Helmet with Thirion X, Storm Normandy

It’s not like Page Hamilton has been just sitting around waiting to get the old band back together. After the early ’90s when his band Helmet made waves with its melding of classic guitar work and angular post-hardcore, Hamilton struck out on his own, making soundtracks for big action flicks and even playing guitar for David Bowie. In the mid-oughts, he jump-started Helmet with an all-new lineup. With such a drastic overhaul, Helmet lost some of the raw brutality of its Betty and Meantime days. Its 2010 release Seeing Eye Dog was kind of like low-calorie Helmet: the bones were there, but there was no real flesh to sink your teeth into. But Hamilton remains a guitar legend, totally worth the cash to see live.