OK I realize the title for this report is terrible. Apologies.
Last night I saw Vince Neil in Long Island at the Crazy Donkey. Besides noticing that the crowd was made up largely of people older than me, the majority of them were also oddly below average height. When my friend and I found our spot, I was delighted to be able to see most everything on the stage.
However, as usual, the tallest guy in the joint had to end up in front of me. And to make matters worse, he and the girl next to him frequently raised their fists to aid them in what seemed to be a crusade to keep me from seeing. So this morning, I have a bit of a neckache, from the amount of craning I had to do. But thanks to raising my camera above the crowd and snapping away, I was able to see what was going on when the big wall of a man was blocking my view.
Anyway, Vince looked surprisingly good. Obviously some facial plastic surgery has been had (which is public knowledge since he documented it for Vh-1). But he also looked physically healthy too, and seemed more trim then I'd ever seen him before. He smiled his way through the whole show, and appeared to be having a great time with all of us.
Vince played an all-Crue set, including "Piece of Your Action", "Livewire", "Wild Side", and "Dr. Feelgood." Surprisingly absent were "Shout at the Devil" and "Home Sweet Home." But it's ok, I've seen them live a few times already so I didn't feel too bad about it. Of course he did play "Girls Girls Girls". And of course in the middle of the song, a few ladies from the crowd decided to storm the stage and grind up against everyone onstage, including the go-go girl the club had hired to dance.
The highlight for me was "Teaser", a cover which I've loved since they recorded it for the Make A Difference Foundation album in 1989. A lowlight was when Vince took a break and let the rest of the band play a couple of covers which included "Whole Lotta Love" and "War Pigs." Um, alright...? That part went on a little too long and interrupted the momentum of the show. But I guess it's better than standing in silence waiting for Vince to come back.
Anyhow, the show was a lot of fun and I highly recommend it to Crueheads if he happens to make it to your town. Obviously it's not the stageshow you'll get if you see him with the Crue in an arena, but it's always cool to see any of my heroes in a small venue up close like that.
SETLIST:
Dr. Feelgood
Kickstart My Heart
Same Ol' Situation
Don't Go Away Mad, Just Go Away
Wild Side
Girls Girls Girls
Looks That Kill
Livewire
Piece of Your Action
Rock N' Roll (Zep cover)
Teaser
PHOTOS
Friday, December 28, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
Monday, December 03, 2007
What A Day
Yesterday was a typical New York winter's day: I was woken up a few times over the course of the morning by the snowplow scraping the driveway clean of our first big snow of the season. After finally waking up at the crack of 1pm (I'm on Official Slacker Time), I looked out the window to see that big gray sky hanging over the Hudson like the seasonal killjoy that it is. The weather reports said we'd have even more snow later in the day. Not something you want to hear when you're faced with an already hour+ drive to see a show that night. Luckily, the weather didn't punish me with any more precipitation until much later in the night, so I made it down to see the Great American Rampage Tour at Starland ok.
When I got there, I was surprised to see that the left and right bars at Starland were curtained off. That's disappointing to me, because I feel that Skindred and Nonpoint are so good they deserve to be sold out. But I guess they're not at that level. Worked out for me though, because due to the smaller crowd, I was able to get front row barricade even after arriving 2 hours after doortime. I was a little surprised, because the show was only $25 after Ticketmaster charges, a bargain for a 7-band lineup these days. But I guess the people of NY and Jersey would rather stay in than go see some cool bands for a good price.
I arrived in time to see Australian band Karnivool, who I didn't know, but ended up being a pleasant surprise. I found them to be very interesting musically, especially their last song, which I wish I knew the name of. After Karnivool was Ankla, described as Latin Metalcore. I've never really seen a metalcore show, let alone one that utilized a shekere. Plus, they not only have a drummer, but a percussionist as well, which is definitely something you don't see every day in metal. During Ankla's set, Jose from Sirius' Hard Attack channel came up to perform. Evidently he is a big supporter of theirs, so they wanted him to come up and join in.
Following Ankla was Skindred. I've seen them before as an opener on the Getting Away With Murder tour, so I knew that their show was going to be great. I didn't remember more than three songs going into this show, but I still had fun. The singer, Benji, has a great presence and is skilled at getting the crowd into it. He has a playful personality which I find, well, adorable. Their music is like reggae-slanted metal. Very cool. My favorite song of the set was Nobody.
Finally, Nonpoint took the stage. Saturday, the day before my show, singer Elias had injured his ankle at a radiofest show down in Florida. The fact he still got on a plane, flew up to NJ, and performed hopping around on one foot just to play for us, really impressed me.
Although Elias was hindered physically, the set was still as explosive as I'd remembered from seeing them in '05 and '03 opening for Papa Roach on their Lovehatetragedy and GAWM tour as well. I didn't know every single song, only owning the live CD, but I stayed into it from beginning to end.
The drummer, Robb, is really a show on his own. First of all, he has his set facing sidestage. I'm not sure what the reasoning is. I used to think it was some kind of anxiety issue, like he is afraid to face the audience or something. But he would constantly turn to face the crowd, so that isn't it. Judging from the amount of times he would get up from his set, either to mess with bassist Bastard or Elias, or simply just to walk around, I guess that's one reason. Another is that he attacks his drums like no one else I've ever seen and just needs the space. Sometimes he'd stand up and play, sometimes kneel as he would do a soft drum roll... crazy fun to watch. Also fun, is Bastard. I've never seen anyone so into their own music. I loved it. Apparently this was obvious by the smile on my face, which Bastard recognized and so he gave me a psychotic smile back, which made me laugh.
For me the highlight of the whole set was "Alive and Kicking." To say I went apeshit during this song would be an understatement. I'm not the type to jump up and down during a song, even when the band commands me to do so, but I found myself yelling "Sooo I'm tearing this and everything else between me and what I want to do to pieces!!!" midair so I guess I am still capable of surprising myself.
After the show various band members hung out at the Merch booth, with the exception of Elias, who I assume was already backstage resting his foot. I bought a cool Skindred shirt for $25 and made my way out to the cold rainy parking lot, satisfied with the show. I got to see some cool bands I didn't know before, saw Nonpoint sing one of my current favorite songs, and all for under $30. Good day.
Photos:
KARNIVOOL:
ANKLA:
SKINDRED:
NONPOINT:
MARQUEE OUTSIDE VENUE:
When I got there, I was surprised to see that the left and right bars at Starland were curtained off. That's disappointing to me, because I feel that Skindred and Nonpoint are so good they deserve to be sold out. But I guess they're not at that level. Worked out for me though, because due to the smaller crowd, I was able to get front row barricade even after arriving 2 hours after doortime. I was a little surprised, because the show was only $25 after Ticketmaster charges, a bargain for a 7-band lineup these days. But I guess the people of NY and Jersey would rather stay in than go see some cool bands for a good price.
I arrived in time to see Australian band Karnivool, who I didn't know, but ended up being a pleasant surprise. I found them to be very interesting musically, especially their last song, which I wish I knew the name of. After Karnivool was Ankla, described as Latin Metalcore. I've never really seen a metalcore show, let alone one that utilized a shekere. Plus, they not only have a drummer, but a percussionist as well, which is definitely something you don't see every day in metal. During Ankla's set, Jose from Sirius' Hard Attack channel came up to perform. Evidently he is a big supporter of theirs, so they wanted him to come up and join in.
Following Ankla was Skindred. I've seen them before as an opener on the Getting Away With Murder tour, so I knew that their show was going to be great. I didn't remember more than three songs going into this show, but I still had fun. The singer, Benji, has a great presence and is skilled at getting the crowd into it. He has a playful personality which I find, well, adorable. Their music is like reggae-slanted metal. Very cool. My favorite song of the set was Nobody.
Finally, Nonpoint took the stage. Saturday, the day before my show, singer Elias had injured his ankle at a radiofest show down in Florida. The fact he still got on a plane, flew up to NJ, and performed hopping around on one foot just to play for us, really impressed me.
Although Elias was hindered physically, the set was still as explosive as I'd remembered from seeing them in '05 and '03 opening for Papa Roach on their Lovehatetragedy and GAWM tour as well. I didn't know every single song, only owning the live CD, but I stayed into it from beginning to end.
The drummer, Robb, is really a show on his own. First of all, he has his set facing sidestage. I'm not sure what the reasoning is. I used to think it was some kind of anxiety issue, like he is afraid to face the audience or something. But he would constantly turn to face the crowd, so that isn't it. Judging from the amount of times he would get up from his set, either to mess with bassist Bastard or Elias, or simply just to walk around, I guess that's one reason. Another is that he attacks his drums like no one else I've ever seen and just needs the space. Sometimes he'd stand up and play, sometimes kneel as he would do a soft drum roll... crazy fun to watch. Also fun, is Bastard. I've never seen anyone so into their own music. I loved it. Apparently this was obvious by the smile on my face, which Bastard recognized and so he gave me a psychotic smile back, which made me laugh.
For me the highlight of the whole set was "Alive and Kicking." To say I went apeshit during this song would be an understatement. I'm not the type to jump up and down during a song, even when the band commands me to do so, but I found myself yelling "Sooo I'm tearing this and everything else between me and what I want to do to pieces!!!" midair so I guess I am still capable of surprising myself.
After the show various band members hung out at the Merch booth, with the exception of Elias, who I assume was already backstage resting his foot. I bought a cool Skindred shirt for $25 and made my way out to the cold rainy parking lot, satisfied with the show. I got to see some cool bands I didn't know before, saw Nonpoint sing one of my current favorite songs, and all for under $30. Good day.
Photos:
KARNIVOOL:
ANKLA:
SKINDRED:
NONPOINT:
MARQUEE OUTSIDE VENUE:
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Jimmy Eat World drags me out in the cold rain
When I saw Jimmy Eat World was playing Terminal 5, I jumped on that ticket sale QUICK. I have been a fan of this band for about 6 years now. The first time I saw them was 9/4/01 at Irving Plaza. At that time I had only been into them a few months. They were suggested to me by my cousin that summer as a band I might like. Boy, was he right. That show blew me away. It was right before they got really big, right before In The Middle infested pop rock stations across America, and I knew they'd be a hit. Boy was I right.
The weather around here has suddenly gone into full force fall mode. Last night, the temperature hovered in the low 40s, and was accompanied by nasty sleet. Because of that, I decided I didn't want to arrive any earlier than doors, as to not spend an enormous amount of time standing out in the crap weather. And because of THAT decision, I got stuck up in the 2nd balcony.
At first I was a little annoyed. But I had a perfect view of everything on the stage, would have a nice break from being shoved around on the floor, and could get some great photos of the show. Plus, the mark of a really great band is if they can reach everyone, from those resting their elbows on the stage, to those up in the rafters. I knew Jimmy Eat World was one of those bands, so I wasn't worried.
The openers were Viva Voce, a 2-person band hailing from Portland, Oregon, consisting of a male drummer and female guitarist, both trading off vocals. Their music was very White Stripes meets Silversun Pickups. They seemed like they went a little long, but that might be because I'd been waiting 2 years to see J.E.W. again and could barely contain myself.
When the lights went down and I heard the opening chord of "Big Casino", the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. There is just something about their music that reels you in, grabs you and never lets go. Even from where I was, I felt the connection to the show as if I was down front.
The floor crowd didn't move around too much which surprised me. Maybe it was too cramped to get any kind of crazy motion going. Where I was however, there was a group of about 5 or 6 kids joyfully dancing around and shouting along to every song like they were having their own party upstairs. It was cute.
I was really pleased with the setlist. Especially "Disintegration", which was on the relatively quietly released EP "Stay on My Side Tonight." I never expected them to play it. When they did, I got the chills. It's got such cool, dark music and lyrics and I love it. I missed "Clarity" and "No Sensitivity", but gladly accepted hearing the new stuff in place of those.
After, I braved the sleet to hang out and try to meet the guys in the band. I ended up chatting with Rick (bassist) for a few minutes about the show. I asked if they had any plans to do any arena shows with anyone, but he said not as far as he knew. He asked "Would you like a guitar pick?" and I answered "Why, yes I would!" While we were talking, the other fans (about 10 of them) busted out into "Happy Birthday" when Jim (main vocalist) came off the bus. Rick informed me that it was indeed Jim's birthday. They were all really nice, and happily stood out in the crappy weather to talk to fans who couldn't wait to show them their J.E.W. tattoo, or tell them how much their music has meant to them.
It was a huge show, with a great lighting and sound, the band was very gracious... I couldn't ask for a better night. I can't wait til they come back again.
Setlist (not in order):
Big Casino
Let it Happen
Like She'll Always Be
Carry You
Kill
Crush
A Praise Chorus
Work
Blister
Goodbye Sky Harbor
For Me This is Heaven
Disintegration
Get it Faster
Thinking, That's All
23
Bleed American
Polaris
Pain
Sweetness
Hear You Me
Your House
In the Middle
Photos
video:
Disintegration
Intro to 23:
Goodbye Sky Harbor:
Big Casino:
The weather around here has suddenly gone into full force fall mode. Last night, the temperature hovered in the low 40s, and was accompanied by nasty sleet. Because of that, I decided I didn't want to arrive any earlier than doors, as to not spend an enormous amount of time standing out in the crap weather. And because of THAT decision, I got stuck up in the 2nd balcony.
At first I was a little annoyed. But I had a perfect view of everything on the stage, would have a nice break from being shoved around on the floor, and could get some great photos of the show. Plus, the mark of a really great band is if they can reach everyone, from those resting their elbows on the stage, to those up in the rafters. I knew Jimmy Eat World was one of those bands, so I wasn't worried.
The openers were Viva Voce, a 2-person band hailing from Portland, Oregon, consisting of a male drummer and female guitarist, both trading off vocals. Their music was very White Stripes meets Silversun Pickups. They seemed like they went a little long, but that might be because I'd been waiting 2 years to see J.E.W. again and could barely contain myself.
When the lights went down and I heard the opening chord of "Big Casino", the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. There is just something about their music that reels you in, grabs you and never lets go. Even from where I was, I felt the connection to the show as if I was down front.
The floor crowd didn't move around too much which surprised me. Maybe it was too cramped to get any kind of crazy motion going. Where I was however, there was a group of about 5 or 6 kids joyfully dancing around and shouting along to every song like they were having their own party upstairs. It was cute.
I was really pleased with the setlist. Especially "Disintegration", which was on the relatively quietly released EP "Stay on My Side Tonight." I never expected them to play it. When they did, I got the chills. It's got such cool, dark music and lyrics and I love it. I missed "Clarity" and "No Sensitivity", but gladly accepted hearing the new stuff in place of those.
After, I braved the sleet to hang out and try to meet the guys in the band. I ended up chatting with Rick (bassist) for a few minutes about the show. I asked if they had any plans to do any arena shows with anyone, but he said not as far as he knew. He asked "Would you like a guitar pick?" and I answered "Why, yes I would!" While we were talking, the other fans (about 10 of them) busted out into "Happy Birthday" when Jim (main vocalist) came off the bus. Rick informed me that it was indeed Jim's birthday. They were all really nice, and happily stood out in the crappy weather to talk to fans who couldn't wait to show them their J.E.W. tattoo, or tell them how much their music has meant to them.
It was a huge show, with a great lighting and sound, the band was very gracious... I couldn't ask for a better night. I can't wait til they come back again.
Setlist (not in order):
Big Casino
Let it Happen
Like She'll Always Be
Carry You
Kill
Crush
A Praise Chorus
Work
Blister
Goodbye Sky Harbor
For Me This is Heaven
Disintegration
Get it Faster
Thinking, That's All
23
Bleed American
Polaris
Pain
Sweetness
Hear You Me
Your House
In the Middle
Photos
video:
Disintegration
Intro to 23:
Goodbye Sky Harbor:
Big Casino:
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Two Sold Out Shows and (no) Broken Bones
Awhile ago I heard that Kid Rock was going to be playing Irving Plaza on October 9th. I was psyched as this venue is smaller than all the other ones I've seen him play. But apparently not psyched enough to remember the stupid ticket on-sale date. Because I failed myself, I was upset. But I figured there was always EBay.
Soon after that disappointment, I found out the Hives were going to play Webster Hall. This quite possibly excited me more because it's been a few years since they've played New York. I saw them twice on that last tour (Irving Plaza, and Webster Hall) and loved every minute of it. I couldn't wait for them to come back and had been bitching ever since that they hadn't. I saw that they were on tour with Maroon 5, but fuck that. I wasn't going to see them in an arena, I wanted a headliner show and here it was. I got my ticket as soon as they went on sale.
I had a hard day. I have just started a new freelance assignment that had stressed me out all day, and I wasn't feeling good around the time I was scheduled to leave in order to make doors by 7pm. I thought maybe there would be an opening act that would give me some time to chill before going into the city. But when I called the venue, they told me there was NO opener and that the band was to go on at 8. I sacked up so to speak and made the next train in, arriving at the venue around 7:30. I kissed front row goodbye, but was glad I didn't stay home like a whiny bitch and was happy I made it to the show at all.
When I got to the venue, they had a sign posted that said the band has changed the showtime to 9pm. I went in anyway, as I had nothing else to do. There was hardly anyone there. Exxxcellent.
I grabbed my front row spot, only to have a short chick weasel her way in front of me. I'm so stupid that I let her by me, thinking she was a photographer. Well she wasn't. And on top of that she had a 6' tall guy with her that stood right in front of me. I sulked for a little bit until I realized I have every right to ask him to move. So I did. And he did. Later on in the show, the girl who duped me tried to steal my spot after she left for a minute and came back. She tried to dance obnoxiously and knock me around but I just dished it right back, so she gave up. F you shortie.
When the lights went down, and a neon red sign reading "The Hives" lit up, the crowd went crazy. I was on Nic Arson's side. When he wasn't attacking his guitar with a vengeance, he was making silly faces and waving the crowd on to make some noise. Gone was his short black hair. Now he was sporting a curly, light brown 'do that flopped around as he thrashed his way through every song.
Pelle is a great frontman with a swingin' personality. He's got the rock star stage strut from the School of Mick Jagger down pat. He loves toying with the crowd: "Do you want to hear a new or an old song? Here, let me decide for you. Everyone say "New song!"
As for the setlist, it was a mix of older songs and a few new ones that I don't know because the album isn't out yet. That's a pet peeve of mine, and I've run into this situation with quite a few bands. I hate when they play shows before the album's out. One or two songs, ok. But 4 or 5 and now you're risking alienating me. It's not that I didn't like the songs. They were great. I'm just a big baby and like knowing everything being played or I start to feel disconnected and almost bored. Oh well. From what I heard, I will most likely be buying the new CD when it eventually comes out.
Of the stuff I knew, here's what I remember from the set:
Two-Timing Touch And Broken Bones
Walk Idiot Walk
No Pun Intended
A Little More For Little You
Diabolic Scheme (highlight for me)
Missing Link
Declare Guerre Nucleaire
Die, All Right!
Main Offender
Hate To Say I Told You So
Supply And Demand
Tick Tick Tick Boom (which sounded GREAT live)
Crappy Cell Phone Photos:
After the show, I thought I would go over to Irving Plaza to see if I could try to meet Kid Rock since the two venues are only a few blocks away from each other. When I got there, I heard music coming out the front doors. I went up to security and asked "Is the show still going on?" and he said he thought so. I innocently asked "Any chance I can get in?" He looked at me, said "Come with me", and took me to the box office, where he ripped a ticket, gave it to me and told me to have fun.
I was SO psyched. This show had sold out and here I was getting in for free. I ran upstairs to find the place jammed wall to wall with drunk people. As I battled the suffocating heat wave coming off the crowd, I found a spot where I could see. All I ended up was seeing the last 3 minutes of "Bawitdaba" and the stagebow. But I was so thrilled just to have gotten in, that it was still a treat.
As I waded through the sea of crushed Bud Light cans littering the floor, I decided that I would try to meet him. Since there was a bigger crowd than I figured there would be by the stage door and I had work the next day, I just decided to head home. I didn't take any pictures of Kid Rock but here's one from the web:
Evidently he decided to dress like the Hives? By the time I got there, he was shirtless and crazy sweating. Which isn't a bad thing.
Good nights like these make me hate life less.
Soon after that disappointment, I found out the Hives were going to play Webster Hall. This quite possibly excited me more because it's been a few years since they've played New York. I saw them twice on that last tour (Irving Plaza, and Webster Hall) and loved every minute of it. I couldn't wait for them to come back and had been bitching ever since that they hadn't. I saw that they were on tour with Maroon 5, but fuck that. I wasn't going to see them in an arena, I wanted a headliner show and here it was. I got my ticket as soon as they went on sale.
I had a hard day. I have just started a new freelance assignment that had stressed me out all day, and I wasn't feeling good around the time I was scheduled to leave in order to make doors by 7pm. I thought maybe there would be an opening act that would give me some time to chill before going into the city. But when I called the venue, they told me there was NO opener and that the band was to go on at 8. I sacked up so to speak and made the next train in, arriving at the venue around 7:30. I kissed front row goodbye, but was glad I didn't stay home like a whiny bitch and was happy I made it to the show at all.
When I got to the venue, they had a sign posted that said the band has changed the showtime to 9pm. I went in anyway, as I had nothing else to do. There was hardly anyone there. Exxxcellent.
I grabbed my front row spot, only to have a short chick weasel her way in front of me. I'm so stupid that I let her by me, thinking she was a photographer. Well she wasn't. And on top of that she had a 6' tall guy with her that stood right in front of me. I sulked for a little bit until I realized I have every right to ask him to move. So I did. And he did. Later on in the show, the girl who duped me tried to steal my spot after she left for a minute and came back. She tried to dance obnoxiously and knock me around but I just dished it right back, so she gave up. F you shortie.
When the lights went down, and a neon red sign reading "The Hives" lit up, the crowd went crazy. I was on Nic Arson's side. When he wasn't attacking his guitar with a vengeance, he was making silly faces and waving the crowd on to make some noise. Gone was his short black hair. Now he was sporting a curly, light brown 'do that flopped around as he thrashed his way through every song.
Pelle is a great frontman with a swingin' personality. He's got the rock star stage strut from the School of Mick Jagger down pat. He loves toying with the crowd: "Do you want to hear a new or an old song? Here, let me decide for you. Everyone say "New song!"
As for the setlist, it was a mix of older songs and a few new ones that I don't know because the album isn't out yet. That's a pet peeve of mine, and I've run into this situation with quite a few bands. I hate when they play shows before the album's out. One or two songs, ok. But 4 or 5 and now you're risking alienating me. It's not that I didn't like the songs. They were great. I'm just a big baby and like knowing everything being played or I start to feel disconnected and almost bored. Oh well. From what I heard, I will most likely be buying the new CD when it eventually comes out.
Of the stuff I knew, here's what I remember from the set:
Two-Timing Touch And Broken Bones
Walk Idiot Walk
No Pun Intended
A Little More For Little You
Diabolic Scheme (highlight for me)
Missing Link
Declare Guerre Nucleaire
Die, All Right!
Main Offender
Hate To Say I Told You So
Supply And Demand
Tick Tick Tick Boom (which sounded GREAT live)
Crappy Cell Phone Photos:
After the show, I thought I would go over to Irving Plaza to see if I could try to meet Kid Rock since the two venues are only a few blocks away from each other. When I got there, I heard music coming out the front doors. I went up to security and asked "Is the show still going on?" and he said he thought so. I innocently asked "Any chance I can get in?" He looked at me, said "Come with me", and took me to the box office, where he ripped a ticket, gave it to me and told me to have fun.
I was SO psyched. This show had sold out and here I was getting in for free. I ran upstairs to find the place jammed wall to wall with drunk people. As I battled the suffocating heat wave coming off the crowd, I found a spot where I could see. All I ended up was seeing the last 3 minutes of "Bawitdaba" and the stagebow. But I was so thrilled just to have gotten in, that it was still a treat.
As I waded through the sea of crushed Bud Light cans littering the floor, I decided that I would try to meet him. Since there was a bigger crowd than I figured there would be by the stage door and I had work the next day, I just decided to head home. I didn't take any pictures of Kid Rock but here's one from the web:
Evidently he decided to dress like the Hives? By the time I got there, he was shirtless and crazy sweating. Which isn't a bad thing.
Good nights like these make me hate life less.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Smile, You're meeting Henry Rollins.
Holy crap was traffic bad tonight. Note to self: Starland is a PAIN IN THE ASS to get to during rush hour.
Tonight my schedule was finally synched up with Henry Rollins' and I got to see him perform at Starland. Clocking in at just under 3 hours, it was an evening full of some of the best stories you'll ever hear come out of someone's mouth. He told of rad nights with his favorite bands, his trips to Lebanon and Syria, and his idea that exotic beasts of the wild should be dispersed throughout random cities of America just to keep us on our toes. Of course there were some political rants Rollins-style thrown in as well.
I would like to bitch just for a paragraph or two about people who talk during a SPOKEN WORD performance. A stupid drunk chick behind me would not shut up and distracted me from the show a few times. Plus, our waitress appeared to be louder than any other waitress in the place (Starland was set up like a nightclub, with long beergarden style table seating on the normally general admission floor, and regular circular dining tables in the bar areas overlooking the floor. I was in the dining table area.) Not to mention the other two people who felt it was perfectly fine to answer cell phone calls and speak at normal volume so that the rest of us silent folk could hear their conversation.
It really upset me. I was taking this whole event so seriously- I wanted to soak up every single word Henry had to say and these idiots were being disrespectful. But I realized, I have a choice. I can confront these people or hope they go away. If I called them out on their behavior, that would take even more of my time away from the performance, as I would have had about 5 exchanges over the course of the show. And I don't know about your experiences with them, but I find that drunks aren't usually up for being told what to do. Trying to reason with them is about as effective as trying to clap with one hand (yes I stole that line from Anthrax). After I came to terms with the fact that I can't save the world from rude dumbasses under the influence, I eventually figured out a way to tune them out.
When the show was over, I knew where I was going: the tour bus. You know me- I can't pass up an opportunity to try to meet one of my heroes, especially one that's had a really profound effect on me. Since Henry had stated in a mass email that he normally comes out to talk to his fans, I knew my chances of speaking to the man were pretty good.
Being used to waiting a good hour before bands come out to chat after shows, I was surprised at how quickly Henry came out. In fact I almost didn't notice him as I was checking my text messages. I threw my cell into my purse and whipped out my copy of "Smile, You're Traveling" for him to sign.
When I approached Henry, I warned him that I was about to say something dorky and told him how the book has really made an impact on me and has inspired me to travel to random places alone. "Not any place like Syria," I said, "but I have now been to Wisconsin and Austin, Texas." Henry looked at me and paused. I thought he was going to shoo me off or move on to the next kid.
Instead, he launched into a story about his time in Tehran. I honestly don't remember half of what he said. I think it was something about how the people don't hate U.S. citizens, but have a real problem with our government. He was being drowned out by my heart pounding in my ears as I realized- Henry Rollins, the man whose writing has basically taken over as the voice in my head, was now telling me a story to my face.
As the group of fans (there were probably at least 30 or 40 people waiting to talk) stood in a circle around us, it took everything not to throw my hands to the sky and dance a jig of joy that this was actually happening. It was this weird perfect moment. I mean, the reason I love him is for his stories and take on life, and here he was telling one of those adventures in person, directly to me.
I had asked the girl next to me to take a picture of me and Henry. It came out god-awful. Let's just say I now know what I would look like with 2 1/2 chins. So that won't be posted. I would have taken another posed shot, but there were so many people waiting. I didn't want to hog his attention, especially after the cool storytime moment. If only I remembered what he said! Stupid joy distracting me.
Tonight my schedule was finally synched up with Henry Rollins' and I got to see him perform at Starland. Clocking in at just under 3 hours, it was an evening full of some of the best stories you'll ever hear come out of someone's mouth. He told of rad nights with his favorite bands, his trips to Lebanon and Syria, and his idea that exotic beasts of the wild should be dispersed throughout random cities of America just to keep us on our toes. Of course there were some political rants Rollins-style thrown in as well.
I would like to bitch just for a paragraph or two about people who talk during a SPOKEN WORD performance. A stupid drunk chick behind me would not shut up and distracted me from the show a few times. Plus, our waitress appeared to be louder than any other waitress in the place (Starland was set up like a nightclub, with long beergarden style table seating on the normally general admission floor, and regular circular dining tables in the bar areas overlooking the floor. I was in the dining table area.) Not to mention the other two people who felt it was perfectly fine to answer cell phone calls and speak at normal volume so that the rest of us silent folk could hear their conversation.
It really upset me. I was taking this whole event so seriously- I wanted to soak up every single word Henry had to say and these idiots were being disrespectful. But I realized, I have a choice. I can confront these people or hope they go away. If I called them out on their behavior, that would take even more of my time away from the performance, as I would have had about 5 exchanges over the course of the show. And I don't know about your experiences with them, but I find that drunks aren't usually up for being told what to do. Trying to reason with them is about as effective as trying to clap with one hand (yes I stole that line from Anthrax). After I came to terms with the fact that I can't save the world from rude dumbasses under the influence, I eventually figured out a way to tune them out.
When the show was over, I knew where I was going: the tour bus. You know me- I can't pass up an opportunity to try to meet one of my heroes, especially one that's had a really profound effect on me. Since Henry had stated in a mass email that he normally comes out to talk to his fans, I knew my chances of speaking to the man were pretty good.
Being used to waiting a good hour before bands come out to chat after shows, I was surprised at how quickly Henry came out. In fact I almost didn't notice him as I was checking my text messages. I threw my cell into my purse and whipped out my copy of "Smile, You're Traveling" for him to sign.
When I approached Henry, I warned him that I was about to say something dorky and told him how the book has really made an impact on me and has inspired me to travel to random places alone. "Not any place like Syria," I said, "but I have now been to Wisconsin and Austin, Texas." Henry looked at me and paused. I thought he was going to shoo me off or move on to the next kid.
Instead, he launched into a story about his time in Tehran. I honestly don't remember half of what he said. I think it was something about how the people don't hate U.S. citizens, but have a real problem with our government. He was being drowned out by my heart pounding in my ears as I realized- Henry Rollins, the man whose writing has basically taken over as the voice in my head, was now telling me a story to my face.
As the group of fans (there were probably at least 30 or 40 people waiting to talk) stood in a circle around us, it took everything not to throw my hands to the sky and dance a jig of joy that this was actually happening. It was this weird perfect moment. I mean, the reason I love him is for his stories and take on life, and here he was telling one of those adventures in person, directly to me.
I had asked the girl next to me to take a picture of me and Henry. It came out god-awful. Let's just say I now know what I would look like with 2 1/2 chins. So that won't be posted. I would have taken another posed shot, but there were so many people waiting. I didn't want to hog his attention, especially after the cool storytime moment. If only I remembered what he said! Stupid joy distracting me.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Maybe Memories of last week
Video from the Used show last week at Starland:
Who was glad they weren't on the floor for this show? Me. I opted to stay in the bar area. Hurray!
Who was glad they weren't on the floor for this show? Me. I opted to stay in the bar area. Hurray!
Pain For Pleasure at Starland
Photos on my Flickr.
Videos on my YouTube.
Setlist, to the best of my memory (not in order):
Makes No Difference
Machine Gun
Motivation
Fat Lip
In Too Deep
Hell Song
Over My Head
My Direction
Still Waiting
Underclass Hero
Walking Disaster
March of the Dogs
(one song I didn't know)
Pain For Pleasure
We're All To Blame
Pieces
Videos on my YouTube.
Setlist, to the best of my memory (not in order):
Makes No Difference
Machine Gun
Motivation
Fat Lip
In Too Deep
Hell Song
Over My Head
My Direction
Still Waiting
Underclass Hero
Walking Disaster
March of the Dogs
(one song I didn't know)
Pain For Pleasure
We're All To Blame
Pieces
Monday, September 10, 2007
Tommy Lee: DJ
Friday night we headed out to Astoria, Queens to a place called Central Lounge to see Tommy Lee DJ. I'd link you to the club's site, but I love you too much to put you through the multiple browser crashes their site caused on my computer.
My friend and I are diehard Crue fans, so we had to go to check out his set. As it turns out, we pretty much were met with what we expected: Tommy playing your typical club music that I typically hate, prentention, outrageous drink prices ($9 for a f@#king vodka with Sprite) and groupie chicks.
Tommy's myspace listed his set time as 11:30, but of course we knew that wouldn't be the case. He finally appeared at about 1am, which is about when NYC clubs are approaching their peak crowds. Being that I am not into the repetitive thumps of house music, or whatever genre it is, I got burnt out on the sounds soon into the set.
We attempted to get upstairs where our beloved Tommy was, but security was pretty tight about letting people up. We didn't have the bracelets that were provided by those in-the-know in this random club I'd never heard of before, and we were feeling lazy, so we gave up pretty quickly.
We went outside for a smoke. When we were done, we waited by the velvet rope to be let back into the club. Security was either ignoring us or didn't see us, and so we got impatient and just let ourselves back in. They made a beeline for us and told us to go back behind the rope until they deemed it time to let us re-enter. I looked at the guy and asked if he was serious. He said he was.
The problem here is that I don't respect this place and the authority these guys are given to control who enters and who is denied. So what I saw in front of me was just some random guy bossing me around, not an almighty security guard who I had to obey and impress. But since I wasn't overly obnoxious, just confused, he took the time to explain himself. "Look," he said, "Our job is solely to let people in and out. If others see you going in as you please, everyone will do it and it'll be chaos." OK. That I understood. He let us go in, without making us go back to the other side.
After a few moments back inside we decided to leave. The place was crowded wall to wall. Being that I'm used to the mosh pit scene, my first instinct was to start shoving. When I realized these people aren't as callous to being pushed around as I am, I stopped and did my best to get back outside without incident.
I was fine with the experience. I mean, we wanted to make sure it was sucky and it was, so now we know. Anyway, here are some pictures:
My friend and I are diehard Crue fans, so we had to go to check out his set. As it turns out, we pretty much were met with what we expected: Tommy playing your typical club music that I typically hate, prentention, outrageous drink prices ($9 for a f@#king vodka with Sprite) and groupie chicks.
Tommy's myspace listed his set time as 11:30, but of course we knew that wouldn't be the case. He finally appeared at about 1am, which is about when NYC clubs are approaching their peak crowds. Being that I am not into the repetitive thumps of house music, or whatever genre it is, I got burnt out on the sounds soon into the set.
We attempted to get upstairs where our beloved Tommy was, but security was pretty tight about letting people up. We didn't have the bracelets that were provided by those in-the-know in this random club I'd never heard of before, and we were feeling lazy, so we gave up pretty quickly.
We went outside for a smoke. When we were done, we waited by the velvet rope to be let back into the club. Security was either ignoring us or didn't see us, and so we got impatient and just let ourselves back in. They made a beeline for us and told us to go back behind the rope until they deemed it time to let us re-enter. I looked at the guy and asked if he was serious. He said he was.
The problem here is that I don't respect this place and the authority these guys are given to control who enters and who is denied. So what I saw in front of me was just some random guy bossing me around, not an almighty security guard who I had to obey and impress. But since I wasn't overly obnoxious, just confused, he took the time to explain himself. "Look," he said, "Our job is solely to let people in and out. If others see you going in as you please, everyone will do it and it'll be chaos." OK. That I understood. He let us go in, without making us go back to the other side.
After a few moments back inside we decided to leave. The place was crowded wall to wall. Being that I'm used to the mosh pit scene, my first instinct was to start shoving. When I realized these people aren't as callous to being pushed around as I am, I stopped and did my best to get back outside without incident.
I was fine with the experience. I mean, we wanted to make sure it was sucky and it was, so now we know. Anyway, here are some pictures:
Sunday, September 09, 2007
VMAs 07
9pm BRITNEY
I don't know what I was expecting. I guess pretty much what she did: come out, give a clearly med-filled performance and then leave. I mean, she couldn't even lip synch right.
9:14 KANYE
HELLOOOO I am in love with him. I think because he came out wearing the same sunglasses I had in the 4th grade: white framed Ray Bans. I want to see him again live so badly. I am sitting on my couch next to my dog and the man's got me waving my hands in the air to "Stronger"...annnnd they just cut him off to go to commercial- wtf?!! Best performer there (next to the Foo Fighters who I don't even have to see to know they're going to be great) and they CUT HIM OFF?
So far this show is annoying (surprise). Either show a performance in its entirety or don't tease me like that you bastards. I see they're doing this with other performances. Is this an effort to drive us all to the website? I don't get it. Showing us half performances to satisfy our ADD is just making me mad, not keeping me happy because I have something to look at.
9:31 Now they're teasing me with a Foo Fighters clip. I hate you MTV!
9:47 "Umbrella"! Yes I like this song. That makes three Rihanna songs I like. What is going on. And she just left the stage after a verse so Chris Brown could dance to "Billie Jean." This show is really geared towards people who can't focus on one thing for more than 3 minutes. I am not one of those people. Unless I'm in the workplace.
10:09 I'm still trying to figure out why Papa Roach was mentioned by Seth Rogan. I was IM'ing with someone and missed the reason. But now Kanye's on. I am waiting for them to cut him off again. If they do I'll be mad. He's sampling "PYT" by Michael Jackson. Nice.
Last night I watched "Casino" on Bravo, then today watched a documentary on the mafia in Vegas. Between those shows and this one, I am missing Vegas like crazy.
Alright. More later if I feel like it.
I don't know what I was expecting. I guess pretty much what she did: come out, give a clearly med-filled performance and then leave. I mean, she couldn't even lip synch right.
9:14 KANYE
HELLOOOO I am in love with him. I think because he came out wearing the same sunglasses I had in the 4th grade: white framed Ray Bans. I want to see him again live so badly. I am sitting on my couch next to my dog and the man's got me waving my hands in the air to "Stronger"...annnnd they just cut him off to go to commercial- wtf?!! Best performer there (next to the Foo Fighters who I don't even have to see to know they're going to be great) and they CUT HIM OFF?
So far this show is annoying (surprise). Either show a performance in its entirety or don't tease me like that you bastards. I see they're doing this with other performances. Is this an effort to drive us all to the website? I don't get it. Showing us half performances to satisfy our ADD is just making me mad, not keeping me happy because I have something to look at.
9:31 Now they're teasing me with a Foo Fighters clip. I hate you MTV!
9:47 "Umbrella"! Yes I like this song. That makes three Rihanna songs I like. What is going on. And she just left the stage after a verse so Chris Brown could dance to "Billie Jean." This show is really geared towards people who can't focus on one thing for more than 3 minutes. I am not one of those people. Unless I'm in the workplace.
10:09 I'm still trying to figure out why Papa Roach was mentioned by Seth Rogan. I was IM'ing with someone and missed the reason. But now Kanye's on. I am waiting for them to cut him off again. If they do I'll be mad. He's sampling "PYT" by Michael Jackson. Nice.
Last night I watched "Casino" on Bravo, then today watched a documentary on the mafia in Vegas. Between those shows and this one, I am missing Vegas like crazy.
Alright. More later if I feel like it.
Friday, August 17, 2007
21361
For the first time ever, I visited Henry Rollins' site 21361.com. He's posted a blog entry on just about every day of this year so far, starting his year off in Dubai and Tehran, Iran. I am tempted to sit here and read every single entry right now, as I can't seem to get enough of his words and feel the need to soak them up as soon as possible. But if I do that, it'll prevent me from continuing on with my own day.
I will be seeing him speak soon and I can't wait. I hope to meet him. I don't know what I could say that won't make me sound or feel like a dork. I guess if I do get the chance to interact with him, I'll just be myself. That's the only solution to how to approach social situations that get me a little nervous. People can tell when you're trying to be something you're not anyway, so why waste the effort.
I will be seeing him speak soon and I can't wait. I hope to meet him. I don't know what I could say that won't make me sound or feel like a dork. I guess if I do get the chance to interact with him, I'll just be myself. That's the only solution to how to approach social situations that get me a little nervous. People can tell when you're trying to be something you're not anyway, so why waste the effort.
Friday, August 10, 2007
So follow the leader to Downtown Disney...
Why did I go out to L.A. for a 5 night trip? In December '06 I gave up my seat on my flight back from Charlotte last December. As a reward for doing so, USAir gave me a free round trip ticket to anywhere in the continental U.S. Plus, my cousin offered up her house in Tarzana as a free place to stay anytime I wanted. So when I saw that Unwritten Law was playing that area on 8/3, 8/4, and 8/5, and that Papa Roach was playing in the same vicinity on 8/6, I booked a trip out West.
I will refrain from rehashing the fucking nightmare it was to redeem my USAir voucher, because I covered that in my blog right before I left (which has since been deleted because I would like to forget about that part of the experience). To sum up: if you ever get a voucher of any kind from an airline, go to an actual airport counter to do any booking. And do it as soon as you know you want to go away. There are so many hidden rules which made this whole booking process extremely frustrating. The time and effort it took to sort it all out took a lot out of me.
Anyway, without further delay, here is the report from the Unwritten Law shows:
FRIDAY- HOLLYWOOD:
I took advantage of my cousin's pool as it was BEAUTIFUL outside (it was every day there, just like the movie Swingers points out) then headed out to Melrose to hit the trendy Fred Segal store. The extremely organized side to me, that only seems to kick in when it's time to plan entertainment for myself, had printed out directions to everywhere I needed to be before I left for L.A. But just as I was ready to go, my cousin examined my printouts and insisted I go a different route that would be less traffic-y. I definitely appreciate that she cares, but that whole episode, which included looking for her own personal maps and explaining it all to me, ate up precious time. As a result, I got to Fred Segal just as it closed.
This was one of those many moments I have where I realize this is why I can't live with any kind of roommate. In this case, I was annoyed because I didn't plan for any disruptions that could happen outside of the traffic I was about to face. I am just so used to getting up and leaving whenever I want without worrying that someone will hold me up. I ended up wandering the streets for awhile until I decided it was time to just go to dinner.
There was no way I was making a trip out to L.A. without going to the Rainbow Bar and Grill. I love this place because of its history. So of course since the show was at the Key Club on the Strip, the Rainbow was the obvious choice for my pre-show meal.
I found parking about a block and a half away from the club, next door to the Roxy, and half a block from the Rainbow. I was so excited that it was only $8 to self-park until 3am that I gave the attendant $10 and told him to keep the change. Not that all of the sudden I should be compared to Rockefeller as $2 is nothing to write home about. But still the attendant was so happy with me, he let me park right at the entrance to the garage. The attendant and I were so happy that the other was being nice, it was like I had this mini-lovefest going. It was kinda cute.
When I got to the Rainbow, which was blaring "Body Talk" by Ratt when I arrived, the bouncer asked if I would be drinking. When I told him I wasn't sure, he said "Well let us stamp you anyway- in case someone ELSE wants to buy you a drink."
I was seated right away at the Ronnie James Dio booth. I didn't feel weird at all that I was by myself. I had bought the OK! magazine that detailed some hilariously tragic meltdown that Britney Spears had, so I read that in between interactions with my waitress. And while the entire Shout at the Devil CD blared over the speakers, followed by the entire Appetite For Destruction CD, I was in heaven. Ever have those instances where you think "This is exactly where I should be at this moment. All is well in my world right now?" That's how I felt. I don't feel that way very often, so when it happens, I recognize it and savor it.
I got to Key Club while Bullets and Octane were on. I watched from center-crowd and made note to myself that I should try to get there before they go on the next night, because they were actually starting to grow on me. At the other three shows, I didn't want to deal with them at all. It's not that I thought they sucked, it's that I was so anxious for Unwritten Law at the time that I didn't have the patience to sit through the openers. But since then, I've come to appreciate them. Especially Gene (the singer). He's really a character. He's on ten all the time- very chatty, funny and easy to goof around with. The time I spent with him on this tour was limited to run-ins at the bar or merch booth, but he seems like he would be a good hang. As I watched B&O, I kept an eye out for an opening down front by the stage. When the floor crowd flocked to the bar after their set, I made a beeline for PK's side and got barricade with no problem.
Zebrahead was up next. Again, I was in no mood for them the last block of dates I went to, but since I was alone and had nothing better to do, I gave them another shot. Their style is pretty close to Sum 41, who I like a lot, so I was able to enjoy their show. True to form, I guess I was giving my scowlface even though I liked what I saw. So when I physically showed appreciation in the form of applause or a slight smile, the singers would flash me a smile back and nod like "Yeah you love us!" Little did they know that half my smiling was due to the fact that Ali is total eye candy and I couldn't stop thinking bad things when I looked at him. Hey, I pride myself on not being a shallow person. But when a guy with a body like that is parading around shirtless with baggy pants hanging low enough that boxers make an appearance, what the hell else am I supposed to do. I'm not made of stone.
Unwritten Law was up next. For whatever reason, their entrance song is "ABC" by the Jackson Five. While that seems kind of odd, when you see the crowd get down while they wait for the boys to come onstage, you understand why they chose it. It just gets you in a good mood. So now whenever I hear that song, I'll think of UL fondly.
They played pretty much the same set as the other dates, but this time I got to hear "Mean Girl", so that excited me. I like when setlists are altered night to night, even if it means only one or two songs are different. Unlike other bands that shall remain viva la nameless.
At this show, there was a psycho girl in the front row who kept grabbing at Scott's pants. At one point she reached for his belt and almost got his already half-off-his-ass pants completely down. He immediately pushed her off laughing nervously. She kept grabbing at him the rest of the show, but didn't come as close to making it happen as that time. Is it wrong I was a little disappointed she wasn't successful?
After hanging out at a friend's til 4am, I headed back to Tarzana. While driving down Santa Monica Blvd, I saw this random woman standing on a street corner wearing really short shorts and thigh high boots. I wondered wtf she was doing there at that hour and realized "ohhhh...she's a hooker!" I looked to my left and saw two other ladies of the night similarly dressed walking down the street. Feeling like I was in my own HBO episode of Hookers At The Point, I locked my doors and sped up so I could get to the 101 that much quicker. L.A. is scary at night. In NY I feel like it's home territory. L.A. just seems to have weirder opportunities to get into trouble than NY.
Anyway, I got on the traffic-free 101 North and got home at the crack of dawn, satisfied with my first real night in Cali.
ANAHEIM- SATURDAY:
I was looking forward to the idea of not spending a dime on a hotel this trip, but after two days of dealing with the horror that is L.A. traffic, I didn't want to have to drive in it anymore than I had to. Since I'd be in Anaheim two nights in a row, I decided I had better stay over Saturday and Sunday.
After sitting in more than a few parking lot scenarios on the 5, I knew I made the right decision. I couldn't believe there was so much traffic on a Saturday afternoon- and this wasn't even due to Disneyland, as there was hardly any traffic when the exit finally came up.
My theory, besides the fact that there are millions in the area, is that there are so many highway options, the frequent splits cause all the jams. I know this is part of it because when there were a few miles without one, traffic was moving at 70 mph. So there you go. I just solved all of L.A.'s traffic problems: cut down the population and get rid of a few highways. Should be simple enough to accomplish.
My hotel was in a great location across the street from the park on Harbor Blvd, a strip of hotels and restaurants within walking distance of the park entrance. Because I didn't want to worry about my car at the end of the night, I walked to Downtown Disney, where House of Blues is located.
HOB is notorious for not allowing photographs to be taken during the show. But I tried to sneak mine in anyway. I hid it very well, but what I didn't count on was security asking me flat out if I had one. I have a compulsion to be honest and as much as I try to suppress the desire to tell the truth even when it can work against me, I can't. So I had to go check it for $3. The most annoying part of this is that the camera check-in is outside of the club and closes at show's end. If you leave the club for any reason, you can't get back in unless you have an All Access pass. I couldn't lie and say "Oh yeah, I checked it" because security asks to see your receipt as proof.
Seriously they need to calm the hell down with that nonsense. Thousands of other venues in the country allow pictures to be taken, and I don't see them suffering in any way because of it. I know it's because HOB hires their own photographers, but it's not like they sell those photos and will lose money if the average fan takes a few photos and puts them up on Flickr. For real HOB- CHILL OUT.
When I walked into the venue, I was surprised to see that it was so full. The Hollywood show was a good crowd, but not sold out. The shows back east were half empty. I was glad for them though because they deserve to play for a packed house. They put too much energy into the performance to deserve anything less.
Because this crowd was fucking nuts, I didn't bother trying to get up front. I had arrived literally 5 minutes before B&O went on and once I saw how crazy they were for them, I resigned myself to the fact I'd be stuck in the middle of the crowd. Luckily I found a spot right behind the sound board. Aside from 2 VIP bitches who would randomly stand right in front of me to make themselves feel special, I had a great unobstructed view of the whole stage.
What a different experience this show was from the shows in July. Even though I wasn't front row, I was still way into the show, dancing like a fool and singing along. The pit was in full effect, it was hot and gross, and the crowd was into every song. It was great.
ANAHEIM- SUNDAY:
I spent Sunday at the mall in Buena Park. I wanted a new suitcase and new clothes so I went out there to shop. There was a part of me that desperately wanted to go on the rides at Disneyland. But after listening to High Pitch Mike's beatdown on Stern for going there alone, my pride wasn't going to let me go through with it.
I stopped at Carl's Jr for a sandwich, part of my mission to try at least one thing from every fast food chain in America. I ordered a chicken sandwich, which came with some weird melted substance I assumed was cheese, on what I think was a wheat roll. It was terrible.
I drove to the Downtown Disney lot, annoyed I'd have to pay for parking. It ended up working out though, because by the time I left, the exit gate was open and I didn't have to pay a dime. I also left my camera in my car to avoid that whole scenario again.
When I got to the show, Bangkok Five was on. If I'm not mistaken, they opened for Roach in Europe. Which is funny because UL was on tour with Roach and 311 2 years ago, and B&O was supposed to be on Roach's Zippo Tour. So once again, all roads lead to Papa Roach. Anyways, I got a drink at the bar and ran into Jeremy (aka JPoon apparently) and Gene, who constantly tells me that I look like Michelle Branch. Now when he sees me, the taunting has escalated into him just bursting out with singing the piano intro to what I just realized while writing this is actually Vanessa Carlton's song "A Thousand Miles.".
For this show I was able to get down in front for B&O so I was happy. What didn't make me happy is that the people in the balcony above me kept chucking drinks and ice cubes at the crowd below, where I was. One time I got pelted in the shoulder with an ice cube, which at that velocity, feels like a rock being thrown at you. Where the hell was security then, huh? OMG people taking pictures! Freak out! People throwing ice daggers and dousing the crowd with drinks? Who cares! WTF?!
Before Unwritten Law, one of the songs played over the loudspeakers was "One in a Million" by Guns N' Roses, off of GN'R Lies. It's been so long since I've heard that song, I forgot it existed. Yet I remembered all the words. It was major flashback-to-7th-grade time. They were so good.
UL put on a great show as usual. A highlight: Scott's kids came up with members from the other bands to sing the chorus of the jam (I sadly don't know what the song is actually titled) which was cute.
This was the last night of this tour, so I don't know how long it'll be till they come back East. I'd waited two years since the last album, so I hope it doesn't take them THAT long to get back on the road!
As far as Monday goes, it was a usual kickass show by Roach. I'm really psyched crowds are showing up for their set and responding so well to the new stuff. I didn't get front row, but I managed to live ;)
PHOTOS
UNWRITTEN LAW SETLIST (not in order):
Teenage Suicide
Rescue Me
Shoulda Known Better
Mean Girl
Blame it On Me
California Sky
Lonesome
Rest of My Life
Save Me
Seein' Red
Shallow
Up All Night
Welcome to Oblivion
She Said
CPK
I will refrain from rehashing the fucking nightmare it was to redeem my USAir voucher, because I covered that in my blog right before I left (which has since been deleted because I would like to forget about that part of the experience). To sum up: if you ever get a voucher of any kind from an airline, go to an actual airport counter to do any booking. And do it as soon as you know you want to go away. There are so many hidden rules which made this whole booking process extremely frustrating. The time and effort it took to sort it all out took a lot out of me.
Anyway, without further delay, here is the report from the Unwritten Law shows:
FRIDAY- HOLLYWOOD:
I took advantage of my cousin's pool as it was BEAUTIFUL outside (it was every day there, just like the movie Swingers points out) then headed out to Melrose to hit the trendy Fred Segal store. The extremely organized side to me, that only seems to kick in when it's time to plan entertainment for myself, had printed out directions to everywhere I needed to be before I left for L.A. But just as I was ready to go, my cousin examined my printouts and insisted I go a different route that would be less traffic-y. I definitely appreciate that she cares, but that whole episode, which included looking for her own personal maps and explaining it all to me, ate up precious time. As a result, I got to Fred Segal just as it closed.
This was one of those many moments I have where I realize this is why I can't live with any kind of roommate. In this case, I was annoyed because I didn't plan for any disruptions that could happen outside of the traffic I was about to face. I am just so used to getting up and leaving whenever I want without worrying that someone will hold me up. I ended up wandering the streets for awhile until I decided it was time to just go to dinner.
There was no way I was making a trip out to L.A. without going to the Rainbow Bar and Grill. I love this place because of its history. So of course since the show was at the Key Club on the Strip, the Rainbow was the obvious choice for my pre-show meal.
I found parking about a block and a half away from the club, next door to the Roxy, and half a block from the Rainbow. I was so excited that it was only $8 to self-park until 3am that I gave the attendant $10 and told him to keep the change. Not that all of the sudden I should be compared to Rockefeller as $2 is nothing to write home about. But still the attendant was so happy with me, he let me park right at the entrance to the garage. The attendant and I were so happy that the other was being nice, it was like I had this mini-lovefest going. It was kinda cute.
When I got to the Rainbow, which was blaring "Body Talk" by Ratt when I arrived, the bouncer asked if I would be drinking. When I told him I wasn't sure, he said "Well let us stamp you anyway- in case someone ELSE wants to buy you a drink."
I was seated right away at the Ronnie James Dio booth. I didn't feel weird at all that I was by myself. I had bought the OK! magazine that detailed some hilariously tragic meltdown that Britney Spears had, so I read that in between interactions with my waitress. And while the entire Shout at the Devil CD blared over the speakers, followed by the entire Appetite For Destruction CD, I was in heaven. Ever have those instances where you think "This is exactly where I should be at this moment. All is well in my world right now?" That's how I felt. I don't feel that way very often, so when it happens, I recognize it and savor it.
I got to Key Club while Bullets and Octane were on. I watched from center-crowd and made note to myself that I should try to get there before they go on the next night, because they were actually starting to grow on me. At the other three shows, I didn't want to deal with them at all. It's not that I thought they sucked, it's that I was so anxious for Unwritten Law at the time that I didn't have the patience to sit through the openers. But since then, I've come to appreciate them. Especially Gene (the singer). He's really a character. He's on ten all the time- very chatty, funny and easy to goof around with. The time I spent with him on this tour was limited to run-ins at the bar or merch booth, but he seems like he would be a good hang. As I watched B&O, I kept an eye out for an opening down front by the stage. When the floor crowd flocked to the bar after their set, I made a beeline for PK's side and got barricade with no problem.
Zebrahead was up next. Again, I was in no mood for them the last block of dates I went to, but since I was alone and had nothing better to do, I gave them another shot. Their style is pretty close to Sum 41, who I like a lot, so I was able to enjoy their show. True to form, I guess I was giving my scowlface even though I liked what I saw. So when I physically showed appreciation in the form of applause or a slight smile, the singers would flash me a smile back and nod like "Yeah you love us!" Little did they know that half my smiling was due to the fact that Ali is total eye candy and I couldn't stop thinking bad things when I looked at him. Hey, I pride myself on not being a shallow person. But when a guy with a body like that is parading around shirtless with baggy pants hanging low enough that boxers make an appearance, what the hell else am I supposed to do. I'm not made of stone.
Unwritten Law was up next. For whatever reason, their entrance song is "ABC" by the Jackson Five. While that seems kind of odd, when you see the crowd get down while they wait for the boys to come onstage, you understand why they chose it. It just gets you in a good mood. So now whenever I hear that song, I'll think of UL fondly.
They played pretty much the same set as the other dates, but this time I got to hear "Mean Girl", so that excited me. I like when setlists are altered night to night, even if it means only one or two songs are different. Unlike other bands that shall remain viva la nameless.
At this show, there was a psycho girl in the front row who kept grabbing at Scott's pants. At one point she reached for his belt and almost got his already half-off-his-ass pants completely down. He immediately pushed her off laughing nervously. She kept grabbing at him the rest of the show, but didn't come as close to making it happen as that time. Is it wrong I was a little disappointed she wasn't successful?
After hanging out at a friend's til 4am, I headed back to Tarzana. While driving down Santa Monica Blvd, I saw this random woman standing on a street corner wearing really short shorts and thigh high boots. I wondered wtf she was doing there at that hour and realized "ohhhh...she's a hooker!" I looked to my left and saw two other ladies of the night similarly dressed walking down the street. Feeling like I was in my own HBO episode of Hookers At The Point, I locked my doors and sped up so I could get to the 101 that much quicker. L.A. is scary at night. In NY I feel like it's home territory. L.A. just seems to have weirder opportunities to get into trouble than NY.
Anyway, I got on the traffic-free 101 North and got home at the crack of dawn, satisfied with my first real night in Cali.
ANAHEIM- SATURDAY:
I was looking forward to the idea of not spending a dime on a hotel this trip, but after two days of dealing with the horror that is L.A. traffic, I didn't want to have to drive in it anymore than I had to. Since I'd be in Anaheim two nights in a row, I decided I had better stay over Saturday and Sunday.
After sitting in more than a few parking lot scenarios on the 5, I knew I made the right decision. I couldn't believe there was so much traffic on a Saturday afternoon- and this wasn't even due to Disneyland, as there was hardly any traffic when the exit finally came up.
My theory, besides the fact that there are millions in the area, is that there are so many highway options, the frequent splits cause all the jams. I know this is part of it because when there were a few miles without one, traffic was moving at 70 mph. So there you go. I just solved all of L.A.'s traffic problems: cut down the population and get rid of a few highways. Should be simple enough to accomplish.
My hotel was in a great location across the street from the park on Harbor Blvd, a strip of hotels and restaurants within walking distance of the park entrance. Because I didn't want to worry about my car at the end of the night, I walked to Downtown Disney, where House of Blues is located.
HOB is notorious for not allowing photographs to be taken during the show. But I tried to sneak mine in anyway. I hid it very well, but what I didn't count on was security asking me flat out if I had one. I have a compulsion to be honest and as much as I try to suppress the desire to tell the truth even when it can work against me, I can't. So I had to go check it for $3. The most annoying part of this is that the camera check-in is outside of the club and closes at show's end. If you leave the club for any reason, you can't get back in unless you have an All Access pass. I couldn't lie and say "Oh yeah, I checked it" because security asks to see your receipt as proof.
Seriously they need to calm the hell down with that nonsense. Thousands of other venues in the country allow pictures to be taken, and I don't see them suffering in any way because of it. I know it's because HOB hires their own photographers, but it's not like they sell those photos and will lose money if the average fan takes a few photos and puts them up on Flickr. For real HOB- CHILL OUT.
When I walked into the venue, I was surprised to see that it was so full. The Hollywood show was a good crowd, but not sold out. The shows back east were half empty. I was glad for them though because they deserve to play for a packed house. They put too much energy into the performance to deserve anything less.
Because this crowd was fucking nuts, I didn't bother trying to get up front. I had arrived literally 5 minutes before B&O went on and once I saw how crazy they were for them, I resigned myself to the fact I'd be stuck in the middle of the crowd. Luckily I found a spot right behind the sound board. Aside from 2 VIP bitches who would randomly stand right in front of me to make themselves feel special, I had a great unobstructed view of the whole stage.
What a different experience this show was from the shows in July. Even though I wasn't front row, I was still way into the show, dancing like a fool and singing along. The pit was in full effect, it was hot and gross, and the crowd was into every song. It was great.
ANAHEIM- SUNDAY:
I spent Sunday at the mall in Buena Park. I wanted a new suitcase and new clothes so I went out there to shop. There was a part of me that desperately wanted to go on the rides at Disneyland. But after listening to High Pitch Mike's beatdown on Stern for going there alone, my pride wasn't going to let me go through with it.
I stopped at Carl's Jr for a sandwich, part of my mission to try at least one thing from every fast food chain in America. I ordered a chicken sandwich, which came with some weird melted substance I assumed was cheese, on what I think was a wheat roll. It was terrible.
I drove to the Downtown Disney lot, annoyed I'd have to pay for parking. It ended up working out though, because by the time I left, the exit gate was open and I didn't have to pay a dime. I also left my camera in my car to avoid that whole scenario again.
When I got to the show, Bangkok Five was on. If I'm not mistaken, they opened for Roach in Europe. Which is funny because UL was on tour with Roach and 311 2 years ago, and B&O was supposed to be on Roach's Zippo Tour. So once again, all roads lead to Papa Roach. Anyways, I got a drink at the bar and ran into Jeremy (aka JPoon apparently) and Gene, who constantly tells me that I look like Michelle Branch. Now when he sees me, the taunting has escalated into him just bursting out with singing the piano intro to what I just realized while writing this is actually Vanessa Carlton's song "A Thousand Miles.".
For this show I was able to get down in front for B&O so I was happy. What didn't make me happy is that the people in the balcony above me kept chucking drinks and ice cubes at the crowd below, where I was. One time I got pelted in the shoulder with an ice cube, which at that velocity, feels like a rock being thrown at you. Where the hell was security then, huh? OMG people taking pictures! Freak out! People throwing ice daggers and dousing the crowd with drinks? Who cares! WTF?!
Before Unwritten Law, one of the songs played over the loudspeakers was "One in a Million" by Guns N' Roses, off of GN'R Lies. It's been so long since I've heard that song, I forgot it existed. Yet I remembered all the words. It was major flashback-to-7th-grade time. They were so good.
UL put on a great show as usual. A highlight: Scott's kids came up with members from the other bands to sing the chorus of the jam (I sadly don't know what the song is actually titled) which was cute.
This was the last night of this tour, so I don't know how long it'll be till they come back East. I'd waited two years since the last album, so I hope it doesn't take them THAT long to get back on the road!
As far as Monday goes, it was a usual kickass show by Roach. I'm really psyched crowds are showing up for their set and responding so well to the new stuff. I didn't get front row, but I managed to live ;)
PHOTOS
UNWRITTEN LAW SETLIST (not in order):
Teenage Suicide
Rescue Me
Shoulda Known Better
Mean Girl
Blame it On Me
California Sky
Lonesome
Rest of My Life
Save Me
Seein' Red
Shallow
Up All Night
Welcome to Oblivion
She Said
CPK
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Henry Rollins understands me.
I've decided to re-read Henry Rollins' "Smile, You're Traveling." Since I originally read it in 2003, I've started traveling on my own on a regular basis and felt I could relate to it even more now than the first time I read it. In fact sometimes I think that it really might have been this book that inspired me to fly around the country at a moment's notice by myself, solely for the purpose of seeking out fun times and good memories.
The only reason I bought this book 4 years ago was actually to keep me occupied while waiting in long general admission lines at shows. It was around then that I started to go to shows on my own. I was tired of dealing with my concert buddy at the time. I felt like they only paid me back for concert tickets after I chased the hell out of them. Besides that, their constant sourpuss kept me on edge all night, worrying whether they were having fun or not. In other words, they were a drag, and I found out that I had more fun on my own than when they were there.
When I read his book, I walked away having a whole new appreciation for this man. I always liked listening to his interviews on Stern and thought his spoken word show was entertaining. Reading it again, I am already right back on the level with him where I left off after finishing a few years ago.
"Sharon (Osbourne) told me that the original line up of Black Sabbath were reuniting for two shows in their home town of Birmingham, England on December 4th and 5th. I told her that I would be there without fail. There was no way I was going to miss that."
Henry doesn't detail his emotions about why he's intent on being there. And you know what? He certainly doesn't have to, especially not to me. I get it. I SO get it. I get it so much that, to give you an example, I flew to the Middle-Of-Nowhere, USA just to see my two favorite bands play a one-off together. It ended up being one of my favorite days ever. Although I felt sort of weird about going at first, I am glad I got over it and made my way to that show.
For me, flying out somewhere just for a show that lasts a couple of hours is really not that big of a deal. In my mind, it's like going to any other show, it just takes longer to get there and will obviously cost me a couple bucks more than if I stayed local.
The positives outweigh the negatives of dealing with airport hassles and cheap hotels: I get to see a part of the world I would never go to otherwise, I meet cool people from all over the country, and I have great stories to tell my friends when I get back. I have experiences that I never would have had if I decided to give into my insecurities about looking weird and stayed here and did the same ol' same ol' instead. So yes, I smile when I'm traveling.
OK seriously I need to work on how to wrap up blog endings better.
The only reason I bought this book 4 years ago was actually to keep me occupied while waiting in long general admission lines at shows. It was around then that I started to go to shows on my own. I was tired of dealing with my concert buddy at the time. I felt like they only paid me back for concert tickets after I chased the hell out of them. Besides that, their constant sourpuss kept me on edge all night, worrying whether they were having fun or not. In other words, they were a drag, and I found out that I had more fun on my own than when they were there.
When I read his book, I walked away having a whole new appreciation for this man. I always liked listening to his interviews on Stern and thought his spoken word show was entertaining. Reading it again, I am already right back on the level with him where I left off after finishing a few years ago.
"Sharon (Osbourne) told me that the original line up of Black Sabbath were reuniting for two shows in their home town of Birmingham, England on December 4th and 5th. I told her that I would be there without fail. There was no way I was going to miss that."
Henry doesn't detail his emotions about why he's intent on being there. And you know what? He certainly doesn't have to, especially not to me. I get it. I SO get it. I get it so much that, to give you an example, I flew to the Middle-Of-Nowhere, USA just to see my two favorite bands play a one-off together. It ended up being one of my favorite days ever. Although I felt sort of weird about going at first, I am glad I got over it and made my way to that show.
For me, flying out somewhere just for a show that lasts a couple of hours is really not that big of a deal. In my mind, it's like going to any other show, it just takes longer to get there and will obviously cost me a couple bucks more than if I stayed local.
The positives outweigh the negatives of dealing with airport hassles and cheap hotels: I get to see a part of the world I would never go to otherwise, I meet cool people from all over the country, and I have great stories to tell my friends when I get back. I have experiences that I never would have had if I decided to give into my insecurities about looking weird and stayed here and did the same ol' same ol' instead. So yes, I smile when I'm traveling.
OK seriously I need to work on how to wrap up blog endings better.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
KanYAYYYY!!!
When I saw last Thursday that Kanye West was playing Mohegan Sun Casino with Lupe Fiasco and Common in less than a week, I blindly bought a ticket. I did not care that I would have to sit in rush hour traffic and make a 2 hr drive back home on a work night. I mean what else would I be doing instead? Sitting on my computer or watching TV? No thanks. I needed to go to this. Badly.
I unfortunately arrived too late to catch Lupe's set. But luckily I sat down in my seat two seconds before Common hit the stage. I'm about to annoy some of you because I don't know a lick of his music with the exception of "Go" and his joyous Peace, Love and Gap ad that I looked forward to almost every TV commercial break during the Christmas season. But after his set, I've been inspired to check out his music.
Common's energy is contagious. It's impossible not to bob your head along as he bounces and bounds across the stage. Even though I don't know the music, his set was fun and kept my attention. And I think I really need to look up some of his lyrics, because apparently he can get kinda hot with them. "Freaky like the daughter of a pastor, said I was bait for her to master"? Hello.
During one song, he brought up a girl from the audience and serenaded her. She was obviously a total fangirl, saying all the words along with him, so that was kinda sweet. I don't know the song, but I know I wished I was her for the moment he ran his hand up her thigh. Damn Common.
What really brought the house down was his freestyle about Connecticut. You'd think it'd be hard to rhyme my home state's name with anything, but not for Common. "Predicate." Why didn't I ever think of that? Probably because I haven't tried to rap lately. Or ever. But I digress.
Because the sound wasn't so great, it really frustrated me that I couldn't make out with him- I MEAN- make out what he was saying. Like I said, I'll have to check out some of his songs later.
Next up was Kanye. The lights went down and as the Daft Punk sample began blasting out of the speakers, the girl in front of me leaned over to her friend and said "Oh it's TIME to stand up NOW." And so we did.
Kanye came running out in a wildly-colored jacket wearing his shades announcing "That that don't kill me can only make me stronger" as we all waved our hands like we just didn't care. I was so psyched for this song. I can't get it out of my head, nor do I want to. When the beat kicks in, it makes me want to bust out dance moves that would rival those of one of the greatest movie scenes in history: The House Party Dance Off. But because the people around me seemed to be a little more subdued and not likely to gather around me in a circle while I battled the older couple next to me, I kept to my low-key stationary bounce.
Kanye had a string section behind him made up of young women in long silver lame gowns, who wore Zorro-style masks. OK. He also had two backup singers (a guy and a girl) who were dancing and singing like they were having their own party in the back.
I came to two realizations at this show. First, that the jeans I was wearing were way too baggy, even by Fred Durst wannabe standards. Second, hip hop shows don't always play well in arenas. It's hard to get the same kind of vibe going that you would in a club. I wanted the whole place to erupt into a dance frenzy when Kanye came out, but they didn't. I don't know what it is that gets lost in the translation. All I know is, that I've thought the same thing at every hip hop show I've been to.
As I don't actually have any Kanye CDs, I was glad I knew the majority of the songs, not knowing maybe 3 songs. From what I remember the setlist was as follows:
-Stronger
-Diamonds of Sierra Leone
-Heard 'Em Say
-Through the Wire
-Can't Tell Me Nothing
-Workout Plan
-Jesus Walks
-Slow Jamz
-Gold Digger
-Touch The Sky
-Get 'Em High
The highlights for me were pretty much everything. Common came out for Get 'Em High which rocked the house. And like he was shot out of a cannon, Lupe came out for his part of Touch the Sky. When I saw how nuts he went on his verse alone, I was immediately sorry I didn't leave work early to see his set. I wish I could have seen him do "Daydreamin'" too. Oh well :(
Here are some super crappy shots from my new cell phone camera. I should have tried to bring my regular camera because security was very loose at this show. (Try to) enjoy:
Kanye on the Jumbotron.
My awesome view (6th row on the side).
Common on the Jumbotron.
Kanye and Common.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
5 Albums that changed my life
1. Appetite For Destruction/Guns N' Roses (1988)
I borrowed this tape from an ex-best friend in the fall of 1988. From the second I put the tape in my walkman till the next morning when I had to return it to her, I didn't do anything but listen to it on loop for the entire night she let me borrow it. Goodbye Debbie Gibson. Hello Axl Rose. Literally overnight I went from singing along to lyrics like "Could've been so beautiful, could've been so right" to "Turn around bitch I got a use for you. Besides, you ain't got nothin' better to do, and I'm bored."
2. Getting Away With Murder/Papa Roach (2004)
Without getting TOO sappy, let's just say I was going through some weird life stuff and a few of these songs, most of all "Not Listening", hit home at the right time. I needed to hear that someone else was dealing with the same type of emotions as I was. This album helped me deal with all of it just a little better than if I hadn't heard it at all.
3. Summer of '92 mix tapes (1992)
The same ex-friend who lent me Gn'R played the same mix tapes the entire summer of 1992. The tapes contained: Nothing's Shocking, Ten, Nevermind, Pretty Hate Machine, Psalm 69 and a smattering of Violent Femmes songs. I am pretty sure we listened to these because she was trying to educate herself on the music that her latest crush was into. I used to listen begrudgingly because I was still very much into my hair metal and didn't want to cave into the new stuff just to spite my friends. But as it turns out, I was powerless against such genius.
4. Significant Other/Limp Bizkit (1999)
I always say that "I'm not going to sit here and tell you that Fred Durst is the Genius of Our Time, but there's something about them I find quite enjoyable." I know the lyrics are ridiculous and in fact, I can barely listen to the music now without saying "What the fuck Fred?" But for whatever reason, this is the album that brought me out of my 5 year hip hop phase, when I lived for the newest Bad Boy Remix, and got me interested in rock again. I don't know what it was that sparked my interest. It might be that it's because I am a sucker for douchebags and therefore I was drawn to Fred Durst like a moth to a flame. These days I don't listen to them nearly as much, but I do miss their live show because it was always a lot of fun.
5. Dirty Dancing Soundtrack (1988)
No. I'm not kidding. This album introduced me to the golden oldies of my parents time, which I now have a profound love and respect for. Sirius Gold is on my presets because whenever there isn't anything I want to hear on the other stations, I know there'll be something good on that station. One might think that music is way too sappy or too tame, but consider this: Bill Haley and the Comets ("Rock Around the Clock") managed to get the kids so excited at their concerts that riots ensued. That's rock and roll for you.
I borrowed this tape from an ex-best friend in the fall of 1988. From the second I put the tape in my walkman till the next morning when I had to return it to her, I didn't do anything but listen to it on loop for the entire night she let me borrow it. Goodbye Debbie Gibson. Hello Axl Rose. Literally overnight I went from singing along to lyrics like "Could've been so beautiful, could've been so right" to "Turn around bitch I got a use for you. Besides, you ain't got nothin' better to do, and I'm bored."
2. Getting Away With Murder/Papa Roach (2004)
Without getting TOO sappy, let's just say I was going through some weird life stuff and a few of these songs, most of all "Not Listening", hit home at the right time. I needed to hear that someone else was dealing with the same type of emotions as I was. This album helped me deal with all of it just a little better than if I hadn't heard it at all.
3. Summer of '92 mix tapes (1992)
The same ex-friend who lent me Gn'R played the same mix tapes the entire summer of 1992. The tapes contained: Nothing's Shocking, Ten, Nevermind, Pretty Hate Machine, Psalm 69 and a smattering of Violent Femmes songs. I am pretty sure we listened to these because she was trying to educate herself on the music that her latest crush was into. I used to listen begrudgingly because I was still very much into my hair metal and didn't want to cave into the new stuff just to spite my friends. But as it turns out, I was powerless against such genius.
4. Significant Other/Limp Bizkit (1999)
I always say that "I'm not going to sit here and tell you that Fred Durst is the Genius of Our Time, but there's something about them I find quite enjoyable." I know the lyrics are ridiculous and in fact, I can barely listen to the music now without saying "What the fuck Fred?" But for whatever reason, this is the album that brought me out of my 5 year hip hop phase, when I lived for the newest Bad Boy Remix, and got me interested in rock again. I don't know what it was that sparked my interest. It might be that it's because I am a sucker for douchebags and therefore I was drawn to Fred Durst like a moth to a flame. These days I don't listen to them nearly as much, but I do miss their live show because it was always a lot of fun.
5. Dirty Dancing Soundtrack (1988)
No. I'm not kidding. This album introduced me to the golden oldies of my parents time, which I now have a profound love and respect for. Sirius Gold is on my presets because whenever there isn't anything I want to hear on the other stations, I know there'll be something good on that station. One might think that music is way too sappy or too tame, but consider this: Bill Haley and the Comets ("Rock Around the Clock") managed to get the kids so excited at their concerts that riots ensued. That's rock and roll for you.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Mama, we all go to Worcester.
Tuesday night I had the pleasure of seeing My Chemical Romance for the second time. There isn't much more I can say about the set that I didn't the last time , except "Mama" went uninterrupted, which I was thankful for. I LOVE this song. If you were to roll up beside me at a red light while I was listening to it and happened to look over, you would see me rocking out like nobody's business 2 minutes and 57 seconds in. It's hard to enjoy this monstrosity of a tune when it suddenly grinds to a halt right in the middle of the best part. Granted, the pause was to make sure kids weren't stomping each other to death in the pit. But if you can't take the heat, get your ass out of the kitchen I always say!
My seat was 6th row on the side, but I was at an angle where the actual front of the stage was diagonally to my left. So a lot of the time I was looking at Gerard's back. Which is ok by me, because he's definitely on my inner 12 yr old's Rockstar Crush list, and she always appreciates a nice rear view.
One thing that was cool about this vantage point is I got an idea of what it's like for the band to look out and see a crowd of adoring fans. Interestingly though, the arena wasn't nearly as full as the Long Island show was. In fact it was probably about 2/3 full, which surprised me since they're one of the biggest acts right now and Worcester is a pretty populated area.
In front of me was a family consisting of a Mother, four teenagers and a boy about the age of nine. They ALWAYS had something going on. First she had to rescue half her kids off the floor and have them overcrowd the row until the usher found two of the kids available seats. Then Mom had to walk up and down the aisle talking on her cell phone. Then she had to bring back a soda for everyone. All things that distracted me throughout the show. I would be more upset if it weren't for the fact that I realize she's just being a good Mom, but also that the 9 yr old was so FREAKING CUTE. Everything Gerard commanded the crowd to do he did: side-to-side handwaving, clapping, fist-thrusting; this kid did it all. He gets a gold star for Outstanding Audience Participation.
The only other thing I have to report is that if you happen to find yourself making the drive up north to see a show at the Palladium or DCU Center, be prepared to shell out the bucks to park your car. The lots that I saw were charging anywhere from $10 (a hidden lot I didn't know about till it was too late) to $20. However you do get the benefit of parking right outside of the venue and it's super easy to get back on the highway.
I seriously wish I had a wittier ending to this blog. But it's dinner time and Carolyn just alerted me that they're going to Friday's, so I need to get the hell off the computer and meet my favorite summertime pal-Ultimate Frozen Margarita-as soon as possible.
My seat was 6th row on the side, but I was at an angle where the actual front of the stage was diagonally to my left. So a lot of the time I was looking at Gerard's back. Which is ok by me, because he's definitely on my inner 12 yr old's Rockstar Crush list, and she always appreciates a nice rear view.
One thing that was cool about this vantage point is I got an idea of what it's like for the band to look out and see a crowd of adoring fans. Interestingly though, the arena wasn't nearly as full as the Long Island show was. In fact it was probably about 2/3 full, which surprised me since they're one of the biggest acts right now and Worcester is a pretty populated area.
In front of me was a family consisting of a Mother, four teenagers and a boy about the age of nine. They ALWAYS had something going on. First she had to rescue half her kids off the floor and have them overcrowd the row until the usher found two of the kids available seats. Then Mom had to walk up and down the aisle talking on her cell phone. Then she had to bring back a soda for everyone. All things that distracted me throughout the show. I would be more upset if it weren't for the fact that I realize she's just being a good Mom, but also that the 9 yr old was so FREAKING CUTE. Everything Gerard commanded the crowd to do he did: side-to-side handwaving, clapping, fist-thrusting; this kid did it all. He gets a gold star for Outstanding Audience Participation.
The only other thing I have to report is that if you happen to find yourself making the drive up north to see a show at the Palladium or DCU Center, be prepared to shell out the bucks to park your car. The lots that I saw were charging anywhere from $10 (a hidden lot I didn't know about till it was too late) to $20. However you do get the benefit of parking right outside of the venue and it's super easy to get back on the highway.
I seriously wish I had a wittier ending to this blog. But it's dinner time and Carolyn just alerted me that they're going to Friday's, so I need to get the hell off the computer and meet my favorite summertime pal-Ultimate Frozen Margarita-as soon as possible.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Iggy POP!
Tonight I went to the United Palace Theater in Washington Heights (around Broadway and 175th). This place is beautiful. Unfortunately, a pretty sucky venue to see a concert. Especially Iggy Pop.
I had high hopes for tonight. I'm not going to sit here and tell you I'm sooo punk and know every Stooges song (I know two- "Now I Wanna Be Your Dog" and the new "Killing Everyone"). Going to a show without knowing the songs always increases the risk of boredom, but I thought that fact wouldn't matter. I've seen Iggy perform once before and knew his show would be great nonetheless. When I saw that our seats were third balcony, row A, I was a little bit concerned about how much we'd be able to get into the show vibe, but figured it wouldn't be that big of a deal. WRONG.
Although my ticket suggested third balcony with it's own hang, it ended up being the rear section of the second and only balcony. We were so far back that my view of the front edge of the stage was blocked by the section in front of me. Unfortunately, this is where Iggy performed most of his time. So basically I spent 90% of the show watching the Stooges stand and play at instead of enjoying Iggy's spaz-outs that I was so looking forward to. I am not trying to discredit the rest of the band or anything, but honestly, they aren't why I shelled out $50.
Not helping matters, an extremely tall woman dressed in a long wool skirt, sweater, big Mary Janes, clutching a boxy purse stood right in front of me in the empty area between my row and the last row of the first section. As if her Nun-like wardrobe wasn't weird enough, her concert buddy was a Courtney Love lookalike. Anyway, security thankfully moved her and the other people who felt they were special enough to deserve their own standing section.
A couple of beers would have made everything more tolerable, but they were served in small 8oz cups that clocked in at $7 a pop. I just can't bring myself to pay that, so I settled for a couple sips of my friend's. Passing that single cup of beer around amongst ourselves made me feel like we were stranded on an island and only had one piece of food to survive on, so we better make the most of it. Silly. I knew we should have gone to the Happy Hour across the street.
The brief moments I did get to see Iggy and his tan ripped stomach bound about were glorious. Especially when he invited the crowd to come up and dance on stage. That was a total classic moment. As well as his pants completely dropping down at least twice.
Although I couldn't see, I certainly heard well enough (my ears are ringing like crazy). At least I got to hear the straight up dirty rock and roll I came for. I just wish I could have been down in front. Waah waah.
I had high hopes for tonight. I'm not going to sit here and tell you I'm sooo punk and know every Stooges song (I know two- "Now I Wanna Be Your Dog" and the new "Killing Everyone"). Going to a show without knowing the songs always increases the risk of boredom, but I thought that fact wouldn't matter. I've seen Iggy perform once before and knew his show would be great nonetheless. When I saw that our seats were third balcony, row A, I was a little bit concerned about how much we'd be able to get into the show vibe, but figured it wouldn't be that big of a deal. WRONG.
Although my ticket suggested third balcony with it's own hang, it ended up being the rear section of the second and only balcony. We were so far back that my view of the front edge of the stage was blocked by the section in front of me. Unfortunately, this is where Iggy performed most of his time. So basically I spent 90% of the show watching the Stooges stand and play at instead of enjoying Iggy's spaz-outs that I was so looking forward to. I am not trying to discredit the rest of the band or anything, but honestly, they aren't why I shelled out $50.
Not helping matters, an extremely tall woman dressed in a long wool skirt, sweater, big Mary Janes, clutching a boxy purse stood right in front of me in the empty area between my row and the last row of the first section. As if her Nun-like wardrobe wasn't weird enough, her concert buddy was a Courtney Love lookalike. Anyway, security thankfully moved her and the other people who felt they were special enough to deserve their own standing section.
A couple of beers would have made everything more tolerable, but they were served in small 8oz cups that clocked in at $7 a pop. I just can't bring myself to pay that, so I settled for a couple sips of my friend's. Passing that single cup of beer around amongst ourselves made me feel like we were stranded on an island and only had one piece of food to survive on, so we better make the most of it. Silly. I knew we should have gone to the Happy Hour across the street.
The brief moments I did get to see Iggy and his tan ripped stomach bound about were glorious. Especially when he invited the crowd to come up and dance on stage. That was a total classic moment. As well as his pants completely dropping down at least twice.
Although I couldn't see, I certainly heard well enough (my ears are ringing like crazy). At least I got to hear the straight up dirty rock and roll I came for. I just wish I could have been down in front. Waah waah.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Today's trip to the mall
Tonight I ran errands instead of going out. I am getting rid of the last of my cold and want to be well for tomorrow night's drinking binge up at SU, or as I call it "Utopia", so I laid low and ran errands instead. The last of my tasks for the day was to spend $308 taking an unexpected eye exam and replacing the scratched-to-hell lenses on the glasses I bought in Vegas the day before the House of Blues Roach show in 2004. Since I had to wait 2 hours for them to be ready, I decided to do some shopping. Here are some random thoughts from my timekilling mallwalk:
-This place is a strangeland on Friday nights. It's mostly a lot of teenagers who seem to congregate outside of Spencer's/Hot Topic and randomly scream for no reason. I also saw a couple of double-daters who were way overdressed for a place where the closest thing to a five star dinner you'll get is Sbarro.
-A group of teenage guys tried to catch my attention as I was leaving the Food Court. Just because I look 18 doesn't mean I am. I just feigned deafness and walked away. The last people I need to be talking to are high school guys. It will just depress me. Why? I'm not quite sure. I know Ben and Zach. That's where my underage circle of friends ends.
-Why are all the girly tops either slutty as hell or so completely juvenile a 3rd grader would wear it?
-I am WAY out of touch with hip hop. And I see why- a lot of what I heard in the stores tonight sucks pretty bad. Having said that, if we were to hear these same songs in a club after 5 drinks, I can 100% picture me and Shannon dancing like drunk fools as if they were the greatest songs we ever heard. I think one featured Andre3000 in it but I can't be sure. If a song where they sing "Walk It Out" sounds familiar, speak up. Because it's been in my head since I heard it.
-I bought a shirt at a place called "2 Cute." I now have to spend a few hours getting rid of some new self-hate I acquired as I signed the credit card slip.
-I really have no reason to go back to Sears ever again. The only thing that caught my eye was a t-shirt with Stewie on it that said "Time to be bad." and I'll be damned if I ever wear that.
-Another memorable shirt said "Who needs big tits?" I wonder how many friends would disown me if I showed up in that shirt. Although knowing my friends, I might actually gain some respect that I previously was lacking.
-I really hate people with strollers. Especially in The Icing. It's so cramped and tiny. What are you people doing there? What am I doing there?
-I hate the mall on Friday nights.
-This place is a strangeland on Friday nights. It's mostly a lot of teenagers who seem to congregate outside of Spencer's/Hot Topic and randomly scream for no reason. I also saw a couple of double-daters who were way overdressed for a place where the closest thing to a five star dinner you'll get is Sbarro.
-A group of teenage guys tried to catch my attention as I was leaving the Food Court. Just because I look 18 doesn't mean I am. I just feigned deafness and walked away. The last people I need to be talking to are high school guys. It will just depress me. Why? I'm not quite sure. I know Ben and Zach. That's where my underage circle of friends ends.
-Why are all the girly tops either slutty as hell or so completely juvenile a 3rd grader would wear it?
-I am WAY out of touch with hip hop. And I see why- a lot of what I heard in the stores tonight sucks pretty bad. Having said that, if we were to hear these same songs in a club after 5 drinks, I can 100% picture me and Shannon dancing like drunk fools as if they were the greatest songs we ever heard. I think one featured Andre3000 in it but I can't be sure. If a song where they sing "Walk It Out" sounds familiar, speak up. Because it's been in my head since I heard it.
-I bought a shirt at a place called "2 Cute." I now have to spend a few hours getting rid of some new self-hate I acquired as I signed the credit card slip.
-I really have no reason to go back to Sears ever again. The only thing that caught my eye was a t-shirt with Stewie on it that said "Time to be bad." and I'll be damned if I ever wear that.
-Another memorable shirt said "Who needs big tits?" I wonder how many friends would disown me if I showed up in that shirt. Although knowing my friends, I might actually gain some respect that I previously was lacking.
-I really hate people with strollers. Especially in The Icing. It's so cramped and tiny. What are you people doing there? What am I doing there?
-I hate the mall on Friday nights.
Friday, February 23, 2007
My Romance with My Chemical Romance
What motivated me to drive out to the labyrinth of highways that is Long Island were the Brothers Way and their band My Chemical Romance. I have liked this band for about 2 years now, and this is the first time I have seen them live. Like a Johnny-Come-Lately, I bought the album around the time "Ghost of You" came out. Normally I jump right up a band on tour's ass upon the realization I am a big fan, but I was reluctant to go see them live back then. Every time I saw them on TV, Gerard pretty much...sucked. He was always screaming off-key rather than singing and basically failing to re-produce the quality of vocals that were on the CD. But after seeing them play on the webcast of KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas 2006, I decided to give them a chance. I am so glad I did.
I got to Nassau Coliseum a little bit after showtime. I wanted to see openers Rise Against, but didn't feel the need to be present for their entire set. I ended up getting there in time to see the last 3 or 4 songs. I don't know the titles, but they were your typical edgy pop-punk band. They were pretty decent. Most of the audience showed up for their set and gave them a great response, so I guess they were a good choice for an opener.
MCR took the stage at about 9:15. As they began playing opening song "The End" from behind the giant black curtain, a roadie wheeled out a hospital bed with a body covered from head to foot in a white blanket. Surprise everybody! The body turns out to be Gerard, who popped up to sing while the screams of the mostly teenage audience deafen the parents that brought them.
They played the entire album from front to back which was pretty cool. What I never picked up on through the few interviews I read or saw on TV was that the Black Parade is really an alter ego they go by for this album. So when Gerard made some comment about how the last time they toured was in 1812 (or some such year), I had no idea what he was talking about.
For me, the highlights of the set were "Sleep" and "Mama." The only complaint I have was that they stopped "Mama" in the middle of the song to lecture the pit about picking people up when they fall down. While I'm glad MCR is concerned for their fans' well being, I was annoyed that they interrupted the momentum of my favorite song. The band also broke character to take time out to sing "Happy Birthday" to the Ways' Father who was in the audience that night.
After they finished "Famous Last Words", they had a small intermission and came back as My Chemical Romance. Now dressed in rock star street clothes instead of their Black Parade gear, they belted out a bunch of songs off their last CD "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge" that I've played to death. I was particularly psyched to hear "You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us In Prison" and "Helena."
As far as Gerard's voice, I was satisfied with what I heard. Of course I've been duped before- Angels and Airwaves always sounds perfect to me live and then the minute I see them on TV, I marvel at just how far off key Tom Delonge really can sing. But no matter. I had a great time and couldn't tell if Gerard was blowing the vocals or not.
The only thing that freaked me out about this show was that the parents seemed to know the music well enough to sing along. I didn't really know what to make of that. I guess MCR has mass appeal and I will just leave it at that.
EDIT:
People posted video of Mama where he stops the song in case you're interested:
http://www.buzznet.com/tags/mama/video/188915/
I got to Nassau Coliseum a little bit after showtime. I wanted to see openers Rise Against, but didn't feel the need to be present for their entire set. I ended up getting there in time to see the last 3 or 4 songs. I don't know the titles, but they were your typical edgy pop-punk band. They were pretty decent. Most of the audience showed up for their set and gave them a great response, so I guess they were a good choice for an opener.
MCR took the stage at about 9:15. As they began playing opening song "The End" from behind the giant black curtain, a roadie wheeled out a hospital bed with a body covered from head to foot in a white blanket. Surprise everybody! The body turns out to be Gerard, who popped up to sing while the screams of the mostly teenage audience deafen the parents that brought them.
They played the entire album from front to back which was pretty cool. What I never picked up on through the few interviews I read or saw on TV was that the Black Parade is really an alter ego they go by for this album. So when Gerard made some comment about how the last time they toured was in 1812 (or some such year), I had no idea what he was talking about.
For me, the highlights of the set were "Sleep" and "Mama." The only complaint I have was that they stopped "Mama" in the middle of the song to lecture the pit about picking people up when they fall down. While I'm glad MCR is concerned for their fans' well being, I was annoyed that they interrupted the momentum of my favorite song. The band also broke character to take time out to sing "Happy Birthday" to the Ways' Father who was in the audience that night.
After they finished "Famous Last Words", they had a small intermission and came back as My Chemical Romance. Now dressed in rock star street clothes instead of their Black Parade gear, they belted out a bunch of songs off their last CD "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge" that I've played to death. I was particularly psyched to hear "You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us In Prison" and "Helena."
As far as Gerard's voice, I was satisfied with what I heard. Of course I've been duped before- Angels and Airwaves always sounds perfect to me live and then the minute I see them on TV, I marvel at just how far off key Tom Delonge really can sing. But no matter. I had a great time and couldn't tell if Gerard was blowing the vocals or not.
The only thing that freaked me out about this show was that the parents seemed to know the music well enough to sing along. I didn't really know what to make of that. I guess MCR has mass appeal and I will just leave it at that.
EDIT:
People posted video of Mama where he stops the song in case you're interested:
http://www.buzznet.com/tags/mama/video/188915/
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Long Island is fun.
Last night I went to see Fight of Your Life in Long Island. I know of them through some friends and wanted to get the hell out of the house, so I decided to make the hour long drive and show some support. Plus my friend WIP would be in attendance, and anytime he's there it's a bonus.
I got to the venue about an hour and half after doors, so by then it was already time for Push Play. They're your typical pop punk band whose singer sounds a lot like Jordan from New Found Glory. The set started out alright, but then about 3 or 4 songs in, the singer started getting off key and lost me. And what do you do when you're bored at a show? You head back to the bar.
Fight of Your Life was on next. Matt Pinfield came out to introduce them to a crowd who showed about zero response when he came out onstage. I don't know if it's because people aren't as stupidly starstruck as I am or they didn't know who he was. Anyway, FOYL only played a few songs, but did a good job nonetheless. They played "Phoenix and the Fall" which, as I told Rene to his face, I am obsessed with. It's just super catchy, and well, one of my favorite singers duos with him on the choruses, so that might be why I love it so much. But even Jacoby-less, it still sounded great.
Next, pop punk headliners The Rivalry played. They were vocally more along the lines of Fall Out Boy, who I am not a fan of. So musically I wasn't too impressed with them either, however I thought they put on a solid show.
Afterwards I met up with WIP and his friend to head back to The Dude's place. We ended up going to a pub where I devoured chicken strips that I felt the need to load up with extra salt, honey mustard and buffalo sauce. Which probably explains the cottonmouth that I'm still experiencing this afternoon. We talked about the Van Halen reunion tour, predicting what they would open with. I thought "Eruption" into something like "Running With the Devil." I don't know if I will go to this show or not. I hear that Roth's live show isn't what it used to be, but if it's remotely tolerable I'm ok with that. For me it'll come down to ticket price.
Yet a fourth friend showed up later and I realized I am now officially a "one of the guys" type girl. Don't think I'm bragging about being that way, I think you just get into a certain mindset when you're among a group of men, even if you're a girl. I even gawked at an older metal chick's cleavage as she bent over while shooting pool. She was pretty hard not to notice. She had long flaming red Elvira hair, and was dressed in all black lace and leather. When she leaned forward, her alabaster boobs were practically glowing. I'm not saying I was into this in the same way as the men I was with were, but how could I not stare at such a blatant display?
After that short disruption, we continued railing off all our old school metal shows. I was most impressed with the fact they'd all seen Motley Crue pre-Dr. Feelgood. I was especially jealous of The Dude, who saw them with Ozzy on the Shout at the Devil tour. That is a major score in my book.
This discussion inspired us to go back to the house and watch the classic "Decline of the Western Civilization Part 2: The Metal Years." It's a Penelope Spheeris movie that documents the L.A. hair metal scene that exploded in the mid-80s. Some of it is hilarious (the fashion statements), some of it sad (the unrealistic dreams amongst the crowd). The most depressing part is Chris Holmes' segment, where he's literally bathing himself in vodka- in front of his Mom, who is clearly trying not to burst out in tears while he babbles incoherently about his life. Yes. This movie is a must-see.
At around 1am I decided to head out since I was now sober and post-drunk fatigue was setting in. Definitely another fun night in Long Island that was worth the drive.
PHOTOS (They didn't come out that great, but you get the idea)
VIDEO:
Phoenix and the Fall:
Chasing Yesterday:
I got to the venue about an hour and half after doors, so by then it was already time for Push Play. They're your typical pop punk band whose singer sounds a lot like Jordan from New Found Glory. The set started out alright, but then about 3 or 4 songs in, the singer started getting off key and lost me. And what do you do when you're bored at a show? You head back to the bar.
Fight of Your Life was on next. Matt Pinfield came out to introduce them to a crowd who showed about zero response when he came out onstage. I don't know if it's because people aren't as stupidly starstruck as I am or they didn't know who he was. Anyway, FOYL only played a few songs, but did a good job nonetheless. They played "Phoenix and the Fall" which, as I told Rene to his face, I am obsessed with. It's just super catchy, and well, one of my favorite singers duos with him on the choruses, so that might be why I love it so much. But even Jacoby-less, it still sounded great.
Next, pop punk headliners The Rivalry played. They were vocally more along the lines of Fall Out Boy, who I am not a fan of. So musically I wasn't too impressed with them either, however I thought they put on a solid show.
Afterwards I met up with WIP and his friend to head back to The Dude's place. We ended up going to a pub where I devoured chicken strips that I felt the need to load up with extra salt, honey mustard and buffalo sauce. Which probably explains the cottonmouth that I'm still experiencing this afternoon. We talked about the Van Halen reunion tour, predicting what they would open with. I thought "Eruption" into something like "Running With the Devil." I don't know if I will go to this show or not. I hear that Roth's live show isn't what it used to be, but if it's remotely tolerable I'm ok with that. For me it'll come down to ticket price.
Yet a fourth friend showed up later and I realized I am now officially a "one of the guys" type girl. Don't think I'm bragging about being that way, I think you just get into a certain mindset when you're among a group of men, even if you're a girl. I even gawked at an older metal chick's cleavage as she bent over while shooting pool. She was pretty hard not to notice. She had long flaming red Elvira hair, and was dressed in all black lace and leather. When she leaned forward, her alabaster boobs were practically glowing. I'm not saying I was into this in the same way as the men I was with were, but how could I not stare at such a blatant display?
After that short disruption, we continued railing off all our old school metal shows. I was most impressed with the fact they'd all seen Motley Crue pre-Dr. Feelgood. I was especially jealous of The Dude, who saw them with Ozzy on the Shout at the Devil tour. That is a major score in my book.
This discussion inspired us to go back to the house and watch the classic "Decline of the Western Civilization Part 2: The Metal Years." It's a Penelope Spheeris movie that documents the L.A. hair metal scene that exploded in the mid-80s. Some of it is hilarious (the fashion statements), some of it sad (the unrealistic dreams amongst the crowd). The most depressing part is Chris Holmes' segment, where he's literally bathing himself in vodka- in front of his Mom, who is clearly trying not to burst out in tears while he babbles incoherently about his life. Yes. This movie is a must-see.
At around 1am I decided to head out since I was now sober and post-drunk fatigue was setting in. Definitely another fun night in Long Island that was worth the drive.
PHOTOS (They didn't come out that great, but you get the idea)
VIDEO:
Phoenix and the Fall:
Chasing Yesterday:
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Rock Of Love? *sigh*
From Metal Sludge:
-----
The hot rumor with girlies & groupies around Hollywood is that hundreds have lined up to audition to be part of the "Rock of Love". This is rumored (of course) to be the new VH1 reality series featuring a bad boy rock star. After huge ratings with the "Flava of Love" starring rap legend Flava Flav from Public Enemy it seems that VH1 has taken the idea and added long hair, and some bleach blonde bimbos.
The latest is that it's gonna be bad boy Bret Michaels of Poison. God knows they ain't gonna line up for Jani Lane. At least we hope not! Stay tuned for more details as they spill all over like sperm in the back of a tour bus!
Metal Sludge Flava of Sludge
Last Updated ( 12/21/06 )
-----
As you can tell from some of my blogs, I am not afraid to admit (anymore) that I was a big time hair metal freak back in the day and still display some interest in the groups that once graced my walls and tape decks. That's because somewhere along the way, it became ok to come out of the closet and publicly own this part of my history (including the fact that I saw Poison twice in my life). But just when I got some self respect back and stopped hiding my Aqua Net past, they're going to remind everyone just how ridiculous that whole scene really was by throwing Bret Michaels back in front of the camera with a bunch of bimbettes in, no doubt, multi-colored metallic dresses.
This isn't the only upsetting news I have received recently. I heard on VH-1 Classic the other day that Vince Neil is now a cruise ship performer. There was a time I actually thought Vince was cool. Now he's a metal Kathy Lee Gifford. I feel very conflicted about this, because it's for a good cause. But I just feel like he's somehow setting himself up for embarassment. I hope for his sake he has record-breaking sales and makes enough cash for his foundation to make it all worth it.
It could be that I'm just in denial and hair metal was in fact NEVER cool. No way. It was. But like every genre, you had the cool bands and then the lameasses that ruined it for everyone. What bad things could you have to say about a scene that was all about rock music, girls, hot guys in black eyeliner, drugs and liquor? Nothing. Too bad I was nowhere near a legal age to fully partake without getting a few people arrested.
-----
The hot rumor with girlies & groupies around Hollywood is that hundreds have lined up to audition to be part of the "Rock of Love". This is rumored (of course) to be the new VH1 reality series featuring a bad boy rock star. After huge ratings with the "Flava of Love" starring rap legend Flava Flav from Public Enemy it seems that VH1 has taken the idea and added long hair, and some bleach blonde bimbos.
The latest is that it's gonna be bad boy Bret Michaels of Poison. God knows they ain't gonna line up for Jani Lane. At least we hope not! Stay tuned for more details as they spill all over like sperm in the back of a tour bus!
Metal Sludge Flava of Sludge
Last Updated ( 12/21/06 )
-----
As you can tell from some of my blogs, I am not afraid to admit (anymore) that I was a big time hair metal freak back in the day and still display some interest in the groups that once graced my walls and tape decks. That's because somewhere along the way, it became ok to come out of the closet and publicly own this part of my history (including the fact that I saw Poison twice in my life). But just when I got some self respect back and stopped hiding my Aqua Net past, they're going to remind everyone just how ridiculous that whole scene really was by throwing Bret Michaels back in front of the camera with a bunch of bimbettes in, no doubt, multi-colored metallic dresses.
This isn't the only upsetting news I have received recently. I heard on VH-1 Classic the other day that Vince Neil is now a cruise ship performer. There was a time I actually thought Vince was cool. Now he's a metal Kathy Lee Gifford. I feel very conflicted about this, because it's for a good cause. But I just feel like he's somehow setting himself up for embarassment. I hope for his sake he has record-breaking sales and makes enough cash for his foundation to make it all worth it.
It could be that I'm just in denial and hair metal was in fact NEVER cool. No way. It was. But like every genre, you had the cool bands and then the lameasses that ruined it for everyone. What bad things could you have to say about a scene that was all about rock music, girls, hot guys in black eyeliner, drugs and liquor? Nothing. Too bad I was nowhere near a legal age to fully partake without getting a few people arrested.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Comedy Steel with Metal Man
At the last minute, I went to see Jim Breuer's Comedy Steel show at the Nokia Theatre last night. Due to recent events I felt I needed to laugh, so I went ahead and bought the $30 ticket. If I had shelled out $60, I could have taken part in a Breuer meet n' greet and received a signed DVD as well as early entry (it was General Admission). But again, due to recent events, I decided not to spend the money.
After descending down the neon-lit escalator to the bottom floor of the building, I paid the $3 for coat check and $7 for my vodka/Sprite and went inside to the performance area. Considering I had arrived about 15 minutes before showtime, there was plenty of space in the front, so I walked right up to the barricade with no problem. However, that didn't stop a short guy with a crew-cut (semi-decent looking) from brushing up against me, even though there was a lot of room for movement. I just ignored him and moved up closer to get away from him, but he ended up standing next to me on the barricade anyway.
Right at 8pm Eddie Trunk came out to get the crowd going. He began the show psyching the crowd up by telling us Ozzy was there. But instead, out came Billy Mira with his Ozzy impression. Wearing a wig, sunglasses, black long-sleeved shirt and the same black Adidas workout pants that I have, he ran around the stage singing the classic Ozzy tune "I Don't Know." I think the crowd was pissed at first because they actually believed Ozzy would grace us with his presence. As for me, I was only mildly entertained by this display. In hindsight, I'm sure if I had drank at least two more vodka/Sprites, I would have been into it. After Billy, comedian Don Jamieson performed. He was OK, but nothing spectacular. Not many "LOL" moments from him.
In between comedy acts there were some all-star metal jams involving Frank Bello of Anthrax, Jay Jay French of Twisted Sister, Jack Frost (who I am not familiar with), and Overkill's Blitz and D.D. There was a short time I had a crush on Jay Jay actually. Don't get excited. I said a SHORT time. Anyhow, they played covers from AC/DC and Black Sabbath, so it was total sing-a-long time.
After Don and another jam, was Jim Florentine. I was the most excited for his performance. He's always cracking me up on Stern, so I 've wanted to see his standup for awhile. Unfortunately I missed a few of his jokes because this drunk chick, that was a constant presence all night, was super distracting. Security had her sit in front of the barricade until she mellowed out, but that plan failed. She just kept shouting at Jim to bang her and yelled out the "WAOOHHH!!"s that drunk girls feel they need to express at random moments. The only time Jim acknowledged her was as Security finally moved her back behind the barricade: "Uh oh- someone's getting kicked out already. Oh cool- it's a rock slut!"
Out of all the comedians, Florentine made me laugh the most. I was kind of surprised he showed up though, because about two weeks ago they announced on Stern's show that he found his girlfriend's body in his apartment after she had apparently committed suicide. At the end, he thanked the crowd and mentioned this was his first show back, presumably referring to the tragic event. He also said that he would be at the merch booth to sign stuff, but I didn't go over to meet him. I didn't want to buy something, and since I didn't have anything for him to actually autograph, I'd feel like a dumbass. Plus I didn't want to give up my position up front.
During the downtime, Crewcut struck up conversation with me. He was nice enough, but I don't really take to guys who make me the topic (asking me what I do, where I live, etc.). I'd rather just talk about the surroundings, the show, or pretty much anything but me. It's not that I find it obnoxious when they ask me stuff, it's just that forced conversation is a big red flag to me that the person is boring. Smartass comments about the drunkies behind us would have been a quicker way to my heart.
Finally, after a short comedic film depicting a child's first life-changing exposure to Judas Priest, Jim Breuer came out. He's dressed, as he puts it, either "totally metal" or "totally gay." How the show works is that he tells stories as a backup band plays mood music with a hard rock slant to it. So it's sort of like stand-up with a metal soundtrack. It's a unique concept that I think he pulls off, but only if the stories are really entertaining. Tonight, I felt they were kind of long winded. He doesn't perform that much these days, so maybe it was new material he was trying out or something.
During his set, he was disrupted four times by crowd members crashing the stage. The first time was by two drunk stagedivers. The second was by a lone drunk who ran up and actually tried to make conversation with him. After that incident, Jim stopped the show to try to explain to security how to do their job and told the crowd "Up here? That's where I hang out. You guys hang out down THERE." Even after all this (which Jim handled very well by the way), there was yet a third incident in which the previously mentioned drunk chick ran up onstage past Security on my side. She screamed "WOOAOHHH!!!" in his face and then ran off, eventually getting thrown out of the venue. The fourth crasher was unsuccessful, because the short security guard stagefront center threw him to the ground right as he made his attempt. Finally Security did their job.
How did all this happen? Well for starters, the guard on my side was very involved with his cell phone all night. This isn't the first time I've seen him at a show- he's at almost every local venue I go to. One time I saw him actually take a call while a band was playing and kids were crowdsurfing to the front. Nice to know that the performers can trust him to keep his focus. When his manager came over to bitch him out, he acted like the girl was too wiley for him. But really if he had just been paying attention, he would have had plenty of lead time to grab her by the braids and yank her off the stairs. In all seriousness, we can laugh at Jim's "Security 101" jokes, the idiot guards and lameasses who run up there, but this is how we lost Dimebag. Luckily, these were just harmless goofy drunks, but you never know.
After Breuer was finished, they had a final jam and then the show was over. It ended at 11pm, clocking in at 3 hours. As the crowd broke up, Crewcut hung around and I knew what was coming next. He asked if I'd like to meet up sometime, but I declined. It's true. Girls know right away if they're interested in a guy, and I already knew that I wasn't into him. Especially after he stated that he liked Nickelback.
Overall I'd say that I honestly wasn't that thrilled with the show. The material was pretty bland and at times I found myself (especially during Breuer's set) waiting for it to be over. The jams were probably the highlight for me, because I always get a kick out of seeing the metal legends play. I wish Florentine's set was longer, but I'll probably end up seeing him headline at some point anyhow. Having said all that, I am still glad I went. But with some material editing on Breuer's part and better security, I think it could have been a better show.
PHOTOS
After descending down the neon-lit escalator to the bottom floor of the building, I paid the $3 for coat check and $7 for my vodka/Sprite and went inside to the performance area. Considering I had arrived about 15 minutes before showtime, there was plenty of space in the front, so I walked right up to the barricade with no problem. However, that didn't stop a short guy with a crew-cut (semi-decent looking) from brushing up against me, even though there was a lot of room for movement. I just ignored him and moved up closer to get away from him, but he ended up standing next to me on the barricade anyway.
Right at 8pm Eddie Trunk came out to get the crowd going. He began the show psyching the crowd up by telling us Ozzy was there. But instead, out came Billy Mira with his Ozzy impression. Wearing a wig, sunglasses, black long-sleeved shirt and the same black Adidas workout pants that I have, he ran around the stage singing the classic Ozzy tune "I Don't Know." I think the crowd was pissed at first because they actually believed Ozzy would grace us with his presence. As for me, I was only mildly entertained by this display. In hindsight, I'm sure if I had drank at least two more vodka/Sprites, I would have been into it. After Billy, comedian Don Jamieson performed. He was OK, but nothing spectacular. Not many "LOL" moments from him.
In between comedy acts there were some all-star metal jams involving Frank Bello of Anthrax, Jay Jay French of Twisted Sister, Jack Frost (who I am not familiar with), and Overkill's Blitz and D.D. There was a short time I had a crush on Jay Jay actually. Don't get excited. I said a SHORT time. Anyhow, they played covers from AC/DC and Black Sabbath, so it was total sing-a-long time.
After Don and another jam, was Jim Florentine. I was the most excited for his performance. He's always cracking me up on Stern, so I 've wanted to see his standup for awhile. Unfortunately I missed a few of his jokes because this drunk chick, that was a constant presence all night, was super distracting. Security had her sit in front of the barricade until she mellowed out, but that plan failed. She just kept shouting at Jim to bang her and yelled out the "WAOOHHH!!"s that drunk girls feel they need to express at random moments. The only time Jim acknowledged her was as Security finally moved her back behind the barricade: "Uh oh- someone's getting kicked out already. Oh cool- it's a rock slut!"
Out of all the comedians, Florentine made me laugh the most. I was kind of surprised he showed up though, because about two weeks ago they announced on Stern's show that he found his girlfriend's body in his apartment after she had apparently committed suicide. At the end, he thanked the crowd and mentioned this was his first show back, presumably referring to the tragic event. He also said that he would be at the merch booth to sign stuff, but I didn't go over to meet him. I didn't want to buy something, and since I didn't have anything for him to actually autograph, I'd feel like a dumbass. Plus I didn't want to give up my position up front.
During the downtime, Crewcut struck up conversation with me. He was nice enough, but I don't really take to guys who make me the topic (asking me what I do, where I live, etc.). I'd rather just talk about the surroundings, the show, or pretty much anything but me. It's not that I find it obnoxious when they ask me stuff, it's just that forced conversation is a big red flag to me that the person is boring. Smartass comments about the drunkies behind us would have been a quicker way to my heart.
Finally, after a short comedic film depicting a child's first life-changing exposure to Judas Priest, Jim Breuer came out. He's dressed, as he puts it, either "totally metal" or "totally gay." How the show works is that he tells stories as a backup band plays mood music with a hard rock slant to it. So it's sort of like stand-up with a metal soundtrack. It's a unique concept that I think he pulls off, but only if the stories are really entertaining. Tonight, I felt they were kind of long winded. He doesn't perform that much these days, so maybe it was new material he was trying out or something.
During his set, he was disrupted four times by crowd members crashing the stage. The first time was by two drunk stagedivers. The second was by a lone drunk who ran up and actually tried to make conversation with him. After that incident, Jim stopped the show to try to explain to security how to do their job and told the crowd "Up here? That's where I hang out. You guys hang out down THERE." Even after all this (which Jim handled very well by the way), there was yet a third incident in which the previously mentioned drunk chick ran up onstage past Security on my side. She screamed "WOOAOHHH!!!" in his face and then ran off, eventually getting thrown out of the venue. The fourth crasher was unsuccessful, because the short security guard stagefront center threw him to the ground right as he made his attempt. Finally Security did their job.
How did all this happen? Well for starters, the guard on my side was very involved with his cell phone all night. This isn't the first time I've seen him at a show- he's at almost every local venue I go to. One time I saw him actually take a call while a band was playing and kids were crowdsurfing to the front. Nice to know that the performers can trust him to keep his focus. When his manager came over to bitch him out, he acted like the girl was too wiley for him. But really if he had just been paying attention, he would have had plenty of lead time to grab her by the braids and yank her off the stairs. In all seriousness, we can laugh at Jim's "Security 101" jokes, the idiot guards and lameasses who run up there, but this is how we lost Dimebag. Luckily, these were just harmless goofy drunks, but you never know.
After Breuer was finished, they had a final jam and then the show was over. It ended at 11pm, clocking in at 3 hours. As the crowd broke up, Crewcut hung around and I knew what was coming next. He asked if I'd like to meet up sometime, but I declined. It's true. Girls know right away if they're interested in a guy, and I already knew that I wasn't into him. Especially after he stated that he liked Nickelback.
Overall I'd say that I honestly wasn't that thrilled with the show. The material was pretty bland and at times I found myself (especially during Breuer's set) waiting for it to be over. The jams were probably the highlight for me, because I always get a kick out of seeing the metal legends play. I wish Florentine's set was longer, but I'll probably end up seeing him headline at some point anyhow. Having said all that, I am still glad I went. But with some material editing on Breuer's part and better security, I think it could have been a better show.
PHOTOS