Meatloaf had to be “well done” while performing at Quick Chek Festival of Ballooning at Solberg Airport in NJ on one of the hottest summer days this past Sunday. Dress in black from head-to-toe, the 63 year old singer hit the stage at 4:00 pm with his 7 piece band, including guitarists Paul Crook and Randy Flowers. When most people were looking for shade or dousing themselves with water, Meat was cooking on the sun-drenched stage and rockin’ out.
From the stage at the Mayo Center in Morristown NJ, Wildman Ted Nugent yelled down to the audience “Do I know how to piss people off well?” The crowd answered with a thunderous applause, with a resounding “yes.” Though that statement rings true with regard to Ted’s irreverent political rhetoric and unbridled candor, he’s also known in the Rock n Roll community as an icon and guitar god.
“We are Black Veil Brides and we’ve come to kick your asses” shouted Andy Biersack from the stage at the Vans Warp Tour when the traveling carnival came to Oceanport NJ.
After attending the Monterey Blues Festival for several years running, this was the first year the weather threw me a curve. With the festival held a little over a mile from Monterey Bay, it’s typically cool in the morning, heats up during the day, and cools down again at night. With that scenario in mind I showed up at 11 am wearing only shorts and a T-shirt. It didn’t take long before I was chilled and there weren’t any indications that it was ever going to warm up. It looked like a long, uncomfortable day. Back at the car sat my long pants, extra shirt, and a jacket. A lot of good they were going to do me. The festival only allows in and out privileges to a special few, and I wasn’t one of them this year. Luckily I ran into a friend (who shall remain nameless), who was one of those few. He lent me his special wristband that allowed in-and-out access, and I quickly exited. Even though my Miata was parked on a busy public boulevard, I managed to shimmy into warmer clothes within its tight confines. Warmly dressed, I returned to the festival.
I finally got to see Metallica play after the 18 years it has been since Metallica’s last show in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Rock The Hill, the all day festival, had rain for most of the day during the openers spots, but just before Metallica hit the stage the sky showed the colors of a great evening to come. The all-day event featured Prince Edward Island’s Death Valley Driver, Matt Mays, Protest The Hero, Seether and Coheed and Cambria. who all delivered great performances.
As I’ve already detailed, the festival grounds for Dave Matthews Band Caravan in Chicago left a lot to be desired, including not having to dig wood chips out of my shoes every two minutes. Other complaints were transportation, food and beverage prices (although that’s a constant for every festival ever), sound bleeding, and scheduling, but the lineup is most definitely not on that list.
Milwaukee’s Summerfest is huge. So big it has 11 stages. So gigantic it runs for 11 days. So gargantuan that it is (and Guinness World Records confirms) the world’s largest music festival. Not America’s largest, the entire world. To cover such an event is a challenge, especially considering GI photographer Faraz Chaudry and I could only make two of the eleven festival days, but in those two days we caught a hell of a lot of kick-ass music. While some acts, like the Wildbirds and Me Talk Pretty, disappointed, plenty of others picked up their slack and gave great performances.
Nothing like some down home on the bajou rock to keep things cooking on a hot swampy night at Northern Virginia’s open air venue, the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts in Vienna where Creedence Clearwater Revisited played hit after hit of their former self, Creedence Clearwater Revival. The Revisited cast of performers includes two of the original CCR members, Doug “Cosmo” Clifford (drums) and bassist, Stuart Cook. So, you got the beat and the bass backbone from the ‘60s and ‘70s harnessed to Kurt Griffey on lead guitar, Steve Gunner stationed at his Korg Triton keyboard and the CCR lead vocals by John Tristao, who’s got the grit and the timbre to make the rafters shake.
The line of guitar fanatics waiting to enter The Bitter End on May 11 for the final show of Eric Johnson’s three-night stand stretched two blocks down Bleecker Street. As we filed in to the narrow, wood-paneled room billed as New York’s Oldest Rock Club, flashes popped while fans jostled to snap pics of Eric’s setup – a pair of Fender Vibroverbs, two Marshalls and a simple flat pedal board with a scratched-up Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man, a Boss digital delay, a Crybaby wah and amp switches.
Motley Crue held a press conference at in East Rutherford NJ at Bamboozle 2011 on May 1st to announce their summer headlining tour with Poison and special guest The New York Dolls. Fans can expect a burlesque type stage, seeing Tommy playing a rollercoaster drum set and hearing a fan picked set list. Tommy told the crowd that the coaster is set-up that he can grab a fan out of the crowd and take them on a ride! What the fuck?!
