Phil Anselmo represents so much to your average American metalhead, and yet he has straddled many divides and been part of many things besides the late,always lamented Pantera. On this rowdy night, Phil was in fine shape and commanded the crowd, fired up by the significance of the day and the sheer fun of it as well. “Lifer” was dedicated to the late Dimebag Darrell and was just one of many powerhouse moments of a set that turned the crowd into a surging mass.

The best part of the show was that, as good as the bands were, there was patriotism in the air without people being assholes. You could have Pepper Keenan and the Melvins sing the national anthem at the end of the Melvins disgustingly aggressive and brain twisting set and the crowd chanting “U.S.A.” later on to an equal level of acceptance, all social opinions aside.

Pre-show, Down treated a small group of fans who had signed up for a reasonable V.I.P. package (all things included considered) to a sound check and meet and greet. Drummer Jimmy Bower, also of Eyehategod, actually came out and stood in the line with us as people waited to come in and security told us that, “If you try to give the band drugs you will be arrested.” Apparently there was some corporate sponsorship involved in the meet and greet, and several people slinked off line. Once inside, Pepper Keenan came off the stage and played right next to the fans at sound check while the band goofed and then tore into “Rehab” (not featured in the evening’s performance later on) from the first Down record NOLA. It was awesome to see Pepper a few feet away with a wireless American Flag hollow body tearing it up! During the meet and greet Phil and Kirk both said, at the same time, that my photographer friend Rachel smelled nice, and they looked at each other sharply in surprise, which was hysterical.

By show time, the crowd had filed in and we witnessed the awesome, sludgy potent brew of Weedeater. The trio are disgusting and grimy live with vocals that sound like someone ate a bottle of Jack Daniels and gargled with the bloody, broken glass and whiskey fumes. Gotta love any band that has a record called And Justice For Y’all as well. Their set was confident and powerful and maybe even the loudest of the night, unusual for an opener. It felt the loudest, anyway. Their cover of “Gimme Back My Bullets” remains crucial and rad.

The Melvins took the stage and it was the first time I’d seen them with the Big Business boys combining with Buzz and Dale to create a two drum set beast of gargantuan might. Their set was incredible, mixing many eras of the band seamlessly, from the stomp of Houdini’s “Hooch” to new songs like “Kicking Machine” and the stadium worthy melodic roar of Billy Fish (their best song of the night). They even busted out “The Bit” from Stag which I haven’t seen them play live in years as well as “Anaconda” and “Zodiak”, both of which have some of the surliest and undeniable slow and heavy riffs in metal/punk history. It was awesome of Down to bring out the Melvins and to insist on fans recognizing how influential they are and even to Down’s own development. It is also funny that people coming off this tour are gonna go pick up Chicken Switch, the new remix CD of Melvins' tunes by electronic and noise artists and be like “WTF!?”. Yet another in an endless series of twists and turns. Buzzo thanked the crowd for coming and expressed pleasure at being here on a special day and yet also did not lose any of his polished snide side. The band dominated, with “The Talking Horse” rolling out of the speakers like a storm front.

Down, as mentioned earlier, ruled from top to bottom. They opened with “Eyes Of The South” and never looked back. Kirk Windstein proved how his Crowbar sludge really adds the most balls to the band, with riffing that makes you feel like you could keep walking forever through any obstacle. His interplay with Keenan and the soloing were invigorating. Anselmo commanded the stage and despite the absence of Down/Pantera bassist Rex, they were no less business than usual.

At one point Anselmo hysterically called Windstein “Kimbo Joel” for his looks and bear-man beard. “Losing All” took on powerful depth even years after the 9/11 attacks and “Ghosts Along The Mississippi” was brutal. Despite the fact that it could have been an anthem for perseverance, the band opted against playing “On March The Saints”, though it flashed on the marquis outside. Instead, they treated us to an already much discussed and totally bitchin’ version of Van Halen’s “Aint Talkin’ Bout Love”, which everyone was stunned to witness and sent the room into an inferno of bloody joy and screaming. Phil yelling at Kirk to play the guitar solo and Weindstein doing it during Phil’s “Hey, Hey,Hey” section was priceless and awesome.

Snake Sabo from Skid Row came out and stunned the crowd on “Bury Me In Smoke” for the final song of the encore, and we were left in a daze. It was invigorating and proof that Phil is back in top form. Down and all of the bands on the bill are lifers who we are really lucky to have remind us of the true reach and scope of heavy music and that being stubborn can be the best way to survive.