Machine Head Dominate Oakland's Fox Theater with 3-Hour Show
Robb Flynn of Machine Head performing at The Fox Theater in Oakland, CA. February 21, 2020. Photo: Jared Stossel
Machine Head
The Fox Theater
Oakland, CA
Friday, February 21, 2020
Photos and review by Jared Stossel
There really isn’t another band out there right now that’s quite like Machine Head. Of course, you could name off any of their metal contemporaries (many of whom are still playing and sound just as immaculate in a live setting), but you’d be hard-pressed to find another band of their caliber that is able to play for over three hours, with no opener, and make it look seamless. On Friday, Machine Head took the stage for a show at Oakland’s Fox Theater (a hometown gig for them), in which they performed for around 3 hours and 15 minutes to a crowd of thousands that kept the pit moving from the moment they hit the first note.
Blistering heavy metal tracks that ranged throughout the band’s expansive career were brought forth upon an audience that was ready to take it, with songs like “Imperium”, “Beautiful Mourning”, “Catharsis”, and “Ten Ton Hammer” all making up the first half of the band’s show. For good measure, they. even threw in an impressive cover of Iron Maiden’s “Hallowed Be Thy Name”. For this half of the show, vocalist/guitarist Robb Flynn and bassist Jared MacEachern were joined by guitarist Vogg Kiełtyka and drummer Matt Alston, who have filled out Machine Head’s current touring lineup as of 2019 (guitarist Phil Demmel and drummer Dave McClain both left the band in 2018).
They only need a short ten-minute break before launching into the second phase of their show, with a set comprised entirely of songs from the band’s debut album, Burn My Eyes, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. For this portion of the show, guitarist Logan Mader and drummer Chris Kontos took the stage to perform, a treat for diehard fans of the band Both Mader and Kontos made up the original Machine Head lineup back in the early 90s, so it was pretty special to see the original team back together again performing the songs that began everything in the first place.
As the show rounded to a breathtaking finale with “Block”, the band launched into a lengthy run of cover songs, featuring an amalgamation of some of heavy metal’s finest, including Metallica, Slayer, and Exodus. As I left the theater with the massive crowd emptying into the busy streets of downtown Oakland, I really began to take in what I had just seen. Machine Head is one of those rare once-in-a-lifetime bands that you’re lucky if you get to see. Even if you don’t know all of the songs, you can’t help but have your eyes transfixed upon the stage throughout the entire setlist, even if it clocks in over three hours. They made me want to run home, pick up an instrument, and just practice over and over again until I really, really good at it. They are, without a doubt, a must-see act, even after all of these years.
Machine Head Setlist
Imperium
Take My Scars
Now We Die
Beautiful Mourning
Locust
I Am Hell (Sonata in C#)
Aesthetics of Hate
Darkness Within
Catharsis
From This Day
Ten Ton Hammer
Hallowed Be Thy Name (Iron Maiden cover)
Halo
Burn My Eyes
Davidian
Old
A Thousand Lies
None But My Own
The Rage To Overcome
Death Church
A Nation on Fire
Blood for Blood
I’m Your God Now
Cover Medley (Welcome Home (Sanitarium)/Creeping Death/One/Strike of the Beast/Thunder Kiss ‘65/South of Heaven/Raining Blood)
Block
Machine Head
www.machinehead1.com
www.facebook.com/MachineHead
Twitter: @MfnH
Instagram: @machine_head
