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A variety of metal music rocked the desert Friday with the arrival of the fifth annual Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival. As the day wound down, headliners Slipknot, Slayer, Motorhead and The Devil Wears Prada put on quite a show following mid-day acts from Anthrax, As I Lay Dying, Whitechapel and Asking Alexandria. The spectrum of metal music was delivered across the board from metalcore to thrash metal.
The day began with hundreds of fans waiting in line as the sun settled in directly overhead. The heat was almost too much to handle before the doors had even opened at Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion.
Fans stampeded through the outdoor venue pumped for the event to begin. The show started at 1:30 p.m. with local band performances followed by Upon A Burning Body and Whitechapel, who both put on phenomenal performances on the Jagermeister side stage.
At the Sumerian Records stage, up-in-coming Nebraska band Dirtfedd shocked the crowd with their onstage presence and relatable lyrics.
Alternating stages with 30-minute sets, As I Lay Dying took the Jagermeister stage and stole the show. Some members of the wild crowd even passed out from the heat.
European metalcore band Asking Alexandria's frontman Danny Worsnop said to the crowd, "If I die from this heat, you will've been the last people to see me preform."
After a long day of trying to stay hydrated while rocking out to their favorite metalcore bands in the blistering heat, fans gathered up as much energy as they could to thrash out for the veteran rap-metal and metalcore legend Anthrax, who opted to shut down the Jagermeister stage and close out the day portion of the Mayhem event rather than play the main stage with heavy-hitting headliners Slipknot, Slayer and Motorhead.
The Devil Wears Prada put on an energetic 30-minute set on the main stage as fans found their seats under the shaded cover of the outdoor amphitheater or made themselves comfortable on the lawn. Many concert goers took the opportunity of the venue change to use the restroom, grab some food and refuel on alcohol.
Following The Devil Wears Prada, as the sun was setting, was English band Motorhead. Although Motorhead is known for their heavy metal style, in comparison to the rest of the festival, Motorhead was considered mellow. They ran into sound issues throughout their set, which could have played a role in their laid-back performance.
Without a doubt, once Slayer took the stage all signs of a calm environment were dismissed. Slayer also ran into a few sound issues, but they recovered and kept the show going strong with energy. Fans of all ages were moshing, head banging and singing along to Slayer songs.
Thinking nothing can top Slayer’s performance, Slipknot blew the whole event out of the water. Slipknot was comfortable and natural on the stage in their patented masks and red jumpsuits. They involved the audience in the songs and in the performance.
The one unavoidable downfall to an event as big as Mayhem is getting through the grid-locked traffic in the parking lot. Other than that, Mayhem is the type of event you’ll never forget.
Reach the reporter at mctabata@asu.edu
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