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Frankie Valli at the historic FOX theatre. He moved like a guy waiting for double hip replacement surgery but worked the crowd. Great backing band, decent light show. Voice spot on.
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Bob Dylan - Beacon Theatre NYC Nov 27, 2018

 

I have never seen Bob Dylan in concert and I own only one album by Bob. I went to the show with my buddies for a night out... dinner, drinks and music.

 

I was pleasantly surprised !!! Bob played the piano the entire show and his band ( Charlie Sexton on guitar ) was awesome. All of his 'hits' have been reworked/updated. Some great and some so so.

 

Overall, great show and fantastic stage lighting. Show started at 8pm and ended at 10pm.

 

I'd see him, with his band, again.

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Saw The Marcus King Band in Augusta, GA, on the 11th. This guy is the next best thing if you like Derek Trucks/Susan Tedeschi, Allman Brothers, Warren Haynes type music. That's the 2nd time I've seen them, this time for a full set. Up close and up front for $25 at a bar, like it should be. Won't get that opportunity again.
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Saw KONGOS in Charlotte Monday. Hardly a crowd, but that was good for me to see them up close. Very talented bunch of kids and the sound was fantastic. They seemed really tired, as it was toward the end of their tour, and they mentioned bus troubles in the northeast during the cold weather spell. They also pointed out that there will be parts II and III to the recently released "1929" album.
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Saw LP at Brooklyn Terminal 5, or whatever it's called, west side of NYC. It's a GA venue, three levels. The downside of GA is that we had to stand out in the cold in a line that went all they way down the street and half a block away on the West Side Highway. But tickets were cheap, only $37. We were by the rail on the second level, the view wasn't as great if you weren't directly on the rail, but the bar wasn't crowded at ALL and they have separate bathrooms, very pleasant indeed!

 

As for LP, she was great. I didn't know any of her stuff except for Into the Wild (

) which she did NOT do, I guess it's old by now. But she's got a beautiful clear voice, an amazing range, and she's really fun to watch. She also seems totally cool, she went down in the crowd for a moment or two. Since I didn't know any of the songs I can't really get specific, except to say she did one about Recovery, maybe it was called that, not sure, but it was gorgeous.

 

And she can whistle like nobody's business, lol.

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No, I wasn't going to see "Kansas' 40th Anniversary Point of Know Return Tour", Lorraine.
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Saw the Alan Parsons Project last night at a small PAC theater. I’ve been a fan since high school and never saw them in any of their reiterations.

Marillion’s “garden party” was playing when we walked into the theater, so that was pretty cool.

I’m not sure which of the band is old and which are new but they were all really good . Todd Cooper, one of the main vocalists and guitar player/saxophone player was quite talented. His sax solo on “Old and wise“ out of this world.

All in all fun show, they did a couple of new songs from their upcoming album and then played a lot of the old stuff which was great to hear live.

And the exit song was “look on the bright side of life” which I particularly enjoyed being a maiden fan!

Oh, and the average age of the audience had to be 65, LOL .

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Saw Tedeschi Trucks Band and Marcus King Band in Augusta, GA, Friday, March 1. They have a new organist/pianist since Kofi Burbridge passed away, and it was kind of a subdued atmosphere with flowers sitting in front of the organ. The new organist is good, but different, but it ain't KB.

Also, they have a new bassist, from Augusta, GA, who flat out kicks ass. He did a lot more than the old bassist, who was basically nonexistent, it seemed. A few minor technical glitches during the show and they played a lot of the new album, which is has some sad songs on it. Marcus King didn't play very long, but Derek Trucks played the last song with them, and, they came out and played 2 encore songs with Tedeschi Trucks. It's was a very good show, but not the best. Still, I'm glad they came to Augusta, so I wouldn't have to drive 3 or 4 hours, one way, to see them.

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Had front row seat for Joe Bonamassa, in Savannah, GA, on Saturday, March 2. Never had front row before and it was incredible. I could see the glare off of the guitar and see him make the chords and bend the strings with no camera assist. The sound was absolutely incredible at the Johnny Mercer Theater. It was heavenly, as there was a sort of vibration coming off of the wall beside me. Incredible performance and 85% of the time he came to my side to play his solos. JB is an incredible and very technical performer?
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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!

 

Ok.... Just an update on stuff that I've found since this show happened... I saw a little information from a few odd sources about UNIT dB, and where they came from (Unitopia) and I was able to find a setlist from the show I saw, and actually find some of their music. So the past week, I've been listening to their stuff and HOLY CRAP! I LOVE it! I mean I loved hearing what I heard when I saw them live, but after giving things a critical listen, I am totally a fan! (although they aren't together anymore) but I've picked up their entire output and Amazon lets you listen to the Mp3 versions, and I'm amazed! I'm So glad I got to see this band live, and hear what I heard, and now that I can relive it, it's great!! (the other offshoot band is Southern Empire which is another great band, get their stuff!)

Edited by Jaminbenb
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Dream Theater: April 22, 2019: Ovens Auditorium, Charlotte, NC. Amazing performance. Show was from 8pm to 11pm, with a 15 minute intermission. In the first set they played a lot of the cool songs from the new album, "Distance Over Time", including "Pale Blue Dot", one of my favorites, and songs off of other albums, including "In The Presence Of Enemies" from "Systematic Chaos". The second set, they played all of "Scenes From A Memory". The encore was "Pull Me Under". I'm glad I went.
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Buckethead in Buffalo last night.

 

Fantastic show. He was truly memorizing throughout (well except for the one man mosh pit who was jumping like mad over the star wars theme song....). I've been a fan of his since I was 12-13 or so so this is one of my white whale concerts. He played in an old church which really added to a lot of the atmospheric stuff he did. Some of it reminded me of the Casualties of Cools shows in The Union Chapel. The two hours really flew by. It's definitely one of the best shows I've seen for under $30.

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The Who were fantastic! Dad and I and a couple friends had a great time, even sitting out on a the lawn at the back of the venue. They played with a local orchestra, which gave a really cool symphonic element to the show, especially to the Tommy material! Zak Starkey is more than capable of doing Moon justice at the kit, and Simon (Pete's brother) is an excellent guitarist in his own right, perfect guy to play the second guitar. Pete and Roger were both fantastic. They really show they've been working crowds for over 50 years, and come across as friendly as Ged onstage, but with little stories and anecdotes as well (and references to other bands!). Both of them still sing very well, especially at their ages! And Pete's playing is of course phenomenal (during an acoustic break, Townsend really proved why he may be the greatest rhythm player of the entire classic rock era). The show was split in basically three sections: Quadrophenia, Tommy, and hits and deep cuts from the rest of their catalogue. I love that they love playing material from the double album rock operas, as a lot of lesser bands wouldn't have the patience to play anything but the singles form those kinds of records. Not that they avoided the singles by any means, but they got to my favorite album cuts on Quadrophenia, as well as some of the best bits of Tommy (if not my personal favorites). From the rest of their catalogue there were a couple tunes I didn't recognize (haven't heard all the albums), but mostly they stuck to the hits. My dad was glad they didn't just focus on the early hits, but gave attention to a few key later songs that he always loved. Were there a few songs I'd have swapped out for others, of course, but when Roger hit a note I didn't know he was still capable of hitting at the end of the night (and it sounded EXACTLY like the record)... I think that more than made up for any setlist quibbles. Overall an incredible, loud, well orchestrated, great sounding, energetic, and deep show! My new list!

 

1. Queen + Adam Lambert (2017)

2. Rush (2015)

3. Chicago and REO Speedwagon (2018)

4. The Who (2019)

5. The Musical Box (2018)

6. Coldplay (2016)

7. Panic! At The Disco (2018)

8. Imagine Dragons (2017)

9. Red Hot Chili Peppers (2017)

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Just saw King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard in Montreal at the Olympic Theatre.

Drove down with my wife (lucked into a parking spot just a few seconds from the venue!), had a nice Vietnamese meal, met up with some friends then enjoyed a few legal puffs. :sundog:

 

Openers were ORB, and Stonefield. ORB are a "stoner rock" band, but once they got going they were more like stoned 70s rockers. The first couple of tunes were good, but then they got jammy and boring. Stonefield are a group of Australian sisters who are also kinda "stoner-y" but with a slightly more diverse sound. The lead singer (who plays the drums) is really good, but the songs didn't really grab me. They were all dressed in matching pantsuits, which was fun to see. :P

 

King Gizzard played for about 90 minutes, and did around 20 songs. For a 7-piece band with 2 drummers, the sound was pretty good. They opened with a couple of tunes from their new album, Infest the Rats Nest, before a relatively shallow dive into their past catalogue. Fishing for Fishies was well-represented, as was Polygondwanaland and Murder of the Universe. A high-energy and highly competent performance with no breaks for tuning or dicking around, just full-on music played brilliantly.

The set-list changes every night, which is pretty cool, and is taken from a pool of around 70 songs, according to setlist.fm.

While I would've liked to hear some older material, the band put on an excellent show, and I'm really glad that I saw them.

 

Highlights for me: Planet B, Billabong Valley, This Thing, Road Train, The Wheel, Self-Immolate, and the tunes from Polygondwanaland.

Lowlights: the earnest yet boring ORB, getting home at 3am.

 

 

http://www.sorstu.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/king-gizzard-and-the-lizard-wizard-montreal-26082019-277.jpg

 

:haz:

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Saga last Friday.

Halle 101, Speyer, Germany

 

Damn and WOW, it was so hot that night!!!!! But... how lucky can one guy be?

I had no ticket and I arrived late, just to find a parking spot 30 metre from the doorway of the venue. I thought yeah, what a good start for a concert eve. When I came to the box office, I found out that the actual ticket price was 10 bucks cheaper than the presale price. What! LOL, and yeah again. Never experienced that before. So I went in, and right behind me the guy from the box office closed his curtain, hanging out the AUSVERKAUFT!-sign and I knew, this evening can be something else. I was the last person to get in that night.

God loves me!!

 

One-man show support act, Mambo Kurt, surprised by bringing out a big cushion with some drum pads glued on. He played a fine "finger cushion" version of Saga's A Brief Case. Nice homage and gimmick.

 

SAGA!... Very seldom... I felt... and heard, a crowd getting faster into a set! A thunderous welcome after almost seconds in. Sweat, goosebumps and watering eyes everywhere around! Phenomenal opening! They played their way perfect, through some classics and when Sadler announced a major German tour for 2020, all hell broke loose and everyone was well... on the loose... Perfect show and a remarkable, beautiful night. Bonus, I met some friends that I haven't seen in decades!!!!

 

Saga is out there...

Watch out and get ready for Progstock Festival, New Jersey and Chicago's Arcada Theatre in October! Have fun!

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Ghost, with guest Nothing More

Reno Events Center

Reno, NV, 2019

 

Ghost is a band I'd seen at the tiny Knitting Factory, prior to them exploding in popularity. That show was fantastic, full of energy that was magnified by the size of the venue. I was excited to see what Ghost would bring to a larger arena, and to hear some of the newer songs...

 

The night started off strangely, with the venue opening later than scheduled which meant waiting in a long line that snaked the full 360 degrees around the exterior of the arena. We originally got in line, but then figured it would be better to just go get a gelato and come back when the line had shortened. The pistachio at the El Dorado was excellent.

 

It was fun bring the Lad to the show, as he's never been to a real concert and he had little experience being around a horde of tattooed, body-pierced adults dressed head-to-toe in full black. We've a;ways joked about the Goth lifestyle, and now he got to see a bit of it up close. A Ghost concert tradition is for women to dress as evil nuns, and we were hoping to get a photo of the Lad with one of those, but that didn't work out. He was able to pose with a Ghost über-fan dressed as Cardinal Copia in crimson robes and cap, so that was fun. As for the show itself...

 

Opening act Nothing More isn't our cup of tea. I like heavy rock, but I find bands that take themselves too seriously cringe-worthy, and Nothing More fit that bill. Life in modern America isn't perfect, but for me it certainly doesn't merit the emotional cocktail of hyper-sensitivity, self-pity and misanthropy that permeates the lyrics and vocal stylings of bands like Nothing More. So the Lad and I spent the bulk of the opening act's set rolling our eyes and chuckling to ourselves. They band did pull of something I'd never seen before: A three man bass solo. Not three guys all playing bass separately. Three guys on ONE bass guitar. The lead singer use drumsticks to band on the strings while the bass and guitar players used piano tapping for the notes. A very Spinal Tap moment. :D Thankfully, the set was mercifully short.

 

We had floor tickets, and I was wondering if we'd be battling crowd all night. I don't think the Lad was quite up to that, but luckily (for us, not for the band) the show was only about half sold. So there was plenty of room to wander around and visibility wasn't an issue. Ghost took what seemed like forever to get set up and ready to play. There were several eruptions of cheering during the wait, but toward the end folks started to get impatient, causing shouts of "Come on!" and such. There was a less than positive tension building...but then the first strains of Ring Around the Rosie started, the curtain raised, and...

 

Ghost launched into a rousing version of Rats, the single from Prequelle, and the all was right and good. As Cardinal Copia, Ghost's Tobias Forge did a great job getting everyone into the show from the outset. He's a great entertainer, and love to banter with the crowd. Maybe a bit too much. There's a fine balance between keeping the crowd engaged with "Are you with us, Reno?!?" and badgering the crowd for applause. While the performance was great with a fantastic setlist and stellar performances by the Ghouls, Forge's nearly constant demands for applause and singing along (to songs many simply did not know) started to wear thin. By the end there was an underlying animosity, which showed itself in Forge letting us know sarcastically that we were "...an AWFULly good crowd."

 

That aside, fans of the band, and fans of live music in general, weren't left disappointed. A Ghost concert is a full experience, with awesome lighting, use of smoke, flame and incense to set a mood of collective ritual. It's musical escapism at its best.

 

maxresdefault.jpg

 

Setlist info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Pale_Tour_Named_Death#The_Ultimate_Tour_Named_Death_setlist

 

Looking at this and seeing the number of shows they've played and will continue to play, a little weariness and impatience setting in on Tobias Forge is understandable. I don't know if any other frontman works harder at entertaining a crowd, and imagine it's hard when the crowd doesn't respond in kind.

Edited by goose
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Ghost, with guest Nothing More

Reno Events Center

Reno, NV, 2019

 

Ghost is a band I'd seen at the tiny Knitting Factory, prior to them exploding in popularity. That show was fantastic, full of energy that was magnified by the size of the venue. I was excited to see what Ghost would bring to a larger arena, and to hear some of the newer songs...

 

The night started off strangely, with the venue opening later than scheduled which meant waiting in a long line that snaked the full 360 degrees around the exterior of the arena. We originally got in line, but then figured it would be better to just go get a gelato and come back when the line had shortened. The pistachio at the El Dorado was excellent.

 

It was fun bring the Lad to the show, as he's never been to a real concert and he had little experience being around a horde of tattooed, body-pierced adults dressed head-to-toe in full black. We've a;ways joked about the Goth lifestyle, and now he got to see a bit of it up close. A Ghost concert tradition is for women to dress as evil nuns, and we were hoping to get a photo of the Lad with one of those, but that didn't work out. He was able to pose with a Ghost über-fan dressed as Cardinal Copia in crimson robes and cap, so that was fun. As for the show itself...

 

Opening act Nothing More isn't our cup of tea. I like heavy rock, but I find bands that take themselves too seriously cringe-worthy, and Nothing More fit that bill. Life in modern America isn't perfect, but for me it certainly doesn't merit the emotional cocktail of hyper-sensitivity, self-pity and misanthropy that permeates the lyrics and vocal stylings of bands like Nothing More. So the Lad and I spent the bulk of the opening act's set rolling our eyes and chuckling to ourselves. They band did pull of something I'd never seen before: A three man bass solo. Not three guys all playing bass separately. Three guys on ONE bass guitar. The lead singer use drumsticks to band on the strings while the bass and guitar players used piano tapping for the notes. A very Spinal Tap moment. :D Thankfully, the set was mercifully short.

 

We had floor tickets, and I was wondering if we'd be battling crowd all night. I don't think the Lad was quite up to that, but luckily (for us, not for the band) the show was only about half sold. So there was plenty of room to wander around and visibility wasn't an issue. Ghost took what seemed like forever to get set up and ready to play. There were several eruptions of cheering during the wait, but toward the end folks started to get impatient, causing shouts of "Come on!" and such. There was a less than positive tension building...but then the first strains of Ring Around the Rosie started, the curtain raised, and...

 

Ghost launched into a rousing version of Rats, the single from Prequelle, and the all was right and good. As Cardinal Copia, Ghost's Tobias Forge did a great job getting everyone into the show from the outset. He's a great entertainer, and love to banter with the crowd. Maybe a bit too much. There's a fine balance between keeping the crowd engaged with "Are you with us, Reno?!?" and badgering the crowd for applause. While the performance was great with a fantastic setlist and stellar performances by the Ghouls, Forge's nearly constant demands for applause and singing along (to songs many simply did not know) started to wear thin. By the end there was an underlying animosity, which showed itself in Forge letting us know sarcastically that we were "...an AWFULly good crowd."

 

That aside, fans of the band, and fans of live music in general, weren't left disappointed. A Ghost concert is a full experience, with awesome lighting, use of smoke, flame and incense to set a mood of collective ritual. It's musical escapism at its best.

 

maxresdefault.jpg

 

Setlist info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Pale_Tour_Named_Death#The_Ultimate_Tour_Named_Death_setlist

 

Looking at this and seeing the number of shows they've played and will continue to play, a little weariness and impatience setting in on Tobias Forge is understandable. I don't know if any other frontman works harder at entertaining a crowd, and imagine it's hard when the crowd doesn't respond in kind.

 

There are two songs in that set I have never heard of. What were the songs he was trying to get people to sing along to that they didn't respond to? The band only has four albums and it's not like they have enough big hits to bring in a large casual audience. No excuse for people to not know the material that has been released so far. It's not like they have this huge discography fans need to work through.

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Ghost, with guest Nothing More

Reno Events Center

Reno, NV, 2019

 

Ghost is a band I'd seen at the tiny Knitting Factory, prior to them exploding in popularity. That show was fantastic, full of energy that was magnified by the size of the venue. I was excited to see what Ghost would bring to a larger arena, and to hear some of the newer songs...

 

The night started off strangely, with the venue opening later than scheduled which meant waiting in a long line that snaked the full 360 degrees around the exterior of the arena. We originally got in line, but then figured it would be better to just go get a gelato and come back when the line had shortened. The pistachio at the El Dorado was excellent.

 

It was fun bring the Lad to the show, as he's never been to a real concert and he had little experience being around a horde of tattooed, body-pierced adults dressed head-to-toe in full black. We've a;ways joked about the Goth lifestyle, and now he got to see a bit of it up close. A Ghost concert tradition is for women to dress as evil nuns, and we were hoping to get a photo of the Lad with one of those, but that didn't work out. He was able to pose with a Ghost über-fan dressed as Cardinal Copia in crimson robes and cap, so that was fun. As for the show itself...

 

Opening act Nothing More isn't our cup of tea. I like heavy rock, but I find bands that take themselves too seriously cringe-worthy, and Nothing More fit that bill. Life in modern America isn't perfect, but for me it certainly doesn't merit the emotional cocktail of hyper-sensitivity, self-pity and misanthropy that permeates the lyrics and vocal stylings of bands like Nothing More. So the Lad and I spent the bulk of the opening act's set rolling our eyes and chuckling to ourselves. They band did pull of something I'd never seen before: A three man bass solo. Not three guys all playing bass separately. Three guys on ONE bass guitar. The lead singer use drumsticks to band on the strings while the bass and guitar players used piano tapping for the notes. A very Spinal Tap moment. :D Thankfully, the set was mercifully short.

 

We had floor tickets, and I was wondering if we'd be battling crowd all night. I don't think the Lad was quite up to that, but luckily (for us, not for the band) the show was only about half sold. So there was plenty of room to wander around and visibility wasn't an issue. Ghost took what seemed like forever to get set up and ready to play. There were several eruptions of cheering during the wait, but toward the end folks started to get impatient, causing shouts of "Come on!" and such. There was a less than positive tension building...but then the first strains of Ring Around the Rosie started, the curtain raised, and...

 

Ghost launched into a rousing version of Rats, the single from Prequelle, and the all was right and good. As Cardinal Copia, Ghost's Tobias Forge did a great job getting everyone into the show from the outset. He's a great entertainer, and love to banter with the crowd. Maybe a bit too much. There's a fine balance between keeping the crowd engaged with "Are you with us, Reno?!?" and badgering the crowd for applause. While the performance was great with a fantastic setlist and stellar performances by the Ghouls, Forge's nearly constant demands for applause and singing along (to songs many simply did not know) started to wear thin. By the end there was an underlying animosity, which showed itself in Forge letting us know sarcastically that we were "...an AWFULly good crowd."

 

That aside, fans of the band, and fans of live music in general, weren't left disappointed. A Ghost concert is a full experience, with awesome lighting, use of smoke, flame and incense to set a mood of collective ritual. It's musical escapism at its best.

 

maxresdefault.jpg

 

Setlist info: https://en.wikipedia...d_Death_setlist

 

Looking at this and seeing the number of shows they've played and will continue to play, a little weariness and impatience setting in on Tobias Forge is understandable. I don't know if any other frontman works harder at entertaining a crowd, and imagine it's hard when the crowd doesn't respond in kind.

 

There are two songs in that set I have never heard of. What were the songs he was trying to get people to sing along to that they didn't respond to? The band only has four albums and it's not like they have enough big hits to bring in a large casual audience. No excuse for people to not know the material that has been released so far. It's not like they have this huge discography fans need to work through.

I don't know if it was one of the new songs, off Prequelle, or one of the songs off the debut, like Satan Prayer. Either way, the majority of us didn't know the words.

 

As far as people not knowing the material, Ghost isn't exactly getting heavy radio play.

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Ghost, with guest Nothing More

Reno Events Center

Reno, NV, 2019

 

Ghost is a band I'd seen at the tiny Knitting Factory, prior to them exploding in popularity. That show was fantastic, full of energy that was magnified by the size of the venue. I was excited to see what Ghost would bring to a larger arena, and to hear some of the newer songs...

 

The night started off strangely, with the venue opening later than scheduled which meant waiting in a long line that snaked the full 360 degrees around the exterior of the arena. We originally got in line, but then figured it would be better to just go get a gelato and come back when the line had shortened. The pistachio at the El Dorado was excellent.

 

It was fun bring the Lad to the show, as he's never been to a real concert and he had little experience being around a horde of tattooed, body-pierced adults dressed head-to-toe in full black. We've a;ways joked about the Goth lifestyle, and now he got to see a bit of it up close. A Ghost concert tradition is for women to dress as evil nuns, and we were hoping to get a photo of the Lad with one of those, but that didn't work out. He was able to pose with a Ghost über-fan dressed as Cardinal Copia in crimson robes and cap, so that was fun. As for the show itself...

 

Opening act Nothing More isn't our cup of tea. I like heavy rock, but I find bands that take themselves too seriously cringe-worthy, and Nothing More fit that bill. Life in modern America isn't perfect, but for me it certainly doesn't merit the emotional cocktail of hyper-sensitivity, self-pity and misanthropy that permeates the lyrics and vocal stylings of bands like Nothing More. So the Lad and I spent the bulk of the opening act's set rolling our eyes and chuckling to ourselves. They band did pull of something I'd never seen before: A three man bass solo. Not three guys all playing bass separately. Three guys on ONE bass guitar. The lead singer use drumsticks to band on the strings while the bass and guitar players used piano tapping for the notes. A very Spinal Tap moment. :D Thankfully, the set was mercifully short.

 

We had floor tickets, and I was wondering if we'd be battling crowd all night. I don't think the Lad was quite up to that, but luckily (for us, not for the band) the show was only about half sold. So there was plenty of room to wander around and visibility wasn't an issue. Ghost took what seemed like forever to get set up and ready to play. There were several eruptions of cheering during the wait, but toward the end folks started to get impatient, causing shouts of "Come on!" and such. There was a less than positive tension building...but then the first strains of Ring Around the Rosie started, the curtain raised, and...

 

Ghost launched into a rousing version of Rats, the single from Prequelle, and the all was right and good. As Cardinal Copia, Ghost's Tobias Forge did a great job getting everyone into the show from the outset. He's a great entertainer, and love to banter with the crowd. Maybe a bit too much. There's a fine balance between keeping the crowd engaged with "Are you with us, Reno?!?" and badgering the crowd for applause. While the performance was great with a fantastic setlist and stellar performances by the Ghouls, Forge's nearly constant demands for applause and singing along (to songs many simply did not know) started to wear thin. By the end there was an underlying animosity, which showed itself in Forge letting us know sarcastically that we were "...an AWFULly good crowd."

 

That aside, fans of the band, and fans of live music in general, weren't left disappointed. A Ghost concert is a full experience, with awesome lighting, use of smoke, flame and incense to set a mood of collective ritual. It's musical escapism at its best.

 

maxresdefault.jpg

 

Setlist info: https://en.wikipedia...d_Death_setlist

 

Looking at this and seeing the number of shows they've played and will continue to play, a little weariness and impatience setting in on Tobias Forge is understandable. I don't know if any other frontman works harder at entertaining a crowd, and imagine it's hard when the crowd doesn't respond in kind.

 

There are two songs in that set I have never heard of. What were the songs he was trying to get people to sing along to that they didn't respond to? The band only has four albums and it's not like they have enough big hits to bring in a large casual audience. No excuse for people to not know the material that has been released so far. It's not like they have this huge discography fans need to work through.

I don't know if it was one of the new songs, off Prequelle, or one of the songs off the debut, like Satan Prayer. Either way, the majority of us didn't know the words.

 

As far as people not knowing the material, Ghost isn't exactly getting heavy radio play.

 

Which makes them doing arenas an odd choice. Mid sized venues that fit three or four thousand I think is their ceiling even with the spike in popularity over the last couple years. Filling arenas in north America is not something I felt like they could sustain for a full tour. I think Tobias and the record company had bigger hopes for them with the new album and aimed a little too high with some of the venues booked. I think they should stick to the same kind of theater venues that somebody like Alice Cooper does. That's seems to be the right spot for Ghost.

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Ghost, with guest Nothing More

Reno Events Center

Reno, NV, 2019

 

Ghost is a band I'd seen at the tiny Knitting Factory, prior to them exploding in popularity. That show was fantastic, full of energy that was magnified by the size of the venue. I was excited to see what Ghost would bring to a larger arena, and to hear some of the newer songs...

 

The night started off strangely, with the venue opening later than scheduled which meant waiting in a long line that snaked the full 360 degrees around the exterior of the arena. We originally got in line, but then figured it would be better to just go get a gelato and come back when the line had shortened. The pistachio at the El Dorado was excellent.

 

It was fun bring the Lad to the show, as he's never been to a real concert and he had little experience being around a horde of tattooed, body-pierced adults dressed head-to-toe in full black. We've a;ways joked about the Goth lifestyle, and now he got to see a bit of it up close. A Ghost concert tradition is for women to dress as evil nuns, and we were hoping to get a photo of the Lad with one of those, but that didn't work out. He was able to pose with a Ghost über-fan dressed as Cardinal Copia in crimson robes and cap, so that was fun. As for the show itself...

 

Opening act Nothing More isn't our cup of tea. I like heavy rock, but I find bands that take themselves too seriously cringe-worthy, and Nothing More fit that bill. Life in modern America isn't perfect, but for me it certainly doesn't merit the emotional cocktail of hyper-sensitivity, self-pity and misanthropy that permeates the lyrics and vocal stylings of bands like Nothing More. So the Lad and I spent the bulk of the opening act's set rolling our eyes and chuckling to ourselves. They band did pull of something I'd never seen before: A three man bass solo. Not three guys all playing bass separately. Three guys on ONE bass guitar. The lead singer use drumsticks to band on the strings while the bass and guitar players used piano tapping for the notes. A very Spinal Tap moment. :D Thankfully, the set was mercifully short.

 

We had floor tickets, and I was wondering if we'd be battling crowd all night. I don't think the Lad was quite up to that, but luckily (for us, not for the band) the show was only about half sold. So there was plenty of room to wander around and visibility wasn't an issue. Ghost took what seemed like forever to get set up and ready to play. There were several eruptions of cheering during the wait, but toward the end folks started to get impatient, causing shouts of "Come on!" and such. There was a less than positive tension building...but then the first strains of Ring Around the Rosie started, the curtain raised, and...

 

Ghost launched into a rousing version of Rats, the single from Prequelle, and the all was right and good. As Cardinal Copia, Ghost's Tobias Forge did a great job getting everyone into the show from the outset. He's a great entertainer, and love to banter with the crowd. Maybe a bit too much. There's a fine balance between keeping the crowd engaged with "Are you with us, Reno?!?" and badgering the crowd for applause. While the performance was great with a fantastic setlist and stellar performances by the Ghouls, Forge's nearly constant demands for applause and singing along (to songs many simply did not know) started to wear thin. By the end there was an underlying animosity, which showed itself in Forge letting us know sarcastically that we were "...an AWFULly good crowd."

 

That aside, fans of the band, and fans of live music in general, weren't left disappointed. A Ghost concert is a full experience, with awesome lighting, use of smoke, flame and incense to set a mood of collective ritual. It's musical escapism at its best.

 

maxresdefault.jpg

 

Setlist info: https://en.wikipedia...d_Death_setlist

 

Looking at this and seeing the number of shows they've played and will continue to play, a little weariness and impatience setting in on Tobias Forge is understandable. I don't know if any other frontman works harder at entertaining a crowd, and imagine it's hard when the crowd doesn't respond in kind.

 

There are two songs in that set I have never heard of. What were the songs he was trying to get people to sing along to that they didn't respond to? The band only has four albums and it's not like they have enough big hits to bring in a large casual audience. No excuse for people to not know the material that has been released so far. It's not like they have this huge discography fans need to work through.

I don't know if it was one of the new songs, off Prequelle, or one of the songs off the debut, like Satan Prayer. Either way, the majority of us didn't know the words.

 

As far as people not knowing the material, Ghost isn't exactly getting heavy radio play.

 

Which makes them doing arenas an odd choice. Mid sized venues that fit three or four thousand I think is their ceiling even with the spike in popularity over the last couple years. Filling arenas in north America is not something I felt like they could sustain for a full tour. I think Tobias and the record company had bigger hopes for them with the new album and aimed a little too high with some of the venues booked. I think they should stick to the same kind of theater venues that somebody like Alice Cooper does. That's seems to be the right spot for Ghost.

Agreed.
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Ghost, with guest Nothing More

Reno Events Center

Reno, NV, 2019

 

Ghost is a band I'd seen at the tiny Knitting Factory, prior to them exploding in popularity. That show was fantastic, full of energy that was magnified by the size of the venue. I was excited to see what Ghost would bring to a larger arena, and to hear some of the newer songs...

 

The night started off strangely, with the venue opening later than scheduled which meant waiting in a long line that snaked the full 360 degrees around the exterior of the arena. We originally got in line, but then figured it would be better to just go get a gelato and come back when the line had shortened. The pistachio at the El Dorado was excellent.

 

It was fun bring the Lad to the show, as he's never been to a real concert and he had little experience being around a horde of tattooed, body-pierced adults dressed head-to-toe in full black. We've a;ways joked about the Goth lifestyle, and now he got to see a bit of it up close. A Ghost concert tradition is for women to dress as evil nuns, and we were hoping to get a photo of the Lad with one of those, but that didn't work out. He was able to pose with a Ghost über-fan dressed as Cardinal Copia in crimson robes and cap, so that was fun. As for the show itself...

 

Opening act Nothing More isn't our cup of tea. I like heavy rock, but I find bands that take themselves too seriously cringe-worthy, and Nothing More fit that bill. Life in modern America isn't perfect, but for me it certainly doesn't merit the emotional cocktail of hyper-sensitivity, self-pity and misanthropy that permeates the lyrics and vocal stylings of bands like Nothing More. So the Lad and I spent the bulk of the opening act's set rolling our eyes and chuckling to ourselves. They band did pull of something I'd never seen before: A three man bass solo. Not three guys all playing bass separately. Three guys on ONE bass guitar. The lead singer use drumsticks to band on the strings while the bass and guitar players used piano tapping for the notes. A very Spinal Tap moment. :D Thankfully, the set was mercifully short.

 

We had floor tickets, and I was wondering if we'd be battling crowd all night. I don't think the Lad was quite up to that, but luckily (for us, not for the band) the show was only about half sold. So there was plenty of room to wander around and visibility wasn't an issue. Ghost took what seemed like forever to get set up and ready to play. There were several eruptions of cheering during the wait, but toward the end folks started to get impatient, causing shouts of "Come on!" and such. There was a less than positive tension building...but then the first strains of Ring Around the Rosie started, the curtain raised, and...

 

Ghost launched into a rousing version of Rats, the single from Prequelle, and the all was right and good. As Cardinal Copia, Ghost's Tobias Forge did a great job getting everyone into the show from the outset. He's a great entertainer, and love to banter with the crowd. Maybe a bit too much. There's a fine balance between keeping the crowd engaged with "Are you with us, Reno?!?" and badgering the crowd for applause. While the performance was great with a fantastic setlist and stellar performances by the Ghouls, Forge's nearly constant demands for applause and singing along (to songs many simply did not know) started to wear thin. By the end there was an underlying animosity, which showed itself in Forge letting us know sarcastically that we were "...an AWFULly good crowd."

 

That aside, fans of the band, and fans of live music in general, weren't left disappointed. A Ghost concert is a full experience, with awesome lighting, use of smoke, flame and incense to set a mood of collective ritual. It's musical escapism at its best.

 

maxresdefault.jpg

 

Setlist info: https://en.wikipedia...d_Death_setlist

 

Looking at this and seeing the number of shows they've played and will continue to play, a little weariness and impatience setting in on Tobias Forge is understandable. I don't know if any other frontman works harder at entertaining a crowd, and imagine it's hard when the crowd doesn't respond in kind.

Seeing them in two weeks!
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