LIVE! | Volbeat

by Franco Cerchiari
– Sr. Columnist —

Volbeat blasted their way into Utah’s capitol city on a warm and perfect September evening and rocked their way through almost 90 minutes of their blend of Thrash, Metal, Hillbilly and Punk. The venue, tucked into the west side of Salt Lake City, was open, spacious, and filled to near capacity with a few hundred people jumping, screaming, singing at the top of their lungs and time and again throwing the “devil horns” up in approval as Michael Poulsen and company played their best-known songs. The light show was incredible. Strobes, lasers, and pulsating spinning lights of every color kept time with each song, and the result was one remarkable showing.

The opening act, Killswitch Engage (who did an absolutely killer cover of the sorely missed Ronnie James Dio classic “Holy Diver”) warmed up the audience nicely, and after what seemed to be an extended period of tearing down KE gear to prepare for Volbeat’s show, the opening song “The Devil’s Bleeding Crown,” from their newest release, Seal the Deal and Let’s Boogie quickly got things pumping, and they were off. Without missing a beat, the band dove right into the next song “Heaven Nor Hell,” with again that extraordinary light show keeping everyone’s attention affixed to the sounds and sights of what was happening before them. “I Only Want To Be With You,” came next, but Michael’s numerous growls as heard on Live From Beyond Hell / Above Heaven release on this night was left out and truly missed, as those growls really allowed Volbeat to make that song all their own.

Following a tribute to the legendary Johnny Cash by playing an acoustic version of “Ring Of Fire,” Volbeat guitarist Rob Caggiano was finally given a chance to shine as midway through the next song, “Sad Man’s Tongue,” Caggiano let loose and tore up the neck of his guitar and again the audience roared with approval. It must be said though that only a few times throughout the course of the concert did Rob get the chance to play the 6-string like only he can, but when that time was allowed, he made the most use of it. “Lola Montez” was next, and was really a standout, and the give and take between Michael and new bassist Kasper Larsen (who recently replaced long-time member Anders Kjolholm) heard on the following song “Gates of Babylon,” showed just how connected Michael can be with not only the audience but also his band mates.

The music went quiet for just a few minutes as Michael yelled out to the audience, “Do you like Satan? Do you like Slayer?” From there the thought was that Volbeat would cover a Slayer classic, but instead what came was some riffs and chords. An absolutely amazing display of fiery red strobes and lasers came when the band began “The Bliss,” their newest single. After that song ended, the stage went dark for a moment and from there somber lighting came up as fog blanketed the stage as Michael stated “this next song is for those who have passed on everywhere,” as a guitar began the introduction to “Goodbye Forever,” also from their latest release. After that song closed, things again went somber as a tribute to the late, great Lemmy with Michael giving touching words to one of Metal’s true standouts came but quickly the stage exploded with lights as “Mirror and the Ripper” came within earshot.

After leaving the stage for a few moments as the crowd started a loud chant of “Volbeat, Volbeat, Volbeat” came through loud and clear, the band returned to play a trio of encores with “Black Rose,” “Seal The Deal,” and finally “Doc Holliday,” with again Rob being given a chance to showcase his guitar talents.

But… it was the closing song that really made for a memorable evening. And, sad to say not in the best way. With the time being almost 10:30 PM, Volbeat brought onto the stage some 15-20 kids, some being pre-teenagers, and looked to be no more than 9-12 years old, and singing along to one of Volbeat’s most loved songs, “Still Counting,” The line in the song “counting all the assholes in the room, I’m definitely not alone, well I’m not alone…” is a great line and shows how committed Volbeat is to wanting to connect with us, their fans, hearing young kids shout out the word “asshole” left for a slant of the head, and leaving the venue many of the adults showed disdain for hearing little ones shout out that word.

Sadly missing from Volbeat’s set was “Fallen,” “Thanks,” “Another Day, Another Way,” “Hallelujah Goat,” “We,” “Light A Way,” and “The Sinner Is You,” all of which can be counted as some of Volbeat’s best songs. But it is understood that a band has to pick and choose the songs to play, and not every song can be played at every concert. However, “Fallen” is such an extraordinary song, that not hearing it was a true letdown.

All in all, a terrific concert, and it can be said that a lot of care, time and dedication to putting on an astonishing light show was a monstrous part of the concert. The band did look tired, but the songs heard were great, and any chance to see Volbeat live is counted as a blessing. Let’s hope they come back to Salt Lake City and give us more.

Official website: http://www.volbeat.dk/us/