Rocklahoma 2009 Day 4

Rocklahoma 2009 is over. The final day brought performances by Vixen, Bonfire, Nelson, Great White, Skid Row and Twisted Sister.

I didn’t watch Vixen and only caught a small portion of Bonfire. The takeaway from that band was my astonishment at the lead singer: dude was wearing a denim jacket the entire set. It was over 100 degrees!

Nelson take a lot of crap, but I’ve never seen them perform live so I was interested. They did their hits (you know, “After the Rain” and “Can’t Live Without Your Love and Affection”) plus a couple of new tunes. The crowd was small, small, small on Sunday – but it was especially lean for Nelson. Shame because I thought they sounded better than half the other main stage acts at ROK 09.

Poor Jack Russell - the man limped out on stage, acting funny and sure enough he said he had a bunch of broken bones. He gets a pass because limping on stage in massive heat without the ability to move is very metal but there’s no point in denying that Great White sounded like crap. I mean, when you have broken ribs, you just can’t sing. It was also pretty clear Jack was on painkillers – I think the band should have cancelled. I’m sure that set was pure torture for him.

Skid Row was quite good but it felt like they played forever. They did all the songs you know and love – in basically the order you’d assume. I kept waiting for “Youth Gone Wild” because I was antsy for L.A. Guns to start in a side tent. A lot of people seemed to leave the end of Skid Row to get a good spot for L.A. Guns. That said, I’d say Skid Row had the biggest crowd of any band all weekend. I wasn’t worried about watching all their songs – I’m seeing them again on Shiprocked.

L.A. Guns played a side stage. A few weeks ago, Tracii Guns told me he didn’t want to play in the sun on the main stage. Sadly, playing at 9:30 pm in a tent doesn’t equal cool. Since the heat index was upwards of 115 degrees and L.A. Guns played in a tent packed with people, you can imagine how it felt. The band did the big hits and this show featured Jizzy Pearl on vocals. I had a hard time understanding Jizzy’s words – maybe it was the PA, maybe it was me, but I think I’ll stick with Marty Casey. Can’t knock Tracii though – man can shred and he sure looked happy.

Twisted Sister always deliver. Even if you’re not a giant Twisted fan, you can appreciate their live show because they give it their all. The band did all of Stay Hungry – in order – and it was great. The crowd seemed to love it and this seems like an appropriate album to play live, start to finish. That said, Twisted didn’t play very long. Their set seemed short – only a couple extra songs after Stay Hungry and the band called it a night. After that, my Rocklahoma experience was done.

Sunday attendance? I’d say 3500 - 4500.

The attendance was abysmal this year. The people behind Rocklahoma need to decide where they want the festival to go. It’s either becoming a 100% regional event, or it needs to be scaled back. Four days is probably too many if the format is to stay the same – there are only so many bands to go around. If ticket prices are reduced, that will help. Changing the event to two days with a killer lineup would be even better. I had fun this year – but the lineup really was weak, tickets expensive and the heat ridiculous. I can’t see many people renewing in advance when it’s pretty clear it’s o.k. to wait for the lineup and then decide to buy. The amount of empty seats really shocked me...and made me quite sad.

More photos later and tomorrow. I’m fried and just can’t edit them right now. Peace.

Rocklahoma 2009 Day 3

The Gypsy Pistoleros, Lizzy Borden, Keel, Kix, Jackyl and Stryper played the main stage on day three of Rocklahoma. I came in for Keel, so I didn’t see the GP or Lizzy Borden. Apparently, Lizzy Borden did a full show with make-up and blood, so I’m a little sad I missed that but the heat sucks and I had to make it to nightfall.

Keel sounded better than they did at M3, but the crowd sure was light. So light by this time of the day I’d say Saturday had the fewest people in the seats of every day thus far. Ronnie Keel talked about the band’s history and future in between songs. The band did “The Right to Rock” and a cover of “Because the Night” (from the album The Final Frontier).

...then it was time for Kix. We shall now transition to an open letter to the people of Oklahoma.

Dear Oklahomans:

Kix are, by far, the best band on the Rocklahoma 2009 bill. If you live in Oklahoma, there is no excuse for you to skip Kix. Everyone else in the world will get a pass because the economy sucks and it isn’t cheap to travel, but if you live within a three hour radius of Rocklahoma and you passed on Kix, you lose. Seriously.

Kix performed at a very hot part of the day, so it was brutal. The band played Midnite Dynamite, Same Jane, Sex, The Itch, Girl Money, Poison, Don’t Close Your Eyes, Hot Wire, Get It While Its Hot, Cold Shower, Cold Blood and Blow My Fuse. Did I mention it was hot? Good Glam, I felt like I was going to melt so I’d imagine it was 1,000 times worse for the guys in the band. The heat didn’t keep the band from doing their choreographed moves that I love so much. Steve Whiteman also commented “Last year we played in a monsoon, this year a heat wave. I’m not whining – except I am.” Fair enough. Beyond having the best songs of any other band at the festival, Kix also had the best sound. The mix was so bad for many of the other bands – Kix had the least amount of sound issues and they should be commended. The band didn’t do “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” which truly stunned me. I guess it was due to time...

...and that’s where Jackyl comes in.

Jackyl replaced Thin Lizzy as a very late add and instead of actually performing, Jesse James Dupree talked and got drunk. A little bit of stage banter is fine – but taking a massive amount of time on bullshit pisses me off considering Kix didn’t get to do “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.”

Seriously. I don’t need to see Jesse’s butt cheeks popping out of his sweaty onesie. Perhaps I’m the only one of that mindset, so be it. I paid to hear music, not crap. When Jackyl did perform, they sounded good on “I Stand Alone” and “She Loves My Cock.” By the time “The Lumberjack” rolled around, the band was nearly 20 minutes over, which pushed all the side stages back. Ridiculous. Kix should have been moved down a slot when Thin Lizzy pulled out.

I gave Stryper a chance. I’m not a fan of the yellow and black attack. To the band’s defense, the sound was awful and the seats empty. I’ve never seen less people watching a headline set at Rocklahoma than what I witnessed during Stryper. The band performed “The Rock That Doesn’t Roll,” “Calling On You” and a Boston cover. I left just before the end – I don’t know if the band threw Bibles. I assume they did.

Saturday attendance guess? 3500 at the peak. Yep.

Rocklahoma 2009 Day 2

Day two of Rocklahoma 2009 is in the history books, featuring Hericane Alice, Helix, Danger Danger, Warrant, Night Ranger and RATT. Naturally, the heat seems to be getting worse with each passing day – and oppressive is no longer an accurate adjective to describe the situation. Perhaps “awful” sums it up nicely. I skipped Hericane Alice because of the heat – my apologies to the band, but I hope to catch them on a side stage later this weekend.

Helix – described in the official newspaper “program” as the oldest band at Rocklahoma – came out strong. The Canadians immediately commented on the heat – and continued to mention the sun. Brian Vollmer kept taking breaks from the heat – and so did I. I watched half the set. Noticed people loving the band – to the point of near hysteria in some cases around me – and then I took a rest. I ended up with my head down on a table in air conditioning. My husband thought I was sunburned, but my skin was just tomato red from heat.

Danger Danger drew a lot of curious onlookers. After all, the band never seems to leave the east coast, so this was a big opportunity to see them live for the first time. Ted Poley sounded great, but he was really struggling with performing in the heat. Rob Marcello gave a great solo on his polka dot guitar. The band did “Boys Will Be Boys,” “Bang Bang,” and “Naughty Naughty” but not “Don’t Walk Away” – this crushed me a little.

Warrant – three times at Rocklahoma, three different singers! This time, Robert Mason won the coin toss. Good news is that he is awesome – the best Warrant has ever sounded really. The band spent some money on a little stage backdrop of the Sunset Strip – clubs like the Whisky were on the backdrop, plus the names of Warrant albums. The band also used a weird intro tape – not sure why – but it was the sound of clinging cash registers from “Money” Pink Floyd style. “Down Boys” still open the set, and all the usual suspects were played: “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” “Cherry Pie,” “Heaven” and the like. During “Cabin” some nut job one row over climbed on the back of his seat and hurled himself forward when the guitar part kicked in. He lunged so high and fast, everyone in my row ducked for cover. Seriously.

Night Ranger were the best band of the day, playing a mix of old and new and even one Damn Yankees tune (“Coming of Age”). The band played a ton of classics, including “This Boy Needs to Rock,” “Rock in America,” “Eddie's Comin' Out Tonight,” “Sister Christian,” and “Don't Tell Me You Love Me.” Jack Blades has a great voice and he was in a good mood. Same for Kelly Keagy. The band did honestly seem happy to be back at Rocklahoma and the crowd was glad to have them. By the time Night Ranger started, the place was filling up a little – there were many more people on the lawn than the day before, but still tons of empty seats.

RATT announced plans awhile back to do all of Out of the Cellar live – so they did it at Rocklahoma, too. Oddly enough, the band did the album *after* the greatest hits set, which struck me as amazingly odd. By the time “Wanted Man” rolled around, Stephen Pearcy was already half worn out – but the band got through it ok. Naturally, “Round and Round” was moved out of order and saved for last, which is technically cheating, but whatever. Pearcy was wearing a shirt that said “I Love (heart shape) Nymphos” and I rolled my eyes – just couldn’t help it. Right before RATT took the stage, Shiprocked Tweeted that the band would be joining the cruise – so good news if you’re going (like me!)

So who should have been main stage? Big Cock of course. Robert Mason sings lead for the band and his pipes held up, even after the Warrant set. The band played a lot of songs off their most recent disc “Motherload,” which is obviously a lot of fun. A fairly decent crowd came over to check out the band – still could have been more. David Henzerling was playing his little heart out – how could you miss that? Nothing like listening to “Get a Load of Me” live at nearly 1 a.m. in Pryor, Oklahoma.

Day two attendance numbers? I guess around 5500.

Rocklahoma 2009 Day 1

For some reason I always forget just how oppressive the heat in Pryor, Oklahoma can be...and this year is no different. We’re talking temperatures of over one hundred degrees – before the heat index. Needless to say, Rocklahoma 2009 is a real hot box.

The first day of Rocklahoma – or Metal day – featured a lot bands outside my comfort zone. Leatherwolf, Metal Church, Anvil, Overkill, Saxon and Anthrax. I am not a rabid fan of any of these acts, so coverage wise, this is my “light day.”

Since I was still getting my bearings during Leatherwolf, I can’t say too much about their performance. The mix was off and the crowd was quite small. It’s always hard for the first band of any festival on day one regarding crowd size.

Metal Church just announced plans to call it quits, making Rocklahoma their final show. I gotta say, not being a Metal Church fan, the band did sound good. Ronnie Monroe has a good voice and I remember watching him solo on a side stage last year. The band opened with "Fake Healer..." and
the crowd was slowly growing by this point.

I was most curious about Anvil. Truth be told, Anvil are more known for the documentary about their lives versus their music. Also, their set was right at the heat of the day, so that couldn’t have helped the crowd situation any. Poor lead singer “Lips” was playing his guitar on the first song, lost his sound, and ran to get it fixed. Sure enough, he slipped on one of the stage steps but got right back up. I don’t think he was hurt at all. Later he said “That first step is a loo loo” or something to that effect. Anvil didn’t play “Metal on Metal” until their very last song – there was, however, a random drum solo thrown in for good measure.

After Anvil – and a general feeling of dizziness from the heat – I took a break during Overkill. This means I missed their entire set and can’t speak to their abilities. The band did have some interesting merchandise including a T shirt with a bat and wings logo that reads “Get your own logo” or something like that. This seems like a slam toward Avenged Sevenfold, but I’m not sure.

Saxon was the band I was waiting for all day – and I wasn’t the only one. It seemed like for the first time of the day, the seating area was starting to fill up, although general admission attendance seemed to remain lean. Saxon played just about everything you’d expect: “Wheels of Steel,” “Crusader,” “Denim and Leather.” They didn’t play “The Eagle Has Landed.” All in all it was a great set, with beautiful British accents and Biff Byford jumping around and commenting on the heat. He was preaching to the choir.

As expected, the crowd was heaviest for Anthrax – after all, they headlined Metal day. I’ve never been into Anthrax – just not my cup of tea I guess. The band did have a lot of energy and it was the first time I’d really heard new singer Dan Nelson belt. He is very heavy, which surprised me just a little. The band played “Indians,” “Antisocial” and all the rest. Someone threw a beach ball into the crowd and I noticed the men were very violent with it during Anthrax. Some guy two rows up from me kept body slamming himself into his wooden bench seat. Music has never made me want to hurl my body into something like a wall or a bench, but whatever. I hope the guy got his money’s worth.

Glam wise I checked out Bai Bang and Beautiful Creatures – both side stage acts and basically excellent. Honestly, I think Beautiful Creatures had the biggest crowd of the day next to Anthrax. People were packed into the tented area close and tight, which made moving around less than great. Joe Leste sounded great and looked happy and I think that was enough for the crowd. Bai Bang are obscure Glam – Google them because they rule. Real Swedish sleaze that would be better in the night versus so early in the afternoon. Bai Bang played very early and not a lot of people got a chance to watch them on first pass – hopefully I’ll get to see them again during the run of the festival.

My attendance guess for Metal day? I’d say somewhere between 4500 and 5500 people.

I've Arrived at Rocklahoma 2009...

...and I'll start posting updates shortly. Expect show reviews, exclusive photos and backstage banter over the next few days. It should be fun!

Twisted Sister is Ready to Rock with Bring Back Glam! Are You?

Ok, you have to admit this is very cool! Just push play.

Memories Don't Die

“Have you seen my childhood?”

So goes the first line of the Michael Jackson song “Childhood.”

A lot of journalists have recently attached the death of Michael Jackson to a person’s childhood. People interviewed all over the world say they are grieving for Jackson “...and their childhood memories.”

Your memories don’t die.

In the past, I’ve been guilty of saying things like “...another piece of my childhood gone.” Truth be told, that childhood was gone years ago, the only remnants being scrapbooks and other mementos – especially the music. Isn’t the childhood love of music what brings most of us together on a daily basis? If you think back to some of my earlier posts – buried over a thousand deep in this site – it’s just random ramblings of me remembering the first time I listened to Poison’s Open Up and Say...Ah! or watching Aerosmith live at the MTV Video Music Awards.

When I was young I had lots of records (think a giant, obnoxious stack) that I liked to play over and over on my mom’s big console stereo. In 1991, I was in fifth grade and yes, I owned a copy of Michael Jackson’s Dangerous on cassette. (By the way, Dangerous is still my favorite Jackson album). I remember sitting on the floor of my bedroom, running the tape back and forth, listening to “Black or White” constantly. In nearly the same action, I would pop on many other tapes and click through MTV like it was going out of style. 1991 was a big year in music – but especially so for Glam and therefore I had a lot of choices. Even though I’m no longer that young girl sitting on the floor listening to my cassettes, I’ve always carried that memory with me. I’m not exactly sure why I have such vivid memories of scanning the booklet for Dangerous and thinking it was exceptionally thick, except maybe it was fate I would one day write about the experience for mass consumption.

I suppose today’s giant outpouring for Jackson is as selfish as it is selfless. Sure, millions of fans entered the lottery to win tickets to the public memorial in California and the lucky ones flew from all over America and points beyond. But that’s only half the story. No one wants to face mortality and if there was anyone able to cheat death, it was supposed to be Michael Jackson. After all, who was more famous or rich? The rest of us can’t compete with that – we’re just average Janes and Joes. The “dying part of a childhood” isn’t so much saying goodbye to a memory as it is the stark fear of being pushed forward in the great mortality chain that is life – no one is immune.

So, today when you turn on the news – and the story of Jackson’s memorial will be on TV, radio and the Internet all day – don’t be fooled by the masses crying for Thriller and their past youth. Recall the past fondly, but don’t be scared to look ahead, ready for the next big band or album to change the world. The best is yet to come. Of that, I am certain.