
Tag: five point amphitheatre

Photo Recap: Rob Zombie at Fivepoint Amp
Rob Zombie is a national treasure. Over the course of decades, he’s cemented himself as the king of shock and horror rock, capturing the imaginations of millions around the world with a show filled with all sorts of oddities and spectacles. Whether it’s giant monsters taking the stage or sticking to his vision of retro-radioactive rock and roll, Rob Zombie has always managed to stick to his guns while pushing his art to the boundaries. On this tour, he took on various Nu metal heavyweights with whom he dominated the 90’s rock airwaves. Mudvayne, Static-X and Powerman 5000 all shared Rob’s vision for a new version of heavy metal that featured electronics and drag racer energy. With this stacked lineup, the tour ran through Irvine’s Fivepoint Amphitheatre and demolished everyone in their path. Photos by: Tony Molina Rob Zombie Mudvayne Powerman 5000

Irvine Rising: Rise Against and Descendents at Five Point Amphitheatre
Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve written anything and that’s not due to the pandemic. I’ve mostly been staying behind the camera and keeping my judgement to myself. I’ve come to realize ‘who the fuck am I to say anything negative about a band when I can’t play a god damn thing?’ So anyways, I went down to Irvine. Let me tell you, even without traffic that’s a long drive if you live in LA. Unfortunately, this was the closest stop on the Rise Against and Descendents tour. Seriously though, it’s far. You get to Disneyland and then you’re all like, “oh, I got another 30 minutes left to drive”. The Menzingers opened the show right on time at 7:30. What an amazing band to have as an opener. They all played with giant smiles on their faces. The venue was filling in pretty decently before they played so clearly people were there to see The Menzingers. A small break between sets and then came Descendents. Milo cruised out on a bicycle with a camel pack around his shoulder. Some one asked me if Milo had an oxygen tank and that cracked me up. Descendents are one of

Tearing Down the Orange Curtain: Social Distortion at Five Point Amphitheatre
It has been forty years since Social Distortion burst onto Orange County’s rising punk scene, originating out of Fullerton house parties and small, legendary clubs such as The Cuckoos Nest and Safari Sams, but tonight they headlined the Five Point Amphitheatre in Irvine, CA. There’s something to be said about a ‘punk show’ in Irvine, one of the nation’s wealthiest zip codes, with no indication of a punk scene anywhere in sight. For one, a ‘punk show’ in Orange County is usually limited to a 200 person capacity club or bar, with a small stage. If you’re a veteran band, maybe you’ll be fortunate enough to share the stage at the Observatory. However, when you’re Social Distortion, one of the genres most successful and longest lasting groups, and you’re back in Orange County, you play the largest venue available — and bring a lot of your legendary friends to open up. The lineup for the show was respectable, but a little excessive, considering bands like Bully and Mannequin Pussy who opened the show, barely had anyone in attendance. It could also be that the capacity for the venue was up to 12,000 and there was roughly only 8,000 people day

In the Presence of Royalty: Yes at Fivepoint Ampitheatre
It’s important to sprinkle in a little classic rock to any LA concert junkie’s calendar of shows. Frequenting only underground music, no matter the genre, will still give you a limited understanding of the human soul, no matter how much you bounce around the spectrum of different sounds. Sometimes you need the radio hits, KLOS or otherwise. Such was the case when I had to decide between Knot Fest, The Drums, and Yes‘ Royal Affair Tour with Asia, John Lodge, and Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy. The choice was obvious. Janky Smooth originated as a psych rock operation after all and the psych kids of yesterday were the progressive rockers. Bands like Yes and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer made music and sang lyrics that took listeners on journeys far beyond this plane of existence, much like King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard do in 2019. The way King Gizz sings about magic, mysticism, and adventure differs from that of the old kings though. Where the new breed sings about these topics with irony, pastiche, or jest, the old bands sang about them with authenticity and the hope to inspire. It’s no wonder progressive music might be considered a nerdy genre by

Heavy Metal Parking Lot 2: Judas Priest and Deep Purple at FivePoint Amphitheatre
Words and Photos by: Dillon Vaughn Judas Priest and Deep Purple: with a lineup including two legendary bands like this it’s nearly impossible to find a reason not to do whatever it takes to get to the show. Unique opportunities granted by commuting through a massive city for a gig like this are things I feel my parents dreamed of when they were living in a small town at my age. The drive from LA to Irvine during a weekday rush hour is awful but the anticipation for what’s truly an event multiplies each time you pass another car of people obviously making the trek for the same reason. Seeing other groups of unfamiliar familiar faces grin with shared excitement lends a sense of comfort not unlike the feeling of coming home: the euphoria of warm of acceptance and freedom to enjoy yourself for who you really are. related content: The Olive Branch Extends To Irvine: The Scorpions At Five Point Amphitheatre Firepower is somewhat of a return to form for Priest but the live show leaves the impression they never strayed from what they’ve always been. Despite unfortunate lineup changes in recent years the band has never made compromises in

The Olive Branch Extends to Irvine: The Scorpions at FivePoint Amphitheatre
The Scorpions play everywhere, from Israel to Beirut, to Siberia to their Irvine show at FivePoint Amphitheatre for the Crazy World tour. And what an aptly named tour it is, having seen so much of the world’s diversity and political strife, what is unique to The Scorpions is that they are loved and respected as the hard rock ambassadors of world peace. This band represents the chance that we could all get along some day. related content: Slayer’s Final So-Cal Show At Five Point Amphitheater: The Most Insane Review I’ll Ever Write This string of North American dates were makeup shows from a tour the band had to cancel last year while touring with support from Megadeth. On this tour, they brought along classic prog-metal kings Queensryche to open. The band played every song you’d expect but “I Don’t Believe In Love” off their seminal concept album and sonic-action experience Operation: Mindcrime. Instrumentally, they had incredible precision and a soaring epic quality. Todd La Torre sings with a powerful, booming voice that makes the 80’s fucking cool again and honestly sounds just like original singer, Geoffe Tate. Original guitarist Michael Wilton is a powerhouse and you can hear that power in

Slayer’s Final So-Cal Show at Five Point Amphitheater: The Most Insane Review I’ll Ever Write
Seeing Slayer from the front of the crowd is the most violent live music experience you can gamble your life on. And I’m not exaggerating, the risk is real, tangible. Most music bloggers covering this show didn’t choose to stand where I stood, inching forward with the crowd with some kind of unconscious death wish; probably because most music bloggers have more to lose. To sum up what a Slayer show that close to the band is like, I’ll make a World War II reference like the band does on the song “Angel of Death”, their closer of the night. The front row of a Slayer concert feels like being crammed into a train on its way to a death camp, only a band is playing. Everyone is squeezed so tightly into each other that they can’t move. There’s no step you can take back, forward, to the right or left, that could give your body any relief. You’re lucky if you can move your arms. Then suddenly, you’re violently pushed in every direction, colliding with the bodies beside you and falling into them but not falling over, if you’re lucky and God forbid you do, because those that fell