I have seen Godsmack a few times in concert but never from the rail. So that was the goal this time. Thankfully there were no VIP early entrance tickets. This meant all we had to worry about was getting there early enough to get a good spot in line. So, the day of the show our plan was to leave town early enough to get to the venue and be in line by noon. Despite leaving a little later than we planned we still got there just a few minutes before noon. However, as we got there Jess remembered she forgot to leave the kids a key to get in after school. After talking about it for a few minutes we decided I would stay and get in line and she would make the drive back to Pueblo (almost a 4 hour round trip) but we had to get the key to the kids. So, she left and I got in line. There were already 4 people there in line waiting. It wasn’t long after that a couple more people showed up and got in line as well. While I was waiting for Jess to come back I made friends with some of the people who were in line and we smoked several joints just killing time. Unfortunately, while I was also waiting Jess called to tell me she had gotten pulled over for going a little over the speed limit. After her short delay she made it back just after 3:30 maybe 3:45. Which was good because doors were at 4:30. It gave us just enough time to have a drink before we went in. As we got closer to the doors, they broke us up into 2 lines and we managed to get in front for the 2nd line. Now all I had to worry about was the other entrance on the other side of the venue and how quickly those people were able to get in and start taking spots on the rail. Once they opened the gate Jess was first through security. I was behind her and when I went through the metal detector it went off and I was told to wait so they could wand me. Just as I was being told that another person walked through and the person with the wand grabbed the guy behind me instead of me. I managed to get in front of Jess as we made our way down the stairs to the rail. Just before I got into the pit, they had security there rescanning tickets then handing out wrist bands. When they tried scanning my ticket it wasn’t working, probably because it was already scanned when we first got into the venue. Either way I asked him if I could leave my ticket with Jess and if I could go through to get our spot. At first, he tells me I was first in line so no need to worry, until I told him yea but people are going to come through the other entrance. He thought about it for a second then told the other guy to give me a wrist band and let me through. That was really cool of him as he didn’t have to do that. Thankfully I was able to get to the rail at the spot I wanted. Then I stretched out to help hold some space for Jess and our friends we made in line. People from the other entrance started filling in and we agreed to help hold some space for my people and hers. She ended up having 2 other girls squeeze in between her and me and I managed to save space for Jess and our friends. All seemed good at this point. However, as we were standing there the girl next to me asked if I could scoot down and I told her no I had no room. That became the start of a hand and foot battle and neither of us was moving and anytime one of us did the other took that space. That went on through the first band. It was after the first band played that someone asked if they could squeeze between her and I and we told them no. It was at that point we called a truce and stopped hand and foot battling each other for space. In fact, she help hold my spot several times when I left to go to the bathroom. At one point on one of those bathroom runs I was going to buy a beer and one of the guys I made friends with outside in line saw me and bought me a beer which was cool. I ended up taking a poster out of the bathroom and giving it to him. It was an advertisement for an upcoming show. I also took the Zombie Alice Cooper poster for myself. Going back and forth like I was I didn’t have any trouble getting through the crowd until the very last time I did, just before Godsmack came on. I was a little buzzed and as I was working my way back to my spot some guy didn’t want to let me through and kind of pushed into me which made me bump into someone else. That person got mad but I explained I was just making my way back to my spot and then continued to push my way through. That doesn’t usually happen very often, but it does once and a while. I should also mention that during one of these bathroom breaks I met a guy I have known on Facebook for a while but never met him in person. He does a lot of shows but until that night we never met each other. We ended up seeing each other again at the end of the show and took some pictures.
In regards to the bands. First up was Fame on Fire. I had never heard of them before, but they were good. They had a heavy sound to them and the entire band had a lot of energy. Not sure I would go see them specifically, but I wouldn’t mind seeing them as an opener again. Next up was Bad Omens. When the singer came out, he had a ski mask on. I guess that’s something he does because I also noticed that some of the people in the crowd had on a ski mask. Though I’m not really familiar with this band. I only knew the song they play on the radio Just Pretend. They were also good to watch live. Just like the first band they also had a lot of energy and kept the crowd pumped up. They seemed to have a lot of fans there. In fact, some of the girls who were originally in front of us had traveled just to see Bad Omens, not Godsmack. The last band before Godsmack was I Prevail. This is another band I have seen a few times. They always have so much energy and get the crowd all hyped up. They were just as good as they have been every other time we saw them. The only thing I was disappointed with is they don’t play some of their older songs like Lifelines. Other than that, I have no complaints about their set. Although at this point, I was pumped and ready for Godsmack to take the stage. I usually glance at the bands sets list before I go to their shows but this was the first show of the tour, so there was no set list. I was excited and curious to see what songs they were going to play. They have so many songs to choose from. I was a little shocked that they didn’t play Rocky Mountain Way. However, the set list they played was just hit after hit! All great songs. They of course did their drum battle that they always do, which was also cool. All and all they put on a great show and Jess and I had a great time. And not only did I get to see them from the rail I managed to get a pick from Sully the lead singer. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a set list but managed to get a picture of someone who did get one. I know they were going to record this last album then call it quits but I really hope I get to see them again. Actually, I will see them again this year at aftershock but who knows if I will be able to get on the rail for their set. So, I am hoping to see them again besides at a festival and to once again be on the rail.
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