Entries Tagged 'Concerts' ↓

One of the more disturbing sights at Rockfest

Two years ago it was insanely hot and I got something in my eye.

Last year it rained the whole time I was there and I got so much mud on me I had to go home and change before I could go anywhere else.

This year it was cold.  Not late-December/January cold, but cold enough that I didn’t wear shorts and I had to put on a hoodie. I still wasn’t warm enough. Still, it was the best time I had at Kansas City’s premier gathering of misfits and undesirables, although that isn’t saying a whole lot.

The response time on my phone’s camera stinks, but this delightful pixie had a large knife hidden in her boots.  She was using it to untangle her beads.

Despite this year’s strong lineup I was disappointed in a lot of the performances.  Hinder and Alter Bridge, two of the bands I was really looking forward to, didn’t do anything for me.  The two standouts I saw were Art of Dying and - suprisingly - Papa Roach.  I’ve never been a huge fan of theirs, but Papa Roach put in a solid set and really knew how to work the crowd.  I’ve previously written them off but I’m going to check out some of their stuff beyond what I’ve heard on the radio.

One of the interesting things I noticed this year is that more people were at the second stage.  In previous years the second stage had a small crowd because it featured lesser-known bands. However a lot of the acts put on better sets than those on the main stage.  This year was no exception but the crowd was larger and more into the music than previous years. Another thing is that the organizers did a better job with the food tents.  There were more of them and slightly better quality than previous years.  As usual there was no shortage of beer tents.  I realize that this happens because they sponsor it, but only having Miller and (I think) Coors available really bites.

The weather ended up driving me out before Stone Sour’s set.  I really wanted to see them but spending hours in the cold was beginning to chill me to the bones. Overall I had a pretty good time but I don’t know if the hassle of the drive, parking, and 30 minute hike to the Liberty Memorial is worth it. Unless they book someone spectacular next year or move it to a better venue this may be my last one.

These two young lasses were enjoying their weekend away from finishing school to perform for the crowd in exchange for beads.

In the days leading up to the Ozzy Osbourne concert I wondered which Ozzy I would see - the hapless old man you seem to see everywhere or the dynamic frontman I grew up with.  Turns out I got to see both during his recent show.  The majority of the time he was the Ozzy of old, using the same lines that he’s relied on for the past 30+ years, telling the crowd to go crazy and how much he loved everyone.  There were a few times though where he showed his age and it looked like someone’s grandfather up on stage, bent over and tired.

The set list relied heavily on earlier material with a large selection of songs from Blizzard of Ozz and his days with Black Sabbath.  There were a few suprises like “Shot in the Dark” and “Faries Wear Boots” which were a nice departure from his usual setlist.  Overall the vocals sounded good and Ozzy seemed really into performing.  I’ve admittedly lost my interest in Ozzy since his reality show hit but seeing this show reminded me of why I was a fan in the first place.

The backing back was solid but didn’t blow me away as I had hoped.  I keep hearing a lot of good things about guitarist Gus G but I keep getting the feeling that between his playing on Scream and in concert that he’s being held back and not given a chance to show his talent.  The low point of the show was the guitar solo and drum solo, both of which were way too long.  While both musicans proved their ability with their respective instruments, I got bored with each less than a minute into it.

Slash’s solo band opened the show.  Having Slash on the bill was the deciding factor in my going to the concert but for some reason their performance didn’t connect with me.  I’ve heard so many good things about their show at Harrah’s Voodoo Lounge earlier this year and I’m wondering if their show isn’t better suited for smaller venues instead of large arenas.  They hit the stage ten minutes before the posted show time and played for an hour with a nice setlist with a mix of songs from his solo album, Velvet Revolver, and Guns ‘n’ Roses.  I would definately like to see them again in a more intimate venue to see if there’s any difference.

“This speech is my recital, I think it’s very vital”

Two thirds of the way into Jackyl’s set at the Midland theatre, DMC (of Run-DMC fame) launched into a version of “It’s Tricky” and received the loudest reaction of the night.  For me this was completely unexpected - this was a crowd of die-hard rock fans although the vast majority were around for Run-DMC’s rise in popularity.  The fact that he received such an incredible response shows what an impact Run-DMC made in the music world.  The songs DMC performed with Jackyl (”It’s Tricky”, “Just Like a Negro”, and “Walk This Way”) were the highlight of Wednesday night’s sold-out Jackyl concert at the Midland Theatre.

The rest of Jackyl’s set was solid.  They mixed songs off their new album, such as “My Moonshine Kicks Your Cocaine’s Ass” and “When Moonshine and Dynamite Collide”, with old favorites like “Down on Me” and “I Stand Alone”.  This is a band that has spent a lot of time honing their live show on the road and it shows.  The crowd was completely into it from beginning to end.   

Opening the show was the Nigel Dupree Band featuring the son of Jackyl singer Jessie James Dupree.   They put on a good show back when I saw them open for Cinderalla back in July and the delivered another good set on Wednesday.  The major difference between the two performances was that Nigel Dupree now sounds more like his father than before.  I don’t know if that’s a bad thing or not, just something I noticed.

One of my least favorite concert trends to pop up in the past few years is playing a classic album from start to finish.  I know Iron Maiden and Judas Priest have done it, and recently Megadeth and Slayer went on tour together doing just that.  When I saw Ratt last year they performed Out of the Cellar and it was a let down.  I prefer not to know what songs are coming up in the set - the suprise of what’s coming up next is one of the things that I enjoy.

When I heard that Roger Waters was coming to Kansas City to perform The Wall, I wasn’t interested at all.  I don’t like the whole gimmick of playing an entire album and I saw Roger Waters at Kemper Arena somewhere in the 2000 - 2001 timeframe.  It was a great show and I didn’t feel the need to see him again.

I changed my mind once the reviews of the current tour started coming in.  Every one I read was positive and the show sounded more interesting than a typical concert.  I’m really glad I went - the show was incredible, much better than I thought it would be.

I’m not going to get into details on the show, I don’t want to spoil anything for someone who hasn’t gone.  I don’t go for gimmicky props in a concert, but the use of props on stage (mostly the wall that was partially build before the show and was slowly built onto until the end of the first act) and animations were beyond anything I have seen at a show before.  The whole presentation was great and also made the 30+ year old material feel relevant and fresh.  Even the intermission in the middle felt right for the show although it did run a little too long.

I would say the only negative about the show is that for all the visuals the music - and especially the backup musicians - got pushed to the background a bit.  That’s really a small quibble because the musicians were right on and did a great job.

After the show I started thinking about this one versus his concert here in town several years back.  Both were great and I really think you can’t even compare the two.  One was more of a straightforward concert and was about performing the music and this was more about giving the audience a show.  I’m really glad I went to both and came away from each one with something different.

Seriously, I would recommend this show to anyone with even a passing interest in the material.  There is so much happening that even if you’re not that crazy about the music you would still be entertained.

Out of all the band lumped into the late-80s hair metal genre, Cinderella was probably my favorite unless you count Queensryche.  After a decent initial release they released three great albums that shed their hair metal image and headed more towards a blues-rock sound.  My fond memories of them combined with the fact that they haven’t become an embarassment like a lot of their peers convinced me to go see them at the Midland theatre.

I have to say that for the most part they didn’t disappoint.  They band sounded good and put on a good performance.  Tom Keifer’s voice has lost a little with age, but nothing dramatic.  My main gripe with the show was the setlist.  It leaned heavily on their first album and didn’t contain anything from their last album which was unfortunate since it’s one of their strongest releases:

Second Wind
Push Push
Somebody Save Me
The Last Mile
Night Songs
Bad Seamstress Blues/Fallin’ Apart at the Seams
Heartbreak Station
Coming Home
Shelter Me
Nobody’s Fool
Gypsy Road
-
Don’t Know What You Got
Shake Me

That’s almost half the set devoted to the first album and there are a lot better songs that they could have picked.  I see why they did it though, Night Songs is probably their best seller and the one most people are familiar with.  From what I saw, the crowd was really into the show and almost every song they played.  Nostalgia shows like this are always a roll of the dice but they put on a good show and I’m glad I went.

Going into the concert I had no idea that opener Nigel Dupree was the son of Jackyl’s Jesse James Dupree until someone explained to me that 98.9 had been talking it up leading up to the concert.  I wasn’t sure what to expect but he ended up being one of the best openers I’ve seen in a while.  There wasn’t much of Jackyl’s southern rock influencing his sound but instead he gave a hard rock performance that was solid from beginning to end.  I was really impressed and hope to see him again.

Kansas City’s own Federation of Horsepower didn’t fare as well.  It seems like I’ve always missed their sets whenever they’re on a lineup so this was my first time seeing them.  The band was sloppy - and not in a good way.  The songs sounded like they had potential but the sound was so muddled that their set started to get annoying after just a few songs.  I thought this was the fault of the sound crew but my friend told me that they sound the same way every time he’s seen them so who knows.