Concerts coming to your area: Good and Bad

[Big Papa Paegan]

Again: you're in for one of the best live shows you've ever been to.

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

I got my wife tickets to see Lady Gaga at MSG in May. I'm actually looking forward to the show. I like her, and her show should be a hell of a production.

 

[Fall of Epic]

So many firsts last night at the GWAR show.

- Taking many people's advice, I decided to wear shitty clothes. Mostly stuff I hadn't worn since college. I wore a white t-shirt, jeans I was surprised still fit me, and old skater shoes.

- I came in during the end of the first opener's set, Iron Reagan. Wasn't really impressed with the little I saw.

- Second band who took the stage was Battlecross. They were actually pretty good. Tons of energy and stage presence. Decent crowd too. I'll be checking them out

- Before GWAR even took the stage, people were losing their shit. So many people kept pushing and swaying in anticipation for the group.

- GWAR took the stage and at the very first chord of the very first song, I got pushed one way, tackled the other, and I LOST MY SHOE. I was like "what the fuck do I do now?" so while people were rushing and moshing like crazy, I kept feeling around with my other foot to try and find my shoe but right as that was happening, I was drenched with fake blood and I kept reveling in the moment. My exposed foot was repeatedly stomped on and I started limping around in seconds.

- I took some higher ground with one of my friends and decided to stand under the scaffolding of the venue which was still pretty close to the stage, but with less violence. Still with only my right sneaker.

- This proved to be a huge mistake as they unveiled an animatronic Justin Bieber 1/4 into their set and proceeded to destroy it on said scaffolding. Fake blood started pouring from the rafters and directly onto me. I threw my arms up in satisfaction to the roar of the crowd!

- They started out just trickling the blood into the crowd but eventually they just started flat out spraying people in the face. Right before "Jack The World", I got blasted right in my right eye with blue ooze. I survived.

- They brought out a huge animatronic monster dubbed "Mr. Perfect". It was a sight to behold. The lead singer had a big ass prop sword and destroyed it. More blood falls onto the crowd.

- During their encore they brought out an animatronic Pope. After a few jokes, they fucked it up to "Sick of You" and throw his body parts into the crowd.

- After the show, I was hobbling on one foot trying to find my other shoe and I couldn't find it. Some huge 300-pound dude with a giant beard and Municipal Waste shoe tapped me on the shoulder and said "uh hey dude, is this yours?" while holding up my shoe. I take it from him and say thanks. God knows what was being done to it in the band's 90 minute set.

Everyone went home happy and multi-colored. The best part was the weird looks I got from people on the train home.

This was absolutely one of the more fun experiences I've ever had at a show. If you're a fan of metal at all, check it out. Don't go for the music, go for the experience.

Battle scars: My white t-shirt is covered in red food coloring with a little blue trickled in. I have bruises all over my body with a giant one on my foot. I took a shower last night but as I write this, there is still a bit of fake blood on my body. Particularly my finger nails.

 

[Baby Shoes]

I saw a commercial that CAMEO is doing a New Year's Eve show at a local casino. Has to be fantastic.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

The owner of the club where the Fishbone show (and the Mayer Hawthorne show I talked about earlier) is happening, I feel a bit queasy about going to. First, their fortysomething cokehead owner is notorious for screwing over local bands RE: pay and putting flyers for the national touring acts at his club over local bands' flyers and then he's surreptitiously unapolegtic about fucking them over. And him and his friends create fake Facebook accounts to attack the people who call him out.

Update: Said local rock club owner has been convicted of cocaine trafficking after he tried to smuggle 170 pounds of cocaine in hollowed out vending machines from L.A. to Vermont. I was right to be suspicious!

Anyway, he's going to prison for at least ten years and the new owners are 100,000x less shady. Joan Osborne is playing there next week. All's well that ends well.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Since I know a lot of you (and by a lot of you, I mean Reine, maybe Bearhugger/CanadianDestroyer, and maybe another person?) care about these things, they announced the lineup for the '90s nostalgia package tour, Summerland. Everclear, Soul Asylum, Eve 6 and Spacehog.

Real underwhelming lineup especially with Everclear as a headliner. On the previous page, I mentioned going to a really poorly attended Soul Asylum concert that they co-headlined with Fountains of Wayne. They were actually pretty good and sound the same that they did in '93 (even if Dave Pirner is the only original dude) but I don't see anybody forking over $40 to see them. Eve 6 is another forgettable '90s band. Notable really for the fact that "Inside Out" was one of my old boss' favorite songs and he'd freak out whenever it came on the radio or a cover band played. That and "Think Twice" might have been the dopiest non nu-metal song of the early '00s.

Spacehog just seems slightly out of place in the lineup for some reason.

 

[Haws Bah Gawd]

So, our local "rock" channel spent last Friday hyping a huge concert announcement that was gonna rock the area. Its something random bullshit called Hurt.

 

[Fall of Epic]

Since I know a lot of you (and by a lot of you, I mean Reine, maybe Bearhugger/CanadianDestroyer, and maybe another person?) care about these things, they announced the lineup for the '90s nostalgia package tour, Summerland. Everclear, Soul Asylum, Eve 6 and Spacehog.

Real underwhelming lineup especially with Everclear as a headliner. On the previous page, I mentioned going to a really poorly attended Soul Asylum concert that they co-headlined with Fountains of Wayne. They were actually pretty good and sound the same that they did in '93 (even if Dave Pirner is the only original dude) but I don't see anybody forking over $40 to see them. Eve 6 is another forgettable '90s band. Notable really for the fact that "Inside Out" was one of my old boss' favorite songs and he'd freak out whenever it came on the radio or a cover band played. That and "Think Twice" might have been the dopiest non nu-metal song of the early '00s.

Spacehog just seems slightly out of place in the lineup for some reason.

I actually wouldn't mind going to that show just to see Eve 6 and Soul Asylum. Eve 6 have always been this weird little guilty pleasure of mine. I really like their first two records. They're nothing special musically but I always found their lyrics interesting in a good way. I saw them at some bar in Long Island when they reunited in '09 and they rocked.

I actually had a ticket for that same Soul Asylum/Fountains of Wayne bill when they came to NY last winter but I got food poisoning the day of the show and unfortunately couldn't go.

Saw Everclear on the first Summerland tour and they weren't bad but have no desire to see them again. Never listened to Spacehog.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

That's too bad you missed Soul Asylum/Fountains of Wayne because it was a really good bill. Only bad part was as I mentioned, it was really poorly attended. 75 maybe 100 people in a 500-600 person capacity club. I actually thought that bill might have been big enough to play the 1500 seat theater in town but nope... Really should have had Soul Asylum go on last. I guess they alternated headlining but half of the already really small crowd left after Soul Asylum was one.


Speaking of '90s nostalgia bills, part of me really wanted to see the Tonic/Vertical Horizon/DISHWALLA show that's playing at the same venue that I just mentioned on Thursday but I'm going to Hannibal Buress on Saturday and an indy show on Sunday afternoon so I don't think I can swing it. I'm still not sure why I'm tempted to throw down $30 on three bands who are probably pretty bland live. I KNOW Vertical Horizon is boring live cause I saw them in '00 headline a "Jingle Ball" type concert for the local Top 40 station and they sucked!

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

If it was just Soul Asylum and Eve 6, I'd be more interested in it. I'd call Eve 6 a guilty pleasure, but I don't feel guilty about liking them.

 

[Fall of Epic]

Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden are touring together this summer. I think I might jump on that.

 

[Fall of Epic]

So around this time last year I posted that Mark McGrath is also putting together a summer annual nostalgia tour and this year it consists of Sugar Ray, Smash Mouth, Blues Traveler, and Uncle Kracker.

Who has two hands and wouldn't be caught dead there that night? Yeah, me.

 

[Haws Bah Gawd]

The Pretty Wreckless is coming here in late May. The only song I've heard from them is "Heaven Knows", which sounds like a decent enough Joan Jett impersonation.

Also, Gemini Syndrome or something like that is coming here in early May. Their frontman looks like former WWE Superstar Mordecai.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Bar a bunch of my friends work at booked an '80s hair metal package tour featuring Quiet Riot, Faster Pussycat, The Bulletboys, and Gilby Clarke. I'm definitely gonna go if I can get free tickets. See if I can Hammerjack a cougar.

 

[2GOLD]

Jamie Lynn Spears is doing a free concert near me in a few months. I didn't even know she sang songs.

 

[Haws Bah Gawd]

Closest thing we have is Alter Bridge playing in Atlanta, two hours away, this weekend.

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

I got Alter Bridge next Thursday. I can't wait!

 

[Fall of Epic]

I actually don't know the general consensus of them but The Offspring are touring for the 20th Anniversary of Smash meaning they're performing the album in full. I bought a ticket for the 8/4 show in NY. I saw Offspring back in '09 and it was probably one of my favorite concerts ever. They will be supported by Bad Religion, Pennywise, and the Vandals.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

Smash and Ixnay are great punk albums (never understood why people called them "alternative" when they were more punk than Green Day or Blink 182 and they got that label). Parts of Americana are solid, namely "The Kids Aren't Alright," but the blatant goofiness that settled in and never left turned me off of them.

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

I actually don't know the general consensus of them but The Offspring are touring for the 20th Anniversary of Smash meaning they're performing the album in full. I bought a ticket for the 8/4 show in NY. I saw Offspring back in '09 and it was probably one of my favorite concerts ever. They will be supported by Bad Religion, Pennywise, and the Vandals.

I'm a huge fan of The Offspring. I saw them on their Ixnay tour when L7 and AFI opened for them. That sounds like a really awesome show.

Their last album was actually really solid.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

Septicflesh, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Hour of Penance, and Necronomicon are playing the Middle East in Cambridge on June 25. The only band I don't love is Necronomicon. The last time I saw Fleshgod, my buddy Ronnie and I were the pit, but that was also a major Hot Topic show because this shyte called Starkill was headlining. I expect the violence level to be several times higher than the last time.

If Hour of Penance are anywhere near as good as they were when I saw them open for Cannibal Corpse and Misery Index a year and a half ago then I'll be as happy as a pig in shit.

 

[Lord of The Curry]

Danny Brown, Sleigh Bells and St. Vincent all doing free shows for the upcoming NXNE in Toronto. Sweeeet.

 

[Youth N Asia]

The fiance and I are taking my sister to see Tegan and Sara tomorrow as a surprise graduation gift.

 

[Skywarp!]

Saw the Presidents of the United States of America. Figured I owed that to my younger self.

 

[AA484]

In the next couple months I am seeing Tom Petty, GBV, and New Pornographers.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

Gwar and Dying Fetus are the biggies at this year's Rock n' Shock, and Pig Destroyer are hitting Boston in December.

 

[Haws Bah Gawd]

HUGE CONCERT ANNOUNCEMENTS COMING TO THE AUGUSTA AREA IN THE 5 O'CLOCK HOUR FROM 95 ROCK!!!!!!!

Royal Bliss, Bobaflex, and False Flag on October 1st
Crobot and Artemia on October 25th......

WHO? WHO? WHO? WHO? WHO?

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

Bobaflex was on the first Gigantor tour, and they weren't very good. MY friend's band has opened for them in NY/NJ a few times and they've gotten much better, according to him. I haven't listened to them, so I'm not sure. He's actually gotten pretty tight with them and they all seem to be cool guys.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

First thought, mildly excited that the Dad Rock Concert of 2014 is coming to Maine.

Second thought, there was (?) a big indy show scheduled for the same arena that night featuring appearances by Bret Hart, Brodus Clay, Matt Hardy, and Tony Atlas! Now that's probably not gonna happen. Although maybe Hitman will come onstage to do some backing vocals on "Old Time Rock N Roll".

Although really, I doubt a random Maine indy promotion would have actually been able to rent out a 7,000 seat arena. Even with Funkasaurus on the card.

 

[NoCalMike]

TOMORROW NIGHT! 8)