You Just Have to Be There

Friday night, DeepRockDrive presented an Internet stream of Motley Crue performing live in Las Vegas. The show was at the Mandalay Bay Events Center and one of the only indoor stops on the Crue Fest 2008 tour. Like many Motley fans, I watched the show - even though it didn't end until 3 a.m. in my part of the world and I had a bass lesson just a handful of hours later.

Let me preface this by saying I'll be seeing Crue Fest on August 19 from the fourth row and I am very excited. I have a lot of anticipation for the show, even though I wish the set list was a little longer.

Watching the concert on the Internet didn't do much for me. In fact, I thought Motley Crue sounded pretty bad - but Mick Mars was the true highlight. Of course, the Internet feed didn't provide any energy of actually being part of the audience and you couldn't hear the crowd because the audio was coming straight from the sound board. Also, the camera angles left a lot to be desired.  The set:

Kickstart My Heart
Wild Side
Shout at the Devil
Saints of Los Angeles
Live Wire
Sick Love Song
Mutherfucker Of The Year
Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
Same 'Ol Situation
Primal Scream
Looks That Kill
Girls, Girls, Girls
Dr. Feelgood
Home Sweet Home

Vince skipped a lot of words Friday night. That part of the show made me a little sad, but maybe Motley was just having an off night. I was talking to people from around the world while the concert was happening. We all seemed to agree the crowd looked dead. Apparently, the crowd was actually at (or near) capacity and really excited for Vince, Nikki, Mick and Tommy. Every crowd pan showed otherwise, but I'll be inclined to believe the people who paid to see the show.

I don't think the DeepRockDrive show did Motley Crue justice. This isn't to say the band wasn't shaky - because they were for a lot of the performance. Still, there's a certain energy that happens during a concert that is impossible to replicate. I own lots of concert DVDs. I enjoy quite a lot of them - but just owning such DVDs would never take the place of me buying a seat to a live show.

I think it is cool that the Internet allows bands to reach fans all over the world. I'm sure a lot of people watched online Friday night and were excited to see a free show. Brilliant marketing - but not the same as being there.

Concerts are a snapshot in time. Some shows are bad. Some are good. Some are truly life changing. I just don't think a DVD, Internet stream of television broadcast can replace the emotion of seeing a beloved band from the first (or last) row.

Thoughts?

Saturday Scattergories

Last night, Heather forwarded me one of those email games where you use your name to answer a bunch of questions. At first I immediately dismissed the message (sorry Heather!) and then had a second thought: what if the game turned Glam?

Here are my modified rules:

*Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following:
Band, song title, album title, musician. Yes, you have to use the first initial of your name (either your real name of that which you post under).

What is your name? Allyson
Glam band?            Alleycat Scratch
Song title?               Anytime (Mcauley Schenker Group)
Album title?            After the Rain
Musician name?      Alice Cooper

This looks easy, until you sit down to actually think about it for a few minutes. The goal here is to name as many bands, song and album titles and musicians as possible. Of course, the next "A" person can't pick any of my choices. Hopefully, we'll create a nice chain of Glam. At least it's a game to occupy five minutes of your lazy summer Saturday.

It's August: Let's Have a Party!

I cannot believe it's August - the last full month of summer. I feel like my favorite season is just flying by and before you know it, the weather  will be snowy and cold. August is a huge month for me this year, as I have lots of activities planned including many concerts. Later this month I'll see Poison/Dokken/Sebastian Bach, Crue Fest, Def Leppard with Billy Idol and head to Rock the Bayou in Houston, Texas. I also celebrate a birthday and my husband turns 30 (yikes!) All these fun events make me feel like having a party. What's a party without good music? Here are my choices for the best Glam party songs of all time (in no particular order):

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah - Kix
Nothin' But a Good Time - Poison
Sticky Sweet - Motley Crue
Dance - RATT
Party All Night- Quiet Riot
I Wanna Rock- Twisted Sister
Living After Midnight - Judas Priest
Unchained - Van Halen
All the Young Dudes - Mott the Hopple
Barracuda - Heart

This one is hard because Glam artists are known for fun music. I suppose it would be just as easy to list entire party albums. I say Open Up and Say...Ahh! takes the cake for the number one party album of all time, followed by Back in Black.

***What are your favorite rockin' party tunes?

While I was writing this, I came across the video for "Party All Night" by Quiet Riot. I haven't seen this clip in years.

Rock the Bayou Ticket Prices Increase Tomorrow!

Today is the last day you can get tickets for Rock the Bayou at the early bird rate.

That's $99 for general admission. Tomorrow, the price for GA jumps to $125. VIP tickets are $250 each.

I'll be at Rock the Bayou down in Houston, Texas. The line-up looks pretty great with bands like Kix, Sammy Hagar and Alice Cooper! There are side stages as well, meaning more than 100 acts are set to perform over the course of the festival.

You can buy your tickets at www.rockthebayou.com

If you decide to go to the festival, please send me an email so we can meet.

You Should Know empYrios By Now...

My favorite progressive Metal band has a new album due in September. empYrios will release The Glorious Sickness through Scarlet records.

If you've been coming around here for awhile, you might remember me mentioning empYrios in passing from time to time. I discovered the band through writing for Metal Express Radio. In fact, I think my empYrios review was just about the second thing I wrote for the Internet radio station. Anyway, I decided it was high time more Glam fans knew the joys of empYrios.

empYrios are:

Simone Mularoni - guitars
Silvio Mancini - vocals
Simone Bertozzi - bass
Dario Ciccioni - drums

The band's debut is … And The Rest Is Silence. I firmly believe empYrios sound like a new Iron Maiden. Seriously! … And The Rest Is Silence is an amazingly strong album. I remember listening to it on the way to the airport before flying to Rocklahoma 2007 - so that means I've been coming back to this disc for a full year now! It is very rare that a new band strikes me that well: if I keep listening for a year, then I've basically signed on as a fan for life.

Yes, Silvio Mancini has an accent. After all, these are Italians. Still, the music is heavy and beautiful. 

The longest track on the album is “Eal.” This is also the album's high point - and my favorite song by the band. “Eal" is a ballad in the true sense of the word -- the lyrics are at once brooding and catchy. Like watching a Greek tragedy in under seven minutes, “Eal” utilizes the basic concepts behind great story telling to illustrate the suffering of one man’s life. As the music begins with a hopeful soar, the choral backing creates an extra layer of sound that makes the track richer. As the “story” progresses, Mancini’s vocal intonation changes as does the speed of the music. By the fifth minute of the “Eal,” the acoustic portions are replaced again with whining electric guitars, serving as a cathartic point in the “story.” What begins as a whisper of an orchestral event ends with big band influences and true Metal harmonies. In short, “Eal” is a modern masterpiece.

When I was clicking around Myspace and learned that The Glorious Sickness was due so soon, I got really excited. I just think empYrios are one of those rare bands that will only get better with time.

Listen to songs at Myspace. You can also purchase … And The Rest Is Silence via iTunes.

Peep Show Sure are Glam

I first heard the Scotland-based band Peep Show on Glamnation Vol. 3 (and yes, I owe Metal Express Radio a review of that disc. I'm getting there!) and I was instantly impressed.

Peep Show sound like a mix of early Motley Crue and later W.A.S.P. The sound is melodic with an edge and it's all good.

So, just who the hell is in Peep Show? Johnny Gunn (vocals), Rusty Gill (guitar). Kenni Black (bass) and Charlie DeVille (drums). I haven't spoken with the band, but I'm sure these are Glam stage names. I also have to wonder if Charlie is a big fan of Poison? I digress.

The band has a self-released album called Out for Blood. I don't have a copy or I would have reviewed it by now. From what I can tell on the official Peep Show Myspace page, the songs are quite promising. Of the few selections, I really enjoy "Turn It Up" and "I Want You."

My friend Joe says he's heard rumblings that Johnny Gunn could be in chats with Crashdiet. You might recall Olliver Twisted just parted ways with the Swedish band. I must admit Johnny Gunn sounds a lot like Dave Lepard, the late original singer of Crashdiet. Perhaps I should dig around and investigate that a bit more, eh? (Martin Sweet and Peter London of Crashdiet apparently helped with Out for Blood).

Peep Show is just another example of how the current state of the music industry is in the toilet. The quartet is pretty talented, have good songs and are attractive - which does help sell albums. Yet, Peep Show remain unsigned. I'm not sure how much longer a lot of these new Glam bands can last without some form of sustainable income. At the end of the day, baby gotta eat.

Click here for more information.

Here's Peep Show live

Photo credit: Monkeytwizzle Photography

Make Rock History

The members of Motley Crue are making a big announcement at the Guitar Center on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles tomorrow. The announcement is to launch a contest for musicians to live out their fantasies of fame and fortune.

The announcement is at noon - and if you're in the area, I think you can go right to the Guitar Center and see the band.