KISS and Buckcherry

Last night I got to go see a true concert. None of this reunion crap (although this isn't exactly a 100% original band) nonetheless the band managed to act and and interact with the audience as if this were the last show on earth. KISS still managed to put on a better show than most people half their age can even dream of. So last night I made my way to Minneapolis to catch these titans, running into some curious children, viewing a mans Destroyer shirt on the bus over, and got to the wonderful city of Minneapolis around 5:45. It was already dark out. Gotta love winter comin.

So as per my usual ritual with concerts in Minneapolis, I made my way to the Chipotle on Nicollet Mall to enjoy my new found love in life, the bowl.

So I made my way to Target Center around 6:15, and started to notice a LOT of KISS shirts. 70's, 80's, 90's and today. Funnily enough even farewell tour shirts, not exactly valid at this point in time. As I make my way to the the side of the Center, I notice this huge piece of art work..

Gene Simmons obviously has not been dethroned as the king of whoring himself out for cash yet. So I hung around outside for a while, seeing as the doors had yet to open, and noticed that about half of the audience waiting around were wearing makeup. Not your basic eyeliner, but full on KISS makeup, some going as far as wearing the exact costumes of the band. It was something you couldn't help but feel good about in a situation like this, that people can take a night off, dress up, and have fun. And the other great thing was that almost all of these middle aged KISS Army members brought all their kids to see a real rock show, something that doesn't really happen much anymore. So the doors open, and I check my cheap seat i bought, and notice I'm up there quite a ways.

3 rows from the back to be exact. but that's why the call them cheap seats! There's gotta be a catch. So I hang out, people watching, and the lights dim for the opening act Buckcherry, with a surprisingly large audience for and opening band. They play through all of their songs with great energy, though the vocalist could use a little less rasp and a lot more melody, but I guess this is what they're good for. I didn't know any of there songs except for the huge hit "Crazy Bitch" (which my band played at a high school function back in the day, needless to say we almost got expelled before graduation.)

So Buckcherry finishes a pretty good opening set, and I go out to walk around, get a drink and ran into an old friend from back home which was very nice. We talked a little while, and got back in the arena just in time to see the lights dim for KISS.

So everything is dark, and the band has a clever Google Earth thing up on the screens, which zooms into the top of the Target Center, leading to a video of the band "getting onstage" (obviously not exactly live, but the thought was nice) So the big curtain is still up, the band hits a huge rockin note, and the massive light show is revealed. It becomes very apparent that KISS obviously haven't floundered in this recession...

As you'll notice, I was able to walk around to various entrances into the arena, and able to snap some much better pics and get a greater glimpse of the band, a nifty little trick for those with the ultimately shoddy camera phone.

The band proceeded to play through all of the classic tunes you know, and some newer ones, which could still hold up as pretty rocking tunes in most cases. But what really impressed me was the fact that Paul Stanley could connect so well with the audience (who were more than willing to please their Gods.) When Stanley said anything, it evoked a reaction from the crowd, which is something that has been really getting lost at most rock shows, people just don't want to interact anymore. The other thing that really impressed me, was that every song brought something new to the table, some new lighting scheme, or some insanely massive stunt. Such as Gene Simmons' fire breathing, blood spewing flying into the rafters antics, or Tommy Thayers guitar solo, which involved shooting fireballs from his guitar, setting off explosives in the lighting rig, and making dummy lights fall from the ceiling. On one of the final songs, Love Gun, Paul Stanley got onto a little rod it looked like, and flew out into the audience, to a small stage right next to the sound booth, something that made you feel even closer to a band that is giving you their all.

Overall I would have to say this was probably one of the most impressive concerts I've seen production wise (definitely up there with Britney Spears) but the bands attitude and willingness to please the audience, and the audiences willingness to interact cemented it in a definite top 3 position in my favorite concerts of all time.

Creed and Staind

Sorry that the posts have been quite spacious, I have been pretty busy with school, practice, learning tunes, all that great stuff!

Well, last night I went to a concert I have been waiting for for almost 8 years. When word of the Creed reunion reached me, I was generally excited and optimistic about the situation. I have some very distinct memories involving their songs, and I fell in love with one of their songs, One Last Breath, during some strange times in my life in middle school, and since it has been a mainstay of my iTunes library. Also I gotta say their other hits generally are great tunes that I can enjoy singing along too, however horrible it may sound.

I was reluctant to buy a ticket until a few weeks ago, due to the fact I figured the cheapest ticket would be somewhere around $50. I managed to catch a ticket for about $20, right near the the rear of the main level.

So yesterday I hopped on the 94 bus, and made my way to Minneapolis, grabbed some Chipotle, and headed on down to the Target Center, which I expected to be swamped with teens, and people around my age. When I got there I was surprised to find that there was a fairly large mix of individuals around 30-40, people wearing a lot of old Creed shirts from tours from the early 2000s. So I get to my seat very early, just to hang out and soak it all in, as I am known to do. I left to grab a quick drink, when I realized all of the TVs in the halls had the Twins game on, bottom of the 9th. So I stood amongst the crowds, cheered on my Twinks, and managed to only catch a glimpse of the first opener, Like A Storm. When they came onstage, I went in quickly, and was driven out quickly. The basic vibe I got off of them was something like Fall Out Boy meets Trivium with really bad singing. It was not a good mixture, so I quickly got back to my game. It was from that post that I heard an abomination of sound waves, a horribly shoddy cover of Alice in Chains' Man in the Box. I just about did a kamikaze dive to the soundboard so no one else would lose their mind. Nothing like the Twins to distract you from an abomination...

The Twins tie the game up, go to the 11th, and I go to my seat just as Staind takes the stage. At this point I realize that a large part of the crowd is here solely for Staind, but I figure that Creed's fans are just waiting to show up till just before they take the stage. I also begin to notice how great the lighting rig for this tour looks. Everything is extremely well calibrated, and looks great. I am a mainstream Staind fan, I have always liked their tunes, and can connect somewhat with some lyrics contained within. I was extremely surprised by how great Staind sounded through the house (and very happy at this point about Target Center's 1 million dollar sound upgrading.) I found new song that I enjoyed and also connected with, so I will definitely be checking them out again sometime in the near future.

At this point I go back out to find a stunning victory by my twins (go twins,) and head back. After waiting around, next to some 30 year old man wearing a Call of Duty shirt, the lights hit. typical tension builds, and the band comes onstage and rips into a song from their new "money maker" Full Circle. At this point I notice that there is an absolutely stunning amount of empty seats, even the sections next to the stage have wide open gaps in them.

The beginning of the show, as could be expected is all new stuff that neither I, or most people there care about. I am here for the tunes everyone knows, and can sing along with. At this point it becomes painfully clear that the successful reunions of the past few years are what this is supposed to be like. And it failed miserably. The band sounded solid, but Scott Stapp, known to have had substance problems, (not anymore) cannot even hold a note. Literally. Every not fell flat, and none reached their desired location. To me Scott Stapp, who has always been notorious as a not-so-solid singer should just hang it up, or actually try for once. When we get to the good tunes that I know, they end up falling flat on their faces, Stapp seeming uninspired, and almost like he just isn't trying.

This blatant money-grab reunion seems to be deflating before it's even finished, as I found out this morning that the crowd was somewhere around a measly 4,000 attendees, most likely the lowest ever seen at the Target Center. Not a single upper level seat was sold.

In the end, some of my favorite songs were just butchered, I felt a huge amount of un-inspiration in the new material, save for Mark Tremonti and the rest of the rhythm section, who at this point should just stick with the much better Alter Bridge. If this tour somehow survives and goes anywhere else, save us all the pain and drop the opener, and make it a Staind concert.

Quick Update!

Hey everyone! sorry I haven't been to too many concerts lately, but with the sumer rush coming in, I'll be doing plenty more updates! but until then, I have started a new blog, where I review albums and such from my past, and how they have impacted me on a personal level, so please check it out until I post a new concert blog sometime in the next month! thanks for reading!

http://brakmusic.tumblr.com/

Dan

Elton John & Billy Joel

Rarely can it be said that you have seen two of the forerunners of a genre on the same stage in the same night. A packed house of 19,960 people got a chance to see that last night at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul when Elton John and Billy Joel brought their Face 2 Face tour to the Twin Cities for the third time. I was lucky enough to join some family and friends in attending this extremely unique concert.

First off, may I suggest to never attend a concert without earplugs if you have ear infections, I must say I have learned this the hard way, and it was not fun! But alas, I could have cared less beforehand, for I was on my way to see two of the most famous piano players in the world of singer songwriters. first thing I noticed upon arrival at the Xcel Center was the lack of younger people. I mean come on, even for just Elton I would have been at this concert when I was 12. I believe I counted around 10 people younger than myself, which I find extremely unsettling when compared with todays musical popularity contest.

So after purchasing a wonderful Davanni's personal pan pizza (which they forgot to cut, I must have looked like a fool holding a whole pizza like that...) I found my seat, near the rear of the floor of the auditorium, just in the inclined seats. I could tell from this spot that the light show would be stellar, and that this setup would really deliver the volume necessary to get one grooving. So the show starts, with two grand pianos rising to the stage, and then out come our friends Elton and Billy. They start off with the the slow and somber "Your Song," a surprising starter for such a large audience. The other surprise, the volume is monumentally un-epic. Granted the light show more than makes up for that in the song "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me," but it seemed quite from where we were sitting. too quite.

So after 4 songs together, Billy exits stage left, and the lights dim as the intro to "Funeral for a Friend" starts coming out the minimalist speaker setup. What happened next was more than unsettling. When Elton and the band roar into "Love Lies Bleeding," the second part to this epic masterpiece, the band sounds like they could care less about how it sounds. Elton turned on band auto-pilot. And I must also say, as a bass player myself, the bassist was good, but his tone did not match the music at all. Let's just say that a Jaco Pastorius bass tone does not belong in the Elton John band. Granted, the band got their chops together around the time that "Levon" came on, was that I really started to enjoy it. After very faithful renditions of "Daniel" (of course named after myself) and "Rocket Man" I felt a little tap on my shoulder. I look behind my shoulder to see my aunt, signaling us to come up the steps with her and follow her to the higher ranks, the Suite Level.

This was probably the most epic turning point ever in a concert. We follow her upstairs, to her companies suite. Just so happens that it is directly next to the stage. Probably the most perfect view of any concert you could ever find. We were able to catch the end of Elton's set from this ever-beautiful view, and thoroughly enjoyed watching Elton rip it up through his closer, "Crocodile Rock."

And then, without pause, Billy Joel enters the stage. And here comes surprise #2 of the evening. Billy Joel absolutely KILLED IT. Having a perfect mix of music, a killer band, humor, and plain old courtesy towards the audience. He brought his band through killer versions of "Movin' Out," "It's Still Rock and Roll," and my favorite of the night "River of Dreams," which had a killer break where Prince's "1999" was played for a minute or so, though Joel seemed less than pleased, calling it a "Rock 'n Roll Fuck Up." Joel then finished off his set, roaring through some more classics, until Elton triumphantly returned to the stage with him.

Seeing these two men on stage together is nothing short of unique, in that their chemistry musically and comedically is perfect. They continued to rock on through Elton's "The Bitch is Back," with both backing bands, and with the ultimate vigor that every live bands searches for. After a killer Beatles medley containing "Birthday" and "Back in the U.S.S.R." and a mind-blowing "Bennie and the Jets" the backing musicians left (or rather sank through this state of the art stage,) and Elton and Billy finished the show together, singing each others songs, "Candle in the Wind" and "Piano Man," a perfect end to the night.

I am in awe that these two men, with full backing bands, could make this whole show flow so smoothly as it did. Though ticket prices were more than steep, this is truly one of those occasions where any price is easily justifiable, and will easily become a memory that nobody in attendance will forgot anywhere in the future.

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Flight of the Conchords

I don't believe I have ever been in a more "bro" inhabited place as the Northrop Auditorium last night. Mind you these weren't the worst kind of "bros" you can find, but they were your typical college guys who love to drink their beer then mack on the ladies. Yet I cannot say I was necessarily surprised, Northrop is in the middle of the University of Minnesota campus, ground zero for party dudes. Of course we were all there to see the new "cool thing" in comedy music, Flight of the Conchords. Needless to say when we got there it was instantly eventful.

First off, the place was packed, and that was even outside the entry to the venue. the t-shirt stand was being heckled by everyone in sight, and was having troubles with cash registers, which did not help their situation one bit. In the middle of picking up my usual commemorative t-shirt (and this time totally awesome 7" vinyl single) an alarm starts to go off. Myself and my friends are really not sure what it is, and ignore it, thinking maybe it means to get to your seats. We head up to the balcony, and I choose to go to the basement, for a quick break in the bathroom. Turns out I am next to the nurse station, being yelled at to "GET OUT NOW!" Being the hypochondria and anxiety riddled guy that I am, I freaked the hell out, but only on the inside. Once outside everybody is asking themselves what the hell is going on? Now there is an alarm outside emitting an annoying buzzing sound, not pleasant. they turn the alarm off, we all think someone must have pulled it, then it goes off again! this continues to happen at least 15 times with the alarm outside. until we all say whatever, get back inside, and find out the whole alarm system was just freaking out. What does this have to do with the overall concert? Nothing, but it's the reaction later that helps make it so special.

So, I find my seat, after tripping on the oddly configured stairs in the balcony, while in pitch black, trying to find my friends. An announcer (Bret from FOTC) announces that this show is brought to you by the Minneapolis Fire Department (thank you fire alarms!) And before the comedy duo hits the stage, comedian Eugene Mirman comes on. I only knew him as a very small role on the Flight of the Conchords HBO show, but turns out this guy is a real deal comedian, very funny, and well worth checking out (especially when it involves Delta Airlines!)

After only around 20-25 minutes of standup, Eugene introduces Flight of the Conchords, the now giants of comedy folk rock from New Zealand. They open with a hit from their newest season on HBO, "Too Many Dicks on the Dancefloor". Needless to say it is 10 times funnier with the guys dancing in robot costumes. After that short techno diatribe, they sit down to their normal acoustic guitars, and begin the real intimate type show. It is here, that FOTC really know how to make a show special. They actually TALK to the audience. Interact, make fun of people, and just be all around funny guys. What I loved most, was that the fire alarm incident was brought up so often, that it was a real connecting point between the band and the audience. This is one of the things that most bands don't understand, you really need to connect with your audience for them to be comfortable around you. (Even during the encore break, instead of yelling CONCHORDS! everyone was simply mimicking the fire alarm, which was really unique and fun.)

Well, over the course of around and hour and a half the band pulled out some extremely funny music and standup, including "hits" such as Albi the Racist Dragon, I'm not Crying, Hurt Feelings, Demon Woman, Suga Lumps, and even in the middle of the show brought out the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (a guy named Virgil with a cello.) After 90 minutes of that, and heckling various audience members (even telling everyone to cal some guy madame after the show, and for the rest of his life, also his children as well) they Conchords left the stage. It could have been a little bit longer, though that was the only complaint anyone could have come up with about this show. Overall it was an extremely unique and fun show, something that is hard to do with just guitars and pianos, you can find me at any more Conchords shows that come through Minneapolis/St. Paul in the future.

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Britney Spears

As many people know, I am a musician, I love all kinds of music, see all kinds of concerts, and try to not judge anyone due to the music they listen to (which is not always the easiest thing to do...) But there comes a time when a musician must bite the bullet, take one for the team, just do it. On Friday night, I did that. I attended a Britney Spears concert at the Target Center in Minneapolis. And as surprising as it is, it was probably the most well-produced concert I have ever witnessed.

First off, coming from some fresh $1 Million sound upgrades, the Target Center is actually starting to sound pretty good, the reverberation of the massive amounts of sound were fairly minimal, and everything was crystal clear. Yes, the entire show was most likely contained on some digital format, and some fat roadie just pushed play, yet they still made it sound great and packed a real punch with it.

Now, onto the center ring of the show. When I entered the arena The Pussycat Dolls were strutting their stuff all around the stage, in the typical pop fashion manner. though I cannot say that I am a huge fan of their style of music, the diversity of music put into their backing tracks is actually quite surprising. The songs contained hints of Middle Eastern and Indian tones, yet were still brought into the pop arena.

Well, thankfully that got done quickly, even though I spent most of their set waiting around 20-30 minutes to get a hot dog. Yes, a hot dog. Perhaps it was stress on the vendors, or the fact that they had one single credit card swiper in their whole stand, and a slow one at that. But once I regained my position amongst the around 90% female crowd, I realized that the Target Center was more crowded than I think I have ever seen it. It was nothing but screaming women, yelling at the top of their lungs for Britney, and it was women of all ages, young and old. When we first arrived at the venue, I though a riot was going to break out in the main entryway when it was nothing but women trying to make it through first.

Before Britney came on many circus acts performed around the two outermost "rings" of the circus, which can be seen in the posts below. It was probably one of the most original ideas for a tour I have seen yet, and was actually pulled off very successfully, and I was very surprised to see that actual circus caliber performers were hired to perform on the whole tour. Once the circus acts were over, and after saying hello to some friends in attendance, the lights went down. Pandemonium ensued. A strange intro video is displayed on a 360 degree screen, which is lifted over the stage, and Britney is seen descending onto the stage. Cue ear-drum shattering screams from thousands of women. But once the music started I got a very pleasant surprise. This was bar-none the most organized, well-planned, choreographed, and most fluid stage show I have ever seen. the stage, 3 "rings" all had multiple trap doors or elevators, which could be lowered or raised, and were used for exchanging dancers and props. The amazing thing is that the workers below the stage never seemed to miss a beat. Everything went according to plan, and Britney didn't have to worry about her kitty cat hanging out.

All in all I was surprised at how energetic lip-syncing along to a track could be, and the lights, stage, and backup performers all made the show a cohesive spectacle, or circus, if you will. It's amazing how almost no musician of my sorts would ever seem to end up at a concert like this one, but it also amazes me how some people don't even bother to give it a chance. I can honestly say it was one of the better concerts I have attended, and has helped me give a little more credit to the all-deserving road crew that puts something like this logistical nightmare together every night.

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Fleetwood Mac

Yet again I was very pleasantly surprised by a crowd at a concert. Last night I managed to find a cheap ticket on the street to see the amazing Fleetwood Mac at the Xcel Energy Center. I must say I was not sure what to expect from this concert, having never had much contact with the band outside of their basic greatest hits. I must say that the musicianship displayed onstage was stunning and sounded especially good for it having been only the second date of the tour.

I was not at all surprised to be surrounded by nothing but mostly middle-aged concert goers, and was giving a few strange looks from a few of them, probably wondering if I was lost or something, as if people my age could never stand music like this. What really lifted my spirits and gave me a ray of hope in humanity was that right in front of me was a family of 4, mother, father, and two daughters, only around 6 and 10. What really amazed me was that the 10 year old girl was absolutely ECSTATIC to be there, almost as if she already knew more about the band than I did (she very well may have!)

The band came onstage just a little past 8, and started out with a few basic hits, but they seemed stale. It didn't seem like they really wanted to be there (besides Mick Fleetwood, who I think may be a raving lunatic.) But after about 3 songs, and a couple absolutely insane Lindsey Buckingham solos they started to really get stuff in gear, Buckingham and the ever strange Stevie Nicks began moving around the stage a bit more (though Nicks seemed a little out of it the whole night, but she brought it together near the end.)

Running through all of their greatest hits, some I had never heard but am really intrigued by, and a few extended jams (and at an extremely tollerable volume as well,) I expected this to be one of those hour and 15 minute concerts, just so the band doesn't have to do too much work, but still get the money out of it. But lo and behold, Fleetwood Mac played for right and 2 hours and twenty minutes, I would have NEVER expected a band of this stature to play that long on a reunion tour.

Overall i really enjoyed the experience (maybe not the drunken 45 year old lady next to me singing and dancing to every song...) and would have to say that when they get going, Fleetwood Mac really get kicking, and get very emotional with their live show. Lindsey Buckingham has definitely become a new influence upon me, and I strongly recommend spinning the bands album Rumours, just as I am right now!

Motley Crue

Motley Crue was one of the hugest bands in the world in the 80's, they were EVERYWHERE. Then all those drugs and alcohol caught up with them, and Tommy Lee made a sextape, and nothing was ever the same. But last night I decided to go to the Xcel Energy Center and check them out. I must say I was really really surprised at what I witnessed.

First off, when I got there, there was no crazy beer drinking going on, no one was snorting lines off a strippers back, it was quiet, I mean QUIET. there were people there, yes, but everyone was quietly sipping their beers, just chit chatting like they were going to see the London Philharmonic. What the hell?! I expect debauchery around every corner!

Anyways, I found out there were 3 opening acts, which is always painful. The first band, The Last Vegas, was kind of an AC/DC/Guns N' Roases/Led Zeppelin/80's concoction, not too bad, but nothing extremely wonderful. Theory of a Deadman were to me the most unique of the opening acts, they ha a decent following in the audience and had a mix of Alice in Chains and Incubus with a lot of pop thrown in, not bad at all. Hinder did not really do much for me, they seemed like some dudes just looking to make some money,  and lookin to find a girl somewhere.

No, the demographic of a Motley Crue audience is expected to be people around 40ish who were youth in Crue's reign of the charts. Well apparently that stereotype doesn't stand any more. There were high school kids, children, hell I even saw some "ballers" sitting next to me. The young people at this concert amazed me, they knew what was going on, I expected it to be me, a bunch of old people, and Motley Crue. It's strange how young people pick up on stuff like this.

But anyways, the lights go down, and down comes the curtain, and HOLY SHIT! IT'S THE 80'S! I must say that Crue's stage setup was something you would expect to see in the 80's arena rock realm, and something that came straight out of the movie "Rock Star." the bands stage presence was nothing short of amazing, considering how drugged up these guys used to be, they all have the same amount of vigor for the music they play, even Mick Mars, not known to be the healthiest person around. The light show/pyrotechnics/stage setup was probably the best I have seen at a concert, no joke. the use of pyro and light was phenomenal, and synced up extremely well with the music, a very rare thing at concerts I have gone to.

I have become convinced though that Mick Mars is in fact the grim reaper, Nikki Six's hair is actually roadkill, Vince Neil is a crossbread of Axl Rose and a cat, and Tommy Lee is just a myth, and some other dude is really onstage. But that's the great thing, these guys on their own have such legendary tales behind them, that it is somewhat surreal seeing them all onstage together. I mean looking at them onstage, I'm pretty sure at least two of them have actually died at one point, Tommy Lee has the most famous sex tape of all time, and he has also snorted a line of ants in a gross contest with Ozzy Osbourne, and the most famous member of the band is in his pants. It's surreal realizing that these guys really have seen some of the most amazing things that happened in the 80's and that they have some of the most insane stories of anyone in the music world.

I must say that Motley Crue absolutely tore the roof off of the Xcel Center last night, I know that even with knowing much of their music, I loved every minute of it, because they kept it fun, flashy, and made sure you were enjoying time while getting your moneys worth.

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Meshuggah

A band with not much note here in the US unless you are a musician or metalhead, Meshuggah is one of the heaviest yet still technical bands around in this day and age. They brought their insane playing and volume to Station 4 last night in St. Paul, just a block away from my home, yet I still seemed to have trouble walking home after even leaving early with a friend of mine.

The opening acts, The Faceless and Cynic, managed to do a pretty good job at keeping my attention on the music, and Meshuggah's headlining madness was also amazing to witness firsthand. Station 4, a new venue for me, is a place that seems could be summarized as your rich cousins basement, it is a huge brick room painted completely black, fitting very well with the extreme metal that was emitted at this show. Connected to this large coffin of a concert hall is a relatively normal bar, they even had hockey games playing on the TV, something I would never expect to see at this or any metal show for that matter.

One thing I love about metal concerts is the fact that everyone is welcome, metal is a genre such that it doesn't matter who you are, if you have a love for the music, you fit right in. I definitely am not a metalhead of any sort, but I still feel very comfortable being there and just enjoying some rocking music. Also, attendees at metal shows tend to be some of the nicest and most conversation inducing people I get to meet at concerts, you can always find a common ground with someone there, for instance I met a guy on the street with my friend, and we were talking about the Wacken Open Air festival, he was wearing a shirt from there, and that spawned off a lengthy conversation on different types of metal, and how it all fits back to todays metal scene.

The concert itself was surprisingly calm through the two opening acts, people were just kind of staring blank faced at the bands, drinking their beer, just enjoying the music. No moshing of any sort was to be had before 11 pm. But when Meshuggah took the stage, even before a single note was played, people were starting to get rowdy, there was pushing left and right, and people moved like a see of some angry sort of fish. During the first song it got to be too much for me, and moved about halfway back through the room, got stuck for a couple songs, then managed to find my way back to the bar, where I just listened and enjoyed the environment and talking to more people, including our Wacken friend from earlier.

Overall metal shows tend to be a very unique type of concert, any beer drinker or rock/metal lover is welcome, and everyone tends to be very friendly in helping you not get killed during the show (except for a few metalhead jerks, there's always one there!) But as for metal concerts go, Meshuggah had one of the most energetic and best sounding shows I have heard from a metal band, not to mention their technical prowess is that of legend among the metal community. I would strongly recommend any music geek check them out, and get to a show on this rare US tour if you possibly can, and be prepared for some intense experiences.

Vusi Mahlasela

Last night I had the great honor to see one of the most highly praised African singer/songwriters, Vusi Mahlasela, at the beautiful Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul. I must say that Vusi has one of the most soulful voices I may have ever been able to see in a live setting, and nothing seemed to hinder his performance at all. Mixing African and worldly sounds with a reggae/rock feel, Vusi is definitely one of the most unique artists I have had the pleasure of seeing, and has a great talent for putting words and emotions into his music and thoughts. It was great to be able to hear his stories about growing up as a boy during some of the most troubled days of South Africa, and recalling how he and his family were affected by these things.

The only thing that I thought was not quite right about this concert was the setting in which it took place, The Ordway is one of the most beautiful theaters in the Twin Cities, but while I was sitting there, I was wishing I could be witnessing this music maybe somewhere like First Avenue, or at a park in Minneapolis, somewhere more open to music instead of performing arts. Some people were even dancing throughout much of the show, but were rarely joined by anyone else, and it just seemed to me that a very high level theatre such as this may not be the ideal setting for such a concert.

Also it was very surprising to see that a lot of the audience was small children, most likely brought by there parents to try and introduce more culture into their lives, but it became obvious that these children were not exactly pleased with sitting still for 2+ hours to listen to something that isn't rap or Britney Spears.

Overall I found this to be an extremely enjoyable time (with my wonderful sister Crystal,) and would definitely love to experience more of what Vusi has to offer, and I strongly recommend that anyone interested in music outside of your culture check him out, and have an open mind about what it is he is saying, and just relax and enjoy the simple sounds of Vusi Mahlasela.

Umphrey's McGee at First Avenue in Minneapolis, 1/30/09

Well, after the hell that is Minneapolis parking ramps, last night was another successful Umphrey's McGee concert at the famous First Ave. night club in Minneapolis. The band was, as usual, in top form, bringing their techno/jazz/funk/metal infused jams to the masses until 12:30 in the morning. Everyone seemed to be very satisfied after the show, and the band members were even nice enough to come out to the main floor afterwards and talk with fans such as myself, and just relax and talk music.

Now what amazes me about concerts such as this is the general don't ask don't tell policy on marijuana. At First Avenue I have seen employees confiscating cigarettes from concert-goers, and being relatively lax about enforcing drug policies. But it is somewhat understandable with shows like this. Being a huge success in the jam band genre, Umphrey's McGee draws all the regular hippie stereotypes, along with musicians checking out the players themselves. Just being in the vicinity of the concert, and myself being up in the front, it is not uncommon to experience a fairly good contact high from all of the substance in the air.

 What also amazed me is how people just seem to let go of their everyday vices at a concert like this, no one is afraid to just let themselves go and dance to their hearts content. This is generally a concert where everyone can find something to like in the band, and the talent displayed by the players is always top-notch.

Umphrey's McGee is definitely a band that I will be seeing as long as I can, and I strongly recommend that anyone with an interest in music pick up a CD of theirs, and try to make it to one of their shows when the come to a town near you, I can very strongly guarantee that it will be enjoyed by just about anyone.

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OK I Lied, First Update!

I said I would create my first post tomorrow, but quickly decided to throw in a quick word while sitting in my local Caribou.

I am currently a student at McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul, MN, and today we had a very special guest come join us, Bobby McFerrin! (yes, the "Don't Worry, Be Happy" guy) Well if you only know him as that certain someone, then I swiftly urge you to take a deeper look!

Often under-appreciated, McFerrin seems to be a very genuine, down to earth person, and also one of the greatest vocal talents of recent history. In the very relaxed Q&A I was able to attend earlier today, Bobby made everyone feel at home, and was very warm and willing to answer any question thrown at him, also throwing in a good bit of comedy as well.

To be in the presence of this amazing talent for just an hour was still an immense privilege, and hearing him perform improvisational vocal pieces no one else may ever hear was really an incredible experience, I urge everyone to check out his solo works, and also collaborations with legends such as Chick Corea.

ALSO: When there is a break between concerts for myself, I'm going to be reviewing/talking about previous concerts, and all other sorts of stuff, so look out for that too!

The Basics of Concert Culture

Well, welcome to the Concert Culture blog! My name is Daniel, a Twin Cities musician, and avid concert attendee. Being one who goes to so many concerts, I have found that each show has it's own special "flavor," i.e. a Kanye West concert will not have the same "flavor" as an Eric Clapton concert. Surprising isn't it? Well what I want to do with this blog is talk about the various experiences involved with different concerts, how an audience reacts to certain things at these shows, and how it all comes together to create larger experience for the music lover. I will hopefully be providing my first full update tomorrow, after attending a concert by popular midwest jam band Umphrey's McGee tonight in Minneapolis.

Also, I will be posting other musically relevant information here, and trying to keep everyone up to date on the latest music news.

Hopefully you can enjoy reading about these things as much as I enjoy witnessing them!

And a little about me... I am a musician/student at McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul, I am studying for my Bachelor's in Bass Performance, and have performed at various locations throughout the Twin Cities. Concerts have always seemed to be my number source of inspiration, and I have spent entirely too much time and money enjoying them, but I still love them to death and try to get to as many as I can!

A "short" list of my live music experiences so far:

1.The Eagles

2.Leo Kottke

3.Crosby, Stills & Nash/The Jayhawks

4.The Blue Man Group/Venus Hum/Tracy Bonham

5.Bob Dylan

6.Les Paul

7.Eric Clapton/Robert Randolph and the Family Band

8.Incubus/The Music

9.MACRock Festival

10.Steve Vai/Eric Sardinas

11.Elton John

12.Todd Rundgren/Joe Jackson

13.Santana/Los Lonely Boys

14.Lucinda Williams/John Doe

15.Aimee Mann/The Honeydogs

16.Dave Matthews Band/Gavin Degraw

17.Minnesota Orchestra Plays Led Zeppelin

18.Dream Theater

19.Queen + Paul Rodgers

20.Dave Matthews Band/Umphrey's McGee

21.Dave Matthews Band/Umphrey's McGee

22.Trampled By  Turtles

23.Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

24.Steve Miller Band/The Fabulous Thunderbirds

25.Umphrey's McGee

26.Umphrey's McGee

27.Eric Clapton/Robert Cray

28.The Bad Plus

29.Zappa Plays Zappa

30.Sonny Rollins

31.Red Hot Chili Peppers/Mars Volta

32.Primus/Drums and Tuba

33.Ray Lamontagne/Tristan Prettyman

34.Guns N' Roses/Sebastian Bach/Helmet/Suicide Girls/Modern Day Zeros

35.The Who/The Pretenders

36.Bx3/Jeff Berlin/Stu Hamm/Billy Sheehan

37.John Mayer/Mat Kearney

38.Umphrey's McGee

39.Umphrey's McGee

40.Heaven and Hell

41.The Allman Brothers Band

42.Roger Waters

43.The Police/Fiction Plane

44.Basilica Block Party 2007

45.Incubus/Simon Dawes

46.Dream Theater/Redemption/Into Eternity

47.Rage Against the Machine/Queens of the Stone Age/The Coup

48.Dave Matthews Band/The Roots

49.Dave Matthews Band/The Roots

50.The Allman Brothers Band/Robert Randolph and the Family Band

51.Velvet Revolver/Alice in Chains/Kill Hannah

52.Rush

53.Steve Vai/Zack Wiesinger

54.Van Halen/Ky-Mani Marlee

55.Ozzy Osbourne/Rob Zombie/In This Moment

56.Hellyeah/Otep/Bloodsimple

57.Dane Cook

58.Aimee Mann/Paul F. Tompkins/Morgan Murphy/Adam Levy/Nellie McKay

59.Robert Randolph and the Family Band/The Satin Peaches

60.G. Love and Special Sauce/The Wood Brothers

61.Todd Rundgren

62.Matchbox Twenty/Alanis Morissette/Mutemath

63.Marilyn Manson/OURS

64.Foo Fighters/Serj Tankian/Against Me!

65.Umphrey's McGee/North Indiana Allstars

66.Dream Theater/Opeth/Between the Buried and Me/3

67.Zappa Plays Zappa

68.Kanye West/Rihanna/N.E.R.D./Lupe Fiasco

69.Return to Forever

70.Jack Johnson/Mason Jennings/Money Mark

71.Liquid Tension Experiment

72.Peter Frampton

73.Rage Against The Machine/Anti-Flag

74.Buckethead/That1Guy

75.Opeth/High on Fire

76.Ray LaMontagne/Leona Ness

77.Joe Satriani/Mountain

78.Beastie Boys/Ben Harper/Tenacious D

79.Coldplay/John Hopkins/Sleepercar

80.AC/DC/The Answer

81.Slipknot/Coheed & Cambria/Trivium