Power Trip
Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, CA
By Michele Mussatto and Dylan Guess
Power Trip was the first metal concert held at the exquisite Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, CA, in the Coachella Valley right outside of the beautiful resort town of Palm Springs, CA, also home to the Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals. Now this is the way to experience a music festival; Goldenvoice, keep ‘em coming! Despite the $600 – $3,000 prices for 3-day tickets and lack of Ozzie Osbourne who bowed out due to health issues, Power Trip drew approximately 80,000 people. This is way less than the 800,000 that attend the Coachella festival which takes place in the same venue. This made us feel privileged to be spread out in the spacious and exclusive Empire Polo Club venue. I don’t think I want to be in this venue with much more than 80,000 people honestly and would happily pay more to keep the crowds smaller.
The Empire Polo Club is a gorgeous venue that everyone should experience in their lifetime. The grounds are 78 acres of perfectly groomed synthetic grass laid across smooth desert dirt, eliminating the dust and mud found in many festival environments. The 105-degree daytime temps of the valley (unusually high for October according to locals) dipped to a perfect low 70’s each night, as the sky turned pink and highlighted the purple desert mountains all around us. The venue lights were multi-colored, and the lit up “devil-horns” cactus, enclosed spiral staircase, and ferris wheel gave the venue the feeling of being in another world.
We had general admission tickets so I cannot speak to the VIP sections and amenities, but I was struck by the upper-class appearance and behavior of the attendees. Of course being near Los Angeles helps, but probably the high cost of the tickets helped as well. For those people who have an opinion of metal heads as classless reprobates with no manners and bad habits, the general admission audience (and might I add the majority of metal heads in general) was far from that. People were beautiful, well-mannered, and well-dressed, with many groups of international attendees from countries far away that spent a pretty penny to attend, and who were very appreciative and excited to be there as were we all.
The LED screens, absolutely needed in general admission because the performers were impossible to see from our vantage, created a show in themselves, taking the best parts of the LED show on the stage, drone shots of the audience, and select shots of the performers that made us happy we were luxuriating on the lawn to our own beautifully edited show instead of sitting on the metal benches in the VIP section. Even though we couldn’t see the performers in the GA sections, we could still see the stage, which was artfully decorated in LED screens, laser lights, pyrotechnics, and nightly fireworks.
Unfortunately, the long merch lines put a dent in our experience. The one thing we definitely wanted to come away with was a t-shirt displaying the very impressive lineup of this once in a lifetime festival which included some bands who we may not be able to see again in our (or more accurately THEIR) lifetimes. My friend waited in line during half of the Tool performance and into the first 3 songs of the Metallica performance without even TV screens to watch the show, and when he got to the counter all the line-up tees were sold out, and still are on the Power Trip app. As he waited in line he watched t-shirt selections get removed from their options while the people in the line collectively groaned and cursed. Who still never got a concert line-up tee? Don’t worry, there are knock-offs finally available on eBay at half the price. Next time I go I’m buying my knock off tee from the guy in the parking lot for $20! Even the pre-purchase line for merch was incredibly long. It’s 2023 Goldenvoice, eliminate the lines and allow us to buy merch online and have it shipped to us.
The alcohol and food choices looked encouraging in the Power Trip app, promising whiskey tastings, vegan food, and coffee stands. Metal heads are some of the most vegan people you will find, just ask Kirk Hammett, Geezer Butler, Joe Duplantier of Gojira and Rob Zombie, so you would think in California that vegan food, or at least healthy food would be plentiful, but it was not. We waited for 45 minutes at a stand that listed watermelon and corn on their menu, but when we got to the counter they said they were unwilling to sell either without the milk-based goo they had mixed in with them, so we had to wait another 10 minutes for them to refund our money. The app showed roughly where food vendors were located, but you had to click on each of the dozens of vendors to see what food they offered, then wander around trying to find the vendor of your choice in the enormous venue. A location tracker would had been nice, as well as allowing food vendors to load their own menus onto the app. We never could find the Blackened whiskey tasting tent, only to find out it was in the car camping area. We were finally able to taste Metallica’s Blackened whiskey in a cocktail at another vendor, it’s delicious, try it! But there simply wasn’t enough time to walk long distances to bathrooms and food, then back to the viewing area, and then wait in long lines for merch and food and drink to be able to meet your physical needs and see entire sets of music as well. Fortunately security was forgiving, and I was able to bring in large quantities of my own food the next day, which improved our experience. But for the high price, a better app would had made it more worth the ticket prices.
Another failing of the Power Trip experience was having to stand in line for 2 hours in the will call line at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, CA a half hour away from the venue to get our wristbands. The staff said ‘well the will call line was open Wednesday and Thursday, too, and no one came those days!’ as if it was our fault we waited until the last minute. I’m sorry, but even if I lived locally in the LA basin, I would still not be able to take a day off work and drive 6 hours round trip in desert traffic to pick up my wrist bands on a Wed or Thurs. We drove halfway across the United States and didn’t have the time or the money to spend an extra night in Palm Springs just to avoid the will call line! And thousands of attendees traveled from halfway across the planet to get to Power Trip, so get with the times promoters, and mail wristbands to attendees ahead of time, like other festivals do. The worst thing about the will call line was that it caused so many people to miss out on Iron Maiden’s set. The traffic and parking and security lines at the venue added to the parking and traffic at the will call venue thirty minutes away, which we just had not anticipated when we were making travel plans. The staff said that they operated Coachella this way too.
Despite much room for improvement, Power Trip was an outstanding experience, and well worth the money, wait times, traffic, and confusion. But I can say this only because of how well the bands performed! Let’s face it, the musicians in the lineup are all aging, and given some of their past performances (or lack thereof), we weren’t sure if they could still deliver. We were pretty sure Metallica would kill it, which they totally did! But AC DC, with Brian Johnson’s deafness and throat cancer, who we haven’t seen since before Malcom Young died of dementia 7 years ago? And Judas Priest, who replaced Ozzy, with Rob Halford who had a limited vocal range and heavy reliance on vocal effects when we saw them a Ozzfest in 2004? And Iron Maiden, led by Bruce Dickinson whose multi-octave range and operatic vocals must surely be waning by now? Let me tell you, no one was waning during Power Trip! What a fantastic lineup, and how wonderful it was to see our favorite bands perform so well.
Friday’s Opening Show – Iron Maiden
Fortunately, Iron Maiden started twenty minutes late, but even despite us running for a half a mile across the venue to make it to the stage, we still missed the first three songs because of the will call congestion and Friday night traffic. We were lucky though, others missed way more. Maiden was the main reason I came to Power Trip, so that hurt. Why were they not the headliner Friday night anyway, instead of Guns N’ Roses? I don’t care how many hard rock fans love GNR, this is a metal festival, and Maiden are metal royalty, and I felt that was a very disrespectful gesture to this great band. Iron Maiden outperformed Guns vocally and instrumentally, and put on a much more entertaining show.
Iron Maiden was still a delight to see, for the little that we saw them. Bruce Dickinson looked and sounded great, his voice still powerful and range still intact and his stage presence had not diminished since I last saw him 15 years ago. Nicko McBrain on drums and Steve Harris on bass are still a menacing force, as tight as ever. Guitar dynamos Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers are still deadly accurate. Bruce battled Eddie with a giant ray gun. Kudos Maiden! Although I appreciate Maiden’s rich discography and musical breadth, and I was disappointed that they chose to play so many of their deep tracks at the expense of leaving out their epic favorites “Run to the Hills,” “Aces High,” and “2 Minutes to Midnight.” It didn’t feel like a complete show, with only a 15-song set compared the GNR’s 29-song set.
Iron Maiden Set List:
- “Caught Somewhere in Time”
- “Stranger in a Strange Land”
- “The Writing on the Wall”
- “Days of Future Past”
- “The Time Machine”
- “The Prisoner”
- “Death of the Celts”
- “Can I Play With Madness”
- “Heaven Can Wait”
- “Alexander the Great”
- “Fear of the Dark”
- “Iron Maiden”
- “Hell on Earth”
- “The Trooper”
- “Wasted Years”
Friday’s Headlining Show: Guns N’ Roses
Guns N’ Roses got less than stellar reviews for their performance, but we enjoyed it for awhile. Slash’s guitar playing was as impressive as always, and Axl Rose’s voice and stage performance were good, and Duff McKagen’s bass work combined with keyboardist Melissa Reese was outstanding. We were also pleasantly surprised that they played Slash’s “Slither” from his Velvet Revolver days. Maybe compared to earlier performances they weren’t as good, but it was still a pleasure to see them play. However admittedly we left about 14 songs into their 29-song set that ended at 1:00 am before things got sleepy with their renditions of “Wichita Lineman” and “Knockin’ of Heaven’s Door.” Driving 3 hours in the desert, standing in line for 2 hours in the will call line at the Indian Well Tennis Garden a half hour away, waiting in line for 30 minutes to park, and then running to the stage so as not to miss too much of Iron Maiden will test even the most energetic metal enthusiast, and GNR is not metal. GNR still has a wide range of music, from hard rock to soft rock ballads, and their wide range of music styles may appeal to more people, so maybe it was felt by Goldenvoice that they would sell more tickets with GNR on the line up. But it was weird to end the night on a mellow vibe vs the intense vibe of Maiden. It was a clashing of energies.
Guns N’ Roses Set List:
1. “It’s So Easy”
2. “Bad Obsession”
3. “Chinese Democracy”
4. “Slither” (Velvet Revolver cover)
5. “Pretty Tied Up”
6. “Mr. Brownstone”
7. “Welcome to the Jungle”
8. “Hard Skool”
9. “Absurd”
10. “Double Talkin’ Jive”
11. Reckless Life”
12. “You Could Be Mine”
13. “Estranged”
14. “Live and Let Die” (Wings cover)
15. “Down on the Farm” (UK Subs cover)
16. “Rocket Queen”
17. “T.V. Eye” (Stooges cover, Duff McKagan on lead vocals)
18. “Better”
19. “Anything Goes”
20. “Civil War”
21. Slash guitar solo
22. “Sweet Child O’ Mine”
23. “November Rain”
24. “Wichita Lineman” (Glen Campbell cover)
25. “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (Bob Dylan cover)
26. “Patience”
27. “Coma”
28. “Nightrain”
29. “Paradise City”
Saturday’s Opening Show – Judas Priest
Judas Priest is back! Rob Halford’s voice was amazing! He hit all the high notes, and sounded like he did in the early days, which is surprising as he didn’t sound so good 19 years ago at OzzFest, when he had to hide his voice with electronic vocal effects. But damn did he deliver for Power Trip! He was a joy to watch, especially when he drove his Harley onto the stage dressed all in leather. Metal vocal royalty!
Outrageously excellent lead guitarist Ritchie Faulkner nailed it for Priest! Faulkner delivered the second best guitar playing of the weekend behind Angus Young (sorry Kirk Hammett, you were awesome, too). He and Halford dominated the desert and showed the audience how metal is done. And as a special treat, founding guitarist Glenn Tipton, who has Parkinsons’ Disease, joined the band for the last 3 songs, and kicked ass! Priest was an unexpected highlight of the weekend, and a very capable substitute for Ozzy Osbourne.
Judas Priest is so totally back in fact, that they are releasing a new album on March 8, 2024 called Invincible Shield. And according to their single out now called “Panic Attack,” it’s gonna be a kick ass, do not miss, classic Priest masterpiece! Check it out on YouTube!
Priest’s Set List:
1. “The Hellion” / “Electric Eye”
2. “Riding on the Wind”
3. “Heading Out to the Highway”
4. “Lightning Strike”
5. “Diamonds & Rust”
6. “The Sentinel”
7. “A Touch of Evil”
8. “Turbo Lover”
9. “Firepower”
10. “Desert Plains”
11. “Rapid Fire”
12. “The Green Manalishi”
13. “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin'”
14. “Painkiller”
15. “Hell Bent for Leather”
16. “Metal Gods”
17. “Breaking the Law”
18. “Living After Midnight”
Saturday’s Headlining Show: AC DC
Totally blown away by Priest, and exhausted from moshing in the Breakin’ the Law circle pit, I would had been okay if AC DC just did okay. But AC DC frickin blew us away! Brian Johnson can still sing! He faltered a bit here and there, but overall put on a tremendously energetic performance. But the infamous guitarist Angus Young doesn’t know what falter means… I think he gave his best performance yet at Power Trip! He literally hit every note perfectly, and his exuberance jumped off the LED screens and into my soul. Just wow!! Thank god, AC DC is back! This is the first time in 7 years since they have performed, and I think Angus was just so freakin’ excited to be back that he left it all in the desert for us that night.
AC DC performed all of our favorites, which are dozens given their immense discography of 18 original albums, not including live albums. They put on an outstanding show, which was made even better by the hundreds of fans lighting up the audience with their illuminated red Angus devil horns on their heads. Now that Brian Johnson’s voice has been resurrected due to technology that allows him to overcome his hearing issues, we are demanding more shows! We love you AC DC, and can’t get enough of you.
AC DC’s Set List:
“If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)”
“Back in Black”
“Demon Fire”
“Shot Down in Flames”
“Thunderstruck”
“Have a Drink on Me”
“Hells Bells”
“Shot in the Dark”
“Stiff Upper Lip”
“Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
“Shoot to Thrill”
“Sin City”
“Givin the Dog a Bone”
“Rock ‘n’ Roll Train”
“You Shook Me All Night Long”
“Dog Eat Dog”
“High Voltage”
“Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be Play Video”
“Riff Raff”
“Highway to Hell”
“Whole Lotta Rosie”
“Let There Be Rock”
“T.N.T”
“For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”
Sunday Night Opener: Tool
Dammit Tool, you never give us close ups of yourselves on the LED screens! But not being able to see Tool perform allowed us to fully appreciate and concentrate on their hypnotic, percussive metal music, and it was immensely satisfying to sway and chill to. Tool’s progressive, flowing metal songs are trippy in any circumstance, but their performance was enhanced by their psychedelic LED light show full of creepy aliens which was perfectly suited the beautiful desert setting. Tool played my all time fave Ænema, which I needed to hear, so I could release my rage at society. Tool is touring all over the United States, so catch this multiple Grammy award winning band!
Tool’s Set List:
Jambi
The Pot
Fear Inoculum
Rosetta Stoned
Pushit
Forty Six & 2
Pneuma
The Grudge
Invincible
Stinkfist
Swamp Song
Ænema
Sunday Night Headliner: Metallica
I’ve been loving the ubiquitous Metallica for almost 40 years and have seen them multiple times, so I wasn’t thrilled that they were headlining, expecting that they would play mostly new songs, or worse yet the most popular, overplayed songs from the Black album. They did play two black album songs, Enter Sandman and Sad But True, which okay, I guess for those who don’t love Metallica like I do were necessary so casual fans didn’t lose interest. But to my absolute thrill and to their redemption, they both opened and closed with 3 songs each from their first album Kill ‘Em All (affectionately known as “Metal Up Your Ass”), their second album Ride the Lightning, their 3rd album Master of Puppets, and their 4th album …And Justice for All. In fact, 50% of their set list was made up of songs from these four masterpiece albums, including Fade to Black. Fade to Black is my favorite Metallica song and one of my favorite songs of all times, but for dark reasons. I was happy that James commented about suicide and asked folks to reach out for help when they felt down. If you have not listened to these four foundational, groundbreaking thrash metal albums and do not understand how instrumental they were to redefining metal music in the 80’s, then you cannot call yourself a Metallica fan. The new Metallica is amazing too! Their newest album, 72 Seasons, is full of Metallica masterpieces and very long songs. Screaming Suicide and Shadows Follow are outstanding musical achievements, as fast as their old stuff and very difficult to play, a testament to their continual growth as musicians and song writers.
James Hetfield, who never wanted to be a singer and doesn’t like the sound of his own voice, sounded magnificent! His vocals were perfect, he looked amazing, and his showmanship was energetic and entertaining. Kirk Hammett’s high-speed lead guitar shredding was mind blowing, though he did slip a couple times. Lars Ulrich’s high-speed animated drumming drove home the performance, and it was great to see that he still had a hard time sitting still and was thoroughly enjoying himself. And the extraordinary bass skills of super-talented Robert Trujillo were the perfect complement to these three. The ex Suicidal Tendencies bassist was meant to be in Metallica, and stands up there with Geddy and Geezer and Cliff as one of metal’s best bassists. Metallica were the perfect end to a perfect weekend watching metal legends playing at their very best in the most beautiful venue I have experienced.
Metallica’s Set List:
“Whiplash”
“Creeping Death”
“For Whom the Bell Tolls”
“Enter Sandman”
“Lux Æterna”
“Too Far Gone?”
“Fade to Black”
“Fuel”
“Orion”
“Nothing Else Matters”
“Sad but True”
“The Day That Never Comes”
“Hardwired”
“Seek & Destroy”
“One”
“Master of Puppets”
