September 22, 2006
You know the Prog Power family is expanding when ...
Funny thing happened to me today and I realized...
You know the prog power family is expanding when your co-worker asks you.
"Hey, did you go to prog power last week? because I thought I saw you in the airport on the way home!"
It so happens a co-worker of mine who sits 2 cubicles away from me also went to prog power.
I laughed because while at work I usually stay to myself and never knew this person was into the same music. heh!
Posted by Me at 01:00 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 17, 2006
Back from Progpower VII
Just flew in from Prog Power VII and Boy are my arms tired.
Pics posted in The gallery under Prog Power VII
http://www.cotrone.com/rob/gallery/ProgPowerVII
No Captions yet
More to come later. Thanks to all who called and emailed to say hello.
Posted by Me at 09:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 13, 2006
I made it!! (finally)
I finally made it here in Atlanta. It was a fiasco... (more about that later!) time to party!
I'm in Room 612 at the Marriot Residence Inn 404-745-1160
Posted by Me at 09:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Prog Power VII - Here I come!
I'm off to Prog Power USA VII !!! Seven years of metal! \m/
I should arrive in Atlanta GA approx 6-7pm.
I'll be posting updates to my gallery with pics as I get them online.
http://www.cotrone.com/rob/gallery/ProgPowerVII
Posted by Me at 08:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 02, 2006
Vote for Stride
Seems one of the prog bands has a chance to open up for Bon Jovi.
Good Band, Why not help out, give'em a listen and submit your vote at http://bonjovi.livedaily.com
Posted by Me at 05:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 18, 2006
Nearfest Here I come
After finding out that Riverside and Ozric Tentacles are playing at Nearfest I could not resist and grabbed 2 tickets to this event. I could not believe how fast it sold out. My first pull was 2 tickets in row DD in the balcony. Trying for a better seat downstairs I threw them back.. To my surprise there was nothing around. So I went back up stars and bam.. nothing.. No tickets available. Talk about a fright. LOL! I just kept punching over and over until finally I was able to pull 2 tickets in the freaking last row in the balcony. LOL At least they are dead center.
I'll probably only stay for the first day, But I'm thrilled to be seeing Riverside and Ozric Tentacles
Posted by Me at 11:00 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 19, 2005
Trans Siberian Orchestra
As expected, Trans-Siberian Orchestra Rocked MSG.
For this show we were in section 125 ROW A.
Pretty good seats from my perspective. It provided a new viewing angle then from last years show 8th row on the floor.
Most of the show is similar to last years.
Highlights include the Sound (no earplugs needed this time around), pyrotechnics, lasers (from the new angle) & crowd participation with the cell phone lights. Huh??
During one of the songs Chris Caferti asked everyone to open up thier cell phones and use the screens as lighting (like in the old days with the lighters). During the course of the song you saw a sea of cell phone screens waving back and forth. Very cool and breathtaking.
Another highlight was a guest musician, "Joan Jet" who came out and did her famous I Love Rock -n- Roll. Thereafter she and TSO played on, closing with Christmas Eve in Sarajevo.
Tricia made an intersting observation as to the diversity of the crowd. One moment you see a family with children, another an eldery couple, then a pair of metal heads in leather.
TSO, always a crowd pleaser.
Posted by Me at 11:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 28, 2005
Bon Jovi - NYC - MSG - The Results
Back from the show, and here to report, the show was pretty dam good. Although not my typical show, it was worth exploring. It was a bit more then I expected. I'm not the biggest Jovi fan and only went for a few reasons.
1. Tricia (Who happens to be a fan)
2. I got good seats at a fair price.
3. I've never saw him and figured I might as well check it out once in my life.
I'm happy to report it was an enjoyable show. The choice of songs was good. Jovi puts on an electrifying eneergetic performance as do the other band members. Jovi is very much into is fans and the crowd. He plays up to them alot. (and poses too). The show started with him playing on a mini stage back by the sound board. As he walked up to the front at the end of the songs you see him reaching out and shaking hands with the crowd all the way from the back to the front. As he reaches the front he finds a lady and kisses her. LOL. OK... He often plays out on the remote little outboard stages to the crowd.At one point during the show he played on a mini stage that was 20 feet from our seats. The crowd loves him and he loves the crowd as you see on the closeups of his face.
The stage setup itself was very good for this event. There were was a back drop of lights which acted as a screen at times. At the opener it had text going across. You were able to send a text message from your phone and have it scroll across. An interesting touch to the operner band (of which I do not remember who it was). When Jovi came out the ceiling sort of dropped and covered the band... Then it lifted and slipped behind them. When in position it was one of the best video screens I've seen at these performances. The detail was amazing. You could have been in the back rafters and saw the lines on his face. The stage was set up with a semi-circular front with dual camera's on rolling tracks. This lead to very smooth, interesting camera pans & angles. So although the stage just had the band, the screen and cameras really added alot, you did not miss anything. Every nuance was available to experience. This seemed to make the ticket price that much worth it.
I liked the performance, choice of music, sound and even the crowd. This happened to be the second loudest crowd I ever heard. And this is second to the Led Zeppelin Reunion many years ago. There were times I could barely hear above them. Funny, he did not even have to coax the crowd to scream like Uncle Ozzy does with his "I' can't hear you" gig.
Part of the fun was also watching Tricia bob to the tunes. Alot of times I take her to the Prog shows and she is idle.. This time she actually moved to the groove. ;)
So overall a most enjoyable experience.
Have a Nice Day
http://bonjovi.aeglive.com/
Posted by Me at 11:50 PM | Comments (0)
Bon Jovi - NYC - MSG
I ended up scoring a nice pair of 122's this eve for Bon Jovi Monday 11/28..
I was pretty surprised, I guess everyone is preparing for the holiday season.
I'm in Section 122 Row B if anyone happens to be going.
(I know laugh it up). I figure I might as well see him once in my life.
Posted by Me at 12:13 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
October 29, 2005
Van Helsing's Curse
This eve Tricia and I went to see Van Helsing's Curse. Tricia had suggested it about a week ago thinking I would like it.
I navigated over to Van Helsing's Curse website and after a painful "flash splash" page got to the core.. The music. After first it sounded good, then It sounded great. it seemed more progressive then a normal halloween type music event. Interesting violin overlays and symphonic sound. It intrigued me.
I went to J&R music world thereafter to pick up a CD, they did not have any. Instead I picked up Mike and the Mechanics Greatest Hits and Disturbed Ten Thousand Fists. Eh the prices were right.
I bought tickets at the last possible minute online from clicknprinttickets.com. I've noticed there are a number of ticket alternatives recently. This is a good thing. Someone's gotta combat Ticket Raper. This site had a unique method of allowing you to pinpoint a seat. The service charge was only $3.00 a ticket. Seemed fair enough.
The show was at The Patchogue Theatre For the Performing Arts in Long Island. It's out there, but not totally inaccessible if you drive. It reminds me a bit of the Wintergarden & The Beacon. We had seats all the way in the back in the balcony (by choice) and it was still good enough.
So this is a Dee Snider sponsored event, I thought, Must have some level of quality. Upon starting up I see what I thought was a familiar face.. I lean over to Tricia.. "Key... Is that Mark Wood?" My Excitement grew. After l realized this. This just made the experience 100 times better. Not to put the rest of the excellent musicans down, It's just that I love Mark Wood's playing. (by the way, click on over to Mark Wood's site, you have to see the opening flash presentation. it's a gas).
The intention behind Oculus Infernum is a story (which was is narrated by Snider) with words, sound effects and music. Intentions are to have a traveling stage show complete with live musicians, costumes and special effects. ALA TSO. The basic premise of Oculus Infernum entails some sort of entity that has touched down and is wreaking havoc, a descendant of Van Helsing (of Dracula fame, as if you didn't know) is then brought forth to help put an end to the bloodshed. Frankly, the narration was the weakest part. While I sug Snider's narration and I feel that it lends a thematic feel to the show, it was hard to follow, probably due to the volume of narration compared to the music. We found ourselves paying more attention to the music. I bet if there were some form of acting or play on the stage it would fill out the storyline better. There is always room for growth.
So as the show progressed I switched from observant to participant. The music is Rocking moving metal intermixed with violins, keys, errie chorus and Dee Snider as MC telling a story. Tricia leaned over and said, "Hey, it's like a Halloween version of Trans Siberian Orchestra!" She was right. We missed a bunch of the story, However I picked up a CD and will check it out in more detail. The music itself is wonderful. There are elements of familiarity that seemed to be borrowed yet redone with flair. I heard pieces of Tubular Bells and Black Sabbath's "Black Sabbath" number. The choral arrangements during this number were wonderful.
The CD itself features 10 tracks and as the press release states, features an 18-piece orchestra. Featured tracks include a reworking of such horror classics as the theme to The Omen and the too often reworked Tubular Bells from The Exorcist. In addition,there are quite a few spooky classical pieces on display that have been reworked as well along with Black Sabbath's self titled song, Black Sabbath. Each of the ten tracks blend beautifully together with smooth transitions, and like any well-developed concept album, each track works independently or as a whole.
Posted by Me at 11:45 PM | Comments (0)
October 25, 2005
Jamiroquai - 70's Funk for the New Age
I saw Jamiroquai Live last night. Although I'm not a big fan, the chance presented itself to see them at a fair price so we went.
The show was at the Nokia Theatre on 44th St/7th Ave in Manhattan. It was a rainy nasty eve that just got better and better as the night went on. First off, the Venue reminds me a bit of Earthlink Live (atlhough not the crowd). it has a deeper pit for the state and takes on a few levels, with the back seating in a stadium arrangement.
As we take the long stairs deep down into the concert hall I hear Pink Floyd and think.. Oh this is going to be a fun night ;)
We entered the venue, grab some seats behind he mixing board and begin to listen to the house music.
It gets a little worse when we hear this awful hacking cough behind us, so we get up and move. God knows you don't want to hear that or be gettng coughed on all night.
So later in the eve, some live DJ's come out and start to do it up with Regge. I must say. This is not my thing. In fact I found it a bit annoying and literally went to sleep. It just did not fit and the crowd was barely into it. I was pleased when they finally finished and the house music came back on. This time with a vengence. Pumping newer disco that had the crowd going.. OK, It's warming up in here now!
After a long intro (around 9pm) the Band comes out and the crowd is on fire.
Let me tell you something, When they get pumping, this band Rocks.
Jamiroquai reminds me of the older 70's style funk and fusion, but for a modern age. Many of the sounds, instrumentation, vocals and backup singers all feel of that era, yet it has modern overtones. I kept feeling a bit of Jeff Beck, Jazz, 70s Rock & Fusion. A few things I love about this band. The funk, Strong moving bass lines.. How can you not mov to it, Solid Drumming and Percussion (although at times you could not hear the percussionist), Electric keys to die for. (containing all the classic electric piano sounds mixed in with analog synths of the age). Vocal harmonies that fit and move you.
Jason Kay as a front man is spectacular. He's all over the stage, With a presence that keeps you focused. The crowd loves him and he deserves it. It's a bit funny how his talking voice is one way and his singing voice is another, Yet I found no flaws in either. A spectacular performance.
I loved everything about this show and I think I'm now a fan.
I owned one CD by them (A Funk Odyssey) and now I think I'll own more.
Hmmm...What to get next?
Posted by Me at 10:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 22, 2005
Trans Siberian Orchestra on sale now!
Just opened this am for NYC, Madison square garden.
Picked up a pair of section 125's ROW A
Grab yours if interested.
http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/780815
This show is really a great production.
The light/laser show is breath taking.
Musicianship top quality.
Highly Recommended.
Posted by Me at 11:28 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 20, 2005
Prog Power VI Reviews
The lowdown...
My three words...
CON-CEP-TION!!! (Ok Three syllables).
Onto the reviews.
Pre-Party
- Outworld - Truth be told, I was too busy schmoozing in the back. It's pretty tough. I have not seen these people in a year and there was so much drinking and catching up to do. OK, from what I heard this band is amazing. Patrick mentioned the guy uses an 8 string guitar. Never seen one. He said his fingers are a smokin'. From what I heard, he ain't kidding. Heard some great kez too. I should not have missed it
- Orphaned Land - Acoustic - By this time I had decided to go out and listen. I knew this was a very different type of band. Death metal vox mixed with middle eastern influnces in a prog way. Sounded interesting (except for the vox) I figured, eh, this is going to be an acoustic version, how bad can it be. Well in fact it was dam good. I was almost afraid to like it. Cuz if the electric set the next day was not as good I would surely be let down. The whole acoustic middle eastern influence did it for me. Classy.
- DC Cooper - Acoustic - I knew this would be good. I've seen DC Cooper in a very small club in Pittsburgh. I've seen him with Silent Force in a prior Prog Power. I was sure this was going to be good. And it was. Great Vox, Good sound balance. From what he said, all the musicians were really just winging it. However, they were right on the money until the last song. The final song was a genesis cover. Supposedly it was going to be Mama with some guys from Angra. That did not work out so they did a Peter Gabriel song. This was a bit messy. They had to find the right key, then retun the guitar. it wasn't as clean as I had expected. Franbly, as mentioned, they did not practice it, so I have to give credit where it's due. They did a decent job of it after all the kings were worked out. it's just that all the prior songs were so right on the money I was expecting the same for this. Still enjoyable.
Hey DC.. Take of the sunglasses. It's so impersonal.
- Dreamscape - This was a full electric set. Both Tricia and I stayed out to listen to this. It was well done. High energy. alot of contact with the crowd. It was good to see them in a smaller moer intimate setting. A few people made comments about this being a demotion because they played at the actual prog power event in a prior year, however this did not faze them. They played thier hearts out. In fact they brought demo cd's of the up coming CD and threw them out into the crowd. I ended up with one. You had to see me doing jumping jacdks in the air.. over here!! over here!!! Some guy walking by gave one to Tricia as we were standing there at the shows end. Thanks Mate.
The Main Event - Day 1 (Friday)
- Manticora - RAWWWKK. WOW. I did not expect to like them as much as I did. It was funny having the the CD's and feeling mediocre about it, then seeing it live and getting pumped.. I did run to the vendors table for the latest CD thereafter. Lars... Got Energy? Sheesh, what did you have for breakfast?
- Circus Maximus - Loved it. This was my first hearing. (as some may know I've been on a lay off). Great stuff! Loved the harmonies and sound. That seems to get me every time.
- Orphaned Land - The jury is still out on this for me. Again first "electric" hearing. Love the middle eastern influences, hated the screaming vox, loved the clean singing. Guess you can not have it all. Someone gave me a hint as to the nature of vocal transition. Teri & Jim recommended the double CD set and even sported me a copy. I'll give it an honest couple spins and determine more later.
Loved the acoustic set at the pre-party. - Conception - So Glenn was able to have the band reform (after many years) just to play Prog Power... How cool is that? Jeeze. it just blew me away. I could not have been more pleased. Well Actually. I was thrilled to see these two hands on the monitor and this "visor" wigging out... Then to see it was the boss man (Glen) himself! The performance was stunning, Choice of songs excellent. Khan's smooth vocals always impress. Tory's guitar work on target, top notch and to the tee (for me). They were able to capture many of the nuances in sound I had grown to love. I felt no wrong here and was in my glory. Phew. cleanup.. Row 3! Glenn I think you outdid yourself!
- Angra - Not initally thrilled to see them. I guess second sightings are not as exciting as the first. In addition, someone had to knock me off the conception cloud. In all fairness, angra did a great job. Although I had barely enough steam, they seemed to muster more out of me, I stayed, banged and enjoyed. Playing was as I expected and loved the percussion piece. I heard many comments about the vocals, but to me I did not have an issue with it. I was wondering if placement or the mix had something to do with it.
The Main Event - Day 2 (Saturday)
- Stride - one word.. WOW! I loved them too. Although I felt a bit partial towards the instrumentals, I liked what was performed. Last year someone mentioned to me, don't worry, you will like the singer.. and I did. Loved the touch of polaroids crowd shots, then sharing them with a toss into the crowd. heh free shirts too! The Rush cover was done well.
- Symphorce - Oh My Gawd - That fricken wall of guitar sound! The forceful drums and one of our favorite front men! This totally rocked. I was wishing for more the second they stopped playing. Impressive. A highlight for me!
- Pink Cream 69 - This was another I was not thrilled about. Then again, I've never seen them, so why forgo the chance. besides, they had to get past my symphorce sweat. After about 2 songs the light went on and I thought. Oh that's why I like these guys. The vocal harmonies. I thoroughly enjoyed this set. I was wishing there was a little more to the drum work. For what PC69 is... It's dam good. Hey.. Anyone know the story about the name? I'v e heard some pretty odd rumors.. ;-)
- Therion - An anticipated highlight, that did not disappoint. wow.. Another wall of sound effect. The vocal operatic choir/harmonies went over well (in my book) I know some did not appreciate them much, but this is what grabbed me from them. Wall of sound guitars, mixture of vox, choirs. I did not think they were going to pull it off, yet they did! and raised it up a notch or two.
- Stratovarious - I had ideas of what to expect here. They met them, some to the positive, some to the negative, but what I expected. As interesting as the opening was, It was a bit too long (IMO) (jeeze I can't remember who elses opening was painfully long.. go figure). Again, I had last band syndrome here and ran out of steam. I was able to feed off some fellow proggers who gladly contributed (Thanks Kyle, Jeremy, Rod & Ken). Still, Stratovarious wore me thin. Too much sameness for me. The 6 songs I really love, sounded great. Performance top notch, the rest.. it was hard to keep my eyes open. Part of this was also due to the mix. I felt it was painfully loud and seemed to blur it all out. Again, this could be listening position, but even with earplugs alot was lost. a few DB lower and I think i would have enjoyed it more. It would be hard for me to go out and seem them perform again. BTW, not that I'm into solos, I did love the bass solo.
Posted by Me at 10:30 PM | Comments (1)
September 19, 2005
Back From Prog Power VI
Just flew in from Prog power.. and boy are my arms tired. LOL.
Actually this was the return trip from hell.
The marta was seriously a pain this morning. Tricia got major motion sickness from the lousy handling at portions of the ride.
Hope the rest of you got my warning. I called the Hotel to tell anyone taking the marta it was not running well and might be a long, rough ride due to track work.
To top it off.. We just made the plane, Phew...
Flew in to NY safely, fairly event free with time to spare.
Only thing is.. Our luggage didn't make it..
We filled out all the forms then decided to wait for the next flight.
Lo and behold there was our luggage.
Finally after a train ride, get to the car, pack it up...
She's dead Jim... Holy shit, so dead, none of the lights worked.
Imagine a field of cards in long term parking.. not a soul around..
Then there in the distance..
one lonely car with lights..
I run towards it heh..
Got a jump and on our way..
Sat by the pizza parlor (with the car running to juice it back up).
So home we are.. and now I feel ill..
Called my friend, gave him the symptoms...
he says "Think you got Post Progpower depression my friend".
Jeeze. when will it end..
He says.. "probably next year. when you get your next dose!"
"What's the remedy" I ask...
He said.. "Type it out... vent... shout out to all your buddies. it will make you feel better."
Band Reviews are in another entry.
Highlights:
Hanging with y'all
CON-CEP-TION
Symphorce
Therion
Stride
Lowlights:
Turbulence (yet probably nothing compared to our fellow proggers who flew last year in the hurricane).
My trip home from hell.
Saying good bye.. I miss y'all already ;)
Kudos:
Glenn, you freaking rawk...
As I said.. When the "pre" pre-party is that crowded.. You're doing sonething right.
Thank you for all your hard work.
Shane, Excellent Pre-party show. Enjoyed every minute of it.
Nice touch by doing the acoustic sets.
The Stage Crew, you guys rawk too! Without you, shit just would not happen, you make it all come together.. I wish Glenn would post pics of y'all on the site too. You deserve it. thank you for hard work!
The Bands.. That's why we come!
Shoutouts:
Teri & Jim, thanks for being such great friends and helping me get back up to speed from my hiatus.
Ken Golden, The End Records, Century media, Nightmare records: For being patient with my silly questions. heh.
Kyle and Rod, for throwing a cool party.
Dr_metal: Chimay rules ya got me hooked!
Alex: For giving me a "different perspective" and "food for thought".
The Breakfast Club:
Teri, Jim, Coldie, Scott, Jamie, Tracy, Leesh, Kim, Patrick, Karin, Kyle, Kez, Alex, Mosquito, Sarah, Jeremy, Christina and any one else I may have missed. It sure helps fire up my day.
Shrike: For bringing the "whole family"!
Patrick & Karin you guys always excite me to hang out even for a short while.
Krusty: ya lost the hair and the yell ?
Chris F5.. I counted, There still are 5 of you running around..
Aki, you fly all that distance to hang with us.. I admire that!
Ken Luther, always great to see you man.
Ralf, for inspiring me with that awesome game machine set up.. I may break down and rebuild my game machine now.
Mosquito, for being thrifty and having no beefs about it!
MitchG, Loved the shirt!
Bear, whats a progpower with out a bear hug!
Zilla, Our voice of Prog power, I wish they would stop closing the curtain on you! hahahaha!
Paul, thanks for the intermission tunage and announcing them. It helps when you hit upon something we've not heard.
Jeff, My new friend, heh, every year I meet a few more and appreciate every one I meet.
Russ.. when the hell are we going to meet up man!! heh!
Packgrog, I missed you man! It just did not feel the same without hearing you tell me how much something sucked! BTW, I picked up a progpower bag and DVD for you man. email me.
and of course my lady Tricia, who puts up with me keeping her up late, subjecting her to loud music for hours on end, then waking her up at 7am to shmooze with the breakfast club.
Mugs up to Corset night..
So.. what'll it be next year?
Phew, Ok, it's late, I'm tired, babbling and missing the thrill of progpower.
Time for bed.
I'll have pics up soon,
Doc was right.. type it out.. I feel better now.
ahh
Hope I can sleep.
L8r all.
Posted by Me at 10:00 PM | Comments (2)
September 14, 2005
We're Off to Prog Power USA VI
We're Off today heading out to The annual Prog Power Festival for 3 days of metal mayhem with 3,000 of my cohorts from the Prog Metal community.
Click the banner link to learn more!
Not only is it a metal festival, but it also tends to be a highly social event.
This will be my fifth year hanging with everyone from this community.
For those interested here are some links.
seismicradio.com An Internet Radio Station With Live DJ's and Live Chat!
PM Classic A Music ONLY classic form of the message board.
The Pub where almost anything goes
Prog Power USA forum
www.ultimatemetal.comOther Metal Forums for Music in this Genre
HardnHeavy.Com A Place to purchase this music with a Personal Touch!
Posted by Me at 06:45 AM | Comments (0)
September 02, 2005
Prog Power USA VI Here we come
Just finished booking my annual pilgramage to Prog Power 6 in Atlanta GA.
I'll be getting to hang out with this lovely bunch of coconuts.
We'll be leaving Sep 14th and coming back Sep 18th.
Ahhh, something to look forward to at the end of the summer.
Posted by Me at 02:28 PM | Comments (0)
August 17, 2005
Motley Crue's Performance
A beautiful summers night, minimal humidty, optiumum comfort and temperature.
The Show Rocked. 
Overall the show was a 6.5 out of 10.
This was a show sort of geard more for guys.
Doubt I will go again. Once was enough ;)
See the extended entry for more detail
High Points
Band was tight and on the money
Side performances were pretty good aside from the lewdness.
Cartoon was funny.
Stage Setup was good.
Pyrotechnics good.
They played good early tunes
Low Points.
"C'mon you fuckers" I really got tired of that.
Titty Cam. Was this really needed?
Lewedness of the performers. Joe would have loved it.
Crowd did not seem as electrified as I would have expected.
Friends Met
Mick, Avril, Sabrina, Jean, Victor.
So after many years after seeing Motley Crue open for Ozzy, I got to see them do thier own show. An interesting reunion show. It was more electrified then I had remembered in the past. The band performed well, Electrified would be my word. They seemed genuinely excited to play Jones beach. Although Tricia made a comment that it seemed put on. The capacity crowd on the other hand was less electrified then I have seen for other concerts. Tommy Lee had to keep on coaxing the crowd to scream out.
The stage setup was interesting. They had a circus tent curtain in front of the band before opening and one in back of the band. The concert had a Circus, carnival feel to it with the additional people performing. There was a "small person" along with 3 leather clad ladies. They each had performances sometimes along with the show, other times just as side shows. Some of the acts were a bit lewd, others were interesting. The ladies (in stripper getup) did various dances and acrobatics on the ladders, chains and a big ring. Reminded me a bit of Circque Du Soliel. During one of the songs they also performed in outfits resembling that of side show perfrmers. One on stilts, the other doing various fire twirling and breathing.
For a pre-show opener they had a claymation type cartoon with the band members talking about a gig. A news cast is overheard where a planatoid is heading to the earth and it will destroy the earth. It was funny to an extent where the band members are contemplating the last gig of the earth show. heh. Complete with facets each members personality, the characters make you laugh at the Rock Metal glam band antics.
They opened up with Shout at the Devil, but yet with a tempo just a little too fast for my taste. I've always liked that song, but not at that tempo. They played a number of songs from Shout at the Devil and Too Fast For Love. This was quite a thrill for me as it is my favorite era. I sort of lost touch with them after Shout at the Devil. Dunno why. Other songs, (that I can rememeber)
Looks that kill
Red Hot
Ten Seconds To Love
Live Wire
Too Fast For Love
Louder Then Hell
They had a pyrotechnic show that rivaled Kiss. Sometimes even a little better. More flames, More sparks, More explosions. Done very well.
The bands performance was on the money. Sometimes better then I had remembered. Mick Mars seemed better then ever. Well after all he should, they've been playing for a long time. Vince Neil's voice was right on and as I had always remembered. It struck me odd after seeing him on The Surreal Life. His voice on the surreal life is deeper and more low key, then hearing him sing in a higher ket made it seem odd. Yet still, was as it always was. Nicki Six was good, Tommy Lee, although never my favorite did well too. I woudl give the band a 6.5 out of 10. not a bad rating, they just did not quite do it for me or too much of the crowd (unless coaxed).
Each member did an interesting solo. Solo's of the 80's always seemed to be just a waste or show off point. As musical tastes of mine have matured I respect the solo's less and less. I found some of these to be pretty interesting at parts. Bands these days are encompassing solo's with other instrumetal parts to augment the sound and this did well for Nikki Six and Tommy Lee. At first I did not even realize it was a Nikki Six solo. It was fun as he encompassed himself in sparks and washes of synthesized sound. Tommy Lee's solo was intersting too. Although not a technical display of genious, it was fun. Tommy also encompassed other instruments into his solo which made it all the more interesting. Later in the solo he was hooked up to aire and flown into the air. At the top of the left side of the venue was a plaform with all sorts of percussive instruments. On he went to solo up there. Boom explosion.. He flys to the right side onto another platform. More instruments (with synthesized accompanyment) I liked this side ;). Boom over to the other side. More bell like percussion.
then later on down to the stage as he cheers the crowd on "C'mon you fuckers". OK Enough of that.. Not something I enjoyed. So then he brings out the titty cam. Wait what is this.. Tommy Lee coaxes the ladies near the front to lift up thier shirts for the guys and shows it on the big screen. I was surprised how many woman did it. Tommy Lee cheers.. "C'mon guys.. help me out". Not my favorite moments.
Posted by Me at 09:28 AM | Comments (0)
August 16, 2005
Motley Crue
I'm heading to Motley Crue With Tricia at Jones Beach Theatre tonight.
If you attend, I park in section R.
Should be a cool show, I have not see this band in many years.
Last time I saw them they opened for Ozzy in the early 80s.
I'm getting chills thinking about it.
Posted by Me at 07:00 AM | Comments (0)