Iron Maiden, A Live Review and Different Perspective

Credit: Christian GrausIt's well documented that I am a major Iron Maiden fan. It should come as no surprise that I saw the last two shows on the current tour, and got to the barrier in Houston. What's a little surprising, is that I didn't love it as much as you might expect.

The first night I was plain jetlagged and was three rows from the front ( i.e. no barrier to lean on ) so I held out for "Phantom of the Opera" then went to sit down, and then after I'd sat for a bit, I saw  lightning and decided to bail.  I was at the barrier the next day, right?

For Houston, I got on to the fan club and found someone to go to the barrier with me, but it seems they had a low number of entries, because the folks who had been looking for a spot had won themselves, that afternoon.  That was fine as we were told we'd be escorted so we wouldn't have to run, but that turned out not to be true, and as I was at the front, I was in the group that got lost. Still got the barrier, but closer to the center than I wanted. (I try for guitarist Adrian Smith's side).

Coheed and Cambria were actually pretty good. I hated them the first night, but I think that's because I was on the right, the mix to the left and you could hear them better.  The one thing is, they did "Heaven and Hell," which was great, but it made clear that nothing they write is close to "Heaven and Hell."

So, the show starts with a video of lots of icebergs. I guess they look like the Seventh Son album cover. The first song is "Moonchild," which does not work for me as an opener, but is an OK song.  Next up was "Can I Play with Madness" and "The Prisoner."  So far, so good.  For me, "2 Minutes to Midnight," the next song, lost them momentum.  It's a song they played on the last two tours at least (I didn't check further back), and I could have done without it.  "Afraid to Shoot Strangers," on the other hand, was epic, a definite highlight.  But then they did "The Trooper."

I think you're getting the idea here. I love Maiden and I love that they mix their set up so much, I just wish they'd mix it up more. Run to the hills was OK, but "Number of the Beast," "Fear of the Dark," even "Running Free" is not a good enough song to be played two tours in a row. I thought they were doing "Wrathchild?" How about "Children of the Damned" or "22 Acacia Avenue," or "Die With Your Boots On," or "Stranger In A Stranger Land?" Basically, the highlights were the songs like "Phantom" (and the crowd went nuts for that, both nights) and "Seventh Son of A Seventh Son" and the lowlights were the same old songs they do every time.  A bit more adventure in the setlist would have been great. Long view - if they had not done Seventh Son songs on the Somewhere Back in Time tour, then this setlist would have been even better (and so would that tour).

For the first time, I am thinking that the tour two tours from now, I'll think about not going. The next tour will be on a new album and should be lots of new songs, and I'm always up for that. The band has alienated the mainstream with these "new album" tour cycles, and I know from experience, they play more shows in bigger venues on a "classics" tour, but if they are not scared to play to their hardcore fans, then why not do that all the time ? And where do they go next? Surely not a Fear of the Dark tour, as on this current tour they've played two of the best songs from it already.  "Be Quick or Be Dead" is the only song from this album I could see them adding. They've done these cycles and I wonder if they are coming to a logical end for the band as a whole? Certainly if they do a tour off of Fear of the Dark and No Prayer for the Dying, there's no way they can do a Futureal tour after that.

Crashdiet in Los Angeles - Live Review

As a false start of the Sunset Strip Music Festival in Los Angeles, Calif., Crashdïet played at Whisky A Go-Go Wednesday, August 15th. Since I just moved to California it seemed like a good idea to go see a Swedish band to avoid getting homesick... and of course to check out Whisky A Go-Go for the first time!

It’s been over a year since I saw Crashdïet live and that time I was pretty blown away. Although I’ve been through many different phases with their music since then and especially fallen in love with their first album, Rest In Sleaze. I wasn’t really sure what to expect from them this time, since I’m used to hearing Dave Lepard and not Simon Cruz on vocals. There was no need to worry, Cruz sounded more clean than I remembered. So did the whole band. The setlist of the night was great as well: mainly stuff from their latest album Generation Wild together with some goodies from Rest In Sleaze and ”In The Raw” from The Unattractive Revolution. I got to hear my favorite song ”Queen Obscene/69 Shots” and they also chose to slow the set down in the middle with ”Save Her,” which created a great mix.

But the thing that actually got the show going was that it was very obvious how excited Crashdïet were. No wonder! Which band hasn’t dreamed about playing at Whisky A Go-Go? Still it really helped to see how thrilled they were over being there, at that stage. Somehow that created a personal connection between the band and the crowd, both as excited as one another.

They also gave us a taste from their upcoming album, a new song called ”Anarchy.” To me it sounded a bit more heavy than their previous stuff and made me excited about what to expect with their new album. We’ll just have to wait and see!

Skogsröjet Festival Review

If you start your summer with a festival, for me it was Sweden Rock, it’s not more than right to end the summer with one as well. That’s what I decided to do last weekend and went into the deep forests of Sweden to hear some great music. For the seventh year in a row, the small rock festival called ”Skogsröjet” opened its gates and with acts like Alice Cooper, Hardcore Superstar, Michael Monroe, L.A. Guns and more. It seemed like the perfect place to be, since I was in the mood for some Glam. (I really don’t know how to translate the Swedish name ”Skogsröjet” fairly, but something in between ”The Forest Party” and ”The Forest Rave” is pretty close, I think).

Day one started of with L.A. Guns, who unfortunately hit the stage at 6.45 p.m. Phil Lewis was in a great mood and the sound flawless. I really enjoyed the set, but at the same time I felt like it never got that "kick" to make it something extra. I mainly blame the audience, who didn’t really give the band the support they needed to fill the big stage. Can’t help but wonder if it would have been different if they had played two hours later.

Two hours later it was time for Alice Cooper. I’d never seen him before either, but my friend assured me that he always delivered live. After his show we both agreed on that the best thing with Alice Cooper is also the worst thing with Alice Cooper: you always know what you get. Yes, I got to hear all of the classic songs that I’ve been looking forward to hear live. Yes, the band was great and yes, Mr. Cooper did what he could to entertain us with the scenery, many changes of clothes and the so-called horror show. It was amazing but at the same time I left wondering if that was really it? Have you seen Alice Cooper live? What do you think of his performance? Did I just happen to catch him on bad evening when most of the show was just plain routine?

Day two started with Sister Sin, a band I haven’t listen to at all before. Although my friend and I always want to ”support the ladies” and with very few ladies at this festival we decided to go see a band with a least one woman. And we weren’t disappointed. Even though it’s not really the music I normally listen to, Sister Sin is great live. The singer Liv Jägrell’s voice is very strong and even though it was only 6:30 p.m., they probably had the biggest audience in front of the small stage during the whole festival. If you get the chance to see them live, take it.

My main focus this day was Michael Monroe and Hardcore Superstar, but since I’m writing for BBG! I thought I’d check out Reckless Love as well. Although they are not a band I like. There, I said it. To me the music is just to much pop and I have a hard time taking the singer Olli Herman seriously. Especially when I think of his time in Crashdïet, don’t even get me started on that… Anyway, I know they have a really big fanbase and the crowd seemed to really enjoy their set. And despite my feelings I have to admit that Olli tries hard to put on a great show, so I guess if you like Reckless Love you would enjoy to see them live.

Then it was FINALLY time for Michael Monroe, the show I’ve been waiting for whole summer. And did he deliver! The energy from the band is at 200 percent from the first tune and they just kept on going. Michael Monroe is funny to watch too, he’s out in the audience, he’s climbing the rig and my thoughts goes to Iggy Pop. Michael Monroe might just be the Iggy Pop of the Glam scene. That he nowadays has Swedish guitarist Dregen, from Backyard Babies, by his side also gets the crowd going. Definitely the greatest show of this festival, probably of the whole summer. Wanna know how it’s done, go see a Michael Monroe show.

I then can’t think of a better way to end the festival than with Hardcore Superstar. It’s almost ridiculous how great they are, especially live. There’s no better live band in Sweden, in my opinion. You always know that you will get a great show, but at the same time you don’t know what to expect at all. For example the setlist this time included some surprises, like their old hit ”Someone Special.” I didn’t think they played that one live anymore, but apparently so and the crowd went crazy. The singer Jocke Berg is one of my favourite frontmen and once again he proved why. It’s also obvious how much the fans love Hardcore Superstar and how much Hardcore Superstar loves their fans. The sing-a-long to ”Run To Your Mama” almost drowns the band playing and when they kick off their last song of this night, ”We Don’t Celebrate Sundays,” I don’t think anyone is standing still. This was the fourth time I saw the band within a year and I still can’t get enough. They finished by saying thanks to the festival, the crew, the crowd and finally they promised to be back next year – with a new album! Can’t wait!

Lynch Mob, 'Slow Drag' -- New Video

Holy crap! The new Lynch Mob album Sound Mountain Sessions is awesome. I've always loved Oni Logan's voice, and I think it really shines on the band's latest single "Slow Drag."

Lynch Mob just released the video for "Slow Drag" a couple days ago. The clip is a little weird. It sort of reminds me of a throwback video, maybe because of the fire and staging. In fact, I think the camera angles are very similar to those used in the Bonham "Wait For You" video. I think it's the whole musicians-standing-on-a-weird-platform-thing plus fire (and/or smoke).

Anyway, here's the Lynch Mob clip for "Slow Drag." Happy Friday!

ShipRocked Summer Booking Promotion; Special Guests, Theme Nights Announced

A special summer booking promotion has been announced for the fourth annual ShipRocked, the ultimate rock music cruise vacation which sails from Fort Lauderdale, FL November 27 - December 1. From now through August 24, 2012, guests may reserve a cabin with a deposit of only $300. For full details, go to: http://www.getshiprocked.com/2012/prices/payment-schedule/.

The lineup for ShipRocked 2012--Fueled by Monster Energy includes Godsmack, Korn, and Five Finger Death Punch, along with P.O.D., Sevendust, Filter, Fuel, Black Stone Cherry, Pop Evil, Lit, Helmet, In This Moment, Geoff Tate, The Halo Method, Gilby Clarke, Dead Sara, Write This Down, and Andy Wood & The Amalgam.

Matt Pinfield, well-known music industry personality and host of MTV’s “120 Minutes,” will join Kayla Riley of SiriusXM Radio and Ralph Sutton of Tour Bus Radio as a guest emcee. Pinfield will challenge performers and guests in a lively game of "Rock 'N Roll Jeopardy," and will moderate a special artist Q&A session.

ShipRocked 2012 will also feature a special DJ set from Lit frontman A. Jay Popoff, in addition to his other onboard performances with the band.

Various themed events have been confirmed for the biggest ShipRocked cruise yet, which will include a full ship of guests from 49 states across the U.S. and 20 countries around the world. To celebrate this global diversity and help guests get to know each other on boarding day, ShipRocked is encouraging guests to wear something that represents the city, state or country where they’re from (t-shirt, hat, sports jersey, etc.).

Two ShipRocked theme nights are planned, including “YachtRocked” where guests dress in nautical attire (sailor’s hats, top-siders, country club outfits, etc.) as they sail into the evening from Key West to the Bahamas on day 2. The night will culminate with a massive party featuring a collection of smooth “Yacht Rock” hits from the ‘70s and ‘80s, in stark contrast to ShipRocked’s traditional hard rock playlist. 

On the final night of the cruise, ShipRocked will culminate with the “ShipRockalypse” end of the world party based on the theory that the world will end in 2012 when the Mayan calendar comes to a close. Guests can dress in a theme that represents how they picture the end of the world (zombies, nuclear blast, comet impact, alien invasion, etc.). There will be New Year’s Eve style countdowns and revelry every hour on the hour to mark this special day.

For the fourth year in a row, the ShipRocked onboard charity auction will benefit Cancer Sucks (www.cancersucks.com),  a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding innovative medical research and finding a cure for cancer. The auction will feature one-of-a-kind rock memorabilia from current and past ShipRocked bands and more. ShipRocked guests have a history of generosity, with previous onboard auctions raising over $100,000 for various charities.

ShipRocked embarks from and returns to Fort Lauderdale, FL, providing guests with four days and nights of music and parties, along with a little relaxation, onboard the MSC Poesia. The 2012 ShipRocked itinerary has been slightly altered to accommodate a fuller musical experience for guests. The ship will visit Key West on day 2 of the cruise, Nassau on day 3, and will spend a full day at sea on day 4, before returning to Fort Lauderdale.

For full details and to purchase tickets, go to www.GetShipRocked.com.

This Is Simply Awesome: Slash and Lzzy Hale

There are more important things in the world of Glam for us to be discussing today, but I don't care. I came across some stuff on YouTube you just have to see.

Slash and his band performed in Amsterdam awhile back. During one of the stops, Slash and Myles Kennedy invited Lzzy Hale, lead singer of Halestorm, to join them on stage for some fun. The performance is basically epic. I love Lzzy's voice on "Out Ta Get Me."

Guns n' Roses Announce Las Vegas Residency

It’s the new trend among 80s bands: the Las Vegas residency! Guns n’ Roses will launch their residency at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino this fall.

Guns n’ Roses will do 12 shows, starting on October 31. Tickets go on sale Friday. The name of the residency is apparently Appetite for Democracy.

I have to admit I’m a little surprised Guns n’ Roses are following Motley Crue’s footsteps with a residency. I figured it would be someone like KISS or even Poison to do it first, buy hey, money is money and Axl Rose has to eat too, baby. The question is, will The Joint let Axl have his way and go on in the middle of the night? Probably. There’s a casino just outside The Joint and I’d imagine Hard Rock management would love for concert goers to spend money on slots while waiting for Axl.

So lets do a roll call, here. Who plans on attending this residency? With tickets at just $45 bucks, it’s not an expensive night… unless you have to travel to Vegas. Then all bets are off. (Get it?!)