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Seeing Blacky with the blower bass gave me chills... exactly like ol' times but without the air... and maybe just a few pounds more

They played some Metallica, Destruction, Possessed, Motorhead, Slayer, Kreator and more... and they kept the 2 Voivod songs for the encore

Funny how the pit was occupied by kids who were like 4 or 5 when these songs came out

-Prolog: Friday night-
I'm sitting at home takin' it easy, watching a bootleg copy of The Ring, cuz i know i have a long drive to do the next day. Some friends show up.. "Oh is that beer?" I get offered one, then another, then...

-Saturday-
Woke up at 10am, dehydrated beyond belief and not feeling so fresh. Chugged the entire carton of milk and vedged on the couch thinkin' "what happened?" I popped 2 extra strengnt Tylenol's, grab an orange juice, filled up the tank and i was gone by noon. Stopped in Lac Megatic one hour later to pick my buddy up, at this point i declare "YOU do the driving!". Spent the remaining 3 hours to Montreal battling that vicious hangover, and talkin' a bunch of incoherent shit, and thinking "this is my hell."

Made it to Montreal sometime around 5pm. I just wanted to fall asleep at that point. Found a bite to eat. Walked around until showin' up at the Medley just as they opened the doors around 6:30. Bunch of kids there, "Can you tell this is All Ages?". Made our way in, told the guy that "we,re on the list". The list isnt out yet. We wait. Eric Galy (i think) shows up with the list, blah blah blah.. We get in, pay 5$ for a glass of warm piss (which was apparently beer... will i ever learn?), and sit around doin' nothing. I got a coffee after the beer but that didnt wake me up as much as i wouldve hoped. Oh well. Hey look, Blacky's here! So i go and introduce myself, a couple of quick hello's, then he and Noitall go to the backstage area.

Not too long after that, Last Breath takes the stage. They were good, decent thrash. They shouldve played longer. First band changeover. More sitting around doin' fuckall. At this point i dont even have the brain activity required to carry a conversation with my friend, so most of that break is spent lookin' around and keeping my mouth shut. I start to visualize my bed and i want to go home.

It's Ashes of Eden's turn to take the stage now. Three guitarists and none of em is any good. The vocalist bothers me. I feel as if i'm being tapped on the shoulder. It takes me several seconds to figure out that someone's touchin' me (yup, i'm THAT slow at this point). I turn around and there's a little guy with a huge smile on his face. "What the fuck?", i'm thinkin'. The guy starts yellin' in my bad (left) ear, so with that and the band on stage i dont ear a thing, then i figure it out. It's the Manipulator! More yelling back and forth, then he disapears to "try and get free beer". That dude's cool. Did i mention that Ashes of Eden fuckin' sucked? In case you werent paying attention, yes, they sucked. I ask my buddy "Do you think we should go at the strip club we passed before we came here?". I'm so tired.

So that fucking band finally gets the fuck off the stage. Then out of nowhere Blacky shows up to chat. Oh my god. He was great, talked about everything from the dismal failure of the night before's Anvil show to how fucked up the phones are in eastern europe. He even said something like "i'm not that good of a bassplayer". I asked my friend if i could slap him. He stuck around for a good 10-15 minutes maybe. Anyway, this was by far the highlight of my day, and Blacky, just know that i'm sorry i didnt talk much, or didnt make much sense when i did. By reading this, you might know why.
So Blacky leaves to get beer (Noitall, who i unfortunately didnt get to chat with, sent him on a beer run), and i'm standing there smiling like a schoolgirl.

So Horifixion (or whatever they're called) takes the stage. Worse than Ashes of Eden. What the fuck does a death metal band's got anything to do with a "trashback" weekend? They shouldve opened the show and let Last Breath play right before Black Cloud. But hey, i didnt book that show. So i'm wishing they do a short set and lo and behold, Eric Forrest sits right in front of us (more like gets in my view). He was with his woman so i didnt bother sayin' hi. I was brain dead anyway.

So after more bullshit and another (final) band changeover, it's Black Cloud's turn. The intro ruled. Just Blacky makin' weird ass noises with a bunch of effects. Then they kicked with Fight Fire With Fire. Cool. Tired or not, i went right up front, and banged away. Wheee! The guy from Ghoulunatics was great, nice stage presence, but it's really Marc from BARF that takes the cake. Jesus christ! He litterally stalks the stage with a murderous hunger. Fuck yah! I wont bother goin' over the whole set cuz you all know what it was, but the highlights were the Slayer tunes, and Nuclear War. Basically it ruled. Oh yah it did. Indeed. Actually seeing the fucking blower bass up close and in action was a trip. Blacky even had his tie at first. Bottom line, it was great.

As soon as they left the stage for the last time, we bailed. I litterally poured myself in the pickup truck and made good use of the reclining seat. I dont even remember leaving Montreal. I woke up near Sherbrooke cuz i realized the truck wasnt moving anymore. Alot of bright lights. Oh, Stephane caught a speeding ticket. Hehe. Officer, dont point that flashlight in my face, thanks. Oh well. I stayed awake til Lac Mégantic, and decided i was alert enough to do the last 80 km by myself and sleep at my place. So i hopped in my car and was home by 5am.

- Epilog: Sunday -

So that was a cool trip. I just wish i didnt sabotage myself the way i did the night before but i still made it to the show and back, so that's fine by me. Blacky mentionned the show was filmed and there should be samples of it online soon, and the full video of the show might be available for sale, as well.

You should've gone up and pulled on E-Force's hair. Hahaha.

Hmmm....Thank Zeus Noitall taped it.

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Originally posted by Skulhed:
So here's what happened...

I popped 2 extra strengnt Tylenol's,

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Man, don't you KNOW?
You have GOT to take 2-4 EXCEDRIN after such a night. I guarantee this would have made a difference in the way you were feeling. It is the combo of Asprin, Tylenol AND Caffiene which does the trick. It fucks with your stomach for a few, but once that passes, you feel almost complete.

That was one hell of a show. This all-star line up simply kicked ass like there was no tommorow.
I was really impressed. Dan was like a curly piggy ! Man this guy can PLAY and Florent was unbelievable, top skins smacker.
Pierre was solid on his side, driving it home flawless and a great job done by the two singers Pat & Marc,who had good presence and were very funny.

And last but not least, the blower bass himself who has definately put an end to the interrogation: yes, 11 years later he still can pound any mother fucker into the ground

Blacky, thank you so much my big brother, you made me very happy.

Thanks for the kind words Skulhed, it was nice meeting you. Too bad i couldn't make it to the front with you, but my knees and back are killing me these days.

Oh, and of course thanks to Nia for the the fun and giggles and letting me drink her beer
(ok, so now you know the truth Skul)

tribal conviction 240x180

1. He is sharp-witted and perceptive and intellectually alert, like many of the best artists I've met.
2. He was very patient with Texan fans and some of the Americans and Mexicans that were milling about, taking time to explain and understand.
3. His stage performance was incredible and technical ability magnificent.

If such a gig happens again, I might fly over from the UK just to see it. In fact, if the opening 'Vod tour is overseas, I might just head out on the highway and take a leap over the pond to see them.

Thanks Blacky for posting that Video!
I see you lost the Tie. lol!

Skulhed...Great review of your experience!
Funny! Thanks for posting that.
Hope you have fully recovered.

Looking forward to more Video (Maybe for Sale?)

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Originally posted by Ynys Trebes:
Seeing Blacky with the blower bass gave me chills... exactly like ol' times but without the air... and maybe just a few pounds more

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ROTFL! Hey, you're banned now Ynys! Bwahahaha (Et b'en non, Blacky pas 'raqué' il prend son viagra. )

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Originally posted by manipulator:
I was really impressed. Dan was like a curly piggy ! Man this guy can PLAY

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A curly piggy, heh heh. Yup, that's why he wasn't allowed to touch my guitar. I don't want my guitar to know that it will never reach its full potential. Poor little thing lives in blissful ignorance. I agree prozak, Dan does seem like a smartie.