By RockMusicStar contributor - Deb Rao

Boston, MA-The 2009 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival invaded the Comcast Center in Mansfield, Mass on August 4. As temperatures soared into the high 80's, fans gathered early in the parking lot to witness the most cutting edge event of the Summer.2009 Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival is a modern day festival designed for today's music fan with many diverse booths that included merchandise and tattoos.


The Boston 2009 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival featured 3 stages including the Main Stage, Hot Topic and Jagermester Stage. What was clearly exciting to witness today was the wide age span of fans that gathered for the event. Today's bill featured a vast array of musical talent and styles which included on the main stage Marilyn Manson, SLAYER, Boston's Killswitch Engage, and Bullet For My Valetine.

The Hot Topic Stage and Jagermeister Stage featured cutting edge bands that are making an impact in music today. One of the first bands I checked out was Behemoth at 3 P.M. Behomoth hit the Hot Topic stage for an energetic set 30 minute set with their singer clad in white make-up and capped their performance with "I Got Erection."

Today's Boston Mayhem Festival featured a special Boston homegrown ambiance appeal this year with the homecoming of 2 New England bands that are making an impact in the music industry today, All That Remains and Killswitch Engage.

All That Remains is a band that hails from the Springfield area. ATR hit the Jagermeister Stage at 4:30 P.M. and performed an exhilarating 30 minute set to a huge crowd of Boston fans that featured 3 new songs off of their latest release, Overcome including "Chiron", "Forever In Your Hands", and "Two Weeks." Lead singer Phillip Labonte cheered the crowd on, as he yelled,"We are from the area." Bassist Jeanne Sagan commented to me,"It is always bittersweet to play Boston and come home. I have been on the road most of the year. It is pretty amazing playing at the Mayhem Festival this year. We are from the Springfield area. Killswitch Engage and Shadows Fall are all around the same area also. We just put out a second single "Forever In Your Hands" that is being added to radio now. We are going to shoot a video for it during this tour actually in a few days."

ALL THAT REMAINS
This Calling
Chiron
Forever In Your Hands
Six
The Air That I Breathe
Undone
Two Weeks

Killswich Engage hit the stage at 7:25 P.M. and managed to the get crowd pumped up for Slayer. Singer Howrd Jones wearing a Red Sox cap gave reference to the band's heritage in Boston throughout the entire set and joked as he commented, "Our drummer is a Yankees fan." Which inspired the Yankees chant to begin. Killswitch Engage took the stage amidst a blast of pyro opening with "My Last Seranade." Highlight of the set was "Rose Of Sharyn."

Killswitch Engage Set List
My Last Serenade
Reckoning
Fixation On The Darkness
Rose Of Sharyn
Starting Over
A Bid Farewell
My Curse
The End Of Heartache

At 8:30 P.M. one of the first bands that put metal on the map, Slayer took the stage in true metallic thunder. Anticipation filled the air, as the crowd waited patiently all day to witness the legendary metal band. Opening with "Darkness Of Christ", the Slayer set spanned their extensive career and also showcased some of their older classic songs. Slayer will be releasing a new album later this year entitled, World Painted Blood and also performed a new song off of the upcoming album entitled, "Pyschopathy Red" which re-enforced the old school metal roots of the band. Singer Tom Araya belted out the songs with much passion, as it was clear to see that Slayer was there to destroy and inflict their powerful fury onto the masses as guitarist Kerry King unleashed skull crushing riffs relentlessly. Highlights of the Slayer set included "Ghosts Of War" and "South Of Heaven." When I asked Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo about the rehearsal preparation of the Mayhem Tour and his thoughts on the challenge of performing live versus recording in the studio drummer Dave Lombardo commented to me,"It is only challenging like the first maybe two or three days in rehearsal. Where you are shedding all of the cobwebs that you have accumulated probably in six months of not touring. But then we were in the studio but that is not the same. So the hardest part is the first couple days of rehearsal. There really is no challenge."

Slayer Set List

SLAYER
Darkness Of Christ
Disciple
War Ensemble
Jihad
Pyschopathy Red
Born Of Fire
Mandatory Suicide
Chemical Warfare
Ghosts Of War
Dead Skin Mask
Hell Awaits
Angel Of Death
South Of Heaven
Raining Blood

Marilyn Manson capped the evening performance. It was great to see a lot of Marilyn's fans show up early for the concert. It was a long day for them. As I spoke to 2 young fans who braved the heat and traveled an hour to see the performer and arrived there at 2 :15 P.M. when the gates opened. Also Marilyn's set included three new songs off his his latest release The High End Of Low, as he opened the set with "We're From America" and capped his performance with "The Beautiful Creatures."

Marilyn Manson Set list

We're From America
Disposable Teens
Little Horn
Irresponsible Hate Anthem
Four Rusted Horses
Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon
The Dope Show
Rock Is Dead
Tourniquet
Sweet Dreams
The Beautiful People