Archive for the ‘chicago’ Category
Riot V Concert Review, Chicago, IL, July 8, 2016
I like Riot/Riot V. All incarnations. Period. They’ve never released a bad album. Some better than others, but never a bad one.
I ran into their bassist, Donnie Van Stavern, at a RUSH tribute show in San Antonio a few weeks ago and asked him about upcoming shows. He mentioned the Chicago and Detroit shows and I checked my concert calendar and my Southwest account and took the decision to just go. He said he’d hook me up with guestlist for both shows, so that was an added bonus.
I left for Chicago Friday morning on a direct flight, got there, grabbed my rental car and headed straight to the north side of town to pick up Bob, one of the organizers of the Ragnarokkr festival. He graciously offered up his place for the night. We headed first to Metal Haven Grill and I pigged out on their tasty Italian beef and a char polish sausage. It was entirely too much food but it was delicious. You gotta go if you’re ever in Chicago. Their record and CD selection is ever expanding and there is a ton of great original heavy metal artwork on display, mind-numbingly so. From there we went to one of the locations of Reckless Records. I didn’t find anything but it was a cool place. Afterwards we headed back to Bob’s. I changed clothes and off we went to the red line EL train to Reggie’s.
We got in and I saw a couple of folks I knew from the area that I had met at previous Ragnarokkr shows. Crusader was the opening act and they played the whole time I was upstairs at Record Breakers store where I bought a bunch of albums to have shipped back to Texas. Didn’t hear a note of them so I can’t comment. Scars of Armageddon were on next and they were a proggy/power metal/slight hint of nu-metal band with excellent guitar work and a good singer. I’d never buy an album by them but wouldn’t be upset to see them again. Direct support for Riot was a local Judas Priest tribute band called Judas Rising. Pass. I mean, sure, they sounded alright although their singer I think would sound better doing a Di’Anno era Maiden tribute. I don’t know, I just wasn’t feeling it at all.
After a quick set change, the lights go down and you hear the taped live version of Narita and then Frank leads in with the drum into to Flight of the Warrior. The crowd of 200+ was into it, singing every word. They then went into Ride Hard, Live Free from the latest album and then Fight or Fall. I was on the stage left side where Van Stavern and Lance Barnewold (filling in for Nick Lee for this mini tour) we located. Lance is Nick’s perfect replacement. Both guys have flawless execution of riffs and solos. They mix the set up with old and new songs. The whole band was great. I also appreciated getting handed the bottle of tequila from Donnie a couple of times. And just let me say this, Todd Michael Hall is one of the best singers in metal out there right now. That guy’s range is phenomenal. He’s really just a freak of nature vocally like Harry Conklin and Mike Soliz. It was great to hear Black Leather and Glittering Steel in the set as well. They did 6 from Thundersteel including my fave, Johnny’s Back.
At the end of their set, Todd announced that they’d com out to the merch booth right after a quick break. Two minutes after that, Reggie’s staff was kicking everyone out. It wasn’t even 1:30 AM yet. So we just hung out on the street with the locals friends and then went around to their back door to shoot the breeze with Donnie, Mike and Lance. During their set, I took a pick of Lance and posted it on NIck’s Facebook page with the words, “Fake Nick is getting it done.” haha.
It was a great show but I was beat so we hopped on the train back to Bob’s. We got delayed at one stop because of some dude raising hell at the stand and not letting the doors close. The guy sitting across from me woke up and said, “Fucking crackies!” A few moments we were on our way.
I got to sleep around 4AM but I didn’t sleep well at all. I was up and ready to go by 745AM, said adios to Bob and was on my almost 5hr drive to Detroit.
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Chicago Concert Review, Austin, TX, May 27, 2016
Last night was the 4th time I’ve seen Chicago since 1991 and the 3rd time since 2012. I’ve loved this band since I was a kid thanks to their heavy radio play and thanks to my Mom being a big fan.
Last night’s show was “an evening with” type show, meaning no opener which was fine with me. My friend, Kitty, ended up going with me and into the Moody Theater we went.
As soon as they hit the stage, I noticed on huge difference in the band. Jason Scheff, the bassist/vocalist who replaced Peter Cetera, was not there. Instead, Jeff Coffey was handling those duties. Apparently Jason had a family emergency and had to back out of the tour. Coffey auditioned for the band a week or so ago and got the job. Impressive.
The band played the set you’d expect with a song from their latest album thrown in. These “geezers” still deliver and it’s impressive how much energy they have. I’ll say this, though. Jeff Coffey was the highlight for me. For as good as Scheff is, Coffey was nailing Cetera’s vocal and bass parts effortlessly. I was really blown away. I’d be ok if he became a permanent member.
As always, the highlight song for me was Hard to Say I’m Sorry/Get Away. Street Player, Call on Me and Another Rainy Day in New York City were also great to hear again.
Even more impressive is that they played 32 songs. 32!
Peter Cetera Concert Review, San Antonio, TX, September 17, 2015
I don’t believe in “guilty pleasures”, especially when it comes to music. You like what you like and that’s that. Screw what others may think. Since the 70s and partially because of my mom, I’ve always loved Chicago and still go see them live when I can. They still sound great but I’ve never seen them with Peter Cetera nor have I seen Cetera on his own. Fortunately that changed last night.
In as much as I like Chicago, I really like Peter’s early solo work, especially 1988’s One More Story album. So as is generally the case, I bought two tickets for the show. My lovely friend, Margarita, was available to attend and is also a Chicago/Cetera fan, so it made for an enjoyable evening. In my best Troy McClure voice, “You might remember her from such reviews as ‘Lionel Richie in Austin’ and ‘Journey in San Antonio.'” haha
I bought tickets a little late so I didn’t quite get where I wanted, but still got good seats on the front row in the balcony. By yesterday, the show was only 3/4 sold out based on the Ticketmaster map. No matter.
His band comes out first after the lights go down they go right into Restless Heart. His voice sounded a lot clearer than I expected. Some recent footage I had seen sounded a bit rough. He followed up with One Good Woman, a personal favorite, and Glory of Love which drew a loud applause at the beginning and end. He then asked everyone down front to put their phones away. “Use them during the encore all you want, but for now just enjoy watching the show.” Cheers, Pete!
He mixed the rest of the set up with a mix of Chicago and solo hits, doing a few duets with his back up singer and a few with his guitarist. He left during 2 covers songs, You’re No Good and Come Together, letting the band take care of businees while he took a break. He closed the main set with Hard Habit to Break, Dialogue I & II and Hard To Say I’m Sorry/Get Away, another personal favorite. I was so happy that they did the Get Away part at the end of the song. It just brings the whole thing together. Rarely is that part ever played on the radio edit of Hard To Say I’m Sorry. The band exited the stage and people started trailing out quickly. He had stated that there would be an encore, but whatever.
Before the encore started, he finally strapped on a bass and they went into I’m a Man by the Spencer David Group and has been a Chicago set staple for years. It transitioned into Feelin Stronger Everyday and closed with 25 or 6 to 4. I sort of wish that his touring bassist would not have been playing along, but you could discern Peter’s tone between the two. He’s such a good bassist and I would liked to have seen him play more last night. It was pretty clear that they were tuned down to help him reach some higher notes, maybe as much as a full step, but he still sounded great. It was an energetic show and he was entertaining between songs. The only song I wish he would have played from his solo works is the slow roller You Never Listen To Me. So glad I got to get him off of my list of bands to see.
Ragnarokkr Metal Apocalypse 2015 Concert Review, Chicago, IL, May 1 & 2, 2015
Wow. What another great weekend in Chicago. This was my second year attending this festival and it was a lot of fun, albeit tiring.
Like last year, Kelz flew in from NC and met me at the airport on Thursday. Local friends Rodney and Brent also flew along and we all rode together to the hotel. We chilled out for a bit at the hotel then headed over to a pizza place to meet with some fest regulars prior to the pre-party. I wasn’t so into my pizza but the Peroni on tap was right on. After eating we headed over to a great dive called The Mutiny and rocked out some great old metal. There were a few merch vendors as well. I was pretty worn out and so were Chris and Rodney so we headed back to the hotel. We had a long day ahead.
Early Friday consisted of going to Portillo’s for lunch and inhaling their incredible Italian beef sandwich. So incredibly awesome. Afterwards I napped. I wanted to get to Reggie’s for the fest as the doors were opening, mainly to catch Satan’s Hallow in which a good friend plays guitar. They’re a newer band and have only released 2 songs, but those songs are great. They were great! I really love Mandy’s vocal delivery and the riffs are good. New pal, Poncho, was filling in on bass and was absolutely badass. I see good things ahead for this band.
Twisted Tower Dire was up next and I had last seen them in 1999 with the old singer. Their power metal set was solid and they now share singer and a guitarist with Walpyrgus.
Cleveland’s Vatican came on next and I caught most of their set. Vince and company laid it down playing most of their Metalmorphosis re-release. They were fun to watch and their singer has some serious pipes. Added bonus getting those guys added to The Book!
With the fest having two stages, bands overlap and during Vatican’s set, Hessian started on the smaller stage and I wanted to catch a little of their set. While they were solid, they weren’t my thing.
Back to the main stage for my friends, Dantesco. I met them in Puerto Rico last year and was excited to see them. They were great. Powerful, heavy and Erico’s vocals were right on point. The crowd dug them a lot.
Back to the smaller stage for Kantation which featured Martin Debourge who fronted a more recent version of Damien Thorne. His vocals sounded great and the band was solid. Martin’s a good dude.
Salem’s Wych was up next and their set was a little loose. This was their first show since the 80s. Pretty legendary though.
I saw just a little of Beyond Fallen but wanted to catch Q5 on the main stage. They sounded really good. They were one of the biggest surprises to me. I had listened to them back in the old days but it didn’t catch on with me. I got to meet them in the green room before the show and they were super cool. Three original members got added to The Book.
I caught most of Ostrogoth’s set and they were pretty good. Their drummer is the only original member left and he’s an awesome guy. I caught a little bit of Iron Finger and they were ok, solid, but not my thing.
Then…LIEGE LORD. I’ve been a fan since randomly buying Burn to My Touch based on having an album cover by Ioannis (Fates Warning, Warlord, Obsession). Let’s make no mistake about it, I prefer the Andy Michaud era. Master Control never did anything for me but I was still stoked to see them live. They were another band I got to meet prior to them hitting the stage and they were all cool dudes. When showing Joe Comeau The Book, he said, “Ah cool. I have one of these” and continued to tell me a story about the promo shoot that the photo (see below) was taken from. Only original member, Tony Truglio, was also very nice. They opened with 2 from Master Control then Dark Take from Freedom’s Rise. Cast Out from Burn to My Touch was next and it sounded awesome. The band was tight and the crowd was loving it. They rolled through Rainbow’s Kill The King, a couple more from Master then went into Speed of Sound. I nearly lost my shit on that one. One of my favorites from Burn. Their whole set was good and I was so glad I finally got to see them. Then back to the hotel for the typical late night jibber jabber and sleep.
Saturday, Kelz and I went to a taqueria and had some awesome food. Afterwards we drove over to Cabrini-Green, the site that the TV show Good Times was based on. That used to be a very rough area. “The projects”. Now it’s all condos and heavily gentrified. Was hoping for some sort of historical monument to JJ and the family but it was nowhere to be found.
Saturday’s show started a little earlier at 4:30 and got started with Kentucky’s Savage Master. They were solid but not completely my thing. There’s a buzz about them and I think it’s mainly because of the scantily clad singer. I’m not much of a fan of her vocal delivery and I think she could work on her stage presence a little. The rest of the band is dressed in black hoods and the whole thing reminded me of the band Bitch being backed up by The Mentors. I think a little tweaking could get their live show more exciting. Nice folks, though.
Crumble came on the small stage and I caught a little of it. By “a little” I mean less than one song.
Züül was up next on the main stage and the singer announced that it was their last show ever. I had seen them a time or two before in Austin and enjoyed them. They sounded good in Chicago as well but the singer seemed to be having a few vocal issues. He was lacking some of the power he normally has. Still sounded good.
Skelator was up next and delivered their sword-wielding metal the masses that were really just starting to roll in. They sounded great but I only caught about half of their set as I needed to catch Moros Nyx on the small stage.
Moros Nyx has the drummer for Satan’s Hallow on bass. This was their first show and they did a great job. Looking forward to more from these guys. Their drummer is a bad ass.
Back to the big room for the return of Skullview. I’ve always liked their debut quite a bit and it was good seeing them finally. Especially good to finally meet their guitarist, Dean. We’ve known each other from online forums for a long time. Their singer has an enormous range, but antics I saw before and after the show pretty much let me know that I can’t care to see him again. I stayed for half of the set and went back to the small stage.
Hrom was up next and they were powerful with yet another singer with a great high range. Nice kids, too.
I went back to the main room to catch a little of Chicago’s reunited Aftermath. They were good straight up thrash and super nice guys.
I went back to the small room and waited for Walpyrgus to come on. This band features members of Twisted Tower Dire as mentioned above. They put on a great set. Would like to see them again.
As soon as they were done I rushed back over to catch High Spirits. I really enjoy this band. Good, straight up hard rock and I really like Chris’ vocal delivery. “Without Zuul, there would be be no High Spirits,” Chris said. He’s good at working the crowd too. When I saw them in San Antonio, he was on bass but had a full backing band for this show.
I caught a little of Coven 13 but it wasn’t my thing.
Coming up next…ATTACKER! Another band I’ve loved since their debut, Battle At Helms Deep. That album rules. I’ve no problem admitting that I didn’t care much for the follow up, Second Coming. But no matter. I was finally getting to see them live. They opened with The Hermit from their debut and the crowd went nuts. The band was tight and most recent singer, Bobby Lucas, sounded great. Original drummer, Mike Sabatini, and guitarist, Pat Marinelli were great as well as the rest of the band. Their set was great and very tight.
Wretch played the small stage and they were another band who was solid, but I didn’t get to see enough to really form an opinion. We were so hungry we went next door to grab a burger.
Upon returning, The Rods were already playing the main stage. I’ve seen them before and I am 0.0% a fan of them. Their brand of hard rock just never caught on with me.
Nuclear Assault was on next, but again, I’m not really a fan. I had met and seen them live in 2003 in Norfolk, VA and got Dan and John to sign The Book. Glenn signed in the green room earlier that evening. The room was packed and there was a big pit going. I saw about 1.5 songs and retreated to the small room where all bands had finished for the night. Kelz and I got to sit and hang out with Sabatini and just talk about stuff. We talked with him for a long time and he was very cordial. “Playing festivals like this is great, but we all have jobs.” It was great hanging out with him and the rest of the band.
What a great night and fun festival. After Nuclear Assault, we were all dog tired and went out to the street to say goodbyes to all of our friends. I hope they continue to get quality bands for next future fests. My band, Eternal Champion, was originally slated to play but had to back out a few months ago. Warlord was also originally booked but backed out. That was a crushing blow for me.
Click here to see the setlists from the festival.
Mouse over or click photos to see captions.
High Spirits Concert Review, San Antonio, TX, December 1, 2014
Chris “Professor” Black is a busy fella. Along with High Spirits, in which he writes and plays everything on their releases, he’s also in Superchrist, Pharaoh, Dawnbringer, Metalusafer and Aktor. High Spirits has been getting a lot of buzz over the last couple of years over their listenable brand of hard rock/metal that slightly teeters on the AOR style. I like them a lot and am basically a latecomer to the HS as I just started listening to them around May of this year. It’s great melodic hard rock that’s got all the hooks. Chris has perfectly crafted it to be accessible to just about anyone’s ears.
I went down to San Antonio last night and stopped off at my friend, Rodney’s, house. As always, I have to peer into his insane room of metal. We go grab dinner then dinner then head down to Limelight on the north side. High Spirits was scheduled to go on at 11:30 so we weren’t in a hurry to get down there. I’m not really a fan of the 3 openers so didn’t care to see them. Unfortunately, when we arrived right at 11:30, the 2nd band was mid-set. Ugh. I was already pretty tired.
I met Chris and talked to him for a while. Very nice guy. It was right around 12:30AM when they finally took the stage and opened with the song High Spirits. Much of the crowd had left by the time HS went on, but a few of the faithful hung in there. They were pretty tight and the folks that stayed there were familiar with the material, which was nice to see. I really like his voice. Other than a few drunkasses up front, it was a fun show and worth the late night drive home. I hit the sack at 3AM…exhausted…happy.
The Metal Files 
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