DOWN & Helmet — Strap It Down Tour: Atlanta Post-Game Review
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Bill's video — DOWN takes the stage, Night One 🤘
"On a scale of 1 to 5 Honks, how many Honks would you give it… for their performance at the show?"
"I don't wanna say anything off-putting…"
"What you basically, essentially got was the Live Undead / Origin of the Feces version of NOLA…"
"I knew it wasn't NOT gonna be good… I knew automatically it was NOT gonna suck."
"Man, I hate those things!"
"It's not the washing, it's the drying…"
"Not necessacelery…"
About This Episode
The Strap It Down Summer Tour kicked off on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at The Eastern in Atlanta, Georgia — featuring Spirit in the Room, Helmet, and DOWN — and Metal Nerdery made its way down into the heart of the city to experience opening night firsthand, in the flesh. This is our post-game wrap-up.
The turnout was incredible, the venue was awesome, and the whole vibe of the evening was perfectly dialed in — merch lines that looked like something out of an amusement park, tight and well-rehearsed performances from every band on the bill, and a final crescendo that can only be described as "controlled chaos" as everyone from the first two bands took the stage and jammed with DOWN on the outro to Bury Me in Smoke until the riffs and the grooves left everyone with a contact high.
Also in this episode: a first listen to the brand new DOWN track Blood Oath (Volume V, 2026), a lesson in why you should never put your concert shirts in the dryer, and why being ultra "relaxed" is the only way to ever travel in a Waymo. Plus — #RussellsReflections: a bonus concert debrief covering Extreme, Tesla, and Mötley Crüe with an official Honk rating. 🤘
🎪 THE STRAP IT DOWN SUMMER TOUR — NIGHT ONE
Date: Saturday, August 15, 2026
Venue: The Eastern — Atlanta, Georgia
Lineup: Spirit in the Room · Helmet · DOWN
Note: First date of the entire Strap It Down Tour — Metal Nerdery was there
🆕 Brand New DOWN — "Blood Oath" (Volume V, 2026) — premiered at the top of this episode. "There's one part right before the chorus… it reminded me of 'The Small Hours'…" (from Metallica's Garage Days Re-Revisited). "You know that rehearsal space is LOUD!" — New DOWN album incoming. #DownV
Metal Nerdery in the house at The Eastern — August 15, 2026 🤘
The Show — Night One Recap
Spirit in the Room
Metal Nerdery started the evening upstairs at the rooftop bar when Spirit in the Room took the stage — "It's like super ultra surround sound up there." Spirit in the Room are on Phil Anselmo's Housecore Records — "Everything they played that night fit in the pocket of the DOWN and Helmet stuff." "It's just one lady, bro…" "The drummer looked like he just got out of high school." Highlight track from their set: U R My Religion. Note: they appeared to be playing through Helmet's Fryette/VHT rigs.
⛏ Helmet — 14 Songs
"They opened with Holiday (from Left)… I think Page changed the lyrics…" Page Hamilton mentioned he was 7 months sober to the day on the night of the concert. "I think the magic and the power is in that fuchsia-colored ESP… he's been playing that guitar for 30 years!" "Collectively, I think we all enjoyed the Helmet…" NOTE: Just Another Victim was on the stage setlist but was not played due to time — we played it on the Pre-Game episode.
🍃 DOWN — 12 Songs
"We did get a lot of goodness… basically we got the first album… and then Lysergik and Ghosts Along the Mississippi…" "To kick off a tour, that's not a bad way to warm up… since that's where it all started (with NOLA)." "What you basically, essentially got was the Live Undead / Origin of the Feces version of NOLA…" "I knew it wasn't NOT gonna be good… I knew automatically it was NOT gonna suck." "Bro, I was exhausted when I got home…" "I feel like The Eastern and the new Masquerade… they've perfected it (the soundcheck and changeover between bands)."
The Finale — Bury Me in Smoke: "Controlled chaos" as every member of Spirit in the Room and Helmet joined DOWN onstage for the outro jam. The entire stage packed with musicians, everyone locked into the groove until the riffs gave everyone a contact high. #killercloser — Also go check out the Doomsicle version of Bury Me in Smoke on Patreon. #moneywellspent
#RussellsReflections — Bonus Concert Debrief
🎤 Russell's Reflections — Extreme · Tesla · Mötley Crüe
"I didn't buy tickets…" "Wand seats…" "We got there right before Extreme starts…" "If you've heard Mechanical Resonance, you know most of that album… we're gonna do a dive on that at some point… we totally are." "Because I've decided not to shit on singers anymore… (he just pees on 'em now…)" "So, Vince Neil and his Honk…" "But then… they bring the grand piano out… and Tommy starts playing the piano (with his dick)…" — "On a scale of 1 to 5 Honks, how many Honks would you give it… for their performance at the show?"
Episode Timestamps
📺 Watch the Full Episode
- Episode: Metal Nerdery #366 — DOWN & Helmet Strap It Down Tour: Atlanta Post-Game Review
- Show: Strap It Down Summer Tour — Night One — August 15, 2026 — The Eastern, Atlanta GA
- Lineup: Spirit in the Room · Helmet (14 songs) · DOWN (12 songs)
- New DOWN track: Blood Oath (Volume V, 2026) — premiered at the top of this episode
- DOWN setlist highlight: Heavy NOLA focus — "the Live Undead version of NOLA"
- The finale: Everyone from Spirit in the Room & Helmet joined DOWN onstage for the Bury Me in Smoke outro jam — "controlled chaos"
- Helmet highlight: Page Hamilton — 7 months sober to the day on show night
- Spirit in the Room: On Phil Anselmo's Housecore Records — everything fit the vibe
- Lesson learned: Do NOT put your concert shirts in the dryer 👕
- #RussellsReflections: Extreme · Tesla · Mötley Crüe — Honk rating system applied
- Waymo verdict: #NoMoWaymo
- Pre-game episode: DOWN & Helmet Pre-Game — Ep. 364