This was my first concert since August 2002 so I was really looking forward to it. Of Machine Head's summer festival tour this is their only indoor tour date it was also their first time to come to Belfast as a headline act, they came here in the early nineties with Slayer. Do any of you remember that gig? It had to be a sell out, there was 1,100 + there for sure, so it was getting very warm. The support band was a local act called Sinnocence, they weren't too bad they got the crowd going anyway.

About 25 minutes after Sinnocence went off, on came the mighty Machine Head. I was standing on the balcony, just above where the guys walked out onto the stage, so it was a great view. They opened with their most recent single Imperium what really wakened up the crowd. They played it into Take my Scars a good old classic. Next was my favourite song the Blood, Sweat and Tears. They played a really good selection of songs, others were, None but my Own, Ten Ton Hammer, The Burning Red and Davidian.

In between the songs they did plenty of talking and interacting with the fans and seemed to be really enjoying themselves. When the guys got halfway through their set they got us choose a song from Iron Maiden's Number of the Beast, Black Sabbath's Paranoid or Sepultura's Chaos AD. The biggest cheer went for Chaos AD, so they played Territory, what was amazing, we also heard Creeping Death and Sweet Child of Mine. Four songs from the end somebody decided the soundboard needed a beer which left us with no PA system. The guys turned the PA system off and turned the monitors towards the crowd everything sounded fine. MH finished the show with Block, the excellent end to their first album Burn my Eyes.

After the show I met Robb the lead singer he was really really nice, he gave me the set list and signed it for me. He also gave me 8 plectrums and a drumstick. Overall it was an excellent show and I hope they come back soon. Sadly they just announced a X-Mass tour with no Irish dates included, but im going on the 5th of December to Brixton Academy to see them, so lets hope it will be just as good.

SET LIST

Imperium
Take My Scars
The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears
None But My Own
Left Unfinished
Ten Ton Hammer
Trephination
The Burning Red
In The Presence Of My Enemies
Blood For Blood
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Descend The Shades Of Night
Davidian
Block

ANTHONY MOORE

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