Guns N’ Roses Not in this Lifetime Tour: Live at Dodger Stadium

Howdy!

When I learned that Guns N’ Roses was going on tour with three of the original members, I was very interested in seeing what they had to offer. But, when I heard the Los Angeles stop was going to be at Dodger Stadium I lost interest pretty quickly. Dodger Stadium is a hassle to get to, huge outdoor shows rarely have very good sound, and large groups of people are usually terrible to deal with.

But, I kept getting emails about how there were still good seats available, and a few days before last week’s show I bit the bullet so I could see what it was all about, and I am glad that I did.

GNR’s Not in this Lifetime Tour brings frontman Axl Rose back together with Slash and Duff McKagan, who (to me) were the heart of the original band. The other original members, Izzy Stradlin and Steven Adler, were not included in the group for this tour. Other touring band members include drummer Frank Ferrer, guitarist Richard Fortus, and keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Melissa Reese.

I attended the first of the two Los Angeles shows, on Thursday, August 18. The tickets and website were a bit vague as to what time the show would actually start, but I arrived and got parked pretty close to the “doors open” time of 5:00PM. After getting into the stadium the concession guys told me that the warm-up band would start at 6:30 and the main act would start at 8:00. Right.

The stadium was pretty empty at 6:30 when The Cult hit the stage, and it was cool to see that they started on time. Long-time members Ian Astbury (vocals), Billy Duffy (guitar), and John Tempesta (drums) were joined by newcomers Grant Fitzpatrick (bass) and Damon Fox (keyboards). The band was able to cover their big hits, including “Fire Woman,” “She Sells Sanctuary,” and Sweet Soul Sister.” Duffy did a tight job on the guitars, and Astbury showed that he still has a good vocal range, though it seemed like he did not have the breath and stamina to carry all of the vocals; the band helped out a lot with backing vocals on the choruses for most every song. Still, it was a solid set and the Cult was a solid opener, finishing up at 7:20PM.

With the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds as the soundtrack, the crew broke down The Cult’s equipment and prepped for Guns N’ Roses. I was curious when GNR would actually go on, as Axl is notorious for starting shows hours after their scheduled time. But, again, at 8:00PM the lights went out and the band hit the stage with “It’s So Easy,” and this cut from Appetite for Destruction was exactly what the crowd was looking for.

From there they played songs from their debut album, GNR Lies, Use Your Illusion 1 & 2, and Chinese Democracy; and with two dozen songs in the playlist this ended up being a nearly three hour set. I have heard that Axl runs hot and cold, but he was definitely on his game this evening. He was mobile on the stage, was able to hit the high notes, and got the job done. He did take breaks from time to time, but he did well. As an added bonus, he kind of looks like an older version of Cybill Shepherd nowadays.

Slash has lost nothing over the years, and he has one of the strongest left hands in the business. He did an extended solo break that included a kind of hokey rendition of the theme song from The Godfather, but it played well to the audience. He also had good rapport with Fortus, and this duo did a bang up instrumental version of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were here.”

Duff McKagan is a crowd favorite, and his bass work was good but was often lost in the mix. One high point of the show for me was when he took the microphone to lead the band with a rousing rendition of The Misfits’ “Attitude.” I was glad to see that he still has love for the Fender Jazz Bass Special, too!

The rest of the band was tight, with kudos to Frank Ferrer for his powerful and skillful drumming. I had a hard time hearing any of the keyboards, but Dizzy Reed and Melissa Reese were able to provide a solid job on the backing vocals.

There really were not any clunkers in the set, though the audience reaction to the songs from Chinese Democracy was tepid. This was true of “Catcher in the Rye,” which kicked off the encore, but the band made up for it with the inclusion of “Patience,” the Who’s “The Seeker,” and the closer, “Paradise City.”

All in all, this was a great show – the energy was good, the band clicked, and they did not leave out any of the hits. If you have the chance to see them, do it. This is the closest that you are going to get to seeing an 80s vintage Guns N’ Roses show. Trust me!

Mahalo!

Martin C1K Concert Ukulele Review

Aloha!

Though I have owned and played many Martin guitars over the years, I have only had experience with a few of their ukuleles, and today we are going to take a look at one of their more affordable offerings: the C1K concert-sized uke.

If you know anything about guitars, you are probably aware that Pennsylvania’s Martin Guitars is the premier mass-production luthier in the world. Every major artist has played their instruments at one time or another, from Eric Clapton to Johnny Cash to Elvis. Well, they make other instruments too, and they have been in the ukulele business for a long time, and they currently make instruments that cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $5000 and more.

The C1K is a handsome little ukulele, with a clear satin finish over the solid Hawaiian Koa body and top, with a nice network of Spruce bracing to keep to top in place. There is a Spartan aesthetic with no binding to be found anywhere, and a simple white and black rosette. No electronics are available, and you can get one of these as a lefty (I think).

The neck looks like Mahogany and it has a Morado(looks like Rosewood) fretboard. The fretwork on this one excellent, and I cannot ever imagine wearing them out with nylon uke strings. The bridge is also made of Morado, and there is a Tusq nut and compensated saddle. The machined Grover tuners are open gear, and they are just beautiful.

The C1K ukuleles are made in Mexico, but the quality appears to be about as good Martin’s domestically produced instruments, which is not something I would ordinarily say about some of their south of the border offerings. The finish is clear and even, the joints are tight, and this one came out of the box with a good set-up and ready to play. Don’t sniff at where they are made – there is no way Martin could hit this price point if these things were built in the America.

It plays very well, with good intonation, a sweet neck feel, and it is comfortable to hold. It also sounds very good, with nice projection and a sweet tone that makes it sound older than it is. The strings it comes with are pretty iffy, but they are easy enough to change. It is perfect companion for traveling, especially with the uber-nice TKL gig bag that it comes with.

The Martin C1K is a good instrument that comes in at a reasonable price (list = $629, street = $479), and I am glad that Martin stepped up and made a better instrument this time around. But, it is not as good of a value as the horde of medium-grade ukuleles that are coming out of China by the container load. Those instruments are at least $100 cheaper, are often prettier, and sound almost as good. You will not go wrong with the Martin, but you might want to compare before you buy.

Mahalo!

Review of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in Cerritos, California

Aloha!

You probably already know that I love ukuleles, but somehow I made it this far in life without ever hearing of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. Fortunately, my dad surprised me with a ticket and we headed over to the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts to check out what it was all about. I have really been missing out!

The Cerritos Performing Arts Center has been a cool place to see a show since it opened in 1993. It is a classy facility with 1800 seats, good lines of sight, and nice acoustics. It is in a safe neighborhood with free parking, too. Can you beat that? They have over 150 performances a year with a diverse selection of artists: I have seen Isaac Hayes, Shirley Jones, Kris Kristofferson, and Loudon Wainwright III there, and had a real blast over the years.

Well, the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain has been around longer than that, and with remarkably little turnover of membership: they formed in 1985 and the newest member of the touring octet joined 23 years ago. The have recorded plenty of CDs and DVDs, but touring is where the magic happens – they have sold out shows at the Sydney Opera House, The Royal Albert Hall, and Carnegie Hall. Can you say that about your band?

I can hear what you are thinking: “Who can listen to two hours of ukulele music?” Well, it is not 2 hors of ukulele music – it is two hours of entertainment. There is a lot of fabulous British comedy thrown in between an assortment of songs that you would not expect to hear from 8 ukuleles (soprano, concert, tenor, bass, and a few surprise ukes here and there). Plus they do not depend on the typical Hawaiian strumming style – they dig in with picks as needed and play wonderful chords. This is a necessity as there are no drums or keyboards – just the ukuleles.

These folks are real musicians, and this show is not a comedy gag. They sing well with good harmonies, and they are all very skilled on their instruments – then again playing a few hours a day for 30 years should make one proficient. They do have good comedic timing though, and it is a joy to watch them on stage.

As they run through a few dozen songs during the course of the evening each of the members take the lead on a few songs, and it is a diverse collection of material. Everything from Isaac Hayes’ “Theme from Shaft” to the Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer.” They did a little classic musical (Saint-Saens “Danse Macabre”) and Rose Royce’s disco classic, “Car Wash.” This really does represent Jung’s theme of the duality of man. I am not going to ruin any more surprises, other than to say that their rendition of the theme from “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” was breathtaking.

All in all, the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain put in a solid two-hour performance (plus a 20-minute intermission), and it was truly a fun evening -- I would love to see them again sometime. Check out their website at www.ukuleleorchestra.com to see where they are going to be next. They seem to be constantly touring all over the world, and they have a lot gigs in the US, Germany, Finland, France, Denmark, the UK and Poland coming up. You will not be disappointed!

Mahalo!

Review: Boston and Cheap Trick at the Forum in Inglewood, California

Hiya!

When I saw that the Boston tour was making a stop at the Forum in Inglewood, California, I had to go see them. There were no pre-conceived notions that this would be a super-great show, but I had never seen the band before and Cheap Trick was opening up for them, which is always worth the price of admission. Plenty of people think the same way, as this turned out to be a sold out show at the nicely-renovated facility.

To be honest, I did not even know that Boston was still together, nor that they had recorded a new album and were touring again. They band has pressed on after Brad Delp took his own life, having found Tommy DeCarlo on the internet to take on the singing chores and keyboard work, and he is pretty darned good. Of course, founding member and guitarist Tom Scholz still brought it to the stage, and the rest of the band was made up of guitarist Gary Pihl, Tracy Ferrie on bass, Kimberly Dahme on rhythm guitar, and god only know who was behind the drum kit. On guest vocals was American Idol finalist Siobhan Magnus, who also happens to be the niece of Ferrie.

Boston tore out a nearly two-hour set with over 20 songs, and it was actually pretty good. There were a few songs from their new album, Life, Love & Hope, but they mostly gave the crowd what they were looking for, which was all of their good stuff from the 1970s and 1980s. I do not know anybody who bought their newest album, do you?

Right out of the gate they hit it hard, starting off with “Rock and Roll Band,” “Smokin’,” and “Feellin’ Satisfied.” Scholz still has his distinctive chops (can you believe he is 67?) and his harmonization with Pilz was classic Boston. The band was tight, the vocal harmonies were good and DeCarlo was in top form. I have no complaints about their musicianship or their stage show.

The show did drag on a bit, and the few songs they did from their new album were certifiable yawners, but they played almost everything from their got-to-have-it double album. Boston did not leave out their gems, including “Peace of Mind,” “It’s Been Such a Long Time,” “Don’t Look Back,” “Amanda,” “More Than a Feeling” and “Long Time.” This was fortunate and made up for the sometimes ponderous pace.

It turned out that Boston’s performance was actually worth the price of admission. So, Cheap Trick’s set was like icing on the cake. I have seen them quite a few times over the past 30 years as they performed with bands such as Night Ranger and Aerosmith, and they have never disappointed.

They have been doing the same act for so long that you would think they would tire of it, but they still bring plenty of energy to each show. Robin Zander sounded way better than he did last year with Aerosmith, and at 61 he is showing no signs of slowing down. Rick Nielsen is still a total goofball, and his guitar skills have not faded. Tom Petersson did a passable job on bass, though I wish he had left the solo out. And there was a surprise behind the drum kit as Bun E. Carlos has stomped off and is suing the band, so Nielsen’s son Daxx was on the skins, and it was immediately obvious that Carlos made a mistake. Daxx is a much better drummer, and Bun will not be missed. Hah!

Cheap Trick mostly focused on their hits during their one-hour set, and they really brought their A-game. They included crowd favorites such as “Ain’t that a Shame,” “Surrender,” “Dream Police,” and I Want you to Want Me.” Every new rock band that is hitting big should be required to see a Cheap Trick show, or better yet, have to take them on tour with them so they can teach them what a real rock show is all about.

So I have to call the evening a success. If you have the chance to see Boston, see them. If Cheap Trick is on the bill too, definitely go see them. Trust me!

Mahalo!

Review of Motley Crue and Alice Cooper at the Hollywood Bowl

Aloha!

In high school I was never into Motley Crue, and did not understand Alice Cooper at all. But over time I have started to appreciate them more, and when I saw that the Crue was on their “final tour” with Mr. Cooper opening up for them, I had to get tickets. I was able to see them this past Monday night at the Hollywood bowl, and it was just about what I expected.

The Hollywood Bowl is Los Angeles at its finest, and it is usually a good place to see a show. The acoustics are good, and since it is in an urban area they keep the volume in check. There was a nice vibe this evening, and a lot of energy in the air which is why this is usually my favorite Southern California outdoor concert venue. The audience was a strange mix, and quite a bit more diverse than I figured it would be. For a change, I got the $6 express bus ride from Lakewood, which turned out to be stress free and saved me from having my trusty Toyota trapped in the Bowl’s $23 stacked parking lots. It worked out really well, and I recommend this to anyone who is heading to a show there.

The show kicked off right on time at 7:00 PM with an unbilled opening act, The Raskins from New York City. The twins did an ok warm-up of some originals and covers, and they only got about 20 minutes in before the power was shut off on them. They had a schedule to keep, you know…

It took about 20 minutes to get their crap off the stage, and Alice Cooper hit the stage for his 50 minute set right as it was getting dark. He puts on a really fun show! There was plenty of schtick and oodles of props that he used as he played through all of the expected favorites (“School’s Out”, “Poison”, “Feed my Frankenstein”, “Welcome to my Nightmare”). With his growly and low style of singing he has not blown his vocal cords out, and he proved to still be a prime entertainer, which almost makes his guillotine act, the 12-foot monster and the fake blood kind of unnecessary. But it would not be the same without this stuff, would it? His band was in good form too, though three guitarists might be a bit too much, and for a show this short I could have done without the bass and drum solos. Special props go out to guitarist Nita Strauss, who brought her A game to the show!

After Cooper’s set, it took more than a half hour to complete an epic stage re-set before Motley Crue could take the stage. And they hit it big, with an abundance of explosions and fireballs during the opener, “Saints of Los Angeles.” The sound was terrible and it took a minute or so for me to even figure out which song they were playing. Unfortunately the sound did not get any better over their 90 minute set.

Vince Neil is looking old and weird, and his outfit with its knee-length sleeveless coat looked like something my mother would wear. He uttered a truckload of F-bombs throughout the evening, certainly no longer has the voice to do a full-length rock show. So, he relied on the age-old standby of singing a few lines and then holding the microphone out so the audience could sing the choruses for him. He used this crutch a lot as the evening went on, but the fans didn’t seem to mind as they knew the words to every song. Maybe after this “final tour” he can focus on his strengths, such as killing drummers, driving under the influence and beating on women.

The rest of the band did well. Guitarist Mick Mars looked like he was in terrible pain that night, and he probably was as his health issues are taking their toll. He was never the most blazing artist, but he turned in a solid performance on this evening. Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee are still stars, and their backline was rock-solid. Of course Tommy gave the fans a hell of a drum solo, and proved that he is still the most talented guy in the band.

Crue did not hold back on playing the fan favorites, and one of the highlight of the evening was “Smokin’ in the Boys’ Room” with included Gary Glitter’s “Rock and Roll Part II” as the intro and the outro. They also did their take on the Sex Pistol’s “Anarchy in the UK” that actually worked, which was a nice contrast to their arsenal of hits, including “Dr. Feelgood,” “Girls, Girls, Girls,” and their closer, “Home Sweet Home.”

Don’t get me wrong, Neil was not good and the sound was terrible, but it was still a fun evening. You cannot go wrong with dancing girls, catchy (but sadly misogynistic) tunes, heavy drums, fireworks and a guitar that becomes a flamethrower. Due to Mar’s health issues, this probably will be their last tour so if you ever wanted to see Motley Crue, now is the time. Having Alice Cooper on the bill will make the evening complete, so check them out if you get the chance.

Mahalo!

Review of Tower of Power, Steve Miller Band and Journey at the Hollywood Bowl

Howdy!

On May 16 there was a triple bill at the Hollywood Bowl that I just could not miss -- all bands that started in San Francisco, and none of which I had seen live before: Tower of Power, the Steve Miller Band and Journey. How could I possibly resist?

The Hollywood Bowl is Los Angeles at its finest, and it is usually a good place to see a show. The acoustics are good, and since it is in an urban area they have to keep the volume in check. Unfortunately the usual laid-back vibe was absent, which was unfortunate as this is usually my favorite Southern California outdoor concert venue. The audience included a heavy mix of drunken middle-aged frat boys who were pretty much out of control for the entire evening. What a drag! On the plus side, I did not have to park at the Bowl so I saved $23 for parking, and my car was not held hostage in the stacked lots.

This is a lot of bands so the show had an early start, and it kicked off right on time at 6:30 with Tower of Power. This rhythm and blues extravaganza has been around for 46 years, and very few of the 10 guys on stage were original members, but it did not matter much. They have the tightest horns around, and it was a shame that the terrible audience did not get into it more as they cruised through old favorites, including my favorite “Soul Vaccination.”

After a quick stage reset, the Steve Miller Band came onstage around 7:30, and did an amazing 75-minute set, which was kicked off by “Jungle Love.” They did not miss a hit, going through “Gangster of Love,” “Living in the USA,” “Space Cowboy,” “Swingtown,” ”Abracadabra,” “Jet Airliner,” and finishing up with ”Fly Like an Eagle.” They performed as a 5-piece, with some outstanding key work from Joseph Wooten, plus background vocals and dance stylings from the inimitable Sonny Charles.

Miller was in good form for the show, and it was easy to forget that he is 70. His guitar work was tight and his vocals are still good, and he even hit the harmonica a few times. It is interesting to note that he appears to have never adopted wireless for his guitars, so the guitar change after each song was a bit of a dance with his tech to make sure that the cables did not get tangled.

One gripe that was true for both the Steve Miller and Journey parts of the evening was that the sound was not very good. Is was muddy, and combining that with the bad crowd did not make for an enjoyable evening.

Journey took the final hour and a half of the evening, and the first question everybody asks me is “how was the new guy?” In a nutshell, Arnel Pineda is really damned good, certainly better than anything the Steve Perry could do today, and he can actually sing in tune. By the way, he is not the new guy anymore, having joined the band almost seven years ago.

The band started their set with “Be Good to Yourself,” which is one of their weaker hits, but they pulled it off anyway. Pineda took advantage of the fact that he is twenty years younger than Perry and was energetic throughout the night, and was quite entertaining to watch. Founding member and guitarist Neal Schon still has his chops, and quickly settled into a steady groove. Later on Neal cranked out “The Star Spangled Banner” which still puzzles me a bit as to how it was supposed to fit into the show.

Journey did not miss any hits, with Arnel taking the lead on crowd favorites that included “Any Way You Want It,” “Faithfully,” “Open Arms,” “Wheel in the Sky” and “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart).” I was less impressed with Jonathan Cain taking the vocals on “Anytime” and Deen Castronovo’s version of “Mother, Father.” They finished the main set up with “Don’t Stop Believin’” and thrilled the audience with “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’” for the encore.

It should be noted that there were no signs of discord on stage, in light of the rumors that Pineda has been recently saying that he thought that Steve Perry should retake his rightful place in the band. Stay tuned.

With better sound and a reasonable crowd this would have been a great show. This was one of their first stops on this tour so there will be plenty of chances to catch the threesome this summer, including a trip back to LA at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on August 2nd. It might be worth your time to check them out...

Mahalo!

Review of Black Sabbath at the Hollywood Bowl: April 26, 2014

Aloha!

Somehow I have made it through all 46 years of Black Sabbath’s existence without ever having attended one of their live shows. Well, I remedied this situation on Saturday night at the world-famous Hollywood Bowl!

The big news for this tour is that it includes three of the four founding members: Ozzy Osbourne on vocals, Geezer Butler on bass and Tony Iommi on guitar. Drummer Bill Ward couldn’t agree to the contract terms for the tour – whatever, it was his loss. Black Sabbath is touring in support of their latest album, 13, which is their first studio release to feature Ozzy since 1978, and the first for Geezer since 1994. It is a good album, so you might want to track down a copy.

The Hollywood Bowl is pure Los Angeles, and it is a good place to see a show. The acoustics are good, and since it is in an urban area they have to keep the volume in check. There is always a laid-back vibe, and it is my favorite Southern California outdoor concert venue. Unfortunately parking and traffic are terrible ($23 for stacked parking!), but it is LA – what are you going to do? By the way this was the band’s first appearance at The Bowl since 1972.

The show kicked off right on time at 7:30PM with the opening act, Reignwolf. Despite the terrible band name, it was really something to see. Jordan “Reignwolf” Cook’s trio put on a high-intensity 35 minute set, including a mesmerizing version of “Electric Love” which featured him playing the guitar and drums at the same time. You have to see it to believe it.

After a quick stage reset, Black Sabbath hit the stage at 8:30, and did an amazing 2-hour set, which was kicked off by “War Pigs.” They did not miss a hit, going through “Snowblind,” “Black Sabbath,” “Fairies Wear Boots,” “Rat Salad,” “Iron Man,” “God is Dead?”and finishing up with ”Paranoid” and “Zeitgeist” (from their new album) for the encore. There were a few other songs from 13 sprinkled throughout, and trust me, they all sounded like Black Sabbath songs!

Everybody was in top form for the show, especially when you take into account their ages and the extreme lifestyles they have endured. Ozzy played the frontman role perfectly with plenty of energy and his voice held up well through the whole two hours. Iommi and Butler still have their chops, and both were favorites of the crowd. Drummer Tommy Clufetos (Ozzy’s touring drummer) was huge and had one of the best solos I have ever seen in “Rat Salad.”

The sound was very good, and they had a first class light show and lasers, with good visual graphics on the giant screen behind the stage. The cameramen did a fine job of tracking the musicians, which really helped keep the audience in the swing of things. A nice touch was the firework show at the end of the show. That must have made the neighbors happy…

This was the last US stop on the Black Sabbath Reunion Tour, so this might have been your last opportunity to see Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi all on the same stage. Ozzy did say that they might be doing another album, so keep your eyes out and if they are able to do another tour it will be a must-see. Don’t live a life of regrets – check it out if you get the chance!

Mahalo!

History of the Eagles Concert Review

Aloha!

I know that some of my friends sniff at The Eagles, but I have always enjoyed their California country sound, and it is astounding that I have never seen them perform live until now. Fortunately, last month I was able to catch their History of the Eagles tour at the grand re-opening of the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood, California.

The Eagles have been around since 1971 when the four original members met as members of Linda Ronstadt’s band, and over the years some of the most amazing performers around have been in their line-up. They have released seven studio albums that are chock full of slickly-crafted hits, all of which got major radio play when they came out, and still are well-represented on classic rock stations.

The History of the Eagles Tour is exactly that, a journey through their music from their first album up through today.

I am not sure what happened to the opening act. The show was supposed to start at 8:00 PM, and by the time I got into the arena at 8:15 they were already gone, and the stage was already set for the Eagles. At 8:30 they kicked off the show with “Saturday Night” from Desperado with only Glenn Frey and Don Henley on the stage, playing their acoustic guitars. Then they brought out founding member and original guitar player Bernie Leadon (who left the band in 1975) for the second song “Train Leaves Here This Morning” from their eponymous first album.

From there things built until Henley ended up behind the drum kit and there were 6 guys on guitar and bass out on the stage apron. Joe Walsh was the star of the show, taking the lead on a number of songs and tearing off a few other hits from his catalog including “Life’s Been Good,” “Funk #49” and “Rocky Mountain Way.”

Though it was certainly not the most energetic show I have ever seen, these guys delivered the goods and gave the audience a three hour show with an intermission and three encores, including “Hotel California.” Seeing Henley, Frey, Walsh, Schmidt and added bonus Leadon in a live setting is a definite bucket list item, and I am glad I finally got to cross it off the list. By the way, Randy Meisner was invited to participate in the tour but could not due to health issues, and Don Felder was not invited as he has been suing the band for various things since he quit.

I have to give major props to the Forum for the job they did on their remodel. The facility looks better that I have ever seen it in the last 30+ years, and the sound was incredible! As an added bonus the volume was not so loud that my ears were ringing for days after the show. This is once again truly a great place to see your favorite acts!

If you are a fan of The Eagles, or even if you just like some of their music, you should really make it a point to see their show. You will be hard-pressed to find a better bunch of musicians of a more solid catalog to choose from. Take my word for it…

Mahalo!

The Fabulous Forum of Inglewood, California

Hello!

The Forum is the venue that I have seen the most concerts in over the years, starting back in 1984 when I caught Yes there for the 90125 tour. Since then I have seen bands from all genres including Rush, Tool, and Muse, and many others that have faded away in my mushy brain. Plus, I was a King Hockey season ticket holder back in the early 1990s, so I am pretty familiar with this arena. And I have to say, last month I saw the Eagles at the newly renovated Forum Presented by Chase, and I was blown away.

The Forum is located just east of Los Angeles International Airport in Inglewood, California. It was built in 1967 by Jack Cooke, the owner of the Lakers at the time, to house his new NHL team -- the Kings. It cost $16 million to build and was styled after the Roman Coliseum. Sort of.

Every type of event that you can imagine took place at the forum over the next 40 years. The Lakers won multiple championships, the Kings almost won a championship, and boxing and wrestling matches were common. But there were also concerts galore, and every big name band played on its stage, from Elvis to Led Zeppelin to Michael Jackson. There were also a lot of live albums recorded there, including the Eagles Live and Kiss Alive.

As times and demand changed, it turned out that the design of the arena did not allow for extensive concessions or revenue-generating skyboxes, and eventually the Kings and Lakers departed for Staples Center in the late 1990s. A church purchased the Forum in 2000, and would hold services for its 12,000 members there and continued to rent the facility out for concerts, and its condition deteriorated as maintenance was deferred. By the time I saw Muse there a few years ago, the Forum was a dump and pretty gross.

After a dozen years of benign neglect, Madison Square Garden purchased The Forum for $23.5 in June of 2012, renamed it The Forum Presented by Chase (title sponsor, you know),and promised to dump $50 back into the facility. It was money well spent! They painted it red again, like it should be, and spent the cash in the right places.

For starters, they have turned the building into a dedicated concert arena, and there is no pressure to turn it into a basketball arena or hockey rink multiple times per month. This allowed them to fix the acoustics and install permanent PA features to provide the best sound possible. The scoreboard has been gone for years, which is was a huge improvement all by itself.

The lobbies, Forum club and concession areas are all completely re-vamped, and it has a lot classier feel. All of the seats have been replaced, the old ceramic floor tiles have been swapped out with carpet, and the signage no longer has the 1970s vibe. Most impressively, they re-did the restrooms and the “trough of glory” has been removed from the men’s rooms and been replaced by urinals! Very exciting! Also, they have installed modern food choices beyond the former hot dogs, nachos and beer. Of course the food and drinks are not exactly cheap, but are they ever when you go out to see a show?

Keep in mind that this is a 46-year old facility design and there was only so much they could do. There are still no skyboxes, you still have to go down a million stairs to the basement to find a restroom, and there is not really any good placed to sit around and enjoy a drink or two, except for your seat. By the way, the capacity of the building is now 17,500.

This all came together for me last month when I attended the History of the Eagles concert on the grand opening night for the new facility. I have never heard an indoor concert that sounded as good and they were able to accomplish this at a reasonable volume level that did not make my ears ring afterwards. The staff was fantastic and most everything went very smoothly

My only criticism for the evening was the way that the City of Inglewood handled traffic, and the terrible parking situation at the Forum. Back when I had Kings season seats they had all of that figured out and getting in and out of the parking lot was not too bad. Apparently the powers that be have forgotten everything they learned years ago, and it was a fight through nasty gridlock to get into a parking spot located half a mile away in a dimly lit park of the Hollywood Park lot. I barely made it to my seat in time for the start of the show. I’m sure they will figured that out pretty quickly. At least the parking lot staff was as nice as everybody else that worked there!

So, if you are interested in any of the shows coming up at the Fabulous Forum, it is a real player again and you really ought to consider checking it out for yourself. I would not hesitate to go back again!

Mahalo!

Review of Bruce Springsteen at the Honda Center in Anaheim – December 4, 2012

Greetings!

I do not consider myself to be a big Bruce Springsteen fan, and have never seen him perform in person. However, I do have a lot of his music in my collection and think that his recent Wrecking Ball album is some of the fines work he has ever done. So, these things led me to the Honda Center in Anaheim California this past Tuesday, so I could finally get a chance to see his live show and it was quite a bit better than I had ever dreamed it could be.

There was no opening band, just Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band. There were a few guest stars, but more on that later. He was joined on stage by the usual suspects: Nils Lofgren on guitar, Gary Tallent on bass, Mad Weinberg on drums, Little Steven on this and that, Roy Bittan on keys, an assortment of other characters on horns, percussion, fiddle, and lastly, Jake Clemons on the saxophone. He is Clarence Clemons’ nephew and is a very good player, but man oh man those are some big shoes to fill. By the way, Patty Scialfa was nowhere in sight.

The show was supposed to start at 7:30, but the usher told me 8:15 and the band did not come on until 8:30, and by then the crowd was really ready. I have seen plenty of major acts over the years, but I have never heard a buzz or felt the excitement of the crowd like I did when Bruce came on stage. I imagine that this must have been what it was like when Elvis would come on stage, because his fans are rabid and love love love Bruce. The lady in the seat next to me told me that she had seen over 300 of his shows, and I believed her. I could never do a bad review of this show, because his fans would hunt me down and kill me.

Fortunately I do not have to give a bad review because he really puts on a show! I know he is in his early sixties, but he has the energy and stamina of a man half his age, and he plowed through a 3 ½ hour show (no intermission) with gusto. His voice is as strong as ever, and his guitar and harmonica chops are quite impressive. Plus, I noticed that he did not use Teleprompters, unlike Aerosmith and Rush, who I also saw in the past month. I don’t know how he can remember all of those lyrics and chord changes.

They left the lights up for the first song, “The Land of Hopes and Dreams,” and thanks to his distinctive posture and movements I instantly recognized that Tom Morello was on stage too. The Rage Against the Machine guitarist collaborated on Wrecking Ball with Bruce, so I guess it is not a big stretch that he would drive across town to join in for the show. He was on and off the stage during the evening, and probably played on 5 or 6 of the 28 songs that the band performed that evening.

Anyway, it was apparent that Bruce loves connecting with his fans and he worked the crowd like the professional that he is. He told some funny anecdotes, shared his feelings on the loss of his friend Clarence, and the recent destruction of his beloved New Jersey coastal community. Fortunately he never turned political and preachy, which is the last thing I want when going to a concert to have a good time.

Springsteen walked out into the floor crowd and then jumped out and let them carry him around. The Boss would read the posters his fans brought, and collected a few and then took requests. He played a perfect solo acoustic version of “Long Time Comin’” and the rest of the band joined him for “Reason to Believe.” My god these guys are a tight band and their professionalism shone through in everything they played.

Another local guest performer showed up and gave a rousing rendition of Social Distortion’s “Bad Luck.” And that would be none other than Mike Ness from Social D, which I don’t think is a twist that anybody saw coming. It is a sign of how important that Bruce and his music are that he is joined onstage by such diverse guest musicians.

The the time the set ended with “The Ghost of Tom Joad,” “Badlands” (both with Morello) and Thunder Road, I was exhausted. But there was a little bit more to come. For the encore, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band cranked out “Jungleland,” “Born to Run”, “Dancing in the Dark,” “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.” This would be almost a whole set for another band, but it was business as usual for these guys as they did these songs just as strong as their opener.

Though I went into the concert with no real expectations, I have to say that now I understand what his fans are saying, and that Bruce Springsteen is truly a living legend and the poet of his generation. Every musician and music fan needs to see one of his shows, so they can see how great a show can be.

Mahalo!

Review of Cheap Trick and Aerosmith at the Staples Center in Los Angeles – December 3, 2012

Hello!

On Monday night I headed out to the Staples Center in Los Angeles to catch The Global Warming Tour which has two bands I have seen before: Cheap Trick and Aerosmith. I last saw Aerosmith maybe ten years ago in Atlanta and Cheap trick more than fifteen years ago in Irvine, and they were both in their prime from at the time. So, I wondered how these two groups have stood up to the test of time, and it turns out that they are still doing pretty well!

Cheap Trick kicked things off at 7:30 in the evening with “Hello There,” and when I saw Robin Zander wearing a bedazzled ice cream man suit (with a hat, even), I figured they must have hired David Lee Roth to be in the band, but it was just an optical illusion. They went on to blaze through a dozen more songs in their allotted hour, and as expected they managed to throw a few surprises into the show.

I think they have a different set list each night, and they always throw a few cool covers into the mix. This evening they did The Move’s “California Man, and The Beatles’ medley of “Golden Slumbers,” ”Carry That Weight” and “The End.” These songs proved beyond a doubt that Zander still has his singing chops. Aerosmith loaned them keyboardist Russ Irwin for the Beatles’ songs, which was a really nice touch.

Thankfully they did not do the hackneyed ballad, “The Flame,” but at the end of the show they played their biggest hits, including “I Want You To Want Me,” “Dream Police” and “Surrender.” They hit the ball out of the park on these, and did a great job of warming up the crowd, who came spilling back in for these last three songs when they heard what was going on. Brad Whitford from Aerosmith joined them on stage for “Surrender” – cool!

Cheap Trick had one notable personnel change: Daxx Nielsen (Rick’s son), was on drums, although their website still lists original member Bun E. Carlos as being in the band. Daxx plays the drums very well, by the way. The rest of the line-up is the same: Robin Zander on vocals, Tom Petersson on his terrible sounding 12-string bass, and Rick Nielsen on guitar (and mugging about the entire time like he is still in junior high school).

While the crew tore down Cheap Trick’s stage the crowd got to watch some handicam footage from backstage, which was a little confusing at best., and then things got going after a commercial about how great the new Aerosmith album is. Does this crowd really need this? Anyway, Staples Center was packed at this point, and the masses were treated to a rousing rendition of “Toys in the Attic” which led straight into “Love in an Elevator.” It was nice they gave us two of their big hits right out of the box, and the band was in good form and Tyler’s voice is still strong, despite the fact that they are all getting pretty old. One downer was that Perry’s guitar was way too quiet on these songs, but they got it fixed for the rest of the show.

Things went about as expected from there, with a mix of music more heavily slanted toward their previous work than their new album (which is pretty good, actually), and the band did a nice job of having video coverage on the screen behind the stage so that everybody could see what was going on. Tyler, Perry and Hamilton did a good job of working all parts of the stage, including the catwalk that extended all the way to the center of the arena. Whitford pretty much stayed put and never made it to my side of the stage.

Aerosmith had a few surprises in store, as Hollywood dreamboat Johnny Depp came onstage with his guitar and played along with cover versions of Fleetwood Mac’s “Stop Messin’ Around” and the Beatles’ “Come Together.” The man can really play the guitar, and he certainly had the outfit and tattoos to fit in on stage with these guys. They should have given him a wireless set-up, though…

They finished up their set with “Walk This way”, and for the encore they dusted off “Dream On”, “Mama Kin” and “Come Together.” Former Guns ‘n Roses rhythm guitar Izzy Stradlin joined in for “Mama Kin,” which surprised me even more than the Johnny Depp thing. All in all, it was one heck of a show, and the crowd was really great (bonus celebrity sightings: Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed).

Granted, these guys all look terrible, as 40+ years in the rock and roll world is an eternity, but they are still rocking like madmen. Check out their Global Warming Tour when it hits your town – it is sure to be a fun-filled evening!

Mahalo!

Van Halen Concert Review: June 12, 2012 in Anaheim, California

Como estas?

When I saw that Van Halen was going on tour with David Lee Roth again, I figured this would be one of my last chances to catch the original line-up (well most of it), so I got ahold of tickets for the June 12th show at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. I was not aware that Kool and the Gang was opening up for them, which was really quite a surprise.

The concert was supposed to start at 7:30, and I got going a little late, but I didn’t have to worry because the Anaheim police department has the whole traffic situation figured out. I guess between the Angels, the Ducks and Disneyland, they know how to deal with crowds.

It is a good thing I showed up on time, because Kool and the Gang actually started at 7:25, and I have never been to a concert that started early. I was a little puzzled by the choice of this band to kick things off, but they were awesome, and it was a nice change of pace from the hard rock that was to come later.

Kool and the Gang is a big band, and I counted eleven guys on stage, including, two drummers, two guitars, two saxes, trumpet, trombone, keyboards, and one guy on bass, who turned out to be Kool. Everybody got to solo (yes, the trombone guy too), and these guys showed up to entertain. They even had their synchronized dance moves down!

They played all of the favorites, including “Ladies’ Night”, “Hollywood Swingers”, “Jungle Boogie”, Get Down On It”, and their closer “Celebrate”. I know it not the original band line-up, but they brought their A game and played well, and the crowd really got into it.

After Kool and the Gang were done, a small army of men carted off their tons of gear, and left a simple stage set-up for Van Halen. Eddie on stage left with his pile of amps, Alex in the middle on a riser, David Lee Roth up front with his own dance floor, and Wolfgang on a riser on stage right with his mountain of amps.

Van Halen started right on time, kicking things off at 9 o’clock on the dot with “Unchained”. And from the start it was apparent that these guys still have it going on. Eddie looked good (not so skeletal), Dave appeared as athletic and limber as ever, and Alex is still a dynamo on the skins. And Wolfgang did fine, which is a compliment from me.

You see, before the concert I was ambivalent about Michael Anthony no longer being in the band, but after this show I don’t think it really matters. Wolfgang plays the bass well and sings fine, and after all, he is family. He did a good job and deserves to be in the band as much as anybody does. By the way, I am still available to fill in if he does not work out…

It was easy for everybody in the arena to see the show, because they had the biggest video screen I have ever seen behind the stage. It was super high definition video, which gave use plenty of chance to see Dave mugging for the camera.

After the first song they went into “Running with the Devil”, and played a few tracks from their new album A different Kind of Truth. This is their latest album, the first Van Halen album that Wolfgang has played on, and the first for DLR since 1984. And this is what the playlist ended up being: only songs that Dave originally performed on, and no Sammy Hagar stuff. Not that this was a problem, they have more than enough hits to play a two hour show.

By the way, there were no synthesizers on stage, but there were synthesizer tracks in some of the songs they played. So, I do not know if there was a keyboardist off stage, or if they were pre-recorded tracks.

And the show pretty much kicked ass. They didn’t leave out any of my favorite tunes, and the band was on. Dave was out of tune sometimes, but it appeared that he had problems with his –in-ear monitors, so maybe he could hear what was going on very well. He was perfectly in tune when he was singing and playing the acoustic guitar by himself during “Ice Cream Man”.

I only have a few gripes about the show, foremost being that the sound was muddy and Dave didn’t have good monitoring. With this being a high-dollar show and them bringing four of the biggest mixing board I have ever seen, there is no excuse for this. And the other thing was Dave’ video homage and soliloquy to his dogs. I just didn’t get it.

Regardless of this, the show was worth the money. If you get the chance I highly recommend seeing Van Halen while they still have this line-up. You never know how long it will last…

Mahalo!

Review of The Midwest Rock 'N' Roll Express Tour – May 6 at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, California

Greetings!

I am not the world’s biggest fan of Styx, REO Speedwagon or Ted Nugent, but I like their music well enough. And that is what the Midwest Rock ‘N’ Roll Express Tour is all about – I got a chance to see all 3 acts on one bill without having to put up with any of them for more than an hour or so.

I caught their May 6 show at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, which is definitely not my first choice of concert venues. It is a great outdoor amphitheatre in beautiful Griffith Park, and there are really not many bad seats. But getting your car parked is a bear, and usually your car gets boxed 2 or 3 vehicles deep and it can take an hour or two to get it sprung. This time I got really lucky with parking, which made the whole evening go smoother.

I am going to give the Greek Theatre thumbs up for communicating so well before the concert. They sent an e-mail out with details about the facility, and included a schedule of when the acts would be appearing.

Additional props go out the bands, their crews and the facility management, who made sure that all three bands (and the opening act) started EXACTLY on time. Amazing!

The show kicked off with Stan Bush who played a 15-minute solo acoustic set, which had to be a little nerve-wracking in a large venue that was waiting for Ted Nugent to come on stage. Stan did well, and the crowd seemed to appreciate his work.

Then came the Nuge who led off with “Wango Tango”, and he met all of my expectations. His 50-minute set was filled with shrieking guitar calisthenics, a thumping backline, a dancing girl, some thinly-veiled racism and plenty of profanity. He worked in all of the popular tunes, but then again there was nothing that was released after 1977, so he had better know these songs by now. I was glad they chose to include the Motown classic “Hey Baby”, as well as one of my all-time favorite songs, “Stranglehold” (quite romantic).

Nugent’s band was a hoot. Mick Brown’s drums and Greg Smith’s bass were tight, and it was a pleasure to see true professionals at work. I was super-impressed by Derek St. Holmes on guitar and lead vocals. He has an incredibly strong voice and is a great showman. But, looking back at it all, 30 minutes would have been enough Ted Nugent for me.

The crew only took 15 minutes to cart off Nugent’s stuff and set the stage for REO Speedwagon, who had a more complicated stage, light and video show. They had a Hammond and a grand piano to fit on the stage too, so that took up some of the space that Nugent’s massive amplifier display had previously occupied.

REO Speedwagon got 20 minutes more than Ted, which was cool with me because their music does not all sound the same. They got things started with “Take it on the Run” which ended up being a shaky start for their set. They played the tune at a little slower than normal tempo, and Kevin Cronin’s voice was not warmed up yet. I was a little worried after this song.

But, REO pulled it all together. They worked though all of the “Keep on” songs (Pushin’, Loving You and Rolling), and again, I was very impressed with the professionalism of the band, and they nailed all of their parts. As Cronin warmed up he started sounding like the good old days, which was a relief to me. There were a few times where it seemed like the sound guys messed up (dropped guitar solo and vocals), but overall it was a strong set.

Speedwagon left the stage and came back for an encore of “Ridin’ the Storm Out” which already had pre-canned video and sound effects running. What if nobody cheered and clapped? Would they have just walked off with their tails between their legs and gone home? I think it is time to let the obligatory encore go away. Just add another song to the set, guys – it is a good one, after all.

After a 25 minute break, Styx hit the stage with an even fancier stage set up and a lot more audience interest. It was obvious that this was the part of the show that a lot of the crowd was waiting for, and I don’t think that anybody went home disappointed.

The band played almost nothing but hits, with “Blue Collar Man”, “Grand Illusion” and “Too Much Time on my Hands” starting things off. Tommy Shaw and James Young were as strong as ever on vocals and guitar (Shaw was a bit stronger, even), and Lawrence Gowan was fabulous on keyboards and vocals, He made me forget all about that other guy that has been erased from the history page on the Styx website. Lawrence did a nice job of working the crowd during a classic rock interlude in the middle of the set. Man, his voice is sure a lot like that other guy’s.

They added in a b-side, “Man in the Wilderness” to keep things real, but they probably could have left it out and not lost anything from their performance. They have more han enough real hits to fill up an hour for their die-hard fans.

As with the other bands on the bill, the rhythm section was strong, with Todd Sucherman on drums and Ricky Philips on bass. I was glad to see that Styx remembered their roots and brought out founding member Chuck Panazzo on bass for a few songs. If only his brother was still around.

Styx closed out the evening with two encore songs: “Rockin’ the Paradise” and “Renegade”. I should have seen these coming from a mile away. “Paradise” was their opening song for years, and “Renegade” is always a crowd favorite. Well done, boys!

To answer a question I had asked myself on the way to the Greek: “No, there was no Damn Yankees reunion with Ted Nugent and Tommy Shaw.” Oh well.

The Midwest Rock ‘N’ Roll Express will be performing another 20 dates over the next two months throughout the Midwest and east coast, so chances are good they will be performing near you. Check them out if you get a chance!

Mahalo!