Gig

Motorhead’s Feb. 20, 2012 set at the Abbotsford Sports & Entertainment Centre

Bomber
Damage Case
No Class
The Chase Is Better Than The Catch
Stay Clean
One To Sing The Blues
*Drum Solo*
Going To Brazil
Ace Of Spades
Overkill

The commute to Abbotsford is not an easy one, so we missed out on Lacuna Coil’s set entirely. After sitting through almost an hour of competent but unspectacular pop metal by Swedish band Volbeat, I was salivating for a taste of the real rock, the kind that only Motorhead can deliver. I’m happy to say that these legends delivered the goods in spades. Lemmy’s bass was thunderous and his vocals suitably gravelly. The rest of the band played with a wild energy that stayed tight. These are pros that haven’t tired of pushing themselves. My only complaint is that the set was quite short, only 45 minutes or so. I would have preferred a longer set and about 3 or 4 fewer songs from Volbeat. Actually, I would have preferred a 2 and a half hour Motorhead set and nothing else, but what can you do? Anyways, they hit a number of the expected high points of their discography, and the crowd was enraptured. A definate highlight of my concert-going career.

Megadeth headlined, but it was my fourth time seeing them. I would also say I enjoyed this set the least of the ones I’ve seen. They were good but Dave Mustine engaged in a little crowd-baiting that was only sometimes well-received, and this is a guy who has endorsed Rick Santorum. I will say that the set was too heavy on Countdown to Extinction numbers and missed several favorites from Rust In Peace and Peace Sells, plus they didn’t do “In My Darkest Hour.” A competent set, but Motorhead blew the roof off the place.