In this feature from the August 2014 issue of Guitar World, the guitarists of Avenged Sevenfold, Morbid Angel, Trivium and other metal acts tell how they'll beat the heat and tame the crowds on the season's biggest tours.
It was at this place called the Nile Underground in Arizona. It was a room that holds about 250 people, but there were about 400 people there. It was so hot that I sweated into my pickups and they shorted out. Back then I didn’t have a backup guitar, because I couldn’t afford one.
Two shows come to mind. The first one was in Paris, France. I have no idea why it was so hot in this venue, but it was a sold-out show and we were headlining, so we had a long set to play. It was just miserable. The other one was Emo’s outdoor stage in Austin, Texas. It just traps heat. It was so hot, I thought I was going to pass out, and at one point my vision starting blurring. It was tough.
Considerations when playing an outdoor show versus an indoor show?
Sound good, obviously. We ended up going out and hiring a sound guy for this tour, because we know from playing a couple of festivals that performing outside is completely different from playing in clubs. You definitely have to make some adjustments.
The hottest I remember it being onstage was at the 2004 Ozzfest in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I think it may have been 106 or 107 degrees. All I know was it felt like playing on the surface of the sun. We were new to outdoor touring at that time and totally unprepared. I remember after that show, all the white ink in my tattoos raised up because of the sunburn I got that day.
