It’s been more than a week and VH is still going strong! Reviews are great, but the bulk are coming from the die hards that would go to the moon to see Dave reunite with Eddie. I’m sure Wolfie is enjoying the perks of rockstar life…but is he keeping his dad up past his bedtime???

Meanwhile, Michael Anthony is in Cabo San Lucas helping Sammy celebrate his 60th birthday with SIX completely FREE shows at the Cabo Wabo Cantina. Reports from the first show say that Sammy & crew played for 2 straight hours. The set list was:

Open
I´ll Take You There
I Love This Bar
When The Sun Don´t Shine
On A Roll (a new one about getting on a hotstreak in Vegas)
24365 (this one rocked!!!)
Mexico
Shaka Doobie
Can´t Stop Lovin You (haven´t heard this one since 95)
Piece Of My Heart (never heard this one live)
Finish What Ya Started
One Way To Rock
Heavy Metal
I Can´t Drive 55
Fight For Your Right
Serious Juju
Marching To Mars
Sam I Am
I'll Fall In Love Again
Dreams (acoustic)

Night 2 in Cabo & the set list was:

Girl Gets Around
Red Voodoo
Sympathy For The Human
Top Of The World
Tropic Of Capricorn
Open
24365
When The Sun Goes Down
Why Can´t This Be Love
Joe Love
Three Lock Box
Things´ve Changed
Little White Lie
Who Has The Right
Rock Candy
Mas Tequila

Anyone up for a trip to Cabo? Cheers!

THE VERDICT IS IN. AND.........

It seems they're not so bad. The Charlotte Observer reports that it was a full house and the band put on a pretty good show. Early comments by readers seem to report the same thing. You can read that review here.
As it turns out, the rehearsal set list that leaked was the actual song list for the night. Scattered reports around the internet are saying that the sound was "muddy" and hard to listen to. The almost-everyone-is-over-50 band put on a great show, but without all the leaps and jumps of the old days. One fan reported that Dave reminded her of Liberace in costume strutting about the stage. Dave does love to strut his game show host poses and those porcelain veneers!
And a special note about Wofie's debut: There is not one report of any mistakes. Not that we expected him to tank, but he is only 16 and has never played a full show at a venue of this size (he did play select songs during the 2004 tour when he was 13). Even though the rehearsal reports were saying his vocals were "off" and/or too loud in the mix, the fans at last nights show say he was fabulous. Way to go Wolf!


Overall, even with some sound issues, it sounds like the fans are happy to see this reunion. Who wouldn't be? After 22 years, no one ever thought this would happen. If they can keep their egos, anger and addictions in check it may turn out to be a good run.

I'm sure more reports will filter in today....stay tuned.

COUNTDOWN TO MELTDOWN
DAY: ZERO

Somebody get me a doctor! In just two hours Van Halen kicks off their 2007 fall tour with David Lee Roth in the driver's seat. Last chance to place your bets: Will this tour implode...or not? Hard to say. The reviews will be out soon...stay tuned!

COUNTDOWN TO MELTDOWN
DAYS: 1

Tomorrow night. Charlotte, North Carolina. They're back........

And it looks like it's a go. Additional shows have just been added, bringing this tour to 29 stops. Still no stop in Denver, so I'll have to rely on fellow bloggers, national reviews and of course, YouTube to find out what the VH boys are up to.

So, Dave's back but why is Michael Anthony gone? Here's a blog posting on August 23, 2007, by Mike on his blog:

Thanks For The support!!

First of all, I hope all of you are having a great Summer!! I want to thank everyone for all the support you're shown me during the past months. I'ts all been pretty crazy, and I just wanted to bring you all up to speed. Alot of you have been asking about the upcoming Van Halen tour and my response to it. It's not that I'm not touring with Van Halen because I'm going out with Sammy, I'm going out with Sammy because I was not invited to do the VH tour. Sammy told me that if I was asked to be part of the VH tour and decided to do it, it would be totally cool, and it would not tarnish our friendship in the least!! Well it's not to be, and life goes on. I'll still be out there with Sam, and I can't wait to do some partying with all of you. One last note from myself to all the Van Halen fans out there who will be attending their shows...Wolfgang is a great kid, so don't judge him too harshly. I'm sure he'll do just fine!!....See you all soon, Mike

(from http://madanthonyblog.blogspot.com )

Rumour also has it that Eddie & Alex did not want Mike on the 2004 reunion tour with Sammy. Sammy insisted that Mike be included or he would not participate. In the end, Mike agreed to a pay cut and Eddie & Alex hit the road with Mike & Sammy. I personally love Mike...and Sammy. No wonder I'm not so hyped to see the "new" old VH.

btw...You can see Michael Anthony on tour with Sammy right now. They call themselves "The Other Half" and they usually play right after Sammy finishes his set with the Waboritas.

Here's a little trivia fact: None of Roth-era albums held the #1 album spot on the Billboard charts. Zippo. Null. None. Big Zero. However, all four Van-Hagar albums did, starting with 5150. ALL FOUR. That's a lot of number one time.

I was wondering how they might handle the "Van Hagar" years on this tour. Sammy was able to do the favorites like "Jump" and "Panama" but would Roth be able to pull off a Hagar song?

**SPOILER ALERT***
Details of the show may be revealed here. If you don't want to know, stop reading now.

I have a copy of the rehearsal set list. Not a guarantee that you will hear these songs in this order, but it's a good indication.

01. You Really Got Me
02. I'm the One
03. Runnin' With the Devil
04. Romeo Delight
05. Somebody Get Me a Doctor
06. Beautiful Girls
07. Dance the Night Away
08. Atomic Punk
09. Everybody Wants Some
10. So This Is Love?
11. Mean Street
12. Pretty Woman
13. Drum Solo
14. Unchained
15. I'll Wait
16. And the Cradle Will Rock
17. Hot for Teacher
18. Little Dreamer
19. Little Guitars
20. Jamie's Cryin'
21. Ice Cream Man
22. Panama
23. Guitar Solo (incl. "Women in Love" intro, "Cathedral", "Eruption")
24. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
------------------------
25. 1984
26. Jump

Not one Sammy-era song. In fact, when I went to the official VH web site, I was surprised to see there was not one trace of Sammy left. The background graphics are made from images of all the Roth albums. The discography section is gone, so there is no mention of any albums post-Roth. Even the logo has reverted back to the orignal; the wings of VH are straight now, they were curved during the Sammy years. Interesting how they are just erasing history.

Van Halen is treading in some dangerous waters and unless they find a way to handle this transition back to Roth with some dignity and respect for the Sammy years, they are going to alienate a great portion of their fans.

Here's a video clip from the final rehearsal:



It's actually pretty good! Might even make you think about buying tickets to this tour. Let's not forget that just one year ago Dave was doing this:



And I repeat: Vegas oddsmakers predict this tour will implode before the 5th show.

Who knows? Wait and see. Wait and see.

Styx – Foreigner – Def Leppard

September 9, 2007
Fiddler's Green (Coors Ampitheatre)

This concert, wow. Two weeks later, I’m still trying to process it all. I’ve been dreading this review because it’s just not going to be a good one. I’m a music lover and I LOVE live music more than anything. And I love to write good reviews. I just do. It is a joy to be able to take that experience right to the pages. It’s not often that I have harsh words for a show, but I have to report what really happened at this show.

You might title this show “Concert for Ageing Rock Stars.”

“Are you ready to get your Styx on?” ….(Tommy Shaw)

And with that remark, we were rolling in the Styx groove and I gotta tell you…they were tight! Closing my eyes I thought it was 1978 again. The audience was so into it; singing, dancing, reminiscing and rockin it all out.

I was surprised that Styx played first. I had my back to the stage (loading my camera!) when they hit that first chord to “Blue Collar Man” and I spun around like “What?”! Could it be that due to their advanced age(s) they need an early bedtime? Seriously, the show should have been HEADLINED by Styx and the promoter who set that up should be fired. They were truly the highlight of the entire night.

I love live music mostly because it lets the artist off their leash and lets them go wild. Yes, I do want to hear the songs I love the most, but I also appreciate it when group can throw in a wild cover of a song I never expected or when they turn a predictable classic into something extraordinary. It’s the visual of the group with the sound, the venue; it’s the total package that I’m looking for.

( side note: I have to tell you that the most boring concert I have ever gone to is the Dave Matthews Band. Technically, they are superb musicians. So technically gifted that they made the show sound JUST LIKE the CD. I didn’t get anything at their show that I couldn’t have have by listening to the CD at home. And I would have saved $96!)

So did Styx deliver? You bet. They did not throw in any cover songs and they did not stray too far from the original version. Why? They didn’t have to. Styx has a 30+ year catalog to draw from and fans that want to hear it all. They came out and delivered the songs we all wanted to hear. It was classic Styx and it was played with energy, style and verve.

The set list:
Blue Collar Man
Grand Illusion
Too Much Time on My Hands
Angry Young Man (Fooling Yourself)
Miss America
Come Sail Away

Encore:
Renegade

Great set list, huh? This was Styx doing what they do best: rocking hard. I’m sure a lot of people came to the show hoping to hear “Babe” or “The Best of Times.” Great songs. I’m sure you danced to one of them at your prom, but they Styx-lite. This show rocked like Styx was meant to rock. What a shocker to hear “Miss America.” That song separated the Styx-lite fans from the hard rockin Styx fans. What a little gem that was! Tommy rocked the hell out of it!

The current Styx line up for 2007 is: Tommy Shaw, James “JY” Young, Lawrence Gowan, Todd Sucherman, and Ricky Phillips. For my money, it’s always been Tommy & JY that led that group, but I would not be doing my job if I didn’t mention Lawrence Gowan. Styx knows their fans and they know that in a longer show, they might have to crank out some of those songs that have the “Dennis DeYoung” stamp all over them. How do you ignore that many years of some serious charting hits? (we can all ignore Mr Roboto, agreed?) You get Lawrence Gown, that’s how. He has showman written all over him. He moves, engages the crowd and hits all those sensitive notes just right…..all while twirling his keyboard around. Did I mention he can play those keys behind his back? While singing? Yeah, this is the guy. He’s not a Dennis clone and he doesn’t have to be. He’s got his own style and he keeps pace with the group.

The only bad thing I can say about Styx is that their set was WAY too short (and they should have headlined the show). I was surprised that the encore was only one song, but they knocked it out of the park with “Renegade.” From the erie a cappella opening all the way through the stompin groove and smoking guitar solo. I’ve got a little bit of it on video, but they kind of caught me and my digital off guard, so I missed a bit of the opening. I also had to cut it off at the end when they started introducing each other and taking off on solos. So, enjoy this little nibble:



They didn’t play “Lorelei” or “Snow Blind”, but I can forgive that. I’ll just be at the next show.


I had never seen Foreigner in concert. Keeping up with the news through the years, I knew that Lou Graham was no longer with them so I was braced for whatever voice they were going to give us. You know, some bands actually pull it off when they replace such an iconic voice. Journey did it successfully when they replaced Steve Perry with Steve Augeri. He had that sound down! You might never have known. And then there’s Van Halen who, in my mind, not only replaced David Lee Roth, but they traded up. Sammy Hagar breathed new life into that band and they delivered some hard rockin tunes. And then there’s Van Halen after Sammy with Gary Cherone (you say WHO?)….bad move. Sometimes a great band can survive a transition into a new direction…sometimes, not so much.

The current lineup of Foreigner is Mick Jones, Jason Bonham, Kelly Hansen, Jeff Jacobs, Jeff Pilson & Tom Gimbel. In case you keeping score, that’s just one original member and some 21 former members blowing in the wind. With those stats, I’m not sure taking a job with Foreigner is a solid career decision.

I was watching Foreigner take the stage and I’ll admit that after Styx rockin the show, I was (almost) feeling it. I’m almost getting into it and then it happened: I’m watching this lead singer prance about the stage and all I can think about is a line from the movie “Rockstar” when Izzy tells the crowd,

“You know, I'm just a regular guy who grew up with the posters of these guys on my wall... and now I'm one of them! That's right, I'm standing here, living proof that if you work hard enough, and you want it bad enough... dreams do come true. So follow your dreams...”

That right boys and girls: Kelly Hansen’s dream has come true. But Kelly is no Lou Gramm. If you don’t believe me, you can head on over to www.foreigneronline.com and have a listen for yourself. There’s a live recording of “Long, Long Way from Home.” He’s just kind of pitchy and his vocal quality is thin. I wouldn’t say he’s the worst singer I’ve ever heard, but he just didn’t put out that energy and umph that should have been there. Disappointing. Sadly disappointing.

Here’s the set list:

Double Vision
Head Games
Cold as Ice
Feels Like the First Time
Urgent
Juke Box Hero – Whole Lotta Love
I Want to Know What Love Is

Encore:
Hot Blooded

They picked a good selection of hits and I’ll tell you that the band’s sound was dynamite. Mick Jones played to perfection all those solos you know by heart and the crowd was air guitar-ing right along with him. Aside from a weak lead singer, the other low point of the show was the super extended elongated lengthy expanded very very very long versions of all these songs. Maybe to promote their (lame) 2006 release titled “ Foreigner; Extended Versions”?? You know, I dig these songs like everyone else and I deeply appreciate a band that can bring on the jams (see: Blues Traveler, Grateful Dead, Phish, Widespread Panic etc etc). But come on, guys! Extra solos, an extra chorus here and there and repeating verses: Trust me, the fans knew they were getting jerked around.

The song where this was most evident was “Juke Box Hero.” To start, the intro just went on f-o-r-e-v-e-r. You know this song…the story of a boy with big rock and roll dreams… and you know every word, right? Well, there we are singing along to the first verse and it swells at the end and goes right into the second verse real low and sexy-like…..NO! HA! You just got punked! Because tonight, instead of going into the second verse you get a bonus instrumental jam! You know how it is when you are singing really loud and then the song changes and you keep singing at least for another 10 seconds before you realize what has happened? Yeah, that was it. People were looking confused and slightly embarrassed. Evidently the band thought this worked well because they managed to squeeze two more jams into this song.

Now here’s where I might seem to contradict myself, but try to stay with me: While I wasn’t digging the extended songs that were an obviously put in place to stroke the band’s ego….I’ll admit that there ARE times when this trick works. Jason Bonham is the drummer. Yes, same Bonham. Jason is HIS son. (Yes, I can read your mind) And because “Juke Box Hero” is about a boy on a quest to play some rock and roll, it REALLY WORKED when they launched into “Whole Lotta Love” after the second chorus and brought it all back to “Juke Box.” Man, it was an ethereal experience and probably as close as I will ever come to seeing Zeppelin (sadly).

And that was the high point of Foreigner. A Led Zeppelin song.



Which brings us to Def Leppard closing out the show. Yeah! This had to be good! I saw them play at Sandstone Ampitheatre in Kansas City in the late 80’s…back when “Pour Some Sugar on Me” was at the top of the charts. Bon Jovi opened for them and it was a killer show. Def Leppard has survived so much; Rick Allen lost an arm, Steve Clark died. Not many bands would make it through that. At least they still have their original lead singer, right?

Oh my.

That was my reaction. With my jaw on the floor.


Here’s the set list:

Rocket
Animal
Excitable
Foolin
High & Dry
Let It Go
Love Bites
Rock On
2 Steps Behind
Brining on the Heartache
Hysteria
Armageddon It
Photograph
Pour Some Sugar on Me

Encore:
Rock of Ages

The best thing I can say about Def Leppard is that the band rocked. They were flat out everything I expected. Super tight. Phil Collen has only gotten better with age and Rick Allen can still deliver that electro-rock drum beat. Surprise, surprise: Vivian Campbell was on guitar! Whoa! You know Vivian; formerly with Dio & Whitesnake. He was stellar, delivering it all so effortlessly…so perfect, as if he had written these tunes himself. He was amazing to experience.

So, they opened it up with “Rocket”. Not one of my favs, but still a great tune, had people on their feet, yada yada.…typical opener. I thought there was something wrong with the mix or maybe there was an equipment problem all through the first song because I just couldn’t hear Joe Elliott. Whatever. First song, band might not have sound checked…you know.

Second song, “Animal” and the “problem” was still there. It wasn’t the mix. Not the equipment. It had a name: Joe Elliot. Man, he was bad! Like, Bad-capital-B. BAD all in caps. BAD. BAD. BAD.

So we’ve come full circle in one show: One great band, One band with a replacement singer and One band with a singer that should just quit. What a night.

Joe left the as much of the singing to the crowd as he could. Of course, we all knew the words, so it worked well for him. His voice was always out of tune and out of breath. He just didn’t have the power to sing like he used to. So, maybe he was sick or something? Well, I thought about cutting him a break and assuming that to be the case, until he delivered a killer rendition of the 70’s hit “Rock On.” This song had a lower register and just fit him better than the old hits. He was really good and he sang the whole song….which was good for me, because I was getting tired of singing!

When they whipped out “Photograph” I couldn’t resist. I just couldn’t stop myself. YouTube is entirely too easy to use so, have a listen:





The male voice you hear ever-so-slightly is Joe. It might sound like I was picking up someone from the crowd, but I assure you it is totally Joe Elliot. And it is totally bad. Such a shame, because it’s such a great song.

It wasn’t until the last song, “Rock of Ages,” ( seriously one of my favorites ) that the famous line came: with the crowd yelling it out, “It’s better to burn out, than fade away.” And I have to wonder, Joe Elliott, do you really believe that? Because in your case honey, it would be better to just fade away.

Please. Let it go.

Another BIG day! The Wish List for today:

Foreigner:
Urgent
Feels Like the First Time
Dirty White Boy

Def Leppard:
Bringing on the Heartbreak
Rock Rock
Rock of Ages

Styx
Snow Blind
Lorelei
Grand Illusion
Renegade

How much more 80's rock can I take? Here's a peek at what I'm doing this weekend :

For starters........




And then with these guys:



And my FAVORITE!



All in one weekend?

BRING IT ON!!!

Night Ranger: A band I have met, but never seen play a live show. I met Jack Blades and Kelly Keagy through a friend of mine that knew Jack. We had dinner with them and as the night progressed, we ended up at my friends house (drinking, of course) and much acoustic music was played. It was casual, fun, loose and these guys were funny! We all laughed and sang the night away. Oddly enough, we didn’t sing any Night Ranger songs…….

That was 1992. Now, in 2007, I am dragging my 3 boys and husband out to see Night Ranger. They are good kids and they try really hard to support mom’s 80’s music addiction. My oldest was nice enough to wear my “vintage” Night Ranger bandana! My husband (thankyouthankyou) has been learning to live with my addiction ever since I forced him to see Motley Crue at Red Rocks. He knew he’d better just get on board or be left behind. So, here we are at the Taste of Colorado in downtown Denver, ready to see the afternoon show for Night Ranger. It’s hot, there are hundreds of people here and we are right up front.



The show was just over an hour and I thought that I could keep the set list in my head, but a few Mike’s hard lemonaides and too much sun…and I just forgot the opening song. You know, if I got PAID to write this blog….I might have been taking better notes. I’m just saying………

Here’s the set list….what I remember!
(if you were at the show and can figure out what I’m missing….email me!)
Sing Me Away
Touch of Madness
Rumours in the Air
Seven Wishes
Highway to Hell
Secret of my Success
When You Close Your Eyes
Don’t Tell Me You Love Me
Sister Christian

The past few years have been good to 80’s rock fans. Old groups are touring with original members, new groups are forming from various old bands and the best of the best are mixing it up and playing musical band members. Night Ranger has only 3 original members: Jack Blades, Kelly Keagy and Brad Gillis. To fill things out, they are currently on tour with Michael Lardie (Great White) and Reb Beach (Winger).

I had fully expected to see Michael Lardie at the show, but there were some conflicts in scheduling with Great White. Instead, there was some unknown-to-me keyboard player (sorry whoever you are). Reb looked fantastic and his playing was HOT! Brad Gillis and Reb were definitely meant to play together. There was such symbiosis between rhythm and lead guitar that the lines were blurred and it was hard to tell who was taking the lead. Some of Brad’s lead guitar lines were doubled in harmony by Reb. The fingers were flying! Blistering! It was truly amazing to see. Both stellar players, I still wondered how it went when they first tried to do that……….



Let me just say this about Brad Gillis: He oozes “ROCK GUITAR GOD” better than anyone in the business. I am hooked every time I see it. Of course, he has the chops to back it up, which makes him even hotter. I’ve photographed a lot of bands and inevitably at a show, one band member will stand out as prime photographic material. It’s some sort of vibe that comes out that makes them camera friendly. For this show, it was Brad…..and I ended up with more shots of him than anyone else. I could have followed him around with my camera all night.



Jack was full of energy. It was a hot day for an outdoor show and he was all over the stage! The man can move! As I had remembered him…he’s funny. The intro for “Secret of My Success” was a story about a phone call from Michael J. Fox asking if they would pen the title track for the movie. Jack said “Are you going to pay us? WE’RE THERE.” (this, no doubt, poking a little fun at how commercial Night Ranger made themselves in the 80’s) If you know that song….you know that there are about a million “na-na-na-na-na-na-na’s” at the end and the song went on forever.

After all the na-na’s, Jack said that some of the greatest songs ever had a little na-na in them. He gave us the na-na’s for the 60’s hit “Kiss Him Goodbye” and the audience ran with it. He gave us the na-na’s from Journey’s “Lovin Touchin Squeezin” and again- the crowd went nuts. Probably the best na-na song of all time, Jack said, was..and you guessed it…he gave us the na-na’s for “Hey Jude.” It was a great audience participation moment. Someone must have said something that Jack heard, because he said “Hey, really. This is our music, too. We grew up on this stuff. What did you think WE were listening to?” Good point. And to prove it, Brad launches the opening riffs to AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.”

THE CROWD WAS ABSOLUTELY, COMPLETELY NUTS!

Brad stopped as if it were only a joke, but the fans wanted more. Jack says, “You want to hear this?” And the answer was “HELL YEAH!” And with that, we traveled on down the highway with Night Ranger. I think Jack may have blown a vocal chord or two, but AMEN was that awesome! For those about to rock…..!!

(*note—you can see Jack Blades & Jeff Keith (Tesla) doing “Highway to Hell” at the California Music Awards. Check YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXLypJfkuSk)

“Sing me Away” was a surprise as the second song in the show. It was also great to hear them dig out “Touch of Madness” and “Rumours in the Air” to remind everyone that they write heavy guitar rockin’ songs…even if they aren’t all top ten hits.

The show closed with “Sister Christian”----OF COURSE. It was done well and I wasn’t surprised by that. Kelly Keagy came out from his perpendicularly placed drum kit to lead the crowd in some a cappella singing. And for a moment…we were all back in high school……..

I can tell you that we did NOT hear “You Can Still Rock in America” which was a shocker. I imagine they might have been saving it for the 7:30 show. I was also surprised that we didn’t get “Goodbye” and “Four in the Morning” or even “Sentimental Street.”

I can’t say a bad thing about this band. They are expert musicians, they love their fans and it shows. It’s a thrill to see another band that survived the 80’s and is looking healthier and playing better than ever. If you haven’t seen them live…..go. They are so much more than just “Sister Christian.” I promise they will rock your ass off!



(more photos at http://flickr.com/photos/lonelymoose/ )

As promised, it's Weird Al with "The Saga Begins."

Recorded August 30, 2007 at the Colorado State Fair.

The camera is little shaky here and there, but still a good video. Enjoy!

I got two reactions when I told people I was going to see Weird Al Yankovic in concert. The first was “Why?” and the second was “How can he put on a show? Is he a REAL musician?” You will notice that neither answer was “Who is he” or “Is he still around.” Everyone knows who Weird Al is. I grew up listening to him. My kids now listen to him. Even my mom knows who he is! So, let me answer those ‘other’ nagging questions.


First: Why? Well, why not? Ha! No, really….I’m a music fan. I love it all and I don’t think there is a concert you could offer that I wouldn’t go see. If you were a teen in the 80’s, then you watched Mtv take its first steps and with that came Weird Al. Al is now a cultural icon and I felt a duty to see what his live show was all about.


Second: Is he a real musician? YesYesYesYesYes. Am I clear? I always thought that Weird Al was more ‘comedian’ than ‘musician.’ I was certainly schooled at this show! Some might say ‘musical comedian’, but I think even that is just too casual for what Al does.

Al has had the same band line up since 1982: Steve Jay (bass), Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz (drums), Ruben Valtierra (keys) & Jim West (guitar). These guys just don’t get all the credit they deserve. Think about it: Al writes and parodies a wide variety of music and his band has to have the chops to keep up with him. And they do. They are just tight, tight, tight! So, credit to the band as they are most certainly the glue that holds this circus together every night.

But you really want to know about is Al, right? I admit it; I was curious about the kind of show I was going to see. Al came out sporting his trademark accordion and treated us all to “Polkarama” from the current release “Straight Outta Lynwood.” A triple wide video screen played the actual videos from Snoop Dogg, Kanye & the Black Eyed Peas. It is easy to see why Al has trouble getting permission for his parodies and polkas from the rappers: It’s because he brings out the ridiculousness that is their career. You have to wonder if these guys know how silly their songs are and maybe, are they worried that people will eventually see that the emperor has no clothes?? Headline: Talentless Rappers Exposed by Weird Al, Story at 11!!

“Polkarama” went right into “Canadian Idiot,” complete with a confetti explosion at the end. Fantastic! Does anyone know if he performs this song when he’s in Canada? Because I know Green Day does “American Idiot” here in the US….just a thought. The lights went out…the video screen came on and it was Weird Al doing one of his celebrity interviews, this time with Jessica Simpson. These ‘interviews’…clearly pasted together for effect…are an absolute stitch, but I thought that this one went on a little too long. I was secretly hoping that we would have more music and less video.

When the lights came up, we had Al in a gold glitter shirt singing “You’re Pitiful” (the parody of ‘You’re Beautiful’). Just a few lines into the song and I realized why the video clip had been so long: Al has a costume addiction!! He pulled off the glitter shirt to reveal a skeleton t-shirt, pulled that off to reveal a t-shirt that read “Atlantic Records Sucks”, pulled that off to reveal a SpongeBob t-shirt. When he reached for the zipper…you just KNEW the pants were coming off!! By the end, Al was in boxer shorts and a tu-tu. Of course, we had to have another video short because not even Weird Al can segue smoothly from boxers and a tu-tu.

(**Backstory note on the Atlantic Records Sucks t-shirt: “You’re Pitiful” was only released on Al’s website due to a dispute with James Blunt’s record label, Atlantic, who rescinded permission for the parody after it was recorded. The song is still available on Al’s website as a free download.)

Highlights:
*’Eminem was given a harsh video interview before “Couch Potato” (parody of “Lose Yourself”). Al made him look like an idiot. “Couch Potato” was all too short for me as it was meshed into a medley with “Do I Creep You Out.” I would have liked to have seen more of this song because Al raps better than anyone. So angry!!

* “Trapped in the Drive-Thru” was a treat with the video playing on the screens. This version was shorter than the album…for good reason. The album version is almost 11 minutes long! Great song.

*”The Saga Begins” was followed by “Yoda” of course…because what else are you going to sing while you and your band are dressed in Star Wars costumes? This song was a full-out production. The audience (me included) knew all the words and sang along. A chorus line of Stormtroopers danced behind Al while Darth Vader looked on. (see my video) In the middle of Yoda, we were treated to an a cappella break by the band. I don’t know if it had a name, but I wasn’t familiar with it….Kind of Hawaiian, kind of funk. But great. These two songs were definitely show stealers!

*”Eat It” came with the red Michael Jackson jacket…and he can do the dance! *”Fat” was the most impressive costume (& the last) complete with fat suit AND the fat latex face just like in the video. It was a riot!

As I have been told, Al always likes to throw in a new song or something that could not be released. This concert was no exception: We got “I’m in Love With the Skipper” (a parody of “I’m in Love With a Stripper”) Al was in a Gilligan outfit while a video montage of the Skipper and Gilligan played on the video screens. It made me very uncomfortable in kind of a “don’t even go there” way…..but then again, I think that was the point.

Al’s current VH1 hit is “White & Nerdy” and YES, he DID come out on a Segway! He raps, he busts a move and the best part: he had Donny Osmond on the video screen. I feel a personal attachment to this song. It’s the anthem of my people! (side note: I have also seen Donny Osmond in concert in 2002. So, put Weird Al AND Donny in the same show??? Yep. Life Complete.)

The encore was a fan favorite: Albuquerque. And a short song about cell phones that he made up on the spot, causing everyone to turn on their phones and wave them about. Albuquerque…how do I describe it? If you don’t know the 11 minute song from the album “Running With Scissors,” you need to dig that one up and give it a listen. Eleven minutes of song that EVERYONE knew how to sing (except me). Live in concert, this song was about 20 minutes! He expanded the pastry rant (“We are OUT of JELLY DONUTS”) which was probably the funniest part. Great song…great energy. I love seeing fans that really KNOW a song. This was the die-hard fan’s song for sure!

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention just a few of the originals that Al performed. That’s right! He writes original songs! “Weasel stomping day”, “I’ll Sue Ya” & “Wanna B UR Lover” were outstanding. “Close But No Cigar” was a riot! They were great songs by a great writer, but they were really held up by an outstanding band.

I tried to keep a running set list, but that is nearly impossible at an Al show. He runs a lot of new medleys by so fast that it’s easy to miss something. The set list I have posted is a close approximation.

Polkarama
Canadian Idiot
Close But No cigar
Bob
It’s All About The Pentiums
You’re Pitiful
Wanna B UR Lovr
Medley: Couch Potato- Do I Creep You Out- Isle Thing,
Bedrock Anthem, Confessions Pt. III, Ebay,
Ode To A Superhero - Eat It-A complicated song-Pretty fly for a rabbi-Gump-Trapped in the drive thru
Headline News
I’ll Sue Ya
The Saga Begins Yoda
Weasel Stomping Day
Smells Like Nirvana
Amish Paradise
White & Nerdy
Fat
ENCORE: Cell Phones & Albuquerque


Total costume changes: 17
Song with the most costume changes: “You’re Pitiful” for a total of 5.
High point of the show: “The Saga Begins”
Low point of the show: There just wasn’t one. Really. I haven’t laughed so hard ever!

Music: great. Comedy: fantastic. Visuals: stunning. What can I say….”I’m just so White & Nerdy.”


(you can see more of my Weird Al photos at: http://flickr.com/photos/lonelymoose/ )

BREAKING NEWS: NIGHT RANGER ROCKED!!!!

I'm behind on my review of Weird Al....and now I owe you a review of Night Ranger. The pics are back for both shows and they are excellent! One video from each show also!

Tomorrow is Sunday and I don't have any shows scheduled, so the reviews *might* get done!

Review to come...pictures and VIDEO on the way.

From the wishlist we were given "The Saga Begins" and the first verse and chorus of "Couch Potato" which was rolled in with "Do I Creep You Out".

"Don't change that channel...Don't change that dial"

My wish list for tomorrow's show:
"The Saga Begins"
"I lost on Jeopardy"
"Dare to be Stupid"
"Another one rides the Bus"
"Couch Potato"


And now for something completely different! (well, except that it IS about music and it IS another concert)

This Saturday.

THIS SATURDAY.




And this little, often overlooked, gem:

And now for the song that cracks me up *Every *Single *Time:

The highlight of the week:

It was mind blowing!! Of course, it ALWAYS is. Rush fans have come to expect a level of expertly played rock...and they get it every time.

I thought that the last tour, R30, was the fans tour. They pulled out all the radio hits, every party song and the crowd air-drummed and guitared and sang their way through the entire show. I think I was 16 again for most of the show...it was that powerful. But this...this Snakes & Arrows tour...THIS was the REAL DIEHARD FAN tour.

I'll admit I love Rush; Never heard a song I didn't like. I enjoy listening to them and I will never turn down a chance to see them live. But I'm not a diehard fan like my husband who knows the words to every song. This tour brought out deep cuts like Witch Hunt from 1981's Moving Pictures. And a real crowd favorite was Entre Nous from 1980's Permanent Waves which had never been played live before. Don't forget "Bangkok"..you know they never play "Bangkok."

If you think Rush is only about long songs with deep lyrics...you don't know Rush. The most enjoyable thing is their sense of humor. We spent the week speculating what appliances Geddy would have on stage this time. The dryers? Vending machines? Nope. Rotisserie chicken ovens marked "Henhouse." Funnier still is that they tied to the show opener film which gave us Geddy as a Scotsman telling a sleeping Geddy to "wipe that chicken off yer face, un get up on tha' stage." As the film fades, the boys are running to their places on stage, Geddy still toting a chicken leg and wiping his face with a towel. Alex strikes the first chord of Limelight....and the three hour ride takes off.

Speaking of taking off: I was super excited when Bob and Doug McKenzie appeared on stage via film. For a second, I thought that *maybe* they would launch into "Great White North"......one of just 4 Rush songs that I know ALL the words to...but no. It was an introduction for "The Larger Bowl." Those guys...again with the humor!

We got schooled by The Professor. Peart's drum solo. 'Nuff said.

After 3 hours and one 15 minute intermission (see the set list) we still had not heard "Tom Sawyer" and I wondered if maybe after immersing the crowd in a record SEVEN songs from the new album....maybe, just maybe, could they possibly be leaving Tom Sawyer OFF the set list?? I mean, really, how many times in 32 years do we expect these guys to play that song?

And then it happened: Lil' Rush came on. Cartman..you know, the little round-headed SouthPark guy...Cartman showed up on screen for a short mockery of Tom Sawyer. It was all good fun mainly aimed at Geddy. Cartman proclaimed "Screw you! I'm Geddy Lee and I can sing whatever lyrics I want". And the crowd agreed. (**special note that the SouthPark film got a HUGE welcome here is Colorado. you see, this is the HOME of the REAL SouthPark, just south of Denver)

And we got our Tom Sawyer.

Can I say anything bad about this Rush show? Not much. My 7th row seat allowed me to get a close look at Neil's face and it seemed to me that he was simply "clocking in" for the gig, although you wouldn't have known it from the way he played. Flawless and hard. Geddy was as energetic on stage as ever. I think his voice sounded better than it did on the last 2 tours. He was hitting all the high notes with ease and I had to think "Geddy, where did you get the time machine?" Alex was beautiful. Looking very fit, he played with a lot of heart, passion and humor. He was a joy to watch.

It was a perfect mountain eve at Red Rocks; cool with a mild wind and the stars were visible in the sky and on the stage. It just couldn't have been better. My only complaint: I have yet to hear "Closer to the Heart" and "Fly by Night" live.

I guess that means I'll be buying tix to the next Rush show that comes to town. And the next, and the next, and the next......

What a GREAT show!



Set list:

Set 1:
01. Limelight
02. Digital Man
03. Entre Nous
04. Mission
05. Freewill
06. The Main Monkey Business
07. The Larger Bowl
08. Secret Touch
09. Circumstances
10. Between The Wheels
11. Dreamline

Intermission

Set 2:
12. Far Cry
13. Workin' Them Angels
14. Armor And Sword
15. Spindrift
16. The Way The Wind Blows
17. Subdivisions
18. Natural Science
19. Witch Hunt
20. Malignant Narcissism
21. Drum Solo
22. Hope
23. Summertime Blues
24. The Spirit Of Radio
25. Tom Sawyer

Encore:
26. One Little Victory
27. A Passage to Bangkok
28. YYZ

Smuggled my professional camera in wrapped in a tortilla, wrapped in foil, in a Qdoba bag with the rest of our food. More pics to come......

Enjoy this South Park short film from the concert. It ROCKED.

TODAY is the day!!!

One guess where I'll be on Wednesday.....

Rush - Tom Sawyer

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