Anarchy In the U.K.: The Story of Two Canadians at Firefest (Featuring Photography From Shawn Irwin) Part 1 of 3

Nottingham, England, probably most well known in stories of Robin Hood, was the scene of the crime so to speak.  The population of the storied city swelled with tattooed, long haired rockers the weekend of October 23-26, 2014 with the arrival of the annual Firefest Festival.  It was almost like there were two types of group in town over the weekend: the long haired, tattooed rocker and the young, dressed to the nines, club going girl wandering the quaint British cobblestone streets of the pedestrian core.  I don’t know what the streets would look like on a normal weekend but I imagine just a little different.  In amongst this mix of two sects of society were two bald Canadian melodic rock fans on a quest to see bands that will, unfortunately, probably never grace Canadian soil.

2014 The Final Fling Line-up

Firefest began in 2005 with a one day event in May of that year featuring Firehouse, TNT and Pink Cream 69 among others.  Another one day event, Firefest II took place in November of that same year at Nottingham Rock City, the venue that would house the festival for the next ten years.  Over the next ten years of its operation Firefest would see the likes of bands such as House of Lords, Harem Scarem, Winger, Gotthard, Bonfire, FM, Tyketto, Jorn, Demon, White Sister, Treat, Honeymoon Suite, Lynch Mob, W.E.T., Lillian Axe, Brighton Rock, J.S.R.G. (Vixen), Hardline and Heaven's Edge to name only a few of my favorites.  The event grew from a one day show to a two day festival in 2007 and then to a three day extravaganza in 2011.  Firefest was started by a group of friends in conjunction with Fireworks Magazine, but unfortunately after ten years and eleven events, all with little to no corporate sponsorship the hard working and dedicated crew of about 40 have decided to make 2014's presentation The Final Fling.

Thursday October 23, 2014

After freshening up at the hotel Shawn and I set out to attend a CD listening party that we had pre-registered for.  There were to be two bands featured, In Faith, who we were unfamiliar with, and their There’s a Storm Coming album along with Ten, who we were familiar with, Shawn being a
big fan and their forthcoming Albion CD.  We arrived on foot at Rock City, a short walk from our hotel, The Hilton Nottingham.  Something was wrong for sure!  The place was packed out front with tons of alternative/punk style dressed young people…..this was certainly not our crowd!  A quick chat with a “Bobby” (policeman) resulted in confirmation we were in the wrong place.  As the rest of the Firefest events over the next three days are held here we had just assumed (making an ass out of you and me basically), that this was the place.  The only other place I knew to be hosting Firefest bands and crew was the Crowne Plaza Hotel where a good portion of them were staying.  Hope we're not late, let’s roll!  Arriving as the first attendees when we thought that we would be late, we entered the meeting room in the Crowne Plaza Hotel Nottingham.  Spying the merchandise table rather quickly….well the room was basically void of humans and we do have a radar for avenues to spend hard earned cash on nearly any and all rock swag!  There was a table set up at one end, the merchandise along the perpendicular wall and tables, almost like a wedding
 reception hall, just not as decorated filled the remaining space.  Being a big Ten fan Shawn immediately picked up the Albion CD for purchase and as we both like to support music he also grabbed In Faith, as did I.  There were a couple of staff Ten t-shirts not in use and so for purchasing both CD's we were also awarded a shirt, adding some value to the impossibly expensive once converted to Canadian price.  Everything here in Merry Old England does not seem as outrageously over priced as we had been warned about, that is, however, until you do the conversion back to Canadian and realize that everything is almost double!  A Burger King Meal shortly after arriving in London cost me near $13.00 Canadian!!  Lesson learned, don't do the conversions, better to fool yourself than suffer a heart attack!  We chose to sit at a round table in basically the centre of the room and very shortly were excitedly checking out the smorgasbord of cool and colorful band t-shirts that were on display on near every attendee filing in the doors.  Before long we were making new friends and the “rock talk” was thick around our table, I imagine similar at every table or group.  The crowd was electric with excitement and anticipation at not just the CD previews but the whole event and it was clear that this festival had created a family similar to what I experience on the Monsters of Rock Cruise.  Creating/starting our own little family we became quite friendly with Mikael from Sweden and Mike and Angela from Canada, we weren't the only crazy Canucks in the mix!.

In Faith - photo by Shawn Irwin

The DJ system PA soon erupted with "Radio", the lead track from In Faith’s There’s a Storm Coming.  Right away Shawn and I’s heads began to almost involuntarily bob with the great sounding record.  The sound was not fabulous back mid room where we sat, perhaps echoing off the ceiling and unfortunately the vocals seemed to get lost.  Never the less the album sounded great and we both are excited to play it when we arrive back in Canada (no CD capabilities in our room).  Reading the liner notes of the disc educated us that the album had been mastered by Harry Hess (Harem Scarem) in Toronto!  The members of In Faith, guitarist Tony Marshall, vocalist Pete Godfrey and drummer Pete Newdeck took seats behind the table after the first three tracks off the album were heard.  They were talking a little about the album which was basically inaudible for us as Shawn volunteered to take photos for the band and crew.  We

5 of Ten - photo by Shawn Irwin

continued to hear the remainder of the CD, some great melodic metal despite the poor and distorted sound.  Hard to describe the atmosphere in the room right now between all the crew and patrons as I met friends Kimmo, Phil & Sue and the band circulated, signing autographs and taking photos.  At the end of In Faith, Ten banners were quickly erected and the intro signified the playing of Albion.  The album again sounded great even through the poor, distorted, bass heavy, muffled and drowning vocals of the PA.  In the same fashion the members of Ten entered to seat themselves at the table after a couple of songs.  Ten consists of seven members three of them guitarists and I couldn't help but wonder if they were planning on adding three more members to actually get to ten....lol.  We queued up in the line forming at the table for autographs from the band as the album continued to play.  The sound was noticeably clearer up here near the front of the room as we excitedly readied our CD inlays.  All but two of the band were present and we shook

Shawn Irwin & Gary Hughes

hands, chatting briefly as we passed by the table.  Gary Hughes, vocalist, main songwriter and founder of Ten was all smiles, soaking in the accolades from the fans and was impressed that we had journeyed from Canada for the Firefest event.  Shawn was clearly in heaven taking photos, surrounded by a broad spectrum of rock tee shirts and making friends, awesome to see him so happy since I needled him into coming along!  The broad smile across his face as he got some photos with Gary Hughes and of Gary signing his albums told a story all its own.

(In Faith Website) (In Faith Facebook) (Ten Website) (Ten Facebook)

Too excited to actually sleep we scoured the streets, aimlessly wandering and marveling at all the very dressed up club going young ladies…God love Nottingham!  Our travels took us too make a terrible choice of late night food as we entered a Burger King sometime around 1 or 2am.  Finally back in the hotel room a little later on, the feeling of being a kid at summer camp continued with a symphony of farts going off in the room as we finally were able to get some sleep.

Friday October 24, 2014

The hotel breakfast buffet was a much better food selection on the heels of the flatulent inducing Burger King to get the day rolling.  Some vaguely directional, but mostly aimless wandering brought us to the Castle for brief explorations as well as other sites about Nottingham.  And to the venue just in time, we joined the line outside of Nottingham Rock City, excited for our first Firefest.  As we entered, collected wrist bands and so forth we quickly spotted the merchandise area, told you we had that radar for spending cash on awesome rock swag!  Firefest event tees were the order of the day and the venue was already decently full as we found our way upstairs to the stage area.

Angels or Kings - photo by Shawn Irwin

Angels or Kings had just launched into their opening number as we got up there.  The sound was surprisingly good right off.  Being totally unfamiliar with this group previously and our eyes constantly scouring around the venue made it difficult to concentrate on them as our excitement wouldn't let us.  I will say that they sounded quite good from what we did hear as we worked closer to the stage securing spots to the left side, two people back from the barrier and I will definitely search out their CD upon landing back in Canada.  Title track to the album, “Kings of Nowhere” was one that stuck out a little more for me, but everything sounded quite good.
(Angels or Kings Website) (Angels or Kings Facebook)

Michael Bormann - photo by Shawn Irwin

Quickly evident was the incredible job of the Firefest stage crew with set changes scheduled for only 20 minutes so far they were right on schedule as the curtain was lowered and RedRum opened with the intro, “One of Us”.  “Scream” followed, both off the Victims of Our Circumstances (2013) album that I had purchased the download for a couple of days prior to departure.  I clued in that this band who I again did not know too much about aside from a couple of quick album run-throughs was actually fronted by Michael Bormann (Silent Force/Bonfire/Powerworld).  “You Can’t Buy No Hero” (also from Victims of Our Circumstances) was great but what may have been titled “Waiting For You All My Life”, “Judgement Day” and “Heart To Heart” were all unfamiliar to me being from a different album.  They shut down their altogether too short stage time with “Dust In Your Eyes”, again from the 2013 release.  Just another example of a great band waiting to be discovered!
(RedRum Website) (RedRum Facebook)

Michael Eriksen - photo by Shawn Irwin

Circus Maximus was next after the 20 minute break for set changes.  With a very progressive and much heavier sound than many on the bill, they were not particularly my flavor.  That being said they played incredibly tightly and obviously had a loyal fan following in Rock City.  “I Am”, “The One", “Game of Life” and the fitting closer of “Last Goodbye” were all titles that I caught throughout their set.  At the end of the show guitar pics found their way into the audience and Shawn (ever so quick and totally sober) caught one in the air.  Turning over the small red triangular piece of plastic in his hands and then passing it to me for inspection we saw that it was just a generic pick.  Next to us were two Japanese (we found out later) young ladies, Naoko and Aki, who had been into every Circus Maximus stage move, hands in the air singing along throughout the whole set.  Shawn turned to me saying “I’m gonna give it to her”.  “Great idea” I agreed, “She’s obviously a fan and it would mean more to her than either of us”.  Turns out that this was definitely the right choice as after the event was all said and done on the Sunday night Naoko named Circus Maximus as her top band of the weekend!
(Circus Maximus Website) (Circus Maximus Facebook)

Tony Mills with Shy - photo by Shawn Irwin

“Please welcome back to Firefest….Shy!”  came the announcement as the curtain was again dropped on another blisteringly quick set switch.  “Skydiving” led the charge and Tony Mills' vocals were spot on.  I really enjoyed his time with TNT (although Tony Harnell is incredible in that band as well).  Concentrating heavily on the Excess All Areas (1985) album they ripped through “Telephone”, “Can’t Fight the Night” and “Emergency” each introduced by Tony Mills as he worked the song title into a statement, quip or sentence of introduction.  “Now that I see you guys have your singing voices on, let’s do the singing track.  Give it all you've got won’t you.” Is an example of Tony’s intros as “Give It All You've Got” was the next selection played.  I was very impressed with Shy so far overall, another example of a hidden European band that won’t get the recognition deserved here in North America.  A short and heartfelt statement

Tony Mills - photo by Shawn Irwin

on the passing of guitarist Steve Harris and also of a devoted fan of Shy served as a dedication to them both with “When the Love Is Over”.  “Breakaway” pumped things up again before Tony Mills proclaimed that they had Jesus on guitar, referring to the resemblance the guitarist possessed.  “Break Down the Walls” took us to “No Other Way” as a roadie was plastering more red duct tape to the bassist's instrument, something that started out as one piece but became several by the end of the song, holding in the patch cord and pickups as well….the show must go on!  Great job Shy, a definite highlight for me and excellent set.
(Shy Website) (Shy Facebook)

Jakob Samuel - photo by Shawn Irwin

With an almost Rockpile-ish (a Toronto rock club) feel to things in here “Please welcome back to Firefest, The Poodles” signified they were ready to go.  The curtain drop this time had a little hangup on our friend Andrew’s side of the stage as it snagged and wouldn't go all the way down.  Good thing the Poodles were not on the stage as yet and the few seconds it took to finagle the curtain down did not hamper anything.  “Misery Loves Company” got things going and they came out with a high energy on stage.  The crowd was definitely thicker now, but stubborn us that had been standing here in basically this exact same spot for 6 hours both still refused to leave for urinating, eating or leg stretching a feat that was getting more and more difficult by the moment.  “Metal Will Stand Tall” had the crowd singing along with the oooh, oooh, oooh’s.  After “Cuts Like A Knife”, “Shut Up!” and “Like No Tomorrow” it was time for the Swedes to take a Facebook photo of us,  we will have to check that out and see if there’s a couple of bald guys visible in the shot.  Singer, Jakob Samuel, told us that the band had been working on

Christian Lundqvist - photo by Shawn Irwin

 recording their next album and took a break to come here and play for us, he himself only getting in about 45 minutes ago.  “Seven Seas” and “Night of Passion” led us to a call out for any ladies named Caroline.  When no real response came back “Caroline” was instead dedicated to all the ladies in the audience.  Citing a technical issue as the reason they couldn't give us one last song (which I believe they’d already squeezed in one extra), they exited the stage with a final bow.  Another great set by a band unlikely to make the journey over seas to North America, such a shame really.
(The Poodles Website) (The Poodles Facebook)

Gary Hughes - photo by Shawn Irwin

One thing I noticed here at Nottingham Rock City was that after a band's set was finished, the majority of the crowd on the floor would disperse (aside from the die-hards in the front few rows) and an almost totally new group would move in for the next band, like the fans of a specific band switched each other out.  In this case I had the pleasure of meeting some Ten fans and members of something called The Ten Army (a Facebook fan group) as they tightened up behind us.  House lights dimmed, curtains dropped and a recorded intro, "Remembrance for the Brave", began emanating as the band of seven members took stage.  If they just added a mere three more members their name of Ten would take on more meaning I mused again, chuckling at my own silly little joke.  As the song opened up I thought that the sound was a bit muffled, something that we’d not particularly seen or heard as yet today.  A videographer had also joined them on stage carting a huge camera apparatus on his shoulders as he circulated around, filming all angles of the band and the audience.  With the sound improving as the song moved along, “Fear the Force" was the first full song treat.  With the intro and "Fear the Force" both off 1999's Spellbound album it was only fitting to remain there for the title track served up next.  It appeared there may be a little issue with the bass guitar due to some fiddling with amps in the background but overall “Spellbound” sounded much better, a favorite track of mine.  During the song I

Ten - photo by Shawn Irwin

marveled at how there was somehow still stage space for them to move around with the seven man membership of the band.  I also mused that since press photographers are normally only allowed in the photo pit area at the front of the stage for the first three songs of a performance a selection such as “The Robe”’s more than nine minutes is a photographers dream, allowing them in there longer for more shots. "Apparition" was delivered next and followed by "Battlefield" from the band's eleventh release, Albion, that we had gotten the preview for last night during the special listening party event.  The melodic rock masterpiece, 2012's Heresy & Creed album was represented next with "The Lights Go Down" before it was back to the forthcoming issue and "It's Alive".  It dawned on me that I had been noticing a higher count of female attendees than we generally see at home all day long here at Firefest as "Valentine" and "After the Love Has Gone" were the next treats.  Vocalist and great guy (from meeting him

Ten - photo by Shawn Irwin

yesterday) announced that they were filming the concert and that they wanted to see if they could set a Guiness World Record for the most video angles taken during a performance.  He asked as many as could to record the next selection, "Alone in the Dark Tonight", the lead single from Albion, and post on the Facebook page with our name underneath.  During "Red" a real Ten fan and husband to the young lady who had taken position behind us at the start of the show threw a Scottish flag onto the stage which Gary Hughes wore as a cape briefly before draping it over the drum kit.  Things ended another awesome performance with "The Name of the Rose" and for me the only thing missing from this first time catching Ten's live event was "Endless Symphony", a song that had been stuck bouncing around inside my head for weeks now.
(Ten Website) (Ten Facebook)

Erik Gronwall - photo by Shawn Irwin

This day of firsts, first Firefest, first time in Nottingham, first time seeing each and every band performing today continued with the evenings headliner, H.E.A.T.  I've long been an admirer of H.E.A.T's music first being introduced to them by my friend, Brighton Rock guitarist Greg Fraser, but Shawn had been unfamiliar until I let him listen to a couple of their albums the week prior to departure for this adventure.  As the time neared, the crowd got noticeably tighter and I began the two step bladder easing shuffle, I might have to tap out to use the washroom dammit, hold on just a little longer!  Glenn Frey's "The Heat Is On" served as the intro music for this young Swedish band that seemed a huge hit with the younger female set, explaining perhaps why the gender's attendance was higher than at home.  In fact the Japanese girls were huge fans as was a Spanish young lady in front of us, but none so

Eric Rivers - photo by Shawn Irwin

 much as perhaps Alexandra from Poland.  She not only runs the H.E.A.T Polish Fansite, but also has H.E.A.T guitarist Eric Rivers' autograph tattooed....that's dedication!  "Point of No Return" off the 2014 issued Tearing Down the Walls album led the charge and charge is the 100% correct description as the band owned the stage with conviction hitting the crowd hard.  Gronwall was intense and jumping all over the stage in a huge display of high energy that would continue throughout the set.  Staying with the newest H.E.A.T offering was "A Shot At Redemption" followed by "Better Off Alone" which began a triple shot from Address the Nation including "Heartbreaker" and "It's All About Tonight".   "What an entertainer!" Shawn exclaimed referring to Erik Gronwall as I captured "Inferno" on video.  "Tearing Down the Walls" and "Mannequin Show" were next on the roster before we went back to the debut H.E.A.T release for "Late Night Lady".  "In and Out of Trouble" kept my fist high in the air and "Beg Beg Beg" came with a quick Swedish lesson and a snippet of the Deep Purple classic "Highway Star" included before wrapping up.  The conclusion of "Downtown" brought bassist Jimmy Jay (and his Ace Frehley caricature tattoo) to say a few heartfelt words on the passing of legend Jimi Jamison.  I was personally fortunate enough to have caught a portion of Jimi Jamison's set with Survivor at

Jona Tee/Eric Rivers/Jimmy Jay - photo by Shawn Irwin

 Sweden Rock Festival in 2013.  H.E.A.T next played a tribute to Jamison with Survivor's "Rebel Son" followed by "Emergency" to close off an incredible show stealing regular set.  During "Emergency", which marked a total of six of the eleven full length tracks on Tearing Down the Walls, Erik Gronwall plucked some lucky fan's cell phone from their hands and did a little selfie and crowd filming on their device for them.  H.E.A.T returned for the expected encore and what I hoped would be my all time favourite H.E.A.T track in "Breaking the Silence", but it was not to be as "Living On the Run" was the final song.  Oh well, If I can't hear "Breaking the Silence", then "Living On the Run" is quite possibly the best consolation.  A couple of the awesome Firefest staff were brought out on stage for a few moments to sing along and the emotion was high as the audience sang every word and the band gave all they had on the stage.  Things ended with Erik performing a stage dive and surfing around the crowd shortly before the band took a final bow.  They took a photo looking out at the crowd from the stage (in which Shawn and I can be spotted if you look closely) and proclaimed that they would be here for the next two days of the event to party with us all.  Great performance by a great bunch of guys, I was blown away and Shawn was more than a little impressed!

H.E.A.T and the Firefest crowd - photo by Kristian Heat Reuter of Reuter Music & Photography (Taken from H.E.A.T Facebook page)

(H.E.A.T Website) (H.E.A.T Facebook)

Finally a chance to use the facilities!  What an ugly mistake that choice was!  I would have been better off to urinate in my pants than endure the swallow of filth that greeted me in the men's toilets!  The long stainless steel troughs were shoulder to shoulder full so I chose an open stall on the far right.  I quickly found out why the stall was void of humans as I closed the door and stirred up the several million (not an exaggeration) fruit flies that swarmed me.  With the operation already underway there was no option other than hold my breath and nose for fear the flies would get in either as I finished my business.  The worst part was the complete audacity of Rock City to station an attendant with a tip dish ready to squirt soap into my hands or mist me with aftershave.  I told the gentleman (politely of course) that I felt it safer to not wash my hands in this bog of filth and would happily give him some money if he would only clean the place and not my hands!

Re-joining up with Mikael we exited the venue with not much aside from food (and maybe hand washing) on all our minds.  We closed out the evening at a restaurant called Frank & Benny's, I think, for a late dinner, beer and general chat about the awesomeness that we had just been a part of and witness to!

Top bands of the day-Shawn:                           Top bands of the day-Meister:
#3-H.E.A.T                                                            #3-Ten      
#2-The Poodles                                                     #2-Shy
#1-Ten                                                                     #1-H.E.A.T

Gallery of Shawn Irwin's photos: Bands arranged in order of play

Look for videos from the whole event coming soon to Decibel Geek's YouTube Channel

Cheers,
The Meister

(The Meister on Facebook) (Meister on Twitter)

PHOTO CREDIT: SHAWN IRWIN 2014

(Firefest Website) (Firefest Facebook)

(Fireworks/Rocktopia Website) (Fireworks Magazine Facebook)

(Blackstar Amps Website) (Blackstar Amps Facebook)

An Evening With Doro Pesch (including photography from Brian Ronald)

The undisputed Metal Queen, Dusseldorf Germany’s Doro Pesch rolled into Toronto with her 30th Anniversary tour on October 16, 2014.  It had been about a year and a half since her last visit, which was my first time seeing the live Doro experience.  I have long, long been a Doro/Warlock fan, getting into the band with the True As Steel album that we pilfered from my buddy’s older brother’s collection in our hunger to discover new hard rock/metal music that we had recently become exposed to.  From there we moved both backwards and forwards simultaneously as we saved our allowances and paper route gains to collect the previous Hellbound and Burning the Witches albums as well as the recently (at the time) issued Triumph & Agony.  We were fifteen or sixteen and in Canadian High School when we both enrolled in a German class teaching the basics of the language and culture.  One assignment was to bring something German into the next class that we would discuss.  We teamed up and produced the Triumph & Agony cassette when our name was called.  I’m not sure that the rest of the class or the teacher enjoyed that session as we listened to and discussed the album and the band during the class.  Fast forward to 2013 and the first time I had the chance to see her live in a truly incredible performance in Toronto despite the horrible snowstorm outside of the club.  We raged inside while Mother Nature raged outside.  Around that same time, at the age of 40, I had finally decided to take the leap into body art and get my first tattoo.  My love of music was the clear choice of subject.  With the assistance of comic artist Rob Armstrong and tattoo artist Guy Abergel at Art Studio Tattoos, Toronto the tattoo became a full sleeve piece depicting a guitar case “stickered” with the logos of about 30 bands that helped shape or affect my life in some way.  While there are still many great bands missing (not enough arm space), Doro Pesch is the only band to appear twice with both the Doro and Warlock logos!  That shows you where the Metal Queen sits in my hierarchy of life.  Again in 2013 I had been seriously getting closer to making the dream of attending a European festival a reality when I saw the lineup announced for Sweden Rock 2013.  With Doro in the roster, my choice was cemented and tickets were booked and purchased, Sweden here I come! (A Canadian Decibel Geek in Sweden).

MORC Meet & Greet with Doro-photo by Danny Verret

2014 brought another chance to experience the live performance as Doro was slated to appear on that year’s Monsters of Rock Cruise.  Two wonderful shows by the entire band took place there on the high seas.  I spent the entire cruise looking for Doro as the one person that I wanted to meet aboard ship, but alas to no avail.  I was, however, able to meet wicked bass player Nick Douglas and skin basher Johnny Dee (who I’d also met briefly in Toronto 2013), but Doro eluded me.  Forced to attend the meet & greet aboard ship as my only chance to meet her, I had a few precious seconds to display the artwork of my arm and smile for a shot with the entire band before being herded along to the next photo session.  It was still a complete dream come true getting a few seconds with the lady who helped shape my rock tastes and days of teen angst.

…And now we get to the present and specifically October 16, 2014.  Presented by Inertia Entertainment and performing at The Hard Luck Bar would again be Doro and her incredible band.  That announcement months earlier brought an immediate ticket link clicking and sheer elation that the price tag was a mere $22.50 CDN….that’s almost free!  Perhaps this low price was due to the fact that The Hard Luck is a terribly small and totally shitty venue with the tiniest stage and possibly worst sound in Toronto.  All that aside this would definitely be the most intimate show opportunity to see Doro!  Coupled with all of this, the little and perhaps not obvious drop-down menu displayed a higher price option that included a meet & greet VIP and early entry option.  This ain’t no Motley Crue “rip-off meet & greet”….it was only another $18-20 to add this to the ticket!  Hell Yeah!  Thanks Inertia Entertainment and Doro for this amazing and more than affordable opportunity. 

Doro Toronto Oct 16, 2014-Brian Ronald

The evening finally arrived and I set out, meeting up with some friends for dinner prior to the show.  We had gotten word that the meet & greet had been pushed back to after the show as the band had only recently arrived in Toronto.  My good fortune stayed with me and good things come to those who wait as one of these dinner friends, Amy, was actually friends with a member of the band!  How cool is that?  In what almost seems like a dream to me now, before I knew it, on our way to the club we were pit stopping to pick up a carafe of coffee for the band, which shortly saw us on the tour bus!  What, on the tour bus?  Yes, yes we were!  Doro and most of the band were present and I stood a few feet away from where the “Metal Queen” was sitting on the couch.  Perhaps the blonde bombshell has discovered the fountain of youth as she definitely looks every bit as good and hot as she did in her youth!  All the buzz was immediately evident as true in that she (and actually every single member of the group) really appreciate their fans as she chatted lightly with us.  Somehow (thanks to Amy I believe) it was pointed out that I was adorned with a Doro tattoo and before I knew it I was shrugging out of my jacket to display Guy Abergel’s work.  No sooner did I have the jacket off and guitarist Luca Princiotta remarked that he remembered the tattoo from the cruise meet & greet (very cool on that score alone!) as Nick Douglas (bassist) and Doro herself moved in to get a closer look.  All of a sudden I was posing for photos with my German Metal Queen heroine, a few with her pointing to the tattoo.  As we readied ourselves to depart Doro asked our

Doro & Meister Toronto Oct 16, 2014-by Brian Ronald

group if there was anything that we wanted to hear tonight.  They all turned towards me, I gave a few moments thought wading/flipping through the tons of choices that instantly popped into my head.  I wanted to choose something I’d not heard live before, but something that stood a chance of getting played.  I settled on “We Are The Metalheads (Wacken Hymne)” to which she responded “OK”.  Elated beyond belief and totally on cloud nine we all gushed an outpouring of thanks as we departed to give them what little time there was to get rested and ready to perform.  I almost didn’t need the show now, that was so cool thanks Amy Mech, you rock!

Doro @ Hard Luck Toronto Oct 16, 2014 - Brian Ronald

I reported to position at the front of the stage on the side of guitarist Bas Maas.  What followed could only be described as pure magic as we got a heavy dose of Warlock to get the show going.  The crowd was pumped up and were all surging forward, fists in the air and screaming with the opening bars of the Warlock rager “I Rule The Ruins”.  “Earthshaker Rock”, “Burning the Witches” and “Fight For Rock” all followed.  Time for a double shot of Doro solo material next with “Night of the Warlock” and “Raise Your Fist” from the current, awesome album of the same name before a deeper and rarely played cut off 1984’s Burning The Witches release in “Without You”.  Prior to the tour there had been a Doro fan poll in which the question was asked “What would you like to hear on this tour”.  There were a lot of deeper cuts on the list and “Without You" is only one example, with other choices being things such as "Beyond the Trees" and "Unholy Love".  The band listened to their fans and worked some of those fan favorite songs into

Doro Band Toronto Oct 16, 2014

the set, changing it up a little each night.  The next track was a true treat for a fan like me with “Evil”, a song I’d never heard before and was actually completely unaware of it’s existence.  Doro called out that the song was originally from 1985 and had not been released in Canada or US, so it would probably be new to us.  What a total rager it was and I must add this track to my collection as soon as possible.  “Metal Tango”, "True as Steel” and the ballad “Fur Immer" (Forever) kept the roster heavy in the Warlock vein as Doro offered her apologies on the sound quality (I gather there was some reverb/feedback in their monitors).  So far there had been a few deviations from the setlist that was taped to the stage at the pint sized beauty’s feet and “East Meets West” was another of these.  On the cruise Doro had been joined on stage by Ann Boleyn ("The Queen of Scream" from Hellion) for a duet on this one and since Hellion was indeed in town tomorrow I wondered if we might see a little cross performing, but it was not to be the case.  During one of the choruses of "East Meets West" Doro moved to my side of the stage, worming between monitors and cords and coming to stop directly in front of me!  Staring right at me, we each sang several lines of the chorus to each other as I felt a pat on my back from my friend Amy.  Words cannot describe the feeling.  “Out of Control” another rarely seen gem popped up next with a lengthy skin bashing solo including crowd participation from Johnny Dee.  Doro returned to stage and announced that Johnny Dee (Britny Fox) had been with her for 21 years to date, offering her thanks to him for going above the call on

Johnny Dee @ Hard Luck Toronto Oct 16, 2014-Brian Ronald

this tour and driving the bus as well!  Wow, I know that he was previously the tour manager, so if he’s still performing those duties he’s a busy and dedicated guy!   Doro continued to talk to the rabid crowd explaining about the poll for setlist and the fan chosen favorites.  Then she said: “We met some friends earlier this evening and one of them requested a song.  This gentleman right here, (pointing at me with an outstretched arm) wanted to hear something.  What was it?" She asked.  ""We are the Metalheads",” I nervously replied in a fairly loud voice, a bit shocked at Doro calling me out.  Again I felt the pat on the back from my friend Amy as she knew just what something like that and all these other exchanges really mean to metal fan such as myself.  “Love Me In Black” was next as I still reeled from the previous, my throat nearly raw and harsh.  “All We Are” of course closed up the regular set with a little crowd participation included and we just knew that there would still be more to come.  After a short reprieve the band re-crowded the tiny

Nick Douglas Toronto Oct 16, 2014

stage for the encores as the audience cheered them on with everything they had.  "Hero", composed as a tribute to Ronnie James Dio, lead the way followed closely behind by “Breaking The Law”, a Judas Priest cover that Doro has made her own.  “Burn it Up” was the final song for the evening and as the band exited the stage we all remarked about the total awesomeness of what we had just witnessed and experienced.  We milled around as concert goers filed out or to the bar for much needed refreshments.  After a short while security hoisted out all the non Meet & Greeters and we were explained the rules.  Simple: line-up, two things only signed by the band, walk by them all and quick chat as they sign, no photos, line up again and then photos will start.  It all went remarkably smoothly and not anywhere near as drawn out as I would have thought.  I of course had much more than two things to sign and the promoter had just handed out event posters to us all as well.  I passed a couple of CD covers to friends ahead and behind me as they only had one thing each and we were off.  Luca Princiotta was first and there were of course pleasantries about the show as I approached the table, shaking his hand.  I asked him why they were not selling his solo CD this time around.  I had considered purchasing it last time as he is an awesome and talented guitarist, but passed eventually.  Preferring to buy direct from an artist if possible I waited for this show as my next opportunity to acquire the CD.  He seemed shocked that I was interested and apologized that it was in the truck due to the late arrival, saying he might have one in the dressing room and would check for me after the

Luca Princiotta Toronto Oct 16, 2014

ordeal was over.  Doro personalized my 25 Years In Rock...And Still Going Strong 25th Anniversary DVD/CD set and the event poster and I had a few brief minutes to chat with each member, thankful to them for coming to Toronto.  We rounded around and formed up once again for photos.  The whole band was “into” each fan’s photo taken with their own camera by one of the event staff.  They even took two for everyone to be sure a good shot was captured.  A large number of my group looked at the piss-poor lighting in the Hard Luck Bar, especially in the area we were using for photos and were dubious about the quality that their phones would produce.  Meister to the rescue as I had my trusty little point and shoot camera already in hand.  I ended up using my camera for a total of six peoples Meet & Greet photos!  By the time I arrived home at 3:30am I was totally exhausted but made sure to get everyone’s pics posted and tagged for them on Facebook.  Thank-you Doro Pesch, Johnny Dee, Bas Maas, Luca Princiotta, Nick Douglas and Harrison Young for a truly unforgettable experience and an awesome show!

Doro @ Hard Luck Bar October 16, 2014 Setlist:
"I Rule the Ruins"
"Earthshaker Rock"

Bas Maas Toronto Oct 16, 2014-Brian Ronald

"Burning the Witches"
"Fight for Rock"
"Night of the Warlock"
"Raise Your Fist in the Air"
"Without You"
"Evil"
"Metal Tango"
"True as Steel"
"Fur Immer"
"East Meets West"
"Out of Control"
"Wacken Hymne (We are the Metalheads)"
"Love Me in Black"
"All We Are"
Encore:
"Hero"
"Breaking the Law"
"Burn It Up"

Look for videos from the show coming soon to Decibel Geek's YouTube Channel

Cheers,
The Meister

(The Meister on Facebook) (Meister on Twitter)

PHOTO CREDIT: BRIAN RONALD 2014

(Doro Website) (Doro Facebook)

(Art Studio Tattoos Website) (Art Studio Tattoos Facebook)

Revin' It Up in Toronto!

In continuing a what has become a well-established tradition, Toronto’s Rockpile Clubs have
succeeded in outdoing themselves once again.  I've had comments from the US and around the world saying how much they wish they had a Rockpile in their own town because of all the great shows they present.  Joining the long listed ranks of incredible rock acts such as UFO, Stryper, Tom Keifer and more that have graced the stages at one or both of Toronto’s two Rockpile locations is now the all female membership of Vixen.  Thanksgiving weekend here in the Great White North, Vixen appeared on back to back nights (Friday and Saturday) once at each Rockpile location (West & East).  Vixen’s shows had been originally scheduled for May but suffering the effects of a severe allergic reaction to a medication mimicking that of food allergy, vocalist Janet Gardner was unable to perform and they were forced to postpone the trip up here.

Vixen were sensations in the late 80’s, the only all female hard rock band of the era to produce six #1 MTV videos, have four songs in "Billboard's Top 100" and sell more than a million albums.  In many circles the ladies, bassist Share Pedersen (now Ross), drummer Roxy Petrucci, vocalist Janet Gardner and guitarist Jan Kuehnemund were dubbed the "female Bon Jovi" and issuing two albums, Vixen 1988 and Rev It Up 1990 before disbanding.  In 2012 a reunion of the classic line-up was decided and planned but before the announcement Jan was stricken with cancer.  Following a nine month battle she succumbed to the illness and we lost her on October 10, 2013.  The surviving members, along with guitarist Gina Stile, are now continuing under the Vixen moniker in honor of their founding member and friend Jan Kuehnemund.

The Friday October 10, 2014 show at Rockpile West was nothing short of pure magic.  That's the only way to describe it!  My Facebook status after the show read: "I have seen many bands so far this year from all over the world. I've traveled to Sweden Rock Festival, Monsters of Rock Cruise and M3 Festival. There have been many contenders for concert of the year, but I have to say that Vixen tonight at Rockpile West is definitely in the top 5, and the top half of that even! Roxy Petrucci, Share Ross, Gina Stile and Janet Gardner are incredible together on stage........if you can make sure you catch their second Toronto show Saturday at Rockpile East!".  I had seen these ladies previously as they were performing at the pre-party for 2013’s Monsters of Rock Cruise under the moniker JSRG (Janet/Share/Roxy/Gina) at the time.  I had the CD’s, I knew the songs, but I must admit that I was by no means a rabid fan, probably only catching their show as I attended the party mainly to mingle with friends, fellow cruisers and artists the night prior to sailing.  It was that very performance that made me a fan!  I had obviously done these four ladies an injustice with my pre-disposed notion of what they were like.  They absolutely blew me away and thoroughly rocked the whole place.  Their show aboard the ship was exactly the same as were their performances during 2014’s excursion.  There was no way I would be missing either Toronto experience! 

Gina Stile at Rockpile West, October 2014-by Brian Ronald

With my position secured at stage front on Gina Stile’s side and Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady” on the P.A. (co-incidence?) the ladies charged into “Rev It Up!”, my fist in the air and singing in all my totally tone deaf glory!  Always one of my favorite songs, “Rev It Up!” was a perfect opener and the whole band sounded so tight and near flawless, see below for a video of “Rev It Up!” that I took during the following night’s event.  Next on the roster was “How Much Love”, another video hit for which Janet Gardner continued submitting the rhythm guitar as she had for the opener.  Janet regaled us with a comedic little story about driving up last night and crossing the border into Canada before the girls served up "Cruisin'".  During “Bad Reputation” Roxy stood from behind the kit, pointed at me with both barrels/sticks, perhaps recognizing me from my Facebook profile pic taken 

Roxy Petrucci at Rockpile West, Oct 2014-by Brian Ronald

on the 2014 Cruise by Decibel Geek photographer Brian Ronald of her and I.  Or perhaps simply acknowledging me for rockin’ out and singing to every song, but I like to think the former.  I pointed back at her with both arms fully outstretched and she easily tossed/floated me one of her drumsticks, what an absolute thrill for a fan, something I never get tired of!  I’m sure even a toddler could have caught the stick, but unfortunately not dumbass ole me!  It bounced off my hand, off Brian Ronald, off another friend and to her friend standing behind her, idiot I am!  Every once in awhile between songs we were treated to some of the Share Ross comedy routine as she told some jokes.  This was a new segment than I’d not seen previously and although I did laugh along with the extremely corny punchlines I shan’t be purchasing tickets if she goes out on a standup tour,

Janet Gardner @ Rockpile West Oct 2014

sorry Share!  What did also make me smile and chuckle with laughter was the gentleman on the other side of the stage and the large bouquet of flowers that he wanted to present to the band, a grand gesture indeed.  ”I Want You to Rock Me” contained a little crowd participation in the middle as Janet would sing a line from some big 80’s songs and we were to follow up with the next line.  Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me”, Slaughter’s “Up All Night”, Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock n Roll” and Poison’s “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn” were all included as we enthusiastically responded.  "Not a Minute Too Soon" and "Streets in Paradise" kept the momentum rolling and the fists high in the air.  We got some more Share bad but good comedy before Janet handed over the mike to her and her vocal stylings for a cover of Neil Young’s “Keep On Rockin’ In The Free World” at which she did an excellent job.  An emotional Janet then introduced “Love Is A Killer” with a few words for founding guitarist Jan Kuehnemund, saying thanks to her for giving them Vixen.  Tonight was the very one year anniversary of Kuehnemund’s passing and Janet visibly struggled to get through the song, choking up myself and several in the crowd as well.  Admitting afterwards how difficult that had been for her they barged right through into “Hell Raisers”.  Throughout the show I couldn’t help but marvel at the guitar prowess of Gina Stile, thinking that she has to be one of the

Share Ross @ Rockpile West Oct 2014

most underrated guitarists.  Stile simply, absolutely wails and the rest of the band is not short on talent either!  Roxy Petrucci’s thunderous drums resonated around the club as she hit hard with every note.  Share Ross’ thumping bass lines and Janet Gardner’s amazingly strong voice all meshed together in a perfect sound mix, something that The Rockpile West is also known for thanks to resident soundman Jake Disman.  Janet attempted to cut Share off as punchlines for more jokes were poised for delivery, but there was no stopping her.  "Love Made Me" followed before “Wrecking Ball” began with a short pounding solo from Roxy and closed down the regular set.  Considering that the crowd was not super full, given that this is our thanksgiving weekend, we sure were a loud bunch and Vixen was soon back on stage to serve us the Richard Marx penned “Edge of A Broken Heart” to wrap up the evening.  The ladies quickly went back stage to freshen up before coming out to their merchandise table to meet fans, sign autographs and take photos. Even though I had to run quickly to catch my bus home (or force being stranded sleeping at the airport) and couldn’t chat with them I’ve met these ladies before (on the cruise) and I can say they are very down to earth, friendly, humble, open and generally some of the nicest rockstars I’ve ever met!

Saturday’s show was held at The Rockpile East and went much as the Friday version, but I was again front row singing in all my tone deaf glory, fist high in the air.  I could see a Vixen show every day and it would never get old!  I was able to quickly join the line of fans waiting to meet the ladies, getting my Friday night edition setlist autographed and some album covers signed including Contraband on which Share Ross appeared.  I was so tired from working Friday, rocking Friday night sleeping for just two hours, working Saturday and then rocking Saturday night that I was only able to mumble some quick short incoherency at them!  I wish I’d had the foresight to print the pics below and bring them for autographs.  Thank-you so very much for coming to Toronto ladies, I can’t wait to see you again whenever or wherever that may be, but speaking on behalf of Toronto, please come back asap!

The Meister & Roxy-MORC 2014-by Brian Ronald

Share Ross-MORC 2013-by The Meister

Vixen & Meister-MORC 2014

"Rev It Up!" @ Rockpile East, October 11, 2014 Live Concert Video

 Cheers,
The Meister

(The Meister on Facebook) (Meister on Twitter)

PHOTO CREDIT: BRIAN RONALD 2014

(Vixen Website) (Vixen Facebook)

(Rockpile Website) (Rockpile Facebook)

CONFIRMED: I am a Rockaholic!

I have had the pleasure of going on the first three Monsters of Rock Cruises and I am currently booked on the upcoming fourth one in April 2015. One band that I am still surprised about their absence on the cruise so far has been Warrant. They have all the qualifications – American, MTV stars, late 80’s/early 90’s sound and they are still touring. Maybe there is a story behind why that I have yet to learn. However, I did get my chance to see them live on Sunday September 7th, 2014 as they pulled into the Western Fair in London, Ontario for a one off Canadian date.

Local band Nail started things off as they began to attract the fair goers towards the concert stage area. By the time Warrant arrived the place was packed. My sister Donna accompanied me to the park. She then asked me the infamous question us concert freaks get all the time. “So, how many originals left in the band?” I was quick to mention that the band consisted of the four original players from the heyday of their fame - Joey Allen and Eric Turner on twin lead guitars, Jerry Dixon on bass and Steven Sweet on the drums. The only replacement was at lead vocals once greatly held by the late Jani Lane who passed away in 2011. In the case of Warrant it is hard to complain about a band that wants to continue on despite the fact a member has passed on. I DO in fact have issues where bands have all original members but can’t get along long enough to give the fans what they really want – especially at this stage of our lives and theirs. Skid Row, Queensryche, Great White, Journey, the list goes on and on. (Don’t get me wrong – some of these newer renditions are pretty damn good.....but!). End of rant.

New on vocals since 2008 is none other than the great Robert Mason (Lynch Mob, Big Cock etc.). He truly has a great stage presence and really engages the crowd. He has a very distinctive voice but can pull off the lighter ballads such as "Heaven", "I Saw Red" and "Sometimes She Cries" with perfection. Although their set was short and sweet, clocking in around 1 hour and 15 minutes they managed to squeeze in all the faves and a few from their latest album Rockaholic. Warrant has the claim to fame in my books of having one of my all-time favorite songs from that era (or any other) in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and one of my least favorite songs “Cherry Pie”. This show I heard them both live back to back to end the night and in between snapping pics I was actually snapping my fingers and fist pumping to the latter.

The power of loud, live rock and roll can do that to a person.

Here are a few pics from Warrant and openers Nail from the event.....enjoy!!
Thanks Brian
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