Month after month, Metal Edge offers Chris Jericho, one of the World Wrestling Federation’s most outspoken and charismatic superstars, a forum to voice his views and musings about the magical world of heavy metal. And each month, he responds with his own dirty deeds and metallic misgivings, presented dirt cheap as he vies for the very throne of Executive Editor Paul Gargano himself. It’s what Y2J is all about, so jump aboard the crazy train as it unapoligetically pummels through the scorched landscape of metal’s past, present and future. Prepare, oh metal community, for the stranglehold of a new savior: The Ayatollah of Rock ‘n’ Rollah, “Y2J” Chris Jericho...

Hello Jerichoholics!

Every once in a while , everyone needs a rock ‘n’ roll weekend. That’s right, a rock ‘n’ roll weekend. It’s not the title of a cheesy Ramones movie from the ‘70s. it’s not a prize you win on your local AOR radio station. it’s an adventure. It’s when you round up some good friends, crank up some tasty tunes and – cue Ozzy’s voice here – go absolutely freakin’ CRAZY!! It’s a great way to let off steam, to get away from all your petty probs and boring jobs, and appreciate this glorious life we’ve been blessed with.

It was with this in mind that I organized a trip for myself and four of my Canadian brethren to go to Los Angeles to see a double shot of the best band in the world, Dream Theater. My buds and I had made a pact to see the mighty DT on their Scenes From A Memory tour, and the golden opportunity arose when I saw that they would be playing consecutive nights at the Hollywood Palace in conjunction with the annual NAMM convention. A few calls were made, trips were booked, and everything fell into place to experience that fabled of all events – The rock ‘n’ roll weekend!

The boys were rounded up late Friday afternoon, and we were like five kids waiting to wake our parents on Christmas morning. We’d come a long way to rock down to this electric avenue including one dude who’d flown from Winnipeg to Vancouver, taken a 25 hour bus ride to San Francisco, then a six hour ride to L.A. Time was moving slow, the minutes seeming like hours, and we made our way to the Palace, where a huge line snaked around the block, filled with punters waiting to get into the sold out gig.

Lucky for us, I’d made friends with singer James LaBrie and drummer Mike Portnoy on the Internet and they’d graciously arranged passes and tickets for us. I didn’t feel like too much of a freeloader though, as I’d arranged for Mike and his family to come check out a WWF show at the New Jersey Meadowlands a few weeks earlier. (Y2J note: Due to a back-stage mix-up, I missed meeting up with Mike that night and his bag of DT merchandise that he’d brought for me, ended up in the hands of Sebastian Bach... That’s another story, but I’ll get even with you, dastardly Baz!)

We were all pleased as punchski when their road manager told us to stick around after the show to meet up with the lads, and after a short delay, the hypnotist’s clock began to tick and Dream Theater’s Scenes From A Memory began. For those of you who’ve been living in a Limp Bizkit cave, SFAM is a masterpiece of a concept album, and DT was about to perform the entire story uninterrupted.

And what a story it was. The band was damn tight and completely amazing , and every part was played to perfection-which is saying a lot, as this band’s songs aren’t exactly AC/DC simple! It was the perfect start to the mythical rock ‘n’ roll weekend.

Then something very strange happened.

About an hour into the set, my compatriot told me that he’d just returned from an attempted facility break. While trying to leave the hall, he was denied and told that the fire marshal was about to shut the gig down. I didn’t believe it, but sure enough, James LaBrie left the stage about a minute later and didn’t return. The band began playing the next song, “The Spirit Carries On,” and a confused Mike Portnoy began singing the vocals. But in the corner of his eye and in front of ours, there was a guy frantically giving the throat-slashing signal. The band stopped playing, and Portnoy informed us that the police and the fire marshal were shutting the show down. Everyone had to leave.

The crowd erupted as Mighty Mike proclaimed that that wasn’t gonna happen, and the band would continue playing until they were dragged off the stage. And the show continued without a vocalist... Until the audience took over. The scene was magical as the house lights came on and the entire crowd sang every lyric in defiance, loudly and proudly. The spirit carried on, indeed!

Then the P.A. was shut off and the plug was pulled mid-song. That was it, no explanation, no reason, no nada, only a squad of riot cops pushing everyone outside onto a closed street filled with flares and an armada of cop cars. A handful of people may have been killed in old L.A. that night, while 20 of the cities finest were dispersing the Dream Theater fans – fans who only demanded an explanation, nothing more. Where they overreacting? You be the judge.

Needless to say, we were all angry and disappointed as not only was the show stopped midstride, but our long awaited meet-and-greet, as well. Those feelings didn’t last long, though, as we made it down to the famous Rainbow and proceeded to destroy our sorrows before heading to Anaheim, a 45-minute drive soundtracked with some prime metal – Loudness, Annihilator, Tourniquet, Stuck Mojo, THC and Helloween rocked hard and rode free. The next day included a trip to Walt’s finest at Disney, before heading back to Hollywood for DT: Round 2!

Well, any incidents from the first night were quickly forgotten, as Dream Theater were tighter, sounded better, and – fortunately – played longer! This time I maneuvered myself near the front of the stage, to really drink in the technical brilliance of the band. They were all incredible, but I’m convinced that bassist John Myung is from an alien race of half-man, half-octopus creatures. They were so good that it pissed me off!

After the conclusion of the brilliant performance, we all met with the band for the better part of an hour, hung out, took pics and shot the breeze. It was cool to talk to a fellow stranger in a strange land, James LaBrie – another native Canadian. James cleared up the previous night’s mystery by explaining that the venue had oversold tickets and the show had been shut down as a fire hazard. When James walked off the stage, he was told that if he returned the band would face a night in jail, a cancellation of the next night’s gig, and a loss of future L.A. playing privileges. It was a definite over-reaction, but ya’ can’t fight city hall, folks!

It was also a kick to watch a guy we’d met at the show and consequently smuggled backstage, have the time of his life meeting his heroes, his role models, his idols – Y2J... I mean, Dream Theater! It felt good to help a fellow fan realize a (no pun intended) dream.

After that, it was off to the Whisky, to see Ohio’s own L.A. Guns. It was quite a contrast in styles from DT – Two totally separate bands, but the Guns were rockin’ in their own way. It was also very cool to actually see them in L.A., which raised the credibility factor.