The guys in Queensryche are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Empire. A couple days ago, a radio station held a special event at a casino in Snoqualmie, Washington with the band to hype the 20th anniversary Empire package. The cool part is that Queensryche did some acoustic versions of their songs...including my favorite "Jet City Woman." I don't think I've ever heard "Jet City Woman" acoustic before...so I wanted to post here. The clip below has an interview on the front, so just weed through that part.
How cool is this? Bon Jovi and Brad Paisely will play free concerts to boost tourism on the Alabama coast after the Gulf oil spill. It's all part of "Concerts for the Coast."
Bon Jovi will play October 15 while Brad Paisley's show will take place October 17. The shows are wrapped around the Thunder on the Gulf Boat Races October 14 - 17.
"We are thrilled to announce the addition of these two concerts that will enhance an exciting weekend that already features the return of our powerboat races," said Herb Malone, president/CEO of Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism. "We are extremely pleased that fans will have a weekend filled with exciting race action and capped off with two nights of phenomenal beachside music."
Even though the concerts are free, you need a ticket to attend. You can get a ticket as part of a lodging package. Tickets are available starting September 8. Check here for more information and let me know if you're going to the show!
Vince's thesis is this: a band can stay relevant by consistently releasing new music and playing it live. That is, not pandering to fans only screaming for the hits and not falling prey to laziness of the same set night after night. Down with lowest common denominator metal!
So many of us complain about seeing the same set over and over. Think about Poison. We all love them here - they created some of the best party songs of the genre - but the set is tired. You go to a Poison show, you're going for the atmosphere and not the music. You already know what you're going to hear...and probably in what order, too! What if the guys in Poison - and I mean all four of them - set out to write a really strong album of all new material...and then made the commitment to at least play half those new songs live? Would you be interested?
Artists have the right to change up their shows any way they want for their own benefit. I know musicians that are sick to death of their so-called "hits" but fear riots if a popular song is dropped. Fans might be riled at first. Or they might appreciate a band attempting to stay relevant well into a long career.
I think it's time we have a frank discussion about bands and relevancy around here and Vince's article is a great jumping-off point. How do we get kids interested in bands like Motley Crue and Def Leppard? I firmly believe if Iron Maiden can make strong, new records and sell-out arenas, others can follow. But, work is hard and going through the motions is easy. It doesn't take much thought to repackage and repurpose a greatest hits album nor does it take much effort to dust off the same old set list. I'm in total agreeance that Iron Maiden works for their position as kings of metal. Let's all learn from them.
I'm usually upbeat here. I love Glam bands. The music is part of my childhood and also helped me find many like-minded friends as an adult. Still, some things have to be criticized. Some ideas are just so bad, you have to shake your head and go..."What?"
It's been confirmed that Jani Lane will step in for Jack Russell at more than 10 upcoming Great White shows. (Jack is recovering from major surgery after suffering a perforated bowel). At one of the shows Warrant is opening. I'll get to that point in a minute. First, you may recall my post from last week about band's and retirement. Great White was the main topic of discussion there. My good pal Kenny Ozz said he had heard that Jani was stepping in to front Great White but I couldn't find any confirmation of this...until now. So here we are.
Great White + Jani Lane.
In normal days, a one-off of Great White and Jani might be cool. But here's the deal: I am having trouble separating my love for Jani's songwriting with his clear disdain for all other human life. No one with a conscience would continually get behind the wheel of a car and drive drunk. So Jani gets arrested for DUI (again) a couple months ago and was sentenced to jail. Is he out of trouble now? Did he serve due his time? Learn a lesson? Is he sober? Why can't we let him take care of his demons and get well before throwing him back into bars, surrounded by temptation?
I'm a 'live and let live' kind of girl. I say, do whatever you want on your own time and to your own body - but leave me out of it. When you get plastered and get in a car and drive down my street, I have a big problem with that. You're supposed to be in alcohol counseling but you get to go on tour instead? How is that fair?
Now, to the other issue of Jani fronting Great White. Again, a one off would be cool. But 12 dates? Won't people be annoyed if they are advertised a Great White show but don't get Jack on vocals? What about the show that has Warrant opening? How does that work? The guys in Warrant and Jani don't exactly get along anymore. Will one band be ushered onstage while another waits, hidden in the wings -- separated like kids?
At what point does all this become high comedy? We all know "hair metal" is unfairly mocked. But when you start talking about a replacement singer fronting an opening act that was originally fronted by the replacement front man for the headline act it's all a bit much. Just writing that gave me a little bit of a headache so I hope I got it right. In short, I don't see how Jani will last 12 shows. It's a train wreck waiting to happen.
Here's the tour dates:
Sept 3, 2010 El Paso, TX Speaking Rock Sept 4, 2010 Galveston, TX Moody Gardens Conv Cntr (with Night Ranger) Sept 24, 2010 Bolingbrook, IL Tailgater's Sept 25, 2010 Farmington, MN Rocktoberfest Sept 26, 2010 Council Bluffs, IA Horseshoe Council Bluffs Oct 1, 2010 Yuciapa, CA Angel's Roadhouse Oct 2, 2010 Ramona, CA Ramona Mainstage Oct 29, 2010 Redding, CA Harvest Festival 2010 Oct 30, 2010 Lewiston, ID Clearwater River Casino Nov 6, 2010 Lisbon, Portugal "Live in Lisbon" Nov 12, 2010 Medina, MN Medina Entertainment Center (with Warrant) Dec 31, 2010 Tower, MN Fortune Bay Casino
I'm sure everyone disagrees with my opinion on this one. Oh well.
Here's a little clip of Jani singing with Warrant while drunk. This was at Rock the Bayou. I've got no problem posting this as I was there and witnessed this spectacle.
I'm not really into the Black Eyed Peas but I always dug Fergie when she was in Wild Orchid. That's neither here nor there. Slash played the Sunset Strip Music Festival over the weekend and Fergie helped him out. She has a great rock voice that's basically wasted in the Black Eyed Peas. I have to admit being impressed with Fergie and Slash's rendition of Heart's "Barracuda." Check it out:
I know it's trendy these days for rock bands to have a female singer. Too bad most of those bands are screamo and you can't really enjoy the vocals. Why can't we have a massive arena band featuring an icon like Slash and someone with a great set of pipes like Fergie? Of course, the obvious solution is to have Fergie front Velvet Revolver.
My beloved Kix played the Los Angeles House of Blues Friday night. I was pretty salty I couldn't go...I've got bills like everyone else and traveling all the time just ain't happening. Lucky for me (and you!) clips of the show are now popping up online. Watch and love.
Have you heard the new Bon Jovi song "What Do You Got?" The song will be included on Bon Jovi Greatest Hits - The Ultimate Collection.The album will hit stores November 9. In total, Bon Jovi will include four new tracks among their most famous tunes.
Now, I'll be honest. I don't really like "What Do You Got?" It is too country for my taste and the guitar solo is basically non-existent, but hey, maybe you disagree. Push play, give it a go and provide your thoughts in the comments section. I wish Bon Jovi would record some new, harder edge songs. I feel like it's all too "Top 40 radio" these days.
Friday, September 3, 2010 at 12:01AM