Metal fans in Blackpool were taken down memory lane on day one of Rock The Gardens festival
and live on Freeview channel 276
The magnificent Empress Ballroom was amped up to 11, as the audience was blown away by powerful performances from some of the UK's top tribute acts.
I joined in with the many here who were fondly reliving their youth - chanting out moshpit anthems that I haven't heard in a while but somehow still remember word for word.
Each of these bands tonight brought their A-game - not just in terms of tight musicianship, but putting on an exciting show and embodying the styles and physical performance traits of the rock stars they mimic.
Local covers band Parrilla start the show
Starting off the night, Parrilla's set of thrash metal covers warmed up the crowd. It's great to see old Megadeth, Anthrax and Metallica songs being given a fresh take by youngsters who are keeping these classics alive while also starting to introduce their own material.
'Tornado Of Souls' and 'Creeping Death' are my favourites tonight - excellent guitar harmonies, and the singer, Summer, puts her own stamp on the vocals. Most of the band members are still of school age, and show great promise.
Trancing out to ToolShed
With a backdrop of swirling psychedelics, ToolShed boldly take on some of the most complex and heavy tunes in the progressive rock genre. Old favourites like 'Schism' and 'Aenemia' definitely hit the mark with the technicality and passion of the Tool originals - enough to make me trance out and get lost in the music.
Korn Again are a crowd-pleaser
But things start to really liven up when Korn Again bounce onto the stage with a rabble-rousing tribute to the pioneering nu-metal band. It's the showmanship - especially of the singer and bassist - that really makes these a stand-out act for me.
Stephen Emerson throws all the signature 'Jon Davis' shapes, and the crowd interaction is spot-on with some brilliant sing-along moments to 'ADIDAS' and 'Y'all Want a Single?'
It's clear from talking to members of the crowd that Korn were one of the highlights of the weekend.
Robbed Zombie rocked in glam-horror style
Robbed Zombie bring a touch of glam-horror theatrics, playing a good mix of old White Zombie numbers to more recent stuff like 'Rock M**F**'. From the skeleton bones to the corpsepaint make-up, they really put on a spectacular show.
They end with an absolute banger, 'Dragula' that has everyone dancing and shouting along at top volume. Another clear crowd favourite.
Nine Inch Nails brought the night to an emotional close
In contrast, NIN UK stage set up is dark, moody and minimalist...and had me completely enraptured from start to finish. The vocalist (who is a very good likeness of Trent Reznor) appears as a writhing, tormented silhouette as he rolls about the stage bathed in ambient blue and purple lights.
They play several of my favourites from The Downward Spiral, including 'Reptile' and the heart-wrenching 'Hurt' which has the crowd so silent you could hear a needle drop. But 'Head Like A Hole' and 'March Of The Pigs' pick up the energy with a good industrial synth-heavy march that had me still singing along when I got home.
Forevanescence bring Saturday to life
Saturday is an early start, but Forevanescence do a fine job of easing us into the day. Katie's soprano voice is a good likeness for Aimee Lee and she does a gorgeous job on 'Hello' and the gothic rock anthem 'Bring Me To Life'.
KISS tribute are 'visually spectacular'
Sadly missing Tenacious D, I wander back in just as Dressed To Kill are playing their opening bars and the Empress Ballroom goes wild! From aged rockers to pre-teens in sparkly face paint, it feels like timeless anthems like 'Shout It Out Loud' bring the room together.
Light-up guitars and spiky silver outfits shimmer under the kaleidoscopic lights, and their stadium-esque performance is reminiscent of KISS in their prime.
One customer says: "I'm not a KISS fan, but they were visually spectacular."
Pantera UK shock cancellation
A clear talking point is the shock cancellation of Pantera UK - several people proudly display their old album shirts - and when the news breaks mid-afternoon, there's a flat feeling in the air for a moment. But to make up for it, the evening acts were invited to play longer sets.
Still, there's some old school angst as Machine Ed take us back through the vaults, with crushing renditions of 'Old' and my personal favourite 'Davidian'.
A number of people I speak to are here for the 90s grunge tributes to Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains - and are pleased to learn they can enjoy them for longer.
In true grunge anti-fashion, Pearl Scam look quite unremarkable on stage but they sound incredible - with Eddie Vedder's trademark gravelly voice taking on fan fave 'Evenflow', and 'Evolution', as psychedelic light projections dazzle the hall.
Sadly due to health issues I had to leave early and missed the two headlining acts, but here are some photos - and check back soon for a full video report of Rock The Gardens 2024.