July 1st: Giant Squid, Judgement Day, Cormorant at Thee Parkside, San Francisco, CA.
Cormorant were the first band up. I'm pretty sure that by now, everybody here knows who they are, so they don't need much of an introduction. They played extremely well. Their tone was great and everything sounded clear. They played a total of 5 songs, 4 new ones and an old one off their The Last Tree EP. The new material sounds awesome. It's extremely varied, from songs rushing up and down scales, songs that have a old Prog Rock vibe that dive into Thrash riffs, to some funky bass grooves. The new album will be great. Fact. Of the new songs, my favorite was Confusion of Tounges, which just so happens to be the only one they gave the name to. They played it at a show last year, and can be heard here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIw-R0sLq4I . I'm pretty sure that it has since been tweaked a bit, but this version is still stellar.
Cormorant New Song New Song Confusion of Tongues (New Song) \m/ Ballad of the Beast \m/ New Song
Up next was Judgement Day. Judgement day are a String Metal band. They're instrumental and consist of a violinist, cellist, and drummer. These guys had a lot of energy, and were really fun. I think of them all I was most impressed by the cellist. They played at least 7 songs, only one of which I recognized, but that's because I didn't do that much research. That song was Black Cobra, which is the song in the infamours Violin Hero music video they released.
Last, but not least, was Giant Squid. Giant Squid put on the best performance of the night. They started their set by playing their yet-to-be-released EP, Cenotes. It comes out sometime in October. Cenotes comprises of 5 songs, all of which are heavy as SHIT. It's definitely the heaviest material they've come up with to date, and I fucking love it. Can't wait for the release. After the finished Cenotes they played 3 olders songs, and a cover. La Brea Tarpits was really sick, I went completley ape shit during Thorwing A Donner Party At Sea, and started a little fad where a fair amount people screamed whenever that bass break was played =P~ . Revolution in the Water was also fucking awesome. My only gripe with the set was the lack of Neonate and the fact that I have to wait at least a year to hear it live, assuming they play it next time I see them.
Giant Squid Tongue Stones* Mating Scars* Snakehead* Figura Serpentinata* Cenotes* La Brea Tar Pits Throwing a Donner Party at Sea \m/ \m/ \m/ Revolution in the Water \m/ ? * = New
I don't know what the last song was. I think it was a cover.
After Giant Squid ended, I went to hit up the merch booths. Cormorant had this sweet deal where you got a shirt, poster, sticker, and CD of your choice for $20. I ended up getting the Metazoa shirt and The Last Tree. I talked to Arthur for a bit and just told him how much I love his music and the bass work on Metazoa. Then I got a black "Crayfish will do as they wish" T-Shirt from Giant Squid. Something a little awkward though was after I got all my merch, I meet up with my buddies who were sitting at a bench and after I put all my Cormorant swag down I noticed that my $20 bill was still in between my shirt and CD, so I rushed back to the Cormorant table and gave Arthur the money. It was kinda weird because he didn't recall taking the bill, but didn't want to feel like he was taking my money, but I assured him that it was the $20 they I intended to pay and accidentally forgot too. He ended up giving me a couple extra stickers.
Cormorant 9/10 Judgement Day 8.5/10 Giant Squid 9/10
6-29-11 - DTE Energy Music Theatre - Clarkston, MI - Motley Crue
About a year ago, if I was told I considered skipping this tour, I would have thought I was crazy. I saw Motley Crue for the first time in 2009 on Cruefest 2, and while I felt the direct support, Godsmack, was just as good if not a bit better live, the Crue still put on a great performance, performing the wildly popular Dr. Feelgood album from front to back. Adding to the uniqueness of the performance was the fact that drummer Tommy Lee was unable to play my date and was replaced behind the kit by the awesome Morgan Rose of Sevendust. Following that tour, Crue took 2010 off with the exception of a six-date Ozzfest, and I expected them to come back in full force with a strong Cruefest 3 lineup to coincide with their 30th anniversary. So it was a bit of a downer when the tour announcement came and all they could manage for support was Poison and New York Dolls. Still, I had never seen Poison and Crue is Crue, so I finally got my tickets to the show last week. Construction at basically every point on my route to the venue slowed my progress in getting there, but I still managed to arrive right at 7, the time the show was scheduled to begin. I took my spot at the center of the hill and watched the opening act, who had already begun to play.
New York Dolls - I had never heard of this band prior to their placement on this tour, so I did a little research on them beforehand and they seemed pretty decent, giving off a Rolling Stones kind of vibe. Unfortunately, not many of the good things I heard from them on album translated well to this live performance. First of all, they may have a Stones vibe, but they try to take on the personality of a band similar to the two bands performing after them, and they were really bad at doing it. Of course, it may have worked a little better had the music been any good, but it really wasn't, unfortunately. There was a good guitar riff here and there, and overall the music was tolerable, but the vocals pretty much ruined it. Put simply, they were horrible. No sense of pitch control whatsoever and the singer's voice in general just irritated me. It was a shame, since there are live videos on Youtube of these guys from years ago where the vocals aren't so horrible, and they sound pretty damn solid. But on this night, the vocals pretty much killed any chance I had of getting into this band. Ugh. 3/10
Setlist:
Looking For A Kiss Dance Like a Monkey Cause I Sez So Who Are the Mystery Girls? Talk To Me, Baby Kids Like You Pills Trash Personality Crisis Jet Boy
Poison - I honestly didn't know what to expect from these guys coming in, but they did everything possible to make up for the suck that was the band before them. Put simply, they were awesome. C.C. Deville's guitar lines were front and center on every song, most evident on the opener, Look What The Cat Dragged In, the hit Fallen Angel, and the closer, Talk Dirty To Me. He also offered up his best Eddie Van Halen impersonation on the guitar solo, doing his best to mimic his iconic Eruption guitar solo before going off and doing his own thing for a couple more minutes. In spite of lack of originality in doing so, it was still very entertaining and showed off his solid chops as a guitar player. Rikki Rickett provided a pretty decent drum solo but was otherwise unnoticed, along with bassist Bobby Dall. The focal point of the band, obviously, was vocalist Bret Michaels, who has made headlines for various reasons over the past year, whether it be his brain hemorrhage or so-called feud with Motley Crue. Regardless of his transgressions off-stage, he certainly proved his mettle as a vocalist and frontman on this night. In general, his vocals were great, showing very little signs of age in spite of the band celebrating their 25th anniversary with this tour. The group vocals present on pretty much every chorus of every song with this band were great as well. Michaels also had a great stage presence, working the crowd at every possible moment without being over-the-top cheesy like New York Dolls were. It's pretty easy to see how this guy could have a successful solo career. The setlist was pretty much what I expected, with the exception of the glaring omission of Nothing But A Good Time, which they had been closing with prior to this show. While I was disappointed that they skipped it, the band announced during the set that they would return in late July for a headlining show in support of the troops, so there will be another chance to see it. Other than that, getting two covers back to back was somewhat unusual, but they're both songs the band had been covering and making their own for years. All the other hits were included, with my favorites being Fallen Angel and Talk Dirty To Me. There was some limited pyro used throughout the set when appropriate. Overall, a very solid set from a band fronted by a very unpredictable guy. 8/10
Setlist:
Look What The Cat Dragged In Ride The Wind We're An American Band (Grand Funk Railroad cover) Your Mama Don't Dance (Loggins & Messina cover) Guitar Solo Fallen Angel Unskinny Bop Drum Solo Every Rose Has Its Thorn Talk Dirty To Me
Motley Crue - Motley's entrance truly took me by surprise this time. The lights were still on in the venue and the curtain still up, so I was talking to someone on the lawn waiting for the lights to dim, facing away from the stage. At about 9:30, without warning or the lights dimming, a huge boom came from the stage, surprising the shit out of me, and the curtain dropped as the opening riff for Wild Side boomed through the amphitheater and sent the shocked crowd into a frenzy. The Crue started their set with hit after hit after hit, from songs from their latest album (Saints of Los Angeles)to songs off their debut album (Live Wire). Most memorable to me at the beginning. however, was Wild Side, not only because of the way Crue made their entrance, but because the song is, in my opinion, one of their best, from the infectious main riff to the simple chorus to the slower groovy section at the end. The slower section was the first time the crowd got a look at the two female backup singers who would be present the entire show, lending their vocals for certain parts of some songs. Another memorable song for me was Primal Scream, a song that they had not played on the previous tour, but another that features a great riff and chorus. Though those are two that stick out in my mind, none of the songs that were played lacked in a good chorus, keeping the crowd into it the entire night. Even without the music, the stage show that the Crue had brought along with them this time around was impressive. Lights, healthy doses of pyro, and video were utilized in pretty much every song, and the stage was dominated by the huge ring that Tommy Lee's drumkit was situated on (more on that in a bit). The female backup singers did their own amount of dancing and entertaining as well. After plowing through the first six songs, Lee appeared from behind the kit and started up the slow song of the set, Home Sweet Home, on the piano. After this and the following song, Lee finally showed off his drum solo trick. The ring that his drumkit was situated on took him around and around so that Lee was drumming either sideways or upside-down most of the time. After doing his own thing for a couple minutes, they strapped a fan to a seat behind Lee and took him for a spin as well as Lee continued to play. While it wasn't a spectacular drum solo technically, the theatrics more than made up for that. It was just really fun to watch. After a Mick Mars guitar solo, the band came back out and closed the set with 6 more hits, including three more I had not seen live before in Looks That Kill, Too Young To Fall In Love, and Smokin' In The Boys Room, the last of which was led into by a Mick Mars rendition of The Hey Song. The guitar/bass combination of Mars and Nikki Sixx was strong all night, with Mars moving on stage a bit more than I could remember him doing in 2009. Vince Neil, long considered the weak link in Crue, was consistent with his vocals. Though he sometimes gets lazy and lets the audience finish some choruses for him, his range was decent and he didn't detract from any other part of the show. Besides the drum solo, Tommy Lee was solid behind the kit, though at times it was difficult to watch him drum because of the lack of lighting at that part of the stage. The setlist was standard, which people who have seen Crue more times than me will probably complain a bit about, since the fans picked this set instead of opting for deeper cuts. Still, the hits are the hits for a reason, and there was not one weak song in the set. I left the show completely entertained and satisfied with their performance. If they toured here again in a couple years with a similar setlist, I would definitely consider going. When the Crue tours, they go all out, and whether you like their music or image or not, that is something to be commended. 9.5/10
Setlist:
Wild Side Saints of Los Angeles Live Wire Shout at the Devil Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.) Primal Scream Home Sweet Home Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away) Drum Solo Guitar Solo Looks That Kill Dr. Feelgood Too Young to Fall in Love Girls, Girls, Girls Smokin' In The Boys Room (Brownsville Station cover) Kickstart My Heart
Nice review Jay. I still don't get how you write that much on any show. I know I couldn't. I've actually found that the more I enjoyed it, the harder it is to put my feeling into words.
Thanks. My Maiden review is by far the longest I've ever written about any band. I didn't even post it here because there were so many reviews from that tour.
I've actually found that the more I enjoyed it, the harder it is to put my feeling into words.
Interesting. I find it to be the opposite for me. When I see a show that blows me away, I want to get it down in writing so that I'll never forget it. That's basically why I write these things, so I can look back and read it later and say "Awwwwwwwww yeah, that was awesome."
Comments
Winds Of Plague was at Schlitterbahn
Cormorant were the first band up. I'm pretty sure that by now, everybody here knows who they are, so they don't need much of an introduction. They played extremely well. Their tone was great and everything sounded clear. They played a total of 5 songs, 4 new ones and an old one off their The Last Tree EP. The new material sounds awesome. It's extremely varied, from songs rushing up and down scales, songs that have a old Prog Rock vibe that dive into Thrash riffs, to some funky bass grooves. The new album will be great. Fact. Of the new songs, my favorite was Confusion of Tounges, which just so happens to be the only one they gave the name to. They played it at a show last year, and can be heard here.
Cormorant
New Song
New Song
Confusion of Tongues (New Song) \m/
Ballad of the Beast \m/
New Song
Up next was Judgement Day. Judgement day are a String Metal band. They're instrumental and consist of a violinist, cellist, and drummer. These guys had a lot of energy, and were really fun. I think of them all I was most impressed by the cellist. They played at least 7 songs, only one of which I recognized, but that's because I didn't do that much research. That song was Black Cobra, which is the song in the infamours Violin Hero music video they released.
Last, but not least, was Giant Squid. Giant Squid put on the best performance of the night. They started their set by playing their yet-to-be-released EP, Cenotes. It comes out sometime in October. Cenotes comprises of 5 songs, all of which are heavy as SHIT. It's definitely the heaviest material they've come up with to date, and I fucking love it. Can't wait for the release. After the finished Cenotes they played 3 olders songs, and a cover. La Brea Tarpits was really sick, I went completley ape shit during Thorwing A Donner Party At Sea, and started a little fad where a fair amount people screamed whenever that bass break was played =P~ . Revolution in the Water was also fucking awesome. My only gripe with the set was the lack of Neonate and the fact that I have to wait at least a year to hear it live, assuming they play it next time I see them.
Giant Squid
Tongue Stones*
Mating Scars*
Snakehead*
Figura Serpentinata*
Cenotes*
La Brea Tar Pits
Throwing a Donner Party at Sea \m/ \m/ \m/
Revolution in the Water \m/
?
* = New
I don't know what the last song was. I think it was a cover.
After Giant Squid ended, I went to hit up the merch booths. Cormorant had this sweet deal where you got a shirt, poster, sticker, and CD of your choice for $20. I ended up getting the Metazoa shirt and The Last Tree. I talked to Arthur for a bit and just told him how much I love his music and the bass work on Metazoa. Then I got a black "Crayfish will do as they wish" T-Shirt from Giant Squid.
Something a little awkward though was after I got all my merch, I meet up with my buddies who were sitting at a bench and after I put all my Cormorant swag down I noticed that my $20 bill was still in between my shirt and CD, so I rushed back to the Cormorant table and gave Arthur the money. It was kinda weird because he didn't recall taking the bill, but didn't want to feel like he was taking my money, but I assured him that it was the $20 they I intended to pay and accidentally forgot too. He ended up giving me a couple extra stickers.
Cormorant 9/10
Judgement Day 8.5/10
Giant Squid 9/10
Setlists courtesy of Wine's gig report over at Metalsetlists. http://www.metalsetlists.com/showthread.php?t=17302
Jk i would of done the same thing.
About a year ago, if I was told I considered skipping this tour, I would have thought I was crazy. I saw Motley Crue for the first time in 2009 on Cruefest 2, and while I felt the direct support, Godsmack, was just as good if not a bit better live, the Crue still put on a great performance, performing the wildly popular Dr. Feelgood album from front to back. Adding to the uniqueness of the performance was the fact that drummer Tommy Lee was unable to play my date and was replaced behind the kit by the awesome Morgan Rose of Sevendust. Following that tour, Crue took 2010 off with the exception of a six-date Ozzfest, and I expected them to come back in full force with a strong Cruefest 3 lineup to coincide with their 30th anniversary. So it was a bit of a downer when the tour announcement came and all they could manage for support was Poison and New York Dolls. Still, I had never seen Poison and Crue is Crue, so I finally got my tickets to the show last week. Construction at basically every point on my route to the venue slowed my progress in getting there, but I still managed to arrive right at 7, the time the show was scheduled to begin. I took my spot at the center of the hill and watched the opening act, who had already begun to play.
New York Dolls - I had never heard of this band prior to their placement on this tour, so I did a little research on them beforehand and they seemed pretty decent, giving off a Rolling Stones kind of vibe. Unfortunately, not many of the good things I heard from them on album translated well to this live performance. First of all, they may have a Stones vibe, but they try to take on the personality of a band similar to the two bands performing after them, and they were really bad at doing it. Of course, it may have worked a little better had the music been any good, but it really wasn't, unfortunately. There was a good guitar riff here and there, and overall the music was tolerable, but the vocals pretty much ruined it. Put simply, they were horrible. No sense of pitch control whatsoever and the singer's voice in general just irritated me. It was a shame, since there are live videos on Youtube of these guys from years ago where the vocals aren't so horrible, and they sound pretty damn solid. But on this night, the vocals pretty much killed any chance I had of getting into this band. Ugh. 3/10
Setlist:
Looking For A Kiss
Dance Like a Monkey
Cause I Sez So
Who Are the Mystery Girls?
Talk To Me, Baby
Kids Like You
Pills
Trash
Personality Crisis
Jet Boy
Poison - I honestly didn't know what to expect from these guys coming in, but they did everything possible to make up for the suck that was the band before them. Put simply, they were awesome. C.C. Deville's guitar lines were front and center on every song, most evident on the opener, Look What The Cat Dragged In, the hit Fallen Angel, and the closer, Talk Dirty To Me. He also offered up his best Eddie Van Halen impersonation on the guitar solo, doing his best to mimic his iconic Eruption guitar solo before going off and doing his own thing for a couple more minutes. In spite of lack of originality in doing so, it was still very entertaining and showed off his solid chops as a guitar player. Rikki Rickett provided a pretty decent drum solo but was otherwise unnoticed, along with bassist Bobby Dall. The focal point of the band, obviously, was vocalist Bret Michaels, who has made headlines for various reasons over the past year, whether it be his brain hemorrhage or so-called feud with Motley Crue. Regardless of his transgressions off-stage, he certainly proved his mettle as a vocalist and frontman on this night. In general, his vocals were great, showing very little signs of age in spite of the band celebrating their 25th anniversary with this tour. The group vocals present on pretty much every chorus of every song with this band were great as well. Michaels also had a great stage presence, working the crowd at every possible moment without being over-the-top cheesy like New York Dolls were. It's pretty easy to see how this guy could have a successful solo career. The setlist was pretty much what I expected, with the exception of the glaring omission of Nothing But A Good Time, which they had been closing with prior to this show. While I was disappointed that they skipped it, the band announced during the set that they would return in late July for a headlining show in support of the troops, so there will be another chance to see it. Other than that, getting two covers back to back was somewhat unusual, but they're both songs the band had been covering and making their own for years. All the other hits were included, with my favorites being Fallen Angel and Talk Dirty To Me. There was some limited pyro used throughout the set when appropriate. Overall, a very solid set from a band fronted by a very unpredictable guy. 8/10
Setlist:
Look What The Cat Dragged In
Ride The Wind
We're An American Band (Grand Funk Railroad cover)
Your Mama Don't Dance (Loggins & Messina cover)
Guitar Solo
Fallen Angel
Unskinny Bop
Drum Solo
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Talk Dirty To Me
Setlist:
Wild Side
Saints of Los Angeles
Live Wire
Shout at the Devil
Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.)
Primal Scream
Home Sweet Home
Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
Drum Solo
Guitar Solo
Looks That Kill
Dr. Feelgood
Too Young to Fall in Love
Girls, Girls, Girls
Smokin' In The Boys Room (Brownsville Station cover)
Kickstart My Heart
Nice review Jay. I still don't get how you write that much on any show. I know I couldn't. I've actually found that the more I enjoyed it, the harder it is to put my feeling into words.