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8 hours ago, Krystal said:

Whitesnake cancelled the rest of their European tour last week.  Coverdale has sinus and trachea infections. The guitarist Reb Beach and drummer Tommy Aldridge were also under the weather.  They have an American tour scheduled to start at the end of next month.  It's still on as far as I know.  Their keyboardist Dino Jelusick is getting really bored during their downtime.  He was jamming with Steel Panther a few days ago.  It must be really frustrating for their crew.  I don't know how the band and crew get paid.  Some of them probably got laid off or furloughed. 

Thanks Krystal for this update 👍

I wasn’t aware of the band’s current situation. 
I’ve always enjoyed & followed the work of Reb Beach 🎸throughout his career. 

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On Sunday, I saw Taking Back Sunday, Hot Rod Circuit, and Super American in Buffalo, NY, at the Lakeside Event Lawn. It was a great show! I went with two friends.

 

The venue was a big open field right by the harbor, with a large stage up front. The view was beautiful. The show was delayed by 30 minutes, which worked for my group, because we thought we were going to be late.

 

First up was Super American. They're a newer band from Buffalo. Lately, I've been obsessed with their album from last year, Sup. They played nine songs, eight of which were from Sup. They sounded great! The two official members are the singers: Pat, who plays bass, and Matt, who plays both lead and rhythm guitar.  They have a rotating lineup of musicians filling in on the other guitar and drums. After their set, I found Pat at their merch table, and he signed my vinyl! I'll be seeing them open for Neck Deep in Syracuse on the 31st, and I'm very excited for that! I'm hoping I can get Matt's signature there.

 

Next up was Hot Rod Circuit. They're from the same era and scene as Taking Back Sunday. They had a really big album in 2002 called Sorry About Tomorrow. They played eight songs from that album, two from their debut, two from their sophomore album, and two from their most recent album. They were really good too! I was able to get one of their setlists after, and three of their four members signed it!

 

Taking Back Sunday played a great set. I'd seen them twice before this. They played 20 songs, and their set was a good mix of older and newer material. They also played four songs I'd never heard them play before, one of which just came out. The other three were unexpected deep cuts, which were very welcome surprises to me. I'd seen a lot of comments recently saying that their singer didn't sound good anymore, and I was worried. I'd seen them before, and thoroughly enjoyed it, but I was concerned that he may have gotten much worse in the few years that passed since I last saw them. I was glad that he sounded good, and the rest of the band was super tight, as always. Adam Lazzara is a great frontman, and really knows how to get a crowd going. He's also known for swinging his mic around by the cable.

 

Overall, it was an incredible show, and the rest of my group had a lot of fun too!

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A Last minute ticket purchase.   Widespread Panic at the Beacon in NYC 9th row center on the aisle.

 

My first WSP show and I WAS IMPRESSED !!!

 

 

52234885233_5f134e43ae_b.jpg

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14 hours ago, custom55 said:

A Last minute ticket purchase.   Widespread Panic at the Beacon in NYC 9th row center on the aisle.

 

My first WSP show and I WAS IMPRESSED !!!

 

 

52234885233_5f134e43ae_b.jpg

I've seen  quite a few WSP shows.  Glad you enjoyed it.

 

Which Phish shows are you doing?  I'm heading to Raleigh on Friday and then Merriwether Post on Sat and Sun.

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I saw The Joe Perry Project, "fronted" by Gary Cherone, and ZZ Top in Boston last week.  The JPP setlist was, unsurprisingly, heavy with Aerosmith songs.   Cherone sounded great.  I was a little disappointed they didn't do more from Let the Music Do the Talking, I've Got the Rock and Rolls Again (criminally underappreciated IMO) and Once A Rocker, Always a Rocker, because I think those albums have some good tunes.  I say "fronted," because, while Gary sang, Joe handled all the between song banter.  They did a couple of songs Joe said will be on his album coming out in the future (he said something like 2055).  I hope Cherone handles the vocals.  I may not live to find out, I guess.  :smile:

 

I had never seen ZZ Top live before.  They sound exactly like they do on the albums, which is pretty good for a band with a 72-year-old lead singer.  The new bassist (whose last name was, I think, Francis), was sporting his own beard and he fit in with Billy and Frank.  I'm not a "real fan," preferring their more popular songs, but the set list was pretty diverse.  Billy Gibbons remains one of the most distinctive guitarists in the business.  No wonder Jimi called him his favorite guitarist.  Frank Beard can probably do away with the Neil Peart inspired kit.  He's a solid timekeeper, but c'mon man.  What ZZ Top song has double bass?

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22 minutes ago, Rick N. Backer said:

I saw The Joe Perry Project, "fronted" by Gary Cherone, and ZZ Top in Boston last week.  The JPP setlist was, unsurprisingly, heavy with Aerosmith songs.   Cherone sounded great.  I was a little disappointed they didn't do more from Let the Music Do the Talking, I've Got the Rock and Rolls Again (criminally underappreciated IMO) and Once A Rocker, Always a Rocker, because I think those albums have some good tunes.  I say "fronted," because, while Gary sang, Joe handled all the between song banter.  They did a couple of songs Joe said will be on his album coming out in the future (he said something like 2055).  I hope Cherone handles the vocals.  I may not live to find out, I guess.  :smile:

 

I had never seen ZZ Top live before.  They sound exactly like they do on the albums, which is pretty good for a band with a 72-year-old lead singer.  The new bassist (whose last name was, I think, Francis), was sporting his own beard and he fit in with Billy and Frank.  I'm not a "real fan," preferring their more popular songs, but the set list was pretty diverse.  Billy Gibbons remains one of the most distinctive guitarists in the business.  No wonder Jimi called him his favorite guitarist.  Frank Beard can probably do away with the Neil Peart inspired kit.  He's a solid timekeeper, but c'mon man.  What ZZ Top song has double bass?

Nothing from Van Halen III? :16ton:

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On 7/23/2022 at 2:00 PM, apetersvt said:

I've seen  quite a few WSP shows.  Glad you enjoyed it.

 

Which Phish shows are you doing?  I'm heading to Raleigh on Friday and then Merriwether Post on Sat and Sun.

 

I did one night at Bethel and going Friday to AC. 

 

I couch tour a few nights a week as well.

 

This song, along with Sigma Oasis is in my top 5 performances this tour.  I love the dark jam.

 

 

 

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I saw the Stadium Tour last night.

 

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts opened a little late, because of torrential downpours at around showtime.  It actually worked out for me because my buddy and I might have missed her if not for that.  She opened with Cherry Bomb and closed with Bad Reputation.  She sounded good.  Her set probably got cut short because of the delay.  My favorite tune of Joan's is I Hate Myself for Loving You and that didn't make it into the set.  Her keyboardist looks like Paul Schaffer's character from Spinal Tap.

 

Poison came out and had a TON of energy.  I'm not a huge fan, but I admit I enjoy their hits.  Brett Michaels comes across as a good guy, and it's true.  My buddy knows people who were working the show loading and unloading, and apparently Michaels searched them out for a photo after their set.  CC DeVille did a solo which I think they could have done without, although he played some of Eruption and the screen behind him had the EVH red, black and white design, which was cool.

 

Def Leppard is, for my money, the BEST live nostalgia act still going.  They played 3 songs from their new (and very good IMO) album.  They play all the other songs you expect to hear, and they pace their set well.  The closing run through Pour Some Sugar on Me, Rock of Ages and Photograph get a HUGE response.  They sounded great.

 

The Crue was the "headliner."  Vince put more effort into his performance last night than he did in 2015.  Did he sound good?  Hard to say.  The drums and bass were so loud, and the screens had so many effects going, that you couldn't hear him that well.  I suspect that wasn't an accident.  Vince was dressed about the same way he was dressed when I first saw him in 1987.  They played The Dirt and Saints of Los Angeles, which nobody but me seemed to recognize.

 

Both Tommy and Nikki spoke to the crowd extensively.  Tommy encouraged women to, "show their t*tties," which a couple did.  Nikki threw some girl a towel or t-shirt and told her to compare it with the one he gave her mom in 1987.  Say this for them, their banter was not what you'd expect in 2022, and they apparently do not give a f*ck.

 

If you like 80s rock (I do) it's a fun show.  None of the bands, "sound better than they did in the 80s," (something fans always claim that strikes me as insulting to how the band sounded when they were young) but 2 of them sounded great, 1 sounded excellent, and 1 was fun to watch.

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5 hours ago, Rick N. Backer said:

I saw the Stadium Tour last night.

 

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts opened a little late, because of torrential downpours at around showtime.  It actually worked out for me because my buddy and I might have missed her if not for that.  She opened with Cherry Bomb and closed with Bad Reputation.  She sounded good.  Her set probably got cut short because of the delay.  My favorite tune of Joan's is I Hate Myself for Loving You and that didn't make it into the set.  Her keyboardist looks like Paul Schaffer's character from Spinal Tap.

 

Poison came out and had a TON of energy.  I'm not a huge fan, but I admit I enjoy their hits.  Brett Michaels comes across as a good guy, and it's true.  My buddy knows people who were working the show loading and unloading, and apparently Michaels searched them out for a photo after their set.  CC DeVille did a solo which I think they could have done without, although he played some of Eruption and the screen behind him had the EVH red, black and white design, which was cool.

 

Def Leppard is, for my money, the BEST live nostalgia act still going.  They played 3 songs from their new (and very good IMO) album.  They play all the other songs you expect to hear, and they pace their set well.  The closing run through Pour Some Sugar on Me, Rock of Ages and Photograph get a HUGE response.  They sounded great.

 

The Crue was the "headliner."  Vince put more effort into his performance last night than he did in 2015.  Did he sound good?  Hard to say.  The drums and bass were so loud, and the screens had so many effects going, that you couldn't hear him that well.  I suspect that wasn't an accident.  Vince was dressed about the same way he was dressed when I first saw him in 1987.  They played The Dirt and Saints of Los Angeles, which nobody but me seemed to recognize.

 

Both Tommy and Nikki spoke to the crowd extensively.  Tommy encouraged women to, "show their t*tties," which a couple did.  Nikki threw some girl a towel or t-shirt and told her to compare it with the one he gave her mom in 1987.  Say this for them, their banter was not what you'd expect in 2022, and they apparently do not give a f*ck.

 

If you like 80s rock (I do) it's a fun show.  None of the bands, "sound better than they did in the 80s," (something fans always claim that strikes me as insulting to how the band sounded when they were young) but 2 of them sounded great, 1 sounded excellent, and 1 was fun to watch.

Thanks for the review! I wasnt able to make the show here in central PA so I'm glad to hear about it. Def Leppard has sounded really good in the tour videos I have seen! Bret Michaels grew up in the next town over from us and I've also heard he is a great guy. He certainly brings a lot of energy to performing! The family in his childhood house had a severe fire and he made a large donation to help them get back on their feet. Bret's dad was a Korean war veteran (recently passed) and Michaels has quietly done a lot here in PA for veterans' support groups as well.

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21 hours ago, Rick N. Backer said:

I saw the Stadium Tour last night.

 

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts opened a little late, because of torrential downpours at around showtime.  It actually worked out for me because my buddy and I might have missed her if not for that.  She opened with Cherry Bomb and closed with Bad Reputation.  She sounded good.  Her set probably got cut short because of the delay.  My favorite tune of Joan's is I Hate Myself for Loving You and that didn't make it into the set.  Her keyboardist looks like Paul Schaffer's character from Spinal Tap.

 

Poison came out and had a TON of energy.  I'm not a huge fan, but I admit I enjoy their hits.  Brett Michaels comes across as a good guy, and it's true.  My buddy knows people who were working the show loading and unloading, and apparently Michaels searched them out for a photo after their set.  CC DeVille did a solo which I think they could have done without, although he played some of Eruption and the screen behind him had the EVH red, black and white design, which was cool.

 

Def Leppard is, for my money, the BEST live nostalgia act still going.  They played 3 songs from their new (and very good IMO) album.  They play all the other songs you expect to hear, and they pace their set well.  The closing run through Pour Some Sugar on Me, Rock of Ages and Photograph get a HUGE response.  They sounded great.

 

The Crue was the "headliner."  Vince put more effort into his performance last night than he did in 2015.  Did he sound good?  Hard to say.  The drums and bass were so loud, and the screens had so many effects going, that you couldn't hear him that well.  I suspect that wasn't an accident.  Vince was dressed about the same way he was dressed when I first saw him in 1987.  They played The Dirt and Saints of Los Angeles, which nobody but me seemed to recognize.

 

Both Tommy and Nikki spoke to the crowd extensively.  Tommy encouraged women to, "show their t*tties," which a couple did.  Nikki threw some girl a towel or t-shirt and told her to compare it with the one he gave her mom in 1987.  Say this for them, their banter was not what you'd expect in 2022, and they apparently do not give a f*ck.

 

If you like 80s rock (I do) it's a fun show.  None of the bands, "sound better than they did in the 80s," (something fans always claim that strikes me as insulting to how the band sounded when they were young) but 2 of them sounded great, 1 sounded excellent, and 1 was fun to watch.

 

 

I saw the tour about a month ago. I pretty much agree with most of what you say in your review. For me Poison stole it by a mile. I love their first 3 albums & I still think they're a great party band. Well worth seeing just for CC's ridiculous top hat & wig combo. Joan Jett did I Hate Myself when I saw her. She was good. Def Leppard were fine but the setlist was not to my taste. Just a personal thing. As for Crue, they were pretty much shite. Mick Mars is the only plus they've still got going for them, and I was a huge Crue fan back in the 80s. 

 

All in all a good night out though.

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Saw Metallica on Thursday. One of only a handful of US stadium shows they're doing this year. I missed the first band, Ice Nine Kills, because of traffic getting to the stadium. Gretta Van Fleet was the other opener and they did their usual good job of being Led Zeppelin cosplayers. It's what they're best at, so I guess they'll stick with it. Awful stage presence. The singer just stood there for the most part and sang. He didn't move around much and never engaged with the crowd. He really needs to work on his stage persona. It might work well in small venues but the band is decently known. So, he needs to learn how to play to bigger crowds otherwise they're not going to get many more gigs like this.

 

Metallica sounded great and the crowd was really into everything except for the song they did off St. Anger. I guess they wanted to know what it was like to silence fourty thousand people at once. At 60, Kirk is still nailing all the solos. Everyone played great, yes, even Lars. He doesn't play like he used to 35 years ago but still plays with intensity and energy. James, as always was the great front man he's been for decades. His monster riffs engulfing the air. Rob did whatever it is that he does. The set was mostly older songs. This was my seventh time seeing them but it's the first time I saw them play Ride The Lightning. It's always cool when you can see a band multiple times and still hear something different live.

 

Here's the setlist.

 

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/metallica/2022/highmark-stadium-orchard-park-ny-7bb396f4.html

 

 

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2 hours ago, J2112YYZ said:

Saw Metallica on Thursday. One of only a handful of US stadium shows they're doing this year. I missed the first band, Ice Nine Kills, because of traffic getting to the stadium. Gretta Van Fleet was the other opener and they did their usual good job of being Led Zeppelin cosplayers. It's what they're best at, so I guess they'll stick with it. Awful stage presence. The singer just stood there for the most part and sang. He didn't move around much and never engaged with the crowd. He really needs to work on his stage persona. It might work well in small venues but the band is decently known. So, he needs to learn how to play to bigger crowds otherwise they're not going to get many more gigs like this.

 

Metallica sounded great and the crowd was really into everything except for the song they did off St. Anger. I guess they wanted to know what it was like to silence fourty thousand people at once. At 60, Kirk is still nailing all the solos. Everyone played great, yes, even Lars. He doesn't play like he used to 35 years ago but still plays with intensity and energy. James, as always was the great front man he's been for decades. His monster riffs engulfing the air. Rob did whatever it is that he does. The set was mostly older songs. This was my seventh time seeing them but it's the first time I saw them play Ride The Lightning. It's always cool when you can see a band multiple times and still hear something different live.

 

Here's the setlist.

 

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/metallica/2022/highmark-stadium-orchard-park-ny-7bb396f4.html

 

 

 

 

Great one two punch combo to open the set.

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On 8/13/2022 at 8:23 AM, J2112YYZ said:

Saw Metallica on Thursday. One of only a handful of US stadium shows they're doing this year. I missed the first band, Ice Nine Kills, because of traffic getting to the stadium. Gretta Van Fleet was the other opener and they did their usual good job of being Led Zeppelin cosplayers. It's what they're best at, so I guess they'll stick with it. Awful stage presence. The singer just stood there for the most part and sang. He didn't move around much and never engaged with the crowd. He really needs to work on his stage persona. It might work well in small venues but the band is decently known. So, he needs to learn how to play to bigger crowds otherwise they're not going to get many more gigs like this.

 

Metallica sounded great and the crowd was really into everything except for the song they did off St. Anger. I guess they wanted to know what it was like to silence fourty thousand people at once. At 60, Kirk is still nailing all the solos. Everyone played great, yes, even Lars. He doesn't play like he used to 35 years ago but still plays with intensity and energy. James, as always was the great front man he's been for decades. His monster riffs engulfing the air. Rob did whatever it is that he does. The set was mostly older songs. This was my seventh time seeing them but it's the first time I saw them play Ride The Lightning. It's always cool when you can see a band multiple times and still hear something different live.

 

Here's the setlist.

 

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/metallica/2022/highmark-stadium-orchard-park-ny-7bb396f4.html

 

 

That’s a really killer set list!

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So I was at Styx with Loverboy and REO opening for them last weekend at PNC (shed in NJ). Mike Reno can't really sing anymore and kept moving the mic up away from his mouth, it was very distracting. The drummer was great though. And Kevin Cronin can mostly still sing. I mean, both bands played great music, but wow are they getting old. But they were all having fun and it was fun to sing along to all their big  hits from the 80s.

 

But as you all know by now, I was there for Styx. I was front row Tommy side (as usual). They did their Greatest Hits/Shed/Casino set, which is shorter and mostly the big songs that everyone knows, plus a few new ones. Not my favorite set list but of course any Styx show is better than none. I love their last two albums and would love to hear more of them, so I'm hoping for a full Styx show some time soon. This was a summer tour - they're alternating who opens. Luckily for us they closed the show.

 

Gowan referred to us in the front row as "spoiled brats" and said the real fans were on the lawn, which brought up a huge cheer from said lawn-goers. It was great to hear the entire crowd singing to Come Sail Away and a couple others.

 

And as an aside, Gowan knows two of my friends I go to shows with, and the next day one of them posted a comment on her FB page about it and Gowan himself said "I was afraid I'd get in trouble for that." And then Tommy commented on her FB Story picture of a few of us tailgating "love y'all." I say these two things only to point out that they check their socials before and after their shows just like we do, and while they are still touring and recording and out there doing their thing, they are also connecting with us fans and it's awesome. And completely above board, btw. My friends are cool and respectful and are treated with respect in kind from the guys. It's amazing.

 

 

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5 hours ago, Laurabw said:

So I was at Styx with Loverboy and REO opening for them last weekend at PNC (shed in NJ). Mike Reno can't really sing anymore and kept moving the mic up away from his mouth, it was very distracting. The drummer was great though. And Kevin Cronin can mostly still sing. I mean, both bands played great music, but wow are they getting old. But they were all having fun and it was fun to sing along to all their big  hits from the 80s.

 

But as you all know by now, I was there for Styx. I was front row Tommy side (as usual). They did their Greatest Hits/Shed/Casino set, which is shorter and mostly the big songs that everyone knows, plus a few new ones. Not my favorite set list but of course any Styx show is better than none. I love their last two albums and would love to hear more of them, so I'm hoping for a full Styx show some time soon. This was a summer tour - they're alternating who opens. Luckily for us they closed the show.

 

Gowan referred to us in the front row as "spoiled brats" and said the real fans were on the lawn, which brought up a huge cheer from said lawn-goers. It was great to hear the entire crowd singing to Come Sail Away and a couple others.

 

And as an aside, Gowan knows two of my friends I go to shows with, and the next day one of them posted a comment on her FB page about it and Gowan himself said "I was afraid I'd get in trouble for that." And then Tommy commented on her FB Story picture of a few of us tailgating "love y'all." I say these two things only to point out that they check their socials before and after their shows just like we do, and while they are still touring and recording and out there doing their thing, they are also connecting with us fans and it's awesome. And completely above board, btw. My friends are cool and respectful and are treated with respect in kind from the guys. It's amazing.

 

 

That sounds like a great night! :thumbsup:   Interesting about their socials. It's always good to see fan interaction! Tommy Shaw's daughter Hannah is a big hero in the animal rescue community. She rescues and fosters really young baby kittens. My daughter went to hear her speak at a book signing. Then she came home and she was like, "Oh yeah, her dad is some rock guy, you probably never heard of him, Tommy Shaw I think."  Lol.

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7 minutes ago, blueschica said:

That sounds like a great night! :thumbsup:   Interesting about their socials. It's always good to see fan interaction! Tommy Shaw's daughter Hannah is a big hero in the animal rescue community. She rescues and fosters really young baby kittens. My daughter went to hear her speak at a book signing. Then she came home and she was like, "Oh yeah, her dad is some rock guy, you probably never heard if him, Tommy Shaw I think."  Lol.

Lol. Yes, she's The Kitten Lady! 

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My second Rammstein show. Last night. Minneapolis. Holy shit.
Still trying to figure out how I learned that Rammstein now makes an offer to blind people to tour the stage before the show. I'm legally blind*. The band had put it on facebook but I have no account and rarely would ever go there. I think it is because I had a twiiter account (that I don't use) but I get emails about the twitter feed and somehow I get Rammstein news and saw something about "blind stage tour" in my email. You had to send them a photo of your tickets along with proof of disability. So I bought some mid-level, not great seats for me and my son Alex, and sent them that stuff.

*Just to head off some questions, legal blindness in the USA is defined in one of two ways: either your best corrected vision is no better than 20/200, or you have a narrow field of view ("tunnel vision") that is no wider than 20 degrees. I have a genetic condition that destroys my night vision and which limits my field to about 15 degrees. Hold your fist at arm's length: that is the size of the "tunnel" that I can see through. Put another way, I see about 2% of what a person with normal vision sees. So when you hear the term "blind" - don't think that it means absolutely zero vision ("totally blind"): there is a spectrum of vision loss. And I am super thankful I have my little sliver of vision left, although this progressive disease may destroy that eventually, too. But believe me, this level of restricted vision is NOT fun. I obviously cannot drive a car nor many other things.

No response. After 10 days I got nervous and used a different email address to ask if they got my application. They replied and said they would send instructions "a couple days before the show." The show was Saturday, but on Thursday, no email. Friday, no email. Saturday morning, still nothing. I figured it wasn't going to happen. But midday I finally got a note on where to meet the staff, 2 hrs before the show, and that was also the first time that they said Alex could come along.

Their staff was a nice German gal who led us down through guts of the stadium, eventially to the area behind the stage structure. I asked her why they were doing this -- perhaps one of the band members had some relatives with vision loss? She said it was guitarist Paul Landers' idea, that it was important to him. I told her "please thank him for us, we really appreciate this." And she said, "you can thank him yousrself, because he will be leading your tour."

Holy shit!!!!

So a few minutes later Paul was there. Super friendly guy. Funny. He wanted to know about my eyesight issues. Spoke lovely English. He took us to the central area below the stage, near the ramp that they use to enter. Here he showed us their macabre props: the horrible Puppe baby carriage and the Mein Teil pot. It was very dark in there and I didn't see any of this, but I could touch everything. He handed me the smallest of the flamethrowers that Till would be using. Various other crew were around, all of them very welcoming. The operator of the ramp lowered it down flat so we could walk out on it, turn, and see the drums. Our heads were just peeking over the stage.  Paul asked us not to wave at the crowd and get them going. Still, a few people were looking and they saw us and they saw Paul, and began chanting his name, One of their staff then took this picture for us... You will be happy to see I carried the Rush colors. 

Paul, me, and Alex

And that was it. We shook hands with him again and were guided back to our seating area. It was surreal. It was the coolest concert experience I have had in my 40 years of attending shows. We drove down to see these guys at Chicago Open Air a few years ago. I had no idea anything like this was in the future.

I just wish there was something more I could do to express my appreciation to them.

The show, of course, was fire and explosive madness. If you can see this tour, you really should go.

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1 hour ago, Wandering Hermit said:
My second Rammstein show. Last night. Minneapolis. Holy shit.
Still trying to figure out how I learned that Rammstein now makes an offer to blind people to tour the stage before the show. I'm legally blind*. The band had put it on facebook but I have no account and rarely would ever go there. I think it is because I had a twiiter account (that I don't use) but I get emails about the twitter feed and somehow I get Rammstein news and saw something about "blind stage tour" in my email. You had to send them a photo of your tickets along with proof of disability. So I bought some mid-level, not great seats for me and my son Alex, and sent them that stuff.

*Just to head off some questions, legal blindness in the USA is defined in one of two ways: either your best corrected vision is no better than 20/200, or you have a narrow field of view ("tunnel vision") that is no wider than 20 degrees. I have a genetic condition that destroys my night vision and which limits my field to about 15 degrees. Hold your fist at arm's length: that is the size of the "tunnel" that I can see through. Put another way, I see about 2% of what a person with normal vision sees. So when you hear the term "blind" - don't think that it means absolutely zero vision ("totally blind"): there is a spectrum of vision loss. And I am super thankful I have my little sliver of vision left, although this progressive disease may destroy that eventually, too. But believe me, this level of restricted vision is NOT fun. I obviously cannot drive a car nor many other things.

No response. After 10 days I got nervous and used a different email address to ask if they got my application. They replied and said they would send instructions "a couple days before the show." The show was Saturday, but on Thursday, no email. Friday, no email. Saturday morning, still nothing. I figured it wasn't going to happen. But midday I finally got a note on where to meet the staff, 2 hrs before the show, and that was also the first time that they said Alex could come along.

The day of the show I was sent instructions on where to meet their staff person. They graciously allowed Alex, whom I rely on to help get around, to come along. Their staff was a nice German gal who led us down through guts of the stadium, eventially to the area behind the stage structure. I asked her why they were doing this -- perhaps one of the band members had some relatives with vision loss? She said it was guitarist Paul Landers' idea, that it was important to him. I told her "please thank him for us, we really appreciate this." And she said, "you can thank him yousrself, because he will be leading your tour."

Holy shit!!!!

So a few minutes later Paul was there. Super friendly guy. Funny. He wanted to know about my eyesight issues. Spoke lovely English. He took us to the central area below the stage, near the ramp that they use to enter. Here he showed us the baby carriage and the Mein Teill pot. It was very dark in there and I didn't see any of this, but I could touch everything. He handed me the smallest of the flamethrowers that Till would be using. Various other crew were around, all of them very welcoming. The operator of the ramp lowered it down flat so we could walk out on it, turn, and see the drums. Our heads were just peeking over the stage. This was about 15 minutes into the pianists playing. Paul asked us not to wave at the crowd and get them going. Still, a few people in the FZ were looking and they saw us and they saw Paul, and began chanting his name, One of their staff then took this picture for us... You will be happy to see I carried the Rush colors. 

Paul, me, and Alex

And that was it. We shook hands with him again and were guided back to our seating area. It was surreal. It was the coolest concert experience I have had in my 40 years of attending shows. We drove down to see these guys at Chicago Open Air a few years ago. I had no idea anything like this was in the future.

I just wish there was something more I could do to express my appreciation to them.

The show, of course, was fire and explosive madness. If you can see this tour, you really should go.

 

Thank you for sharing your adventure! That is fantastic and makes me think so highly of Paul Landers and the band. I'm so glad you got to experience this.  :thumbsup:

Photo with you in your Rush shirt is lit!

Edited by blueschica
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I saw Chevelle last week at the New York State Fair. It was an awesome show. Their singer/guitarist, Pete, did a great job of keeping the audience going. Their new bassist was great, and their drummer Sam was excellent too. The setlist was full full deep cuts, and they played my favorite song of theirs, "Comfortable Liar". I got the tour shirt with the cover from their newest album on the front, and dates on the back. My only complaint was that the merch stand didn't take cash. Here's the setlist:

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/chevelle/2022/chevy-park-at-the-new-york-state-fair-syracuse-ny-1bb36984.html

Edited by Super25Smasher
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Roger Waters @ MSG / NYC August 30, 2022

 

After a two year delay, Roger finally arrived in NYC for the first of two nights.   Bottom line:  Roger gives you a show with visuals that make you think and music performed by his talented band. The stage was in the round and the sound was clear.  

 

As I've said before, I've never missed a  Floyd, Roger or David show in the NYC since 1973 but I wonder how much gas Roger has in his tank to put on future shows.

 

52324562299_83e6830a95_b.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by custom55
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