Well, I didn’t get to check out the Dimebag guitars beforehand, but I just went the next day (as I’ve already mentioned). And we didn’t get there in time to see Pitbull Daycare, which was a disappointment for me. I was looking forward to seeing them. I THINK I saw them one time at Sneakers, but I saw so many bands at Sneakers that I can’t really keep track. Anyway, I’ve been wanting to catch them (again?) for a while now and thought this was finally my chance, but no such luck.
The Revolting Cocks were just coming on as we approached Sunset Station. Unfortunately, by the time we got our tickets, got through the gates, grabbed some beverages and got up near the stage, the third song was over. So due to the accursed “first 3 songs” rule, I didn’t get any pictures of The Revolting Cocks. (I think Suzi of Suzi’s Rock Page did, but I don’t think she has them up yet...but you might check in there for photos.)
Until I saw them, I knew nothing about The Revolting Cocks but the name. I wasn’t sure what to expect. From the name, I kinda expected a hardcore punk metal band with maybe some cool obscene shit going on. It was nothing like that. Their sound was kind of like a less heavy Ministry. Like, where I’d call Ministry industrial metal, this band was industrial rock. Not quite as heavy as Ministry...but with the industrial sound and the jamming on a single riff kinda thing. Also a tad bit of a hip-hop sound now and then.
As I understand it, The Revolting Cocks are actually a side project of Ministry, with at least one of the Ministry members being in both bands. Indeed they did share a guitarist. But I don’t know much more about it than that.
And they were funny! The main singer was wearing a tuxedo and carrying, and often singing or shouting through, a megaphone. There were two guys who provided some vocals, whose other job seemed to be running around acting silly (which is fine with me...more of a “show” to watch). At one point, one of them climbed up on the speaker stacks, lay on his belly and pretended to be swimming. Some great guitar. Oh, and a cool chick bass player...always good to see a girl jamming her butt off!
One of the high points of the show was a version of Rod Stewart’s “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” (No, really!) complete with one of the aforementioned silly guys jumping around the stage dressed up as a large penis (or I guess in this case, a revolting cock). Another was during the encore, when the singer walked out in a slip and gloves and told a story about getting hit on by guys at a highway rest stop, and couldn’t figure out why they thought he was one of “them.” Okay, it was funnier when he told it...you have to picture a guy in a slip and...oh, never mind.
Anyway, short break, while they played stuff like Elvis and Eric Clapton, which we found odd, but we sang along anyway, lol!
Then....Ministry.
My main thought during Ministry was that I should have been in an “altered state.” I almost wish I did X, but I don’t do that. I didn’t even drink any beer, but I wish I had, because you really should enjoy Ministry with no inhibitions, where you can just let loose and let yourself flow to the rhythms. The I-had-drank-caffeine-all-day-and-was-drinking-more vibe is really not quite the right vibe for a Ministry concert. But that’s the state I was in...so be it.
Anyhow, the right mood notwithstanding, I did very much enjoy the show. All the microphone stands and the front of the drum kit are decorated with bones. The singer’s mic takes the form of a cross, with bones on the front, which he holds onto most of the time by the sidearms of the cross, and leans back and forth on, giving the impression of a hellion on a motorcycle, the sides of the cross being the handlebars.
Of course, I was waiting for my favorite Ministry song, “Stigmata”, which they performed during the second encore...I was starting to wonder if they would do it! But of course, they must perform that one! We actually had people slam-dancing in the VIP section....which is unusual. The people in that section usually tend to be much more “dignified” than that...but I thought it was pretty cool! I just backed up so I didn’t get slammed!
The highlight of the show for me was seeing a woman who was bound to a wheelchair, with what I would guess was crippling arthritis, who found the strength, with the help of her companion and the railing, to pull herself up so she could see and jam along. It just proved to me what music means to people and the strength that it gives to our souls.
