“All or Nothing Tour”
Unwritten Law, MxPx All Stars, Versus the World, FLF
Date: Sunday, November 4th 2012
Venue: The Club at Water St. Rochester, NY

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The “All or Nothing Tour” made a stop in Rochester, NY on Sunday for an intimate gig held at The Club at Water St. Though the venue was small it didn’t stop the bands or the fans in attendance from having a good time. FLF hailing from Cape Coral, FL would take the stage first and put on a stellar performance that showcased the bands metal-core tinged, pop punk sound. Though the band’s set was brief they made good use of their time warming up the crowd. Viking Funeral Records artist Verses the World were up next and kept the crowd going with their Fall Out Boy minus the sugar coating type sound. Lead singer/guitarist Donald Spence worked the audience in between songs and one point left the stage to sing with the crowd. The band also performed a great cover of No Use For A Name’s “International You Day” which was dedicated to NUFAN’s fallen singer/guitarist Tony Sly who’s birthday was 11/4. Sly passed away in July of this year.

Up next was co-headliner The MxPx All Stars featuring Mike Herrera, Jack Parker, Harley Trotland and Jose Garzon. This is the All Stars first US tour together as the line was assembled to perform while regular MxPx guitarist Tom Wisniewski and drummer Yuri Ruley take some time off from the road. The band’s sound and energy was great as they blasted through classic MxPx songs such as “Move to Bremerton” and “Chick Magnet”. Herrera also took time to perform some material from his other band Tumbledown acoustically which broke up the set quite nicely before ending the night with “Punk Rawk Show” and “Responsibility”. Closing out the evening were veteran rockers Unwritten Law. The band sounded tight and wasted no time blasting through song after song however, there were several spots during the set that did feel a bit stiff and somewhat dated. Highlights of the set included “Teenage Suicide”, “Seein’ Red” and the always popular “Up All Night”.

The “All or Nothing Tour” features a pretty cool lineup in my opinion. It’s always great when headliners such as these have deep catalog’s to be able to pull songs from and perform a set that will please everyone in attendance. If the tour is making a stop in or around your area you should definitely go check it out. New fans as well as fans from the bands mid-nineties heydays will have a great time taking a walk down memory lane reliving all those great punk rock memories while also hearing some great new music as well.

MxPx All Stars Partial Setlist:
My Life Story
Move to Bremerton
Middlename
New York to Nowhere
Secret Weapon
Doing Time
Chick Magnet
Part, My House, Be There
Another State of Mind (Social Distortion cover)
Punk Rawk Show
Responsibility

Unwritten Law Partial Setlist:
Teenage Suicide
Rescue Me
Lonesome
Up All Night
Starships and Apocalypse
Seein’ Red
Mean Girl
Nevermind
Harmonic
Celebration Song
Cailin

Paul McCartney/On the Run Tour
Date:  November 11, 2012
Venue:  Scottrade Center, St Louis, Missouri

Even at age 70 Paul McCartney can bounce around like a youngster.  Despite a trip off of a riser towards the end of the show (Macca quickly hopped up, struck a pose and began his guitar duel with Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray on the solo riffs during “The End”) McCartney and company played for a solid 3 hours, introducing some new Beatles and Wings songs to their live catalog.

After taking the summer off, St. Louis saw the beginning of the second leg of the “On the Run” tour.  The Fab Five (besides McCartney, Anderson and Ray the group included longtime members Paul “Wix” Wickens (Keyboards) and drummer Abe Laboriel, Jr.) kicked off the show with “Magical Mystery Tour.” before sliding into “Junior’s Farm.”  After a rousing “Drive My Car” – with the audience supplying the “Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep YEAHS – McCartney removed his jacket.  As the woman in the crowd began to “Woo” he smiled and informed them “That is the wardrobe change of the evening.”

With a playlist full of Beatles and Wings classics, the band managed to sneak in some lesser known songs, including “Sing the Changes” (The Firemen) and “My Valentine,” a song McCartney recently penned for his wife, Nancy.  After the first group of songs McCartney held aloft what has to be the most recognizable musical instrument in the history of rock and roll:  his Hofner 500/1 violin bass.  Later in the show McCartney strapped on his old Epiphone Casino guitar to introduce the song he wrote on it, “Paperback Writer.”  There were other song snippets played as well.  “Let Me Roll It” ended with a quick, loud snippet of “Foxy Lady,” with McCartney giving a quick shout out to the other left handed musical genius, Jimi Hendrix.  Later, during “A Day in the Life” the song evolved into an audience inducing “Give Peace a Chance.”  He also paid tribute to his former Beatles mates no longer with us.  A touching accoustic “Here Today,” a song he wrote to John Lennon, had him brushing away a tear at the end while a simple version of “Something” on a ukulele given to him by George Harrison ended as a full blown rendition.

As with everytime I’ve seen McCartney (this makes number six since the 1980s), his back up band was tight.  But even they are not above reproach.  Deducting that Rusty Anderson had made a minor mistake during his solo on “And I Love Her,” Paul admonished him and had him play just the solo over again.  And I’m pleased to say that the one song I’ve wanted to hear live and never have, “Maybe I’m Amazed,” was finally played.  I can now die happy!

The audience was packed with music fans of all ages – from senior citizens to teenagers to a young boy in his stroller whose parents were staying in the same hotel we were.  He may not remember the music he heard but years from now he can proudly tell people that he saw Paul McCartney live!

SET LIST
Magical Mystery Tour, Junior’s Farm, All My Loving, Jet, Drive My Car, Sing the Changes, The Night Before, Let Me Roll It/Foxy Lady, Paperback Writer, The Long and Winding Road, Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five, Maybe I’m Amazed, I’ve Just Seen a Face, And I Love Her, My Valentine, Blackbird, Here Today, Dance Tonight, Mrs. Vandebilt, Eleanor Rigby, Something, Band on the Run, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, Back in the U.S.S.R., I’ve Got a Feeling, A Day in the Life/Give Peace a Chance, Let It Be, Live and Let Die, Hey Jude.

FIRST ENCORE
Lady Madonna, Birthday, Day Tripper, Get Back

SECOND ENCORE
Yesterday, Helter Skelter, Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End 

Photo Credit: Rob Pue

“Twins of Evil Tour”
Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson
Date: Tuesday, October 16th 2012
Venue: Main St. Armory, Rochester, NY

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson co-headlining tour known as “The Twins of Evil” tour made a stop at the Main St. Armory in Rochester, NY on Tuesday, October 16th and performed to a near sold out house. Though production issues seemed to set the night in to a bit of a spin and talks of the previous nights altercation between Manson and Zombie swirling both acts went as scheduled and without incident.

Opening act DJ Starscream aka Sid Wilson of Slipknot was not able to perform his set due to the time crunch caused by production however fans didn’t seem to mind the change as the opening spot of the tour has been somewhat questionable after original opener JDub aka Jonathan Davis lead singer of Korn backed out of the spot sighting exhaustion prior to the tours start. Without an opening act to prime the crowd the headliners had to work a little bit harder this evening to warm up the crowd. Marilyn Manson would take the stage first and though the crowd started off fairly unresponsive about midway through the set the crowd sprang to life as Manson and company performed some of their more notable song such as “mObscene”, “Sweet Dreams” and the always rousing “Beautiful People”. Though Manson interacted little with the somewhat stagnant crowd he carried on with his show un-phased and did little to entice a response. After a rather lengthy set change Rob Zombie would take the stage flanked by excessive amounts of smoke and lighting which filled the medium sized venue instantly. Zombie is still performing a fairly similar set to that of his last 3 tours however despite nothing really new for the fans to see or hear the band still sounded great. White Zombie hits such as “More Human than Human” and “Thunder Kiss ‘65” were definite highlights of the set as was Zombies closing number “Dragula”.

Though this night went fairly smooth I wouldn’t be surprised if this tour doesn’t end in some sort of big catastrophe. Though tensions seemed to be calmed for the moment Manson is known for having a somewhat volatile and unpredictable personality. With there already having been one altercation on this tour it makes me think there could be more troubles down the line. If you have your tickets already for this show hold on to your receipts as this tour could go up in flames at anytime. However if it does stay on track then be prepared for a solid show.

Marilyn Manson Set List:
1.) Hey, Cruel World
2.) Disposable Teens
3.) The Love Song
4.) No Reflection
5.) mObscene
6.) The Dope Show
7.) Slo-Mo-Tion
8.) Rock is Dead
9.) Personal Jesus
10.) Sweet Dreams
11.) Coma White
12.) King Kill 33
13.) Antichrist Superstar
14.) The Beautiful People

Rob Zombie Set List:
1.) Jesus Frankenstein
2.) Superbeast
3.) Meet the Creeper
4.) Living Dead Girl
5.) More Human Than Human
6.) Mars Needs Women
7.) Drum solo
8.) Never Gonna Stop (The Red, Red Koovy)
9.) Sick Bubble Gum
10.) Scum of the Earth
11.) Pussy Liquor
12.) Thunder Kiss ‘65
13.) School’s Out
14.) Dragula

“The Tour”
Kiss, Motley Crue, The Treatment
Date: Saturday, September 15th 2012
Venue: Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, Darien Center, NY

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The 2012 Darien Lake concert series came to a thunderous close on Saturday, September 15th as “The Tour” featuring Kiss, Motley Crue and The Treatment performed to a near capacity crowd. As fans of all ages many adorned in Kiss makeup gradually filled the venue the UK hard rock band The Treatment took to the stage and performed songs of their debut release “This Might Hurt”. The band had a really great sound and was full of energy. It’s always great to see up and coming bands on these larger tours come out and really give it their all and The Treatment did just that.

The kings of the sunset strip, Motley Crue were up next and proceeded to make an entrance like no other. Clad in hooded robes, masks and with scantily clad girls on their shoulders members of the band made their way through the crowd before walking up onto the stage. This seemed to really catch the crowd off guard and helped set the stage for the bands performance. Each song in the set was accompanied by pyro, water cannons, arial performers and at one point Tommy Lees very own roller coaster. These things all sound great on paper but at times during the show there seemed to be just too much going on which I felt took something away from the music. Vince Neil’s limited movement due to an injury sustained a few nights before requiring him to wear a walking cast didn’t seem to hurt the bands performance but it surely wasn’t helping. At times the members seemed distant and uninterested in each other. At the start of “Home Sweet Home” several sour notes rang out over the crowd and though the band quickly recovered you could surely tell each member was on a different page.

Kiss closed out the night performing a 13 song greatest hits set dressed in their iconic make up and signature platform boots. Though the set list was made up mostly of classic Kiss gems the band did
perform one new song. “Hell or Hallelujah” the first song to be released off the upcoming album titled “Monster” gave a little bit of fresh air to a set list which has gone relatively unchanged since the 1996 Reunion tour. The band sounded great and despite my extreme dislike for current members wearing past members make up the band looked just as good. Even though I would liked to have seen some different songs make their way in to the set it’s still always good to hear the classics performed live and loud!

With “The Tour” wrapping up just a few remaining dates in September I will be very curious to see what each of the bands have in store for the coming months. It would be great to once again see what each of these bands can do on their own separate headlining tours.

Kiss Set List
1. Detroit Rock City
2. Shout it Out Loud
3. I Love it Loud
4. Firehouse
5. Hell or Hallelujah
6. War Machine
7. Shock Me
8. God of Thunder
9. Love Gun
10. Lick it Up
11. Black Diamond
12. Calling Dr. Love
13. Rock and Roll All Night

Motley Crue Set List:
1. Saints of Los Angeles
2. Wild Side
3. Shout at the Devil
4. Same Ol’ Situation
5. Sex
6. Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
7. Home Sweet Home
8. Live Wire
9. Primal Scream
10. Dr. Feelgood
11. Girls, Girls, Girls,
12. Kickstart My Heart

The Treatment Set List:
1. Drink, Fuck, Fight
2. World on Fire
3. Get the Party On
4. I Fear Nothing
5. The Doctor
6. Departed
7. Nothing to Lose But Our Minds
8.) Shake the Mountain

“Rockstar Mayhem Festival”
Slipknot, Slayer, Motorhead, Asking Alexandria, Anthrax, As I Lay Dying, The Devil Wears Prada, White Chapel, I The Breather, Bleeding Ink
Date: Saturday, August 4th 2012
Venue: Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain, Scranton, PA

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

On Saturday August 4th the heavy metal circus known as “The Rockstar Mayhem Festival” screeched its way into the Toyota Pavilion located in Scranton, PA. Kicking of the day was the band Bleeding Ink who despite only playing a 20 minute set seemed to really give there all as fans were still slowly making their way through several security/ticket stops. I The Breather was up next followed by White Chapel and As I Lay Dying. Closing out the second stage was NY thrash legends Anthrax. Though I feel the band would have been more suited for the main stage they did do a great job packing their 40 minute set with such classics as “Caught in a Mosh and “Madhouse” before ending with the always popular “I Am the Law”.

After an afternoon of battling heat and the occasional crowd surfer in the venues parking lot the festival moved its way over to the main stage. The UK band Asking Alexandria opened up the evening with a brief 7 song set. Definitely the youngest band on the main stage and probably the least know by those in attendance were sadly given a luke warm reception. Despite the minimal crowd response the band forged on until their 30 minute set came to a close. Heavy metal icon Lemmy and his band Motorhead would be up next and instantly kicked the volume to the max. Performing such classic songs as “Damage Case”, “Killed by Death” and “Ace of Spades” the crowd sprung to life with pumping fists and banging heads. Slayer were up next and treated the crowd to a pyro packed set which was highlighted by such legendary Slayer tracks as “War Ensemble”, “South of Heaven”, “Angel of Death” and of course “Reign in Blood”. Immediately after pulverizing the crowd Slayer would leave the stage and a dark red curtain would be lowered. Following a brief intermission Slipknots intro “742617000027” began cranking over the pa. With a flash bang that could be heard for miles the masked clad band launched into an energy filled set that would entertain even the most casual of Slipknot fans. Highlights of the set included “Wait and Bleed”, “Vermillion”, “The Heretic Anthem” and, “Psychosocial”. Front man Cory Taylor wasted little time in between songs talking with the crowd as there certainly was an agenda and time frame for the evening.

I was super excited to be able to catch one of the stops on this year’s tour. With such a great line-up surely a good time was going to be had. However, catching the second to last show before of the tour did not yield such results. Yes I got to hear a number of my favorite songs by some great bands but with the exception of Slipknot and maybe one or two other acts the performances were a tad underwhelming and seemed rushed. I am sure by this stage in a tour bands are tired and ready to go home but, fans at the end of a tour pay just as much as those at the start of a tour and deserve a top notch performance. Despite a great looking bill and some really cool promotions related to the tour I think the show in Scranton, PA was a bit of a dud. Thankfully Slipknot closing out the end of a long, hot day and some promising performances from the Jagermeister stage left me with a glimmer of hope for next year’s run.

Slipknot Set List:
Intro- 742617000027
1.) (Sic)
2.) Eyeless
3.) Sulfur
4.) Wait and Bleed
5.) Disasterpiece
7.) Gently
8.) Vermillion
9.) The Heretic Anthem
10.) Psychosocial
11.) Duality
12.) Spit It Out
13.) People=Shit
14.) Surfacing
Outro- ‘Til We Die

Slayer Set List:
Intro- Darkness of Christ
1.) Disciple
2.) War Ensemble
3.) Die by the Sword
4.) Hate Worldwide
5.) Mandatory Suicide
6.) Alter of Sacrifice
7.) Jesus Saves
8.) Season in the Abyss
9.) Hell Awaits
10.) Dead Skin Mask
11.) Angel of Death
12.) South of Heaven
13.) Raining Blood

Motorhead Set List:
1.) Bomber
2.) Damage Case
3.) I Know How to Die
4.) Stay Clean
5.) Over the Top
6.) The Chase is Better Than the Catch
7.) The One to Sing the Blues
Drum Solo
8.) Going to Brazil
9.) Killed by Death
10.) Ace of Spades

Asking Alexandria Set List:
1.) Welcome
2.) Closure
3.) Breathless
4.) A Lesson Never learned
5.) To the Stage
6.) Dear Insanity
7.) Morte et Dabo

“Rockstar Uproar Festival”
Shinedown, Godsmack, Staind, Adelitas Way, Fozzy, In This Moment, Duece, Candlelight Red, Mindset Evolution, Cruz
Date: Saturday, August 25th 2012
Venue: New York State Fair Grand Stand, Syracuse, NY

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

The Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival came to the Great New York State Fair on Saturday August 25th and despite a few band cancelations the festival was quite enjoyable. The day’s festivities kicked off on dueling side stages sponsored by Jagermeister and Ernie Ball. Due to the venue layout all three of the festival stages were side by side making it very easy to watch all of the performances. Besides not missing one note of music the rotating stages allowed for a very mini lag time between groups. This not only kept the energy of the crowd up but gave the show a great flow and feel. Despite the absence of P.O.D and the recent cancelation of Papa Roach each of the bands on the smaller stages did a great job filling in the time and the afternoon was capped off by energetic performances from In This Moments and Fozzy which features WWE Superstar Chris Jericho on vocals.

Prior to the start of the main stage performances fans we made to clear the venue which did cause quite a bit of confusion and chaos as fans were shuffled through various small openings leading under the grandstand viewing area. After a 40 minute wait fans were finally allowed to re-enter and take their seats for the rest of the evenings events. Up and coming hard rock band Adelitas Way opened the night and gave the fans a brief but energy packed set which came to a close with lead singer Rick DeJesus jumping in to the crowd for some quality time where he remained signing autographs and posing for photos for some time after the rest of the band left the stage. Staind would follow with a surprisingly energetic set which featured hits like “It’s Been Awhile”, “Mudshovel” and “Outside”. Despite singer Aaron Lewis preparing to take some time away from the band to promote his upcoming country album band moral seemed high and it really showed in the group’s performance. Hard rock heavy weights Godsmack would be next playing a greatest hits set consisting of songs from each of the bands albums. Highlights of the set were “Keep Away”, “Bad Religion” and of course the dueling drum solo’s between Shannon Larken and Sully Erna. Having seen the band several times now it would have been great to see something different from the band as this set was almost identical to the set performed by the band on this past springs “Mass Chaos Tour”. Shinedown closed out the night with a pyro packed performance featuring songs off the band latest album “Amaryllis”. Though the bands stage show featured a number of cool effects and a guest appearance by In This Moment front woman Maria Brink I felt the performance by the band was a bit boring. Singer Brent Smith very rarely left his podium and spent little to no time interacting with the crowd. At times the sound of the band seemed very produced and digital which I felt hurt the performance more than helped it. I am all for bands embracing technology however you have to know when enough is enough.

Though the “Rockstar Uproar Festival” is a bit smaller and doesn’t have as many big names artists as Rockstar’s other traveling tour “Mayhem Festival”. The smaller set ups gave each performance a more intimate feel. Having attended both festivals the “Uproar Festival” featured a wider variety of musical styles, better stage set up and a far better sound production. If Uproar is coming to your town be sure to grab a ticket and get to the show early to check out some really great talent.

Shinedown Set List:
1.) Sound of Madness
2.) Diamond Eyes
3.) Enemies
4.) If You Only Knew
5.) Devour feat. Maria Brink
7.) I’ll Follow You
8.) Unity
9.) .45
10.) Simple Man
11.) Second Chance
12.) Fly From the Inside

Godsmack Set List:
1.) Enemy
2.) Keep Away
3.) Cryin’ Like a Bitch
4.) Straight Out of Line
5.) Awake
6.) Bad Religion
7.) Speak
8.) Voodoo
9.) Drum Solo
10.) Whatever
11.) I Stand Alone

Staind Set List:
1.) Eyes Wide Open
2.) Right Here
3.) Now
4.) For You
5.) Paper Wings
6.) It’s Been Awhile
7.) Not Again
8.) Outside
9.) Mudshovel
10.) Something to Remind You

Adelitas Way Set List:
1.) The Collapse
2.) Hurt
3.) Alive
4.) Cage the Beast
5.) Criticize
6.) Sick
7.) Invincible

“2012 Vans Warped Tour”
Date: Tuesday, July 17^th 2012
Venue: Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, Darien Center, NY

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The rolling circus known as the Vans Warped Tour made its way to the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Darien Center, NY on July 17^th. Though the temperatures for the day reach triple digits and constant wind/dust pounded concert goers and performers the day was still packed with tons of great performances.

With the tour growing larger each year it was amazing to see just how far the tour has come since its inception in the mid 90’s. The year’s tour features 11 stages and a variety of vendors and exhibits. Due to the layout at this venue the two main stages were quite a distance apart causing some difficulty when trying to catch acts that had set times close to each other. The closeness of the set times is a common problem with festivals and this one was definitely no exception.

The always entertaining Of Mice and Men kicked off the day with an energy fueled performance that instantly ignited the crowd which was pretty impressive for an 11:30am start time. Though the bands performance was brief they packed every possible second with greatness. Other highlights of the day were Warped Tour veterans New Found Glory, hometown favorites Every Time I Die and an insanely brutal performance from the Troy, Ohio based band Miss May I.

Though the day was long, hot and dusty those in attendance didn’t seem to mind as the overall mood of the festival was fun and upbeat. Concert goers shifted from stage to stage with ease and most everyone in attendance was somewhat courteous. If you are planning on attending one of this year’s tour dates make sure you are prepared to not only have a great time but to also brave the various elements.

Stage Line Ups:

Kio Rio Stage                             Kia Soul Stage                                 Monster Energy Stage

Chelsea Grin                                  Of Mice & Men                                     Mayday Parade

Skinny Lister                                 Four Year Strong                              Vampires Everywhere

Breathe Caroline                          New Found Glory                              Bless the Fall

Every Time I Die                          Blood on the Dance Floor              You Me At Six

Miss May I                                      We The Kings                                       The Ghost Inside

Streetlight Manifesto                 Falling In Reverse                              For Today

All Time Low                                 Taking Back Sunday                           Title Fight

Pierce The Veil                               Yellow Card                                         Rise to Remain

Sleeping with Sirens

Motionless in White

Memphis Mayfire

Tillys Stage                        House of Marley Stage                          Kevin Says Stage

Vanna                                       Ballyhoo                                                            Twin Atlantic

I Fight Dragons                     Stepdad                                                              Matt Toka

Polar Bear Club                     The Constellations                                         Tonight Alive

Bayside                                     G-Eazy                                                                Skip the Foreplay

Man Overboard                     T.Mills                                                                Super Water Sympathy

Senses Fail                               Mod Sun                                                            The Stellar Life

We Are The Crowd               The Green                                                          We Are the Ocean

A Loss For Words                 Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide                The Silver Comet

Lostprophets                          Tomorrows Bad Seeds                                 Captain Capa

Justina                                       Echo Movement                                             Bang Ups

Funeral Party                                                                                                        Lost in Society

After the Burial

Cherri Bomb

Dead Sara

Ernie Ball Stage                        Acoustic Basement Stage          Silent Disco

Anchor Me Down                          Kevin Meyer                                            Tony D’ Angelo

Rose City Burial                             Mariko                                                        Sas Attack

Young Bloods                                 We Are the Ocean                                   DJ Saucy

Through the Floor                        Geof Rickley                                             Wick-It The Instigator

Rosedale                                           Brian Marquis

Greek Fire                                        Transit

Danielle Barbe                                Owen Plant

Cold Forty Three                           A Loss for Words

Transit                                                Make Do and mend

Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!        Koji

Born of Osiris                                   Anthony Raneri

Iwrestledabearonce                     Skinny Lister

Fireworks

Troy Harley

Bring It Back Stage                                                      Ourstage.com Stage

Abadawn & The Kill Party      Adrienne Mack-Davis                           Stateside

Blue Funk Squad                         One Be Lo                                                   Atlantic Avenue

Baxter Wordsworth                  Chicharones                                              Phone Calls from Home

Zeps & Damanalz                                                                                               Avalon Roe

Verble                                                                                                                    Prolong the Agony

Maulskull                                                                                                              Junk or Decore

Bboy Showcase                                                                                                   Wargames

Dox Black                                                                                                              Larry Gee

Subkulture Patriots

J Ross Parrelli

Oso Slick

Quite Nyce

“Tail Gates and Tan Lines Tour”
Luke Bryan, Justin Moore. Lee Brice
Date: Sunday, June 17th 2012
Venue: Tag’s Summer Stage, Big Flats, NY

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

 Luke Bryan’s “Tail Gates and Tan Lines” tour pulled into the Tag’s Summer Stage in the Upstate NY town of Big Flats on June 17th to kick off the venues 2012 concert season. Along with Luke Bryan were fellow country music acts Justin Moore and Lee Brice.

Long lines stretched out the venues gates as the estimated 5,000 concert goers made their way into the medium sized outdoor venue to enjoy a night of music from 3 country superstars. Lee Brice would kick off the night bringing his brand of rock infused country to the already near capacity crowd.

Brice played a number of songs off his latest album “Hard 2 Love” which quickly had fanson their feet and singing along. The set also included a guest performance from Today Show host Hoda Kotb. Justin Moore would take the stage next as the venue reached near capacity numbers and preceded to kick the energy level up a notch.Moore opened the set with the country meets rock song “Guns” before launching into hits such as “How I Got to Be This Way “, “Small Town USA” and closed out the night with the song “Backwoods”.

Luke Bryan closed out the night and immediately took control of the crowd which consisted mostly of cowboy hat clad women and their unsuspecting boyfriends. Bryan opened his set with the popular song “Rain Is a Good Thing” before leading into his latest single “Drunk On You” and the always popular number “Country Girl (Shake It for Me)”. Those in attendance were treated to a great night of music and entertainment as all three acts seemed to put their best effort forward. I highly recommend checking out the tour if it is making a stop in your area this summer.

Justin Moore Set List:
1.) Guns
2.) How I Got to Be This Way
3.) My Kind of Woman
4.) Backroad
5.) Twang
6.) Til My Last Day/I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends
7.) Heaven
8.) Beer Time
9.) Bait a Hook
10.) Rowdy Friends/Hank It
11.) Small Town
12.) Ass
13.) Backwoods

“Midwest Rock and Roll Express Tour”
Ted Nugent, Reo Speedwagon, Styx
Date: Friday, July 6th 2012
Venue: Tag’s Summer Stage, Big Flats, NY

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

The “Midwest Rock and Roll Express Tour” rolled into Tag’s Summer Stage in the Upstate NY town of Big Flats on July 17^th and put on a show that was overflowing with classic rock hits. Local musician Brian Hughes kicked off the night performing a brief solo set of acoustic cover tunes. Hughes was able to put an interesting spin on several classic songs to which the crowd responded with heavy applause.

The always loud and outspoken Ted Nugent would follow and though performing hits like “Strangle Hold” and the always popular “Cat Scratch Fever” Nugent did not perform his staple of shooting his guitar with a flaming arrow. That aside the band performed flawlessly and sounded great.

Reo Speedwagon would take the stage next coming right out of the gate with “Don’t Let Him Go” and “Take It on The Run” before settling in to acknowledge the crowd. The band played all of their hits and closed out the night just as the sun was setting with the song “Ridin’ The Storm Out”. Reo played at the top of their game and the sound crew continued to shine with crystal clear sound which only added to the bands always upbeat performance.

Styx would close out the night as the near capacity crowd was on their feet from the opening notes of “Blue Collar Man” to the last notes of “Renegade” closed out the show. Tommy Shaw though appearing to be a bit under the weather still put on stellar performance. The band was full of energy interacting with each other and the crowd. The always animated Lawrence Gowan danced and spun around on his keyboard stand at dizzying speeds all without missing a beat.

The lineup, production and sound are top notch on this tour and if it’s making a stop in your area or nearby I highly recommend checking it out as the show is worth way more than the price of admission.

Ted Nugent :

1.) Wango Tango

2.) Just What the Doctor Ordered

3.) Free For All

4.) Stormtroopin’

5.) Wang Dang Sweet Poontang

6.) I Can’t Quite You Babe

7.) Hey Baby

8.) Cat Scratch Fever

9.) Strangle Hold

Reo Speedwagon:

1.) Don’t Let Him Go

2.) Take It on The Run

3.) Keep Pushin’

4.) Golden Country

5.) Can’t Fight This Feeling

6.) That Ain’t Love

7.) Like You Do

8.) Time For Me To Fly

9.) Back on the Road Again

10.) Roll With The Changes

11.) Keep on Loving You

12.) Ridin’ The Storm Out

Styx:

1.) Blue Color Man

2.) The Grand Illusion

3.) Too Much Time On My Hands

5.) Lorelei

6.) Man in the Wilderness

7.) Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)

8.) Miss America

9.) Come Sail Away

10.) Rockin’ the Paradise

11.) Renegade 

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“Rob Zombie & Megadeth”
Rob Zombie, Megadeth, Lacuna Coil
Date: Saturday, May 12th 2012
Venue: Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

On Saturday May 12th Rob Zombie and Megadeth came to the Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain in Scranton, PA. The co-headlining tour featured Rob Zombie, Megadeth and Lacuna Coil. It was a great night for music as the weather was perfect and the secluded hill top setting at the Toyota Pavilion made for a great concert experience.

The Italian rock/metal band Lacuna Coil started the show off and though the venue was still filling up at this point the fans that got there early were treated to a solid performance. Front woman Cristina Scabbia commanded the crowd’s attention which helped take the bands performance to the next level. Megadeth would take the stage next and were relentless in their approach. The band sounded fantastic blasting out song after song. The set was a mixture of newer songs such as “Never Dead” and “Public Enemy No. 1” as well as Megadeth classics “Sweating Bullets” and “Peace Sells”. Dave Mustain interacted off and on with the crowd and he and the rest of the band seemed very appreciate of the crowds applause and reactions. Horror Rock icon Rob Zombie would close out the night backed by his band consisting of John 5, Piggy D and newly acquired drummer Ginger Fish formerly of Marilyn Manson. The band played what could be considered as a greatest hits set, minus a few of the hits to the estimated 4,500 fans in attendance. Though the band sounded decent, I think it’s time for Rob to go back to the drawing board and design a new show. Fans saw an almost exact copy of the 2010 Halloween Hootenanny/Gruesome Twosome show and a similar set list. The brief 12 song set featured staple tracks such “Superbeast” and “Living Dead Girl”. The most notable event of the night came in the way of Zombie’s encore which started off with a pieced together trailer for his new film “Lords of Salem”.

Co-headlining tours are becoming more and more of a staple due to the ever changing economy. This has been both a blessing and a curse. Yes fans get to see several great acts for the price of one ticket however, in the essence of time bands are cutting their sets shorter and shorter. This tour is a perfect example of that. 12 songs by the tour “headliner” is just sad in my opinion. I only hope that if these co-headliner tours continue bands remember that it’s about the quality of the performance not the quantity of the bands on the bill.

Megadeth Set List:
1.) Never Dead
2.) Hangar 18
3.) Head Crusher
4.) In My Darkest Hour
5.) Trust
6.) She-Wolf
7.) Sweating Bullets
8.) A Tout Le Monde
9.) Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)
10.) Public Enemy No. 1
11.) Symphony of Destruction
12.) Peace Sells
13.) Holy Wars…The Punishment Due

Rob Zombie Set List:
1.) Jesus Frankenstein
2.) Superbeast
3.) Scum of the Earth
4.) Never Gonna Stop (The Red, Red Koovy)
5.) Living Dead Girl
6.) More Human Than Human
7.) Demonoid Phenomenon
8.) Sick-Bubble Gum
9.) Mars Needs Women
10.) Pussy Liquor
11.) Thunder Kiss ‘65
12.) Dragula

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“MassChaos Tour 2012”
Godsmack, Staind, Halestorm, Brook Royal
Date: Sunday, May 13th 2012
Venue: Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The “MassChaos Tour” made a stop at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton, NY on Sunday May 13th.The tour consists of native Massachusetts’s bands Godsmack and Staind along with special guests Halestorm and Brook Royal. This tour marks the first time the two Mass. natives have toured together.

The Broome County Veterans Arena is an older venue which is in desperate need of some upgrades. The venues biggest issue is the small entrance which caused fans to be backed up around the entire venue causing extremely long wait times. Once in the venue though fans were treated to a brief set by the band Brook Royal. Though I found the band to be nothing out of the ordinary they did use their time on stage wisely by playing song after song. Halestorm took the stage next and struggled through a number of mic issues which seemed to plague vocalist/guitarist Lzzy Hale resulting in her being very difficult to hear. Co-headliner Staind would be up next and treated the crowd to a strobe light induced barf fest as they played a spattering of songs tinged with hits such as “Outside” and “It’s been Awhile”. I found the bands performance to be stiff and somewhat boring. At times it seemed as though lead singer Aaron Lewis was just going through the proverbial motions. Despite my feelings towards the performance fans were on their feet showing their appreciation from start to the very end of the bands hour long set. Godsmack would close out the night and though the production of the show was much more scaled back than previous tours the band still

delivered. Front man Sully Erna worked the crowd back and forth as the night progressed kicking off songs such as “Keep Away” and “Cryin’ Like a Bitch”. Before the night was over Erna and drummer Shannon Larkin put the icing on the cake by treating the crowd to their signature dueling drum solos. This has been an amazing Godsmack live staple since the group’s 2003 Faceless tour.

Though the show had some technical difficulties and abbreviated sets the Binghamton crowd seemed appreciative of all the bands performances. The bands also seemed appreciative even though the venue was only about half full. There are few bands out there today still willing to tour outside the major markets and play smaller venues however the “MassChaos Tour” is making stops all over the U.S. which is something that I think is really great. If the tour is coming to a city near you make sure you check it out.

Halestorm Set List:
1.) Love Bites (So Do I)
2.) Mz. Hyde
3.) I Miss the Misery
4.) Freak Like Me
5.) Familiar Taste of Poison
6.) Rock Show
7.) It’s Not You
8.) Here’s to Us

Staind Set List:
1.) Raw
2.) Right Here
3.) Eyes Wide Open
4.) Spleen
5.) Failing
6.) So Far Away
7.) Now
8.) Country Boy
9.) For You
10.) Paper Wings
11.) Outside
12.) Not Again
13.) It’s Been Awhile
14.) Mudshovel
15.) Something to Remind You

Godsmack Set List:
1.) Awake
2.) The Enemy
3.) Good Day to Die
4.) Keep Away
5.) The oracle
6.) Love, Hate, Sex, Pain
7.) Cryin’ Like a Bitch
8.) Rocky Mountain Way
9.) Voodoo
10.) Batalla de Los Tambores
11.) Whatever
12.) I Stand Alone

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“End Game Tour 2012”
Rise Against, A Day To Remember, Title Fight
Date: Tuesday, May 8th 2012
Venue: New York State Fairgrounds

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

Rise Against played the Chevy Court at the New York State Fairgrounds on Tuesday, May 8th as part of the bands “End Game 2012 Tour” The tour is in support of the band’s latest album of the same name which was release earlier this year. The tour line-up also featured Title Fight and the always entertaining A Day To Remember. Even though the weather at times was not the best causing a number of giant mud pits each of the three bands put on a solid performance for the assembled crowd.

Title Fight from Kingston, PA kicked off the show and received a warm reception from the crowd which was a mixture of styles and ages. Crowd favorite A Day To Remember were up next and once the band hit the stage the energy level went through the roof. The bands set featured flying beach balls, toilet paper and a giant hamster ball which singer Jeremy McKinnon used to walk over the top of the crowd. The later part of the bands set featured some of the bands more popular songs such as “Better Off This Way” and “All I Want”. As the storm clouds began to move in and day shifted to night headliner Rise Against would take the stage. After a brief intro taken from the 1970 film “Catch-22” the band launched into a thought provoking, energy filled set. The band wasted no time and played song after song. Though the band sounded muffled at time their set was still very tight. The set featured a number of Rise Against staples as well as some new songs off of the “End game” album. Later in the set fans were treated to an acoustic performance of “Swing Life Away” and a few other acoustic numbers. The band closed out the night with an extended version of the hit song “Savior” which left the muddy masses tired but still had them begging for more.

A Day to Remember Set List:
1.) The Downfall Of Us All
2.) A Shot in the Dark
3.) I’m Made of Wax Larry, What Are You Made Of?
4.) My Life For Hire
5.) All Signs Point to Lauderdale
6.) 2nd Sucks
7.) You Be Tails, I’ll Be Sonic
8.) It’s Complicated
9.) Homesick
10.) Better Off This Way
11.) Have Faith In Me
12.) All I Want
13.) The Plot to Bomb The Panhandle
Rise Against Set List:
1.) Survivor Guilt
2.) Ready to Fall
3.) Collapse (Post-Amerika)
4.) The Good Left Undone
5.) Broken English
6.) Help Is on the Way
7.) Disparity by Design
8.) Drones
9.) Re-Education (Through Labor)
10.) Blood to Bleed
11.) Satellite
12.) Paper Wings
13.) Prayer of the Refugee
14.) Audience of One
15.) Swing Life Away
16.) Make It Stop
17.) Give It All
18.) Midnight Hands
19.) The Strength to Go On
20.) Savior

Aretha Franklin
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Kansas City, Missouri
May 8, 2012

A few years ago, “Rolling Stone” magazine published a list of the 100 greatest voices in rock and roll history.  No surprise that number one went to the Queen of Soul herself, Ms. Aretha Franklin.  At the beautiful Kauffman Center in Kansas City, her majesty held court for a sold out audience.  And she didn’t disappoint.

Cloaked in a fur coat and carrying her pocketbook, as if she was just stopping by to say hello, Ms. Franklin opened her show with a rousing version of Jackie Wilson’s “(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher.”  For the next hour and a half she regaled the audience with many of her hits (“Think,” “Chain of Fools”) as well as some surprises.

The show went off without a hitch.  Almost.  After her second number Ms. Franklin requested that the stage airconditioning be turned off, threatening to leave the stage if it wasn’t.  “I came to give Kansas City my best performance,” she informed the unknown tech, again requesting the a/c be cut.  Thankfully for all in attendance it was.  Later in the show one of her bracelets fell off.  She eventually enlisted the help of her band director, who refastened it to much applause.

Ms. Franklin was in fine voice, hitting all of the notes the audience expected.  She kicked off the second act of her show by sitting down at the piano and paying tribute to one of her mentors, the late, great Sam Cooke.  While images of Cooke were shown on the video screen, Ms. Franklin sang one of Cooke’s biggest hits, “You Send Me.”  “Jesus” she said, as shots of the handsome Cooke filled the screen, “he was a fine man!”  She followed up with a moving tribute

to the late Whitney Houston, singing a few bars of “I Will Always Love You.”  She concluded the second act with an audience favorite, “Freeway of Love.”

For her encore she informed the audience that the other night she had seen one of her five favorite films on television (among her favorites: “Dr. Zhivago,” “The Thomas Crown Affair” and “Lady Sings the Blues.”  I can only assume one of them is “The Blues Brothers.”)  She then delivered a moving version of “The Way We Were.”  She concluded the evening with her signature number, “Respect.”

On a side note, I must add here that this was my first visit to the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and it was easily one of the most beautiful venues I’ve attended an event at, The complex, along with the Sprint Center, is one of the crown jewels in Kansas City’s performing arts crown.

SET LIST:  (Your Love Is Lifting Me) Higher and Higher, Share Your Love with Me, Think, Baby I Love You, Something He Can Feel, Chain of Fools, Ain’t No Way, Instrumental Highlights (the band was TIGHT), Find Me An Angel, Help Me Lift Him Up, You Send Me, I Will Always Love You, Freeway of Love.  ENCORE:  The Way We Were, Respect.

Engelbert Humperdinck
Northern Quest Resort & Casino
Airway Heights, WA
April 29th, 2012

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

Engelbert Humperdinck has been entertaining for 45 years and shows no signs of slowing down. While watching his perform, he just looks like he is having the time of his life during every song. He never stops strutting his stuff and dancing throughout the show. He also not only engages his fans with amazing stories in between but he even invites them up on the stage. For a man that is 75 years old, he acts half his age and puts to shame many of our current performers that have forgotten what is it like to perform live. Overall he just has this wonderful stage presence and it comes through with his fans and through this music.

I wasn’t able to personally attend this show but thanks to the wonders of the internet, I was able to be their watching it live from the comfort of my home. Thanks to Front and Center for setting up this fantastic streaming concert. The concert played perfectly without a hitch and did not encounter any streaming issues. It wasn’t just one boring camera angle either. There was numerous cameras constantly changing covering the whole stage. The sound quality was also very impressive, especially for streaming internet.

The concert ran from about 90 minutes and he really covered all of his classics. In this show he covers classics like “Quando, Quando, Quando”, “The Last Waltz” and “Release Me”. I also really enjoyed his new song for Eurovision 2012 and also currently #1 on the charts in the UK, “Love Will Set You Free”. Engelbert even covers classics like “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” and Bryan Adams’ “When You Love a Woman” along with his great guitarist Yohan Frank. What I like most about hearing him life is that he sounds exactly like he does on the album. Engelbert’s voice just sounds fantastic and he is not afraid to belt out some big notes.

Engelbert is one of the last great entertainers and he puts on what a great show. I also really enjoyed his video clips including a funny comedy act from Eddie Izzard and a rare performance with Engelbert and Dean Martin. I have never had the privilege of seeing Engelbert in person, which I hope will change very soon. You here that Engelbert…come to the Orlando FL area soon!!

“Return of the World Maggot Tour”
GWAR, Municipal Waste, Ghoul, Legacy of Disorder
Date: Thursday, March 22nd 2012
Venue: Wescott Theater, Syracuse, NY

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

The theatrical shock rock band GWAR made its way back to the Wescott Theater in Syracuse, NY on March 22nd as part of their “Return of the World Maggot Tour”. Though the venue was not completely full GWAR and the rest of the bands on the bill provided a great night of entertainment for those brave enough to weather the dousing’s of fake blood and ooze.

Legacy of Disorder who hails from New Zealand started the night off playing what could be considered as a unique blend of technical grind metal. Though the crowd response was somewhat minimal as fans were still filtering through the doors the band played a solid, straight forward set. Ghoul would take the stage next bringing their own style of horror inspired theatrics to the stage. The band clad in blood stained burlap hoods set the tone for what was to come later in the evening. At several point during the bands set they treated the crowd to free blood showers and some comedic banter provided by vocalist/guitarist Digestor and bassists/vocalist Cremator. Thrash heavy weights Municipal Waste were up next and elevated the night’s energy to a whole new level. Singer Tony Foresta worked the crowd into a frenzy by enlisting the help of the ever so popular “Wall of Death” and the more traditional “Circle Pit”. As the crowd slammed away to classic tracks by the band they were also treated to several new songs off the bands upcoming album “The Fatal Feast: Waste in Space”.

The latex clad kings of Richmond, VA better known as GWAR would close out the night leaving no stone or person un-bloodied. The band blasted out vintage tunes such as “Sadam A Go Go” and “Crack in the Egg” along with songs of the bands more recent album “Bloody Pit of Horror”. A likeness of “Jersey Shore” star Snookie was brought out and quickly put to rest by GWAR front man Oderus Urungus and his slaves which sent fake blood and ooze spewing everywhere. Later on in the evening the dreaded “World Maggot” was awoken from its slumber and preceded to attack a couple of unworthy slave pit scum before being beheaded by the bands faithful side kick Bone Snapper. Gwar closed out the night with “The Road Behind” which was a touching tribute to guitarist Cory Smoot aka Flattus Maximus. Smoot passed away while on the bands previous tour from a pre-existing heart condition. All in all those in attendance appeared to leave happy and will undoubtedly be going to work or school the following day with tinges of red and green speckling their skin.

GWAR Set List:
1.) Zombies, March!
2.) Sadam A Go Go
3.) Immortal Corrupter
4.) Crack in the Egg
5.) Jagermonsta
6.) Bring Back the Bomb
7.) Tormentor
8.) KZ Necromancer
9.) The Salamanizer
10.) Uberklaw
11.) Ham on the Bone
12.) Metal Metal Land
13.) Sick of You
14.) Maggots
15.) Road Behind