I'm sure some of use are going to see some righteous concerts this summer, so here is a place where we can share what we've been to and were we are going. I myself saw an amazing concert in Tucson last night. I caught a double-header of the Charlie Daniels Band and 38 Special. 38 Special opened and they were awesome! The absolutely rocked the place! They didn't initially play "Hold On Loosely", but they held it for the first encore. That got such a reaction that they did a 2nd encore! Charlie Daniels Band was uneven. Overall, they were amazing, but Charlie Daniels went off on two tangents that I didn't like. The first one was a song about lynching that I thought was a bit crass and the second was a Gospel, which I didn't mind (and I enjoyed the music), but that sort of thing wasn't my bag. However, all of the other songs were crazy. I didn't realize that he was such a great guitarist. His other songs were in a bit of blue rock style and they tore the place up. He had two other lead guitarists and the different styles between them really added to the songs. "Shooter" Jennings was one of them and he shredded in every sense of the word. One of the songs had the most epic drum solo I have ever heard that lasted for 5 minutes+. At one point he was just pumping his double-bass pedals while he wiped off his forehead and downed a beer. The penultimate song was "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" which was awesome. For the finale, they brought 38 Special back on stage and they had a super group, including two drummers and two keyboardists sharing a setup. That was ridiculous. The same venue has a few more concerts that I want to catch in the next month. They have The Stone Temple Pilots, a Boston/Styx double-header, and a Journey/Cheap Trick double-header. Crosby/Stills/Nash are coming as well, but I would rather see the first three. Hopefully I'll get this summer hire position so I can buy tickets! What are you all seeing?
I'm not planning on anything yet, but I really wish I was at AT&T Park in San Francisco this Sunday. After buying Kenny Chesney's live CD, that's something I would love to experience just once.
I was at Kenny Chesney's stadium show on Saturday. He does put on a fun show, even if there are several minor things I wish he'd change, such as actually ending with "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" instead of signing stuff for those close to the stage for 5-10 minutes while the band improvises behind him. Keith Urban is simply one of the best performers out there. He sings and plays amazingly well, he connects to the audience, and he's got his lights and video timed for maximum effect. Sammy Hagar certainly has an interesting stage persona, but he did not win me over with his music. Gary Allan put on a decent show, but his song selection and audio were not the best they could have been.
Neil Diamond @ Fenway Park Toby Keith @ Tweeter Center Dave Matthews @ Tweeter Center Jimmy Buffett @ Tweeter Center
I'm going to see Stone Temple Pilots at the Fillmore in Detroit tomorrow night. I'll report back after
So far all I have on the docket for this summer is Rush in July up in Manchester, NH. I saw them last summer too, and I'm a little disappointed in that it seems they have made very few changes to the set list for this 2008 leg of their tour. (Which is to say it's way too heavy on the new stuff, IMO. Everyone who was going to buy their latest CD probably has already. Give us more of the classics!) I'm hoping the set list evolves some more by the time they roll back into New England.
They're playing 5 songs off of Moving Pictures! They are leaning heavily on the new material, because they are not a nostalgia act. They are touring for a new album. A new album, which, by the way, kicks major ass. Anyway, I saw Rush three times on the current tour, most recently a couple of weeks ago in Reno. The only concert we have lined up so far is the Rockin' the Colonies Tour: The English Beat/The Fixx/The Alarm, at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga.
I'm going to see them July 4th at Summerfest in Milwaukee. There's also a whole crap load of concerts I'll be going to during that week. God...I love Summerfest....
Right now, I've got two summer concerts on my schedule. June 12: Brad Paisley (with Jewel, Chuck Wicks, and Julianne Hough) August 2: Brooks & Dunn and ZZ Top (with Rodney Atkins)
OK, I have returned and I am pleased to report that Weiland was both sober and on time! And it was a fantastic gig to boot.
I'm happy to see that the concert went off without a hitch. Are you going tonight as well? I'll be seeing STP in Montreal on July 11 and I'll be seeing the Black Crowes in Ottawa on July 10.
^ No, just the one night. I came all the way from Cornwall in England too, so I am REALLY pleased it didn't all go to shit as it appears to have a few nights before. I tell you though, the band were loving it. Rob Deleo was having a great time and if there was any major drama in the last few days there was no sign of it on stage.