As we were leaving after the show, my youngest son asked me, “Who is the greatest front man of all time? Freddie Mercury, or Rob Halford?” Some guy walking near us said, “Did you just ask who the gayest front man of all time is?”

I mainly went to this for my youngest son, the thrash-metalhead. We took his friend as well as my oldest son and his friend. Four teenage boys stuffed into a Toyota Corolla always makes for a fun car ride.

We got there right about 5pm, and the show started at 5:30. Once we got done being molested by security we went right up to the lawn. The venue is large and the lawn is huge. The sun hadn’t gone down yet so it was hard to see anything—the sun sets right behind the stage. I found a spot to sit and didn’t move through all of Testament.

I’ve seen them recently at a small venue as headliners and much preferred that show. I basically sat and stared at people for their set because the sun was glaring if I looked toward the stage. At least this time the singer didn’t mouth off as much as he did before. What is it with metal bands and the constant talking? There were a lot of older people there. Always fun to see gray-haired men and fat old ladies rocking out.

My oldest son and his friend went over to a mosh pit that formed as soon as the band started playing, but it was really hot still so they didn’t join in for long.

After Testament my youngest and I decided to brave the merch line. It took forever, people cutting in line, etc. A woman next to me spilled her Rock Star energy drink all over my foot. Fortunately I was wearing rubber flip flops and could go rinse off in the bathroom. (I swear I’m a magnet for liquid at shows. I’ve had beer both spilled on me and spit all over me at different times.) Motorhead started playing while we were still in line.

During Motorhead the crowd had filled in a bit more so I went way back on the lawn where there were only a few people sitting and sat on the grass. The sun hadn’t quite gone down yet so I still couldn’t see anything. Lemmy was sort of talkative and introduced the band at one point. The drummer did a big long drum solo which my boys said was the best drum solo of the night (oh yes, there were more in store, never doubt).

Both Testament and Motorhead kept their sets pretty short. By the time Heaven and Hell came on, the sun had set and the large viewing screens were on. I remained sitting for most of their set and just watched the show on the screens. I couldn’t see the stage without standing up, which might block the view of the screens for people behind me, and besides, they looked like ants.

For those who don’t know, Heaven and Hell are basically Black Sabbath with Dio singing rather than Ozzy.

They did:

Mob Rules
Children of the Sea
I
The Sign of the Southern Cross
Drum solo
Time Machine
Falling Off The Edge of the World
Die Young
Heaven and Hell
–
Neon Nights

Dio is kind of funny. He seems so polite and proper (”Don’t do this, but the title is—Die Young”) and then he opens his mouth to sing and out comes all this metal. He likes to introduce songs by mentioning what album they’re from. He called their album Dehumanizer one of the most underrated albums of all time. He said they discovered the words “Southern Cross” when they were in Australia and someone suggested they write a song called that, so they did. (I guess they’ve never heard of CSNY?)

The drum kit was so big the drummer had to get up and walk around during his drum solo to access all of it. The gong was my favorite part.

“Whenever we do this one, we expect you to sing along, and you always do, and you’re magnificent. This one is—HEAVEN AND HELL!”

They did an encore. My kids were surprised but I was expecting it. “We’ll do this one because this is what you are to us: NEON NIGHTS!”

There were at least three mosh pits going on the lawn. Two on either side and one in the middle. The two on either side had fires going in the center. At one point I saw someone hauling a tree limb through the crowd, heading towards one of the mosh pits. There were smoke bombs and firecrackers as well. At another point I saw security wheeling an empty wheelchair across the lawn. Then a minute later they came back, with someone in it.

From where I was way back in the lawn it seemed like the crowd thinned out just a little after Heaven and Hell.

Judas Priest had a cool set. There were risers in the back, with the drum set on the middle platform. To each side of the drum set were platforms with stairs leading up to them. When the show opened with “Prophecy,” Rob Halford was on the left platform dressed in a silver metallic hooded wizard robe. He sang the entire song from up there, then the platform lowered into the floor and he disappeared. Only to reappear from behind doors in the space under the drumset.

Set list:

Prophecy
Metal Gods
Eat Me Alive
Between the Hammer and the Anvil
Devil’s Child
Breaking the Law
Dissident Agressor
Angel of Retribution
(I went to the restroom here and missed a song)
Rock Hard Ride Free
Painkiller
–
Hellbent For Leather
–
Vocal gymnastics
You Got Another Thing Comin’

I appreciated that Halford wasn’t very chatty. He kept referring to the crowd as metalheads. Throughout the show his costume slowly changed as he kept removing things. He introduced “Breaking the Law” by spitting out repeatedly, “Breaking the WHAT?” and the crowd would yell “LAW!” At one point he took some big red flags up onto each platform and after swinging them around a bit he posted them there. Probably the gayest thing he did all night.

I have to say, if I could ever find an old beer-bellied bald gay guy sexy, it’d be Halford.

“Painkiller” is a sick song. They left the stage after it, and then all you heard was a motorcycle engine revving. Halford appeared in the space under the drumset on his bike and rode it out onto the stage and they launched into “Hellbent For Leather.” The band left the stage again and then Halford did a bunch of vocal phrases for the crowd to repeat. “Yeah, yeah-yeah, yeah” and stuff like that. At the end he said “You guys win.”

They closed with my favorite song, “You Got Another Thing Comin.” It was rad.

We started filing out with the crowd and as we were on the hill heading down to the parking lot someone in the lot lit off some big ol’ fireworks, which was cool.

Unfortunately we had to wait about an hour for the lot to clear of cars before our car could even move.

Fortunately some drunk people parked next to us decided to alleviate our boredom by getting into a fight.

Then I took a wrong turn heading home and we ended up in Moreno Valley before I realized we were heading the wrong way. Didn’t get home until 2:30 or so. I’m happy I went though. I mean, it’s Judas Priest.