In this feature from the October 2015 issue of Guitar World, the guitarists of Five Finger Death Punch, Bullet For My Valentine, We Came As Romans and other metal acts tell how they'll beat the heat and tame the crowds on the season's biggest tours.
TODAY: Miss May I guitarist Justin Aufdemkampe
Tips for playing in extreme heat
Drink lots of water, find a cool place to hang out before the set and make sure you eat food.
Must-have on-the-road item
My sunglasses. I can’t stand it when it’s too bright to see.
Best live show I’ve ever seen
When we played Nova Rock last year in Austria, and I got to see Black Sabbath play. Very cool and unique opportunity to see those legends on stage.
Tips for winning over a tough crowd
Give them as much crowd participation as possible. Circle pits, mosh call-outs, fist in the air. Those types of things seem to pump people up the most.
Most fun song to play live
Our new single “I.H.E”. Very heavy song with great crowd parts. I’m excited to start playing more songs off our new album, Deathless, which releases in August.
Best song I’ve heard this year
The new Lamb of God single “512.” I’ve always been a huge fan of this band and it’s awesome they are staying true to their roots, but also keeping it heavy!
Gear I couldn’t live without
My Charvel guitars, EVH 5150 III guitar heads, Maxon 808 overdrive pedal and Orange cabs. All of this gear collectively gives me everything I need on stage to obtain optimal tone.
Here's the video for "I.H.E.":
Photo by Brendan Donahue
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