Mesa Meltdown June 30th 2017

Heading to Vegas the next day to see RAMMSTEIN, I was able to catch 98KUPD’S Mesa Meltdown with DED, POWERMAN 5000, and STONE SOUR.

This was my first time seeing DED and Stone Sour both, so I had been looking forward to this show for some time. DED being from Arizona, made it that much better. DED got a huge response form the Arizona crowd as right after they kicked off their set, the Mesa Amphitheater filled up quite a bit. One of the best sets I’ve seen from a band from Arizona in a very long time. Full of energy the either set making for one kick ass opener.

Powerman 5000 was next. I’ve seen them several times in the past and covered them 3 times now, each with different lineups. I was a bit sad to see them without my buddy who used to tour with them but none the less PM5K came through and didn’t disappoint. The crowd were fucking troopers overcoming the 115 degree Arizona hell, jumping to “Bombshell” and When Worlds Collide.” We’re looking forward to New Wave, the new PM5K album coming out this fall.

Headling the show was STONE SOUR. This was my first time seeing and covering them and knowing the following night I would be in Vegas doing it again made it that much sweeter. A packed house and a rowdy crowd awaited Corey and the crew to hit the stage. My only complaint with the show was lighting, or lack thereof. But lighting aside, I was stoked to see them and to be able to shoot from the pit as we were told it may be a sound board shoot. June 30th was the release date for their new album Hydrograd. I’m definitely partial to this album over previous releases. “Somebody Stole My Eyes” and “Song #3” are two definite favorites. Looking forward to catching them again soon and if you haven’t seen them live, do it when you get the chance!