Written by and photo’s by Melissa #MischievousMel Anderson
The House of Blues in Big D, aka Dallas, Texas, was the last stop on the first tour for HELLYEAH since the passing of Vinnie Paul last Summer. Direct support included NONPOINT with Sleep Signalsserving as the opening act.
It was an emotional show on many levels. The tour honored the late great legend, drummer, Dallas native, and music fan Vinnie Paul. Being in Texas you could say it hit home in more ways than one. The show came complete with a slide show of Vinnie to honor him, set to an acoustic song composed and performed by Chad Gray and Tom Maxwell to honor his legacy behind the kit.
We at The Edge Rock Radio and Tattoo.com saw 2 shows on this tour. One in Green Bay, WI on August 1st (where we interviewed Tom Maxwell), and the final stop here in Dallas. The Green Bay show was amazing, but I must say that the Dallas show not only raised the bar as to how great HELLYEAH is on stage, it set a whole new level.
First off, let me say Christian Brady is one hell of a guitarist. I have seen him play many times since joining the band in 2014, in at least 13 different States at countless shows across the U.S. In Dallas he was a whole new beast. He played like I have never seen him play before. I was beyond blown away.
Tom was also in rare form. It was like every emotion he has ever had poured out of his soul and into his hands and onto the strings, despite needing surgery on one of those hands.
Kyle Sanders is a force on any and every given day. In dallas he was a ball of fury exploding everywhwere.
New drummer Ray Mayorga had quite the throne to fill as he took the seat of the legendary and great Vinnie Paul. To his credit, he would have made Vinnie proud. You could almost imagine Vinnie above the kit throwing up horns.
“Chadness’ performed to the point that his presence was not only filling the stage, or HOB… but seemingly all of Texas. An explosive performance that made you mosh, made you smile, made you cry as he spoke of Vinnie and made you love HELLYEAH even more. It was truly a remarkable and uniquely emotional night for every member of the band.
NONPOINT also had an emotional night, as they played one of their last shows with BC. He and the band have recently announced his upcoming departure from the band. I can tell you this… he is leaving with a bang. NONPOINT is amazing and they will continue to be so. So stay tuned for more NONPOINT info as it comes out, but back to the show… Like HELLYEAH, I have seen NONPOINT countless times. I can say that the show they had in Dallas was one of their best, if not their best to date. That is saying something since the band has never given a bad show that I’ve witnessed. Stay tuned for our inteview with both Elias and Rasheed coming soon.
Sleep Signals is a band that is making noise in the music scene. They hail from Minnesota and are currently a independent DIY band. They have caught the attention of the powers that be and the proof is in the pudding… they were sharing the stage with both NONPOINT and HELLYEAH. I have been a fan of the band since the first time I saw them. They know how to heat up the crowd and they get you ready to mosh.
The emotional apex of the night had to be when HELLYEAH performed “Walk” by Pantera, with a little help from NONPOINT. The crowd erupted into instant mosh pits, horns abounded, and Chad and Elias finished the song sharing the same mic and personal sentiments with each other. That moment alone, based on the setting and importance of HELLYEAH playing in Vinnie’s (and the bands) official hometown, made this one of the most special concert experiences I’ve ever had.
