Sunday, May 29, 2016

Eagles of Death Metal, Newport Music Hall, Columbus, Ohio 5/28/16

     This was my first time seeing Eagles of Death Metal. And what a great show that I hope it is not my last! I wore my Iggy Pop Post Pop Depression Tour t-shirt, which brought a number of "Hey, cool shirt. Did you see them on the tour?" Yes was the answer -- and an original member of Eagles of Death Metal was featured on that tour: Josh Homme.
     I thought the pictures from this show turned out really well. So I am gonna let them do the talking. Great show with awesome musicianship -- these guys can rock! The band seemed to have as much fun putting on a show as the crowd enjoyed seeing it. And EODM threw more guitar picks into the audience than anyone (except maybe Cheap Trick) -- I almost got one (maybe next time!). Thanks for the great show, Eagles of Death Metal!

 Stage banner

 Jesse Hughes of Eagles of Death Metal

Dave Catching (guitar), Jorma Vik (drums), and Matt McJunkins (bass) of EODM 

Eagles of Death Metal

Jesse Hughes

I had never seen anyone go into the balcony at Newport until Jesse did it that night!

People in the balcony seemed stunned that Jesse was up there. Cool moment.

Dave Catching doing a guitar solo.

Eagles of Death Metal

Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame Inductees I Have Seen In Concert

     When my son recently overheard a conversation at a rock show about how many Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame inductees they had seen in concert, he asked me how many I had seen. I did not know the answer. So I checked Wikipedia for a year-by-year list tonight and added it up. Here is the list:

2016
Cheap Trick x 2
Chicago x 3
Deep Purple
Steve Miller x 2

2015
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts x 3
Green Day
Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble

2014
Peter Gabriel
Hall & Oates
Kiss x 2

2013
Heart
Randy Newman
Public Enemy
Rush x 5

2012
Beastie Boys
Red Hot Chili Peppers x 2

2011
Alice Cooper x 2
Dr. John

2010
Genesis

2009
Run-DMC

2008
John Mellencamp x 3

2007
R.E.M.
Van Halen

2006
Black Sabbath
Blondie
Lynyrd Skynyrd

2005
Buddy Guy
The O’Jays
Pretenders x 2
U2

2004
Jackson Browne
Prince
Bob Seger x 2
ZZ Top

2003
AC/DC x 2
Elvis Costello & the Attractions x 3
The Police x 3

2002
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Ramones

2001
Aerosmith x 3
Queen
Steely Dan x 3


2000
Eric Clapton
Earth, Wind & Fire x 3
Bonnie Raitt
James Taylor

1999
Billy Joel x 3
Paul McCartney x 2
Bruce Springsteen x 20

1998
Eagles
Fleetwood Mac x 2
Santana x 2

1997
Parliament-Funkadelic

1996
David Bowie
Gladys Knight & the Pips

1995
Neil Young

1994
Elton John x 2
Grateful Dead

1993
--

1992
The Isley Brothers

1991
--

1990
The Who

1989
The Rolling Stones x 3
The Temptations
Stevie Wonder

1988
The Beach Boys
Bob Dylan x 2

1987
Aretha Franklin
B.B. King
Smokey Robinson

1986
--


 So the number is 68. The most I have seen an inductee: Bruce Springsteen. Biggest regrets (that were attainable): Led Zeppelin, The Clash, Talking Heads, the Stooges, Patti Smith, Lou Reed, and Tom Waits.
Still might see them live: Paul Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Guns 'n' Roses, Jimmy Cliff, Tom Waits, Neil Diamond (umm...), Metallica, Jeff Beck, Patti Smith, Madonna, and Leonard Cohen.

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls, Newport Music Hall, Columbus, Ohio 5/27/16


     I have been fortunate to see Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls previously -- at Shaky Knees Festival 2015 (Atlanta, Georgia). I was very much looking forward to seeing the band again. And when I found out that Two Cow Garage was an opener, I was even more excited. 
VENUE: I have lost track of how many shows I have seen at the Newport Music Hall -- a lot! A great venue for a sweat show!
MERCH: All three bands had a good selection of music, t-shirts, etc for sale. And Derek Zanetti and a member of Two Cow Garage were behind the merch table meeting fans after the show.
OPENER: I love the name Homeless Gospel Choir. And when a single performer comes on stage to start the show, you wonder where is the rest of the choir. Derek Zanetti then broke into one after another punk-folk song. He time and again said "This is a protest song". And he was right. I really like the material. A welcome addition to the night!
SECOND OPENER: Two Cow Garage are an awesome punk/alternative country/rock band from Columbus, Ohio. I saw them at a show in Franklinton a couple summers ago at an arts festival. There set was filled with energetic, catchy songs with an edge. The songs are terrific and the crowd was really energized by the set. Love this band!
HEADLINER: Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls recently released a new album, Positive Songs for Negative People, and the band is touring to support it. A stop in Columbus, Ohio was welcomed by the energetic crowd in attendance. The band played new material, old favorites, and an interesting cover song: Frank told guitarist Ben Lloyd that the hall was America's Oldest Continuously Operating Rock Club. Frank and the band then paid tribute to a band that played here years ago by covering "Ace of Spades" by Motorhead. 
     I appreciate that Frank Turner opening encourages his fans to all be on their best "play nice together" behavior while dancing, singing along, and enjoying themselves. His words about respecting the women in the audience are much appreciated by me -- thanks Frank and band!
     The show was terrific with the band energetically (the whole show was filled with rock 'n' roll energy) performing the material, interacting with the audience, and genuinely enjoying themselves. As you can see by the photo below, Frank Turner crowd-surfed into the audience and back. Great performance.
     As the crowd headed out and the security folks were getting restless, Ben Lloyd handed a fan a setlist. I was standing just behind the barrier in front of Tarrant Anderson's spot on stage. When he came back out to pack up equipment, I politely asked for his setlist and he handed it to me! Yeh! Thanks Tarrant!!
     Overall, a very enjoyable show with all three sets being excellent.



Newport Music Hall, Columbus, Ohio -- America's Longest Continuously Operating Rock Club

Homeless Gospel Choir (Derek Zanetti)

Columbus' own Two Cow Garage

Micah Schnabel of Two Cow Garage

Shane Sweeney Two Cow Garage

Frank Turner

Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls

Frank Turner

Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls

Ben Lloyd, Frank Turner, Nigel Powell, and Tarrant Anderson on stage

Frank Turner crowd-surfing at the Newport Music Hall

 Tarrant Anderson, bassist

 Frank Turner


Tarrant Anderson handed me his setlist

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Peter Case at Natalie's Coal-Fired Pizza, Worthington, Ohio 5/25/16

     Peter Case is one of my favorite performers from the last 30 years who I have never seen live -- until Wednesday night at Natalie's. Peter was a founder of the power pop, alternative band the Nerves, the alternative rock band the Plimsouls, and has been a long time contributor to the Americana singer-songwriter scene with excellent material throughout his career. The Plimsouls album Everywhere at Once is one of my favorite alternative albums of the 1980s. 
     Peter has a new CD out, Hwy 62, and the audience was fortunate to hear a number of excellent material from the CD. "Pelican Bay", "Waiting On A Plane" (written in Port Columbus, per Mr. Case!), and "All Dressed Up (For Trial)" were all topical and interesting.
     A gentleman sitting near me asked Peter to play "Million Miles Away" from the Plimsouls Everywhere At Once album and Peter did an excellent version on his 12 string guitar, sounding in excellent voice also. In addition, Peter did another excellent song from that album, "Oldest Story In the World". Hearing these made me very happy!
     The rest of the set included a very funny story about a late-night packed hotel room in Athens, Georgia that featured a meeting between Peter and now recently deceased Guy Clark. Peter followed the story with a tribute to Guy Clark. Peter also told a funny story about him introducing a politician on stage with a humorous slip-up. Mr. Case has met so many talented musicians over the years that the audience was blessed to hear some of these excellent stories.
     After the performance, Peter stayed around to interact with the fans and I was lucky enough to talk with Peter for a few minutes. I was thrilled he signed the new CD and some older record albums. Overall, an excellent evening. I hope to catch him again live. The 30+ year wait was very worth it!

 Peter Case

 Peter Case

 Peter Case on keyboards and harmonica

 Thanks for signing the new CD, Peter!

Peter was kind enough to sign this Plimsouls LP and these two Peter Case LPs.

Rock On The Range, Columbus, Ohio 5/22/16 - Day Three

     The final day of Rock on the Range 2016 featured a more alternative/modern rock feel to the lineup and sunny weather. We were lucky enough to arrive while Highly Suspect was on stage and snagged a very nice location in Section 125 to "camp" for the rest of the day/evening in comfortable seats.
Notes on the bands:
Highly Suspect 
A band from Massachusetts that features Johnny Stevens and twin brothers Rich and Ryan Meyer. They feature a hard, alternative rock sound. I hope to hear more from these guys in the future. Nice set!

The Struts
Wow! What a lively, classic rock with an alternative twist sound from these guys from the UK. From the Mercury meets Jagger lead singer Luke Spiller to the solid sound from guitarist Adam Slack and the excellent rhythm section of Gethin Davies and Jed Elliot, these guys are built for a nice career. My son Sam was able to grab their autographs at the FYE tent -- cannot wait to see these guys again!

Death From Above 1979
The DFA79 are from Canada and this was my third time seeing them live in the last year. I LOVE their sound. The vocals, drums, and bass guitar sound all meld together into a hard alternative sound that just sounds great. This was another excellent performance! Their song "Trainwreck" is one of my favorite songs of the last 5 years. 

Wolfmother
I was lucky enough to catch these guys at RotR a couple years ago, but my son Sam had never seen them. We were both very pleased with this set! Lots of top songs and album cuts! Nice guitar intro on "Joker & the Thief" and overall an excellent performance.

Bring Me The Horizon
I was not previously aware of this band but their performance was very solid. I'd love to see these guys again. An interesting twist: English band with a lead singer wearing a Bernie Sanders t-shirt performing an anti-Trump song!

The Deftones
I have not heard too much of their material previously, but have liked what I heard. This was an interesting show with lots of varied songs and excellent musicianship. Really good set.

Red Hot Chili Peppers
Today's headliner might not be a classic RotR band, but fit in perfectly to this day's lineup. This was our second time seeing the Peppers, and this show did not disappoint. The band added some between-song instrumental flourishes and then repeatedly launched into hit after hit. Lead singer Anthony Kiedis was in fine form though the Peppers were forced to cancel last weekend's performance when he was ailing. Flea was in stellar form with much energy and excellent playing. Guitarist Josh Klinghoffer really impressed all night. An excellent set and a fine way to end the weekend.

 Highly Suspect on the Main Stage

 The Struts on the Main Stage

 The Struts

 Death From Above 1979 on the Main Stage

 Wolfmother

 Bring Me The Horizon

 the Deftones

 the Deftones

 Red Hot Chili Peppers

 Red Hot Chili Peppers

 Red Hot Chili Peppers

 Red Hot Chili Peppers

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Rock On The Range, Columbus, Ohio May 21, 2016 - Day Two

Day two of 2016 Rock on the Range was a drier, rocking event. The rain finally stopped by early evening. There seemed to be a bigger crowd in the stadium vs. Friday night -- likely because of the improved weather. My son Sam and I had a nice day.

Some notes on the performances:
Steel Panther
These guys joke as much as they rock and I liked it. So many bands take themselves too seriously. Not these guys!

Clutch
This was my second time seeing Clutch. They always rock hard. Nice show.

Hellyeah
Not my thing. Next.

Five Finger Death Punch
I had heard of these guys but not heard their stuff. Now count me a fan. Really strong performance. Ivan Moody, lead singer: thanks for tossing the numerous guitar picks, bringing the kids up on stage, and watching out for the younger folks in the mosh pit. You guys rock.

Rob Zombie
The band and Rob Zombie came out to quite an elaborate stage, with everything from a giant boombox to large masks. Punctuated by fireworks and rocking hard throughout, Rob Zombie and band ran thru hits, songs from the new release, and album cuts. Quite the show!

We are about to leave for Day Three! Rock on!

 Steel Panther -- comedy-metal

 Clutch

Hellyeah 

 Five Finger Death Punch

 Lead singer Ivan Moody of Five Finger Death Punch

 Ivan Moody of FFDP

 The ROTR crowd lighting up the night during Five Finger Death Punch set.
 Rob Zombie, Saturday night's headliner

 Rob Zombie

Our favorite ROTR security guy. Rocking the mohawk!