ROCKSTAR Taste of Chaos Tour
At the Jobbing.Com arena in Glendale, AZ.
By Dave Schwartz

The Rockstar Taste of Chaos tour recently traveled through its final leg with a stop at the Jobbing.Com arena in Glendale, Arizona. This tour has quickly grown to become one of the more anticipated events of the year, continuing to build momentum with the formula of presenting up-and-coming talent anchored by proven acts. With more than 200 shows in 20 countries in more than three years, they’re doing something right! When it came to up-and-coming talent, RTOC turned its eyes to the East this year and featured J-rock bands D'espairsRay, The Underneath and MUCC (pronounced "mukku").

When it came to the Glendale show, I have to admit that it was a somewhat unusual format of having the second stage immediately adjacent to the main, but the rapid succession of bands and nearly continuous flow of music made it all work. I arrived about an hour after the music had started, but was happy to find that I had only missed one or two of the opening bands.

MUCC
MUCC was first on the main stage. I wondered how this band would fair in Arizona. MUCC has enjoyed a 10 year career in their homeland, but the J-rock bands of the East were only now making a dent in American music. I was happy to note that the audience was very responsive even though the band was largely unknown. The fact that all of their songs were sung in Japanese made little difference to the fans. Their vast stage experience coupled with a diverse set list made this band fun to watch.

Bullet for My Valentine
Bullet was tight. I don’t think I’ve had the chance to see these guys before, but they had their shit together. This Welsh band put on a great performance, playing songs that span their entire catalog. BFMV has an interesting knack for folding all that was old in metal into all that is new. Energy, a tight sound, it was a great set.

Regrettably, Bullet For My Valentine has had to drop off the final five dates on the Taste of Chaos tour, as bassist Jay James rushed back to the UK to be with his 2-year old daughter who had been hospitalized. BFMV attempted to carry on utilizing their guitar tech, Kevin Papworth, on bass, but the performances weren’t up to the band's standards.

Atreyu
Atreyu seemed to be having a rough night. A couple of technical issues, such as almost non-existent bass in the mix; along with vocalist Alex Varkatzas occasionally drifting off-key, grated on me. This is the second time I’ve seen this Orange County band and I have to admit that I didn’t particularly care for them the first time either-although I had no tangible reason why. Bon Jovi? Covering an f-ing Bon Jovi tune? Maybe it’s just me. Maybe it’s fair to disqualify my opinion on Atreyu. After all, the fans were enthusiastic and the stage show was entertaining. Whatever!

A7X
Headlining the show was another Orange County band, Avenged Sevenfold. First gaining national attention on the Warped Tour and later as a special guest on Ozzfest, this Huntington Beach band is on a fast track to the top of the metal-core world.

With flame towers and explosions, confetti and at least a small amount of "rock god" posing A7X took the stage with no apologies. Relying on their complete catalog, they played older favorites like "Radiant Eclipse Unholy Confessions" from their 2003 album, "Waking the Fallen," as well as their newest hit, "Almost Easy," from their self-titled release.

Always up for a little fan interaction, mid-way through the set, vocalist M. Shadows invited two guys from the audience to handle vocal duties on a cover of Pantera’s "Walk". Surprisingly they did a decent job and the crowd loved them.

A7X took their final twist and turn of the night when they emerged for their encore playing the unexpected "Little Piece of Heaven." It was a strange choice, but it worked.