST: Last Time, Jesus or a Gun, Gone, Shimmer, Falls on Me, Quarter, Won’t Back Down, Sunburn, Bad Day, Empty Space, Prove, Hemorrhage

Though the sun was setting by the time Evanescence hit the stage, their goth-flavored rock is ill-suited for the festival season. Still, Amy Lee again showed me that her voice is much more powerful live than in the studio, and the band sounded remarkably tight considering it was only their second show with two new members (drummer Will Hunt and guitarist Troy McLawhorn of Dark New Day). The music just didn’t completely click with the vibe of the day.

EVANESCENCE SET LIST: Weight of the World, Sweet Sacrifice, Going Under, The Only One, Lithium, Good Enough, Haunted, Call Me When You’re Sober, Imaginary, Bring Me to Life, All That I’m Living for, Lacrymosa, My Immortal, Your Star

Is any band more rock n’ roll than Velvet Revolver? I enjoyed a lot of the performances earlier in the day, but none of the other bands came close to matching the stage presence of Velvet Revolver. Scott Weiland slithered around the stage, breaking out moves that would make Mick Jagger proud, while Slash, top hat resting comfortably on his mop of curly hair, was the only true guitar hero to grace the stage all day. Guitarist Dave Kushner, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum never fight for the spotlight, but each is essential in making Velvet Revolver the rock n’ roll machine that it is. Of the new songs previewed from their upcoming second album, Libertad (July 3), the up-tempo “Let It Roll” and the lighter “The Last Fight” are my early favorites. And, of course, it’s always a blast to hear a Stone Temple Pilots staple like “Vasoline” or a Guns N’ Roses classic like “It’s So Easy.”

VELVET REVOLVER SET LIST: Let It Roll, Do It for the Kids, Sucker Train Blues, She Builds Quick Machines, The Last Fight, Vasoline, Fall to Pieces, Just 16, It’s So Easy, Set Me Free, (Encore) Wish You Were Here, Slither

The on-air personalities from WMMR popped up throughout, though I don’t live in the Philadelphia area and I’m not familiar with any of them. (Apparently, morning show hosts Preston and Steve are a big deal.) They emanated a pleasant attitude that filtered down to the Tweeter Center staff and the fans, which went a long way toward creating such a fun experience. Combine that with good music and I can see the MMR *B*Q becoming an annual event for many years to come.