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Concert Reviews: 2010
263. SETLIST: In The Beginning | I Talk To Wind (King Crimson) | Bitches Crystal | Barbarian | Take A Pebble || intermission || C'est La Vie | America / Blue Rondo Medley (The Nice) | Q&A with the audience | Pirates
264. The layout of the club was awesome. I think someone said it used to be a brewery. The place is entirely lined with wood, so the sound is spectacular. They have a few different bars within and one is a restaurant with a full menu as well. That was handy over the course of 3 days. Merch booths were well stocked and I have to give a shout out to the lady from Metal Mayhem records that took real good care of me and shared a great John Corabi story as well. Friday evening was a VIP ticket event only. The format was quasi acoustic in nature, although some bands got off to an electric start for the weekend. Goodbye Thrill, a return act from MRFest 1, kicked things off. This wasn't the real Goodbye Thrill line-up from the studio records, but lead vocalist and guitarist Marc Ferriera joined by his brother Alex and Gus Monsanto playing acoustic guitar and electric bass. These guys are top notch tallent and spent the entire weekend hanging out with fans and enjoying the fest. Next up, former Riverdog Rob Lamothe played a fabulous set, backed by his son Zander on drums and mystery bass player Doug, who flew in the night before, having never played with Rob before. You would never have guessed this was so. The trio sounded great together. Very briefly, Rock Sugar took the stage to give fans an acoustic preview of Saturday's planned electric show. Rock Sugar is a mash up band that puts a lot of talent and enthusiasm into their show. If you are a fan of 80's pop, hair metal or both, check these guys out. You will have a great time! The two founders of balladiers, Alias played the next set with several tunes from their debut record. Funny, it was difficult to match the faces to the pictures in their CD booklet after so much time. Mecca closed out the night with their first live performance ever. Gone are several familiar faces from the Mecca debut CD, including David Hungate from Toto and vocalist Fergie Fredericksen. Band leader, Jim Vana has assembled a new line-up for the upcoming Mecca second release and together they performed here tonight. After the stage closed for the night, fans were invited to the spacious green room for photos and autographs with the bands. Besides the artists who performed, other notables were on hand such as Steve West from Danger Danger, Eden's Curse, Talon, Far Cry and Thom Griffin, formerly of the band Trillion. Day one officially kicked off Saturday around noon with Kivel recording artists Far Cry, followed by label mates Talon. Both bands were very impressive, even if I was not completely familiar with their catalog. Talon has a new singer, Dave Friday, and I have to say a massive improvement for the band. I was familiar with a previous CD featuring another singer and felt that record's weakest link was it's vocals. Friday has a Don Dokken like approach and fits in very well with the band. As promised, Rock Sugar delivered a powerful, electric set and had the whole venue in the palm of their hands. Consumate professionals. Terry Brock was backed by the band Valentine, as he delivered several tracks from his career, spanning a repertoire of Strangeways, Giant, Slamer and Valentine. Eden's Curse made the biggest and loudest splash of the day so far with their set. I'll be the first to say that while none of the 22 bands really sucked, Eden's Curse was outstanding! Elgin is not far outside Chicago so for the sake of this show, let's say hometown music hero, Jim Peterik, brought the house down with his current band, Pride of Lions. Their performance included POL material as well as the massively popular, Eye of The Tiger from Peterick's previous band, Survivor. Jim is such a great guy who seems to love his job, dressed in classic 70's rocker attire, looking at times a bit more John Lennon than an 80's rock icon, Peterik climbed down from the stage and played a guitar while high fiving the audience. The day continued to build with Danger Danger up next. Original rockers Ted Poley, Steve West and Bruno Ravel were joined by lead guitar virtuoso Rob Marcello. DD absolutely kicked everyone's ass with real hairband style. To make the evening more festive, it happened to be Bruno's birthday so shots were served intermittently throughout the set. The audience size seemed to grow with every band throughout the day until finally the house was packed for Y&T. They sounded great and rocked hard, but for me personally, Eden's Curse, Pride of Lions and Danger Danger stole the show. Sunday, back at it by noon with Strikeforce, Bombay Black and 7th Heaven. Among them, Bombay Black takes honors and what a great group of guys after the set! 7th Heaven is another alum from MelodicRock Fest 1. Once again they were good, but somehow didn't fit the same ilk created by all the other acts, for better or for worse. Crown of Thorns delivered one hell of a set. I managed a guitar pick (yellow Dunlop) from their show. Voices of Rock Radio was a real treat, especially when led off by one of the true great voices of late 70's radio, Derek St Holmes. Derek brought a certain mature credibility to show, like a wise shaman, delivering Ted Nugent classics with style. Of particular note was "Hey Baby" from the first Ted Nugent s/t album, which really got the crowd involved. Also partnered with the Voices act was Wally Palmer of The Romantics, Kevin Chalfant of 707 and The Storm, and Jimi Jamison, former singer for Survivor. Of course with Jamison and Peterik both from Survivor on hand, there had to be a series of songs performed by both and of course that's exactly what happened. After performing with Danger Danger Saturday, Ted Poley brought his solo act to the fest on Sunday, featuring lead guitarist Vic Rivera. Poley was every bit as energetic as he had been the day before and gave yet another great performance. I was particularly amused by Ted's t-shirt which said, "SMILE IF YOU take it in the ass." Trixter and Winger rounded out the night and again the crowd swelled in size, although I'd say not as much as for Y&T the night before. If I learned one thing Sunday night, it was that "Heaven Isn't Too Far Away." All the artists with very few exceptions hung around to watch other bands play and mingle with fans. Someone said it more of a convention atmosphere than a concert and there was certainly some truth to that. Thinking back, there were probably too many artists to name all, but a few I talked to included the guys from Eden's Curse, Poley, Ravel and Westy from Danger Danger, Terry Brock, Marc Ferreira from Goodbye Thrill, Kevin Chalfant, Jim Peterik, and Bombay Black (those guys rock!), Rob Lamothe and Crown of Thorns. Set lists? Yeah right. I had my hands full wielding a camera, getting my own drinks and scouting for autographs, of which I managed to get 25+ CD booklets signed over the past three days, but more importantly I got to hear some great music from some really terrific bands. Amazing. Thank you again Andrew McNiece. I hope it was a huge success for you. So after a rough start to finding some live music events worth attending in 2010, I finally feel like I've come through the Spring Training of Concert Attendance and ready for a string of Cross Canadian Ragweed related dates to follow.
265. For his part, Cody Canada's set was: Kick In The Head, Flowers, Rosalie, Lonely Girl, Constantly, Dimebag, and Blue Bonnets.
266. Just saw Charlie Robison with Cody Canada a few weeks ago, now it's Charlie's brother's turn. Bruce Robison comes across as a warm and genuine, down-to-earth kind of guy. Despite his towering height, he wore a bright red shirt which created an undeniable stage presence. Cody and Bruce played acoustic guitars, while Jeremy Plato added bass. I don't know that I'd so much call them a trio, since Cody and Bruce took turns delivering songs. For me, this broke any continuity they might have created, because the style and texture of their songs were very different. The encore included Jeremy singing one song, Soul Agent, and a finale with Robison, Plato, Canada and The Rustlanders performing a juiced up version of Bob Dylan's All Along The Watchtower. Cody Canada's set list: Hey Hey, Kick In The Head, Flowers, Rosalie, Brooklyn Kid, 51 Pieces, Constantly, Blue Bonnets, Number, a new song for his late dog Tyler, and Sick & Tired. Interestingly enough, The Rustlanders are a band that I didn't really think I'd have opportunity to see again. Certainly from one year ago, they have tightened into a must-see live band. They were impressive last year, but fantastic now. I'd like to see the band cut a live CD, because frankly their debut independent studio CD doesn't capture their collective experience and musicianship today.
267. Chris Knight set list: Old Man, Rural Route, Becky's Bible, Danville, Another Dollar, Hell Ain't Half Full, Enough Rope, Down The River, Hard Candy, Lord's Highway, It Ain't Easy Bein' Me Paul Thorn and his band were very good as well. Thorn's rural southern Alabama tales paint a unique and often humorous picture of Americana. In support of his brand new CD, Pimps & Preachers, Thorn shared a number of new songs such as the title track and I Don't Like Half The Folks I Love. Although the fans loved him, Jason Isbell & 400 Unit didn't fit the bill quite as well as the others in my opinion. I don't follow their music and was not familiar with the set, which I found to be most uninteresting and lacking in it's creativity. If that sounds harsh, it's because it was 95 degrees in the shade and they sucked the chrome off a trailer hitch while we awaited the headliner. Cross Canadian Ragweed got right down to business with a series of four rockers to start their set. From the audience, there appeared to be a little friction within the band and if so, understandable given the impending closure of the band's 16 year run. One very odd occurance was the fact that Cody did not introduce Randy "Pink Floyd" Ragsdale prior to the drum solo, typical of almost every show. Nevertheless, the band blazed through a 15 song set and sounded great every step of the way. Cross Canadian Ragweed set list: Cold Hearted Woman, Dimebag, Fighting For, 51 Pieces, To Find My Love, Hammer Down, Constantly, Suicide Blues, Anywhere But Here, Oklahoma, Drum Solo, Number, New song from Cody, Don't Need You, Boys From Oklahoma Encore: Alabama
268. Traveling all the way from Detroit, The Gelheads were completely disappointing. It is not very clear why they drove the u-haul 285 each way to be there, but they did. I think they were Muddy fans. Local favorite, Hogleg performed an impressive short set of Ozzy-era Black Sabbath cover songs.
269. Faster Pussycat was a similar show, nearly a year to the day, from last summer. The band was the same albeit one disappointing change in the lead guitar spot. It seems Michael Thomas is on the road with Adler's Appetite, so a young player by the name of Ace Von Johnson (yeah, whatever) is the touring guitarist this time around. I can't really say any of us were two impressed. After all this guy is like a 4th generation fill-in for the original line-up. I'm certain he failed to live up the standard set by Michael Thomas, Brent Muscat and Greg Steele. He's just a punkass with no real accomplishments to his credit, yet a towering ego. Enough about AVJ. Taime looked perhaps a little healthier than last year - hard to tell through the make-up and aviator shades. Danny Nordahl and Chad Stewart were both once again very gracious before the show, hanging out with fans. Faster Pussycat Setlist: L.A. Guns Setlist: Sex Action, Electric Gypsy, Decide, Never Enough, Dreamtime, Jane, Over The Edge, California, 1 More Reason, Blackout In The Red Room, No Mercy, Rip & Tear
270. Kicking off the show was Brandon Jenkins, a guy who despite outward appearances, is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet anywhere. Great performer and song writer. Randy Rogers did not play with a full band. Instead he played acoustic along side his fiddle player, Brady Black. Randy had the pleasure and honor of throwing out the first pitch at the Cubs game over at Wrigley Field earlier that afternoon. One particular moment struck an uneasy chord with all of us when Randy said, "I miss Ragweed." I don't know about anybody else, but I think I felt a chill when he said that. Stoney Larue closed the show, but the crowd seemed split over who the favorite really was, between Stoney and Randy. One thing was for sure, Stoney ran out of original material faster - his show wrapped up with a variety of classic rock cover songs including two from Pink Floyd, a little bit of Led Zeppelin, China Cat Sunflower from the Grateful Dead, Spirit in the Sky and even a little Let It Roll from Little Feat. Overall, the show was well worth the $30 ticket. My personal favorite of the evening though was Brandon Jenkins. If I had not heard one more song after his set finished, I still would have felt $30 was a bargain.
271. Josh Kelley was up first to perform. He was joined on guitar by his producer whose name I neglected to remember. JK was OK, but he spent many of the 25 minutes he was allocated telling stories about himself and his songs. I suspect if he managed 3-4 songs in that 25-30 minute span he was doing well. Randy Rogers was without his full band, but joined by fiddler Brady Black. Of course Randy's set was much more entertaining and he spent a lot less time on break and more time working the set list. Included were favorites like: This Time Around, Somebody Take Me Home, Kiss Me In The Dark, One More Goodbye, and In My Arms Instead.
272. The format wasPeppino d'Agostino first for 20 minutes or so, d'Agostino then introduced Andy McKee, who played about 30 minutes. McKee then welcomed Eric Johnson. Again, Johnson's set was a mystery to me if the evening's agenda was to be about guitar masters. No electric, which I anticpated from the show's advertisements, and certainly no Cliffs of Dover. Once each musician had his moment in the spotlight, the trio played one of Eric's new songs together. End of show. The encore featured the trio again performing one selection each from McKee and d'Agostino. Overall, I couldn't help but try to draw comparisons to Joe Satriani's G3 tours, at least one of which featured Eric Johnson. While the G3 events are loud, electric guitar driven, this show was acoustic in nature. Also, these three guitarists are less household names than say a Satriani, Paul Gilbert, Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai or other particpants in the G3 tours. Another comparison I fought making was that of California Guitar Trio. Where the members of CGT work together harmoniously throughout their show, Johnson, d'Agostino and McKee were individual players. Even when combined for the finale and encores, their individual playing styles showed through.
273. The commerative t-shirt read: THE LAST CALL - 16 Years and 6 Days, 2,000,000 Shows, 3,000,000 Miles, One Bar At A Time. It probably wasn't the best show Ragweed ever did and it probably wasn't the worst, but you just cannot compare the LAST show to any of the others. It was sentimental. It was for the band as much as it was for the fans. It was for the families and friends of the band. Blessed as they are, Ragweed has a lot of friends. The boys dressed in their Sunday best, all but Plato wore neckties. Cody choked back a lot of emotion throughout the night. It was that kind of occasion. It was an irregular show, filled with guest appearances, duets, jams and so on. Lee Ann Womack joined the band for "Sick & Tired," but Cody forgot most of the words and butchered a great song, but we got through it with the audience helping out. Of course, Wade Bowen was there and Stoney LaRue. Seth James joined in. The set list was robust, but the dialogue between songs extended the length of the show considerably. SET LIST: 1.Mexican Sky, 2.Cold Hearted Woman, 3.Deal, 4.Dimebag, 5.Sick & Tired (w/ Lee Ann Womack), 6.To Find My Love, 7.Lonely Girl, 8.Constantly (w/ Wade Bowen), 9.Hammer Down, 10. Soul Agent, 11. Anywhere But Here, 12. In Oklahoma (w/ Stoney Larue), 13. Randall Pink Floyd Ragsdale Drum Solo, 14. Number, 15. Daddy's At Home (Randy vocal), 16. On A Cloud, 17. Travelin' Kind (Stoney LaRue),, 18. Blind Man (w/ Stoney LaRue), 19. Broken, 20. Bluebonnets, 21. Dead Man, 22. Brooklyn Kid, 23. Don't Need You, 24. Time To Move On, 25. Boys From Oklahoma, 26. Song w/ Seth James, 27. Late Last Night, 28. Carney Man, 29. Rockin' In The Free World Wade Bowen and his band were a great opening act to set the stage. When you think of opening bands as "support," that's exactly what Wade did - he was really there for Cody and the guys when they needed him.
275. Leading off the evening was a short video presentation of Jimi Hendrix, featuring both still photos and movie clips of Jimi in hios own words (narrated by Bootsy Collins). Jimi's sister Janie introduced each collection of performers, kicking off with Chris Layton (D), Billy Cox (B/V), and Ernie Isley (G/V). Certainly one of the keys to the concert's success was the interplay of artists. No one played their scheduled bit and left the show. Everybody came out at one point or another to join someone else, even if only in a background vocal capacity. So the evening went something like this to the best of my recollection: Chris Layton of Double Trouble (D), Ernie Isely (G/V) and Billy Cox (B/V) of Band of Gypsies performed: Stone Free (Billy Cox lead vocal), Message Of Love (Ernie Isley lead vocal) Will Calhoun (D) of Living Colour, Steve Nelson (B), Ernie Isely (G/V) performed: Manic Depression winding up with a guitar instrumental solo of Amazing Grace. Living Colour as a full band performed: Power Of Soul and Crosstown Traffic. Eric Johnson (G/V), Steve Nelson (B) and Chris Layton (D) performed: Are You Experienced Susan Tedeschi (G/V), MatoNanji (G) of Indigenous, Brad Whitford (G) of Aerosmith, Steve Nelson (B), Chris Layton (D) and Doug Wimbish (B) of Living Colour performed: If 6 Was 9 and Spanish Castle Magic Eric Johnson (G), Susan Tedeschi (V), Steve Nelson (B) and Chris Layton (D) performed: One Rainy Wish Cesar Rosas (G/V) & David Hidalgo (G/V) both of Los Lobos, Steve Nelson (B) and Chris Layton (D) performed: Can You See Me Cesar Rosas (G/V) & David Hidalgo (G/V), Susan Tedeschi (V), Steve Nelson (B) and Chris Layton (D) performed: Little Wing Cesar Rosas (G/V) & David Hidalgo (G/V), Mato (G), Steve Nelson (B), The Slide Brothers (Lap Steel) and Chris Layton (D) performed: Hey Joe Robert Randolph (Lap Steel/V), Will Calhoun (D), Steve Nelson (B) , The Slide Brothers (Lap Steel) and Chris Layton (D) performed: Purple Haze Robert Randolph (Lap Steel/V) , Will Calhoun & Corey Glover (V) of Living Colour, Steve Nelson (B), The Slide Brothers (Lap Steel) and Chris Layton (D) performed: Them Changes Jonny Lang (G/V), Chris Layton (D), Brad Whitford (G), Steve Nelson (B), The Slide Brothers (Lap Steel), and Mato (G) performed: All Along The Watchtower Jonny Lang (G/V), Chris Layton (D), Brad Whitford (G), Steve Nelson (B), Janie Hendrix (bv), Susan Tedeschi (bv), and Doug Wimbish (bv) performed: The Wind Cries Mary and Fire Kenny Wayne Shepherd (G), Chris Layton (D), Steve Nelson (B) and Noah Hunt (V) performed: I Don't Live Today and Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) Steve Vai (G), Will Calhoun (D) and Doug Wimbish (B) performed: Midnight and May This Be Love Steve Vai (G), Will Calhoun (D) and Doug Wimbish (B) Corey Glover (V), Vernon Reid (G) and Robert Randolph (Lap Steel) performed: Foxey Lady Steve Vai (G), Billy Cox (V), Will Calhoun (D) and Doug Wimbish (B) Corey Glover (V), Vernon Reid (G) and Robert Randolph (Lap Steel) performed: Red House One thing interesting about the evening was that everybody seemed to be playing Fender guitars, despite the fact that Jimi Hendrix was also well known for playing the Gibson Flying V.
277. The opening act, Ned Evett & Triple Double, was a very odd choice. Reminded me of back in the day when Van Halen used to get low grade bands to open. I was pretty sure at some point cabbage was goingto start flying during their very short set. One highlight though was their cover of the Tom Waits classic, "Hallelujah."
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