Airbourne
On The Rocks Café
Hartford, Connecticut
May 2, 2008
Tony Pijar
I remember way back in 1983 my friends and I trekked down to Utopias, a shit-hole of a bar in downtown Bridgeport, Connecticut that maybe held 50 or so people when at capacity, to see NWOBHM legends-in-the-making Raven as they made their way across the US on a mini-tour. As is typically the case, there was an opening band that we’d never heard of, so we parked ourselves at the bar with absolute disinterest, that is until we heard the first spine-ripping chords. As we made our way to the front of the stage, we instinctively knew that this was a very special band in the making. That band is the one who now rules the metal world – Metallica! Jamez. Kirk, Lars and Cliff drenched the crowd with their unbridled metal mayhem. Never before had we seen a band generate so much heat and energy, especially an opening band! And I’ve seen that forcefulness on stage…until now! Let’s break it down in the simplest of terms; Airbourne will be the next big band out there! As with the upstart Metallica, Airbourne live it like they talk it. O pretense, just straight ahead, no-frills, in-your-face, shove it down your throats, vintage rock N roll AC/DC and Rose tattoo style. These guys are so much the real deal that they were chugging Jack Daniels during their sound check! These guys put on such a high-octane show that it didn’t matter that this place, like Utopias, is a shit-hole. Even the bartenders were headbanging! I guarantee that these guys will be as big as Metallica in a few short years. Watch them go!