Heavy Montreal, Day 1 ~ The Start of an Unforgettable Weekend

So here’s the thing. If you really love music that’s, shall we say, on the heavier side of the sonic spectrum, chances are you’ve been to a lot of concerts and festivals and had your brains and ear drums slightly damaged (but in the it-was-totally-worth-it kind of way) by some of the genre’s greatest legends, its white hot bands of the moment who are on the path to becoming legends, and by newcomers who are rapidly making a name for themselves…and you had a great time at every show…but then, every once in a while, as you waited for one of those awesome bands to take the stage, you had the fleeting thought of “Been here, seen them, know what the show is going to be like…”  You wouldn’t trade your ticket for anything, but that little, jaded voice pops up every so often and can be a real bummer.

This year, once again, FlashWounds was invited to cover Heavy Montreal (formerly Heavy MTL) ~ and no doubt you’ve read our advance articles about the festival and seen our teasers on FB ~ and were thrilled when they announced the final line-up ~ it was, to say the least, killer.  But I’ll admit, with maybe one or two exceptions, we’d been lucky enough over the years to review and shoot each and every band, including Metallica, numerous times, so that same “veteran of the concert/festival scene” voice did creep into my head a couple of times during the drive to Montreal…That voice, my friends, shut the f*ck up the second the performances began…and we’ll go into more detail about how exceptionally produced Heavy Montreal is, how well audience and media are treated, that the venue itself, beautiful in its natural state, is transformed into a concert venue that is like a giant version of the “outdoor entertainment and living areas” attached to homes of the rich and famous, just how much food, shady spots for relaxation, and more are made readily available to the crowd, how completely fantastic the festival is on all levels (and as soon as the dates for Heavy Montreal 2015 are announced, get your tickets, book your hotel room, and give yourself something incredible to look forward to for next summer) later, but for now, before you see some of our photos from Day 1 of the two day event, let me just say this:  there is something that happens to bands when they perform at HM that is almost magical (I know, the least rock/metal word in the dictionary, but it fits).  They are bursting with energy, the production value of their sets is excellent, their excitement at playing the festival radiates from the stage (or stages, I should say, as there are two main and three secondary stages), their performances are the best they’ve ever given, they embrace this particular crowd (75,000 this year) like no other, and it’s obvious that they are having the time of their lives.  It really is as though you’ve entered a different musical world ~ and what silenced that little voice is that the performances we witnessed all weekend were so incredible and infused with new energy and passion that it was like seeing each band for the first time…and that was a priceless experience that literally brought back the awe-struck teenager in both of us, as I imagine it did for the entire crowd.

But more rambling from me later…time for the main event, just SOME of our photos from Day 1, headlined by Metallica but made spectacular by all the bands who played…ENJOY, and stay tuned for Day 2!!

Metallica

Anthrax

Apocalyptica

Baby Metal

Dropkick Murphys

Kublai Khan

Monster Truck

Nekrogoblikon

Overkill

The Offspring

Eagle Tears