Bob purchased three tickets to this event without me knowing and of course I had to go. He was super excited because he had never seen Godsmack before. This was to be my fifth time seeing Godsmack but the last time had been way back in the summer of 2003 at the Gorge. We had one extra ticket to get rid of and finally James decided to go with us after two other people agreed to go backed out. I am very familiar with the venue since this school is my Alma Mater. We had excellent seats and this time I wisely chose to dance with Mary Jane before entering the venue (see Smashing Pumpkins 9/19/07).
After what was one of the weirder beginnings to a show I have seen where Godsmack essentially played a promo video of themselves on the big screen, they took the stage. Total professionals. They were touring for their newest album 1000HP that had been released the previous summer. They played a great mix of songs from all of their albums and threw in covers of Joe Walsh’s “Rocky Mountain Way” and AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.” One great moment is when they played the first minute or so of the Pantera song “Walk” and the whole crowd went ape shit. At another point Sully gave his whiskey to a girl that had been going crazy in front of the stage the whole show. One of the best highlights of the night was when the drum riser started moving toward the front of the stage and out came another full drum kit from under the big screen that Sully proceeded to sit down behind and make some dual drum magic happen. After some false posturing of “we’re going to play all night” they finished the song they were playing and the show was over. I appreciated the cheeky song that came on as we were leaving the venue – “Rock and Roll Band” from Boston. Good times.
What the eff is Garth Brooks doing in a Rock N’ Roll blog?!? Ask my beautiful lady for it is her that decided I should be her plus one using one of the two tickets I bought her as a gift. Anyone that knows me can tell you with absolute certainty that I am not a fan of country music and can probably go one step farther and say that I hate country music. I respect that there are very talented musicians in that genre but outside of old school outlaw country music like Johnny Cash it just pains my ears. I feel like “classic rock” is the middle of a spectrum that extends to country music on one end and heavy metal on the other. If you’ve read this far I think you also know which section of that spectrum I like to hang out in.
Despite not knowing any Garth Brooks song except “Friends In Low Places” I did find common ground with the rest of the crowd in beer and plaid shirts, which were in abundance. Even though this was not my cup of tea I was impressed at Garth’s ability to command a crowd. Everyone there was having a blast and I think I drank enough to somewhat fall into that category as well. When all is said and done this was an opportunity to hang out with my lady and anything that puts a smile on her face also puts one on mine.
This morning was the very definition of a value buzz. I think I drank about half a light beer before I was buzzing again. Which means it took me about another two before I was closing in on full retard…at about 8:30 am. Thank god for the motherly instincts of Marvin, who ventured out of the campground and brought back breakfast burritos for the gang. Life saver. I was right as rain after our “campsite” neighbors came over and smoked me out. From our site we could hear Faith No More doing their sound check, which was pretty awesome but they kept playing “Midlife Crisis” right up to the climax and then stopping. At least we knew they would be playing it later.
The first band I cared about today was Eagles of Death Metal. Even though I had seen them twice before, the first time was only for a partial set (see Street Scene 9/20/08) and both times were without Josh Homme behind the drum kit. Not that the music had crazy drum beats or that Homme was a virtuoso drummer, but I respect him immensely as a musician from Queens of the Stone Age and Them Crooked Vultures (essentially another QOTSA album with better backing musicians). They rocked and seemed like they truly enjoyed being there playing these songs for everyone.
Next up I got to see Red Fang for the first time. All it took for me to like this band was hearing the song “Wires,” which Joe turned me on to. This band was exactly what I was looking for and I was hooked after that. Rock and Roll pure and simple. Generally I prefer to see bands at their own headlining shows because they can “stretch out” and play a longer set instead of 45 minutes to an hour. One thing I do like about these festivals besides the value of so many bands for one price at one time is that the stage setup is usually stark and devoid of crazy props which allows the focus to be on power of the music. Red Fang did not need much of a production and I cannot imagine that they would have had one even if I would have seen them at a small venue by themselves.
After that was Stone Temple Pilots…sort of. It was STP but with Chester Bennington from Linkin Park singing. I LOVE Stone Temple Pilots and I like Linkin Park so I was not opposed to this arrangement but I obviously knew going in that it would not be the same as with Scott Weiland. I just looked at it like I was going to see the best STP cover band that existed. We all sang along to the songs that we loved and let a spade be a spade.
Onward to the setting sun for my third privilege of seeing Jane’s Addiction. I am not a giant Jane’s fan but they are always enjoyable to see because Perry Farrell is just the right amount of nut to make a great frontman, Dave Navarro is a guitar guru and Stephen Perkins is a monster on the drums.
Deftones played next and I must say that I think at this point I was starting to drift away to drunk island because I have no photo evidence of the show from this point on. Maybe I was just feeling it so much that I could not be bothered to distract myself from the show. I think I have seen the Deftones more than any other band (have you read the rest of the blog?) but they are always great to see. True road warriors that are no strangers to the stage. I don’t remember this set being particularly on the heavy side as far as the music was concerned. They have super heavy songs and more dreamy atmospheric-type songs and I feel like they leaned more towards the latter.
Faith No More closed out the entire festival and were the band I most looked forward to on this day. I had just seen them for the first time back in April and since then had only fallen more in love with the album Sol Invictus. The song “Sunny Side Up” had become sort of an inside joke between Joe and I and we could not stop singing that shit to each other the whole trip. The stage setup and set list were pretty darn identical to the time we saw them in April but the new songs were much more familiar at this point. I wish they would have played “Cone of Shame” or “Last Cup of Sorrow” but like the Rolling Stones said you can’t always get what you want. The song “Epic” still holds up and somehow sounds even more fierce after all these times the band has been forced to play it. There was also a pretty funny moment after they played “Midlife Crisis” when they broke into the song “End of the Road” by Boyz 2 Men. Funny Fuckers.
After such a good time two years ago at this event we could not help ourselves and holy crap what a lineup! Same crew as 2013 (Marvin, Ken, Bob and I) and the addition of Joe in from Portland, but unlike last time we actually knew that Marvin was coming. This time the venue was at a place called Gibson Ranch instead of Discovery Park and we were able to “camp.” The plan was for Marvin to drive out from Salt Lake City and meet up with Bob who would already be in the Bay Area due to attending the 49ers/Seahawks game for Thursday Night Football and then meet up with Ken, Joe and I who were flying in on Saturday morning. Since all of us were flying Marvin was in charge of bringing tents, sleeping bags, etc. After we all met at a Walmart on the way to load up on supplies (mostly alcohol) we were on our way. The first band any of us cared about was Suicidal Tendencies, scheduled to be on at 2 pm, since we had missed them earlier in the year at Epicenter. Since our flight landed at 10 am we figured we had plenty of time to get settled but all the little things add up and we now found ourselves waiting in a long line of cars to get into the place and more specifically the campground. Very poor organization caused us to wait in our car (a rented super small shitbox of a Mazda) for what seemed like forever before we could get “escorted” to our campsite. By the time we got to the campsite and set up tents, etc. it was about 2. We quickly decided that we did not care all that much about Suicidal Tendencies after all. In our defense we could hear them perfectly from where we were. We were trying to save money by drinking at the camp spot but Helmet was up at 2:30 and attendance was non-negotiable. After some quick work of beers we went in and Helmet greeted us with all the songs you would want them to play (mostly from Meantime, Betty and Aftertaste). Next up was P.O.D. who continue to surprise me with each passing time I see them. Then we had to find our way to the “fourth” stage, which Clutch was playing at for some damn reason. Clutch was touring for the excellent new album Psychic Warfare. I made a bet with Joe that they would not play anything from their first three albums and I was right. It did not matter because they have so many good songs to choose from otherwise. More beers and back to one of the main stages for Seether. I believe by this time most of us had gotten separated from each other and when there is a concentration of that many people in one place cell signals do not work. I believe at this point I was just with Bob and some gal came out of nowhere and would not leave us alone. We finally shook her and watched Breaking Benjamin which was pretty alright.
Our original plan was to get an eighth of pot to bring but when that did not work out we settled for two decent sized joints. This meant we had to ration one for this day and one for the next day, which meant we had to strategically time ignition. For me this was the moment: Marilyn Manson was coming on. I had seen him many times but he is always splendid and now he had another excellent album out; The Pale Emperor. This set is one I have only seen him play a few times and can only be described as fierce. Not a lot of talking, every song just ripped you a new one and then he was gone. This version of his band is the tightest I think I have seen since the departure of John 5. I was tripping out because I could not tell if Twiggy was on the stage or not. If not it sure as hell looked like him.
Next up was Slipknot. I REALLY like their new album .5 The Gray Chapter so I was really excited to see them as well. By this point I was a little drunk and stoned but holy fuck did these guys rock. After finding our way back to the campground Bob and I were greeted by our missing buddies for a nightcap. Marvin informed me the previous day that he forgot one of the sleeping bags so I shoved a pillow and blanket in my carry on (talent) and planned on just sleeping in the reclined seat of our rental car. This is easy when you are drunk. Joe ended up sleeping in the passenger seat because we were up forever talking and laughing our heads off since I do not get to see him very often anymore. Today was a good day.
FINALLY! This band came onto my radar when my cousin Earl showed me the video for “I Believe In a Thing Called Love” back when their first album came out. It had me in a fit of laughter because it was one of the most ridiculous videos I have ever seen but musically speaking this band was good. Just how good was confirmed when I bought the first album and I had wanted to see them ever since then but it was never in the cards until now. Pomona is roughly a two hour drive from San Diego so Bob, Ken and I decided to make the trip. At the last minute Ken said he was going to drive himself because he could not get off of work soon enough but Bob and I received a text on our drive up that he was not going to make it after all…his loss. After a few hours of fun Friday traffic we arrived. We needed beer and food so I walked down the road for beer and then decided to order a pizza. I later found out that I ordered a pizza from the wrong Pizza Hut when I went to pick it up. On my drive across town to the correct Pizza Hut I got a frantic call from Bob that he had lost his wallet. Long story short I got the pizza and found his wallet in my car. Disaster averted. After a quick puff of the good stuff (my first time in almost a month due to a pre-employment drug test) we were off. Neither Bob or I had ever been to this venue and I must say it was AWESOME. Super small and intimate with great sound. The show was not as packed as I would have expected but I was glad to have more breathing room than usual.
The Darkness had a DJ as an opener but I’ve been to enough concerts to know when to time things so we can get right to it. Just enough time to get a beer, listen to their pre-concert music “The Boys are Back in Town” by Thin Lizzy and here they come. SIDENOTE: nobody told us that we had to find the “ID checker guy” before we could get a beer. Instead we waited for a bartender to take our order and then found out. Seems like it may have been easier for the guy checking our ID to get our will-call ticket to just give us a wristband but I digress…The Darkness were touring for their fourth album Last of Our Kind which was released at the end of May. They opened with the song “Barbarian” which was fitting since it had been stuck in my head for about a week. This band KILLED IT. They had the energy of an arena rock show in a small place. Total pros and tight as shit. The dual Les Paul’s through Marshall stacks sounded fantastic against the rhythm section. Though I’m not sure of the exact setlist in the order they played everything, I can tell you they played nearly the entire first album by the end of the night and the rest of the songs were a nice mix from the other three albums including a cover of Radiohead’s “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” and one of my favorite songs off the new album called “Roaring Waters.” The most surprising moment for me came when they played a super amped up version of “English Country Garden” with singer/guitarist Justin Hawkins behind a keyboard. It was truly magical. It was also pretty damn cool that Justin rode around the floor on the shoulders of a guy whilst playing his guitar during “Love on the Rocks With No Ice” near the end of the show. AWESOME.
Dave Grohl is the shit but you already knew that or you probably wouldn’t have clicked on this post. I already figured I would end up going to this show but did not know all the details until the last minute. After buying tickets for four and having one person bail I ended up going with Jason who literally got into town just a few hours before the show and Tom. We got into the venue as Gary Clark Jr. was finishing up. He rips it up on guitar but I was a little disappointed because Royal Blood had opened up for the Foo most other dates of the tour.
Foo Fighters were on tour for the Sonic Highways album/show (both excellent) but the big news was that Dave had broken his leg about three months prior to this during one of their concerts in Sweden. He is so badass that he came back onto the stage about an hour after he broke his leg to finish the concert. Apparently when he was getting his leg fixed up at the hospital and doped up on OxyContin he concocted a “throne” that would allow the Foo Fighters to continue on with the tour. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/watch-the-throne-dave-grohl-on-how-the-foos-saved-their-summer-20150730
Let me just say that I have never seen someone sitting down rock so hard. Dave always has a lot of energy and not an ounce of that was lost just because he was confined to sitting. They got “Everlong” out of the way right away to start the show and from that point on it was pure rock and roll that seamlessly transitioned from their hit songs to silly banter to cover songs and back again. Most of the other times I have seen them they have done a medley of just the beginnings of cover songs and then a full version of another. The full cover this time was “Under Pressure” by Queen/David Bowie. Phenomenal. Another fun part of the show was when Dave invited a guy onstage that was dancing his ass off out in the crowd. He went by the name “Happy Feet Steve” and continued to dance his ass off onstage while the band played “Arlandria.” As a fan of all of their music I am always left wanting more of the lesser known deep cut hidden gems but these guys always play at least a solid two hours so I really have nothing to bitch about. I left the venue that night far from disappointed.
Before Nirvana came along there were exactly four bands that existed in my world: Guns N’ Roses, Motley Crue, Poison and Def Leppard. In fact the first album I ever received as a gift was Def Leppard’s Hysteria for Christmas right about the time I was in fifth grade. Despite this and all the concerts I have seen I somehow never got around to seeing Def Leppard. They usually come around every few years as a package deal with other aging rock bands and this time was no exception. How many more opportunities would I get to see them? I decided not to chance it and go it alone. I could not find any willing friend to accompany me partially because it was a weeknight and partially because I suspect most of my friends do not really give a damn about Def Leppard (they are hard enough to convince to go to more current shows). As a bonus I would get to see Styx.
Tesla is not a band I have ever really cared for. I do like their song “Love Song” but other than that I could not even name another of their songs. I was walking into the venue when they were playing “Love Song” and let’s just say it did not have quite the same warmth as the version that benefitted from studio magic.
Styx on the other hand was fantastic. This is a band that had always been in my subconscious because my dad listened to them. I just never realized I actually knew and liked many of their songs until one day I finally figured out who sang “Too Much Time On My Hands” and bought their Greatest Hits compilation. They rocked through a few of my personal favorites “Blue Collared Man” and “Miss America” with precision and energy. They also nailed “The Grand Illusion,” “Renegade,” and “Come Sail Away” but disappointingly left out “Mr. Roboto.” What I can tell you is Lawrence Gowan had an amazing voice and I never liked the song “Lady” as much as that night because he was singing his ass off and the band made it rock a little more than usual.
Def Leppard was touring for their soon-to-be released self-titled album but to be honest I could have cared less. I love most of Def Leppard’s first four albums but after Nirvana opened up the musical floodgates for me I was too busy consuming new music to care about them any longer. My favorite moments were them playing “Foolin’,” “Bringin’ On The Heartbreak,” “Rock Of Ages” and “Photograph.” The band also did a great version of David Essex’s “Rock On.” Overall I was a little disappointed with Def Leppard. Their sound guy kept messing with Joe Elliot’s vocals to the point where it became distracting to me. I don’t know if he was trying to mask the difficulties he was having hitting the high notes or what. I’ll forgive Joe Elliot because when I was in fifth grade loving this band I wanted his mullet and he came out and played “Two Steps Behind” by himself. I don’t really care for that song but he did great and I did not even realize he could play guitar. The drummer Rick Allen continues to be a savage drummer despite having only one arm and guitarist Phil Collen (not to be confused with Phil Collins) looked decades younger than he is and tore it up. All in all I am glad I got to witness Def Leppard but the night belonged to Styx.
A rare concert on a weekend night…in the summer. Ken lived in a Penthouse right beside Balboa Park facing the south towards downtown. It was very convenient for seeing a show not far away so me Bob and I met up with Ken at his place and had a few on his rooftop deck before venturing out into the night. We got into the House of Blues right as Fuel was performing their last song. I was not that distraught because I think there is exactly one song of theirs that I like and I did see them open up for Aerosmith at the Gorge several years earlier. I don’t know what it is about Toadies that I like but I like it a lot. They consistently release great rock n’ roll albums and that is more than enough for me. I always forget how small the House of Blues is until I actually go there again. Toadies rocked through their set and then revealed the new song “In The Belly of the Whale” and news of an upcoming acoustic album of selections from their catalog. I also met the band afterwards at the T-shirt booth. I’m pretty sure I came off as a drunken creep but in the end I walked away with having seen the Toadies one more time, a kick-ass T-shirt and pictures to prove I was there being a drunken creep.
SETLIST: Rattler’s Revival, Backslider, Little Sin, I Am a Man of Stone, Happyface, Push the Hand, No Deliverance, Away, Sweetness, Possum Kingdom, In The Belly of the Whale, I Burn, I Come From the Water, Hell in High Water, Tyler, Paper Dress, Dollskin, Got a Heart, Jigsaw Girl, Stop It (Pylon cover), Summer of the Strange, Heel
Whoever is in charge of scheduling at the Del Mar Races always seems to pair the Craft Beer Fest featuring more than 100 craft beers from over 40 local breweries with the rowdiest band playing for the season. It seems like a disaster in the making which is even more reason that Ingrid, Bob, Jasmine and I chose to go see The Offspring again at the very same place I last saw them three years earlier. Their newest album was still Days Go By released right before that last time I had seen them but let’s be real: they did not need new material to promote. The Offspring is always a fun time and have been around long enough and had enough success to release a Greatest Hits album. Part of the reason I love beer is that I know exactly what I am getting every time. The same can be said about The Offspring. There was nothing earth shatteringly different about this performance compared to all the other times I saw them but that consistent awesomeness is exactly what keeps me coming back for more.
SETLIST: All I Want, Bad Habit, Come Out and Play, Coming for You, Mota, Have You Ever, Staring at the Sun, Want You Bad, Genocide, Slim Pickens Does the Right Thing and Rides the Bomb to Hell, Walla Walla, Gone Away, Gotta Get Away, Why Don’t You Get a Job?, Americana, You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid, Pretty Fly (For a White Guy), The Kids Aren’t Alright, (Can’t Get My) Head Around You, Self Esteem
It had been nearly two years since I last saw Steel Panther tear up Aftershock. Bob, Ken and I jumped at the chance to see them again now that they were back in San Diego for the rare Saturday show to promote their newest album All You Can Eat appropriately released on April Fool’s Day in 2014. The “shtick” was still the same: a fun party band mocking the excesses of 80’s hair metal playing genuinely kick ass original music. This band always looks as though they were recently let out of an orgy time capsule buried in 1984 with lots of cocaine and that is a good thing. The blatant sexuality bordering on sleaziness only amplifies the comic effect. In a day and age when people seem to increasing take everything too seriously it is always refreshing to see this band make fun of themselves.
SETLIST: Asian Hooker, Fat Girl (Thar She Blows), The Shocker, Hair Solo, 17 Girls in a Row, If I Was the King, Death to All but Metal, Party All Day (Fuck All Night)
