December 5, 2009 - Vegas

I left my house at 4am; took a 1 hour flight to London at 6am; wandered around Heathrow Airport for 3 hours; took a 9 hour flight to Chicago; saw as much of Chicago as I could; and then took a 3.5 hour flight to Vegas. From leaving my house to arriving in Vegas took a total of 26 hours. I was wrecked, but when I met Yuri and Matt just after the Bellagio fountain had played the "Ecstacy of Gold," they suggested a few drinks before calling it a night. Who was I to reject such a kind offer? We drank and talked for a few hours with Mark, Melinda and Lee until the novelty of the oversized boobs on the waitress couldn’t keep us there anymore.

Lose your virginity at Glitter Gulch

The next day was mainly filled with wandering around Vegas. Lauren had joined our group by then. We got to see what Vegas looks like without the lights. Along with winning $130 on the Wheel of Fortune, Vegas was everything I had hoped it was: tacky and revolting. I would’ve been disappointed if it was any other way. I had gotten feck-all sleep in the past I-don’t-know-how-many-days due to the time difference, but I was somehow running on excitement. That night, we headed to a club owned by Jerry Cantrell and Scott Ian for a party organized by the chapterhead of So Cal Up Your Ass (SCUYA) - Iz. Fair play to the man, it was a lot of fun and must’ve taken some organizing! The whole night was filled with debauchery, from the cheap whiskey-cokes, to the exceptional strippers next door (“Hi, my name is Phoenix...like the city!”). It was definitely the perfect precursor to the big rock show the following day.

Louis, who seems to have grown an extra pair of hands, at Times Square

Brad not too happy about meeting his twin

Brad is still upset...

Scott Ian and a drunk Irishman

The queue was long from the early hours, apparently, and it stretched to a point where it was blocking anybody from getting past to go on their (non-metal) merry way. This was no ordinary line, as rumours began to spread like wildfire. There was only one thing on everybody's lips.... Brad had lost his hat in the stripclub. Virginia Fuel was well represented by Dawn and Joie at the front, but after Joie threatened to beat me up, I decided to leave her be. Virginia Fuel for life, baby! We also met Dadley Brier’s long lost brother in line! Ron came to join us as we told him about last night's events, then left before the mad dash to the front.

Robb Flynn (of Machine Head) came over before the show started; he had remembered me from the January shows and some euro shows too, which was feckin deadly! Volbeat, Machine Head and Metallica on one bill promised to "kick some most righteous ass" (still trying to fit in) but unfortunately, the sound wasn’t the best for any of the bands. The coolest thing, however, was "Fade to Black" complete with acoustic intro. It sounds just like the album version and adds that little something extra to the song too. Despite some sound issues, the whole show rocked as usual.

Setlist:

That Was Just Your Life
The End Of The Line
Ride The Lightning
The Memory Remains
Fade To Black
Broken, Beat And Scarred
Cyanide
Sad But True
One
All Nightmare Long
The Day That Never Comes
Master Of Puppets
Fight Fire With Fire
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman
- - - - - - - -
Die, Die My Darling
Whiplash
Seek and Destroy

I was wired, and the after show merriments had a lot to live up to after the immense partying of the night before. I was hoping to finally have a pint with the legendary Mick Cassidy, who started growing a beard in 2006 and didn’t cut it until Metallica released their new album, before being by shaved Hetfield himself at HQ. Unfortunately the man had to leave early, so after our group went our separate ways, Ron, Lauren and I drank until the early hours of the morning at the Hard Rock Hotel. The night ended with a triple threat Battle Royale between Ron, myself and Hogan, as we fought hard to make Hogan say uncle (or something else... I can't remember.) As I tapped out, the behemoths continued to wage war on each other, resulting in bruised and broken bones and phones. Not a pretty sight.

But my final day in America allowed me time to reflect on the awesome time I had over the course of the entire year, and how lucky I was to have experienced it all. While hardcore Europeans concert goers will always question the American crowd’s dedication due to their rather more relaxed reactions, parallels can definitely be drawn when it comes to passion; whether it’s being in the middle of Athenians on the verge of tears at the opening riff of every song, or being around people just standing there taking it all in like in Washington, DC. These American shows were just as fun, and the people I met have gone from tour buddies, to good friends.

You can be sure, that when the next batch of U.S. shows are announced, I’ll definitely be back for more. I just hope that I can fit it in... (That’s what she said.)