@ZackTeibloom It was the worst kept secret of the festival. The Guitar Hero Metallica showcase at Stubbs was just a front for a performance from the Metallica themselves, the worst kept secret in rock.

Metallica is the only band in history to have five consecutive albums debut at number one on the Billboard top 200. With over 50 million albums sold, they topped the charts once again with Death Magnetic, which stayed on top for three straight weeks.

Lead singer James Hetfield enjoyed being too big for Stubbs, which only holds 2,200 people, just a fraction of the stadiums Metallica has filled for over 20 years. “We’re a young band from Norway and we want to get signed” Hetfield said in an admittedly weak Norwegian accent.

As comedian Todd Barry said on stage the next night, “You think the guys in Metallica saw the word BBQ on their tour schedules and got a little confused?” Read the rest of this entry »

@ZackTeibloom Another night of perfect timing. I didn’t get to the festival until 5:30, but I made up for lost time. I stumbled into a face-melting extravaganza at a tiny stage where J Mascis was sitting in with a band I’ve never heard of.

They sounded like The Hue likes to dream they’ll one day sound. 45 minutes of uninterrupted vocal free madness that rocked too much for one hand. The crowd was simply stunned.

I moved over to the Fader Fort Levi party where I accidentally saw Tinted Windows, a band I’d been insanely curious about. This “super group” features James Iha of Smashing Pumpkins and Taylor Hanson of, yes, Hanson. Shockingly good. Chalk it up to repetition theory. Read the rest of this entry »

@ZackTeibloom Well, my Guitar Hero dreams went down the drain this weekend. I’ve come to the realization that not only will I never reach that zenith level of Guitar Hero skill, I really don’t want to. I saw where it takes you.

It takes you on stage at Stubbs in front of several thousand people, opening for Metallica, playing Guitar Hero Metallica on a giant screen. It leads to a fat, Mohawk’d DJ calling you a virgin. It leads nowhere. The dream is over. I’m perfectly OK with that.

I can still play with more style than anyone. And that’s really all I’m going for.