Issues, Of Mice & Men – Seattle: March 24 2014

March 25, 2014 by Leave a Comment

 

Went into Seattle to see the The American Dream Tour featuring; Bring Me The Horizon, Of Mice & Men, Issues and Letlive.

Unfortunately Toni and Nicki couldn’t make it to this show, but Ryan and I decided we would still go even if the girl team was sitting this one out.

As usual, we got down to the venue a little early (around 4:45 with doors opening at 7:00), but the sold-out crowd was already starting to grow down the street. We decided to not get into the line and go and grab some food at the Pyramid Alehouse just across the street from SafeCo Field.. Glad we did, great burgers. By the time we got done eating and went to get in line we were about 200 yards back from the entrance and still had over an hour to wait.. this was going to be a BIG crowd.

We got into the venue around 7:30 and there were people about 30 deep from the stage (already!), we went and grabbed our usual spot along the right side of the stage, against the stairs to the bar. This spot is usually pretty good as it is close enough to get a good view of the band, but far enough to the side that you are not jammed..tonight was much different. There were wall to wall people. And as usual at the Showbox, the lighting just does;t lend itself to good photography, so pictures were limited.

The first band LetLive came out and opened the show with a tremendous amount of energy. The lead singer Jason Aalon Butler was just a maniac on the stage. Never before have I seen someone jump up into the rigging above the stage while still singing. He also jumped into the audience and continued to sing while waving back to the stage. I have seen this before, but not the crazy monkey swinging from the rigging.. what a show!

Next up come Issues. This is the third time I have seen them and they just keep getting better each time. I love their dual vocals, Tyler Carter (known as “clean vocals”) and Michael Bohn (known as “un-clean vocals”). They really do a great job of mixing it up during their songs. They played a decent set of about 5-6 songs including Hooligans, Love Sex Riot,  Princeton Ave and King of Amarillo.

It was clear from the response of the crowd when Austin Carlile, lead singer Of Mice & Men belted out that first vocals from Bones Exposed that these guys were the main attraction for the night. They put on an absolutely incredibly powerful performance. The crowd was at the height of mosh and crowd surfing during their set. Although this was a great set, we were a little disappointed that they seemed to play a fairly short set of just 5 songs and it seemed like just short a a half an hour. Everyone, including me and Ryan could have stood for another half hour at least. They did play some great songs such as You’re Not Alone, Second & Sebring, Would You Still Be There and O.G Loko, but would have been nice to hear more. It might not be as bad if they were not skipping the Warped Tour date at the White River Amphitheater at the end of June…we were looking forward to seeing them again soon.. Oh well, next time!

Of Mice & Men left the stage around 10:00 or so and it seemed like a ton of people left…kind of strange, but I think a lot of people just moved to the back of the venue where there was more air.. the stagnation, temperature and humidity within 50 feet of the stage was unbearable. Ryan and I waited toward the back until around 10:30 and decided that Issues and Of Mice & Men were really the two bands we came to see, so decided to cut out early before Bring Me The Horizon came on. We don’t typically do this, but we were both burnt out and ready to get out.

 

Filed Under: Heavy Metal Tagged With:

ZZ Top – Seattle: March 23 2014

March 23, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Tonight was an awesome night of “TexiCali”, backwoods, rock and roll Blues with ZZ Top at the Moore Theater in Seattle. Although I have been a fan for years, this was the first time I had seen ZZ Top ..I think since the early 80’s when I first heard them on the radio.

The guys came out sharp dressed in sequined jackets, funky hats, styling shoes, sporting their trademarked sunglasses and those incredible long beards…what a sight.

They started the show off with “Got Me Under Pressure” followed by their very bluesy “Waitin’ for the Bus and Jesus Just Left Chicago“. It was amazing how both Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill played the same guitars almost all the way through the entire set. Most bands change guitars after every song, but these guys were so simple and basic (all in a good way) that all they needed to do was stand and play, and they just blew everyone away. The crowd was standing and cheering for the entire show, and for a venue full of 50/60 somethings, that is really a testament to their incredible power to jam. I think my favorite songs of the night were “Legs” and then as part of the encore, the extra long version of “La Grange“. They also played a very good rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady” which of course the crowd just loved. Naturally, all their music brings back great memories and for me with what I think are the two most recognizable ZZ Top hits of the late 70’s/early 80’s, “Cheap Sunglasses” and “Sharp Dressed Man”

Seeing ZZ Top was a very long time coming, and if I would have known they performed and sounded this good, I would have seen them way before now. It’s hard to believe that these three guys have been rocking for over forty years. Well, I do know that when they come around to Seattle again, they will definitely be on the list of must see bands.

Filed Under: Classic Rock

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts – Snoqualmie: March 16 2014

March 16, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Toni and I went to see Joan Jett and the Blackhearts perform at the Snoqualmie Casino tonight. This was the first time that we have been to this venue, and it was actually quite nice. It is probably the most convenient location for us as it is less than 20 miles from our house.

I have to say, that this was by far one of the best Rock shows I have seen in a long time. Joan Jett put on an absolutely incredible show. It was relatively short, but the most densely packed with hit after hit hour and half worth of raspy, crunchy, rough cut rock & roll anyone should have the pleasure to experience on a Sunday night.

Of course she came out and played her hits like “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll“, “Crimson and Clover“, “I Hate Myself for Loving You“, “Do You Wanna Touch Me“, and “Bad Reputation“, but also many songs from her new album Unvarnished “TMI“, “Soulmates to Strangers“, “Hard to Grow Up” and “Fragile” . Her sound on this new albumin is so classic Joan Jett, I just love how she can still make music that sounds so 70’s/80’s and make it so current and relevant.

We see her perform again at the Golden Gods Awards this coming April 23rd in LA. The kids will have a chance to see her, and I know they will be as blown away as Toni and I were.

Filed Under: Classic Rock Tagged With:

Bury The Hatchet Tour with Falling in Reverse – Seattle: February 11 2014

February 13, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Nicki and I attended the Bury The Hatchet Tour with Falling in Reverse, Escape the Fate, Survive This and Chelsea Grin this past Tuesday night at the Showbox (Market) in Seattle. The venue was changed at the last minute from El Corazon, and I think it was probably for the best. The place was packed, they must have oversold the other venue.

We were able to get VIP meet and greet which allowed us to get in early to do a quick (and I mean quick) photo op with the band. It was actually kind of a lame meet and greet.. they really rushed us in and out with only allowing a single, non-flash photo in the dark venue. Not sure how worth these so called VIP tickets  really are anymore.. They used to get you in to actually interact with the band, but now it seems they just get your money and you sometimes get what you pay for and sometimes you don’t, and there isn’t anyone to complain to about it…I guess as long as they keep making the money they will have no incentive to make a better experience.. no bad intentions by the band at all, I am sure it is all the promoter and management.

Anyway, once we were able to get in, we were able to get a real sweet set of seats along the bar just in back of the main floor. We were pretty lucky as most people who got in early like us went straight to the rail, and there are only about a dozen actual seat/chairs with any kind of decent view and we got the best two in the house.

The opening act was Survive This followed by Chelsea Grin. Both these act were actually quite good and put on great sets getting the crowd pumped for the headliners.

Escape the Fate came on around 9:00 and they sounded simply awesome. They tore it up with their performance of Gorgeous Nightmare and Ten Miles Wide. They also played Ungrateful, The Flood, You’re Insane, Live Fast, Die Beautiful, Picture Perfect, Ashley, One for The Money, Fire it Up, This War is Ours.  Nicki really liked the drummer Robert Ortiz’ hair (she liked that it was cooler than Slash’s hair). Nicki also made comment on Max Green’s hair. She liked it much more now than when it shorter. We both thought that the lead guitarist Kevin Gruft is very under-rated. He absolutely ripped it up during the song One For The Money.

They seemed just slightly glam and reminiscent of early Motley Crue in their stage presence, but it seems to work for them.

Falling in Reverse came on around 10:00 and must have played until about 11:30, maybe a little later. Nicki wasn’t feeling well, and we missed the last four songs of their regular set and their encores where they actually did their “Bury the Hatchet” performance where Craig Mabbitt came out and performed with the Falling in Reverse band. I believe with the encores, they must have played around 18 songs…that is incredible for a multi-band show on a weekday night. The portion of the show we saw, was  just incredible. Ronnie Radke put on a great show. He is quite a performer, with tons of expression and personality that he just keeps giving to the audience. Jacky Vincent was just tearing it up on his many solos, but the sound was way too low and he was drowned out by the rest of the band. Really a shame, as some ear piercing, screaming guitar would have been nice. The songs we were able to see them perform before we had to leave were:

  1. Rolling Stone
  2. I’m not a Vampire
  3. Fashionably Late
  4. Champion
  5. Sink or Swim
  6. Goodbye Graceful
  7. Bad Girls Club
  8. Born to Lead
  9. Self Destruct Personality
  10. Good Girls Bad Guys
  11. Tragic Magic
Filed Under: Heavy Metal Tagged With:

Fleetwood Mac – Las Vegas: December 30 2013

December 31, 2013 by 1 Comment

And to think…this was a concert that really fell into place at the last minute. We were able to get great last minute seats through TicketMaster, an awesome room at the MGM Grand and incredible seats on Alaska Airlines down from Seattle to Las Vegas. This concert wasn’t on our schedule, but as we missed the show in Seattle back on May 20th, and I have been dying to see Fleetwood Mac for many years, we just had to come down.

This was their last show of this tour and I have to believe, it must have been one of their best. The venue at the MGM Grand holds about 16,000 people, so it is a fairly large arena, but it was laid out such that I think everyone had a great view of the stage. The sound and video in this arena was far superior than many of the other arenas we have been to over the years. Other than the tiny seats without arm rests, this was an incredible place to sit and enjoy a great concert.

They opened the show at around 8:20 with the song Second Hand News followed by The Chain and Dreams. They played a short set of songs from their Tusk album (including an incredible version of Sarah). Stevie Nicks’ absolutely mesmerizing vocals and Lindsey Buckingham’s masterful guitar playing during the song Landslide was nothing short of amazing. It was so beautiful to see and hear the love that all of these guys have for each other especially Stevie and Lindsey. It’s clear that they continue to inspire each other and perform from their hearts. Mick Fleetwood’s powerful, driving and signature drum style and John McVie’s melodic bass playing add to the sound that so many people have fallen in love with over the past 35 years. They played for nearly two and a half hours which included two encores, leaving the stage at just around 11:00.

This was a great end to an absolutely incredible year of concerts. One more of my all time favorite bands is off my list of must see concerts (although I would see Fleetwood Mac again anytime).

Filed Under: Classic Rock
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