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Dead1

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I liked having the ability to walk around outside and look at merch and eat and stuff without having to leave Edison. When I'm in the Ram's Head it becomes all albout holding our spots on the railing upstairs, and I start to feel like I have to stay glued to one spot. Don't wanna walk over 10 steps to go get a beer or go downstairs for a piss or look at the shirts unless someone's holding the spot. Can't risk losing the good view of a band I really wanan see to some metal tourist.

I always think I'm gonna do a lot more back and forth between RH and SS but then when I'm there I start thinking about what a hassle it'll be to go through security again and everything so unless it's a must see band at the other venue I end up staying put. I do enjoy my time at the smaller Soundstage a bit better, unfortunately most of my must see bands are usually scheduled at RH.

I'd be happiest though if it were all outdoors and they had no indoor venues at all. But they'd need a place big enough to have stages far enough apart to have multiple bands playing at the same time, but without having to go out the gate and back in through another. And they'd have to let it go much later into the night, til at least 2am so we could have more bands playing their dark music in the darkness. The cool evening breeze definitely adds something imo. The only downside is you're totally dependent on the weather. Standing out in the pouring rain even for a band you're really into isn't much fun.

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1 hour ago, SurgicalBrute said:

I was actually surprised how well the Rams Head/Soundstage only setup worked over the last couple of years. They'd been doing two outdoor stages for so long, that when that announcement came out that they were changing things, I remember thinking it was going to be a giant clusterfuck. It worked really well though. That being said, I do think if they'd gotten some of those bands that ended up not making it...particularly Dismember and Bloodbath (whatever my personal opinion on the latter may be), Edison would have probably felt like more of a necessity.

Yes...probably the best they've been for a few albums now

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Edison, but the heat, lack of sitting spots/shade, and the bus back and forth leaves a bit to be desired. Helps that most of what I wanted to see was there, but I did miss a few shows I wanted to see had they not been a bus ride away. That and better places to eat and drink by Rams Head (or 10 minutes back to the room and grab a drink). I can live without the clusterfuck outdoor stage at Rams Head too.

I'll still go back even if it's the same setup though. I like Psycho Las Vegas better venue wise, but the lineups leave a lot to be desired. As shitty as Baltimore is as a destination, still my favorite place to be on memorial day weekend.

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6 minutes ago, RelentlessOblivion said:

I just want to make MDF one year, but at the same time America doesn’t seem all that safe at present.

 

Random thought: why do Spotify, YT, eBay, and MA have different release date for the same album? It’s really confusing.

Maybe I'm numb to it or just not paying attention. Seems as safe as it ever was to me. I don't watch the news or follow the media at all, so probably just blissfully ignorant.

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53 minutes ago, navybsn said:

Maybe I'm numb to it or just not paying attention. Seems as safe as it ever was to me. I don't watch the news or follow the media at all, so probably just blissfully ignorant.

Didn't you get drugged at MD and robbed one year?  Or am I thinking someone else or just tripping balls?!?

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No that wasn't Navy that was some young dude, I can't seem to remember his name. Some variation on Soyboy or something. A bit of a drama queen, he posted with us for a few months until I said something that offended him and then he got all butt hurt. Jay told him to fuck off so he left in a huff.

Wonder how Jay's doing? I used to have him on FB but then he deactivated his account so I haven't heard from him. He signed up here last year when we all moved over and said hi, but I've never seen him post anything since then. I don't think he even logs on.

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4 hours ago, navybsn said:

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Edison, but the heat, lack of sitting spots/shade, and the bus back and forth leaves a bit to be desired. Helps that most of what I wanted to see was there, but I did miss a few shows I wanted to see had they not been a bus ride away. That and better places to eat and drink by Rams Head (or 10 minutes back to the room and grab a drink). I can live without the clusterfuck outdoor stage at Rams Head too.

I'll still go back even if it's the same setup though. I like Psycho Las Vegas better venue wise, but the lineups leave a lot to be desired. As shitty as Baltimore is as a destination, still my favorite place to be on memorial day weekend.

To be fair though, it was always like that. In the days of having the festival at the Sonar it was basically the same way...minus the travel between the venues. Don't think I've ever taken that shuttle though. Never seemed worth waiting for it to make the 10 minute walk. I do like that Rams Head and the Soundstage are practically right next to each other though. There were definitely sets I would have liked to have seen if they didn't require running down there, then having to immediately turn around and run back to Edison afterwards. Plus it's nice to at least be indoors for whatever black metal band gets stuck with the 1:30pm slot

Agreed about the food...They used to have some damn good food the last couple of times they did Edison, but quality was lacking this year. Place called Zombie Barbecue used to come, and they made this massive pulled pork/sausage contraption. It was so damn good.

That outdoor Rams Head stage sucked...I hope to never see that thing again. Can't imagine they'll do it though if they only have the two venues. There'd be no where for merch stands to set up

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6 hours ago, Dead1 said:

Didn't you get drugged at MD and robbed one year?  Or am I thinking someone else or just tripping balls?!?

Yeah not me. Downtown Baltimore isn't a place I'd want to hang around at 1 am without 6000 of my closest friends, but like anywhere, keeping your wits about you and knowing when to bug out will keep you out of harms way. I've been to almost every major city in the US and some of the most notorious neighborhoods. Never had a problem. As my dad said all the time when I was a kid, being respectful and genuine to people goes a long way.

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5 hours ago, navybsn said:

Yeah not me. Downtown Baltimore isn't a place I'd want to hang around at 1 am without 6000 of my closest friends, but like anywhere, keeping your wits about you and knowing when to bug out will keep you out of harms way. I've been to almost every major city in the US and some of the most notorious neighborhoods. Never had a problem. As my dad said all the time when I was a kid, being respectful and genuine to people goes a long way.

I think that was this other dude who posted on M-F for a minute. He came and went pretty quick. I think he posted a picture of himself with his shirt off showing off his abs at some point....kind of an odd character. GG, didn't you scare him off...have a vague recollection. 

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12 hours ago, navybsn said:

Yeah not me. Downtown Baltimore isn't a place I'd want to hang around at 1 am without 6000 of my closest friends, but like anywhere, keeping your wits about you and knowing when to bug out will keep you out of harms way. I've been to almost every major city in the US and some of the most notorious neighborhoods. Never had a problem. As my dad said all the time when I was a kid, being respectful and genuine to people goes a long way.

The problem is probably overstated like many other things.

 

I think the situation here in Tassie is probably worse than a lot of American cities.  People get randomly assaulted a fair bit - a colleague of mine was attacked in broad daylight outside his office whilst going to lunch whilst a friends of mine had his arm broken in a random attack whilst he was walking home from work.

I've witnessed a couple of fights in the main shopping street in broad daylight as have my wife and others.  In one case I had just witnessed a brawl between stoner hobos in a park when a police car pulled over.  I told them the location of the fight and they said they weren't there for that brawl, but another altercation  occurring just down the street at the same time! 

Back in the late 1990s/early 00s you had to walk around city in a large group even as early as 7 pm due to the so-called Adidas gang who just beat up random people. 

 

I don't go to Hobart much but again whenever I am there there is trouble in broad daylight in the main shopping area.  On a business trip to Hobart a couple of weeks ago I actually commented to my colleagues it was the first  time I walked through the Hobart Mall and there wasn't a fight or bogans harassing and verbally assaulting Asians.

 

I've been threatened by beggars in Melbourne in the luxurious Yarra river district but luckily a bunch of other people turned up.  Again it was probably around dinner time.

I've called cops several times in my life including once when our neighbours were literally threatening to kill each other and also to report vandalism (saw two guys smashing a petrol station outside my bathroom window) or burglaries.

 

My cousin in Sydney was badly beaten up outside a train station by an Aboriginal gang after work.  He was a manager at a franchise clothing retailer and quite square.  But he was white-ish and alone so a fair target in their eyes.

 

I remember as a kid my neighbours were broken into,  They were on the second story.  All ground floor flats had bars on windows.  The burglars climbed into the balcony somehow

My parents' car was broken into twice in Sydney in under 6 months.

And a couple of years ago we were waiting to go into a cave tour in the middle of nowhere when a bunch of tourists came in to report their car was broken into and stuff stolen (we never leave devices or bags visible in the car).

 

 

Oh and the cherry on the cake - my parents told me that as a young boy in Sydney I came across a body who had been thrown off one of the higher floors of our apartment building.  I vaguely remember talking to a police officer and a human shaped thing  on the grass but I'm not sure if my mind reconstructed that based on my parents talking about it.  My parents said it was a murder victim.

 

Yet ironically I used to walk the quiet streets of Ravenswood where I lived in the middle of the night.  Ravenswood is one of the most crime ridden suburbs here in Launceston and Tasmania as a whole.  I did avoid the supermarket as thugs used to hang out there who would look for randoms to beat up (including a Downs Syndrome volunteer at the Library). 

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6 hours ago, markm said:

I think that was this other dude who posted on M-F for a minute. He came and went pretty quick. I think he posted a picture of himself with his shirt off showing off his abs at some point....kind of an odd character. GG, didn't you scare him off...have a vague recollection. 

Yeah I remember the 6-pack abs shot. He was a younger dude, 20 or 21 maybe, he only posted with us for a few months. And yes, of course it was I who said something he didn't appreciate and then he complained to our mod JAG who told him to go fuck himself so he left and never returned.

I've been trying not to chase people away ever since. But being the obnoxious, loudmouthed, curmedgeon that I am, (or so I'm told) that can be easier said than done. The irony of course is that in real life I'm actually just a sweet but misunderstood old man, who'd just as soon give you a hug than a piece of my mind.

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44 minutes ago, Dead1 said:

The problem is probably overstated like many other things.

 

I think the situation here in Tassie is probably worse than a lot of American cities.  People get randomly assaulted a fair bit - a colleague of mine was attacked in broad daylight outside his office whilst going to lunch whilst a friends of mine had his arm broken in a random attack whilst he was walking home from work.

I've witnessed a couple of fights in the main shopping street in broad daylight as have my wife and others.  In one case I had just witnessed a brawl between stoner hobos in a park when a police car pulled over.  I told them the location of the fight and they said they weren't there for that brawl, but another altercation  occurring just down the street at the same time! 

Back in the late 1990s/early 00s you had to walk around city in a large group even as early as 7 pm due to the so-called Adidas gang who just beat up random people. 

 

I don't go to Hobart much but again whenever I am there there is trouble in broad daylight in the main shopping area.  On a business trip to Hobart a couple of weeks ago I actually commented to my colleagues it was the first  time I walked through the Hobart Mall and there wasn't a fight or bogans harassing and verbally assaulting Asians.

 

I've been threatened by beggars in Melbourne in the luxurious Yarra river district but luckily a bunch of other people turned up.  Again it was probably around dinner time.

I've called cops several times in my life including once when our neighbours were literally threatening to kill each other and also to report vandalism (saw two guys smashing a petrol station outside my bathroom window) or burglaries.

 

My cousin in Sydney was badly beaten up outside a train station by an Aboriginal gang after work.  He was a manager at a franchise clothing retailer and quite square.  But he was white-ish and alone so a fair target in their eyes.

 

I remember as a kid my neighbours were broken into,  They were on the second story.  All ground floor flats had bars on windows.  The burglars climbed into the balcony somehow

My parents' car was broken into twice in Sydney in under 6 months.

And a couple of years ago we were waiting to go into a cave tour in the middle of nowhere when a bunch of tourists came in to report their car was broken into and stuff stolen (we never leave devices or bags visible in the car).

 

 

Oh and the cherry on the cake - my parents told me that as a young boy in Sydney I came across a body who had been thrown off one of the higher floors of our apartment building.  I vaguely remember talking to a police officer and a human shaped thing  on the grass but I'm not sure if my mind reconstructed that based on my parents talking about it.  My parents said it was a murder victim.

 

Yet ironically I used to walk the quiet streets of Ravenswood where I lived in the middle of the night.  Ravenswood is one of the most crime ridden suburbs here in Launceston and Tasmania as a whole.  I did avoid the supermarket as thugs used to hang out there who would look for randoms to beat up (including a Downs Syndrome volunteer at the Library). 

Sounds like you need a good exorcist my dude. That's quite the litany of bad luck. Just kidding, but seriously, I know I've got it pretty good compared to the wider world. Where I spend the majority of my time does have crime, but those of the violent sort tend to stay contained in distinct areas. The police here are arrogant bastards (aren't they everywhere?), but do generally act in a responsible way to deter criminals. Can't say I've seen an open fist fight in the last 10 years at least. Hell, I regularly come home from work and find my daughter has been around and left my garage and/or front door unlocked. Annoying but not worrisome. I'm sure those here with long term exposure to major metropolitan areas like GG, markm, Surge, and others probably can relate to your experience more than I.

My point was really that the US as a whole gets a bad rap in world's eye mainly due to our overly aggressive and over developed media. The vast majority of this country is full of decent people who just want to go about the day with little drama. Definitely some who don't represent that but not so much that I would advise folks to stay away. And I have no evidence, but I think it's fair to say it's one of if not the most visited countries in the world.

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54 minutes ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

The irony of course is that in real life I'm actually just a sweet but misunderstood old man, who'd just as soon give you a hug than a piece of my mind.

Can verify. Not exactly the person you expect to meet based on internet interaction. I know when I met the old goat (albeit unfortunately too briefly due to my inability to hang on to my cell phone for an entire weekend), I half expected a grizzled old piss of a hesher that resembled a Lemmy impersonator rather than your average everyday dad. Not exactly sure where I got that idea from but have had a chuckle about it once or twice.

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It is True the media often only show the worst of America, although when I was there in 2017 my family and I were harassed for simply walking down the street, if memory serves said harassment was something maga related. Then again I was recently threatened here just for being blind. I would really like to travel back to the states on day, maybe start in NYC, then hit MDF before flying to the west coast.

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I agree with Navy that the overall situation in the U.S. is blown out of proportion. You don't necessarily have to fear for your life if you're coming to visit...Annapolis, for instance, is a nice little city that can be a hell of a lot of fun to wander around, even at night. At the same time, there are certain areas here in the U.S. - such as my very own Baltimore - which didn't earn their reputations by accident. Definitely don't wander out of the tourist areas down there if you can help it, and for the love of god, don't do it by yourself at night.

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33 minutes ago, navybsn said:

Can verify. Not exactly the person you expect to meet based on internet interaction. I know when I met the old goat (albeit unfortunately too briefly due to my inability to hang on to my cell phone for an entire weekend), I half expected a grizzled old piss of a hesher that resembled a Lemmy impersonator rather than your average everyday dad. Not exactly sure where I got that idea from but have had a chuckle about it once or twice.

Haha...I suppose 35 years ago I might have resembled a denim & leather clad Lemmy impersonator right down to the bullet belt, if you can imagine Lemmy with Robert Plant's 1970's hairstyle and sans tatts. Definitely shaved my facial hair into a Lemmy-like muttonchop configuration a few times because he was certainly a hero of mine, but most of the time I just kept a well trimmed full beard which has long since turned from brown to white. Had to finally cut my long hair in the mid 2000's because it was getting a bit thin on top to wear long like that, and I guess at that point my poseur days were offically over. Nowadays I'm just your average headbanger granddad.

59 minutes ago, RelentlessOblivion said:

It is True the media often only show the worst of America, although when I was there in 2017 my family and I were harassed for simply walking down the street, if memory serves said harassment was something maga related. Then again I was recently threatened here just for being blind. I would really like to travel back to the states on day, maybe start in NYC, then hit MDF before flying to the west coast.

What kind of a loser piece of shit threatens a fucking blind man?!? 

If you ever make your way to New York let me know man, I'll come down and buy you a few beers. And if you time it to coincide with MDF I'll give you a ride down there (it's about 3.5 hours) you can meet your buddy BaN if we can get him there that year. 

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On the way to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child I saw a Skid Row poster on the London Underground advertising their new album. That was random.

Since I read Blabbermouth I know about the drama with Sebastian Bach and lineup changes, despite never having heard a Skid Row album, nor ever likely to. I was just surprised to see multiple posters in the Underground because that kind of coverage can't be cheap.

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11 minutes ago, RelentlessOblivion said:

I’m just surprised by your choice of evening entertainment…

Not just an evening. Try a whole day. The Cursed Child is a two-part play spanning 1-9pm. 

Would not have been my choice for spending a Sunday, but it was ok. Good stage effects. As with any JK Rowling story it has good characters and emotional depth but plot holes you could drive the Hogwarts Express through.

 

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41 minutes ago, RelentlessOblivion said:

Not to mention Finley veiled anti Semitism,xenophobia, but at least she keeps some of her terrible worldviews out of her writing.

Hadn't heard that one before. The entire plot of Harry Potter deals with issues of a villain obsessed with being the master race, and getting beaten...and major characters are gay. 

They cast a black actress to play Hermione in the Cursed Child play.  And Hagrid!

Although I think there was a throwaway line in the first act that mentioned there were no Jews at Hogwarts because they were too busy eating babies. So, you're probably right.

 

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