Rockstar Mayhem Fest
The XFINITY Theater
Hartford, CT
July 19, 2015

For 2015, the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival structured itself a little bit differently. Fewer bands overall, as well as fewer big-name bands made for a smaller festival, but with much cheaper tickets for the fans. There’s been a lot of talk in the media about this decision from people behind the festival, as well as people within the bands. Was it the right choice? The Xfinity Theater appeared to be less than half full, with huge sections of seats and the lawn empty. The main stage put on a solid show, but the Mayhem brand name apparently wasn’t enough without a little more name band support.

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Hellyeah

After playing for nearly a decade, Hellyeah are no longer just a Pantera/Mudvayne/Nothingface supergroup, but an established act that stands on their own. Still touring in support of 2013’s Blood for Blood, Hellyeah is a well oiled machine, rocking through a short, but powerful, seven-song set.

Setlist
Soul Killer
Sangre por Sangre (Blood for Blood)
War in Me
Demons in the Dirt
Moth
You Wouldn’t Know
Say When

Guitarist Tom Maxwell sat out their recent European tour due to a leg injury. He’s back for this tour, but spent the show playing from a chair. Vocalist Chad Gray looked great in his Evil Robb Photography shirt, which Robb really enjoyed seeing him wear on stage!

Hellyeah always puts on a great show, and it was fun to see them on a larger stage than the usual arena tours I’ve seen them on.

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King Diamond

Last fall, we were delighted when King Diamond played a rare tour across the US, just in time for Halloween. It was a great show, and in the days afterward, I felt a lot of disappointment over the fact that he so rarely tours, and who knows when he would be back around?! What a delight it was to see he was on Mayhem this year, and he lived up to his name as the King!

His hour set consisted mostly of solo material, with a pair of Mercyful Fate songs in the middle.

Setlist
The Candle
Sleepless Nights
Eye of the Witch
Welcome Home
Tea / Digging Graves / A Visit from the Dead
Evil
Come to the Sabbath
The Family Ghost
The 7th Day of July 1777
Black Horsemen

King Diamond has a very distinct sound, and a one of a kind voice. Not only did he sound great tonight, hitting all the high notes, but his show was great. He had quite an elaborate stage setup for a band with 2nd billing, and the full show was there, complete with grandma serving him tea, and Miriam giving birth to Abigail. Their shows are like no other, and are not to be missed! Hopefully this isn’t the last we see of them.

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Slayer

Thrash metal titans Slayer closed out the night, like no other band could. Touring in advance of Repentless, their eleventh studio album, and first since the death of guitar player Jeff Hanneman, due this fall, they played three new tracks off the upcoming album, amongst their classics. In addition to giant video screens, their show was filled with large amounts of pyro, just in case everybody on this muggy 90 degree day was starting to cool off after the sun went down.

Setlist
Repentless
Hate Worldwide
Jihad
Disciple
God Send Death
War Ensemble
When the Stillness Comes
Implode
Mandatory Suicide
Chemical Warfare
Ghosts of War
Dead Skin Mask
Hell Awaits
South of Heaven
Raining Blood
Angel of Death

The crowd that was here today was definitely a die-hard Slayer crowd, and they went crazy for the show. It’s a shame that Mayhem was missing that something special this year to get a larger crowd in, because what they did have put on a great show. Fingers crossed that they are able to recover the magic next year!