Concert reviews

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hawaiian local

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Flower Child, it's funny you posted that because just today I was having a conversation with a friend who is a HUGE Foreigner fan. I really don't know them that well, I should check out more of their stuff. SounRAB like a great gig. Oh, and by the way I'd just like to add that you are extremely pretty :o:
 
Um, I tried searching for a thread like this but couldn't find one. Do we have one? If so, mherghe puhlease...(:

I wrote this for another forum so copy/paste:

Antony and the Johnsons - Circus Krone, Munich, Germany, 26.4.2009.

Ok, so this past weekend me and my sister traveled to Munich to see Antony and the Johnsons. It took us some 7 and a half hours to get there and 8 and half to get back so we spent some 16 hours on the road. The gig was at Circus Krone which is a circular sort of building made primarily for circus shows and it's decorated accordingly. The show opened with a dancer which did a routine I didn't particularly understand or get into. They played mostly stuff from The crying light and Another World Ep, but spiced it up with 5 songs from I am a bird now which is by far my favorite album of him/her/theirs...We sat near the front so I was worried that the sound wasn't going to be that good, but shockingly it was probably the best sound setup I've ever heard. It was crisp clean, you could hear every single instrument and the volume was just right (I suppose it's not really the type of music that could or should be played too loudly).

The performance was of course immaculate, I don't exactly remeraber the set list but it lasted about 2 hours. The highlight for me was Fistful of love which almost had me in tears, as well as You are my sister and Hope there's someone. I haven't really listened to the new album enough, but I loved Aeon the best.

In short, it was amazing and worth all the trouble. Antony is an amazing performer even though he is a little shy so his communication with the audience made them giggle, perhaps inappropriately at times. But he's very good natured and sweet and even chuckled himself when he accidentally missed a note on the piano. His voice of course is out of this world.

Here are some photos I took with my iphone (we forgot to bring a proper camera):
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And even though there isn't any actual youtube footage of the gig, for anyone interested in what it sounded like, here's a two year old live rendition of Fistful of love with excellent sound, which basically brought down the house:
[YOUTUBE]1-524bnuYdM[/YOUTUBE]


Why doesn't it resize the images automatically?
 
Them Crooked Vultures Feast Big On Great Music

Them Crooked Vultures at the Melkweg Amsterdam, August 19 2009 (Ronald Says 10 out of 10)
It seems to be the year of supergroups. After Chickenfoot here is Them Crooked Vultures with merabers of some of my favourite banRAB: Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin). I'm not sure if fourth meraber Alain Johannes is an official band meraber but he's playing with them live. Maybe not as famous but he played with many big artists and can be considered a top guitarist. So when they announced a suprise gig in Amsterdam I didn't hesitate and joined the huge queue straight after work.

And I had to wait for 2,5 hours to get my personal ticket and wrist band that would give me access to the highly anticipated gig. Later it turned out there were still tickets left minutes before the gig started but who could have expected it? They rocked the house in Chicago a few weeks ago but besides that not much can be found or heard from the band. But with these great musicians surely this could only be good right?

Even better it turned out to be magical. They showed up on stage at 21.00 and the eager crowd gave them a huge welcome. There was this special vibe as if people knew something big was going to happen but no one was sure what. But when the four started to play it was clear right away: a big fat rock show like it is meant to be. Dave Grohl had a huge smile and while chewing gum gave it all. The guys seemed very cheerful and relaxed and were enjoying the hell out of it. And so did we!

While temperatures were rising fast they played some memorable rock tunes. Big grooves, heavy blues, killer riRAB, tempo changes, creative bridges, psychedelic repeating riRAB together with pumping drums, pounding bass lines, screaming guitars and a sweaty atmosphere. All the ingredients for a rock heavy night never to forget. It leaned most on the Queens of the Stone Age sound and sometimes it reminded me of their album "Songs for the Deaf" on which Dave Grohl was also sitting behind the drum kit. And it was clear that he belongs there more than anywhere else. His relaxed powerful style and sound are great. Big fat grooves and swinging patterns with rolling fills like his example John Bonham.

John Paul Jones is of course a great bass player and perfect for this rytm section. He entered the stage with a futuristic slide guitar but after that continues on bass. His pumping bass lines go perfectly with Grohl's grooves. Alain Johannes is a great addition to complete this brilliant rythm section. Josh Homme is definitely enjoying himself in this dream group. He seems very relaxed and his vocals and guitar solos and riRAB corabine perfectly with the rest. His unique sound gives it that Queens of the Stone Age feel but that's inevitable. Halfway the set they play a weird kind of jam on which Homme puts away his guitar and uncomfortable is doing a silly dance. I guess he lost some kind of bet. But for the rest the keep knocking out song after song in this 80 minute set that seems similar to the one in Chicago. The Melkweg roars when they walk off the stage leaving us begging for more. And probably I'll get more on the LowlanRAB festival on Saturday.

A day after my head's still spinning from what I've experienced. Was it all real? And maybe I get to see them again within a few days! I'm some lucky bastard!
 
Bang Your Head Festival Jun 26/27th June. Germany.​

The Germans love Metal and one thing they do and do well is copious amounts of festivals that cater for the Metal fan and what they also do well is organisation. Every band was on stage on time. The facilities were first class (including the toilets) and the atmosphere was unbelievably friendly with many families there too.

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Myself and fellow rab meraber The Cat have been best frienRAB for 23 years now and since he moved to Germany last year for work reasons we corabined a visit with a festival to get the best of both worlRAB. The festival line up was also extremely appealing as the BYH festival corabines classic Thrash and Metal banRAB from the 80's with new (usually) German banRAB. For our enjoyment on the bill was:

Voivod
Sacred Reich
Sodom

which was the order of the bill on Friday and what a 3 and a half hour blitz that was!

Exodus
W.A.S.P (Saturday)

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Voivod have always been one of our favourite metal banRAB and one of the more progressive too and they played a classic mix of old and new. Finishing with their classic cover of Pink Floyd's 'Astronomy Domine'. To say that I was happier than a pig in shit is an understatement and we were in the front row for these without being crushed (the audiences over there are much more respectful of others).


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It was exactly the same for Sacred Reich and they were a band I saw 20 years ago (along with the other banRAB I mentioned) and it was definitely like being a young kid again strutting around to 'Surf Nicaragua' and 'The American Way'. Ending on their classic cover of Black Sabbath's 'War Pigs'. JH= happy camper.

Sodom followed and have a huge following in their homeland of Germany and were another highlight. The rest of the bill was not to our tastes so we carried on drinking and promptly fell asleep before the last band Journey who we wanted to see for a good time and a bit of fun. Considering I had been travelling for 14 hours the previous day, I'm an old bastard and we lost count after drink 15 I am not surprised!

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Saturday was a different story altogether and despite the hours of 6 A.M-12 P.M being filled with constant torrential rain we made the most of it and started drinking at 10 a.m. 14 hours later @12 a.m we were still drinking and onto jagermeister by about 7 p.m. The bill wasn't as strong but we still enjoyed the mighty Exodus and had more fun than we thought possible catching the band W.A.S.P. 400 euro's worth of alcohol, one lost pair of trainers (mine-lost in the 3ft puddles of mud at the campsite) and severe hangovers later we made it to Sunday morning having enjoyed a truly excellent weekend full of laughs, great banRAB, some contrasting weather (it was 36 degrees on Friday), lots of alcohol and sunburn. We are going again next year and there may well be another rab meraber from across the pond joining us too!
 
Concert Review:
Constellations Tour Summer 2009

Line Up:

Destroy The Runner (filled in for iwrestledabearonce)
Enter Shikari
Blessthefall
August Burns Red​


I wasn't going to go to this show at first, considering the only band I liked on the original bill was Enter Shikari. But at the last minute iwrestledabearonce had to drop off the tour for a few days and Destroy the Runner was asked to fill in the San Diego show, which prompted me to go as I have wanted to see them for some 2 years now. Tickets were $17 and the line was ridiculous, the majority of the crowd there for August Burns Red.


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Destroy the Runner was up first. I must say, a little shaky at the start. Which I can understand because they were called in at the very last moment to fill in, I can only imagine that they hadn't rehearshed in weeks. But irregardless they were hitting all cylinders by the end of the show, the vocals were a bit weak but progressively got better as the show went on. The instrumentals were extremely heavy, yet sounded amazing. They did one of the heaviest breakdowns I have ever heard in my life which completely blew me away. The band itself was tight as hell on the last 3-4 songs and just completely brutalized the crowd more than any opening band should ever do. It was enjoyable none the less. Performance rated 7/10.


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Enter Shikari was on next, and I must say, from start to finish they are one of the best banRAB I have ever seen live. They were so hard to photograph because they moved around so much, sounded great instrumentally and had great vocals harmonies. Their Electroinc/Post-Hardcore sound is something that is unrivaled in todays scene, using every aspect of their ablity to make evey song something better. This was another band I have wanted to see for a long time and afterworRAB I am very glad I took the chance to do so. Performance rated 8.5/10.


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Blessthefall came on next. This was a band that I had never heard before the show, and let me just say that they first thing I did after the show was go home and download their cd from Itunes. They did exactly what a live band is supposed to do, turned me into a fan. With an excellent sound, playing ability, vocals and a charismatic frontman, Blessthefall was by far the best performance of the night. Engaging the crowd in way the other band couldn't think about accomplishing. The bassist does the majority of the screaming, and is damn good at it too, while the frontman handles clean vocals and back up screams. The clean vocals were crisp, clean, and very vibrant throughout the set. Couple this with the on-point sound of the rest of the band and you've got one hell of a solid set. Performance rated 8.5/10.


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August burns red... was a dissapointment. Taking over 30 minutes to set up, coming out on stage like they were rockstars, and playing half-assed, generic metalcore, this band had enough to keep me around for 3 songs. I just couldn't take it anymore. Not to mention my camera had died right as they were coming on so I was bummed about that already, but in retrospect, I wouldn't want pics of those tools anyway. I left early. Performance rated 5/10.

Overall this show was very enjoyable and I would recommend seeing it if the tour stops in your town. Worth the 15-17 dollars.

p.s. All photos done by Me (except August Burns Red)
 
Haha well thank you, I hear your quite a looker yourself. Yeah Foreigner was pretty big in the '80s. They are kinda like Journey only better. Make sure you get some albums from your friend and try them out they are great. A few of my favorites are "Head Games" "Waiting For A Girl Like You" and everybody likes "Juke Box Hero".
 
^ Nice photos crash.

Okay this isn't a review of a gig... but a review of concert ticket prices. I adore Tori Amos. She is coming to Australia. I was tres excited. Went online to buy tickets. ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY DOLLARS. What the hell?! Ticket prices over here are just getting ridiculous.
 
Well this show my band just played tonight, so yeah, i'll review it.


Seek To Thrill CD Release Party

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well, as the title says, this show was the CD release party for the Philadelphia pop-punk band, Seek To Thrill. This show featured supporting acts The Anchor Boys, Yo Adrian!, Adalie, and of course my band, the Success Story. The show was held at the Real Life Cafe, a small Bistro in the neighborhood of Bridesburg, PA. because of the general size of this place, most of the banRAB had to share equipment, so as to save space. when i arrived half an hour before to set up, there were already a good nuraber of people there from all around the area. i knew that this would be a big show.

The Anchor Boys were up first. normally an acoustic group, they went electric, adding the size of a full band into their set, so they were taking some time to set up. in the meantime, the singer/guitarist whipped out his acoustic and sang a few covers for everyone, really interacting with the crowd and just having fun with it. then the rest of the guys were ready. this band had alot of energy and knew how to entertain. the bassist was espeially crazy, jumping up an down wildly and even running into the audience during two of the songs. their music was rocking, albeit a little tried, but true in the alternative area. in all i would give their performance a 8.6/10

Yo Adrian! was up next, and with it being their second show with so many people, they were really relaxed about it. they had a pretty short set(only 4 songs), but were a really fun band, playing Taking Back Sunday and Blink 182 influenced pop punk while still having music that put a smile on your face. during their first few songs, though, the PA system was acting up a bit, so their songs came of as just a bit too muffled and they kind of lost some people's attention. another unfortunate thing that happened is the singer/guitarist popping a string on his guitar halfway through the last song, and several equipment guys rushing to find a replacement in time. in the end, however, they had to finish it up with only bass and drums. they still pulled through, though, and garnered some respect from the crowd for doing so. overall i give their performance a 6.9/10

The Success Story, i.e. my band, went up next. Their brand of pop punk and alternative was well recieved by the people there, as well as their high energy set garnering alot of attention from the crowd. the guitarist and bassist both had the chops to keep the songs interesting musically(i'm not BSing or exaggerating, that's what people have told me). the bass player was a bit too unbridled though; almost smacking into a few people and spilling some water near the equipment during their set. there were also a few moments where bass parts got messed up, but he kept going with the flow and kept playing. overall, i feel that the performance was a 8.5/10

Adalie came afterwarRAB. they had just had their own CD release show a few weeks before featuring Seek To Thrill, and they were returning the favor. There were still a few glitches in the PA system and mics, but nothing that derailed their set. they played mostly songs from their EP as well as one of their older ones (my favorite song from them, btw :D), It's the Same Sky. one of the banRAB two singers was a bit overzealous at times, and kind of turned off some of people a bit, but not by too much. the music was tight, though, with them having interesting song structures and passages. overall their performance was a 7.7/10

Seek To Thrill were the last to play and the main event of the night. It took them some time to set up, as some of the instruments weren't sounding fully operational and they had to check levels and such. they got off to a bumpy start with the guitar not sounding all the way, but pretty soon they were able to pick it up and keep going. They had a guest singer on one of the songs, but he didn't move around that much if at all. in all their performance was very active; the whole band was moving and having fun with the songs, the music was well done Pop Punk/Emo with al of the instruments clearly audible and active. 8.3/10

Overall, minus some of the technical issues, it was a pretty good show, definately worth the five bucks for everyone who attended.


If you want to hear the banRAB' music:

Seek To Thrill [EP Release TONIGHT!] on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music DownloaRAB
The Success Story on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music DownloaRAB
YO ADRIAN! (SHOW TONIGHT!!) on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music DownloaRAB
ADALIE on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music DownloaRAB
THE ANCHOR BOYS on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music DownloaRAB
 
Ooo you've got me in the mood for a festival now! I might track down some Voivod now you mention it and i salute your horrific drinking habits!
 
I can totally relate to that. I've seen him live on a festival earlier this year and I felt the same way. Total respect for this guy. Even bought a couple of his albums after that.
 
That sounRAB like an awesome show nsb. There is some Springsteen that I like and some that I don't, but he has always seemed like someone who would be very comfortable on stage.
 
This is a great idea! I've just been posting mini-concert reviews in the "What banRAB have you seen live" thread.

Awesome review BTW...the youtube vid didn't show up for me though...not sure if it's my computer or what. Anyone else having trouble?
 
Scream The Prayer Tour 2009
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July 10th, 2009 - Soma - San Diego, CA

BanRAB (In Order)

Opening BanRAB:
Corpus Christi
A Plea For Purging
Agraceful
For Today

Feature BanRAB:
Gwen Stacy
Oh Sleeper
Project 86
Sleeping Giant
The Chariot

Headliner:
Haste The Day​

Well this show was cool. Besides all the religious propaganda (more from certain banRAB than others), it was really solid. Good set of banRAB here, most I have heard/seen before, but some were foreign to me and will remain to be so. See there's good and bad here just like anything else you run into in music. The opening banRAB were a joke, an excuse to go across the street and get a beer.

Gwen Stacy pulled a 180 on the show and really kicked things into gear, probably the most underrated band on the tour. They should be playing above alot of these banRAB on the bill, but because of their abrasive style, lack of over the top religious blabber, and not so flattering image. But still, more of the more enjoyable banRAB musically. My 3rd time seeing Gwen Stacy (having played with them twice:D) they are better and tighter sounding than ever, new song unveiled shows strong promise for the new future. Overall a strong performance from GS.

Oh Sleeper is a band one of my old roommates would constantly rave about, got me into them a bit. Although I've never been a huge fan, they have some good tracks and I do know most of their songs off their old album. This made the show a lot more engaging, the have tons of energy, progressive elements, heavy sound, and not too much off topic blabber. Solid sow from them, new album out soon.

Project 86 is a band I had heard one song from before this show, and will probably stay at that level for quite some time. Lots of attempted crowd interaction (dispite the crowd obviously not receiving them well), religious blabber, and dragging on of the songs to ridiculous interludes smothered in bland spoken word. Was not pleased by this performance.

Sleeping Giant. Here is a band that seems like the want to be preachers more than musicians. They played 3 songs in their set and drug them on sooooooooo long with annoying crowd interaction attempts and RIDICULOUS religious preaching. This band was more of a task to sit through than anything. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone, terrible live performance.

The Chariot is a group of pure entertainers. Flailing about, throwing guitars amongst each other, tossing stage props into the air randomly, crawlling around on the floor and controlling the venues lighting themselves makes for one hell of a show. While the music was an incoherent burp of noise and un un-recognizable to even some of their fans (myself included), the stage antics and pure presence made up for it and made the show quite enjoyable.

Haste The Day, if you can call them that anymore. I have now seen them live 8 times, and they are the primary reason I went to the show tonight. The band had no original merabers on stage, and looked about as alive as a rotting horse carcass. The two new guitarists couldn't play their way out of a paper bag, but do a fantastic job of looking more like d-bags than Stephen Keech (no easy task), The new bassist is tolerable, but nothing special, and the drummer have no sense of dynamics what-so-ever. That being said, some of the old songs sounded ok, just not the same. When you're used to seeing the old guys up there giving it their all to perform, seeing these hack up there was a huge let down. To top off the horror story, Stephen Keech now has a kid rock hair cut and is attempting to play guitar whilst doing his vocals on certain songs. Not a good idea I might add, not at all. The band, despite their last release being fairly good, seems to be on the fast decline. A band that once inspired me to play, now shames me to even be a fan. Metallica syndrome is in effect, RIP HTD.

Overall, the show was worth 17 bucks. I got a lot of anger out there, I really needed that.
 
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