Concert Reviews

[daveyt]

saw blink 182 in mansfield, ma. had great company taking this one girl i think is the bees knees i had a pit seat and got her one in section 2 so of course she jumped the rail and we rocked out in the back of the pit. smoked a very nice fuente cigar which im sure everyone wanted ;] but i really had to force it getting out of the parking lot by setting good examples ;]

 

i would go again of they played more songs and more older ones too

[daveyt]

here is the song tom delong says sounds a little like "rush." i think he was talking about the main riff...i see what he is talking about. i hope alex gets to hear it :] whether you like the song or not is moot but i would check out this rush reference...btw the song is really good live!

 

 

[Ultra]

Found a cheap ticket for Outside Lands music festival yesterday. I missed the first day, but made it for all of day 2 and about to take off for day 3.

 

Got to see The Vaccines, OK Go, Arctic Monkeys, The Roots and Muse yesterday. The Roots were great, as were Muse, though they finished their set 10 minutes early and could have played an extra couple songs if they wanted to. We did get Citizen Erased though so that was a nice treat.

 

Today I plan on seeing Arcade Fire, The Decemberists, John Fogerty and !!!.

Edited August 14, 2011 by Ultra

[The_Necromancer_77]

Saw some bands at Warped Tour with my boyfriend today! I saw Enter Shikari, Dance Gavin Dance, Of Mice and Men, August Burns Red, Attack Attack and some others.

 

I really like Enter Shikari, and they rocked live! Sounded amazing and the crowd was great.

 

My BF got a bloody nose moshing though

[J2112YYZ]

I saw Heart and Def Leppard last night at the Darien Lake PAC outside of Buffalo, NY. I'm gonna post the setlists for both bands at the end, so if you're going and don't want to be spoiled then don't read on.

 

Really good performances from both bands. Ann's voice is really something to hear live. I can't believe at age 61 she still has that much strength in her voice but WOW!!!!

 

Just like Rush they downed tuned the guitars on the older stuff to fit how Ann's voice sounds now but it still sounded great. They had a small ramp set up in front of the stage that led to a small platform that went only about five rows or so into the crowd. Ann had a lot of energy and was running up and down it a number of times through the set as well as working the rest of the stage.

 

Nancy was her usuall bouncy perky self. Still to this day she's jumping around and kicking her legs in the air while playing. Not as much as she used to but with age that will happen I guess. Her voice sounded lovely on "These Dreams".

 

Def Leppard did a great job to. They opened the show with "Undefeated" which is one of the new studio traks off their new live album. The studio version is OK but live the song is ten times better and had more punch to it and worked very well as the opener.

 

From there it was just the standard greatest hits set from them. I haven't seen them live in eight years so I didn't mind it. But i'd be lying if I said that Def Leppard isn't in severe need of a setlist revamp. Probably more than any other band I can think of. There's plenty of deep cuts they have that are good but get ignored. I understand playing the hits though. The singles off Pyromania and Hysteria are just too huge to ignore playing live. Plus, that's why people continue to go see them.

 

Joe Elliot had more energy than the last two times I saw them, he was working the stage like he did back when I saw them in 1993. You can tell his voice has gone downhill quite a bit though. Especially on songs like "Foolin" and "Bringing On The Heartbreak" which require him to sing in a higher range.

 

They had a video screen in the back showing different videos for every song and as always they had a solid light show to.

 

Overall, if you're a fan of popular 80s rock this show is very enjoyable and you will have a good time.

 

Thanks to setlist.fm for helping me out on getting the exact order of the songs played:

 

HEART:

 

Rock and Roll (Led Zeppelin cover)

Magic Man

Heartless

Straight On

What About Love

These Dreams (Nancy )

Alone

WTF

Crazy On You

Barracuda

 

Encore:

The Battle of Evermore (Led Zeppelin cover)

Love, Reign O'er Me (The Who cover)

 

DEF LEPPARD:

 

Undefeated

Let's Get Rocked

Animal

Foolin'

Love Bites

Bass Solo/Rock On (David Essex cover)

Rocket

Two Steps Behind (played from platform in front of the stage)

Bringin' on the Heartbreak (from platform. half acoustic, half electric)

Switch 625

Hysteria

Armageddon It

Photograph

Pour Some Sugar on Me

 

Encore:

Rock of Ages

 

 

[MCM]

Just got back from a Styx show. Say what you will, they never disappoint! They played almost two hours and played a lot of deeper cuts. Almost all of Po8. Good show. If you are ever on the fence about seeing them, just do it!

[1 of the 7]

so...'bout time I got around to reviewing the Fixx and State Fair concerts.

 

The Fixx- Hadn't seen these guys in two years. I was bummed I sat last year out, because they did four songs they either rarely or have never done live - Built For The Future, Camphor, A Letter To Both Sides, and Shut It Out. I heard a boot of one of last year's shows, though, and wasn't impressed.

 

The show was good, band sounded great, and Cy's voice started out strong, but as it went on, it didn't seem 100%, and he wasn't going for any of the stronger live vocal arrangements he's used in the past. The whole first half of the tour had been cancelled due to illness on his part, and this was the first show. Doesn't bode well for the rest of the tour, but people who saw them elsewhere say he sounded great. We did get to hear two of the songs we missed last year - Camphor (best of the four, IMO) and Shut It Out, which I've heard in soundchecks, but never in the show. I think he could have handled Built For The Future, but Letter was definitely out with his voice not quite up to scratch. The rest of the show was pretty much the standard hits and other songs they've featured the last several years.

 

The first song of the encore was Take A Risk, a new one from the Beautiful Friction album that's supposed to come out next spring (they've been saying this for almost ten years now). It's definitely a harder edge for them, but so evocative of I Can't Explain by The Who that I don't know if it'll ever sound truly original to me.

 

Got to see all the guys in the band but Cy after the show, which was nice.

 

State Fair Shows

 

Three Dog Night- My boyfriend hadn't seen these guys in 42(!) years! They did a good job with all the hits, but the vocals aren't quite what they used to be (I think only one original vocalist is left). They did a funny rap/hip-hop section (with some props for the singer) in Mama Told Me Not To Come - see, Rush aren't the only ones! The encore also featured an awesome acapella number called Prayer of the Children.

 

K.C. and the Sunshine Band- This was the first of two rainiest days of the Fair, but it stopped for the show. K.C. definitely looks different - he joked that he gained a lot of weight after quitting smoking, and that people are probably wondering why he doesn't call them "KFC and the Sunshine Band". Again, the vocals aren't quite what they were, but he can can still get a crowd on its feet and dancing. I counted 14 people on stage, including dancing girls - definitely a big, colorful group!

 

REO Speedwagon- Great show, they played all the hits, and most of Hi Infidelity. Another instance of not quite 100% vocals, but the band still rocks. Kevin Cronin is SO showy and wordy that they seem a little over the top, but that's probably always been their style. Things got a little interesting when Cronin was telling a long story about people protesting the Vietnam War, and the older lady in front of Dan passed out on him! I was glad to see how fast the medical team got there through quite a crowd. She was okay, didn't even want to get checked out, but they were worried about heart issues. My heart was stimulated a bit by the bass player's gorgeous hair. What is it with these bass players with gorgeous hair...*Geddy*

 

Starship- You laugh, but this was the best show of the four. Worth going even in the absolute downpour that was going on. Mickey Thomas's voice still has that unique sound and is incredbly powerful, especially considering his age. There were only a few very brief moments (and I think those were mic-related) where he didn't sound like it was 1985. And I'd forgotten just how many hits they had - some of them were cut a little short, but not much. They even did a whole section of Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship songs as well. They have a new female singer who doesn't sound like Grace Slick (who does?) but has an impressive voice in her own right. Dan was totally impressed that she took a fan's cell phone and sang to the person on the other end, then took the phone to Thomas and had him do the same, all while the show was going on!

 

So, that's it for a while...unless I go see Lotus Land Rush tribute on Oct. 1st...I don't have to work, so it's at least possible!

[Steevo]

QUOTE (1 of the 7 @ Sep 12 2011, 08:57 AM)

REO Speedwagon- Great show, they played all the hits, and most of Hi Infidelity. Another instance of not quite 100% vocals, but the band still rocks. Kevin Cronin is SO showy and wordy that they seem a little over the top, but that's probably always been their style. Things got a little interesting when Cronin was telling a long story about people protesting the Vietnam War, and the older lady in front of Dan passed out on him! I was glad to see how fast the medical team got there through quite a crowd. She was okay, didn't even want to get checked out, but they were worried about heart issues. My heart was stimulated a bit by the bass player's gorgeous hair. What is it with these bass players with gorgeous hair...*Geddy*

Thanks for the review What did they open and close with? And the encore?

[1 of the 7]

QUOTE (Steevo @ Sep 11 2011, 11:22 PM)

QUOTE (1 of the 7 @ Sep 12 2011, 08:57 AM) REO Speedwagon- Great show, they played all the hits, and most of Hi Infidelity. Another instance of not quite 100% vocals, but the band still rocks. Kevin Cronin is SO showy and wordy that they seem a little over the top, but that's probably always been their style. Things got a little interesting when Cronin was telling a long story about people protesting the Vietnam War, and the older lady in front of Dan passed out on him! I was glad to see how fast the medical team got there through quite a crowd. She was okay, didn't even want to get checked out, but they were worried about heart issues. My heart was stimulated a bit by the bass player's gorgeous hair. What is it with these bass players with gorgeous hair...*Geddy* Thanks for the review What did they open and close with? And the encore? I admit to doing a little research here to refresh my memory They opened with Don't Let Him Go, closed the main set with Roll With The Changes, and the encore was Ridin' The Storm Out (FABULOUS, espcially in light of Hurricane Irene having made a pass by the day before) and 157 Riverside Avenue.

[MCM]

QUOTE (1 of the 7 @ Sep 12 2011, 08:53 PM)

QUOTE (Steevo @ Sep 11 2011, 11:22 PM) QUOTE (1 of the 7 @ Sep 12 2011, 08:57 AM) REO Speedwagon- Great show, they played all the hits, and most of Hi Infidelity. Another instance of not quite 100% vocals, but the band still rocks. Kevin Cronin is SO showy and wordy that they seem a little over the top, but that's probably always been their style. Things got a little interesting when Cronin was telling a long story about people protesting the Vietnam War, and the older lady in front of Dan passed out on him! I was glad to see how fast the medical team got there through quite a crowd. She was okay, didn't even want to get checked out, but they were worried about heart issues. My heart was stimulated a bit by the bass player's gorgeous hair. What is it with these bass players with gorgeous hair...*Geddy* Thanks for the review What did they open and close with? And the encore? I admit to doing a little research here to refresh my memory They opened with Don't Let Him Go, closed the main set with Roll With The Changes, and the encore was Ridin' The Storm Out (FABULOUS, espcially in light of Hurricane Irene having made a pass by the day before) and 157 Riverside Avenue. I love REO Speedwagon, and have seen them numerous times, but I do wish Kevin would shut up and sing. They could fit another song in the set if he'd stop talking.

[Union 5-3992]

Last month I went to see these two Blues Legends at the CMAC. The average age of the performers was 80.

 

The first act was Buddy Guy and he stole the show. He started off by playing Hoochie Coochie Man. He let the audience sing the "son of a gun part" and got angry saying "I did this song 3 weeks ago. That audience didn't f**k it up like you guys did." The next song, he just started playing this incredible solo. And the whole time he was playing it, he was wandering around the arena and stopped right next to our seat and continued to play. It was great that he gave people in the cheap seats their money's worth. He sowly made it back to the stage and played "She's 19 Years Old" by Muddy Waters. When he sang, "She's nineteen years old-And got ways just like a baby child", he cut off and said he didn't write that song.

 

After he was done playing, he brought out Quinn Sullivan. Quinn is only 12 years old and was able to play as well as Buddy for the rest of Buddy's set. Buddy let Quinn play a few songs. The playing was great, but the vocals were pretty bad. Then the two started doing impressions of Eric Clapton & Jimi Hendrix, playing instrumental versions of a few Cream songs and Voodoo Child (Slight Return). Being that Buddy Guy is 75, I'd say he was still as good as he was 50 years ago.

 

After a half hour intermission, BB King finally made made it onto stage. Unfortunately I was in the restroom when he first came on (same with Buddy Guy). He played mainly his hits and the mic was far too loud for him. You could easily tell he was struggling to play in some of the songs. He accidentally started the same song twice, then his band helped turn it into "Every Day I Have The Blues". He did have a few moments of greatness like when he played "The Thrill is Gone" or "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean". For an 85 year old, I wasn't expecting a grand performance, but he did meet my expectations. By the end of the show, about 75% of the building had left early and I was one of the few left. When he was finishing his final song, I walk towards the stage. At one moment he looked right at me & waved, then started throwing guitar picks into whats left of the audience. The most depressing thing about seeing him was to see him walk off stage and sit in a wheelchair to be wheeled away.

 

This was a great show and I got my $50 worth. I don't know if you folks care for Blues, but I felt it was great to see the people that inspired so many musicians.

 

[ColdFireYYZ]

I saw Buddy Guy a few months ago. I had listened to him a little bit before but I wasn't really too familiar with his material. I entered an online radio contest for the hell of it and won tickets. I was blown away! That guy is amazing, especially for his age. He really deserves more recognition than he gets. If it wasn't for him, I doubt that guys like Hendrix would have been as successful.

 

Its cool that you got to see him with BB King. I haven't really listened to King too much but I loved what I've heard. I really want to see him before its too late.

 

Speaking of blues, have you listened to Joe Bonamassa? His music is mostly blues rock rather than straight forward blues, but he is one of my favorites. I'd check out his albums Sloe Gin, The Ballad of John Henry, and Blues Deluxe (his only pure blues album) if you haven't already.

Edited September 27, 2011 by ColdFireYYZ

[Union 5-3992]

I'm going to check him out. If he's half as good as Buddy Guy, I'll be very happy. BTW, I picked up Buddy's newest album. Just incredible playing on it.

[happenstance]

They (REO) opened for Styx a week ago and were actually very good. I agree that Kevin Cronin just needs to get over himself with all the yakking for God sake! And yes ... I was more than just a smidge distracted by the hottie playing the bass and his beautiful hair!!

[happenstance]

Speaking of men with beautiful hair ... ... A few years back we went to a Foreigner concert where Mick Jones had to be replaced for the night by Whitesnake guitar player Doug Aldrich. Basically I think this meant that no original members from Foreigner were in the band that night ...? Doug Aldrich was a treat though And is it just me or does their current lead singer remind anyone of Steven Tyler?

[MCM]

QUOTE (happenstance @ Oct 2 2011, 06:19 AM)

Speaking of men with beautiful hair ... ... A few years back we went to a Foreigner concert where Mick Jones had to be replaced for the night by Whitesnake guitar player Doug Aldrich. Basically I think this meant that no original members from Foreigner were in the band that night ...? Doug Aldrich was a treat though And is it just me or does their current lead singer remind anyone of Steven Tyler?

Kelly Hansen does bear resemblance to Steven Tyler, I think Kelly is a great performer, I like him a lot.

 

Mick has been ill most of their summer tour, one of the guys from Night Ranger has been filling in for him on the tour with Journey and Night Ranger. Yes, that does mean that not one original member of Foreigner has been on stage for most of the summer shows. Pretty good cover band tho.

 

[fritz44]

Saw Motorheed (sic) last night. Absolutely nailed it. Top notch!

 

Opened with Bomber and just flew (no pun intended) from there. Highlights - Bomber, Damage Case, Stay Clean, Going To Brazil and Overkill.

 

I usually go-a-year, miss-a-year, but roll on Nov '12 I'll be there again if they are.

[Tony R]

Edited November 13, 2011 by Tony R

[friendlyfloridian]

Saw Steve Wilson last week in Orlando at the House of Blues for the Grace for Drowning Tour.

 

Seriously. This lineup is the most artistic and surrealistic I have seen in years. Best concert of the year for me.

[Ultra]

The Naked And Famous about 30 minutes ago at The Independent in SF.

 

This band is going to explode.

[RushCanuck]

Recently saw Deep Purple on their current Canadian tour. For me, it was an enjoyable trip down memory lane. Steve Morse and Don Airey, the replacements for Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord, are great musicians and added their own touch. Some of the songs they covered were: Hard Loving Man, (the gong was a hilarious touch), Highway Star, Lazy, Smoke on the Water, The Mule, Hush, and Black Knight. These songs were amongst my favorites when I was a teenager. Ian Gillan still rocked for a 66 year old, as did Roger Glover. Ian Paice, a youthful 63, kept pace. The mature audience all enjoyed the performance and went home satisfied.

[ColdFireYYZ]

QUOTE (rushforumnewuser @ Feb 12 2012, 12:29 PM)

Recently saw Deep Purple on their current Canadian tour. For me, it was an enjoyable trip down memory lane. Steve Morse and Don Airey, the replacements for Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord, are great musicians and added their own touch. Some of the songs they covered were: Hard Loving Man, (the gong was a hilarious touch), Highway Star, Lazy, Smoke on the Water, The Mule, Hush, and Black Knight. These songs were amongst my favorites when I was a teenager. Ian Gillan still rocked for a 66 year old, as did Roger Glover. Ian Paice, a youthful 63, kept pace. The mature audience all enjoyed the performance and went home satisfied.

I saw them last year and they were awesome. I was able to stand right in front of Steve Morse for the most of the show and he blew my mind.

[Tommy Sawyer]

Saw Jon Anderson solo last night. Amazing!

 

He did a great job with the (limited) guitar and piano skills he has - he was the only one on stage. Performed a good selection of Yes and solo stuff, lots of classics. I've Seen All Good People was a highlight of course (with plenty of audience participation), as well as his piano medley, including pieces of Close to the Edge and Heart of the Sunrise.

 

However, the best moment of the whole night was when he payed Leaves of Green (from The Ancient) and Nous Sommes du Solei (from Ritual).

 

EDIT: I'll post some pictures later.

Edited March 4, 2012 by Tommy Sawyer

[1 of the 7]

So, back on the 10th we took a trip to Niagara Falls, Ontario for the Wavelength: A Tribute To Rush gig. They had an opening band called Common Ground who played a lot of 90's rock, but a wide range of other eras as well. The singer had a Rush shirt on and looked a bit like a blond Geddy Lee, if you can imagine that! My boyfriend really dug these guys and enjoyed meeting the singer after the show - a happy, animated fella!

 

Wavelength did a great job and featured quite a few songs I haven't seen Rush play. Setlist was:

 

The Spirit of Radio

Limelight

Having trouble remembering this one - was it The Enemy Within or Time Stand Still?

Digital Man

Distant Early Warning

Mission

Caravan

YYZ with Cygnus ending

Lakeside Park

Freewill

Red Barchetta

Subdivisions

Between The Wheels

Drum Solo

Xanadu

Closer To The Heart

Beneath, Between, and Behind

Tom Sawyer

Bastille Day

 

The band doesn't "costume" per se, though Ken LeBoeuf does look a bit like Alex with his long hair, and Sam Albidone does dress in modern Neil style. Ken does, however, come out in "absurdly prophetic robes" and lots of smoke for Xanadu! The band does have many of the same instruments that Rush has had throughout the years, and decorates the stage with trinkets in true Rush fashion.

 

We met the guys after the show, and they were thrilled to have us there from some distance away. Sam even took us to see his replica drumkit (wow!) and take pics of it and in front of it. So cool!

 

Check these guys out if you'll be in southern Ontario!

[The Cat 3]

Just had front row tickets to see Van Halen at the Consol Arena in Pittsburgh.

 

They must have been in an inspired mood that night, because they just sounded so good.

 

The new songs fit so well in the set and mixed well with all of the classic VH songs that you'd expect to hear.

 

Diamond Dave's voice sounded much better than I thought it would...he even made some pretty impressive jumps and splits for a man his age.

 

Eddie was just simply amazing...one of the very best, that's for sure.

 

Alex's drum solo was fantastic...really made me wonder why he isn't higher rated in the arena of public opinion.

 

Wolfgang was pretty solid...great interaction with his dad, which couldn't help but bring a smile to one's face.

 

(Still missed Michael up there though...no disrespect to Wolfgang).

 

Was flipping the coin on this one and really glad I decided to catch them live on this tour.

 

Of course, the biggest surprise was how good Kool and the Gang was as an opening act...they are a really tight band, even if it isn't your cup of tea.

 

All in all, it was a great trip down memory lane and a great chance to be 17 again!