Black Label Society bass player, J.D.,  released his debut album on April 21st with a brand new band "Cycle Of Pain". They where added to the B.L.S. bill after Sevendust had dropped off several days before. By the time "Cycle Of Pain" took to the stage, the venue was nearly packed; with high interest in the opening act. As the lights went down, the crowd roared, and the B.L.S. Bash had begun. Cycle Of Pain brought an interesting and diverse style to the bill, with a sound that was comparable to classic rock; stripped down and top notch performance. J.D. and crew rocked the house for the allowed 25 minute time slot. After seeing them live, Cycle Of Pain has really sparked my interest. I hope to see them again on a headlining performance. This was a great debut performance in Denver for Cycle Of Pain.

Chicago Nu -Metaler's "Dope" have always had a great sound live, eventhough I have never gotten into their studio work (with the exception of their latest release"Addiction"), and they busted their ass on stage. Edsel and crew had a chance to break-in some new material, including their single "Addiction" and a cover of the Billy Idol classic "Rebel Yell". With Zakk Wylde laying down a solo on the title track "Addiction", I was hoping for Zakk to come onstage for a cameo appearance, but my wishful thinking was wasted. Dope got a great reception from the crowd and for good reason, they where at the top of their game.

 During set changes for Black Label Society, the crowd excitement grew with both anticipation and frustration for what seemed to take forever. As the sirens rang and the curtain dropped, the loyal B.L.S. fans roared. I have almost always seen Zakk walk onstage and rip right into an into solo, but they launched into "Black Mass Reverend". I'm not sure if it was because it was the end of the tour or because of the high altitude, which sometimes does pose a problem in Denver, but Zakk just did not seem as captivating or as 'on'. B.L.S. has always extended a good portions of their songs into great breakdown spectacles, but it was very 'right to the point' until the second to last song "Concrete Jungle". Halfway though the set, a piano was rolled out for two songs, "The Damage Is Done" and a heartfelt tribute to Dimebag Darrel "In This River", complete with projected photos of the late great Dime on stage left and right. The band sounded tight with J.D on bass, Nick "Evil Twin" Catanese on guitar, and Craig "Louisiana Lightning" Nunenmacher on drums. Zakk played a 10 minute guitar solo on his trademark version of "The Star Spangled Banner" that would have made Randy Rhodes proud. B.L.S. also played an interesting version of "The Blessed Hellride" with half acoustic and half electric double guitars. The 17 song set just had too many songs and not enough improvised jams  Seeing Zakk read off of lyric sheets simply proved  disappointing.

 All and all, the B.L.S. Bash was a great show. I thought that Cycle Of Pain and Dope gave the tour a high energy boost. They really stood out. Seeing Black Label Society several times, this was the only time I have been disappointed with them, but it would not deter me from seeing them again. Everyone has a bad night, but that does not mean it was not a worthy performance overall.