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Rating: We all know what unfortunately happened at the Heineken Jammin Festival 2007, tricks of nature that this time targeted the rock crowd. As a result of the disaster, the other days featuring big names like Aerosmith, Vasco Rossi, Smashing Pumpkins, etc., will not be held (not to mention the 15th when the American Pearl Jam were headlining, preceded by famous Linkin Park, The Killers, and My Chemical Romance). I was lucky enough to attend the day on the 14th, and I must say that I had more fun than ever, an exceptional lineup made up of great and excellent names in the metal scene, including obviously my favorite band, that live war machine known as Iron Maiden, but let's proceed in order.
The festival kicked off with the winners of the Heineken Jammin Festival 2007 Contest, the Idols Are Dead (Rating: 6.5), a cute group, quite pleasant to listen to, that, after their time ended, gave way to the most recommended rocker of all time, Lauren Harris (Rating: 5), daughter of Steve Harris, bassist and leader of Maiden, and creator of such bland and senseless hard/pop/rock that it makes you really ask "is this mini-Avril Lavigne really the daughter of the great Steve?" The answer is yes. Nevertheless, the singer's stage presence is excellent from a physical viewpoint (she is truly a beautiful girl), but musically she leaves much to be desired (and I will have to endure her again on June 20 in Rome... alas).
After Harris's performance, the first "real" metal bands began to take the stage. The Mastodon (Rating: 7.5) were indeed very good, undoubtedly one of the best revelations in heavy music in recent years, managing to engage both themselves and their powerful and "refined" sound, starting with "Iron Tusk" and ending with "Blood N' Thunder", going through the various "March", "The Wolf Is Loose", "Crystal Skull", or "Megaloon", certainly the highlights of a truly exciting and passionate performance, very well done, hat off to them! The same goes for the Domine (Rating: 7.5), an Italian formation of classic heavy/epic metal with traces of prog. Their singer created a connection with the audience, and it's with them that I started to descend into the mosh pit, with great tracks like the opener (preceded by some sort of intro) "Thunderstrom" or "The Aquilonia Suite" or the finale "Defenders" were truly appreciated, both by me and my friends present there.
But the real heating up, as at a heavy metal concert, only starts with the arrival of Stone Sour (Rating: 8+), whom I'll discuss more in depth. The highlight of the formation remains Corey Taylor a real stage animal, who agitates, screams, and incites the crowd, the same can be said for the recent acquisition Roy Mayorga on drums, already with Soulfly and Sepultura, who added that touch of heaviness and extra that works well live, despite the fact that the acoustics of this June 14, 2007, were not exactly optimal. They opened with the telluric "30-30/150" and the crowd went wild, continuing with a fairly classic set list with the title track of the splendid latest album "Come What(ever) May". Also from the same album is the excellent "Made of Scars". The Slipknot-esque "Reborn" then raises adrenaline levels to 1000 before calming down with the more relaxed and grunge-like "Inhale", their debut from 2001. However, it's worth noting that Corey with short hair has lost a bit of that scenic touch that distinguished him, both with Slipknot and in previous gigs with Stone Sour, he would do well to grow it back surely. After "Your God" and "Monolith", Corey grabs his guitar and plays the ballad "Through Glass", a big hit from the latest release, quite convincing live, before going hard again with the final songs "Blotter", "Hell & Consequences", and the closing "Get Inside", a great Slipknot-style track from the first album. What else to say? Stone Sour performed admirably even though, as already mentioned, the acoustics and sounds were not the best.
On the other hand, there is little to say about Slayer (Rating: 9), they practically had no flaws for a performance that was infernal and destructive. The American band, in its original lineup, put on a chilling and bruising concert, because if you weren't sturdy in the "Slayer" pit, you'd definitely come out with bruises and marks, always great and a band to love unconditionally that continues for years to play great classics like "South of Heaven", "Raining Blood", "War Ensemble", or "Dead Skin Mask". Attention also to the latest "Christ Illusion" with the execution of "Cult" and "Jihad", also the great "Bloodline" was stunning. In short, Tom Araya, Kerry King, Jeff Hanneman, and Dave Lombardo (abuser of his drumkit) rocked, and it would be foolish to admit otherwise.
And then finally the band everyone was 99.99 percent there for takes the stage, the Iron Maiden (Rating: 10, it seems obvious). They start strong with "Different World", an opener that is a guarantee and is halfway between classic Maiden-style and early Thin Lizzy, a song that rocks live. They continue closely with other extracts from "A Matter of Life And Death" with the excellent "These Colours Don't Run" and "Brighter Than A Thousand Suns", the latter magnificent. But do not worry, they will not perform the entire "A Matter..." as during the December tour that drew quite a bit of criticism. In fact, they play the magnificent "Wratchild", followed by the inevitable and anthemic "The Trooper", then they go for a first retrieval with the mystical and beautiful "Children Of The Damned" included in the setlist of this "A Matter Of The Beast Tour" to celebrate the 25th anniversary of that masterpiece, "The Number Of The Beast". They return to the recent past with more extracts from "AMOLAD" with the rocking "The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg" and the long and epic "For The Greater Good Of God". This ends the "A Matter" chapter and from there it will then be a triumph of classics with "The Number Of The Beast", the sing-along "Fear of The Dark", the very famous "Run To The Hills" (how could it be missing?), and the ancient "Iron Maiden" (the only track from the debut album) during which there's Eddie as a tank, since a Maiden concert is not only music but also a screenplay and everything that surrounds great music. The proposed encores are the acclaimed "2 Minutes To Midnight", the always welcome "The Evil That Men Do" (the usual stilt-walking soldier Eddie appears during this song) and the electrifying closing "Hallowed Be Thy Name", unbeatable! Always and forever UP THE IRONS!
In conclusion, I would like to wish a speedy recovery to the injured on the 15th and for the disappointed ones of the other days, I hope the tickets get refunded. Personally, I was lucky, I repeat, and very satisfied with this Heineken Jammin' Festival that started so well but ended in such an abrupt and decidedly unpleasant way!
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