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I arrived at the Wiltern around 5:00 PM and waited in line until 6:30 PM before they opened the doors. Luckily, I got the perfect spot. I was up front against the barricade in the center. The show started at 7:15 PM with opening band Danava, who were a trio that played mostly instrumentals. They were interesting to an extent but couldn't hold my attention for the whole set, even though they only played 30 minutes.

The next band, Weedeater, started at 8:00 PM and played for the same duration. They didn't impress me much either. However, they had some good hooks and riffs, and were  better than Danava.

The Melvins were next to hit the stage at 9:00 PM. They played for 45 minutes. I found them to be quite boring and I have no idea why they are on this tour as the main support band.  After a 30 minute wait, Down hit the stage at 10:15 PM with opener “Eyes Of The South.” The crowd was really into it, singing along to each and every song. The Wiltern wasn’t packed to capacity, but that didn't seem to matter, as the people who were there more than made up for it! It was amazing to see Phil Anselmo from so close. After all, this is the guy who did vocals on all those great Pantera albums from the 90’s and three Down albums!  Down’s bass player Rex Brown was sitting out the first few shows on the North American tour to address some personal issues, and ex-Victorian Blitz bassist Danny Theriot was filling in. I was disappointed, and I’m sure other fans were as well. I hope he returns soon to full part in the studio for their upcoming recording in October.  They continued the show with songs like “N.O.D.” and “New Orleans Is A Dying Whore,” after which came the Dimebag Darrell tribute song titled “Lifer.” This song was the best of the night in my opinion. I really enjoyed it and everyone else seemed to enjoy it a lot too. “The Path” followed “Lifer.” Phil talked a lot in between songs, thanked us for being there and then introduced the stand-in bassist. Phil has some of the best stage presence I’ve ever seen. He had the whole crowd under his control. When he told us to head bang, we did it! When he told us to sing, we did it!   They played “Lysergik Funeral Procession” and “On March the Saints” after this. Then they went back to the “NOLA” album to play “Losing All,” another great song. Then came “Beneath the Tides” from the 2007 album “Over the Under.” “Hail The Leaf” was played after this. Then another great sing-along “Nothing In Return” followed.

They left the stage and came out again for the encore among loud shouts of “Down! Down! Down!” Phil came back and told us how much he loves us and playing in L.A. He said that we always give them a great response, and dedicated “Temptation's Wings" to everyone there. The crowd went nuts! I heard many people from the back shouting out for this song the whole time, so I could definitely tell by their volume that they felt great when it was played! They closed the night with “Stone the Crow.” I felt their set was too short for a headliner, but Down only has three albums of material so it must be hard to make a good set list in terms of selection and duration.   Overall, I don't approve of the supporting line-up, but Down made up for it with their highly energetic and captivating performance. The stand-in bassist did a good job. The other members of the band, guitarists’ Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein and drummer Jimmy Bower were good on stage, although Phil was the major driving force for their stage performance. At the end of it all I also managed to score two Rex Brown bass picks!! I am glad I got to see this show again on Tuesday, August 18th.