By now I'm sure that many of you have seen or heard the reports and
the lambasting of the debut or initial performance of Motley Crue's All Bad Things Must Come To An End
tour. I'm not gonna say that they're overly harsh or incorrect for the
most part. I was there, I know. Here's my story of Wednesday July 2nd,
2014.
A friend and I set out on an approximately six
hour road trip, very reminiscent of high school road trips in a beat up
old car with tunes cranked and snacks in hand, from Toronto Canada to
Grand Rapids Michigan. Upon arrival and check in at our hotel we met
some other Crue fans from Ontario for a couple of drinks before the
short walk over to Van Andel Arena. In a parking lot across the road
there was a cordoned off area set up with a bar, tables and a stage
with presumably a local band belting out some tunes. I got the feeling it was similar to the
tailgate party before an NFL game, but in any case the excitement was high and it's certainly something you
wouldn't see in Toronto. The time on the tickets indicated 7pm, yet the
entrance line was already around
the building at 6pm as we weaved around the protestors toting signs,
also something that you wouldn't see in Toronto. After wandering around
a little we discovered another, smaller entrance with a very short line
and wasted no time in getting into the arena. The merchandise booth
was terribly over crowded as I strained to see what was available.
Giving up, with a plan to return later, we hurried into the actual
auditorium as the opening band took the stage. In a growing trend of
concerts of late that I've noticed on several occasions, the opening
band begins substantially before the time printed on the tickets! This
is ridiculous! In the old days it would be printed Doors: 7pm on the ticket and the show would start at 7:30 or 8pm or Show: 7pm
to indicate the starting time. Having the opening band take stage at
6:40pm (20 mins before the time printed on the ticket) is extremely
annoying. In any case The Raskins played a half hour opening set and
they were not overly impressive in my mind. Our seats, however, were awesome, 24
rows back from the stage on the floor! The tickets, that surely would have
cost well over $600 if you can get past all the pre-sales to get them in
Toronto, we got for only $125 three weeks before the event!
Alice Cooper-photo by The Meister
I
was looking forward to Alice Cooper, having just seen him perform a two
and a half hour show at Sweden Rock Festival. Unfortunately tonight he
was only scheduled for 50 minutes of stage time, but it turns out that
he would be a show stealer. The approaching 70 year old was a
consummate professional and ripped through the condensed setlist with
almost no dead air between songs and all the stage tricks that you would
expect from The Alice Cooper show. Behind a backdrop sheet of Alice
Cooper's eyes "The Underture" emanated as the curtain gave way to "Hello Hooray". From there it was into "No More Mr. Nice Guy"
and Alice Cooper's newest member, guitarist Nita Strauss seemed
ecstatic to be there and the most active at this early stage in the
game. Replacing the departed Orianthi, Strauss (Femme Fatale/Iron
Maidens/L.A. Kiss) joins drummer Glen Sobel (Sixx A.M.), bassist Chuck
Garic (Beasto Blanco) and other guitarists Ryan Roxie (Slash's Snakepit)
and Tommy Henriksen (Warlock) to make up Alice Cooper's backing band. "Under My Wheels" led us through to "I'm Eighteen" which saw Cooper holding court around the stage wielding a crutch high above his head. This was followed by "Billion Dollar Babies"
for which, as he did in Sweden, Alice appeared toting a sword filled
with bills. A quick flick of the rapier sent bills, no doubt featuring
Alice Cooper's face, into the first few rows of the crowd. The late
80's smash hit "Poison" was next up bringing us to
Alice Cooper-photo by The Meister
"Dirty Diamonds"
which saw The Coop tossing necklaces into the crowd. The King of Shock
Rock next treated us to "Welcome to My Nightmare" before appearing in a bloodied white lab coat for "Feed My Frankenstein" during which Cooper was strapped down and transformed into a large Frankenstein monster. "The Ballad of Dwight Fry"
saw him in a straight jacket, bursting out and stabbing his nurse for
which his head was severed in a huge guillotine. Alice Cooper's head
was then paraded around the stage as an intro to the song "I Love the Dead", a stunt that never gets old! The closer of "School's Out" featured some huge balloons, the introductions of the band and even a little of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In the Wall" before wrapping up. An incredible show as I had expected and I think, even better than his show in Sweden.
Motley Crue's All Bad Things Must Come To An End Tour-photo by The Meister
The house lights darkened and a recorded intro began to emanate through the PA system. Motley Crue blasted into "Motherfucker of the Year"
as their first song, one that's less than a favorite of mine and I
think a poor choice for an opener. Things picked up steam with "Wild Side" and the stage was graced by two scantily clad ladies helping out with the background vocals. In general the
Vince Neil-photo by The Meister
Crue seemed
to be sloppier in comparison to Cooper and Vince's vocals were not the
best by any means, but what do you expect? Vince Neil's vocals have
been talked about for a long time now and let's face it, with the history
of the band members, they're playing is not the tightest, but that's
not why you go to see Motley Crue! If you want that style of
performance go and see Rush, if you want a good time and a great party
and a spectacle of a show to blow your mind, you go see Motley Crue! It
was by the end of the third song, "Primal Scream" that things
would begin to go really awry for the boys. The song featured lots and
lots of super high flame pyro and smoke bombs/machines timed to the
music of the chorus and they were actually sounding pretty good until we
approached the end of the song. Drummer Tommy Lee had an issue,
apparently a broken kick drum, but hey, these things happen. Vince Neil
even exclaimed "Tommy broke it!" and commented on the issues of the
first night of a tour. Neil then asked the crowd for 3 or 4 minutes to
fix the issue and to fill the dead air while they scrambled to repair
the drum Mick Mars took center stage to perform one of the most
uninspiring guitar solos I've ever seen. By the end of the solo, which
did not completely fill the repair time leaving some dead air and the
house lights a notch higher, he was simply playing riffs and chords.
The guitar solo silenced at 9:33pm and it wasn't until the lights dimmed
at 9:42pm as Vince returned to the stage toting a guitar were we
underway once again. Technical issues can strike at any time and are
completely understandable, but as a professional act I think they could
have done a
Motley Crue-photo by The Meister
better job of covering the issue and keeping the momentum going with having Vince or Tommy addressing the crowd perhaps. "Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.)" went through without a hitch and then into "Looks That Kill" featuring the lady dancers in light boxes behind the drum kit. They successfully pulled off a deeper cut from the Too Fast For Love album, "On With The Show", but the follow up however was a different story. Guitarist Mick Mars blew the beginning of "Too Fast For Love" prompting a jibe from Tommy Lee to the effect of "It's pretty fuckin' cool when a band forgets it's own song! It's "Too Fast For Love" and it's only 35 years old!" On the second attempt "Too Fast For Love" was delivered and a new composition, "All Bad Things Must End",
followed, but it didn't last long. No further than 30 seconds into the
song and the guitars went out. I don't know if Mars forgot the notes
again or if it was a technical issue, but the house lights came on again to full
brightness this time. I vacated my seat during this stoppage to use the
washroom and before long they were back up and running once again but talk about a momentum killer!
That would seem to be the worst of the issues and the latter half of the
show went much better as they ripped into "Smokin' In the Boys Room", "Without You" close on it's heels. Vince Neil looked confused and maybe annoyed during "Without You" as confetti fluttered from the rafters, but that didn't stop him from serenading a lady from the audience as she was pulled on stage to sit on a lone chair. The boys exploded into "Saints Of Los Angeles"
next featuring lots of flame pyro once again that you could feel the
heat from where I was seated 24 rows back! Nikki Sixx took the mic for
what I'm sure was intended to be a touching
Tommy Lee's Drum Coaster-photo by Meister
moment
that just came off awkward and annoying. He called for everyone to sit
as we were attending a funeral for Motley Crue, but we hardly parked
our butts in the seats before he instructed: "On four scream and we'll
break into a Sex Pistols song 'cause that's how the Crue does
it!".....uuuhhh Nikki, that doesn't even make sense! Never-the-less we
were served "Anarchy in the U.K." followed by "Too Young to Fall in Love"
before the stage went dark again and a recorded intro played. The
recording seemed to go on forever and with all the earlier issues I
wondered what was next, but eventually it was apparent that the stalling
was designed to get Tommy Lee strapped into his newest drum gimmick.
This time he rode a roller coaster that stretched along the ceiling of
the venue out over the crowd to a small satellite stage at the rear of
the floor seating area. No doubt about it this was a cool trick as the
kit spun 360 degrees as it slowly traveled over the audience. What I
didn't enjoy however was the mash up mix of recorded music that he
played to during this journey, including songs from artists like Bob
Marley, Jay Z and Rage Against the Machine. I understand how it must be
difficult to play spinning in the air, but if you're going to use a
recording to play to why not perform this solo during a Crue song even
if much of it is recorded? It would certainly be better than what we
heard Tommy play along to
"Home Sweet Home"-photo by Meister
and
maybe the whole thing wouldn't have seemed like the colossal waste of
time that it really was. Nikki Sixx was the highlight of "Shout at the Devil" with his flame throwing bass guitar preceding "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)".
Throughout the whole show the two dancing girls were present for just
about every song in a different costume and I had the thought that they
were the most organized thing about the whole affair! "Live Wire", "Dr. Feelgood" and "Girls, Girls, Girls" were all a hit with the crowd and the booing from earlier seemed long forgotten as they ate up every minute. "Kickstart My Heart"
closed things down under the huge lighted pentagram suspended above the
stage with tons of flame pyro and smoke bombs. In fact the smoke was
so thick by the end of the song and the final bow that it was difficult
to see the stage at all! Motley Crue returned for a one song encore of
the ballad "Home Sweet Home" which they performed on the small satellite stage near the rear of the floor area.
One
thing cannot be denied and that's the totally over-the-top stage show
at a Motley Crue concert and even with all of tonight's issues there's a
kind of magic with these four guys on stage. Bottom line is this: you
shouldn't be going to a Crue concert to see the most technical and
perfect performance, if you want that go and see a band like Rush! You go to a Crue
show for the spectacle, to have a good time and let loose with some of
the music that helped shape your life. And that's just what I did, it
may have been messy at times but over all I had fun and that's what Crue is all
about to me! It will be interesting to see what the show is like in
August as they roll into Toronto!
Derek Francis I accept your challenge and will connect Midnight Oil to KISS in six steps or less.
Midnight Oil formed as a punk band in Australia in 1976. The band's sound evolved over time but they remained political and reactionary until the end.
1. Midnight Oil's 1984 album Red Sails in the Sunset was co-produced by Nick Launay.
2. Nick Launay produced Feeling Strangely Fine, the 1998 album by Minneapolis rockers Semisonic that featured the ubiquitous hit song "Closing Time."
3. Dan Wilson of Semisonic co-wrote "Not Ready to Make Nice," the first single from the Dixie Chick's 2006 album Taking the Long Way.
4. Taking the Long Way includes a song called "Everybody Knows" which was co-written by Gary Louris from another Minneapolis band: The Jayhawks.
5. On their excellent 1995 album Tomorrow the Green Grass The Jayhawks covered the song "Bad Time" which was a top ten hit for Grand Funk Railroad twenty years earlier.
6. Former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick has been a member of Grand Funk Railroad for the past fourteen years.
This week we kick of the 2014 edition of KISSMAS in July. During these next four weeks we'll be focusing solely on KISS-releated episodes and talking to KISS-related guests; and today's is a good one!
Sher Bach has been in close quarters with the Hottest Band in the Land during different eras of their storied career. Sher was married to a member of NY glitter scene contemporaries The Harlots of 42nd Street. She was also a performer in her own right; working with another New York act; Ruby & the Rednecks. In this long-form discussion, Sher details her memories of the rock scene at the time including her attendance at pivotal shows in KISS' career at venues such as Coventry and the Hotel Diplomat.
A few years later, KISS was on top of the world and churning out enough anthems, toys, and belt buckles to satisfy the population. Her longtime friendship to KISS manager Bill Aucoin strengthened in 1977 when she went to work for Aucoin Management.
Bill Aucoin
In this discussion, Sher gives details of what it was like to work on the business side of the entertainment industry and how it, pardon the pun, mirrored the rock and roll side in many ways. She also shares her thoughts on how the excesses caught up to Aucoin and cracks started to appear on the surface of the Madison Avenue money machine.
After a couple of shifts in employment, Sher Bach would wind up working in Puerto Rico in the 1980's. In this discussion, she tells Aaron and Chris about KISS' visit to the country during that time, her impressions of Eric Carr, and an interesting story involving Paul Stanley jamming at a small bar.
The Decibel Geek podcast would like to thank Sher Bach for so many great stories from her time around KISS and appreciate her candor.
Rodney Dickson I accept your challenge and will connect Frankie Valli to KISS in six steps or less.
Frankie Valli is an Italian-American singer from New Jersey who is probably most famous for his ludicrous falsetto voice. His group The Four Seasons had thirteen top ten hit singles in the sixties. How am I going to connect a Jersey Boy to KISS in six steps or less? Like this:
1. Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons had a number one hit in 1963 with a song called "Walk Like a Man."
2. A cover of "Walk Like a Man" was released as a single by iconic drag queen Divine in 1985.
3. Divine starred in many John Waters films in the seventies and eighties including the 1988 film Hairspray which also featured veteran comedian Jerry Stiller (who would later portray George Costanza's father on Seinfeld).
4. Jerry Stiller's son Ben Stiller was a featured player in Wes Anderson's excellent 2001 film The Royal Tenenbaums.
5. Wes Anderson's first film (and my favorite movie ever) is called Bottle Rocket and features the song "2000 Man" by The Rolling Stones prominently in a climactic scene. Here's legendary director Martin Scorsese's take on the interplay between song and scene in the film:
"I love the scene in Bottle Rocket when Owen Wilson’s character, Dignan, says, “They’ll never catch me, man, ’cause I’m fuckin’ innocent.” Then he runs off to save one of his partners in crime and gets captured by the police, over “2000 Man” by the Rolling Stones. He and the music are proclaiming who he really is: he’s not innocent in the eyes of the law, but he’s truly an innocent. For me, it’s a transcendent moment. And transcendent moments are in short supply these days." Now watch:
6. The song "2000 Man" was wonderfully transformed by Ace Frehley and KISS for the 1979 album Dynasty.
Having never seen Jackyl before, I highly anticipated their return to Toronto show after 17 years. The plan was to meet up with fellow Decibel Geek Rich "The Meister" Dillon to enjoy the show. However Rich had a last minute change of plans , so I was doing the show solo.
Toronto band Second Pass powered through their opening set as the crowd began to fill in. I had seen them a few nights earlier open for Stryper and quite enjoyed their set. Next up was A Rebel Few, another local band with quite a few followers who call themselves D.I.R.T. Bags. The crowd really got going as they rushed the stage and rocked with hands pumping and mouthing every word. A good solid rock band no doubt about it! Direct support band Heavens Fire was up third and boy did they rock. I have seen these guys a few times now and they seem to be raising the bar more and more each show. JT Harris's brilliant guitar playing is absolutely spot on and supported perfectly by drummer Mike Mackinnon and bassist Andy Narsingh. Newly acquired singer Jesse Jack dominates the spotlight with his intense stage presence. I can tell he feels completely comfortable in the roll and gels in with perfection. They had the whole crowd "Screamin'".
Finally it was Georgia's finest, Jackyl's turn. Unfortunately after two attempts to start the first song the lights came on. Following about a 15 minute delay to fix the blown equipment it was show time - and they never looked back. Lead singer and guitarist Jesse James Dupree didn't waste any time as he passed around a bottle of JD during "My Moonshine Kicks Your Cocaine's Ass". Their set consisted all of the faves, "Down On Me", "Screwdriver", "I Stand Alone", "When Will It Rain", "Secret of the Bottle", "Dirty Little Mind", "Redneck Punk" and a great crowd participation cover of Chuck Berry's "My Ding-a-Ling". Brothers, guitarist Jeff Worley and shirtless drummer Chris Worley along with bassist Roman Glick seemed to be having a blast feeding off of Jesse's vibes and stage antics. After the crowd favorite "She Loves My Cock", came the closing song that everyone anticipated. With the sound of a chainsaw behind the darkened stage Jackyl returned with Jesse swinging the Stihl towards the three quarter filled Phoenix Concert Theatre crowd as it was time for "The Lumberjack Song". During the finale he managed to saw up a bar stool which sent wood chips flying all over the crowd up front.
All in all it was a great show. A couple observations I noticed included how good a guitar player Jesse really is considering he only plays it for a few songs. I was also amazed at how stage friendly he is. I seemed to have conjured up this image he was an angry Axl Rose/Sebastian Bach type. But no, he truly enjoyed what he was doing and was smiling while interacting with the crowd the whole time. In my opinion, the only negative thing I could say is that although they are fabulous musicians and have incredible rock songs they seemed to gear more towards the novelty and gimmick songs with a real emphasis on the southern redneck drinking image. But heck I guess that's what Jackyl represents and I respect that!!
Above are some classic Jackyl shots I took that evening of mayhem! Enjoy!!
Paul Stamm I accept your challenge and will connect Corrosion of Conformity to KISS in six steps or less.
Corrosion of Conformity were an American hardcore punk band from North Carolina that eventually morphed into a heavy metal band. Their 1991 album Blind is an unsung thrash metal classic.
So how am I going to connect such corrosive elements to KISS in six steps or less? Like this:
1. Corrosion of Conformity's early nineties albums like Blind and Deliverance were produced by John Custer.
2. John Custer produced Brother, the first album by another band from North Carolina, Cry of Love.
3. Robert Mason replaced Kelly Holland as Cry of Love's singer in 1996.
4. In 1991 Robert Mason had replaced Oni Logan as the singer in George Lynch's post-Dokken band Lynch Mob and the bassist in that band was a guy named Anthony Esposito.
5. Anthony Esposito played bass on parts of Ace Frehley's 2009 album Anomaly and was also a member of Ace's touring band for that record.
By now I'm sure that many of you have seen or heard the reports and
the lambasting of the debut or initial performance of Motley Crue's All Bad Things Must Come To An End
tour. I'm not gonna say that they're overly harsh or incorrect for the
most part. I was there, I know. Here's my story of Wednesday July 2nd,
2014.
around
the building at 6pm as we weaved around the protestors toting signs,
also something that you wouldn't see in Toronto. After wandering around
a little we discovered another, smaller entrance with a very short line
and wasted no time in getting into the arena. The merchandise booth
was terribly over crowded as I strained to see what was available.
Giving up, with a plan to return later, we hurried into the actual
auditorium as the opening band took the stage. In a growing trend of
concerts of late that I've noticed on several occasions, the opening
band begins substantially before the time printed on the tickets! This
is ridiculous! In the old days it would be printed Doors: 7pm on the ticket and the show would start at 7:30 or 8pm or Show: 7pm
to indicate the starting time. Having the opening band take stage at
6:40pm (20 mins before the time printed on the ticket) is extremely
annoying. In any case The Raskins played a half hour opening set and
they were not overly impressive in my mind. Our seats, however, were awesome, 24
rows back from the stage on the floor! The tickets, that surely would have
cost well over $600 if you can get past all the pre-sales to get them in
Toronto, we got for only $125 three weeks before the event!
