VARSITY THEATER in MINNEAPOLIS, MN
08/07/19
Photos by Brett Zisler
HELLYEAH brought their A Celebration of the Life of Vinnie Paul tour to the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis, MN and it was as much of a celebration of life as it was a statement for Hellyeah. These 4 guys have been thru a lot in the past year and have persevered. HELLYEAH was on fire, playing with not just something to prove but with a whole new meaning behind what they're doing. Let's face it, this tour could easily not be happening nor could the album coming out next month.
HELLYEAH came out swinging with "X" into the brand new track "Oh My God" which sounds even better live! Roy Mayorga is an excellent addition to the band doing Vinnie proud. These are shoes 99.5% of drummers could not fill and Roy is doing it with absolute precision and delicacy. Chad is in amazing shape sounding phenomenal on the vocals dominating the stage as he always does. Tom, Christian and Kyle are insanely tight getting the crowd revved up on songs like "333" and "Say When".
The packed crowd was enjoying the new material just as much as the old material as evident during the sing alongs on "Love Falls" and the new track "Welcome Home". We also got to hear another new song that hasn't been released yet with a very touching video with a lot of behind the scenes footage of Vinnie Paul called "Sky and Water"
It's not easy to go out and do some Pantera songs. That's a catalog that's held near and dear to a lot of metal head's hearts. Hellyeah proved they can rise to the occasion with no problems whatsoever. The band ripped thru "I'm Broken" and "Walk" to a frenzied Varsity Theater. Even the bartenders couldn't resist getting in to it singing along to "Walk" as they poured drinks. Finishing up with "Hellyeah" a lot of people went home extremely happy with the show they just saw. HELLYEAH is tighter than they have ever been and that's because they have a new energy, a new fire to keep Vinnie's music and memory alive for years to come. You know Vinnie is up there with Dime smiling.
NONPOINT did an amazing job being direct support to HELLYEAH. NONPOINT came out with "Breaking Skin" and going right in to "Chaos and Earthquakes". The band kept the set to their singles that you would hear on the radio adding in a vicious "Dodge Your Destiny" and a nice deep cut from their latest album X with "Milestone". NONPOINT made the most of their 40 minute set which flew by. "Fix This" sounded perfect along side "That Day" and "What a Day".
Elias is one of the most underrated frontmen out there. Getting down into the crowd standing on the barricade and whipping the crowd around with "Bullet with a Name" before exiting the stage so Hellyeah could dominate. This band has only gotten better since Rasheed, B.C. and Adam have been in the band. I probably shouldn't point this out but this is the first show I've seen since Statement came out that Robb wasn't playing drums sitting parallel to the audience. I really missed it.
HELLYEAH and NONPOINT are text book definitions of an amazing live band. While I would've loved to hear some of the heavier songs in the Nonpoint catalog, you can deny the set they picked out. They were definitely looking forward to grabbing some Hellyeah fans who might not have heard of them even though these two bands have been touring together in some form for many, many years. This tour gave fans a dynamic pairing giving the fans their money worth!
Unfortunately, I missed SLEEP SIGNALS' set but I heard great things from random people in the crowd. Even though this was a hometown show for them, there was a lot of new fans for them to gain. Congratulations to Sleep Signals for getting on this tour and check out their album At the End of the World! If you missed this show, don't sleep on them when they come back thru again. HELLYEAH's new album Welcome Home comes out Sept 27 on Eleven Seven. NONPOINT's X is out now on Spinefarm. I look forward to a proper headlining set from NONPOINT in the future!
SEE MORE OF BRETT'S HELLYEAH PICTURES HERE!
SEE MORE OF BRETT'S NONPOINT PICTURES HERE!
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