By Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
Metal maniacs Hellyeah have set the second leg of their national headlining Balls, Volume, Strength Tour with Machine Head, Nonpoint and Ankla supporting. After wrapping the first leg of their successful tour Dec. 16 in Amarillo, TX, the trek will re-launch Jan. 25 in Clifton Park, NY, with dates running through March.
Hellyeah features Pantera and Damageplan drummer Vinnie Paul; singer Chad Gray and guitarist Greg Tribbett (both from Mudvayne); with guitarist Tom Maxwell (from Nothingface) and bassist Bob Zilla (from Damageplan). The explosive and uncompromising band just released its third single “Thank You,” which was the most added track on Active Rock Radio stations two weeks in a row; the song is a shout-out to the band’s recently departed family members: Paul’s brother Dimebag Darrell of Pantera, Maxwell’s mother and Gray’s grandmother.
The band also recently released its “Below the Belt” DVD (Epic Records), which offers fans an inside look at the band’s life on the road with clips dating back to the day the band was formed. It also features footage from multiple live performances and music videos, as well as personal interviews with all the band members. Other highlights include snippets of the band’s first recording sessions at Dimebag Darrell’s legendary Chasin’ Jason studio in Dallas, TX, as well as backstage footage from the band’s world tour. Hellyeah’s self-titled debut CD entered the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart at #9 earlier this year with current sales over 250,000.
Hellyeah 2008 itinerary (more dates TBA):
1/25 Clinfton Park, NY Northern Lights
1/26 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom
1/27 Richmond, VA Toad’s Place
1/29 Charleston, SC The Music Farm
1/30 Charlotte, NC Amos Southend
2/1 Allentown, PA Crocodile Rock
2/2 Atlantic City, NJ House of Blues
2/5 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
2/6 Providence, RI Lupo’s
2/8 Mokena, IL The Pearl Room
2/9 Traverse City, MI Streeters (no Machine Head)
2/10 Flint, MI The Machine Shop (no Machine Head)
2/15 Milwaukee, WI The Eagles Club
(The image accompanying this story is from ChartAttack.com)
