Jackyl / Mass at Showcase Live in Foxboro June 10th
Got to the venue around 6PM, first band came on at 8PM, so hung out by the bar for the first 2 hours. MASS was there hanging out, so got to talk with them. Friend that met me there ate one of my chicken fingers and thanked me by puking all over the place (just missed me)
Venue holds 1000 people, only about 150 were there. very empty
Mass - been around since 1984, first time i've heard them live. pretty damn good. they are a cross between 80's hair metal and 80's power metal (combine Savatage with Stryper and they would sound similar). Played about 45 minutes. Dont know any of the names of their songs, but they did a pretty cool cover of Zeppelin's Kashmir. 7/10
Jackyl - Played a 2 hour high energy set. Went past venue curfew, but didnt care. Highlights of the set included DMC from Run DMC on the stage to do the songs Like a Negro, Tricky and Walk This Way, and of course the chainsaw solo. Dont know their whole set, but they did play I Stand Alone, Down on Me, Dirty Little Mind, When will it Rain, Redneck Punk, Push Comes to Shove, and ended with the encore of She Loves My Cock and The Lumberjack. He wasn't allowed to chainsaw anything, so he went backstage and destroyed a barstool to rip it apart and throw it to the crowd. They did a signing afterwards, but i didnt stay for it. 8/10
WITH DAGGERS DRAWN - not a huge fan of their stuff but had a nice show. they were having fun up on stage and the lead singer was pretty damn funny. i met ed (the bassist) and max (lead singer). max was kind of dismissive when i was trying to talk to him but he was probably pretty wasted cause he told me he was drinkin' beer all day before their set and had like 8 captain and cokes after their set. ed on the other hand was nice as hell. very cool guy and very friendly.
ONE-EYED DOLL - WOW. they were a f-u-c-k-i-n-g BLAST. kim (singer/guitarist) was so damn funny up on stage. their show was just awesome. she was moshing in the crowd while playing guitar. and at the end of their set kim ran back into the crowd, gave her guitar to someone then ran back up on stage and leaped into the drum set while Junior (the drummer) was still sitting there lol. i met both kim and junior (there the only 2 in the band). both were really cool people. i got a couple things signed by them and i also got one of kim's guitar picks \m/
SISTER SIN - amazing. i was very impressed with their show. didnt get to meet any of them though. i have some pics from their set, i'll post them later.
BLACKGUARD - fuck yeah! them dudes are awesome. great show. at one point the singer wanted everyone to chant "HEY!-HEY!" and he was holding the mic to the crowd and i motioned for him to give me the mic so i could yell into it and he handed it to me and i started yelling "HEY!-HEY!" into the mic. he let me have it for like 10 seconds then started laughing and then asked for it back. that was pretty badass \m/ i also got one of blackguard's guitar picks. unfortunately i didnt get to meet any of them though. they seemed like really cool guys.
DESTROPHY - pretty good. no complaints here.
OTEP - they are currently my favorite band on this tour but from an objective point of view....they were probably the worst band there. i mean the show itself was cool but the sound was pretty bad. the instruments were much louder then the microphone. i could barely hear that chick do her vocals.
i had a great time though. and i would highly reccommend seeing One-Eyed Doll even if you're not a fan of their music. their show was that much fun. FYI, if anyone does see them and Kim asks for a male volunteer.....DO IT! volunteer your ass :-))
"That's another thing I love about metal, it's so fuckin' huge yet certain people don't even know it exists." - Rob Zombie
SISTER SIN - amazing. i was very impressed with their show. didnt get to meet any of them though. i have some pics from their set, i'll post them later.
SISTER SIN - amazing. i was very impressed with their show. didnt get to meet any of them though. i have some pics from their set, i'll post them later.
Love this band! \m/
same here. i saw the singer standing at their merch booth and i wanted to go shoot the breeze with her for a little bit but i didnt have any intentions of buying anything cause i was short on cash and i woulda felt kinda bad walkin' up to their merch booth just to talk to her and not buy anything. maybe next time i'll get to bs with them.
"That's another thing I love about metal, it's so fuckin' huge yet certain people don't even know it exists." - Rob Zombie
As was the case for my last concert, Bob Seger, this show featured a band that had not toured the States in 4 years. The tour was announced in February, but I didn't find out about it until April, when I went to see STP at the Fillmore Detroit next door. Even then, my initial reaction wasn't "I MUST see Deep Purple!", it was, "Cool....maybe I'll check it out." The closer the date got, though, I realized this was another band that probably won't be around for much longer, as it seems they have little to no desire to record new material. So, with that, I went out to buy my ticket last week, expecting to get away with a cheap balcony ticket. I was shocked when I found that I could get a seat as close as the 7th row, but it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. Once I bought the ticket, my excitement for the show mounted. Adding to the intrigue of the show was the fact that they would be accompanied by a live orchestra, bringing me visions of Metallica's S&M album.
I parked in the Fox Theatre parking garage almost right at 7:30 pm, the time the ticket indicated the show was to begin. Sure enough, once I got to the entrance and made my way to my seat, music was already being played on the stage.
Ernie and the Automatics - A blues rock band from Massachusetts. Their main selling point is that one of their guitarists, Barry Goudreau, and their drummer, Sib Hashian, are two members of the classic Boston lineup that wrote the legendary self-titled debut and the follow-up, Don't Look Back. While I could hear a little bit of Boston in the mix of keyboards and guitar, there wasn't much of a resemblance between this band's sound and Boston. This band's sound was much more bluesy, and while probably just as straightforward, it lacked the hooks of Boston's early work....not that many classic rock albums can compare to those anyway, but I digress. Overall, they were a pretty solid opening act. They came out and played some nice original tunes that featured pretty decent grooves. Also working in their favor was the excellent playing of their saxophonist, who stuck out in a good way every time he played, the highlight being a nice little solo in between a couple songs that showcased his pretty awesome range. Nothing felt like something I hadn't heard before, but the musicianship was pretty good and they made a good effort to interact with the crowd and get them excited. Their last "song" was a Boston compilation, where they played a medley of More Than A Feeling, Rock and Roll Band, Foreplay/Long Time, and Smokin'. It was by far the best part of their set, and though I didn't realize it then, but that may be the closest I get to hearing the actual band playing it, since I haven't heard anything from them in ages. Anyway, they were nothing too memorable, but I enjoyed watching them. 6/10
Deep Purple - A little after 8:30, the lights dimmed, and the orchestra played a nice little intro as the band came out and leaped right into one of their biggest hits, Highway Star. With its groovy verses and the infectious chorus, the song is tailor-made to be a set opener. I hadn't heard how vocalist Ian Gillan sounded live prior to the concert, so it took me a little bit to get used to his voice, especially when he tried to go high in the chorus with moderate success. Nevertheless, the fact that he could do it was pretty impressive, and the song itself was executed flawlessly, from the keyboard solo to the guitar solo. The quality musicianship would be a common theme for every single song the band executed on this night, starting with the guitar player, Steve Morse. A look-alike of Iron Maiden's Janick Gers, he was simply outstanding, handling all of Ritchie Blackmore's riffs and solos with ease and making the most of his many opportunities to offer up his own style, such as Contact Lost and the guitar solo right before When A Blind Man Cries, where he produced probably the most unique guitar sounds that I have heard from anyone not named Tom Morello. It was completely original to me and I loved it. The Well Dressed Guitar was another example of Morse's virtuosity. Don Airey, who replaced the legendary Jon Lord in 2002, did not disappoint and produced a keyboard solo that would give Dream Theater's Jordan Rudess a run for his money while mixing in classic organ tunes that everyone knew how to sing along to. His keyboard solo on Hard Lovin' Man was an excellent piece of improvisational work as well. Then there were the three members of the band that were part of the classic lineup. Roger Glover didn't have any standout parts as far as the music was concerned, but he was the most energetic member of the band, smiling and laughing throughout the set. Occasionally, he would go up next to Morse and they would imitate the famous Judas Priest double guitar move. Glover did get his chance to shine in the encore right before their final song, however. Ian Paice, the only original member, was also unspectacular compared to his flashier counterparts Morse and Airey, but his style of playing was simple and effective and fit what the rest of the band was doing. Finally, there was Gillan, who was somewhat inconsistent when trying to go high at first, but really, unless your name is Bruce Dickinson or Rob Halford, anybody at that age is going to have some trouble. After the first couple songs, his highs were very good, and the rest of his vocal range was great all night. The setlist overall was nearly perfect, with the band hitting every song I wanted to hear and including some very nice other choices as well. Every song they played off their Machine Head album was a highlight, which included not only their megahits Smoke On The Water and Highway Star, but deeper cuts such as When A Blind Man Cries, Lazy, and Maybe I'm A Leo. Strange Kind of Woman, Knocking At Your Back Door, and Perfect Strangers also stood out, but the great thing about this show was every song had something memorable in it. There was not one dud in the setlist. Finally, the orchestra turned out to be the most inconsistent part of the show. It's not that they played badly, but there were many points during the show that their sound was drowned out by the band. There were points where I was really trying to hear the orchestra and just couldn't. While that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as the band was outstanding on its own, I wish it was utilized a bit more. Even when the conductor played a violin solo, the sound was drowned out, which was a shame because he was playing his ass off. However, when the orchestra did get through, it made the great sound even better. Some of the band's parts were accentuated by the orchestra, while other times the orchestra just made the texture richer and the sound fuller. Examples of songs where the orchestra worked really well would be Highway Star, Smoke On The Water, The Well Dressed Guitar, and Hush. In spite of that minor complaint, I was completely satisfied with the performance and very happy that I ultimately made the decision to go. I hope this isn't the last of Deep Purple, but if it is, they left a great impression on me. 9.5/10
Setlist:
Highway Star Hard Lovin' Man Maybe I'm a Leo Strange Kind of Woman Rapture of the Deep Woman From Tokyo Contact Lost Guitar Solo When a Blind Man Cries The Well Dressed Guitar Knocking at Your Back Door Lazy No One Came Keyboard Solo Perfect Strangers Space Truckin' Smoke on the Water ---------------------------- Hush (Billy Joe Royal cover) Bass Solo Black Night
actually Ernie and the Automatics biggest selling point is their multi million dollar rhythem guitarist Ernie Boch, who owns a crapload of car dealerships all over new england. Thus the car repair outfits they all wear....and their name
When i saw them live i liked them enough to buy their CD. their original stuff is a lot better than their Boston covers. not saying their songs are better than Boston, just their covers are not as good as their original songs
As was the case for my last concert, Bob Seger, this show featured a band that had not toured the States in 4 years. The tour was announced in February, but I didn't find out about it until April, when I went to see STP at the Fillmore Detroit next door. Even then, my initial reaction wasn't "I MUST see Deep Purple!", it was, "Cool....maybe I'll check it out." The closer the date got, though, I realized this was another band that probably won't be around for much longer, as it seems they have little to no desire to record new material. So, with that, I went out to buy my ticket last week, expecting to get away with a cheap balcony ticket. I was shocked when I found that I could get a seat as close as the 7th row, but it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. Once I bought the ticket, my excitement for the show mounted. Adding to the intrigue of the show was the fact that they would be accompanied by a live orchestra, bringing me visions of Metallica's S&M album.
I parked in the Fox Theatre parking garage almost right at 7:30 pm, the time the ticket indicated the show was to begin. Sure enough, once I got to the entrance and made my way to my seat, music was already being played on the stage.
Ernie and the Automatics - A blues rock band from Massachusetts. Their main selling point is that one of their guitarists, Barry Goudreau, and their drummer, Sib Hashian, are two members of the classic Boston lineup that wrote the legendary self-titled debut and the follow-up, Don't Look Back. While I could hear a little bit of Boston in the mix of keyboards and guitar, there wasn't much of a resemblance between this band's sound and Boston. This band's sound was much more bluesy, and while probably just as straightforward, it lacked the hooks of Boston's early work....not that many classic rock albums can compare to those anyway, but I digress. Overall, they were a pretty solid opening act. They came out and played some nice original tunes that featured pretty decent grooves. Also working in their favor was the excellent playing of their saxophonist, who stuck out in a good way every time he played, the highlight being a nice little solo in between a couple songs that showcased his pretty awesome range. Nothing felt like something I hadn't heard before, but the musicianship was pretty good and they made a good effort to interact with the crowd and get them excited. Their last "song" was a Boston compilation, where they played a medley of More Than A Feeling, Rock and Roll Band, Foreplay/Long Time, and Smokin'. It was by far the best part of their set, and though I didn't realize it then, but that may be the closest I get to hearing the actual band playing it, since I haven't heard anything from them in ages. Anyway, they were nothing too memorable, but I enjoyed watching them. 6/10
Deep Purple - A little after 8:30, the lights dimmed, and the orchestra played a nice little intro as the band came out and leaped right into one of their biggest hits, Highway Star. With its groovy verses and the infectious chorus, the song is tailor-made to be a set opener. I hadn't heard how vocalist Ian Gillan sounded live prior to the concert, so it took me a little bit to get used to his voice, especially when he tried to go high in the chorus with moderate success. Nevertheless, the fact that he could do it was pretty impressive, and the song itself was executed flawlessly, from the keyboard solo to the guitar solo. The quality musicianship would be a common theme for every single song the band executed on this night, starting with the guitar player, Steve Morse. A look-alike of Iron Maiden's Janick Gers, he was simply outstanding, handling all of Ritchie Blackmore's riffs and solos with ease and making the most of his many opportunities to offer up his own style, such as Contact Lost and the guitar solo right before When A Blind Man Cries, where he produced probably the most unique guitar sounds that I have heard from anyone not named Tom Morello. It was completely original to me and I loved it. The Well Dressed Guitar was another example of Morse's virtuosity. Don Airey, who replaced the legendary Jon Lord in 2002, did not disappoint and produced a keyboard solo that would give Dream Theater's Jordan Rudess a run for his money while mixing in classic organ tunes that everyone knew how to sing along to. His keyboard solo on Hard Lovin' Man was an excellent piece of improvisational work as well. Then there were the three members of the band that were part of the classic lineup. Roger Glover didn't have any standout parts as far as the music was concerned, but he was the most energetic member of the band, smiling and laughing throughout the set. Occasionally, he would go up next to Morse and they would imitate the famous Judas Priest double guitar move. Glover did get his chance to shine in the encore right before their final song, however. Ian Paice, the only original member, was also unspectacular compared to his flashier counterparts Morse and Airey, but his style of playing was simple and effective and fit what the rest of the band was doing. Finally, there was Gillan, who was somewhat inconsistent when trying to go high at first, but really, unless your name is Bruce Dickinson or Rob Halford, anybody at that age is going to have some trouble. After the first couple songs, his highs were very good, and the rest of his vocal range was great all night. The setlist overall was nearly perfect, with the band hitting every song I wanted to hear and including some very nice other choices as well. Every song they played off their Machine Head album was a highlight, which included not only their megahits Smoke On The Water and Highway Star, but deeper cuts such as When A Blind Man Cries, Lazy, and Maybe I'm A Leo. Strange Kind of Woman, Knocking At Your Back Door, and Perfect Strangers also stood out, but the great thing about this show was every song had something memorable in it. There was not one dud in the setlist. Finally, the orchestra turned out to be the most inconsistent part of the show. It's not that they played badly, but there were many points during the show that their sound was drowned out by the band. There were points where I was really trying to hear the orchestra and just couldn't. While that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as the band was outstanding on its own, I wish it was utilized a bit more. Even when the conductor played a violin solo, the sound was drowned out, which was a shame because he was playing his ass off. However, when the orchestra did get through, it made the great sound even better. Some of the band's parts were accentuated by the orchestra, while other times the orchestra just made the texture richer and the sound fuller. Examples of songs where the orchestra worked really well would be Highway Star, Smoke On The Water, The Well Dressed Guitar, and Hush. In spite of that minor complaint, I was completely satisfied with the performance and very happy that I ultimately made the decision to go. I hope this isn't the last of Deep Purple, but if it is, they left a great impression on me. 9.5/10
Setlist:
Highway Star Hard Lovin' Man Maybe I'm a Leo Strange Kind of Woman Rapture of the Deep Woman From Tokyo Contact Lost Guitar Solo When a Blind Man Cries The Well Dressed Guitar Knocking at Your Back Door Lazy No One Came Keyboard Solo Perfect Strangers Space Truckin' Smoke on the Water ---------------------------- Hush (Billy Joe Royal cover) Bass Solo Black Night
nice!! \m/ seeing them this saturday in concord. no orchestra tho, which is kinda dissapointing, but to compensate we have Joe Satriani opening \m/ so it balances out... then seeing rush the next day lol
actually Ernie and the Automatics biggest selling point is their multi million dollar rhythem guitarist Ernie Boch, who owns a crapload of car dealerships all over new england. Thus the car repair outfits they all wear....and their name
When i saw them live i liked them enough to buy their CD. their original stuff is a lot better than their Boston covers. not saying their songs are better than Boston, just their covers are not as good as their original songs
If you don't live in Massachusetts, you're not going to know about the car dealerships....lol.
WITH DAGGERS DRAWN - not a huge fan of their stuff but had a nice show. they were having fun up on stage and the lead singer was pretty damn funny. i met ed (the bassist) and max (lead singer). max was kind of dismissive when i was trying to talk to him but he was probably pretty wasted cause he told me he was drinkin' beer all day before their set and had like 8 captain and cokes after their set. ed on the other hand was nice as hell. very cool guy and very friendly.
ONE-EYED DOLL - WOW. they were a f-u-c-k-i-n-g BLAST. kim (singer/guitarist) was so damn funny up on stage. their show was just awesome. she was moshing in the crowd while playing guitar. and at the end of their set kim ran back into the crowd, gave her guitar to someone then ran back up on stage and leaped into the drum set while Junior (the drummer) was still sitting there lol. i met both kim and junior (there the only 2 in the band). both were really cool people. i got a couple things signed by them and i also got one of kim's guitar picks \m/
SISTER SIN - amazing. i was very impressed with their show. didnt get to meet any of them though. i have some pics from their set, i'll post them later.
BLACKGUARD - fuck yeah! them dudes are awesome. great show. at one point the singer wanted everyone to chant "HEY!-HEY!" and he was holding the mic to the crowd and i motioned for him to give me the mic so i could yell into it and he handed it to me and i started yelling "HEY!-HEY!" into the mic. he let me have it for like 10 seconds then started laughing and then asked for it back. that was pretty badass \m/ i also got one of blackguard's guitar picks. unfortunately i didnt get to meet any of them though. they seemed like really cool guys.
DESTROPHY - pretty good. no complaints here.
OTEP - they are currently my favorite band on this tour but from an objective point of view....they were probably the worst band there. i mean the show itself was cool but the sound was pretty bad. the instruments were much louder then the microphone. i could barely hear that chick do her vocals.
i had a great time though. and i would highly reccommend seeing One-Eyed Doll even if you're not a fan of their music. their show was that much fun. FYI, if anyone does see them and Kim asks for a male volunteer.....DO IT! volunteer your ass :-))
great review and spot on for the most part. At my venue (the Quarter in Bourbon Street in Baltimore) had great sound for Otep, my only complaint is that their set was too short (about 55 minutes) and no Ghostflower. And yes, One Eyed Doll was a fucking trip. For a band im sure most in the crowd had never heard of, everyone was into them and the antics. Destrophy bored the shit out of me. It was like a mix between breaking benjamin, and five finger death punch pics i took at the show http://twitpic.com/5e4d77 (far right hand side up top, you can scroll through them
Okay I'm going to be as brief as I can since there were so many groups that I saw. It was a really fun show and I'm kinda disappointed that it's over but hey, always have Mayhem Fest to look forward to! I also ran into Kyle (LAX) right before the last band was going to go on the Advent Stage so that was pretty sweet. I'm going to go in the order that I saw the bands.
FYI I am not giving out scores to any of the bands either due to the fact that being outdoors didn't do any of the groups any justice:
It Boys! - Opened up the show for me and had a party-rock-ish sound. I think I'll enjoy their stuff on album but I have yet to look them up. I will be soon though.
Attack Attack! - Pretty awful set. I like them but their singer couldn't sing at all and none of the members knew how to play their instruments. They kept apologizing for playing so poorly so I'll let it slide. Still enjoyed them.
Unwritten Law - Watched them while sitting in one of the seats at the big stage that they split in two stages so I didn't really get a great taste of them. Pretty typical rock band that sounded good for what I could hear. Might check them out at some point.
I Set My Friends On Fire - Weird ass band. Loved the set though but it's not for everyone. Bought a shirt from them too. :-bd
Simple Plan - Never listened to them before Warped but I knew who they were. One of the best performances I saw all day and I loved just about every song they played. Very energetic pop-punk sound that the crowd was really into.
Woe, Is Me - Finally got to see this band live and I loved it. Really good sound and stage presence for a band that hasn't been around very long. Oh and they did a cover of "Hot N Cold".
3OH!3 - I didn't hate them, and I was fully expecting to. Pretty catchy stuff that would come off a lot better indoors instead of 3 pm in the Texas heat.
Big Chocolate - Dubstep artist with some great stuff. It was a nice change that's for sure. If you're into electronic music I'd look him up.
Miss May I - Got to catch half of their set and liked what I saw. Second time seeing them so it wasn't much of a change other than their cover of "Swing". Good set from what I saw though.
GREEN JELLY - Holy shit I couldn't believe it. They made an unannounced performance under a small tent with only like 15 people watching, not even a stage to work on either. Best band of the day by far, words simply cannot do any justice for them. Hearing the "Little Pig, Little Pig" song live made my life complete.
Enter Shikari - Great set although it was way too short for my liking. Another amazing live band that I would suggest to anyone to check out, not to mention one of my favorite bands period.
August Burns Red - Didn't catch a full set thanks to Enter Shikari but I loved what I saw. One of the top tier metalcore bands out there and they bring it even more so live. Being outdoors didn't take away from them that much.
Asking Alexandria - Saw like three songs from them, not bad. I'd like to see them indoors though although I won't go too far out of my way to do so.
The Acacia Strain - Loved them!! That was to be expected though, and like Enter Shikari I wish they could have played for a lot longer. Another one of my favorites of the day. So much energy in their live performance, plus the fact that I listen to them all the time equals one fun ass set.
A Day To Remember - The main stage couldn't have been any more packed for them. I loved every second of their set although I could have done without quite so many recent songs. I got fairly close up for them and tried to get involved as much as I could even though the say was finally starting to tire me out.
Winds Of Plague - Final band of the day for me. Ran into Kyle before they played and talked with him for a bit too so that was pretty cool. Couldn't have picked a better band to end the day though. Loved the new songs and also got to hear "California" live, didn't expect that. 5th time for me seeing this band and I can't wait to check them out again.
Comments
Got to the venue around 6PM, first band came on at 8PM, so hung out by the bar for the first 2 hours. MASS was there hanging out, so got to talk with them. Friend that met me there ate one of my chicken fingers and thanked me by puking all over the place (just missed me)
Venue holds 1000 people, only about 150 were there. very empty
Mass - been around since 1984, first time i've heard them live. pretty damn good. they are a cross between 80's hair metal and 80's power metal (combine Savatage with Stryper and they would sound similar). Played about 45 minutes. Dont know any of the names of their songs, but they did a pretty cool cover of Zeppelin's Kashmir. 7/10
Jackyl - Played a 2 hour high energy set. Went past venue curfew, but didnt care. Highlights of the set included DMC from Run DMC on the stage to do the songs Like a Negro, Tricky and Walk This Way, and of course the chainsaw solo. Dont know their whole set, but they did play I Stand Alone, Down on Me, Dirty Little Mind, When will it Rain, Redneck Punk, Push Comes to Shove, and ended with the encore of She Loves My Cock and The Lumberjack. He wasn't allowed to chainsaw anything, so he went backstage and destroyed a barstool to rip it apart and throw it to the crowd. They did a signing afterwards, but i didnt stay for it. 8/10
WITH DAGGERS DRAWN - not a huge fan of their stuff but had a nice show. they were having fun up on stage and the lead singer was pretty damn funny. i met ed (the bassist) and max (lead singer). max was kind of dismissive when i was trying to talk to him but he was probably pretty wasted cause he told me he was drinkin' beer all day before their set and had like 8 captain and cokes after their set. ed on the other hand was nice as hell. very cool guy and very friendly.
ONE-EYED DOLL - WOW. they were a f-u-c-k-i-n-g BLAST. kim (singer/guitarist) was so damn funny up on stage. their show was just awesome. she was moshing in the crowd while playing guitar. and at the end of their set kim ran back into the crowd, gave her guitar to someone then ran back up on stage and leaped into the drum set while Junior (the drummer) was still sitting there lol. i met both kim and junior (there the only 2 in the band). both were really cool people. i got a couple things signed by them and i also got one of kim's guitar picks \m/
SISTER SIN - amazing. i was very impressed with their show. didnt get to meet any of them though. i have some pics from their set, i'll post them later.
BLACKGUARD - fuck yeah! them dudes are awesome. great show. at one point the singer wanted everyone to chant "HEY!-HEY!" and he was holding the mic to the crowd and i motioned for him to give me the mic so i could yell into it and he handed it to me and i started yelling "HEY!-HEY!" into the mic. he let me have it for like 10 seconds then started laughing and then asked for it back. that was pretty badass \m/
i also got one of blackguard's guitar picks. unfortunately i didnt get to meet any of them though. they seemed like really cool guys.
DESTROPHY - pretty good. no complaints here.
OTEP - they are currently my favorite band on this tour but from an objective point of view....they were probably the worst band there. i mean the show itself was cool but the sound was pretty bad. the instruments were much louder then the microphone. i could barely hear that chick do her vocals.
i had a great time though. and i would highly reccommend seeing One-Eyed Doll even if you're not a fan of their music. their show was that much fun. FYI, if anyone does see them and Kim asks for a male volunteer.....DO IT! volunteer your ass :-))
those picks are from One-Eyed Doll and Blackguard
As was the case for my last concert, Bob Seger, this show featured a band that had not toured the States in 4 years. The tour was announced in February, but I didn't find out about it until April, when I went to see STP at the Fillmore Detroit next door. Even then, my initial reaction wasn't "I MUST see Deep Purple!", it was, "Cool....maybe I'll check it out." The closer the date got, though, I realized this was another band that probably won't be around for much longer, as it seems they have little to no desire to record new material. So, with that, I went out to buy my ticket last week, expecting to get away with a cheap balcony ticket. I was shocked when I found that I could get a seat as close as the 7th row, but it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. Once I bought the ticket, my excitement for the show mounted. Adding to the intrigue of the show was the fact that they would be accompanied by a live orchestra, bringing me visions of Metallica's S&M album.
I parked in the Fox Theatre parking garage almost right at 7:30 pm, the time the ticket indicated the show was to begin. Sure enough, once I got to the entrance and made my way to my seat, music was already being played on the stage.
Ernie and the Automatics - A blues rock band from Massachusetts. Their main selling point is that one of their guitarists, Barry Goudreau, and their drummer, Sib Hashian, are two members of the classic Boston lineup that wrote the legendary self-titled debut and the follow-up, Don't Look Back. While I could hear a little bit of Boston in the mix of keyboards and guitar, there wasn't much of a resemblance between this band's sound and Boston. This band's sound was much more bluesy, and while probably just as straightforward, it lacked the hooks of Boston's early work....not that many classic rock albums can compare to those anyway, but I digress. Overall, they were a pretty solid opening act. They came out and played some nice original tunes that featured pretty decent grooves. Also working in their favor was the excellent playing of their saxophonist, who stuck out in a good way every time he played, the highlight being a nice little solo in between a couple songs that showcased his pretty awesome range. Nothing felt like something I hadn't heard before, but the musicianship was pretty good and they made a good effort to interact with the crowd and get them excited. Their last "song" was a Boston compilation, where they played a medley of More Than A Feeling, Rock and Roll Band, Foreplay/Long Time, and Smokin'. It was by far the best part of their set, and though I didn't realize it then, but that may be the closest I get to hearing the actual band playing it, since I haven't heard anything from them in ages. Anyway, they were nothing too memorable, but I enjoyed watching them. 6/10
Deep Purple - A little after 8:30, the lights dimmed, and the orchestra played a nice little intro as the band came out and leaped right into one of their biggest hits, Highway Star. With its groovy verses and the infectious chorus, the song is tailor-made to be a set opener. I hadn't heard how vocalist Ian Gillan sounded live prior to the concert, so it took me a little bit to get used to his voice, especially when he tried to go high in the chorus with moderate success. Nevertheless, the fact that he could do it was pretty impressive, and the song itself was executed flawlessly, from the keyboard solo to the guitar solo. The quality musicianship would be a common theme for every single song the band executed on this night, starting with the guitar player, Steve Morse. A look-alike of Iron Maiden's Janick Gers, he was simply outstanding, handling all of Ritchie Blackmore's riffs and solos with ease and making the most of his many opportunities to offer up his own style, such as Contact Lost and the guitar solo right before When A Blind Man Cries, where he produced probably the most unique guitar sounds that I have heard from anyone not named Tom Morello. It was completely original to me and I loved it. The Well Dressed Guitar was another example of Morse's virtuosity. Don Airey, who replaced the legendary Jon Lord in 2002, did not disappoint and produced a keyboard solo that would give Dream Theater's Jordan Rudess a run for his money while mixing in classic organ tunes that everyone knew how to sing along to. His keyboard solo on Hard Lovin' Man was an excellent piece of improvisational work as well. Then there were the three members of the band that were part of the classic lineup. Roger Glover didn't have any standout parts as far as the music was concerned, but he was the most energetic member of the band, smiling and laughing throughout the set. Occasionally, he would go up next to Morse and they would imitate the famous Judas Priest double guitar move. Glover did get his chance to shine in the encore right before their final song, however. Ian Paice, the only original member, was also unspectacular compared to his flashier counterparts Morse and Airey, but his style of playing was simple and effective and fit what the rest of the band was doing. Finally, there was Gillan, who was somewhat inconsistent when trying to go high at first, but really, unless your name is Bruce Dickinson or Rob Halford, anybody at that age is going to have some trouble. After the first couple songs, his highs were very good, and the rest of his vocal range was great all night. The setlist overall was nearly perfect, with the band hitting every song I wanted to hear and including some very nice other choices as well. Every song they played off their Machine Head album was a highlight, which included not only their megahits Smoke On The Water and Highway Star, but deeper cuts such as When A Blind Man Cries, Lazy, and Maybe I'm A Leo. Strange Kind of Woman, Knocking At Your Back Door, and Perfect Strangers also stood out, but the great thing about this show was every song had something memorable in it. There was not one dud in the setlist. Finally, the orchestra turned out to be the most inconsistent part of the show. It's not that they played badly, but there were many points during the show that their sound was drowned out by the band. There were points where I was really trying to hear the orchestra and just couldn't. While that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as the band was outstanding on its own, I wish it was utilized a bit more. Even when the conductor played a violin solo, the sound was drowned out, which was a shame because he was playing his ass off. However, when the orchestra did get through, it made the great sound even better. Some of the band's parts were accentuated by the orchestra, while other times the orchestra just made the texture richer and the sound fuller. Examples of songs where the orchestra worked really well would be Highway Star, Smoke On The Water, The Well Dressed Guitar, and Hush. In spite of that minor complaint, I was completely satisfied with the performance and very happy that I ultimately made the decision to go. I hope this isn't the last of Deep Purple, but if it is, they left a great impression on me. 9.5/10
Setlist:
Highway Star
Hard Lovin' Man
Maybe I'm a Leo
Strange Kind of Woman
Rapture of the Deep
Woman From Tokyo
Contact Lost
Guitar Solo
When a Blind Man Cries
The Well Dressed Guitar
Knocking at Your Back Door
Lazy
No One Came
Keyboard Solo
Perfect Strangers
Space Truckin'
Smoke on the Water
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Hush (Billy Joe Royal cover)
Bass Solo
Black Night
When i saw them live i liked them enough to buy their CD. their original stuff is a lot better than their Boston covers. not saying their songs are better than Boston, just their covers are not as good as their original songs
nice!! \m/
seeing them this saturday in concord. no orchestra tho, which is kinda dissapointing, but to compensate we have Joe Satriani opening \m/ so it balances out...
then seeing rush the next day lol
pics i took at the show
http://twitpic.com/5e4d77
(far right hand side up top, you can scroll through them
Okay I'm going to be as brief as I can since there were so many groups that I saw. It was a really fun show and I'm kinda disappointed that it's over but hey, always have Mayhem Fest to look forward to! I also ran into Kyle (LAX) right before the last band was going to go on the Advent Stage so that was pretty sweet. I'm going to go in the order that I saw the bands.
FYI I am not giving out scores to any of the bands either due to the fact that being outdoors didn't do any of the groups any justice:
It Boys! - Opened up the show for me and had a party-rock-ish sound. I think I'll enjoy their stuff on album but I have yet to look them up. I will be soon though.
Attack Attack! - Pretty awful set. I like them but their singer couldn't sing at all and none of the members knew how to play their instruments. They kept apologizing for playing so poorly so I'll let it slide. Still enjoyed them.
Unwritten Law - Watched them while sitting in one of the seats at the big stage that they split in two stages so I didn't really get a great taste of them. Pretty typical rock band that sounded good for what I could hear. Might check them out at some point.
I Set My Friends On Fire - Weird ass band. Loved the set though but it's not for everyone. Bought a shirt from them too. :-bd
Simple Plan - Never listened to them before Warped but I knew who they were. One of the best performances I saw all day and I loved just about every song they played. Very energetic pop-punk sound that the crowd was really into.
Woe, Is Me - Finally got to see this band live and I loved it. Really good sound and stage presence for a band that hasn't been around very long. Oh and they did a cover of "Hot N Cold".
3OH!3 - I didn't hate them, and I was fully expecting to. Pretty catchy stuff that would come off a lot better indoors instead of 3 pm in the Texas heat.
Big Chocolate - Dubstep artist with some great stuff. It was a nice change that's for sure. If you're into electronic music I'd look him up.
Miss May I - Got to catch half of their set and liked what I saw. Second time seeing them so it wasn't much of a change other than their cover of "Swing". Good set from what I saw though.
GREEN JELLY - Holy shit I couldn't believe it. They made an unannounced performance under a small tent with only like 15 people watching, not even a stage to work on either. Best band of the day by far, words simply cannot do any justice for them. Hearing the "Little Pig, Little Pig" song live made my life complete.
Enter Shikari - Great set although it was way too short for my liking. Another amazing live band that I would suggest to anyone to check out, not to mention one of my favorite bands period.
August Burns Red - Didn't catch a full set thanks to Enter Shikari but I loved what I saw. One of the top tier metalcore bands out there and they bring it even more so live. Being outdoors didn't take away from them that much.
Asking Alexandria - Saw like three songs from them, not bad. I'd like to see them indoors though although I won't go too far out of my way to do so.
The Acacia Strain - Loved them!! That was to be expected though, and like Enter Shikari I wish they could have played for a lot longer. Another one of my favorites of the day. So much energy in their live performance, plus the fact that I listen to them all the time equals one fun ass set.
A Day To Remember - The main stage couldn't have been any more packed for them. I loved every second of their set although I could have done without quite so many recent songs. I got fairly close up for them and tried to get involved as much as I could even though the say was finally starting to tire me out.
Winds Of Plague - Final band of the day for me. Ran into Kyle before they played and talked with him for a bit too so that was pretty cool. Couldn't have picked a better band to end the day though. Loved the new songs and also got to hear "California" live, didn't expect that. 5th time for me seeing this band and I can't wait to check them out again.