Part II
Saturday at Psycho Las Vegas was no less impressive and perhaps the best single day of the fest band for band, especially if you were still able to stand after the first few days. Starting off with the public première of the Melvins documentary, The Colossus Of Destiny, followed by a Q & A by the director, Bob Hannam; this set the tone for the day.
The early day action if you caught it was kicked off by Highlands and Family, happily active again the last few years. Then starting with the magical Subrosa, the other stages sprang to life. Bands like Mondo Drag, Demon Lung and Dirty Streets played at Vinyl, while Boris performed all of Pink, and High on Fire followed that up with a great performance and a typically shirtless Matt Pike.
Meanwhile for the first time all weekend, bands competed against each other with a slight overlap. Bongripper, Lumerians, and Jucifer; all can’t misses in our book, played opposite a headline set from Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats. Just damn.
Blue Öyster Cult and Electric Wizard made a formidable 1-2 punch to close up Saturday while Acid King and the much hyped Death Alley ended the pool side side while A Storm Of Light ended the day at Vinyl.
Sunday at Psycho Las Vegas was a day of eclecticism, legendary names, and hidden gems to be seen. Danava, Tombstones, and Mantar could all be future headline type bands for this fest in a few years. Meanwhile the main stage at the joint filled up for heavy hitters such as Fu Manchu, Dead Meadow, Candlemass, Baroness, and Sleep all pounded sand into glass with the heat of their riffs. No less crucial, performances from ASG, Lycus, Witch Mountain, Midnight, Mars Red Sky, Lo-Pan, Valkyrie, and the rarely seen Fireball Ministry all by themselves would have been worth the price of the ticket.
The big finish to the weekend, and a “we’re not worthy” one was Alice Cooper. There is really is nothing else like an Alice Cooper headline show, and it’s almost painfully obviously that the Coop has no intention of slowing down. He shames most other bands nightly with his stage show crafted over 45+ years. If you weren’t here for it, then you missed out. If you were, than just nod appropriately and smile. We’ll see you next year Psycho Fest, wherever you may be! Thanks again Hillarie Jason for the killer shots!
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PSYCHO LAS VEGAS REVIEW PART I