After a four year long wait, Monster Magnet finally came back to Italy.
They only came once to Italy before in april 1995, on the "dopes to infinity" tour at the
Rainbow club in Milan to play an amazing gig in front of a selected crowd of 300 stoners.
This time they had been added to the bill of the "Gods Of Metal Festival", and hard to understand
for every Monster Magnet fan, they have been forced to play in the middle of the day (2.15 pm)
with a burning sun hitting a few thousands people (the crowd reached 25.000 when the headliners,
Metallica, started their gig.) and just after the Space Age Playboys (do you remember Corey Clarke
and his Warrior Soul?) Space Age Playboys took advantage on people's patience and left the stage
under tons of trash thrown from the crowd. They have been hit on stage by THOUSANDS of
bottles, fruits and anything else. Probably there was a part of the crowd who really didn't like
the way Corey was dressed (a little bit GLAMOUR!!). That's what happens when a metal festival
shows 6 Heavy Metal bands and a couple of other bands who don't fit with the way Italian metalheads
think how METAL should be (i guess many Italian metalheads really didn't like the way the Space
Age Playboys were dressed and acted on stage ... anyway i think they weren't bad at all. Fuck you
guys, if you don't like them go away or drink a beer ... come in peace or stay at home, that's
my moto).
And Monster Magnet ? Great !! Sure, but ... I know my words could be misunderstood: i hope
to see Monster Magnet perform again in a small club. That's the best way to fall into the black
hole of their sound. Big metal festivals can be a good way to reach a bigger and different
audience, but for a Monster Magnet fan it's easier to experience the good vibrations in a
small club. So after 4 years of waiting, and mountains of patience the Italian fans, received
their prize : 6 songs for only 35 fucking minutes !! It was like hit and run...
No way ... they had to leave the stage for the upcoming band : Overkill ! 'Cause you know, after
all this was a metal festival. Starting from 11a.m. the set was as followed : a few italian bands,
first of all CAPPANERA (they had a good response) then Space Age Playboys, Monster Magnet,
Overkill, Biohazard, Mercyful Fate, Stratovarius (they were substitutes of DEATH and it seemed
as a lot of people were there for them ... !!??) and Metallica.
Anyway after the Space Age Playboys ended their short gig the crowd suddenly stopped to throw
stuff ... 'cause the majestic Tim Cronin introduced the highlight of the festival : Monster Magnet !!!
The Magnet started their gig with the classic TRACTOR in a very rough version, with Dave free to
be a frontman and the "new" Monster Magnet Phil Caivano on the second guitar. Then they played
POWERTRIP followed by a great version of one of my favorite Monster Magnet songs: NOD SCENE,
then CROP CIRCLE, a must like NEGASONIC TEENAGE WARHEAD, and ended with SPACELORD. Unbelievable,
... but after only 35 minutes of ecstasy they left the stage ... Before we could even realize
that the gig was over, the roadies were moving the wonderful Slingerland drums of John Kleiman
into a corner. Shit man i've waited for 4 fucking years !!! I told Ed, Joe and Tim when i
met them near the backstage area, we need more !! ... and they said they weren't
satisfied too and promised to come back soon. So Tim, i will remember your words,
I hope to see you guys tour Italy again soon ... HEADLINING !!
Rogg from Italy
(Magnet25)
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