Slash 9/12/12

Foxy Shazam front-man hand-stand

I can't hardly believe it, but Slash was out done by the opening band, Foxy Shazam.  Those guys were off the friggin wall.  Their look, attitude, and over-all stage presence was unforgettable.  Leader Eric Nally did more forward rolls than the 2012 Olympic gymnasts, combined.  That dude can work a mic stand like a dancing partner.  It was hard to get a good pic of them with all the constant thrashing.  Keyboardist, Sky White, had hair just like Slash's only it was growing down out of his face instead of up on his head.  He jumped up on top of the keyboard and planted his feet right on the keys at one point, then took it off the stand and had folks in the crowd hold it while he then had them hold himself laying flat, as if crowd surfing, and kept on jammin.  Honestly, the music wasn't bad, although I'm not sure it would hold up without the rhythmically tight maniacal theatrics.  The band even had a trumpeter that did more backing vocals and head-banging than playing but was still incredibly entertaining.  Slash, however, almost performed the same set list from 2 years ago, just with a few more live debuts from the newest album, Apocalyptic Love.  A lot of the same Guns N' Roses tunes, including "Civil War" with a Hendrix solo at the end, were repeated.  "Out Ta Get Me" and a guitar solo interlude from Pink Floyd's "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" was pretty killer.  He waited to bring out a Velvet Revolver tune until the very last song of the first set with "Slither."  Then started the encore set with "Fall to Pieces," another VR hit.  But they completed the night with a predictable "Paradise City."  Oh well, I could watch him dance his fingers up and down the neck of a guitar any ole day.

Tenacious D 6/25/12

Comedy rock lives on.  And with quality music, unlike Adam "3 chord" Sandler.  Breaks, bridges, fills, solos, the D brings it all.  Not to mention the rock star range of Jack Black's vocals.  I hadn't listened to the latest third album, Rize of the Fenix, but its worth going just to hear anything from their self titled debut album that was released 11 years ago.  A huge, inflatable "Fenix" made the stage decor hilarious and set the tone perfectly.  During "Deth Starr" they were joined by an inflatable alien squid which Jack shot off stage with a Nerf dart gun toward the end of the song.  Kyle Gass briefly quit the band in a skit in the middle of the show and then came back to jam on some classics like "Wonderboy," "Kielbasa," and "Tribute."  Couldn't help but mention how they loved Fat Matt's Rib Shack, truly the best ribs in all of ATL, and I couldn't agree more.  After the "Fenix" spurted its load of confetti, the duo ended the night with "F@#k Her Gently."  By then, my face was hurting from the inevitable perma-grin I endured from the banter and over-all demeanor of the band.

Lively and entertaining openers The Sights

Roger Waters 6/13/12

This post will be heavy on the visual 'cause, damn, words can barely describe the spectacle of visually experiencing The Wall live, front to back.  But I'll give it my best.  It started with a startle.  Myself and everyone around me simultaneously jumped at the first bursting note of "In the Flesh?"  The bright and flashy pyro complimented the initial shock perfectly.  The partially built wall on stage was used as a huge screen for the jaw-dropping visual effects and was slowly built to completion, brick by brick, by the intermission after the first set of songs on the first disc of the best selling double-album of all time, The Wall.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.  The first tune came to a close with a WWII style miniature plane flying from the back of Philips Arena and crashing into part of the top of the wall in a fiery explosion.  Wasn't quick enough with the camera to catch it for yall.  The band was joined by a local children's choir for "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2" and the humongous inflatable teacher from the movie of the same name as the album.  Follow that with the inflatable mother character during "Mother."  Production value of the show was just through the roof, which it needed to be with a $150 ticket.  Roger wasn't without his political opinion in art form during the whole show, especially during "Goodbye Blue Sky" when the animated planes on the wall were dropping corporate symbols (Shell, Mercedes-Benz, McDonalds), religious symbols (Christian Cross, Star of David), and political symbols (swastika, crescent moon and star, scythe and hammer) instead of bombs.  Symbolism through the roof as well.  But the mood was lightened a little when there was video of a completely nude, smokin' hot chick dancing on the at least 50 foot wall, that was now near completion, during "Young Lust."  God damn, I fuckin' love rock 'n' roll!  Not that I'm familiar at all with new technology, but they had some kind of camera that was capturing Roger, and nothing in the background behind him, and projecting it on the wall throughout the performance. 

                                           








When the wall was completed at the finish of "Goodbye Cruel World", intermission started and the wall had pictures and short bios of not only KIA veterans, but also civilians of many nationalities whose lives were  taken during militant strife, apparently sent to Roger which he then used in the production.

 When they came back from the break, it was just Roger in front of the completed wall to sing "Hey You" followed by scenes from the movie, The Wall, magnified on the huge surface during the next songs.  Not for nothin, but I like watching the musicians do their thang, but they were all still hid behind the wall jammin.  Especially for the gut bustin solo in "Comfortably Numb".  About that time, half way through the solo, I saw the guitarist at the very top of the wall with a spot light on him just tearin it up.  I didn't notice him initially because there was this large group of cables hanging from the ceiling down to the ground out in front of me that was right in my line of sight for him.  No where on my expensive-ass ticket did it say "obs-vu." (that's venue speak for obstructed view)  But, oh well, what can you do, at least I noticed him in time to witness half the solo.  The band eventually joined him in front of the wall and the floating inflatable pig made his expected appearance. 

The night came to a close with the wall tumbling to the ground and the band gathered for a group bow and the musically versatile bassist Mr. Waters busted out a little trumpet for us.  I almost didn't get a ticket because of the exuberant price but, no regrets here.

Roger playing "Mother" along with footage of him performing it as a much younger man

     

J Roddy Walston & the Business 4/28/12

Not since The Killer (aka Jerry Lee Lewis) has anyone thrashed a piano like J Roddy, and these guys are still having to open for bands like Lucero.  Sorry to those of you that are fans of Lucero, but all I can hear is simple, generic, familiar lyrics and melodies bordering on country after having Pandora-ed them.  Plus, half the band looked like hipsters and the other half American Chopper.  I only stuck around for a few songs from them.  JRW look like the boozing Greasers that they probably are with only the drummer having shorter than shoulder length hair.  They opened with "Don't Break the Needle" (that included his menacing cackle) and kept me smiling with their raucous energy and rock-a-billy blues mix with a dash of do-wop.  When I saw these guys open for Weezer a couple of years ago (bizarre pairing), their performance couldn't help but stick in my mind.  Simply put, these guys are just FUN.  They're music will never be mainstream, but there's never been anything wrong with that.  That's part of their appeal, I don't think they even give a shit if all they ever do is open for other bands.  They seem to just want to play, and when a band does it with vigor and balls like this group, its going to be enjoyable for most everyone.  Fear of being up-staged by them would prevent me from asking them to open up for my band.  They jammed on a good mix from their two albums with slammin' piano, piercing guitar, and 3-part harmony, although I don't think they played one of my favorites "Uh Oh Rock 'n' Roll."  J Roddy brought back his bent-over-backward moves while sitting on his piano bench and then actually ended up on top of the instrument and pounded the ivories with his knee.  Only because I wasn't alive to witness The Killer do it back in the day, I hoped JR would set the damn thing on fire. But in the end, they had to help pack up their own equipment with the roadies, something they probably wouldn't miss if they did make it mainstream.

Red Hot Chili Peppers 4/10/12

How many different guitarists does it take to wreck a band?  Don't ask the Chili Peppers, they're still counting and don't seem to see an end in sight.  If new kid Josh Klinghoffer doesn't feel right, he won't be on the next album, which they will invariably record.  Just ask Dave Navarro.  I'm one of very few that thinks One Hot Minute wasn't sooooo bad.  I know I'm gonna catch Hell for that.  JK seemed a little over-the-top on stage but being accepted in a worldly established band, not to mention trying to keep up with Flea, must be at least a little frightening.  I really can't think of a more resilient band than the Peppers; and guitar has always been a significant appendage to the sound.  Flea is still the same ole mad-man he's always been.  Jamming on piano for a tune, walking around on his hands, and...  oh yeah, slappin the bass like no other.  They played a lot of hits like "Californication", "Under the Bridge", "Dani California", and their famously funked-up cover of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground", among others, while being magnified on a kaleidoscope of TV monitors.  Will Ferrell -- um, I mean Chad Smith (they could be twins) started the encore with a rousing drum solo and they predictably ended the night with "Give it Away."  This show was originally scheduled for late January, but front-man Anthony Kiedis (wearing a Frank from 30 Rock style fish-net hat that simply read "OFF!") injured his foot while on tour so the southeast endured a postponement until the spring.  Worth the wait.  

                                                                             

The Black Keys Charlotte, NC 3/24/12

With Arctic Monkeys... that's what we call a two-fer!  I saw these guys back in '07, I think, thanks to my buddy Jolly that had an extra ticket and brought me along to see the extremely British band.  By that I mean their accents are extraordinarily thick.  These guys make Mick & Keef seem like they were born and raised in Topeka.  Leader Alex Turner can't hide the accent even when he sings.  I think that was part of the problem; the between-song banter was undecipherable, which led to confusion from the crowd and  frustration for the band, which didn't garner an encore set, and they left the stage in a huff.  An odd pairing with The Black Keys must have humbled them as an opening act, because they seemed to be in much better of a mood.  They were once predicted to be the next huge band out of the UK, but their popularity fizzled fairly quickly, in the US anyway.  I still dig on 'em.  They played a decently long set, including their big hit "I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor" and off the recent album, Suck It And See, "Brick by Brick" and "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I Moved Your Chair" but no "Perhaps Vampires is a Bit Strong But..." from Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not.

On to the Rust Belt Rockers.  The Keys opened the night with "Howlin' For You" and didn't let up.  They played a handful of tunes with the touring band and then got down to just the duo for some older jams including "Girl Is on My Mind" from my personal fav, Rubber Factory.  They ended the main set with "Tighten Up", their first smash single, and then "Lonely Boy", the song with a riff that somehow seems to bungee off the neck of his guitar, from the new collection, El Camino (that title is close to my heart, it being my first vehicle and my Dad's all-time favorite).  The combination of the Keys and producer Danger Mouse (one half of the group Gnarls Barkley with Cee-Lo Green) is undeniably successful.  He produced Attack and Release, their fifth album that put them on the map, then followed that with just the a fore mentioned single "Tighten Up" from Brothers, which shined a blinding light on their ability.  So, the most logical step would be to have him produce the latest set, El Camino, which led to the single "Gold on the Ceiling" being the theme behind this years NCAA basketball tournament.  I, however, might consider the new one a bit over-produced, but maybe D M's background-synth influence helps mellow out the rawness (that I, personally, can sink my teeth into) in order to cast a broader net for more fans.  Who can blame them?  If you don't have fans, how can you live the rock star lifestyle even actors and athletes envy?  The encore started with Dan Auerbach bustin out his best falsetto for "Everlasting Light" (thought about you, Trey.  I can't help but think of Claudio, too).  With a dazzling light show, throughout the night, they bid us farewell.  Hopefully, they'll be back to Atlanta before the years' end and I won't have to drive so far.  But, who am I kiddin, I love this shit!

 

Jack White Chattanooga, TN 3/10/12

Jack White hasn't released his debut solo album yet, so I was not expecting to know most of the set list, figuring it would be all new stuff with some deep covers that I'd probably not heard before.  Wrong.  He played mostly White Stripes material like the show opening "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground," "Hotel Yorba," and "My Doorbell."  Backed by an all female band, he just ripped us apart.  At one point he and his violinist were trading licks and kickin ass.  They also played The Raconteurs' "Top Yourself" and The Dead Weather's "I Cut Like a Buffalo," from his two other bands.  I think he's taken over the title of "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business" since the demise of James Brown.  It wouldn't have surprised me if he pulled out a little "Portland, Oregon" from the Loretta Lynn album, Van Lear Rose, of which he produced and performed, but no dice.  I believe they jammed for about an hour and a half, but it felt like ten minutes.  Towards the end of the night he pulled out "Pretty Good Looking (For a Girl)" off of my favorite WS album, De Stijl.  Then it was time for "Ball and Biscuit" and he blew the doors off the joint.  We (the whole crowd) couldn't help but to start screaming cheers that was almost as loud as the squealing guitar during the slayed solo.  According to the guy behind us, he closed the night with a cover of Leadbelly's "Goodnight Irene."  There's your deep track.  I wasn't so fortunate to have him bump into me this time, but I think I prefer him on stage, anyway.

During these recent, tragic times, I needed to step back and get away for a bit.  Who better to help me through than Jack.  I encourage everyone to find something in this world  that makes you feel so good that every hair on your body stands on end, as if you're being poked by needles from the inside out, but in a good way.  For me, as you can tell, its live music.  Concerts have gotten me through the roughest of times when hopelessness invades your soul and you believe there's no way out.  Find that "thing" and embrace it, because without it, life can easily seem frivolous.

RIP Cullen