Posts Tagged ‘concerts’
Maybe you’ll get a replacement, there’s plenty like me to be found…
Today I am ecstatic. I just learned that Elton John is coming to Austin @ The Frank Erwin Center on April 10, 2010. Tickets are $45-$125, 
which is pretty cheap all things considered. I’m definitely going. Sure, it’s a greatest hits tour, but many of those hits came from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road which has been a lifelong favorite of mine and I’m sure to hear several from that record. Like seeing Iron Maiden the first time, I’m sure this will be a memorable show.
As I have stated before, my older brother Robert was a big influence on me musically when I was a kid. he got me into KISS, Alice Cooper, RUSH, Judas Priest, Uriah Heep and yes, Elton John. Similar to what I wrote about in the Alice Cooper blog a while back, this album takes me back to far simpler times. Either living in Camelot (yes, that was the name of our neighborhood) or on the farm, this album was listened to a lot by my brother and me. It always takes me back to those good times. It still amazes me how music can connect like that. Even siting here just thinking about the intro to Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding I have goosebumps and am even getting a little choked up. How un-metal of me! But facts are facts. Music gets me emotional…or rather I get myself emotional to music. However one wants to look at it.
His collaborations with Bernie Taupin have been phenomenal. On top of that, Elton is a great performer. Flamboyant, funny, talented.
Seeing Elton live will close my concert circle a little more…you know…that list of bands that you always wanted to see but never got to. Elton is one of them. What’s even nicer is that I’ll be able to walk to the show…5 blocks!
Dark Angel – Darkness Descends
I’m pretty sure it was spring 1987 and I was down on Atlantic Ave at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront hanging out for 
whatever reason. There was a little record store there that I can’t remember the name of. I’m pretty sure it was an independent store and don’t hink it lasted more than a few years. I can’t even remember if anyone was with me…maybe Robert S. Anyhoo, we were browsing the cassettes and I saw Dark Angel’s Darkness Descends. I immediately knew that this would be my purchase. I had seen the ads for this in various metal mags and it was on Combat Records which had a pretty good track record of bands so far.
I remember getting in my 66′ Nova 4dr and heading back home while the tape started. I was immediately blown away. The drums. Holy shit, the drums! I remember seeing fotos in magazines of the band and the big huge drummer in shades looming over them in every foto. I was fortunate enough to meet him earlier this decade and he was the coolest mofo in the world.
But back to this massive album. There’s not a stinker in the bunch but my faves are Burning of Sodom, Black Prophecies and Perish In Flames. Sure it’s a tad sloppy and severely underproduced, but it set a/the standard for early thrash and death metal in my opinion, especially for drummers.
When I finally saw them live in 1989, I got to help sing Merciless Death as the new singer said he didn’t know the lyrics that well. I was the happiest acne-faced, bad-haired kid in Virginia Beach that night!
If you’re into classic metal and especially early thrash, you NEED this album.
I finally found the foto of Gene and me from 2001. 
Iron Maiden – Flight 666
It’s no secret that Iron Maiden is my all-time favorite band and has been since 
Powerslave came out in 1984. They always possessed a certain kind of power in their music that stuck with me. I’m not a total fanboy and have been vocally critical of them, as I am with any band that graces my ears, positive criticism or negative. Maiden’s put out some stinkers: Fear of the Dark, Dance of Death, the 2 with Bayley on vox…But generally they always right themselves. They really did a great album with A Matter of Life and Death. To me that was their best album since Somewhere In Time.
Now here we are in 2009. They finished an ambitious leg of the Somewhere Back In Time Tour by having Bruce Bruce fly the band and all of its crew and equipment all over tarnation while being filmed. The result of this being the Flight 666 documentary.
I received my copy Friday and watched some of it before going out and finished it over the weekend. What a power presentation. I am always blown away by a band’s fans of this magnitude. worldwide I think that Iron Maiden may be more popular than Metallica. Since I don’t pay much attention to Metallica I really shouldn’t make such claims, but whatever. This is my party.
The behind the scenes footage of the band going from city to city, country to country is pretty amazing. It’s amazing that no one got hurt. There is one particular scene in the Colombian section where a guy apparently caught one of Nicko’s sticks and he’s standing there in tears after the show with a female friend. You can just see how much the show in general meant to him and even that much more to being home a piece of it from a supposed hero of his. I get it. I really do. I’ve been to a few shows over the years that were really emotional for me, religious experiences even. This last tour was one of those experiences.
One of my best friends came to town from Arkansas to attend the show with me and it made it that much more special. The band was amazing. Bruce sounded great. Nicko seems to have gotten better over the years. Dave and Adrian and Steve and the consistent rocks in the band. I’d never seen them play at such a high level?
…and there’s Jannick Gers.
Since day 1 I have not been a fan. I never will be. It pains me to see him playing some of Adrian’s solos with “H” standing right beside him. I should add how poorly he plays them. He’s completely sloppy, always. He was in 1991 when I saw him and he was last year when I saw him. This video is even more proof of it. Sure Dave and Adrian aren’t perfect, but their playing is fine. VH-1 has been running the concert footage from this regularly so I have been able to see it several times now.
But back to Iron Maiden and this great documentary. My friend Jeff made a great observation about Maiden and it’s best that I quote it instead of paraphrasing it:
And what is the essential element that makes them so successful? Without regard to anyone in the band’s personal politics, the band itself is VERY socially conservative. They don’t have lyrics about getting wasted, f****ng chicks, teenage rebellion, rebellion against society, songs promoting social change, none of that tot. And they’re very healthy, non-destructive, and constructive in their own individual lives.Up the Irons!
Who’s behind the Door?
I’ve always loved Zebra and considered them a severely underrated rock band. I first heard them on the radio when I first heard Who’s Behind the Door on Norfolk’s K-94 in 1983. I was instantly hooked
That debut album is pretty righteous from beginning to end. Randy Jackson has a great vocal range and is a solid guitar player. The album flows very well.
A year later they release No Tellin’ Lies which was not quite as strong of a release. They had some minor success with the slightlygoofy song Bears (worst video ever?). Sure, I like the song but it was a bit silly.
For me they struck gold again with their third album 3.V in 1986. I bought the cassette at Roses department store for $6.99 and was immediately hooked. It’s a very polished album and pretty radio friendly, but the hooks are there.
Zebra IV came out in 2003 and again they released another quality album. Highly recommended if you’re even mildly a fan.
I was fortunate enough to see the 3.V tour in 1986. I’ll never forget it. Cold rainy night…torrential rain even…A former friend from high school didn’t want to go out in the rain and get his hair messed up(just kidding) so i went alone. I already had really bad hair back then so it was no big deal to me. Plus it was $5! FIVE BUCKS! (Ren and Stimpy reference). The lineup Alcatrazz (post-Yngwie/Vai era), Rough Cutt (Duke Fame!) and Zebra headlining. I think there may have been 100 people there if that. It was at the Boathouse in Norfolk, VA which held about 2000 I think. For some shows there they put the barricade up so only prople in the beer garden could stand in the area in front of the stage. This was one of those shows. So there I was wedged up in the front stage right corner between the speaker mains, the stage and the beer garden barricade. My buddy Kirshon was standing behind me and was the only other person there that I knew.
Alcatrazz came on and was quite possibly the most boring band I have ever seen. i swear I fell asleep standing up during their performance. Some squid woke me up. Then comes Rough Cutt supporting their Wants You! album. I had that cassette and their debut and liked them a lot so I was familiar with their material. They kicked ass. Royally. Amir Derakh was great. He’s a killer guitarist, plain and simple. They rocked from beginning to end and got a great response from a crowd that had no idea who they were. Then comes Zebra. Perfectly refined, in time, in tune. They played a seemingly flawless set and mixed up the harder stuff with some acoustic songs. Unfortunately they played a Zeppelin song or 2 but I suffered through it. It was a great show.
Years later (1996 I believe) by wife at the time and I went to the va Beach Amphitheatre to see the Virginia Symphony tribute to Led Zeppelin. Yes, I don’t like Zeppelin but Randy Jackson was fronting the band so I had to go. We got 4th row center and got there pretty early. of course I brought all of my Zebra CDs and Randy’s solo album CD. Before the show started, I saw a woman walking around on the stage and she obviously was someone “in charge”. So I left my seat and walked up to the stage and asked her if there was a way for me to meet Randy before or after the show. She looked at me for a second and just said, “Wait here.” Ten minutes later she came back out and said to come to the back stage gate after the show and Randy would come out. Eureka! During the show, Randy did a fine Robert Plan imitation. It was a fun show, Zep fan or not.
So afterwards my wife and I are waiting for about 20 minutes by the backstage gate and out comes Randy, freshly showered. I shook his hand, introduced my wife and me and talked with him for about a half hour. It was an afternoon show so no one seemed rushed to get out of there. I told him that I saw the 3.V tour and he said he remembered that particular show because of the rain and poor crowd attendance. he signed all my stuff and was very appreciative of my “fanboyness”. haha. He stated that I was the first person out of the 20 or so shows to recognize him and/or bring stuff to get signed. He was super cool.
In 2000 my former guitarist and I went up to Jaxx in Springfield, VA to see them. Moderate turnout and a great show. I got to meet Felix and Guy before the show and got permission to film it. The picture came out great. Unfortunately, something screwed up on the camera and no sound was recorded. I was pissed. I got to meet randy again afterwards and reminded him about the symphony gig from a few years prior. He remembered talking to us and asked where my “pretty little wife” was. I just said, “Ancient history, man.” It was cool seeing him and the band again. I hope to catch them again sometime. On the way home (3 hour drive), Reggie fell asleep…and so did I. He just happened to wake up right before me and yell. I woke up just in time to steer away from hitting the entrance wall to the Monitor-Merrimac Tunnel. Scary shit!
It’s unfortunate that they won’t allow their studio vids on YouTube.
The Metal Files 
You must be logged in to post a comment.