Just announced. I have the money, but airfare and somewhere to stay in NYC for 3 days.... can't really justify it to myself.

Friday at the Phoenix, and the music was very loud. I knew there were going to be two loud bands on stage, it turned out there were four. Which had its pros and cons. The pros exposed me to a couple more bands, but the big downside was that the headliners were only doing a 75 minute set. Understandable, given their age, but still disappointing.

The first band was a local Neo-Thrash act called Korrosive. And while their music was okay – if fairly derivative for the older of us in the audience – I did not enjoy the vocalist, who screamed his way into the upper-ish register through every song. Not Death Metal Growls, but Dirkschneider type screams. There’s some promise there, but they need to try and branch out in a rather narrow sub-genre. And I do always enjoy seeing friends and family type shows at decently sized venues.

The next act up were another local act, but one with a 30-year history. Entropy looked like they got invited out by their long-term headlining friends. And I could see what they could have been, but they were in the wrong place in the wrong time. Kind of reminded me of what Gojira’s doing now, but now they looked like what they were – 50 year old white guys have a fun time, reliving their youth.

The semi-main event was a band called Year of the Cobra; a drum/bass two piece playing doom / stoner type metal (think slow Sabbath). And she sounded a lot like PJ Harvey vocally. So it was a decent set. But getting a 45 minute set of this kind of navel gazing metal is about my limit. But at least they weren’t death metal.

The headliners are about as legendary as Canadian metal acts get – while Anvil (thanks to the movie) may have more name awareness, Voivod is regularly name checked as an influence in modern metal by modern performers, and while they never reached heights of popularity, they have never stopped putting out metal for thinking people. And they still make good music – Planet Eaters off their newest album was probably my favourite performance except for the two closers. They ended their short set, with their “biggest” hit, their cover of Pink Floyd’s Astronomy Domine, and nailed it. And then the encore was their signature song, which was great.

I’m still out of practice though – my lower back was sore from standing on concrete by the end of the second band. And the crowd size was disappointing – likely less than 1,000 people. But they had fun. And so did I.

the two main set lists (the other's arent' available):

Had a new one for me last night. New experience, not new artist.

We went to see the Outlaws at a small club we go to pretty frequently. At this place, doors generally open at 6:00, but for an extra $15-20 (usually), you can purchase early entry tix that get you in at 5. The big advantage is that you can get a seat when you do this - otherwise, you probably have to stand all night. Lately, our early entry experiences have not been good. For John 5, they didn't open the doors until about 5:40, blaming it on the opener's soundcheck.

Last night, we arrived at just about 5. The line to get in was long-ish, but it wasn't moving. We got in line, and a couple minutes later, an ambulance pulled up (ambumblance, if you've seen the new Kids In The Hall). Well, that's not good. They took a gurney in, and about 20-25 minutes later, they wheeled a guy out, with a guy carrying a cowboy hat behind him. I don't know most of the guys in the Outlaws by sight or name, so I wasn't sure who it was, but it turned out to be the opener. I heard someone who was with the club tell the people behind us the guy had a hip replacement and had done something that aggravated it. When we got inside, they have a schedule at the ticket counter, and the opener's info was blacked out.

Showtime rolled around w/no announcements. During setup, they posted the Outlaws' set list on the stage for the band, and somebody brought out a guitar stand and chair, but that was it. At 8:00, out walked the replacement opener - Henry Paul. He said the opener had fallen off the stage and jacked up his hip replacement, so he volunteered to come out and do a short acoustic set and tell stories about the Outlaws in Pittsburgh. He did that for about 30 minutes, including talking about the show they're going to do here in a different venue in October (I bought tix for that show yesterday morning - don't think I've ever bought tix to see a band in the future on the same day I was going to see them). He did say that for the fall, they're going to add an acoustic set and stretch the show out to about 2 hours. He also said he's going to keep the band going as long as he's alive, and that his goal is to go until at least 2025 to mark the 50th anniversary of the first album. He said the plan is ultimately for his son - "Little Hank" - to replace him. "Little Hank" came out to sing one song w/the Outlaws, and he's at least in his 40s.

The Outlaws set was great. I'm admittedly not a huge fan - my buddy is a much bigger fan than I am - but man, they do put on an entertaining show. The guitar work is top-notch, and it's a show w/a lot of energy. This is at least the fourth time I've seen them, and it's been four different venues (Three Rivers Stadium as part of a concert/demolition derby day was the first).

Then, just to round out the evening, walking out, I saw flashing red lights. My first thought was, "They brought the opener back in an ambulance?" But no - a patron had fallen or collapsed outside the club. One bit of advice for security/venue staff - if you're trying to clear a path for responders, maybe don't block the way to where you're trying to move people. There where at least two security people saying, "Please move so we can get these guys up here", then standing between us and where they wanted us to go. But they didn't seem to see the issue there.

black crowes - windsor, ontario - july 5

Just saw Tears for Fears with Garbage opening in Charlotte.


Amazing show , both were fantastic.
Just perfect

Was really hoping to catch this tour -- would have been my first COVID-era concert -- but unfortunately will not be able to make it happen this time. Have been enjoying some recent performances on YouTube, however.

Going to see Garbage on one of their few headlining shows in a couple weeks. I'm looking forward to it, but I can't lie - the Ticketmaster experience has tainted it a bit. My wife and I will be sitting in front and back of each other because TM put most of the tix (smallish venue) in the premium category, so $63 tix were a minimum of $103 - before fees.

First time with a couple of concerts in the same week in years, so away we go.

Saturday was yet another show (my seventh!) by semi local rock act The Glorious Sons. They've moved up in the world, and have become a top Canadian rock act. I decided to go at the last minute, but was glad I did. A lot of material was from their lockdown album, some old favourites, and there was a super psyched crowd that was split 50/50 male / female, which is definitely an anomaly for my shows. Plus it was my first show in the renovated Massey Hall. I don't like the redo on the downstairs bar - no music feed from the stage, a new hardwood floor instead of carpet makes it very noisy, and the bar service still really sucks. But the removable seats turning most of the main floor into a General Admission area is great, and the leg room has increased in the rest of the areas. So that's a win. The Stained glass windows are visible and look good, but could interfere with lighting during opening act sets in the summer I'll have to see a show in it's theatre mode to really tell, but on first glance, the old lady looks great.

I am a little concerned about Sawed Off Shotgun being the most popular song of the night - I love it as a song, but it does speak to where people's heads are at right now.

The opener was another semi-local and true rising star JJ Wilde; I knew a couple of her songs going in, and really liked them, so she was a big factor in me going. And she was a lot of fun - great energy, punchy songs, sex appeal (although I'm not always a fan of that from rockers) Definitely someone to keep an eye on.

Thursday was a set by another iconic Canadian niche rock act. A couple of weeks ago, it was Canadian's greatest contribution to metal with Voivod; Last night, it was Canada's only real punk survivors and the fathers of Hardcore, DOA. Touring to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Hardcore 81, they did an hour plus long set including a full album play through. And it amazes me that they still have the energy they do; they still care deeply about their politics, but they don't bring the directionless anger of later Hardcore acts. And they still have fun on stage. I'd caught a partial set from them before, but I was finally able to see a full set from the band that paved the way for hardcore punk.

I loved DOA and Disco Sucks, and Fucked Up Ronnie, but the surprise song from them was a second encore version of Takin' Care of Business. Done in about 1/3 of the time. Blazing fast and a heckuva way to end the night.

Opens Pkew Pkew Pkew were barely worth mentioning - a less comedic Blink 182 inspired pop punk band without much charisma, and a little too old to be doing what they're doing. Didn't make a good impression.
Setlists spoiled for length

Tonight at beautiful Jones Beach, Tears For Fears!






Spent the day at the beach working on our summer tans and after dinner will be heading back to the beach for a good time!

That walkway on the lower right is the spot where I first met Jimbo in person.

Saw them in Boston on Wednesday. 6th row straight in front of Curt.

We saw Garbage last night on one of their few headlining shows this year (I think they have something like seven or eight scheduled). Despite the hassles leading up to the show - when tix went on presale, TIcketmaster categorized everything in the front of the balcony as Premium Tickets, so the price went from $63 face value to $163-$173. I checked periodically and never saw any of them lower than $103. Any pairs together in the back of the balcony were also premium, so my wife and I ended up in two rows of single seats, right in front of each other. That part was actually nice - no getting up to let anyone in or out, and no one next to us. Parking was by far the worst I've experienced at this venue - usually we're able to park in an area that is free, but the crowd was very early, so that was full. There was a pay lot there - only $30, or almost 60% of our ticket price. So we ended up parking in a strip mall and wondering if we'd get a ticket or towed - but it was neither. Seemed a lot of people from the show parked there.

The opener was a band called Glass Battles. Another opener who came out without a drummer and played to tracks, with only the vocalist, a guitarist, and a bassist live. Weirdly for an opener, the vocalist did the diva entrance, where the band comes out first and plays for a bit before the singer. Also weird, they brought out a special guest for one song. No idea who it was - the mix was horrible. Everything was buried in effects, the subwoofer was turned up all the way (I guess the sound guy didn't want to let any of it go to waste).

At 9:00 Garbage came out, and it was clear from the get-go that this one was a step above. The mix was very clear. "Stupid Girl" was the third song, and after that was the first time they paused to catch any breath, and the reception from the crowd was very loud. Shirley seemed a little surprised at how loud and enthusiastic it was, and every time she started to talk it got a bit louder. They played three of my favorites - "Stupid Girl", "Special", and "Queer" - back to back. Shirley stopped the show twice because she saw young kids without earplugs, so she got some from the crew and gave them to the kids. At one point, she said this was a rare chance for them to headline, and they weren't used to getting the kind of response they got. The set list was great for me - the only other time I saw them was the anniversary tour for 2.0, so they didn't play as varied a set list. During the last song - a very cool arrangement of "Only Happy When It Rains" - Shirley stopped the song a couple lines after it really kicked in because she saw a woman who was in some sort of distress. She made sure they got the woman taken care of (no idea what was going on - we couldn't see it because it was under the balcony), then they started the song over. She mentioned a couple times that she felt like a health and safety officer because she did that a few times during the show. The band sounded excellent, and the mix was much better, although my wife and I thought the drums were a tad low in the mix.

I went to my second concert this year last Wednesday (after ZERO concerts the past 10 years, I'm on a roll lol). Dead & Company in Cincinnati. I'm not a huge fan of the Dead, but my fiancée is, so I bought tickets as a present for her. The band still has their chops, and played a solid long set. They did opt for a bizarre 15 minute performance of "Space" that had a lot of the audience walking to the concession stand; lots of long, slow synth and drums. But for the most part they had the crowd engaged and having a blast. John Mayer did a fine job as the "new Jerry". Near the end they played my fiancée's favorite, Sugar Magnolia, which they apparently seldom do these days, so we went home very happy. The contact buzz from all the weed in the air helped that too I guess.

This past week was full of highs and lows for us, a great concert Saturday night at Jones Beach but then found out in the morning that my Dad (who was 94) had passed away in the hospital. So we had the funeral yesterday and it was a great celebration of a fine man, an Irish immigrant who made it in the USA.

But I still want to mention that the show was fantastic, a return that took 32 years yes they last played Long Island that many years ago. Curt asked who was there back then? They also mentioned their gratitude towards WLIR 92.7FM that broke them in this area.

Roland mentioned that he fondly remembered Jones Beach and thought the place seemed bigger (they did add an upper deck).

The band sounded fantastic and it was the best sound I have ever heard at Jones Beach, clear as a bell when this venue can sound muddy. I was thrilled they played one of my favorite TFF songs “Break It Down Again”.

Garbage was also stunning and impressed my wife and myself, I had never seen them before. Shirley is one hell of a singer. One weird thing happened during their set. Since we are at the beach, a beach ball began bouncing towards the back. Well Shirley scolded anyone using a beach ball saying it’s an insult to musicians to be playing around while they are performing. So that beach ball quickly disappeared.
Never knew that some musicians really hate that.

Shirley also mentioned what a wonderful venue Jones Beach is saying that venues like this rarely exist in the world anymore.

So sorry about your dad, John. God bless him.

My condolences to you, John.

My condolences to you and your family, and sending love to his memory.

Thanks Linda, Dan and Dean. My father and mother have been married for 62 years, so it will really tough for her to be alone for the first time since 1959.

My condolences to you and your family,John.

It seemed particularly apt that there was no opening act; before them, there was nothing; then there was the Guess Who, and Canadian Rock and roll was born. Well, technically, it wasn’t the Guess Who, since that copyright is owned elsewhere, but last night was a 105 minute set from the writing team behind the first Canadian rock act to make an impact, Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman.

Objectively, they’re no longer great performers; their musicianship and knowledge is are still there, but well into their 70s, their vocal ability is almost completely gone. When low and slow, they’re okay, but anything requiring the higher register, or projecting with force, and they run into trouble. And they spend most of the set sitting down. The 35 degree heat probably didn’t help with that either. But for the 10,000 or so people in attendance, none of it mattered. These songs were the sound of our youth, and the oldest rock and roll crowd I’ve ever seen turned out in droves to see the songs that showed the world that Canada has its own way to rock.

The set was a mash up of Guess Who songs, Bachman-Turner Overdrive songs, and Burton Cummings solo material, organized in a great way to give them a chance to catch their breath, and constructed to give mood variety of the set. And with the exception of Break It to Them Gently and its lead in Stand Tall, everyone played on every song, helping you to realize that they all could have worked within the framework of The Guess Who, had things gone differently.

For me, and frankly, most of the audience, it was the BTO songs – You Ain’t seen Nothing Yet, Roll On Down the Highway, Let it Ride and the immortal closer Takin’ Care of Business - that were the highlights of the set, getting the crowd up on their feet and dancing along. Randy’s voice is in better shape than Burton’s, and having the backing band help out (no real crowd participation) also added to the depth. No Time, Share the Land, and These Eyes were highlights from the Guess Who side of the ledger, but American Woman might have suffered the most from the realities of aging, so I’ll remember it how it was, and not how it is.

I’ve seen Bachman before in a couple of brief charity appearances, but getting a full set from these two legitimate Canadian legends together is something I’m really glad I got to do before we lose one of them.

Here's the full set list

"Stand Tall" must have been tough to pull off. It's cool that "Clap For The Wolfman" is still in their set, and so early too!

Stand Tall was only a partial song, and I didn't catch all of it, so I can't comment on how he did it; may have just done it instrumentally, and left out of the vocal.

And yeah, Clap for the Wolfman was amusing, but also helped check the level of audience engagement. It was much more of a casino crowd than a concert crowd, and from overhearing conversations, with a lot of people who hadn't been to a concert in a long, long time.

They also dropped Undun, which makes me wonder if Burton was under the weather, and so they were really trying to limit the higher pitched songs.