Summer is a time for going to the beach, sipping on mint julips, basking in the sun, and playing with friends. That is, of course, if you aren’t a metalhead. If you are one of the chosen people (i.e. one who loves metal), we are about to embark on a great time of year: Concert season!
Whether you are inside or outside, there is a mosh pit with your name on it. Or maybe (like me) you are one of those people who just stand in the back with your arms crossed looking judgingly on others. Here’s the thing, though. Persons like me are standing and judging; We are taking everything in, especially the music and how the crowd reacts to it.
Luckily, there are a great number of bands on tour currently and through the summer. After COVID shut everything down, bands wanted to get back out. And have they! Here are the three must-see tours this summer.
Can't-miss tour No. 1: Mastodon-Gojira-Lorna Shore
Let me write those names one more time. Mastodon. Gojira. Lorna Shore. Any and all of those bands are worth seeing on their own, but together? How could you miss it.
Plus, for the most part, the tickets are not overly expensive, relatively speaking. You could probably see three of these shows for the price of one Aerosmith show. While some bands don’t care that their fans have to go in the red to see one of their favorite bands (that means you, Steven Tyler and pals), Mastodon, Gojira, and Lorna Shore appear to understand most of their fans aren’t millionaires.
Each of these bands has a different sound as well, which makes watching all three even better. Lorna Shore is just loud death metal, Mastodon can do a bit of everything but the way they light their shows is just incredible, and Gojira is more prog metal. If you are near a city where these bands are touring, get ready to save up for your ticket and you will not be disappointed.
Can't-miss tour No. 2: Metallica
The biggest name in metal will be touring into 2024 but catching them this summer is something you should plan for. And not only for seeing Metallica. Their supporting bands are worth purchasing a ticket for alone. Sure, stay for Metallica, but you don’t have to.
Some of the bands opening for the headliner include Ice Nine Kills, Pantera, and Five Finger Death Punch. I saw INK twice in 2022, and while their style and theme can probably turn some fans off (hint, you have to really like horror movies a lot to enjoy INK to the fullest), they definitely put on a good show. FFDP and Pantera have been around forever, of course, and know how to do their thing.
Metallica’s North American leg of the tour kicks off in early August at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The band is approaching the tour fairly uniquely as they will play two shows at each stop and have a different opening band for each night. So if you don’t like Ice Nine Kills, go on the night Pantera opens.
After taking a break from the tour in November, Metallica comes back to it in August of 2024. There will be 10 cities in the United States with tour stops and three in Canada. It might be a drive from wherever you are, but this tour is worth it.
Can't-miss tour No. 3: Ghost and Amon Amarth
Ghost has been on a really long tour already. I saw them in early 2022 in Cincinnati and this is basically the same tour. They’ve had a new album, Impera, come out while on the road and the setlist has reflected the newer tunes. If you have never seen Ghost live, you are in for a treat.
Frontman Tobias Forge engages perfectly with the crowd and knows how to involve fans. The nameless ghouls that make up the band are excellent musicians and the sound is crisp and clean. There is enough of the new stuff and the older material that fans of the band will be happy throughout as well.
Amon Amarth is heavier than Ghost, so it makes for a great difference. Still the band has been around for 30 years and has a ton of material to draw from, and most of it is really good. Like most Scandinavian bands (including fellow Swedes Ghost), Amon Amarth will play different styles of metal from death metal to folk metal.
But let’s be real. You are going to go to this show to watch the lead band. Forge and friends make excellent albums, but the albums are very technical. Live the band plays with the sound a bit and Forge is the ever-present leader. Heck, even if you don’t like Ghost (and I am not sure why you don’t, honestly), just go to be entertained.