Newsted
Middle East Downstairs
Cambridge, MA
May 22, 2013

The legendary Jason Newsted, former bass player of Metallica, has reemerged on the music scene with his new band, simply titled Newsted. Earlier this year, they released a four song EP, Metal, and are following up with a full length album this August. Newsted is now in the middle of their first US tour, headlining small clubs across the country, to warm up for some major opening slots in Europe and the US this summer.

Acaro

A local band from Boston, on their Facebook page Acaro describes themselves as “face melting metal.” I tend to not enjoy bands with screaming vocals live, unless I’m already familiar with them. But these guys played through a quick, 30 minute set, and the small crowd that was there early was really into it.

Wilson

Joining Newsted on the tour, from Detroit, is the band Wilson. More screaming vocals, but these guys were very energetic. They describe themselves as “party animals,” and “the ultimate party band,” and it’s easy to see why. Lots of driving drum beats to keep the songs moving. At one point, their singer announced “We just wrote a new song, and we think it’s going to be a big hit. Do you guys mind if we play it live for the first time tonight?!” They proceeded to play a cover of AC/DC’s “Back in Black.”

Newsted

And now, the reason everyone came to this show! It’s great to see Jason back out on the road. He’s been pretty elusive since 2003, when he did a summer playing with both Canadian metal band Voivod, as well as with the almighty Ozzy Osbourne.

Metallica celebrated their 30th anniversary in late 2011 with four shows at The Filmore in San Francisco. Each night, Jason came out and played three songs with the band. He’s said in interviews that it was the response from the fans at these shows that made him realize people were still interested in hearing what he’s up to.

As I mentioned earlier, Newsted recorded a 4 song EP earlier this year. Jason’s had a lot of side projects over the years, and they’ve covered a wide variety of genres. With this he went back to basics, straight up thrash metal. If you’ve ever been a fan of the vocals he added to Metallica’s live show, it’s definitely worth checking out.

The set included all four songs off the EP, as well as a few tracks off the forthcoming LP. They also played “Whiplash,” as well as snippets of a few other Metallica songs, and a Motorhead cover for good measure.

Setlist
Ampossible
Heroic Dose
Soldierhead
Godsnake
As the Crow Flies
Long Time Dead
King of the Underdogs/Creeping Death
Twisted Tail of the Comet
Nocturnus
Whiplash
—–
My Friend Of Misery Intro/Spider Biter
Skyscraper
—–
(We Are) the Road Crew

The Metal EP was recorded as a three-piece band, with Jason, guitarist Jessie Farnsworth, and drummer Jesus Mendez. Before they hit the road, they decided to make it a four-piece band, and they brought Staind guitarist Mike Mushok into the fold. Being a relatively local guy, he was rocking a great “Boston Strong” shirt. I was skeptical when they announced Mushok was joining the band, as I was never really a fan of Staind, but he did a great job. The whole band was really tight, and they sounded awesome. Towards the end of the night, during “Skyscraper,” Jessie took over on bass, and Jason played guitar for a song, which was cool to see.

It’s great seeing someone who’s had as successful a career as Jason playing in small clubs. He’s had a huge impact on a lot of people (myself especially, as a bass player and huge Metallica fan). There were a lot of really big fans in the crowd, and they all seemed to be loving it.

I hung around for a little while after the show, and Jason came out to take pictures and sign autographs for anybody who wanted them. He was very chatty with everyone, and certainly lives up to his reputation as someone who is playing music for the fans.

They played the following night in New Jersey, and that marked the end of this US club tour. Next week they’re off to Europe, but they’ll be back this July and August as part of Gigantour 2013, on a bill with Megadeth, Black Label Society, Device (David Draiman of Disturbed’s new project), and Hellyeah. I’m looking forward to checking the show out on July 5th at the Mohegan Sun Arena.