THE NON-METAL BANDS AT METALLICA’S ORION MUSIC + MORE FESTIVAL MIGHT JUST BE THE MOST INTERESTING THING ABOUT IT

By now you’ve no doubt heard about Metallica’s Orion Music + More festival, set to take place June 22 and 23 in Atlantic City, NJ. Today’s announcement that The Black Dahlia Murder will play, last week’s additions of Ghost and Charred Walls of the Damned, plus already announced bands such as The Sword, Torche, Red Fang, Landmine Marathon and others make the event worth attending for any metalhead. But as the lineup trickles out bit by bit and I ponder going, what I find most interesting about the event — something I originally found fault with — are all the non-metal bands that are playing.

I spend so much of my life ensconced in metal that I rarely get to see non-metal acts live, and to be able to do so without really going out of my way (since I’d be primarily there for the metal) would be a welcome diversion. If I were going to Orion Fest I’d definitely make time to see acts I’ve heard of, but never really listened to — or maybe heard a little bit of and liked — such as The Gaslight Anthem, Gary Clark Jr., and Lucero, and who knows, maybe in the process I’d stumble upon someone I’d never heard of that becomes my new favorite non-metal band. Isn’t that a lot more fun than seeing the same damn bands over and over again?

Of course, I’d still get to see all the aforementioned awesome metal bands. And Metallica! My pal Axl relentlessly poo-poos Metallica (which is fine, ’cause we are all entitled to our opinions), but while none of Metallica’s recent studio output has had much replay value for me Metallica are always tons of fun to see live. The way the Orion Music + More lineup is shaping up, the festival sounds like a win/win to me. Come for the metal, but stay for the other stuff.

-VN