Between opening our MoshPlayLive store, teaching computer science in Michigan, roofing three buildings and backpacking across Europe, we were able to squeeze in a few concerts. Life provides opportunities no matter where we happen to be. We were able to open our physical store in New Sweden, Maine, an outpost located so deep into Northern Maine that in could be referred to as South Canada. We have Facebook, our podcast and the MoshPlayLive website up and running, to continue the analogy it is perhaps more jogging along, as we build out the content. We are celebrating that we have laid the foundation on which to grow and improve.
This had to be one of the most packed summer/fall concert year. We traveled in two different directions in early July. Veronica landed in Michigan and enjoyed the Detroit-area Jazz scene including music and jazz history in Pontiac, Michigan with the RJ Spangler Quartet. Hearing jazz favorites in a small venue with other people who love the music mashes decades of harmony and clashes together. Scott attended the Phish concert in Bangor, Maine which included a now classic 30-minute Down with the Disease. This was also his first Phish show, up front dead center stage for a one-of-a kind experience.
Two weeks later Veronica and Scott rejoined to hop a plane for Europe and back-to-back Metal Festivals. Long on Scott’s must attend Heavy Metal Festivals is Wacken Open Air Festival. This year’s lineup was beyond stellar, the festival was well organized for the most part, the staff were very friendly and helpful and our campsite was well worth the extra money spent. There were many highlights, but some personal favorite moments included seeing German metal legend Udo Dirkschneider, Powerwolf and the Guardians of Asgard (aka Amon Amarth). For a metal head from outside of Germany, the experience is worth the journey.
We left Germany for a stop in the UK for Bloodstock in 100-degree heat, with rail strikes and being able to recognize the thousands of other fans traveling on the trains and learning about the music scene from Manchester to London. Our first day at Bloodstock provided old school thrash metal with Doyle, GWAR, Exodus, Testament and Behemoth.
To end our summer concert tour, we returned to the States for what will be forever remembered. Rammstein’s North American tour combined the energy of a European Rave, Heavy Metal, pyrotechnical excellence and a theatrical marvel, that Scott can’t stop praising. “I have been to many concerts in the past 33 years, the show we witnessed at Gillette Stadium dwarfed any show previously seen.” It truly was a highly staged production, executed flawlessly to the music that is Rammstein.
Late fall brought us back the Massachusetts and Iron Maiden as they were close to the end of the Legacy of the Beast tour. Iron Maiden opened with three tracks of their latest album Senjutsu, MPL was there to see gremlins take down Maiden’s Spitfire Plane during the encore of the evening ‘Aces High’. Iron Maiden has been announced for the 2023 edition of the Wacken Open Air Festival, Up the Irons!
Shifting gears , the fall season brought a tour I didn’t know I needed, until I knew you needed it. Trey Anastasio and his band toured with Goose, the next generation jam band for a very limited eight-city tour that opened in up in Portland Maine. Good concert vibes ran all night, from finding good seats for the GA admission show to scoring some merchandise including the foil poster and candy bars (still have one). The crowd was amazing, on their feet dancing from the very first song on this very first night of the tour. I listened to the broadcast of each night’s show and night after night it got better and better developing into the legendary monster that the tour is now known.
Wrapping up the year, we headed to Cincinnati, my backyard for seeing metal shows in the late 80s-2000 to see Sweden’s Amon Amarth along with Carcass, Obituary and Cattle Decapitation. Awesome show, it does not get much heavier than this, old school metal for the masses.
What will 2023 bring? I’m over the moon, pun intended, to be seeing Powerwolf in February. The European Metal Festivals are busy announcing line ups and tickets already in sale for many of them. While Germany entices our return, MPL has decided to seek other unseen sights next year, destination unknown. MPL’s online store will be up and running by the end of 2022, and will be working on upgrading our physical store closer to Spring of 2023.
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