After about 45 min. into the Pittsburgh Machine Head show at Stage AE, Rob Flynn and co. had to stop the show because his voice just could not do it due to being ill for days…
The band was able to get through Imperium, Volatile, Now We Die, Beautiful Mourning, The Blood, the Sweat, the Tears, Guitar Solo, Darkness Within.
What they were able to get through was actually very much brutally entertaining, as evidenced by the frequent chant of “Machine Fucking Head” between songs. Rob’s voice did not sound bad, but it was obvious he was having some difficulties. Regardless, the guitar work was especially masterful by Flynn and Phil Demmel, as usual. Added to that, the rhythm of Dave McClain on drums and bass work of Jared MacEachern was highlighted as a backbone to MH tunes, plus Jared is super fun to watch as he interacts with the crowd and throws his hair in wild abandon. Flynn seemed to be really disappointed that Machine Head could not perform to standard and complete the scheduled 2.5-3 hour show. The 800+ Pittsburgh crowd was very disappointed, but understanding of Rob’s discomfort and appreciative of his integrity, thus there were no major incidents. Hopefully, Rob can get better quickly and they can come back soon to support their new record, Catharsis, and put on the whole show.
All photos AWeldingphoto 2018