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Saw Katatonia Friday night. One of the most fun I've had at a show in a long time. For the second straight Katatonia show, I was front row which was a gift and a curse cause I didn't go to the merch until after the show and only had one shirt in my size as the tour tee and the other design sold out except for XL. That's fine cause they always have good merch designs and that tee was a good minimalist band name-less design which was a nice change for me.

 

Uncured was the opening band of the night. This was their first tour and they're quite young lads. Didn't listen to w/e music they had before the show so I came into the night not knowing how they sound but willing to give them a shot. I'm just gonna be honest and say while they have commendable riffs and ideas here and there, as a whole they weren't my cup of coffee at all. I just found them to be another band in that pool of bands in the "djent" (such as Periphery whom I hate) scene in modern prog metal. And also their efforts at getting the crowd pumped was cartoonish at worst. I'll give them credit for making me laugh at how they have 7 and 8 string guitars yet their bassist plays a 4 string. "Djent" purists are probably triggered over their lack of a 5/6 string bass. I do wish them the best of luck, but again, just not my kind of music.

 

Caspian came next and while I had sampled their latest album and liked it quite a bit, I didn't put much effort at investing in them. But damn when they came out and played their first song, I was so overwhelmed and blown away that I became a new fan instantaneously. I don't think I've ever had a band/support group that I never heard leave that impact of an impression on me until them. While instrumental post-rock has failed to reinvent itself in recent years with acts like Mono and Explosions In The Sky putting out unmemorable new albums last year, Caspian is a band that does this style justice and are one of the best bands to play in this style today worth listening to. Such passionate and emotion playing, the band looked almost ritualistic in head diving in sync w/the music that I gave it back to them in response. By the sounds of enthusiastic applause at the end of every (and lengthy) song, it appeared they went down well w/the Katatonia fans who never heard of them as well. And that strobe heavy light show? Man was that intense yet such a spectacle to see!

 

I think my love for Katatonia has been well documented on TRF over the years that there's nothing new of me to say about them. The last time the band played America was in 2013 and they played for only a little over an hour (including encore) but gave the fans deep, B-side cuts like Quiet World, Unfurl and Dissolving Bonds. This time they played for much longer (an hour and a half) which mean more songs. While there was no surprises/deep cuts in the set, the band's live show, performance, and energy was much better with Daniel M. and Roger now the band and this was the best Katatonia show of the three I've seen even when including their setlist for this tour in the equation because they've played nothing but their strongest and best songs from The Fall Of Hearts to as old as Last Fair Deal Gone Down. I'd much rather have a set of their best songs and top notch playing than a set with much desired and underrated deep cut gems w/one or two songs of lesser quality and top notch playing. There was one near sour apple moment where some inconsiderate fan pushed to the front and sandwiched himself in between me and the person to my left during Leaders and singing horribly off pitch throughout the entire song and went back to his previous position immediately afterwards. Fortunately I was able to tune out that dumb fan and enjoy the song.

 

I don't think I've ever headbanged and allowed myself to let loose with enjoying the music while being considerate the the people around me this aggressively. Probably too aggressive cause I've had neck pain ever since. Was worth the 4 year wait to see the band again, and would never miss them for the world. Already looking forward to their next American tour.

Edited by PolarizeMe
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A friend of mine happened to get free tickets to Daryl Hall and John Oates/Tears for Fears (Thursday night). I've always been a huge fan of both bands. Our seats were in the upper level so we couldn't see very good, however, they both still sound amazing. Tears for Fears did a fantastic cover of 'Billie Jean'. During Hall & Oates we moved to the lower level so we could have a better view of the concert. I told my friend next time they come to our area, we are buying tickets! I plan on uploading some videos to my youtube tomorrow.
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I've been out of touch with reality lately...just a few things on my mind, so I haven't really been keeping up with things. So at some point during the last week of April, I decided to give Neal Morse's The Similitude of a Dream another spin. When I first picked it up, there were several things that came out, or I acquired, so I didn't give it the listen I probably should have at that point. Just coming out of some different listening practices, and getting to go see Brian Wilson on tour, had me wanting to get back into something a little more proggy, so I thought this was the right album. (and for some reason, when I put my iPod on at the gym, it was cued up to a live Transatlantic album...not sure how, the last time I had it out it was playing Kansas...ok...no complaints) So after getting into the Neal Morse album, I decided to pop into his website to see if anything has developed in the live Snow release that's coming up from his Morse-fest shows (when he and Nick D'Virgilio went back to Spock's Beard, and did that whole album, plus the "epic" that they added to their "greatest hits" release) I saw that he was touring in support of his new album, when it caught my eye that he was bringing it to ROS-Fest in Gettysburg (which is like an hour from here) so I checked when, and called my wife to see if anything was planned...the best scenario happened...that was the weekend that she would be out visiting a friend in Indiana! (she hates about 99% of the music I like so taking her to a concert isn't a good thing) So I quickly grabbed a ticket! (Last year Spock's Beard played that festival, and I was out of town that day, so I missed out, so I wasn't letting this one get by!)

 

I was chomping at the bit to get to this show. There was also a listing for a show at 5:00 for a "special VIP" which I was wondering if it was maybe some sort of acoustic Neal Morse set that I would be kicking myself for missing...but figured if it wasn't, maybe it would be someone else special, or just expose me to some new music.

 

Saturday came, and I was bouncing off the walls, and was finally happy when the time came to go. I got there about 4:00-4:30-ish, and waited in the lobby. The 5:00 pm band was an offshoot of an older prog band calle Unitopia from Australia. (Don't know the name of the actual band, though, but they played mostly Unitopia music, and I heard from a rock journalist there on assignment that they were opening for Steve Hackett when he goes on tour...this was sort of a warm up for them) anyway... great music, and if I get the actual name of the band, I'll let you know....

 

Ran to dinner across the street while they changed the stage for Neal Morse, and watched the Kentucky Derby.... The concert started at 8:30 and the place was getting packed! If everyone would have shut up, you could have heard the sound check, but it was just a blur in the background (and I was chased away from a door trying to listen) They let everyone in about 10 minutes before the show started, and WHAT A SHOW! They played the entire new album, and NAILED it! Portnoy was on drums, and was having a blast all night. This was the first time I got to see him live, and he's fun to watch. Neal Morse is an amazing musician, and writer, and this album is really great...I'm glad I got to hear it a few times before this show.

 

The Overture and the Dream were off the charts, and The Man in the Iron Cage was wild! Lots of music to digest in this one, but it was all good. During the last tune of the album, his laptop seemed to die, and his keyboards stopped working, so while he had a tech come out, he just grabbed a guitar and kept playing.... when the song was over, he explained his problem, and his keyboard guy and a tech came out... he strummed his guitar and said "any requests" I quickly yelled "WE ALL NEED SOME LIGHT!" before anyone else got anything out, and he actually started playing it!!! he did the first verse and chorus, when he noticed his laptop re-booted, and his keyboard started to work again....bummer...I wish it stayed broken, I might have gotten the whole tune!l (but I at least got that!)

 

He sailed through his last song from the Grand Experiment album, and that was it!

 

I guess it was some sort of "divine intervention" that got me to go to this show. Talk about a whim! So, to whatever force got me to listen to his new album, and cued up Transatlantic on my iPod THANK YOU! If I would have missed this, I would have been pissed!! IF you get a chance to see this show, don't pass it up, some CRAZY playing going on, on stage! I overheard a conversation at the show, and the guy said "he isn't as into him since he got 'all religious', but he's still a good player, and I was coming anyway".... OK, who cares...the message changed, but the music is still off the charts! Not sure why the mention of "Jesus" makes people so nervous? When Iron Maiden started yelling 666 it wasn't so bad!

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Mayday Parade, Knuckle Puck, and Milestones last night. All 3 were really good!
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I've been out of touch with reality lately...just a few things on my mind, so I haven't really been keeping up with things. So at some point during the last week of April, I decided to give Neal Morse's The Similitude of a Dream another spin. When I first picked it up, there were several things that came out, or I acquired, so I didn't give it the listen I probably should have at that point. Just coming out of some different listening practices, and getting to go see Brian Wilson on tour, had me wanting to get back into something a little more proggy, so I thought this was the right album. (and for some reason, when I put my iPod on at the gym, it was cued up to a live Transatlantic album...not sure how, the last time I had it out it was playing Kansas...ok...no complaints) So after getting into the Neal Morse album, I decided to pop into his website to see if anything has developed in the live Snow release that's coming up from his Morse-fest shows (when he and Nick D'Virgilio went back to Spock's Beard, and did that whole album, plus the "epic" that they added to their "greatest hits" release) I saw that he was touring in support of his new album, when it caught my eye that he was bringing it to ROS-Fest in Gettysburg (which is like an hour from here) so I checked when, and called my wife to see if anything was planned...the best scenario happened...that was the weekend that she would be out visiting a friend in Indiana! (she hates about 99% of the music I like so taking her to a concert isn't a good thing) So I quickly grabbed a ticket! (Last year Spock's Beard played that festival, and I was out of town that day, so I missed out, so I wasn't letting this one get by!)

 

I was chomping at the bit to get to this show. There was also a listing for a show at 5:00 for a "special VIP" which I was wondering if it was maybe some sort of acoustic Neal Morse set that I would be kicking myself for missing...but figured if it wasn't, maybe it would be someone else special, or just expose me to some new music.

 

Saturday came, and I was bouncing off the walls, and was finally happy when the time came to go. I got there about 4:00-4:30-ish, and waited in the lobby. The 5:00 pm band was an offshoot of an older prog band calle Unitopia from Australia. (Don't know the name of the actual band, though, but they played mostly Unitopia music, and I heard from a rock journalist there on assignment that they were opening for Steve Hackett when he goes on tour...this was sort of a warm up for them) anyway... great music, and if I get the actual name of the band, I'll let you know....

 

Ran to dinner across the street while they changed the stage for Neal Morse, and watched the Kentucky Derby.... The concert started at 8:30 and the place was getting packed! If everyone would have shut up, you could have heard the sound check, but it was just a blur in the background (and I was chased away from a door trying to listen) They let everyone in about 10 minutes before the show started, and WHAT A SHOW! They played the entire new album, and NAILED it! Portnoy was on drums, and was having a blast all night. This was the first time I got to see him live, and he's fun to watch. Neal Morse is an amazing musician, and writer, and this album is really great...I'm glad I got to hear it a few times before this show.

 

The Overture and the Dream were off the charts, and The Man in the Iron Cage was wild! Lots of music to digest in this one, but it was all good. During the last tune of the album, his laptop seemed to die, and his keyboards stopped working, so while he had a tech come out, he just grabbed a guitar and kept playing.... when the song was over, he explained his problem, and his keyboard guy and a tech came out... he strummed his guitar and said "any requests" I quickly yelled "WE ALL NEED SOME LIGHT!" before anyone else got anything out, and he actually started playing it!!! he did the first verse and chorus, when he noticed his laptop re-booted, and his keyboard started to work again....bummer...I wish it stayed broken, I might have gotten the whole tune!l (but I at least got that!)

 

He sailed through his last song from the Grand Experiment album, and that was it!

 

I guess it was some sort of "divine intervention" that got me to go to this show. Talk about a whim! So, to whatever force got me to listen to his new album, and cued up Transatlantic on my iPod THANK YOU! If I would have missed this, I would have been pissed!! IF you get a chance to see this show, don't pass it up, some CRAZY playing going on, on stage! I overheard a conversation at the show, and the guy said "he isn't as into him since he got 'all religious', but he's still a good player, and I was coming anyway".... OK, who cares...the message changed, but the music is still off the charts! Not sure why the mention of "Jesus" makes people so nervous? When Iron Maiden started yelling 666 it wasn't so bad!

 

Glad you didn't miss the show. I saw the opening show for the tour here in Nashville and it was off the charts. I can not wait for Morsefest in Sept.

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I'm seeing Roger Waters in Sept but his tour started this week and visually it looks spectacular.

 

Cannot wait

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That One Love Manchester concert was quite spectacular. If I wasn't a fan of Ariana Grande before, I sure am now. That girl really can sing. I also liked seeing Liam Gallagher performing with Coldplay. I've been to 2 Coldplay concerts and I've never seen Chris so emotional before. It's too bad Noel Gallagher and Morrissey couldn't make it. Marcus Mumford, Robbie Williams and Niall Horan were also amazing. Justin Bieber played a good set as well. Even Piers Morgan was impressed.

 

My favorite clips:

 

Ariana Grande singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow

 

Coldplay - Fix You

 

Robbie Wiliams- Angels

 

Niall Horan- Slow Hands/This Town

https://www.youtube....h?v=8IUlkVStgFE

Edited by Boots
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Saw Journey last night and it was fantastic! They wasted no time playing the hits, the very first song was Separate Ways which is one of my very favorite songs by them. They sounded and looked great. Asia opened and they were great as well. They did a tribute to their former singer that passed away earlier this year. Would love to see both bands again!
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I've been out of touch with reality lately...just a few things on my mind, so I haven't really been keeping up with things. So at some point during the last week of April, I decided to give Neal Morse's The Similitude of a Dream another spin. When I first picked it up, there were several things that came out, or I acquired, so I didn't give it the listen I probably should have at that point. Just coming out of some different listening practices, and getting to go see Brian Wilson on tour, had me wanting to get back into something a little more proggy, so I thought this was the right album. (and for some reason, when I put my iPod on at the gym, it was cued up to a live Transatlantic album...not sure how, the last time I had it out it was playing Kansas...ok...no complaints) So after getting into the Neal Morse album, I decided to pop into his website to see if anything has developed in the live Snow release that's coming up from his Morse-fest shows (when he and Nick D'Virgilio went back to Spock's Beard, and did that whole album, plus the "epic" that they added to their "greatest hits" release) I saw that he was touring in support of his new album, when it caught my eye that he was bringing it to ROS-Fest in Gettysburg (which is like an hour from here) so I checked when, and called my wife to see if anything was planned...the best scenario happened...that was the weekend that she would be out visiting a friend in Indiana! (she hates about 99% of the music I like so taking her to a concert isn't a good thing) So I quickly grabbed a ticket! (Last year Spock's Beard played that festival, and I was out of town that day, so I missed out, so I wasn't letting this one get by!)

 

I was chomping at the bit to get to this show. There was also a listing for a show at 5:00 for a "special VIP" which I was wondering if it was maybe some sort of acoustic Neal Morse set that I would be kicking myself for missing...but figured if it wasn't, maybe it would be someone else special, or just expose me to some new music.

 

Saturday came, and I was bouncing off the walls, and was finally happy when the time came to go. I got there about 4:00-4:30-ish, and waited in the lobby. The 5:00 pm band was an offshoot of an older prog band calle Unitopia from Australia. (Don't know the name of the actual band, though, but they played mostly Unitopia music, and I heard from a rock journalist there on assignment that they were opening for Steve Hackett when he goes on tour...this was sort of a warm up for them) anyway... great music, and if I get the actual name of the band, I'll let you know....

 

Ran to dinner across the street while they changed the stage for Neal Morse, and watched the Kentucky Derby.... The concert started at 8:30 and the place was getting packed! If everyone would have shut up, you could have heard the sound check, but it was just a blur in the background (and I was chased away from a door trying to listen) They let everyone in about 10 minutes before the show started, and WHAT A SHOW! They played the entire new album, and NAILED it! Portnoy was on drums, and was having a blast all night. This was the first time I got to see him live, and he's fun to watch. Neal Morse is an amazing musician, and writer, and this album is really great...I'm glad I got to hear it a few times before this show.

 

The Overture and the Dream were off the charts, and The Man in the Iron Cage was wild! Lots of music to digest in this one, but it was all good. During the last tune of the album, his laptop seemed to die, and his keyboards stopped working, so while he had a tech come out, he just grabbed a guitar and kept playing.... when the song was over, he explained his problem, and his keyboard guy and a tech came out... he strummed his guitar and said "any requests" I quickly yelled "WE ALL NEED SOME LIGHT!" before anyone else got anything out, and he actually started playing it!!! he did the first verse and chorus, when he noticed his laptop re-booted, and his keyboard started to work again....bummer...I wish it stayed broken, I might have gotten the whole tune!l (but I at least got that!)

 

He sailed through his last song from the Grand Experiment album, and that was it!

 

I guess it was some sort of "divine intervention" that got me to go to this show. Talk about a whim! So, to whatever force got me to listen to his new album, and cued up Transatlantic on my iPod THANK YOU! If I would have missed this, I would have been pissed!! IF you get a chance to see this show, don't pass it up, some CRAZY playing going on, on stage! I overheard a conversation at the show, and the guy said "he isn't as into him since he got 'all religious', but he's still a good player, and I was coming anyway".... OK, who cares...the message changed, but the music is still off the charts! Not sure why the mention of "Jesus" makes people so nervous? When Iron Maiden started yelling 666 it wasn't so bad!

 

Glad you enjoyed it!

 

My band got to play RoSFest a couple years ago, and it was a wonderful experience.

 

 

 

My last show was U2 at the Rose Bowl.. May 21. Killer show from start to finish, and more than a little nostalgic for me. First time I saw U2 was on the Joshua Tree tour so this kinda brought everything full circle. It was a treat to hear the whole album front-to-back.

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Saw silversun pickups and third eye blind tonight in a park in Clearwater, Florida. Unfortunately, playing outside while it's still light out takes away some of the intensity and energy from any band especially since they basically have no light show. Still, my main focus in going was to see SSPU. For those familiar with them they played nightlight, well thought out twinkles, dots and dashes, circadian rythym, the pit, friendly fires, latchkey kids and finished up with panic switch and lazy eye. They sound excellent and are a very tight band. Wish I could have heard more and enjoyed them In a more intimate setting.

 

Next was third eye blind. I'm really only familiar with their hits so the first few songs played were new to me. They then played their debut album in its entirety as part of a 20th anniversary celebration. Seems that most in attendance were very into this part of the show and they seemed to really know each song intimately. Reminded me of seeing Ed Kowalczyk last year on the 20 the of throwing copper. It was a solid show and a good time.

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I saw U2 last weekend(exactly one week ago). Great, great show. Aside from Rush and a few others one of the best concerts I've ever seen. THe band played the Joshua Tree in it's entirety. They actually sandwiched it in the middle of the show so it turns out that the entire show was played in chronological order starting with songs from their War album and finishing with more recent ones. I told my brother this is exactly the opposite of what Rush did on their last tour. I took some pictures with my camera and o

overall had a great time.

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I've been out of touch with reality lately...just a few things on my mind, so I haven't really been keeping up with things. So at some point during the last week of April, I decided to give Neal Morse's The Similitude of a Dream another spin. When I first picked it up, there were several things that came out, or I acquired, so I didn't give it the listen I probably should have at that point. Just coming out of some different listening practices, and getting to go see Brian Wilson on tour, had me wanting to get back into something a little more proggy, so I thought this was the right album. (and for some reason, when I put my iPod on at the gym, it was cued up to a live Transatlantic album...not sure how, the last time I had it out it was playing Kansas...ok...no complaints) So after getting into the Neal Morse album, I decided to pop into his website to see if anything has developed in the live Snow release that's coming up from his Morse-fest shows (when he and Nick D'Virgilio went back to Spock's Beard, and did that whole album, plus the "epic" that they added to their "greatest hits" release) I saw that he was touring in support of his new album, when it caught my eye that he was bringing it to ROS-Fest in Gettysburg (which is like an hour from here) so I checked when, and called my wife to see if anything was planned...the best scenario happened...that was the weekend that she would be out visiting a friend in Indiana! (she hates about 99% of the music I like so taking her to a concert isn't a good thing) So I quickly grabbed a ticket! (Last year Spock's Beard played that festival, and I was out of town that day, so I missed out, so I wasn't letting this one get by!)

 

I was chomping at the bit to get to this show. There was also a listing for a show at 5:00 for a "special VIP" which I was wondering if it was maybe some sort of acoustic Neal Morse set that I would be kicking myself for missing...but figured if it wasn't, maybe it would be someone else special, or just expose me to some new music.

 

Saturday came, and I was bouncing off the walls, and was finally happy when the time came to go. I got there about 4:00-4:30-ish, and waited in the lobby. The 5:00 pm band was an offshoot of an older prog band calle Unitopia from Australia. (Don't know the name of the actual band, though, but they played mostly Unitopia music, and I heard from a rock journalist there on assignment that they were opening for Steve Hackett when he goes on tour...this was sort of a warm up for them) anyway... great music, and if I get the actual name of the band, I'll let you know....

 

Ran to dinner across the street while they changed the stage for Neal Morse, and watched the Kentucky Derby.... The concert started at 8:30 and the place was getting packed! If everyone would have shut up, you could have heard the sound check, but it was just a blur in the background (and I was chased away from a door trying to listen) They let everyone in about 10 minutes before the show started, and WHAT A SHOW! They played the entire new album, and NAILED it! Portnoy was on drums, and was having a blast all night. This was the first time I got to see him live, and he's fun to watch. Neal Morse is an amazing musician, and writer, and this album is really great...I'm glad I got to hear it a few times before this show.

 

The Overture and the Dream were off the charts, and The Man in the Iron Cage was wild! Lots of music to digest in this one, but it was all good. During the last tune of the album, his laptop seemed to die, and his keyboards stopped working, so while he had a tech come out, he just grabbed a guitar and kept playing.... when the song was over, he explained his problem, and his keyboard guy and a tech came out... he strummed his guitar and said "any requests" I quickly yelled "WE ALL NEED SOME LIGHT!" before anyone else got anything out, and he actually started playing it!!! he did the first verse and chorus, when he noticed his laptop re-booted, and his keyboard started to work again....bummer...I wish it stayed broken, I might have gotten the whole tune!l (but I at least got that!)

 

He sailed through his last song from the Grand Experiment album, and that was it!

 

I guess it was some sort of "divine intervention" that got me to go to this show. Talk about a whim! So, to whatever force got me to listen to his new album, and cued up Transatlantic on my iPod THANK YOU! If I would have missed this, I would have been pissed!! IF you get a chance to see this show, don't pass it up, some CRAZY playing going on, on stage! I overheard a conversation at the show, and the guy said "he isn't as into him since he got 'all religious', but he's still a good player, and I was coming anyway".... OK, who cares...the message changed, but the music is still off the charts! Not sure why the mention of "Jesus" makes people so nervous? When Iron Maiden started yelling 666 it wasn't so bad!

 

Glad you enjoyed it!

 

My band got to play RoSFest a couple years ago, and it was a wonderful experience.

 

 

 

My last show was U2 at the Rose Bowl.. May 21. Killer show from start to finish, and more than a little nostalgic for me. First time I saw U2 was on the Joshua Tree tour so this kinda brought everything full circle. It was a treat to hear the whole album front-to-back.

 

Would you happen to be Matt? ;)

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I saw U2 last weekend(exactly one week ago). Great, great show. Aside from Rush and a few others one of the best concerts I've ever seen. THe band played the Joshua Tree in it's entirety. They actually sandwiched it in the middle of the show so it turns out that the entire show was played in chronological order starting with songs from their War album and finishing with more recent ones. I told my brother this is exactly the opposite of what Rush did on their last tour. I took some pictures with my camera and o

overall had a great time.

 

U2 July 28 at Metlife Stadium NJ and it was a fantastic show. Great sound and visuals. Highlights from the show: Bad, Exit and Bullet the Blue Sky.

 

I saw U2 during the 360 tour and really didn't like the show at all. I was down on live U2. The Joshua Tree tour made up for it.

 

 

I'd go see them again.

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U2 spoiler...

 

If your are interested, check out this part of the concert. It was an amazing evening of weather with U2 and 60,000 people.

 

Edited by custom55
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I went to see Mike Portnoy's Shattered Fortress in London last Wednesday. I'm not much of a Dream Theater fan these days, but I love Haken, so went along to support those guys. It turned out to be a really good gig. I saw DT a few times back in the day and this was just as good, and the atmosphere was cracking.

 

http://youtu.be/Q_wfbtNfQkY?t=2m18s

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I saw Third Eye Blind, Silversun Pickups, and Ocean Park Standoff yesterday. Ocean Park Standoff played first. I wasn't a huge fan of these guys. They were poppy and used a lot of keyboards, and the lead singer's voice got too high at times. Their female lead guitarist played even more keyboards and wasn't doing a whole lot when she was on guitar. They had decent live energy, though. Next up was Silversun Pickups. They had a female bassist, who was pretty good. The keyboardist had some cool effects, and the drummer was nuts, but the lead singer/lead guitarist had a very chipmunky voice. I wasn't a fan of his voice, but as musicians, they did pretty well. I wasn't that big a fan when I started listening to them in preparation for this concert, but I may give them a second chance after seeing them live. Finally, Third Eye Blind, the band I came for, played 21 songs, and I was really impressed with their performance. The lead singer/rhythm guitarist, Stephen Jenkins, was a great frontman, and the other members had good energy, too . They played their whole first album, which was pretty cool. They were definitely the best band of the night. Overall, it was a great show!
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I've been out of touch with reality lately...just a few things on my mind, so I haven't really been keeping up with things. So at some point during the last week of April, I decided to give Neal Morse's The Similitude of a Dream another spin. When I first picked it up, there were several things that came out, or I acquired, so I didn't give it the listen I probably should have at that point. Just coming out of some different listening practices, and getting to go see Brian Wilson on tour, had me wanting to get back into something a little more proggy, so I thought this was the right album. (and for some reason, when I put my iPod on at the gym, it was cued up to a live Transatlantic album...not sure how, the last time I had it out it was playing Kansas...ok...no complaints) So after getting into the Neal Morse album, I decided to pop into his website to see if anything has developed in the live Snow release that's coming up from his Morse-fest shows (when he and Nick D'Virgilio went back to Spock's Beard, and did that whole album, plus the "epic" that they added to their "greatest hits" release) I saw that he was touring in support of his new album, when it caught my eye that he was bringing it to ROS-Fest in Gettysburg (which is like an hour from here) so I checked when, and called my wife to see if anything was planned...the best scenario happened...that was the weekend that she would be out visiting a friend in Indiana! (she hates about 99% of the music I like so taking her to a concert isn't a good thing) So I quickly grabbed a ticket! (Last year Spock's Beard played that festival, and I was out of town that day, so I missed out, so I wasn't letting this one get by!)

 

I was chomping at the bit to get to this show. There was also a listing for a show at 5:00 for a "special VIP" which I was wondering if it was maybe some sort of acoustic Neal Morse set that I would be kicking myself for missing...but figured if it wasn't, maybe it would be someone else special, or just expose me to some new music.

 

Saturday came, and I was bouncing off the walls, and was finally happy when the time came to go. I got there about 4:00-4:30-ish, and waited in the lobby. The 5:00 pm band was an offshoot of an older prog band calle Unitopia from Australia. (Don't know the name of the actual band, though, but they played mostly Unitopia music, and I heard from a rock journalist there on assignment that they were opening for Steve Hackett when he goes on tour...this was sort of a warm up for them) anyway... great music, and if I get the actual name of the band, I'll let you know....

 

Ran to dinner across the street while they changed the stage for Neal Morse, and watched the Kentucky Derby.... The concert started at 8:30 and the place was getting packed! If everyone would have shut up, you could have heard the sound check, but it was just a blur in the background (and I was chased away from a door trying to listen) They let everyone in about 10 minutes before the show started, and WHAT A SHOW! They played the entire new album, and NAILED it! Portnoy was on drums, and was having a blast all night. This was the first time I got to see him live, and he's fun to watch. Neal Morse is an amazing musician, and writer, and this album is really great...I'm glad I got to hear it a few times before this show.

 

The Overture and the Dream were off the charts, and The Man in the Iron Cage was wild! Lots of music to digest in this one, but it was all good. During the last tune of the album, his laptop seemed to die, and his keyboards stopped working, so while he had a tech come out, he just grabbed a guitar and kept playing.... when the song was over, he explained his problem, and his keyboard guy and a tech came out... he strummed his guitar and said "any requests" I quickly yelled "WE ALL NEED SOME LIGHT!" before anyone else got anything out, and he actually started playing it!!! he did the first verse and chorus, when he noticed his laptop re-booted, and his keyboard started to work again....bummer...I wish it stayed broken, I might have gotten the whole tune!l (but I at least got that!)

 

He sailed through his last song from the Grand Experiment album, and that was it!

 

I guess it was some sort of "divine intervention" that got me to go to this show. Talk about a whim! So, to whatever force got me to listen to his new album, and cued up Transatlantic on my iPod THANK YOU! If I would have missed this, I would have been pissed!! IF you get a chance to see this show, don't pass it up, some CRAZY playing going on, on stage! I overheard a conversation at the show, and the guy said "he isn't as into him since he got 'all religious', but he's still a good player, and I was coming anyway".... OK, who cares...the message changed, but the music is still off the charts! Not sure why the mention of "Jesus" makes people so nervous? When Iron Maiden started yelling 666 it wasn't so bad!

 

Glad you enjoyed it!

 

My band got to play RoSFest a couple years ago, and it was a wonderful experience.

 

 

 

My last show was U2 at the Rose Bowl.. May 21. Killer show from start to finish, and more than a little nostalgic for me. First time I saw U2 was on the Joshua Tree tour so this kinda brought everything full circle. It was a treat to hear the whole album front-to-back.

 

Would you happen to be Matt? ;)

 

That be me :) Have we met before?

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Avenged Sevenfold this Friday night (they are playing right before Metallica along with Volbeat and Gojira). My son and I I love Avenged Sevenfold (my son who is 12 turned me onto these guys and wish they were headlining this show).

 

It will be his first stadium show so that's pretty cool.

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Avenged Sevenfold this Friday night (they are playing right before Metallica along with Volbeat and Gojira). My son and I I love Avenged Sevenfold (my son who is 12 turned me onto these guys and wish they were headlining this show).

 

It will be his first stadium show so that's pretty cool.

 

Hello

 

The US Metallica show line up is just FAN-TAS-TIC!! It sounds like you're already hyped for the double-joy that is Metallica and Avenged, but could I put in a good word for the other two bands on the bill (in case you're not already familiar with them)?

 

Gojira are, at the moment, my absolute favourite band. You're in for a real treat. There's no doubt that they are at they're at the heavy end of the spectrum buuuuuuuuuut it's beautiful, intense, committed music. At the first listen it might be a bit much to take in (it's very dense), so you might want to check their current setlist on Spotify. How good are they? Well, I saw them in London (where I live) earlier this year and loved it so much I hopped on a plane to Dublin in Ireland to go to another of their gigs a few weeks ago the first time I've done such a thing). And both gigs were soul-drenchingly good. The music is brutal, but it's not mindless war music. It's purifying. It's infused with emotional truth, openness, and a engagement with issues such as the environment which goes deeper than commercial virtue waving.

 

Volbeat. Well, I don't know them so much. But 20 odd years ago I went out with an awesome Dutch girl with, what I now know to be, incredible taste. I was too much of a young fool to recognise this at the time of course. But this trust-her-taste-as-it's-much-better-than-mine woman really rates Volbeat.

 

It should be a great gig. Hope you enjoy. If you feel like writing a report afterwards, I'd love to read it.

 

Love to all

 

Disco

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I've taken my daughter to well over 100 concerts over the years. She repaid me a little by treating me to a Queen concert in Nashville on Wednwsday. Unbelievable show musically, visually, and sonically. Adam Lambert was born to fill the role of Freddy Mercury. Brian May was stunning. Unreal for 71 years old. Rodger Taylor also seemed at the top of his game. The other 3 musicians were also very, very good. Visually, the show was unbelievable. I've been to hundreds of concerts over the years and this show definitely ranked in the top ten. I'm glad I got to share such an incredible band and show with Sam.
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I've taken my daughter to well over 100 concerts over the years. She repaid me a little by treating me to a Queen concert in Nashville on Wednwsday. Unbelievable show musically, visually, and sonically. Adam Lambert was born to fill the role of Freddy Mercury. Brian May was stunning. Unreal for 71 years old. Rodger Taylor also seemed at the top of his game. The other 3 musicians were also very, very good. Visually, the show was unbelievable. I've been to hundreds of concerts over the years and this show definitely ranked in the top ten. I'm glad I got to share such an incredible band and show with Sam.

 

Oh my dear goodness you were there too?! Where were you sitting?!

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(Beware of spoilers!)

 

Great show as anticipated from Roger Waters last night (8/9/17) in Philadelphia! He played a lot of Pink Floyd favorites from a select few albums (Meddle, Wish You Were Here, Dark Side of the Moon, Animals, and The Wall), had a great stage show, and a great band! This was my third time ever seeing him, the first time was the In The Flesh Tour back in 1999, then I was able to see The Wall tour in 2010, which was one of those “dream come true” shows for me.

 

When he announced this tour, I was thrilled, and also surprised that he was releasing a new album. But didn’t know what to expect with his new music. Got the album, and was less than thrilled that it was a mid-tempo complaint about everything going on in the world. Ok, I know which songs to hit the restroom so I don’t miss anything.

 

Being nosy, and not into surprises, I checked out the setlist prior to the show, and was happy with what he played Floyd-wise, but sort of disappointed that he didn’t toss more of his prior solo stuff, (mostly Amused to Death) or anything from the Final Cut (which in my opinion is a solo album backed up with some of the guys in Floyd) Only four songs from the new album as a representation of his solo work. Ok… I’ll at least enjoy the Floyd!

 

Now, when you really sit down and dissect things, this is pretty much a “Pink Floyd Tribute Band” that happens to have Roger Waters singing and playing (occasionally) I am one to NOT be a big fan of “out and out” tribute acts. Due to a lack of bands I wanted to see playing locally, I have seen some tribute bands to just satisfy a musical urge, but I’m really not impressed (you didn’t ‘create’ that music…anyone with any talent can learn it) But as I said, it satisfied an urge. (and I guess the same goes for David Gilmour’s latest band, he’s not really touring with any of the old crew either since Rick Wright passed away, and I think Nick Mason is more into his cars than his drums) But, I’m really not complaining, these guys played their butts off, and it sounded pretty gosh darned good! They had female vocalists from a band called Lucius, who weren’t bad, but they didn’t give Great Gig in the Sky the feel that the ladies he had during the In the Flesh tour, or Gilmour’s background ladies gave it…they were good, but….

 

The first half of the show was the beginning of Dark Side of the Moon, (With One of these Days stuck where On the Run usually goes) through Great Gig in the Sky. After Welcome to the Machine, he did three of his new songs, and then popped into Wish You Were Here, and some Wall tunes (The Happiest Days of our Lives, and Another Brick in the Wall parts two and three) before intermission.

Next came one of the highlights of the evening (well to me, not the person I attended the show with…he isn’t a fan of Animals) which was when they did Dog’s and Pig’s, and pulled out all of the stops with the special effects! The screens in the center of the venue were great, and the Battersea Power Station complete with pig, was VERY cool! (Not to mention the flying pig during pigs) Now here’s where things get a little weird… Roger has made no bones about not liking Donald Trump. It was during Pig’s that he pretty much turned the song into an “I hate Trump” anthem, not to mention when he slid into Money…same deal. Ok, we get it, but back off, dude! It was a little over the top, and the fact that he’s not even a resident makes it even worse…but the guy hates republicans, so… I tried my best to ignore it, but….

 

Us and Them (the theme of the concert) was the next song, and WOW what a nice version! Probably one of the best I’ve heard live, so kudo’s to that. Another new album song, then back into Dark Side of the Moon… the special effects during this were amazing! A laser pyramid in the middle of the venue with the rainbow coming out of it! Pretty wild! (also a silver ball flying around the place) This took us to the end of the show. When the lights on stage came back on, he introduced his band, after the crowd totally moved him with their appreciation for the show they just witnessed. Vera, Bring the Boy’s Back Home, and Comfortably Numb closed out the evening!

 

What a great show! If you get the chance to see it, I recommend it, although it has a few faults…I’d go again, so…

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