Concert Reviews

[default236]

Arctic Monkeys - Albuquerque, NM - May 29, 2013

 

Let me just start off by saying I've been looking forward to this show since tickets went on sale in February, and they did NOT disappoint! I'll start off with their opening band, Mini Mansions: I hate saying bands suck, but this time, Mini Mansions straight up did! I felt bad for them because its three guys, a pianist/singer, a drummer/singer, and a bassist, and their music was just BORING! They did a seven or eight song set with a really bad Beatles cover that put a bad taste in everyone's mouth for the 45min or so they performed, but the best was to come! They had been touring with the Black Keys for quite some time and we were bummed to not be able to see them instead of this poor bands performance.

 

Onto the main band, the Arctic Monkeys! They opened with a rather new tune, Do I Wanna Know. Great opening song and really got the crowd pumping. The next song was Brainstorm, and I just lost it! It's my favorite AM song and was a real treat to hear so early in the set! The next few song were their live staples (Don't Sit Down Cause I've Moved Your Chair, Brick By Brick, Old Yellow Bricks) followed by some songs off Suck It And See. Towards the end of the set, Alex Turner broke out the acoustic and played Cornerstone, perfectly executed. It was a general admission arena, but fortunately, my friends and I were able to avoid the occasional shoving and seized the opportunity to get closer to the front (ill attach some pictures later). They closed the evening with Fluorescent Adolescent and 505 (also the local area code :D )

 

 

 

All in all, great show and in quoting 505, "Im going back to 505, if it's a seven hour flight or a 45min drive." Would highly recommend!

Edited May 30, 2013 by default236

[AFarewellToHemispheres]

Just seen the Who for the very first time, doing Quadrophenia in full plus other hits! f***ing epic man! Awesome show!

[franklinv]

Thanks a lot guys for sharing your different-different views,I really enjoyed your views!!!

 

 

Thanks once again......

 

klassik konzerte

 

münchen konzertkarten

[greg2112]

Just saw the Stones and they blew me away. One of the greatest rock n roll shows Ive ever seen. I went in with managed expectations an they exceeded them all. The band played tight, it was amazing to see Mick Taylor back in the fold for a couple songs, and most of all, the ageless Mick Jagger was astounding in voice and performance. PS- I was in the upper deck.

 

Newer bands should pay mind, the Stones were awesome.

[RushCanuck]

Last night I saw Roger Hodgson at Centre in the Square, Kitchener, Ontario, a nice intimate venue with great acoustics. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Roger perform. He was accompanied by a 4 piece band (2 Americans and 2 Canadians, who received extra loud cheers). Roger is an amazing talent and interacted with the audience in a friendly, easygoing way. He still has that unique, beautiful voice and tackled the high notes effortlessly. He delivered a mixture of solo material and a heavy dose of the songs he wrote while a member of Supertramp. Seeing him perform School, Hide in Your Shell, and Fool's Overture were some of the best highlights for me.

I saw the current version of Supertramp (minus Roger) recently. They covered many of Roger's songs, but it just wasn't the same as seeing the real deal.

[adace1]

Summer Slaughter Tour 2013, House of Blues LA:

 

So I only saw the last three bands (Periphery, Animals as Leaders, and Dillinger Escape Plan) because I didn't feel like standing for hours and hours to catch the other ones even though I really wanted to see The Ocean and Revocation.

 

Anyways, Periphery was awesome as expected. Everyone in the band was super-energetic and put on a great show. Spencer was absolutely on fire and sounded about as good as on the album. And Matt Halpern confirmed to me that he's one of the best modern metal drummers around. The song selection was great and they played pretty much everything I wanted to hear including Icarus Lives, Scarlet, and Make Total Destroy. Overall, they did a superb job and I would definitely see them again. Can't wait for their next album either. 9.5/10

 

Then to Animals as Leaders. HOLY BALLS. I knew they were insane on their studio recordings, but I was not prepared for the kind of intensity and utterly mind-blowing technicality they put into their live show. Despite a few technical problems with Tosin's guitar, including one that very annoyingly popped up during the CAFO solo, this band blew me away. Tosin and Javier together are two of the best guitarists around. It was just such a cool feeling hearing their pristine clean tone one minute and then hearing some of the most menacing, crushingly heavy riffs being played the next. And as for the drumming, I already knew Matt Garstka is an awesome drummer by watching his Youtube vids, but my expectations were surpassed tonight as he demolished every one's mind with his technical insanity. And he even did a drum solo or two, both of which were absolutely incredible. Finally, the visuals accompanying the band were really cool and nicely complemented the futuristic sound they have. AAL were definitely the best band of the night and I really wish they played longer. 10/10

 

Dillinger Escape Plan: I'm not that familiar with most of their material, but I do like them and they put on a devastating show. They had every bit as much energy as in the live clips I've seen. Greg is an amazing vocalist. Both his screams and clean vocals are awesome. And he was definitely the most energetic of the band. In fact, it was hard keeping track of him at some points because he was moving all over the place. At one point he climbed up on one of the tall speakers and chanted "You won't catch me" (I think it was actually a line in one of the songs) and then he jumped right into the crowd. Definitely one of the most entertaining moments I've ever seen live. As for the music, it was brutal and chaotic (sounded like free jazz for the most part) although there were a few catchy choruses thrown in. Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of their music though I do like them. I'd probably have to listen to them more to like their stuff better as compared with the other two bands whose music I've listened to a whole lot. Since I wasn't very familiar with their songs it did get a bit monotonous towards the end and I could see that they had lost some of the crowd's attention and enthusiasm. However, they finished with a final burst of energy and left both me and, I assume, the crowd satisfied. 9/10

 

Overall, it was a great concert that I would highly recommend to fans of any and all of these bands.

 

Next up: tributes to Deftones, Maiden, and Metallica on July 25th just a few blocks from my place :haz:

[default236]

Periphery and Norma Jean 2013 Blackwater Music, NM

 

Let me just by saying that this was a Pre-Summer Slaughter show, they added this date about two weeks before the actual show! I'll start off with the arrival, I got to the venue about an hour before the doors opened to find only 3 people in line, and it stayed that way for about half an hour until the venue decided to let us in. Now while we were waiting, you'll never gues who walked out if the venue but MISHA MANSOOR himself!!! He was generous to take a few pics with me (ill post soon) and said how small the actual venue was, now keep in mind this is one of the smallest venues in Albuquerque and holds only a few hundred, so it's so shocking Periphery was playing here! And on top of all that, it's general admission too!!

 

Now there were three opening bands before Norma Jean and Peripery, they were local bands called Hollow Tongue, Bathwater, and Sanctuary. Now I was there with a group of musicians from school and we were lucky enough to be in the front for all these bands, which will come in handy later ;). The first band was good, the second KILLED and last opening band wasn't very impressive.

 

Now onto Norma Jean:

I have one of their albums and they were absolutely Phenominal live! The crowd was super into it and I had a front row experience since it was general admission. The setlist was great and I got two picks from one of their guitarists and chatted with every band that was performing that evening. Now the band was going insane, like the bassist would throw himself onto me and then proceeded by spitting on me (gross I know) but it was still pretty cool. The sound checks in between bands went smoothly, and this venue had one of the BEST drum sounds live I've ever heard.

 

Onto the main attraction, Periphery!!

It was so cool, I talked with Misha so much while they were setting up and did the same with Matt, Jake, and Mark! Nolly couldn't make it due to visa problems, but they made it work without him! So they opened with Icarus Lives to get the crowd pumping and NAILED it live! They proceeded with Facepalm Mute and Make Total Destroy and made constant audience interaction. Very humble and down to earth rockers! Following was Scarlet and Zyglrox, and it was funny, Misha and Mark were doing a little dance off during Scarlet! They finished off with my favorite Periphery songs ever, Luck As A Constant, Have A Blast, and RAGNAROK! Perfect setlist to put a closer on the BEST concert I've ever been too! But the fun doesn't stop there: not only did I catch a shirt from the sound guy in the back, but I got picks from Misha and Jake, and some tape off Mishas guitar rig!! (I also got Mishas water bottle as well ;) ) One of my friends got the setlist from Mishas guitar rig, and honestly, these guys were just phenomenal live! Being as it was such a small venue, it made it more personal and intimate. Everyone in the band was on fire, and it was seeing them before they get all road-worn.

 

Hands down the best concert I've been too. If they're playing in your area, GO SEE THEM!!

Edited July 22, 2013 by default236

[adace1]

Nice, man. Sounds you like you had a blast like I did. :cheers:

[bathory]

yes in atlanta

 

kicked ass

[By Tor]

yes in atlanta

 

kicked ass

 

Short and sweet Bathory . :D-13:

[Lost In Xanadu]

yes in atlanta

 

kicked ass

Yes is playing the WI state fair... thinking about going.

 

 

Last concert I saw was McCartney at Miller Park. Was nearly 100 degrees that day, and Paul heated things up even more. What a show this guy can put on at over 70 is amazing. Absolutely love his drummer, Abe Laboriel Jr.. That guy is fun to watch

[ALifeson85]

Saw BLACK SABBATH last night in Bristow, VA. FREAKING AWESOME! 3rd Row! :)

 

Here's the link to my review, and even a few pics!

http://www.therushforum.com/index.php?/topic/83969-just-won-3rd-row-tix-for-black-sabbath-show-in-dc-this-friday-d/&do=findComment&comment=2955100

[ColdFireYYZ]

Saw The Aristocrats last night in New Jersey...incredible show!! I was pretty much blown away by all three of them. I'm not a big fan of drum solos, but Marco's solo during Blues f*ckers was incredible. The guy's a monster; I don't know how he does it. The new stuff sounded great live and the encore of Erotic Cakes was fantastic. Plus, all three of them had a great sense of humor and told funny stories and jokes about the songs. Not much else to say, other than I'd see them again in a heartbeat!

[By Tor]

Jon Anderson

Manchester Royal Exchange Aug 4th .

 

It was a first time at the Royal Exchange and what a great place .

A round little theatre which lucky for me I was on the third row

The set up was 2 guitars a Keyboard that long thin thing he plays on Olis alot and a Ukulele his carpet , candles and that was it .

He had a head set and four mikes placed round the floor

Most if not all his songs were about 3 minutes long and in between songs he told little stories of why he came to write them .

What did he play ?

What did`nt he play !

He opened up with Your`s Is No Discrace , followed by Sweet Dreams and then told a tale of how in 69 he went to Jamica and discovered Reggie and wrote a Song called Time And A word in which he did a bit of a medley of She Loves You , All You Need Is Love and then into One Love (Bob Marley )

He did Simon and Art`s America and On that funny long thing he plays on Olias he played Flight Of The Moorblade ! from Olias !

Brilliant !

We then got a bit of a Yes blitz

Owner Of A Lonely Heart , Starship Trooper , And You And I and another highlight for me Turn Of The Century and Wonderous Stories .

A song (I cant remember the name ) we wrote about the time he first saw The Beatles In Southport .

He did a ten minute Medley on the Keyboard of which he did Close To The Edge /Heart Of The Sunrise .

Back on Guitar he did Find My Way Home and State Of Independance.

A Day In The Life on Ukulele

A few more I can`t remember but he finshed off with another highlight for me Soon .

 

A brilliant performance,it always brings back to me when I see Jon Anderson what a great artist and a genius song writer he is .

[vinciedaltrey]

Saw Bon Jovi a few weeks back...Honestly, as much as I love them it was probably the worst concert I've attended. Although it was still an excellent show, they played way too much of their newer more country sounding songs. They didn't play many of their classics. They did a bunch of random covers, in which Jon didn't even sing. And of course, the absence of Richie Sambora :tsk:

[RushCanuck]

Sat. Aug. 24, I attended the Gentlemen of the Road Simcoe stopover music festival. Simcoe is a small town of about 15,000, but headliners Mumford and Sons chose this stop since this area is the birthplace of Rick Danko (of the Band). Approximately 36,000 people attended. I arrived in time to watch the Vaccines from London England. (good performance) followed by the Walkmen from NYC and Hey Rosetta! from St. John, NFLD.

Then, a group called 'Old Crow Medicine Show' from Nashville took the stage. They put on a phenomenal performance, playing bluegrass in a high energy style. The main frontman is a guy called Ketch Secor - he's very talented playing the fiddle, harmonica, singing, I think a mandolin also. They performed some entertaining choreography, including dueling fiddles.

Before Mumford and Sons took the stage, they rode a stretch of the race track in the back of an old pick up and performed a couple of songs - the lucky couple of hundred fans on the racetrack at the time got a personal mini concert.. wish I could have been in the neighborhood!

After 8:30 pm, Mumford and Sons took the stage. They played many of my favorite Mumford songs, including White Blank Page, Lover of the Light, and Little Lion Man. Hearing 36,000 singing the line 'I really focked it up this time' was hilarious. After ending their encore with The Cave, the last song performed was a tribute version of The Weight with all the bands on stage. I am happy I got to see these guys in person. It was a great festival with the emphasis on local cuisine and culture, providing an economic shot in the arm to Simcoe. Hats off to Mumford and Sons for coming to small town Ontario.

[hobo73]

Saw Cheap Trick last night :)

 

LUCY LOVED IT. She danced the entire time, and demanded they play "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" again lol!

The setlist was slightly, ever so slightly disappointing, though. I was under the impression they would perform the entire Budokan set- after all, it is what I've read on several websites, including links from the official CT website. 14 Beatles songs and 10 CT songs...maybe could have been a little more balanced?

Also seems like, once they started playing their own stuff, they were in a hurry to get through them. =/

Even the song Need Your Love, originally a 9-minute song, flew by.

 

It was still kickass to see Lookout & Need Your Love =D

 

Billy Corgan was in the crowd and caught the album press Rick threw out during Surrender :)

 

OH- Jeff, Lucy and me all wore our Rush shirts!!! I can't even begin to count how many compliments I got as I was walking around the venue with Lucy.

"RUUUSSHHHHH!!! Raisin' her right!!!"

"CLOCKWORK ANGELS YEAH!!!!"

And whatnot. lol. ;)

 

After the show, waiting for the train, we met an extremely nice couple with 2 small kids, 5 months and 2 years old :)

we hit it off, them and me/Jeff, and exchanged contact info since it turns out they live near us. Awesome!

 

Overall a very fun night- Lucy had a blast and that's all that mattered to me!

[PolarizeMe]

Just got back from the Anathema/Alcest show in NYC with Mamiffer as special guests. It was unbelievable, I still can't believe it ended.

 

I'll start with Anathema cause they were the last band on the bill. Spellbinding is all I can say. Unfortunately, I was too young to see Pink Floyd live, but for all those who were lucky to see them live, that feeling you got seeing them was how I felt seeing Anathema if that even makes sense.The band were on fire and the performance was so tight. You can tell that they were so happy to be there, they were smiling almost the entire time, and encouraging the crowd to cheer. At the end of some songs and even during songs, Daniel Cavanagh turned his mic around to the audience to which the crowd rose to the occasion and gave out a scream or sang along. Their set was slightly different compared to the one on opening night in Philly as one song was dropped and the running order was slightly altered so that the first four songs off of their latest album Weather Systems were the first four songs played in the set. For some reason, Untouchable Part 1 and 2 were played in a lower key than on the studio album which was weird because the other songs off of Weather Systems were played in the same key as their studio counterparts.

 

Alcest was more or less the same. Just incredible, and breathtaking. For a band that a month ago I never even heard of, they've quickly made me a huge fan within a span of a month. To make things even sweeter, they played my favorite song as well as the very first song of theirs I've listened to, which was Autre Temps. Incidentally that was the first song off their set. They debuted two new songs off of their forthcoming album Shelter. At the end of the concert, Neige the singer/guitarist and mastermind of Alcest was down at the merch booth and I was extremely fortunate enough to meet him and just say thanks for the music and hope to see them again soon. He also said to me that the new album will drop in January of next year which is great. Neige was very kind and friendly, although I did an incredibly fanboyish thing and got a picture with him.

 

The opening band Mamiffer really surprised me in a very good way. They were a two piece ambient band, with Aaron Turner formerly of Isis. The songs they played almost seem like they were one long continuous song which I loved. Will check out more of them.

 

All in all it was an awesome show and I would definitely love to see all three bands again in some shape or form.

[adace1]

Sounds like an awesome show, hope I can catch the LA date. Btw, what did the new Alcest songs sound like?

[PolarizeMe]

When I asked Neige when the album will be released, he described them as epic. But both new songs were around 5-6 minutes in length and gravitated towards a post rock sound. The first new song they played had kind was very upbeat which took me by surprise. Second song was more ambient and slower sounding.

[adace1]

I see, that makes sense as he said the new album wouldn't be metal.Thanks for the info.

 

Also, I found a live clip of one of the new songs. I'll post it in the Alcest thread.

[ColdFireYYZ]

I was also at the NYC Anathema show. I'm definitely glad I went to the NYC show instead of Boston (which, for various reasons, I wouldn't have been able to attend) because, as PolarizeMe said, the band was extremely happy to be playing in NYC to a sold-out show. I really think this affected the bands performance as they were electrified, for lack of a better word (a guy told me after the show that they were way better last night than they were in Philly the other day).

 

Before the show, I got to meet Vincent Cavanagh. He was walking down the street past the line so a guy called him over. He talked for a bit, showed everyone pictures of his cat , and took some pictures with fans. He was super nice and very appreciative of everyone who came out. I was so excited to meet him that I kind of blanked out and just thanked him for the music.

 

So anyway, Mamiffer seemed to divide the audience. Some hated them, and others thought they were great. I was kind of familiar with them beforehand but wasn't sure how they'd come across live. I really enjoyed them, but I'm not sure I'd like to see them play a full show in that kind of environment (small, standing room only venue). Their music was pretty mellow and kind of calming, so I think they'd probably be better suited for a seated theater type place. But regardless, they were a good opener and I'm glad I saw that the opening spot, as they deserve the recognition.

 

I'm sort of familiar with Alcest but I was really at the show for Anathema. I don't have much to say about them, other than their new stuff sounded fantastic. Cool band, and I'd certainly see them again. The new stuff was my favorite so I’ll buy their new album when it’s out.

 

Anathema was, as expected, phenomenal and exceeded my expectations. Daniel Cardoso did a great job on drums, and the temporary bassist fit in well with the band. Not having a full-time keyboard player didn’t really hurt the band as Danny played the piano parts live (with some orchestral sounds playing on a backing track). The Gathering of the Clouds and Lightening Song were played together, which was one of the highlights for me as they both work so well flowing into each other. I was kind of disappointed that they didn’t play Everything, as it was on the opening night set list, but the set was excellent regardless. Overall, I’m so glad I finally got see the full band live. The hour and half flew right by, and the band’s energy was contagious.

Edited September 15, 2013 by ColdFireYYZ

[PolarizeMe]

Yeah, I was also sad when they didn't play Everything as that was one of the songs off of WHBWH that I'd love to see live but I think they had to cut down the set cause Alcest was more or less a co-headlining band and they were both on an hour and a half. I do agree with the Cavanaghs that they should do like an evening with show and play 2+ hours. I think a venue like the Beacon Theater, Radio City or the Theater at MSG would be an awesome place to do a show like that.

 

One thing that I had forgot to mention earlier that bugged me more than it should've was that there was a lot of people especially in the front with their smartphones/cameras taking pictures (with flash!) throughout almost the entire show which infuriated a lot of people, myself included as I was in the general area where it was happening. Look, I know it's their first time playing in America and I understand the need to take several pictures/video, but almost the entire show? Come on, put the smartphones down and enjoy the show! They've got professional photographers at every show for a reason.

 

And another thing was I wore a Katatonia shirt at the show which got the attention of one crazed South American "Katatoniac", who for lack of a better term was like the Japanese fans from the tour documentary in Dream Theater's Live at Budokan DVD. I thought he was pretty cool despite his accent throwing me off a bit (the loud noise didn't help either) and acted as if he knew me for a long time. However, around the end of Alcest's set he was starting to test my patience and irritated me a bit whenever we talked to eachother (I hope he's not on these forums/reading this!). I think the most absurd or hilarious (depending on how you look at it) thing he said to me was that "Opeth was taught by Katatonia" and that's why Mikael Akerfeldt sang on Brave Murder Day. I remember him saying something to the point of "WTF is this?" during the sample in Internal Lanscapes and when I told him that it was part of the song he looked at me like I was crazy. Looks like someone's not familiar with Anathema's later work. (He did say he didn't like their later work as much, and kept screaming out "LOSSSST CONTROOOOLLLL!!!" throughout the show so that explains everything)

[ColdFireYYZ]

Yeah, I was also sad when they didn't play Everything as that was one of the songs off of WHBWH that I'd love to see live but I think they had to cut down the set cause Alcest was more or less a co-headlining band and they were both on an hour and a half. I do agree with the Cavanaghs that they should do like an evening with show and play 2+ hours. I think a venue like the Beacon Theater, Radio City or the Theater at MSG would be an awesome place to do a show like that.

That would be great, but I'm not sure if they'd be able to fill any of those venues.

[Anguyen92]

Whoooooooo, just came back from a Shinedown show at the LA County Fair, I may do a review on it, if you guys are interested.