James LoMenzo is not just a man with an impressive resumè (he’s written and performed with the likes of Ozzy, Slash and Zakk Wylde, White Lion, just to name a few,) he’s also a man with impressive enough chops to make Mustaine himself lament during the tryout which LoMenzo nailed right out of the gate “I should have hired you sooner!”
a drummer who played in bands including !!!, has died after an elevator accident in Williamsburg, New York. The musician, who was 34, died after a fall at a fundraising
Karen O, Where the Wild Things Are [soundtrack] (Interscope Records)Moe Sendak’s children’s book sure is a timely slice of culture for Generation Video Game and their parents: kid misbehaves and
It’s been another banner week ’round these parts as we fought off the post-Festival 8 blues by staying busy. Our main focus this week was Halloween coverage. Between Chad’s Mule-O-Ween
I’ve never really understood the Bruce Springsteen hardcore fans who catch The Boss all over the world as often as they can. I mean, how many times can you see the E Street Band play Born To Run?
Bruce & The E Street Band w/ Elvis Costello – Higher & Higher
Last night, as I approached Madison Square Garden, I noticed a massive single file line stretching from the sign in front of the venue to the box office and was told this was the “drop line” filled with Bruce fans hoping for a last minute ticket release for the group’s first of two MSG shows. As a diehard fan of a different band I appreciated the zealousness of the Boss fanbase. By the end of the first song I also appreciated the zealousness of The Boss himself – a performer who does anything and everything to make the crowd happy.
Scoring tickets to a Springsteen show in the New York City area is always tough but finding ducats for this two-show run was near impossible. Besides the drop line there were hundreds of people circling the arena trying to find tickets. A couple of factors led to the unusual demand for the two MSG shows. With only eight shows left to go before the band’s upcoming indefinite hiatus, fans fear this tour may be the last for the E Street Band which would make this their last shows in NYC. Also, a few days ago Springsteen announced he would be performing all of 1973’s The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle
READ ON for more from Scotty on Bruce Springsteen @ MSG…
Neil Young is giving hardcore devotees another reason to smile. The 63-year-old rocker is continuing his annual trend of dropping old concert recordings by releasing ‘Dreamin’ Man Live ’92,’ a
Jam fans are pretty lucky in that their favorite bands change up the setlist from night to night. AC/DC fans aren’t so lucky. The Australian natives’ Black Ice tour has
On an evening when the attention of an entire city – and most of the Northeast – was turned to a small baseball game in the Bronx, jamband veterans Blues Traveler returned home to The Filmore New York at Irving Plaza for the first time in over a year. For over two hours, the band treated the packed house to classic covers, special guests, and their own hit singles.
Mixing Sublime’s, What I’ve Got and Cheap Trick’s, I Want You to Want Me, with Hook, The Mountains Win Again, and of course everyone’s favorite, Run-Around, John Popper invited old friends Jamie McLean to the stage for Mulling It Over (just weeks after his sit in at Sullivan Hall with former Spin Doctors lead Chris Barron) and the lovely Falu to join in on The Path.
With the evening winding down and news of the World Series victory spreading through the crowd, John and bassist Tad Kinchla (in an appropriately attired in a Yankee cap) began the encore with a Led Zepplin tease into a “Let’s Go Yankees” chant, before finishing up with Forever Owed and But Anyway and releasing the delirious crowd into the crisp night.
Set: How You Remember It> What’s For Breakfast, Girl Inside My Head> Slow Change, What I Got> Mulling It Over*, You, Me & Everything> NY Prophesies, The Mountains Win Again, The Beacons> I Want You To Want Me, Carolina Blues, Look Around, The Path**, Just For Me, Nail> Hook, Dropping Some NYC> Crash Burn> Dropping Some NYC, Run-Around
Encore: Forever Owed, But Anyway
* with Jamie McLean on guitar
** with Falu on vocals
READ ON for more of Jeremy’s Traveler photos…
Being the live music junkie that I am, I have been subjected to some surprises over the years. Some were more than welcomed surprises, like this one time back in ’77 or ’78. I had to meet some guy named Boris (don’t ask) at a bar in Manhattan called Traxx. There was a trio playing on a small stage, killer rockabilly. Skinny, no shirts, a guitar bigger than the player. Upright bass and standup drummer playing a pretty austere kit. The Stray Cats were playing that night. Lucky Break.
Another time I won tickets to see The Tubes from a local radio station. The show was in a small club in downtown Portland. About halfway through the first song I noticed that it was not Fee Waybill behind the oversized shades, but a Waybill-wanna-be. Bad surprise. Glad I didn’t spend money for those seats.
There was another time the surprise just made me a tad less than comfortable. Sitting in the third row for the Mark Farner Band I was all set for a night of Grand Funk Classics, of which there were plenty. But, after opening with a few early ’70s gems, Farner said he wanted to show us where he had been for the last few years. What followed was about an hour of Christian church songs with a boogie beat, I mean Onward Christian Soldier kind of stuff. Well played, good music and all, plus I got my Grand Funk fix before the night was through, but just not how I expected it. I suppose the Mark Farner Ministries t-shirts I saw in the front row should have been a dead giveaway.
Those surprises came years ago, before the internet really, which dates them back far enough. Nowadays with the sweep of a mouse you can find out everything you want about a touring act in a matter of minutes. When I heard that Loggins & Messina were coming to town I did a little research before shelling out the ducats. I found a lot of raves about their 2005 Sittin’ In Again tour, but very little about their current outing. Just like with movies sometimes, no previews may be a bad sign.
READ ON for more from AJ on Loggins and Messina…
Actor Christopher Walken does his best Lady Gaga impression… [youtube]A2guQYivZ6w[/youtube] Christopher Walken – Poker Face
