Stone Sour cemented their place as one of my favorite bands with the release of the double album House of Gold & Bones Parts 1 and 2. These albums were released roughly five months apart and by this point Part 2 had been out for about 10 months. I had not seen Stone Sour for almost three and a half years so a little trip to the closest tour stop at the House of Blues Disneyland in Anaheim was not about to stop me from seeing these new songs live.
The excitement soon turned into actual sourness when suddenly not long before this show for no exact reason given Jim Root was kicked out of Stone Sour. This was really strange since they were touring an album that he had a large hand in writing and he was still in Slipknot with Corey Taylor. Due to this unexpected twist this was my first time seeing the band with Christian Martucci.
I convinced Bob to go and Ken to not only go, but drive us in his Toyota Yaris hatchback aka “the Rollerskate.” Being six foot one cramped in the backseat of that thing, eating Del Taco for dinner (I hate Del Taco) and not being able to drink a whole lot due to having to work the next day kind of drew a parallel to the show we were about to watch – it was passable but not ideal. Don’t get me wrong the show was very enjoyable but it just seemed to be missing a certain something or in this case a certain somebody. Christian Martucci filled in nicely for Jim Root but there were little nuances that were just different which made for a slightly different vibe. The “Crreping Death” cover was unexpectedly awesome and the new songs passed the live test, especially “Gravesend” and the one/two punch of “Gone Sovereign” and “Absolute Zero” to end the show.
SETLIST: The House of Gold & Bones, RU486, Say You’ll Haunt Me, Black John, Inhale, Made of Scars, Mission Statement, The Travelers, Pt. 1, Tired, Through Glass, Gravesend, 30/30-150, Nutshell, Bother, Do Me A Favor, Creeping Death, Gone Sovereign, Absolute Zero
I Just saw Marilyn Manson back on February 20th but these guys are pretty up there for me so there is no way I was not going to walk out my back door to see them play in my yard. I will go see this band as many times as I possibly can. Apparently this show was only two nights before they officially joined up with Alice Cooper for a co-headlining tour deemed the Masters of Madness/Shock Therapy Tour, which is a bummer because it would have been cool to see Alice Cooper. Woe is me…
Marilyn Manson always opens their albums and shows with a strong song and tonight was no exception when they opened with “Angel With the Scabbed Wings.” Killer. The majority of the setlist was the same as back in February but the addition of “Angel With the Scabbed Wings,” “Little Horn,” “Great Big White World” and “This Is the New Shit” completely changed the dynamics of this performance. This time we got the impassioned intensity and grit the previous show fell slightly short on.
SETLIST: Angel With the Scabbed Wings, Disposable Teens, No Reflection, Little Horn, The Dope Show, Rock Is Dead, Great Big White World, Personal Jesus, mOBSCENE, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), Hey, Cruel World, This Is the New Shit, Irresponsible Hate Anthem, The Beautiful People
I was attending San Diego State University at the time that I wrote this for my “History of Rock N’ Roll” class. I took the class for the easy A because if you’ve read this far you know that I know my sh*t. What follows is my review exactly as turned in…
Research
The band I chose to see was Steel Panther, who played at the House of Blues in downtown San Diego. To be honest they were not my first choice though. The reason I ended up seeing them is because I unfortunately ran out of time. I was hoping to write a concert report on a band that I would have wanted to see anyway, but unfortunately the bands I wanted to see simply didn’t pass through San Diego before the end of the semester. I settled on seeing Mastodon on May 5th until Professor Flood announced that all concert reports would be due in class on May 4th. It is during that class that reminded me of the Steel Panther concert. I first saw the concert advertised in The Reader but know it was also heavily promoted and endorsed by local radio stations 101 KGB and Rock 105.3. The funny thing is that I did not realize that this was the same band known as Metal Shop I had seen about six years earlier when they were a staple every Wednesday night at Typhoon Saloon in Pacific Beach until the singer mentioned it. From what I can gather they mainly play either in Europe or stay in the Southwestern United States.
Strong Points
Steel Panther is essentially a cover band in the vain of 80’s hair metal. The first thing that struck me as particularly impressive was the level of detail in the band members costuming. Every band member wore big hair, spandex, neon colors, and make-up even though they were all male performers. Then again that’s how it used to be back in the heyday. Another thing that impressed me was the actual musicianship. The vocalist and guitarist in particular were spot on virtuoso level musicians.
Weak Points
As is the case with almost all concerts I’ve attended one of the weak points was the opening band. It was a four-piece band called Immune. They lost me immediately from the first song when the lead guitarist imitated Jimi Hendrix by playing with his teeth and behind his head. There is nothing wrong with being influenced by someone but those are things that set Hendrix apart from everybody 40 years ago, not now. Another weak point for the concert was the sound quality. Loudness is great and an expectation for a rock concert but only if that loudness comes with clarity. This particular show lacked the clarity I desired from the speakers.
General Presentation
Even though it was expected, it was still a little annoying having “convenience” fees tacked on to the price of the ticket when purchased from the venue. The concert was a little pricey for a predominantly cover band at $27.50. Parking in downtown San Diego is always atrocious unless one decides to overpay for a lot or structure. I was fortunate enough to find a metered spot a few blocks away with minimal effort. As mentioned earlier the sound system and opening band could have been better. I found myself watching the drunken groupies more than the opening band. The lighting was of the standard multi-colored variety and always moving but overall bright enough to give the audience a good view of the band. The stage had absolutely no props except the performers themselves. In this case it worked because the performers wore such extreme costumes.
Variety of Music
Steel Panther opened with “Kickstart My Heart” by Motley Crue. It was strange to watch since the singer looked like an exact replica of Vince Neil, the real singer of Motley Crue. The band had a sort of vulgar comedy routine between each song that was quite amusing. The next song they played was “Jump” by Van Halen. After that they mixed it up with an original song called “Asian Hooker.” Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer” then found new life many years after it’s conception. Coming in immediately after that was a parody version of George Michael’s “Faith” where the lyrics were changed to better suit the vulgar theme. Ted Nugent’s “Cat Scratch Fever” followed in hilarious fashion when they brought an elderly gentleman in the crowd on stage to help sing it. Instead of singing he just invented a new dance. Afterward the band mixed in another original called “Community Property.” Then they revisited Bon Jovi by playing “Runaway” followed by another Motley Crue song “Live Wire.” These songs were succeeded by crowd pleasers “Pour Some Sugar on Me” by Def Leppard and “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey. After this they played another original and that was all I could take for the evening. Overall the band was very precise without any “jamming.”
Audience Response
The audience loved this band. I think this was mostly due to the band actively involving the audience. The barrier between band and performer was not really there. They called out specific members of the audience like a comedian would in a smaller setting. At different points in the show women from the audience were brought up on the stage to tease the crowd with provocative dance. The crowd was singing along to all the familiar songs because the song selection was catered toward that. The comedy aspect of the concert kept the general atmosphere of fun intact. It probably also didn’t hurt that the crowd was inebriated from the one of the many 22 ounce beers they purchased.
Instruments Present
The band was a typical rock quartet with one member singing, one playing guitar, one playing bass guitar, and the other playing drums. The singer’s voice was very clear with a pretty wide range. He could hit the super high soprano type notes popular in the 80’s but also had a more regular tenor type voice to sing most of the tunes. The guitar player wasn’t playing through a very fancy setup. He played the same six string Stratocaster style guitar with three single coil pickups throughout. The only change is his sound was between a clean channel and distorted channel on his amplifier. The bass player played a four string bass that gave a sound somewhere between clean and slightly distorted. The drummer didn’t have a big fancy set either. He played with a single bass pedal, floor tom, a smaller tom mounted to the kick drum, snare, hi-hat, and a few different cymbals besides the ride cymbal.
Balance of Instruments
Overall the mix was good with no single instrument overpowering another. I think the instruments were overpowering the house sound system a little though, which could have caused the slight lack of clarity mentioned earlier. I think the balance of instrumentation also benefitted from the lack of effects. None of the instruments had any effects except when the guitarist switched to the distortion channel.
Appropriate Space
The venue was plenty large enough to accommodate the crowd that showed up. As far as attendance goes, it wasn’t really stretching the limits of the 2,000-seat capacity like most of the other shows I’ve seen there. Live Nation was the promoter because they have exclusive promotion over any House of Blues venue. I’ve never been that much of a fan of the venue because of the sound. I like it in terms of intimacy of the venue but either something about the acoustics or the guy running the soundboard doesn’t do it for my ears.
Individual Ability
The singer, who goes by the stage name of Michael Starr was outstanding. His range and stage presence were 100% rock star. While I would guess most of the real singers of the original bands they covered can no longer hit higher notes, he still has it. It doesn’t seem to bother him that he never made the big time back when this music was actually relevant. The guitar player was also the other standout. He goes by the moniker “Satchel” and stunned in his simplicity. Every band I’ve ever seen that I really liked had a huge board of effects pedals but all he had was a simple pedal to switch between clean channel and distortion. He knew his licks and besides exaggerated stage moves didn’t solo more than necessary to get the point across. A combination of confidence and playfulness worked for them.
Background Material
No background material was provided during this show. Once I figured out they were the same band that used to play Typhoon Saloon I realized they used to be called Metal Skool. I also found out on their website that they pretty much do the same thing they were doing in Pacific Beach but now in Los Angeles and Las Vegas on a weekly basis.
Ability to Stimulate You
The whole point of the show is to stimulate you. It will not be everybody’s cup of tea but definitely embodies the spirit and look of 80’s hair metal for anyone who wasn’t around to see the real bands in concert back in that decade of decadence. Everything in their show is over-the-top from the costumes to the syncopated head banging. My particularly favorite part was the mock moves where the three mobile members of the band walked or dipped their guitars in unison. If the music is not going to be super intense like Tool then it might as well be comical. I like that they can make fun of not only the 80’s but also themselves. The 80’s may be over but someone forgot to tell these guys and I think that’s exactly how they like it.
Chevelle was not stopping in San Diego on their tour for the two-month-old Sci-Fi Crimes album so Bob and I decided to make our maiden voyage to the House of Blues Anaheim at Disneyland. It had been almost exactly two years since I last saw Chevelle when I snuck into Soma with Marvin.
This show is one of my favorite times that I ever saw Chevelle. For maybe the first time in my presence they actually performed on a decorated stage. Said stage consisted of red Mesa Boogie amps and a UFO theme that included a giant backdrop of the album cover. Besides the visual aspect they brought their A game and sounded fantastic. We started at the back but once we got a good buzz we got right into the heart of the floor section which did not hurt our overall experience but does bring up the underbelly of this story.
It is more than a minor miracle that Bob and I are still alive because of our drinking and driving. The drinking started on the way there at a stop to Buffalo Wild Wings. From there we went to a liquor store and for some stupid reason bought Jack Daniels (I never drink liquor). Then once we got to the House of Blues we drank some more, followed by more drinking on the two-hour drive home. It was STUPID and IRRESPONSIBLE but thankfully we got home without hurting anyone including ourselves.
SETLIST: Sleep Apnea, Brainiac, Well Enough Alone, Vitamin R, Letter From a Thief, Another Know It All, Comfortable Liar, The Red, Jars, Forfeit, The Clincher, Straight Jacket Fashion, Roswell’s Spell, Send The Pain Below, Still Running, I Get It
Toadies twice in less than a year? Yes please! Straight-ahead rock at it’s finest. Toadies were still touring No Deliverance and basically had zero stage show including lack of a proper backdrop. They let the music do the talking and that was all that they needed to get their point across. Vaden had this cool dual microphone thing going on, one for clean vocals and one for a different sound like when he says “We gonna show you a thing or two about love” in the breakdown section of “Mister Love.” Marvin, Jason and I did not leave the pit once. Okay maybe we left once to get a beer.
SETLIST: Mister Love, So Long Lovey Eyes, Little Sin, I Come From the Water, No Deliverance, Sweetness, Got a Heart, Song I Hate, Possum Kingdom, Mexican Hairless, Push the Hand, Quitter, Paper Doll, Away, Backslider, Nothing to Cry About, Tyler, I Burn
Once upon a time before Jon LaJoie played the role of “Taco” in “The League” he was dare I call it a YouTube sensation. I was turned onto his YouTube videos “Everyday Normal Guy” and “Show Me Your Genitals” way before this when I went to visit friends Ben and Dan in China. This lead me to the genius of “Not Giving A Fuck,” “Rapist Glasses,” and “Pedophile Beards.” This shit makes me laugh every time and if you have not seen them you seriously need to check them out. Quite simply his sense of humor lines up with mine so when it was announced he would be performing at the House of Blues I was in. Bob came with me, as did Donna who I stupidly started hanging out with again sporadically.
He was set to perform on a small little stage inside House of Blues adjacent to the restaurant/bar that I did not even know existed. I was naïve enough to think that his level of fame at the time combined with attendance of only about 200 people would allow us to say hello beforehand/shoot the shit/have a beer but he did not appear until he came onstage. Armed only with acoustic guitar and song specific attire he wore in the videos he ran through his “hits.” He crushed it and is actually a really good guitar player. It was essentially a comedy show in which some of the jokes were delivered in the form of a song.
The “C-U-LaTour” was meant to be Ministry’s farewell tour in support of their final album The Last Sucker that had come out about seven months before this show. Apparently Uncle Al felt like the band had run its course. You could have fooled me. This two plus hour romp felt more like a band trying to recruit new fans rather than say goodbye to existing ones. I love that every time I have seen Ministry has been in a different city and venue. Since I had not seen them for about five years it was great to finally see “Wrong” live. The three cover songs at the end of the set were a bit of a surprise since Ministry’s own catalog is so deep but it looked like they were having fun. Thanks to the person on the balcony that caught “Under My Thumb” on video for all to enjoy.
SETLIST: Let’s Go, The Dick Song, Watch Yourself, Life Is Good, The Last Sucker, No W, Waiting, Worthless, Wrong, Rio Grande Blood, Senor Peligro, LiesLiesLies, Khyber Pass, So What, N.W.O, Just One Fix, Thieves, Roadhouse Blues (The Doors), Just Got Paid (ZZ Top), Under My Thumb (The Rolling Stones)
I had only seen Down one other time and that was in the summer of 2002 on the second stage at Ozzfest. Since then they had released two more albums. They were on tour for the latter, Down III: Over the Under, which had been released just about two months before this show. Not sure why but I remember this being another show I went stag to. I do not remember the exact setlist but know they played damn near the entire first album with an even amount of songs from the other two albums mixed in and they rucking focked. Lucky for us someone in the crowd was more concerned with filming the show than being present in the moment (keep in mind smart phones were still in their infancy in late 2007)…
I got into Silverchair at the age of 17 not long after Frogstomp was released in 1995 when the band members were only 15 years old. In the following years I consumed each of their albums released but somehow never had the chance to see them in concert. Fast forward 12 years from Frogstomp to Friday the 13th (gasp!) in July of 2007 and Silverchair was set to begin their first US tour in five years in San Diego to support Young Modern, their fifth (and at the time of this writing final) album that had just come out earlier in the year. Well it turns out the curse of Friday the 13th came to fruition as my first time seeing Silverchair would be delayed to November 16th thanks to a bout of laryngitis in frontman Daniel Johns.
It was worth the wait. The band was tight and demonstrated a level of virtuosity that is rare. There was one point in the show where a fight had broken out so Daniel stopped playing and said something along the lines of “We’re lovers not fighters mate, now turn to the person next to you and give them a hug” then the band picked up right where they left off. I was impressed with the vocal range that Daniel Johns displayed and especially enjoyed the epic “Emotion Sickness,” gut wrenchingly beautiful “Ana’s Song,” and heavy “Freak” but the new stuff sounded great as well. According to Silverchair’s Fan Club the band and long time road crew regard this show as one of the best five they have ever done. Did I already say it was worth the wait?
SETLIST: Young Modern Station, Emotion Sickness, Israel’s Son, Reflections of a Sound, Insomnia, Ana’s Song (Open Fire), Those Thieving Birds, Part 1/Strange Behaviour/Those Thieving Birds, Part 2, The Greatest View, Straight Lines, The Door, Mind Reader, If You Keep Losing Sleep, Freak
My cousin Earl gave me a copy of Stone Sour’s eponymous album not long after it came out in 2002. I knew about them because I had seen Slipknot three times by this point, but I did not really get into Stone Sour until I came around to Slipknot once they released Volume 3: The Subliminal Verses. This made me revisit Stone Sour’s debut album but they didn’t really get their hooks in me until I heard “30/30-150” from the album Come What(ever) May that was released in August of 2006. I loved the soft/heavy balance they struck versus the straight brutality of Slipknot. Needless to say I remember being particularly excited about this show since I had never seen them before. I cannot remember everything that was played but I did know all the songs forwards and backwards which generally makes a great concert that much better. This was the first time I had seen Corey Taylor “unmasked” and I remember him being a giant ham that seemed to be truly enjoying himself. The massive crowd response he got when he took off his shirt surely did not hurt. I was very impressed when he came out by himself with an acoustic guitar and played a medley of songs that included a solid version of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game.”
