Discovering what it's like to go to a heavy metal concert and meeting Zakk Wylde
Who is Zakk Wylde? That was the naive question I asked when I was told I was going to a heavy metal concert for the first time, and that I would have to write about the event.
Yes, the band would be Black Label Society, who are returning to Brazil after 5 years to promote their album, Grimmest Hits, .
I received an email with basic information, and I was surprised to learn that a guy who played with Ozzy would be on stage. Of course, I'd heard of Ozzy before.
Arriving at the venue, the first shock: The nearby parking lots were full, and the line to get in went around the block. A scary crowd, dressed in black and with grim faces.
In my first steps towards Tropical Butantã, I felt everyone's passion for the band. T-shirts and vests with a skull and the band's name, or the initials BLS.
My anxiety to meet the band grew, but it was nothing compared to the excited fans who couldn't wait for the show to start.
My heart started racing when I walked into Tropical. It was packed. PACKED!
And I thought: How am I going to get to the front with so many people in the way? It seems impossible.
And it was during that 10-minute drive that I realized I was surrounded by the most polite and collaborative people in the music world.
Everyone helped me get there, apologizing for bumping into me, and making sure to show me the way. People were happy, talking about music, singing along to the playlist that preceded the show. Someone shouted next to me: "Pantera! Now I'm going to cry!"
He was a man twice my size, with a long beard and hair, and a glass of beer in his hand. When I looked at him, a huge, friendly smile spread across my face.
I was already very close to the stage and wondering why I waited so long to go to a metal show. The people there were like one big family, united by an enviable force. And I thought it would be empty, since it was Saturday of Lollapalooza, plus there had been a storm that afternoon in São Paulo. PACKED!
After some time, a commotion begins to stir the audience. A song. “War Pigs”? Something like that. The sound was very loud, and I didn't understand the explanation they gave me. Suddenly, the enormous curtain covering the stage with the BLS symbol falls. And the question from the beginning of this text is answered in the most brutal way possible. How could anyone not know who Zakk Wylde is?
It's breathtaking. On top of a platform, a giant blond man, armed with a guitar bearing the band's symbol, appears to enchant a crowd that goes wild. I myself had a smile that wouldn't fit on my face.
With a powerful voice, singing from a pedestal adorned with skulls and a crucifix. A striking and furious image that I will tell my grandchildren about.
A god or a demon who makes playing the distorted guitar that brings dynamic, fast, and engaging music to life seem easy.
I was mesmerized. I took photos, recorded with my cell phone. And even then I couldn't take my eyes off the founder of this important and special band.
And the surprises didn't stop there. After a few songs and guitar solos, he even played the piano.
A musician who is simple, friendly, and virtuoso. Kind to the audience and extremely competent.
I don't know anything about metal, I don't know anything about BLS, and yet I was overcome with an inexplicable joy. I was happy to be there and to meet the captivating figure of Zakk.
A band that deserves this audience, a united family. A band that deserves the affection and the choruses of their songs sung with inflamed throats.
And as if all that wasn't enough news, I also ended up catching a guitar pick thrown from the stage, somewhat unexpectedly. It wasn't Zakk's, but that's okay. From him, I take the image of a warrior of heavy music. Of a god who raises his guitar to the heavens with fury and passion. And with much gratitude as well.
I don't know the songs and I can't talk technically about everything that mesmerized me. What I do know is that the sound was very loud. Shouting to the world the greatness of BLS and its brilliant founder Zakk Wylde.
Setlist:
1. Genocide Junkies
2. Funeral Bell
3. Suffering Overdue
4. Bleed for Me
5. Heart of Darkness
6. Suicide Messiah
7. Trampled Down Below
8. All That Once Shined
9. Room of Nightmares
10. Bridge to Cross
11. Spoke in the Wheel
12. In This River
13. The Blessed Hellride
14. A Love Unreal
15. Fire It Up
16. Concrete Jungle
17. Stillborn
Text: Nicole Crochick
Photos: Rafael Masini
