It may have been the first ever Loudwire Music Awards, but you couldn’t tell. There was a night of mayhem and brilliant performances involving some of the biggest names in rock n’ roll. Average Sevenfold tore up the building with a tremendous headlining set and there was the small matter of the Lemmy Lifetime Achievement Award, which was deservedly won by Rob Halford, the singer of English metal band Judas Priest.
Lemmy’s Life Time Achievement Award
The Lemmy Life Time Achievement Award went to Judas Priest singer and rock legend Rob Halford.
The award was named after Motorhead singer and cult icon Lemmy Kilmister. The Birmingham-born rock legend lived a life of the archetypal rock star. His unique stage style and well-known penchant for Jack Daniels whisky made him the stuff of legend.
Lemmy Kilmister by Mark Marek Photography (CC BY-SA 3.0)
His influence on the music industry is clearly still strong and this award is testament to that. It is not only the music industry that his legend has seeped into and still remains strong but also the gaming industry. The cult game Victor Vran released a Motorhead expansion pack that incorporates the loud music of the band and the character of Lemmy in the demon hunting, role-playing, fictional world of Zagoravia. Fans of the band can now use Lemmy as a demon-slaying, guitar-soloing hero who uses his guitar to slay hordes of the undead. Motorhead’s continued influence in popular culture is also evidenced in an eponymous video slots game, which is set on a rock stage with Lemmy Kilmister’s distinct vocal styling blaring out while you play.
Not only that, but the band have also continued to have an influence on the movies and music industry, which is a testament to the way the band have stood the test of time. But unlike other artists that changed their style to suit the times Motorhead pioneered a style of their own that has now become timeless and their influence will long continue through the Loudwire Music Awards and through the hundreds of musicians that still look up to the band’s legendary singer Lemmy Kilmister.
Chris Jericho presented the night of celebration in Los Angeles, which saw legends of metal and rock n’ roll mixing across a wide spectrum of genres. There was plenty of talking points and flamboyant characters to entertain the crowd at the Novo Theater in downtown LA.
Highlights of the Evening
In a night that celebrated music’s most powerful genre, there were many awards handed out to the musicians present for this inaugural event. Tony Iommi, who could justifiably be given the accolade of inventing heavy metal thanks to his guitar playing in the pioneer band Black Sabbath, was one of those honoured. He has played metal his whole life and even managed to carry on making music while he battled cancer. The illness was diagnosed in early 2012 and Iommi went through treatment while still touring with Black Sabbath. The tour dates of the band were arranged so that the guitarist could go back to England every six weeks to have an antibody administered. For his bravery in the face of this illness, Iommi was given the Loudwire Courage Award.
Tony Iommi by Photobra (CC BY-SA 3.0)
On being presented the award that is moulded into the shape of a hand, Iommi said: “Wow, I’ve got three hands now.”
Body Count and Ice T brought out Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine to perform on their song “Civil War”, which is a protest song aimed at politicians and their perceived lack of care for the lives of the American population. It was a great to see two musicians so different in style uniting on the stage for a cause they both believe in.
Wrestling star The Miz had an electronic showdown with Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist Zakk Wylde. The Miz, in his usual fashion, had been throwing down the taunts to Wylde all evening but was left red-faced as the guitarist won their showdown on WWE 2K18, played out on the massive screen in front of the baying audience.
Power Trip won “Best Metal Song of the Year” and were grateful when receiving the award. “When we started this band we just wanted to see the world,” said singer Riley Gale. “This award is testament to the fact that you can start in a basement and end up here.” Before leaving the stage he turned to the legends of the metal genre and added: “Watch out old timers, we’re here.”
Headliners Avenge Sevenfold won two awards and played an intimate set that had the audience in raptures. The American act have made this genre their own over the last few years and, along with the likes of Power Trip, they will be the future of the genre.