Co-headliners Overkill and Kreator brought their “Legends of Thrash Tour” to the very home of thrash for a Thursday night metal-fest at San Francisco’s Fillmore. The crowd seemed a bit sparse for Warbringers 8 pm opening set but folks trickled in as the night progressed so that by the time Overkill took the stage, a few beers had been downed and the merch table had been pillaged, leaving little left to do but rock.
When Overkill launched into their set, any extra space on the ballroom floor was quickly consumed by a massive circle pit (including a dude in a wheelchair) that continued unabated through the rest of the night. Frontman Bobby “Blitz”, mic stand in hand, planted himself center stage and raged through the setlist, pausing in between songs to taunt the crowd … “I can smell you but I can’t hear you!” … later confessing, “the secret to success is pissing people off.” Ribbing aside, it was clear that Blitz feels a certain kinship with the Bay Area crowd who responded well, upping their game song after song.
During instrumental breaks in the songs, Bobby would disappear to the wings, only to come hurtling back across the stage to grab the mic and spit out the next lyric in the nick of time. With all his antics, the rest of the band was left to rock. Combined with the piles of bass and guitar cabinets and spastic lighting, it made for an impressive site on the relatively small stage of the Fillmore. Wrapping up the set with their cover of the Subhuman’s “Fuck You” (or as Bobby liked to call it, the New Jersey salute), the band offered no relief to the crowd … “just because it’s one more doesn’t give you the right to be a pussy!” No doubt a tough act to follow for Kreator.
Also on the bill: Kreator, Warbringer
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