Heavy Montreal 2015: Day 2 – Faith No More, Iggy Pop, Lita Ford, Gojira + More

Day two of Heavy Montreal was filled with some epic performances and eclectic acts. Headliners Faith No More and Iggy Pop ruled the main stages. Talented acts, both veteran and buzzworthy up-and-comers, played all four stages in Parc Jean Drapeau.

Faith No More commanded audience attention at the Scène Molson Canadian Stage as they cranked out “Motherf--ker,” “From Out of Nowhere” and “Caffeine” to kick off their set. “Epic” was played early on and “Midlife Crisis” was performed with a Celine Dion interlude of “The Power of Love.” A highlight of the set was frontman Mike Patton crowdsurfing during “Ashes to Ashes.”

Despite a light attendance, the fans that were there were filled with limitless energy. Faith No More’s encore included “Digging the Grave,” a cover of Burt Bacharach’s “This Guy’s in Love With You” and “Just a Man.”

NOFX took the Molson stage beforehand for a very special set as it was lead guitarist El Hefe’s birthday. He even smashed two piñatas in celebration, during their cover of Rancid’s “Radio.” Frontman Fat Mike came ready to party as he donned a lacey pink dress.

Other acts that completely obliterated stages earlier in the day included the thrash metalers of Testament and Norwegian black metal act Abbath, led by none other than Abbath Doom Occulta (also known as Olve Eikemo) of Immortal. Rocket From the Crypt and Slaves on Dope kicked things off on the Molson Stage with lively performances.

Over on the Heavy Stage the legendary Iggy Pop headlined with a lively performance that stole the show. His energy is infectious and he is fearless onstage. At 68 years of age he left some of the younger lads performing before him in the dust. Speaking of younger lads, the hometown favorite Billy Talent delivered one of the most dynamic performances of the day. Whether they played new songs like “Viking Death March,” “Surprise Surprise” and “Runnin’ Across the Tracks” or older favorites like “This Suffering,” “River Below,” and “Red Flag,” Billy Talent are a Canadian treasure and anyone who saw their set knows it.

French metal band Gojira had one of the best and most brutal sets of the weekend. With annihilating riffs and thunderous drum patterns, their performance was relentless from beginning to end. Passionate fans had to be hosed down early on as chaos ensued amongst the crowdsurfers and pit action. Gojira truly lived up to the expectations on the aptly titled Heavy Stage.

The legendary Lita Ford graced the stage and cranked out blistering riffs and notable tracks “Kiss Me Deadly,” “Close My Eyes Forever” and “Can’t Catch Me” just to name a few. Ford donned a tight red pleather outfit and one could only hope to look that good in their mid-fifties. She commanded the Heavy Stage and showed the boys who’s the boss.  California rock act Deafheaven were the first band to hit the Heavy Stage and got the blood pumping early in the day.

Over on the Scène de la Forêt Blabbermouth Stage, Battlecross headlined with an unstoppable performance. Their presence onstage is always exciting and each band member is a sight to see. The Agonist performed beforehand and new frontwoman Vicky Psarakis showed off her singing and screaming chops which seemed to delight fans. Other acts who played on the Blabbermouth stage included Dig It Up, Masked Intruder, Ion Dissonance and Mass Murder Messiah.

Across the forest on the Scène de l’Apocalypse stage, Maryland death metal act Dying Fetus headlined with a crushing performance. Devin Townsend and his crew played previously for a pulsating set that only he and his band can create. B.A.R.F., and Swingin’ Utters also played the Apocalypse stage. Long Island band Glassjaw and the vibrant group The Brains set it off early on.

Check out some of the artists that captivated day two of Heavy Montreal 2015 in our gallery above!