Betty wasn't always my personal favorite Helmet album, always being a bigger fan of Meantime actually. I got these comp tickets for the show however, and couldn't just not go since they weren't playing my choice from front to back. To those new to Helmet or Betty, you will find an alternative band that got lost in the 90's grunge shuffle amongst greats like Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Soundgarden that all really hit the pavement at the same time. Helmet is no lightweight however, having been previously nominated for a Grammy as well as housing powerhouse genius Page Hamilton.
The show tonight was endless. I took a picture of the set list but I think they added four more to it, which clocked the final tally at thirty-one songs. An Evening With sets tend to do that, but at fifty-five it's hard to imagine Hamilton's enthusiasm. I don't recall seeing Helmet rise up in the late 90's or 2000's either. All those radio shows and Ozzfests never seemed to display their showcase, which is really a waste since Helmet has a unique sound of cherub rock that can't be mistaken that is so just obviously them which could have possibly exploded and introduced new songs to the radio we could have possibly started to hear in the daytime.
The group now consists of three other dudes who have been in the band less than 10 years a piece and the bassist sang one of my favorite tunes "Unsung" with grace and the band sounded excellent. Hamilton's age hasn't impacted his ability to control his pace, going from one track to the next effortlessly. When Betty ended I couldn't even believe it had already been fourteen songs but the group ended up rocking through the night. Highly recommended show if it's coming through your town.
(very impressive performance by Page Hamilton)
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