Orion Music Festival
June 8, 2013 // Detroit, MI
Review and Photos by Daniel DeSolver
June 8, 2013 // Detroit, MI
Review and Photos by Daniel DeSolver
Silversun Pickups offered a distorted barrage of guitar and synth that seemed to fit perfectly into the eclectic mix of artists that were compiled by Metallica for the festival. On a day that also included the return of both Infectious Grooves and Tomahawk, fronted by Faith No More’s Mike Patton, there was something exciting around every corner.
The Dropkick Murphys took control of the Orion main stage, led by energetic vocalist Ken Casey who spent most of his time performing from the bass monitors that line the front of the stage. A heavy dose of moshing erupted just beyond the VIP pit, until it was quelled when Metallica mysteriously started playing on the other side of the festival compound.
Last year’s Orion fest featured two days of Metallica as headliner. The Red Hot Chili Peppers were given that honor on Saturday and they gave a blistering two-hour throwdown. Opening with “Monarchy of Roses,” “Dani California” and “Scar Tissue,” they powered through their biggest hits. Oddly, we didn’t notice a single crowd surfer over the course of the day.
Chicago rockers, Rise Against, drew a big crowd on the Main stage prior to the Chili Peppers set. Tim McIlrath and company rolled through a number of songs aimed toward political and social awareness, including “Re-Education,” “Prayer of the Refugee” and crowd-favorite “Satellite.”
Metallica surprised everybody when they made a surprise appearance on Orion’s smallest stage Saturday afternoon. Performing as ‘dehaan,’ they rocked out their first album, ‘Kill ’em All’ it its entirety as fans sprinted from across the festival grounds once news quickly spread. Both Tomahawk and Dropkick Murphys suffered, leaving their stages with a only a handful of their most diehard fans.
Dead Sara powered through an energetic set on the Vans Damage Inc. stage. Emily Armstrong represented–they were the only female-led artist to perform and arguably the strongest vocal presence on the day.
