Machine Head @ Copenhell 2024
Like catching up with an old friend
Admittedly, this is one of those few shows I'm witnessing from the back of the festival area. We were just sitting around, and old friends randomly kept coming by, sticking around and catching up. And apart from the music, this is another big reason that I go to festivals, Copenhell not the least of all.
Incidentally, watching Machine Head tonight is a lot like catching up with an old friend.
Shit, I remember seeing their first show on Danish ground 24 years ago. Flawless set; flawless performance. However, I also remember revisiting the album they were supporting on that tour, 1999's "The Burning Red", about midway from then to now. And as daring and kickass as it seemed when it came out, it hadn't aged well.
Tonight, though, main man and sole original member Robb Flynn proudly walks us through virtually the band's entire back catalog, representing aforementioned album with a heart-warming "From This Day". Another surprisingly nostalgic moment is the pummeling "Bulldozer" from 2001's otherwise widely scorned "Supercharger".
With a band that debuted 30 years ago, of course, we're not short on nostalgia here. Unsurprisingly, the main set closes with ever-irresistible "Davidian". And "Ten Ton Hammer" makes me whip out the ol' mane and thrash it around as though I was done giving any shits. (Which, at my age, is true, for the record.)
Even though I might've had a better experience being up in the pit, it's impossible for me to not get carried away by the most awesome moments from back here – and appreciate by far most of the rest for its sheer professionalism.
The flip side to moments like these is that they're making me hungry for more of those juicy bangers from the first coupla albums. But while perhaps wisely avoiding anything from 2018's almost universally lambasted "Catharsis", the set features inclusions from... a coupla newer ones. And as much as I could appreciate the last one, I am getting a bit lost by the wayside mid-set. This is also largely because of its only, but drastic, downright misstep, the explicitly whiny "Is There Anybody Out There?". Yeah, we're here, Robb, but you gotta stop being such a goddamn emo. Also, Pink Floyd called about that title.
However, Machine Head is rightly known as a stupendous live act. And while you can rightly say what you want about Flynn getting annoyingly political, he's also an annoyingly professional performer and showman. Even though I might've had a better experience being up in the pit, it's impossible for me to not get carried away by the most awesome moments from back here – and appreciate by far most of the rest for its sheer professionalism.
So, yeah, a lot like catching up with an old friend after many years: You might have grown in different directions, but ideally, you'd also be reminded of the good times you've had and why you started hanging out in the first place.
Thanks for the memories.
Rating: 4.5 out of 6
Genre: Groove metal
Venue: Copenhell, Helvíti stage
Date: Fri., June 21st, 2024
Setlist:
- Imperium
- Ten Ton Hammer
- CHØKE ØN THE ASHES ØF YØUR HATE
- Locust
- Is There Anybody Out There?
- NØ GØDS, NØ MASTERS
- Darkness Within
- Bulldozer
- From This Day
- Davidian
Encore:
- Halo