Live concert review and critique thread

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Here is your space to post something about a concert you saw. Go ahead, rant and rave, and be prepared for heated arguments about which band is better. The main point is to just get to know what concerts people go to. A review might save someone a wasted evening or motivate someone to get out for a good rockin' party.

What flashlights did you have on you, and did you use them?

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Last week's event was 'Hardly Strictly Bluegrass', a free weekend concert in Golden Gate park. Five stages and hundreds of acts! It's impossible to see all of them. I had a great time and ran in to lots of friends. It's a super party where you can chill out and groove out to bluesy tunes. And crowded! At least a hundred thousand people. Got to see one of my favorites, "Hot Tuna", and they played one of their most popular songs, "I see the light". The sound was incredible. I heard bands I would have never heard of otherwise.

It was the same weekend as 'fleet week' so we were treated to the blue angels, but they were disruptive to the acoustic event.

It's the third year I have gone to the bluegrass festival... What a great party. The weather was incredible for San Francisco in the summer. Sun, music, friends...

It's nice to go to a huge event/concert that's not in some staduim with security and cops everywhere. (A peaceful bunch, to be sure).

[IsaacHayes]

Small concert place, up close to stage within 6 feet:
Sevendust: Awesome, sounds like the cd, great lighting/etc and crowd interaction. I really want to see them again. I had my ArcAAA std and waved it back and forth when people had their lighters out for "Angels Son".

Static-X: Sounded great, did not stop between songs, played a TON of songs. TONS of energy. Was a blast. I really got into that concert due to the energy.

Non-Point: Didn't seem as good as when they opened for Sevendust, but I'm not sure since it was 2-3 years after that concert. Good crowd interaction. Singing was good. I turned on my ArcAAA std (which was now modded with a nichia CS) once and a security gaurd jumped down and starting running in the direction I was lighting up. I quickly turned it off, but I don't think he was concered with me having a light. I honestly think he believed another guard was lighting someone up and trying to get his attention!! The ArcAAA is really bright now!

Large concert place, far away from stage:
GodSmack, RobZombie & ShineDown.
Shinedown opened: heavier than their radio songs, sounded pretty darn good, but did terrible when they came to sing with GodSmack on GodSmack's song "Shinedown".

RobZombie: Hell of a presentation (stage lights, video screen (lots of boobs!), go-go dancers), but you can tell Rob is getting old and tired of doing this as he seemed out of breath and didn't sing every word to the songs.

GodSmack: Awesome. Sully (lead singer) vocals were right on, as were the rest of the band, and Sully had a drum set come out of the stage and the drummers set rotated facing his and they both played together which was great.

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

I haven't been to a live event in a loooooong time...

Best I ever saw/heard was Pat Travers in the Houston Music Hall. Because of the venue!

Worst was Stix at the Summit... same reason!

Both were before even minim*gs were on the horizon....

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I saw G'N'R recently. 2X. Axl is worse for wear... They still do the *we start 2 hours late* gig. He still uses a teleprompter {The only singer I have ever seen use one}.

They have 3 primo guitar players, including orig Izzy, and avant-Bumblefoot. Crazy guitar solos for your favorite G'N'R songs. Really impressive on that aspect alone. If they were the hard rockin' highlight of you highschool or college years, you know what you are getting into with a Guns and Roses concert. BE ON GUARD!! There are some troublemakers out there.

If you are lucky enough to get tix for the show that's enough. You get to experience the BUZZ, and see the hype. What fun!!



By 11:45, when G'N'R finally began their show, the crowd of knuckleheads was significantly impared, and there were several episodes of violent security activity. The show was stopped 2x by AXL, to point out troublemakers... I would hate to be kicked out of an 80$ show. Fortunately he didn't stop the show.

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Just saw Gv't Mule. Best show of the week! Recommended if you dig classic rock jams. They play till after one, so you get your money's worth. Allman bros. anyone?

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Gv't Mule had a 'guest bass player' concert one time, three full sets... outrageous. Alphonso Johnson, Les Claypool, and Jack Cassidy each played a full set with them... They did an encore TOGETHER.

Now that was a crazy party!

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I was unlucky to view the Decemberists, a fine acoustic style 'semi prog' multi-instrumental band that sings songs about the ocean and other things; they have the worst singer ever. Did Colin Meloy graduate from the Grace Slick school of singing? A perfect example of how a lame singer can ruin a perfectly good band. I was thinking during the show that any of the several other musicians would probably sing better.

The fans were truly a bunch of indie nerds, sporting the finest Goodwill fashions and pillow head (that heroin chic style "I just crawled out of bed and couldn't shower or comb my hair" or find clothes that match). What's up with these kids nowadays? I was observing literally the ugliest clothes combinations and worst hairdos imagineable. I thought about my wardrobe and realized that I couldn't compete in this contest. And you thought those grunge rockers were slobs. End rant/

Fortunately I was able to leave before the show was over and get home to watch the Daily Show. If you like to torture yourself, go check out the Decemberists.

[Longbow]

Oringinaly concerts showcased the fine arts and were events that appealed to mostly adults. Today most concerts are like Trix....for kids.

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Took my 16yr old brother to the 'Slightly Stoopid' with 'Pepper' concert. It was the Jagermeister music tour, so the Jager girls were out, and people were drinking Jager and puking. That's to be expected. The concert was sold out, so it was a pretty lively event. Rob had a great time meeting up with his friends and scoping out all the hot girls in the crowd [wide eyes]. Seemed like a normal bunch of kids out for a good time (mom and dad: do you know what your daughters are wearing when they go out?).

I liked Pepper the most. They had a stripped-down freaky-styley RHCP sound. A pumped up rock trio that got the place hopping.

Slightly Stoopid threw some horns and percussion into their mix. Sort of reggae/ska sound. Seems like the crowd was there to see Pepper, because it thinned out during the Stoopid set. Still entertaining, though.

A fun concert if you're into the bands or scene. There were a lot of first-concert goers having a great time. Be prepared for a good stoney party. Go easy on the Jager.

[bobisculous]

Dream Theater - @ Dodge Theater(Phoenix, AZ); the show was great. The venue sucked. Way quiet and bad acoustics.

Dream Theater w/ Gigantour - @ Concrete Street Ampitheater(Corpus Christi, Texas); The show was great. The venue was not horrible. Outside, hot and humid. And in my opinion, the other bands were terrible. Megadeath at the end was neat with a few good special effects.

-C

[GJW]

I'd always heard the Peter Gabriel did an amazing live show full of weird visuals and performance art but when I saw him in San Jose a few years ago it was very disappointing. Apart from a big inflatable hamster ball that he crawled in and bounced around it was downright boring.
The Blind Boys of Alabama (opening act) got more of a crowd reaction than Peter did.

Conversely, the three Billy Joel concerts I've seen were excellent.
One time we had cheap seats behind the stage and even then we felt we got a complete performace that seemed tailored just for us.

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I saw the Blind Boys of Alabama more than once at the Fillmore. They play a groovy show. They best part is when they get off the stage and weave thru the crowd, singing, led by a roadie, all the way to the back and to the stage again. Most artists don't have the guts to pull that off every night.

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Saw StaticX a couple of times, too, they really do have a high energy show. I remember having a great time, the crowd was excited, people moshing and hurting each other. All right!@!!

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Saw this show last night:

I heard about the opening band here while reading a 'Dream Theatre' thread. Gabriela Y Rodrigo were great and got the whole theater going. He played different songs like Master of Puppets and Stairway to Heaven. Some of the staff were watching and not working during their set. If they come to your town I would recommend seeing the show. They were way more enjoyable than the next two bands. I don't recommend either.


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Saw "Sound Tribe Sector 9" last night, a groovy jam-band with no vocals (relief!). It was a fun costume party. They're a pretty good band that can keep a groove for hours. The light show was impressive, with changing color beams of light to swirl into the crowd.

It was pretty crowded, though, the show was sold out.

Recommended.

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Quite a few shows recently...

Thursday / Rise Against: Pretty burly moshing during the Rise Against set. Huge guys doing some damage; watched many hauled out by security for being too aggressive. During the set-break, 1/2 the crowd left, so the Thursday audience was a lot thinner. Less moshing. Anyway you have to be young to be into that kind of emo-punk. It was the Redken concert series, so I picked up some nice free hair products.

Nintendo fusion tour with Hawthorne Heights, Reliant K, Emory, Plain white T's: I got to play Nintendo Wii before Eric Cartman!! HAHAHAHAHA!!! There were huge lines to play the new console... even during the concert people were lined up to play the game. VERY young crowd. More emo-punk.

How about the Indigo Girls? Sorry, I had to leave early, couldn't take anymore. The fans really eat it up, though.

I was lucky and saw the president Bill Clinton speak at a fundraiser featuring Jackson Browne. He's a great speaker, I'm not surprised he got elected twice. That was the first time I had ever seen a president in person. It was a notable event, the dems were pumped up looking forward to the election, and they got it all right. I imagine they're having more parties now, but if the dems had lost, it would have been the last hopeful one for a while.

[chmsam]

Jeff Beck -- live shows have studio type sound and effects. You'll spend most of the concert with your jaw on the floor thinking, "He can't be doing that live... How the heck can he do that?!?" Several years ago I saw him ocmpletely upstage Carlos Santana and a few years later blow away Jonny Lang. Plays stuff from as far back as the Yardbirds and Jeff Beck Group days with some of the jazz fusion stuff and goes off the chart with the new stuff. Guitar players be warned -- you will either quit playing forever (no, really, FOREVER) after hearing him or else go out and get a third mortgage on the house to get that classic and perfect '57 Strat.

Deke Dickerson and Junior Brown -- two of the best guitar players you've never heard of. Great music and great shows from both. Deke plays clubs and as an opener and is pretty approachable. Junior Brown plays as an opening act and as a headliner for smaller venues. They both play a variety of music from country/rockabilly to rock and roll, but that doesn't begin to do justice to how good these guys can play.

Los Straightjackets -- OK, so the Mexican wrestling masks are a cool/bizarre gimmick, but this group is as amazing as The Ventures (and definitely do not pass up a chance to see The Ventures). Los Straightjackets are Surf guitar heroes and 60's instrumental rock at its best. This band tends to tour with Kaiser George (think early Beatles and Dave Clark Five type music with a great feel for the 60's small club, ultra hip scene) and the Famous Pontani Sisters (this is what real burlesque is all about). The whole show is not to be missed and it's a good show for the older kids, too (skin and lots of leg from the Famous Pontani Sisters but no nudity -- check out their website to see what I mean).

Winton Marsalis -- catch him when he plays classical music. He is a brilliant jazz musician, but I saw him play "Flight of the Bumblebee" with a brass ensemble and was STUNNED! He is multitalented - as tremendous a player as he is, don't limit him to just jazz. Even if you hate classical music, this will make you fall out of your seat.

The Reverend Horton Heat -- Psycho-billy! This group is small but makes an amazing amount of noise (bring ear plugs). What a huge amount of energy! The Rev will take away your Top 40 Rock & Roll sins, make you appreciate Martini Time, the healing powers of a Galaxie 500, and give you strength and confidence to let his power overcome the darkness and that evil thing that's living in your barn. Moshing at some shows (beware!) but even the bigger guys tend to bounce off me, so I don't really mind.

Dave Alvin, Rodney Crowel, Marshall Crenshaw, or Peter Case -- "Who? Never heard of 'em...?" These are some of the best songwriters around. You probably know one or more of their songs. All of these guys can really play. They'll play smaller venues of open for others. Be prepared to become a big fan of any of these musicians. Nothing like seeing the people who wrote the songs up close and personal.

[Pydpiper]

My sister is good friends with Eddie Money, whenever he is around my wife and I try to make the concert. Last place he played locally was with Loverboy and Peter Frampton.
We usually meet Eddie in his hotel room and go to the concert in his Limo or bus and enjoy all the advantages of having a "musicians pass". After being spoiled like that so many times I have a hard time seeing a show from the audience.. A couple of months ago I was on stage with Loverboy wobbling double fisted to the sound area.. Not a good night.. Sorta.. I woke up in the drummers room, they left the night before for another concert.
My sister is leaving this morning to see him in Michigan, he puts her and my brother in law up in the Motel he stays at.
Granted, he is not exactly the king of rock these days..

Here is a pic of the wife and I with the Money Man in one of our first concerts with him.

[drizzle]

The ones that stand out for me were:

George Harrison, Billy Preston and Ravi Shankar in the early 70's at the Seattle Coliseum - my first concert!

Any of several Persuasions concerts at small clubs around Seattle.

Schooner Fare at the Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago.

Added: Waaah! I just looked up the Rodrigo Y Gabriela tour dates and they were here just last month!

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I saw the Alice In Chains reunion tour last week. Awesome show! I remember AIC from my college days, and was stoked to see them again. James Hetfield was the special guest during "Would" and the crowd went crazy. Well, they play the standard AIC greatist hits setlist, so if they came back, I would expect them to play pretty much the same songs. I'd go anyway, just to rock out some more. It was fun listening to my old discs to prep myself for the concert.
Here's some pics I took during "Would":



Freakin' Awesome!!

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Is anybody checking out the Dragonforce/Chimera concert?

[geepondy]

Any old timers ever see Led Zeppelin? I would love to go back in time and see an early Beatles concert back when their hair was all the same. Some pretty cool concerts listed thus far. I've only been to a handful (other then local live music) and the last one was The Doobie Brothers about five or six years ago.

[geepondy]

Hey nothing wrong with the Money man! How was Peter Frampton?

Granted, he is not exactly the king of rock these days..

Here is a pic of the wife and I with the Money Man in one of our first concerts with him.

[MarNav1]

Have not been to a concert in years. But I will always remember Yes 90125 tour. Saw
them outdoors in Berlin Germany around 84 or 85. Also the Scorpions in Frankfurt,
same era. Would love to see Rush before they are done but will probably have to
be satisfied with DVD.

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This concert was pretty fun, but my neck/head hurt this morning. Chimera was my favorite for the night for being the least sucky metal act. The kids were moshing and hurting each other.

Dragonforce is interesting because they bill themselves as the fastest band in the world. It's pretty impressive, but campy at the same time. The KillSwitchEngage fans were teasing the kids with Dragonforce shirts, and 1/2 of the club left before KSE even started.



Not much to say about KillSwitchEngage, just some noisy posers. They probably sound better in their rehearsal studio.

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Here's the Beastie Boys:

Click on the pic for the larger version.

They're still rocking. What a great show! I haven't been so exited about a show in a long time. The place was rocking!!\

They're sporting an Alexander Calder type mobile with LED screens that show the band and other images. Really spectacular! Good job, boys!

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I saw Deep Purple last week with Steve Morse instead of Ritchie Blackmore.
You take what you get. They rocked pretty hard, played 'Smoke on the Water',
Here's the encore, Highway Star:


It was really fun to see those old guys rock out again.

[The_LED_Museum]

The only concert I've ever seen was Blue Öyster Cult, opened by Nazereth.
This was at the Juneau Convention Center in Juneau AK. USA sometime in the early-1980s.
I don't remember having a flashlight on me at the time - for shame!!!

As I remember, both bands played reasonably well, however the elaborate stage sets BÖC was noted for at the time were conspicuously absent.
It was a relatively small venue; this could have very well been the reason for the spartan stage they played on.