The Brainfart’s Top 10 Shows of 2012

10 best shows2012 was a very memorable year for concerts for me.  This year saw me hitting over 30 shows ranging from local acts to full on arena status bands.  Each show created an unforgettable memory and made me realize that this was a really magical year for seeing shows.  Just when I didn’t think that anything could beat 2011, 2012 was the year that my face got melted more times than any year before this one.

Iron Maiden, at least three Kyng shows, Graveyard, seeing Brave and While Heaven Wept for the first time, and countless other experiences made 2012 the year of all years so far.  It was so damn near impossible to whittle my list to the 10 best shows this year but this list practically wrote itself.

Listed below are 10 of the greatest live performances this year.  Each so made an impact on me on many levels: musical, emotional, and at times even spiritual.  These were the shows where I felt like I was getting more than a show; I was getting an experience.  These shows were the best of the best and I can only hope that you were there to witness any or all of these performances.  If not, well read about them and wish that you were.

maiden england-alic ecooper-SHOW OF THE YEAR
Iron Maiden/Alice Cooper
June 23, 2012
Atlanta, GA
Lakewood Amphitheater

When you’re Iron Maiden and Alice Cooper on the same night, you can pretty much guarantee yourselves the top spot on the Brainfart’s Top 10 Shows of 2012. What can be said about this show that isn’t obvious? Alice and his kick ass band (featuring Oriatnthi on guitar. Swoon.) opened the show with a flawless set that had the entire amphitheater crowd on their feet and pledging their allegiance to the man himself as he hit us all with classics such as “Black Widow”, “School’s Out”, and even more recent classics such as “Poison” and “Hey Stoopid.” A tough crowd to impress but he did so with all the ease that only Alice Cooper can pull off.

Iron Maiden’s replication of their classic 1988 Seventh Son of a Seventh Son tour was without a doubt my favorite Iron Maiden tour to date and also the single best performance I’ve seen Iron Maiden give. Opening with “Moonchild” totally set the pace while Maiden delivered punch after punch with my personal highlights being the epic title track Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (complete with Eddie writing in a book and the giant candles on each side of him) and a facemelting delivery of one of my all time favorites “Afraid to Shoot Strangers.” This was a REAL fans treat and not for the casual fan by any means since they were the ones that did all the bitching about this tour.

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graveyard2012ustourposterGraveyard
January 21, 2012
Atlanta, GA
The Masquerade (Hell)

Without a doubt the most anticipated live show of 2012… until Iron Maiden announced their tour. Trust me, Iron Maiden was the ONLY show that could come close to touching this massively facemelting show. Graveyard made it completely worth the wait when they play in Hell (appropriate eh?) delivering a powerful, energetic, and soulful performance to the sold out venue. The set list pulled the best of the best from both their self titled debut and the follow up album Hisingin Blues. The audience was so stoked to see Graveyard and you could tell that this was a gracious crowd giving the band back everything that they were giving us. This was just one of those shows where it was like lightning captured in a bottle. I’m just glad I was there to be part of that bottle’s contents.

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anthrax-testa-flyer2Anthrax/Testament/Death Angel
February 2, 2012
Atlanta, GA
The Tabernacle

For the second time, I managed to miss Death Angel. I had been interviewing Anthrax guitarist Rob Caggiano but I did get back in time to see Testament absolutely annihilate the Tabernacle. It was so awesome to see so many people so pumped to see Testament who put on one of the strongest sets I have seen them put on in well over 20 years. Anthrax had some issues on this tour with a family tragedy in the Frank Bello/Charlie Bennante camp. Instead of folding in on the tour, they called in the reserves. Gene Hoglan (Testament) pulled double duty playing drums for Anthrax and Armored Saint bassist Joey Vera came in on a last minutes notice to fill in for Frank Bello. The end result was jaw droppingly amazing. The band didn’t miss a single fucking beat or note and this crowd was even more pumped as if they knew the band could use the extra love. This was one of the most memorable and, to be honest, heartfelt Anthrax performances I have ever seen.

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2012RivalSonsParisBoxPress061212Rival Sons
January 14, 2012
Atlanta, GA
The Tabernacle
(supporting Evanescence)

Roots based rockers Rival Sons were next to non-existent here in the US (even being from LA)since the release of their last album Pressure and Time. The band toured relentlessly around Europe as headliners and then got tapped as the opening act for, of all bands, Evanescence. That bill came to the US and not only was I eager to see Rival Sons but I was curious to see just how these roots rockers would go over with the mostly teenaged emo/goth crowd. Right off the bat the band came out firing on all cylinders with “Torture” and for an hour didn’t let up one tiny bit. Seeing these little goth girls losing their shit was like watching teenage girls seeing The Beatles or Led Zeppelin for the first time. It was like musical sex for these kids and at the same time, it was a real treat for the parents who had been dragged out of the den by these kids to see a goth/emo band. Moms and dads nodding their heads and smiling was something priceless to see. You could just see the pleasant surprise in their faces as one of them looked at his kid and yelled over the music, “See? Now THIS is great music.” You said it pops!

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lacuna_coil_dark_legacy_tourLacuna Coil
May 5, 2012
Atlanta, GA
The Masquerade (Heaven)

Lacuna Coil’s Dark Legacy tour was a tour geared totally to the bands diehard fanbase. Taking a lesson or two from Iron Maiden, Lacuna Coil listened to the fans and gave them the tour that basically said “thank you for being a fan all these years.” The two hour, high energy set was comprised of two full on electric sets and an acoustic middle set that had the band taking it down a few notches to laugh, tell stories, and show that they indeed have the ability to work outside of the box and do something really special. Comprised of a nice mix of songs spanning Lacuna Coil’s 15 year career, the set included such fan favorites/rarities such as “Senzafine”, “To Live is to Hide”, and “1:19.” The band gave everything they had and as a huge fan I can say that this was a truly magical experience. Lacuna Coil definitely put their money where their mouths are proving that they are indeed a “fans band” and that they are a band that the fans can always count on for a memorable concert experience.

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pathfinderPathfinder Metalfest IV
(featuring: Draekon, Machinage, Brave, Lorenguard, Void of Reason, Theocracy, While Heaven Wept)
July 7, 2012
Marietta, GA
120 Music Hall

Marietta isn’t usually the first place I think of when I think of going to see an awesome concert but The Pathfinder Metalfest IV was one of those shows. I’m not a huge fan of smaller festival type shows as there are usually way more crappy bands than good bands. This time around proved me to open myself up a bit. I was more excited to see DC based prog metalers Brave more than anything so that alone along with While Heaven Wept was worth the price of admission. I ended up leaving that show with three new fave bands (Draekon, Machinage, and Lorengard), an “on the fence” attitude about one band (Theocracy), and still not liking one other band after seeing them for the 2nd time (Void of Reason). For the $15.00 ticket price this show was well worth what I paid and even more so. The show was extremely well organized and despite my thoughts on a couple of them, every band seemed to be giving 100% and having a great time which made me as an audience member more than happy to be there. Brave ruled all though! Just had to say that.

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UStourThe Devil’s Blood (05/02/2012)
May 2, 2012
Atlanta, GA
The Masquerade
(supporting Watain and Behemoth)

Seeing The Devil’s Blood was one of the most memorable concert experiences of my life. I was asked to cover this band for a friend and because of their name I didn’t even listen to a single note by them but jumped at the opportunity. I really wanted the challenge. I chose to go to the show cold and without bias. When the band took the stage covered head to toe in blood, I literally got a chill feeling like I was going to hear death metal but all of the sudden this classic/psychedelic triple guitar riffage came from the PA and brought a huge smile to my face. Lead vocalist Farida Lemouch emerged from the shadows with a voice so soulful yet hauntingly eerie and powerful. Their 30 minute, three song set was surreal yet ambient and beautiful. Just by looking around I could see that the audience was completely entranced by this band and that connection had been made. It’s a rare thing to see by a band that most people aren’t even aware of so one can only imagine the sheer power behind this band’s performance. The Devil’s Blood, even if you aren’t behind their spiritual beliefs or practices, is a band that every fan of really well played classic hard rock should see at least once. It’s a truly magical experience. Maybe even black magical? Yeah, I went there.

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gypsyhawk-2012-datesGypsyhawk (11/21/2012)
November 21, 2012
Atlanta, GA
The Masquerade (Heaven)
(supporting The Sword)

I’ve been waiting to see Gypsyhawk for over a year so imagine my delight when they finally made it here to Atlanta. They were the direct support band for The Sword and playing to a nearly capacity crowd, Gypsyhawk walked right out on that stage and for 40 minutes owned the whole damned place. Pulling from both the Patience and Perseverance and Revelry and Resilience albums, Gypsyhawk pulled out some serious punches with songs like “Overloaded”, “1356” and a rousing rendition of “Black Betty.” The band let whatever they had left inside of them out for the closing number “Commander of the High Forest” to a roaring crowd. I would hate to be any band that would have to follow Gypsyhawk. These guys are masters of the art of the live performance and it’s so fucking awesome to see a band not afraid to let it all out and just lose their fucking minds onstage. Another stellar performance in 2012 that I will never forget.

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kyngKyng
November 26, 2012
Atlanta, GA
The Tabernacle
(supporting Megadeth)

Kyng is a band that I feel like I have literally watched grow up. To see them go from an opening act for Black Stone Cherry to direct support for Megadeth was something pretty damn special. I had my chest out like a proud papa as I watched my boys take the stage and totally destroy the Tabernacle. The band opened with two brand new songs that showed everyone that they are indeed heading into a really amazing direction with their music. The rest of the set pulled from the band’s debut album Trampled Sun and to see the crowd really losing their minds over songs like “Pushing and Pulling”, “Trails In Veins”, and “Shoreline” really had me smiling ear to ear. On this night, Kyng was pulling it all out and leaving it out on the stage. Guitarist/singer Eddie Veliz was in top shape and the band played tighter and yet looser than I’d ever seen them. The confidence was off the charts yet they were humble all the while melting faces left and right. This was a really special night for me and it made me proud to be a Kyng fan without a doubt.

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skidrowSkid Row
June 9, 2012
Duluth, GA
Wild Bills

Once again Skid Row had me asking that musical question: “Sebastian who?” Skid Row took the stage to an energetic and pumped crowd at Wild Bills and for marathon set that had the band playing at the top of their game. The set was mainly comprised of classics such as “Big Guns”, “18 & Life”, and “I Remember You” but there were some really great tunes in there for diehard fans. “In A Darkened Room” was an amazing treat that had Johnny Solinger hitting notes that Sebastian Back hasn’t hit for 25 years and other rare gems like “Psycho Love” and “Beat Yourself Blind” were real treats for this long time Skid Row fan. They even played a new song called “Let’s Go” that definitely showed me that these guys are not out of ideas yet. It was a great song and delivered with a lot of energy and fun. There are a lot of fans on that take sides in the Bach vs. Skid Row battle and I will proudly take my stand on the side of this Skid Row lineup. This line up gels and the chemistry on stage between these guys truly shows what a great lineup this is. This performance was a great one and it was far more than a nostalgic performance. This was a performance by a band that still enjoys what they are doing and are not done making new music as Skid Row. This was an amazingly fun performance and yet another memorable one in 2012.

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