First off, I'd like to give my eternal thanks to all who sent well wishes or joined me for my "Metal B-Day" bash at Hell's Kitchen. We got to witness Sleeper Cell get heavy, Eroder do its thing, and Out prove just how loud guitars can get in the remodeled Hell's Kitchen! (Thanks, Art!) I'd even like to give a shout-out to all my haters who went overboard trying to foil my good time. As the old saying goes, "Love me or hate me, just don't ignore me."

If you read The Damage Report Last week you heard about the band Red Fang's secret show at The Sunset Tavern in Ballard. It was cool seeing some of you readers up there as Tacoma represented for the Fang! Upon arriving early at the Sunset I was greeted by the many "Sold Out" signs and felt mighty glad to have will call tickets secured. The nice red interior of the venue reminded me of something out of the old show Twin Peaks - and seemed like the perfect atmosphere for what we were about to witness.

As time passed the tiny space filled with more and more of the lucky few (maybe 150 total) eager to get sweaty to some incredible rock. Openers Annunaki did a good job setting the tone with an off-kilter yet heavy set. The crowd continued to grow and drink as I mingled with fellow South Sound madmen, and even good ol' Chris "Cricket" Johnson of Action City Tattoo and his ever-increasing posse. As Seattle band Princess took the stage the mood shifted. Suddenly space in front of the stage disappeared as the volume increased and Princess got down to business. The vocalist wasted no time proving he knew how to growl and scream while the female bassist and drummer beat the crowd into submission. The guitarist had a great crunch to his sound and I was really blown away with how good this band was. The whole night I just kept thinking, "This is how I felt seeing so many up-and-coming bands in Tacoma back in the '80s and '90s. THIS SHOW SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN TACOMA!!"

As the building's capacity was reached (exceeded?) the lights dimmed and the crowd roared as Red Fang blasted out tunes from their new release, Murder the Mountains. One after another, the band raged through songs and bantered with the audience, yet seemed relaxed and more than happy to be there. By the time they played their newest single, "Wires," the crowd was flailing and head-banging like an arena show! When Red Fang ended with their international hit "Prehistoric Dog" I thought the ceiling was going to collapse under the sheer power of both band and the bat-poop crazy crowd.

THAT, ladies and gentlemen, WAS A SHOW!