Friday's Rockin' Roundup - A Lot Going On Edition

Holy Hannah, there was a lot going on in the world of music this past week! There was also a lot going on in my personal life too. Some good, some bad, and some just too much work! It happens. I have a very demanding day job and I try to keep up with this blog and my newly launched KISS podcast, while still making time for reading, movies, games, family, and friends. Sometimes I need to remind myself that I should slow down and enjoy life for whatever it is handing me at that moment.

I’m really not complaining. I like to be busy and I like to get things done. I just tend to overcommit sometimes. And then there are times when everything happens all at once. Like new releases, tickets to concerts that I really want to see, and huge breaking news from some of my favorite bands. And that’s what I experienced this past week, which has led me to my first Friday’s Rockin’ Roundup for 2018.

So, while I was playing catch up in the world of all things Ryo Vie likes (and work), here’s what rocked this week!

Boyd Tinsley Is Taking A Break

Just hours after tickets went on sale for their upcoming summer tour, and a day before the band’s first concert in quite some time, Boyd Tinsley announced that he was “taking a break” from the Dave Mathews Band to focus on his family and health for a while. This news shocked the DMB fan community and caused one of the most popular fan sites to overload and shut down due to high traffic volume. The responses to this announcement are mixed. While some fans are really upset that this announcement did not come prior to the tickets going on sale, others are just sad and hope that everything is okay with their favorite fiddle player. I fall into both camps. On the one hand, I do hope that Boyd is okay and that the health issues are not serious. On the other hand, I wish I would have known this prior to buying tickets because it may have changed my decision about going or at least about how much to spend on tickets. As it is, I am going to two shows this summer. I just know they aren’t going to be the same without Boyd. It’s going to be odd and somber at times.

Poison Announces A Summer Tour

I’ll admit that with all that’s been going on lately, this announcement totally caught me by surprise. But thankfully, in a good way! I had no idea that Poison was gearing up to hit the road this summer. And taking Cheap Trick and Pop Evil out with them is quite a bonus. Long time readers know how much I love Pop Evil and Poison, so this is practically a must see show for me. The problem is I have DMB tickets for the night that Poison is in my home state. Now I am frantically scrambling to see what other nearby shows there are that will fit my schedule. Ugh! The problems of a die-hard music fan!

Gaslight Anthem Reunion Dates Announced

After a long hiatus, The Gaslight Anthem is finally getting back together! They plan to tour in honor of the anniversary of The 59 Sound, their breakout album that most (if not all) Gaslight fans adore. Tickets for all the announced North America shows have sold out, so I am hopeful that the band will add more dates. They currently do not have any shows scheduled for their home state of New Jersey and I can’t see them doing this tour without a show or two in The Garden State. Thus, like most fans, I will wait and see if future shows are added and if they include a stop in Jersey. If they do, expect me to be there!

Pearl JamTickets Going On Sale Soon

Pearl Jam announced some stadium shows for this summer. Tickets go on sale soon, however, if you were one of the lucky ones to become a “verified” fan, then you will have the opportunity to buy tickets next Friday, February 16^th. If there are any tickets left after that (doubtful), the general on sale will be February 21^st at 10:00 AM. Unfortunately, the closest show to me is almost 6 hours away, so I did not try to get “verified.” I still have some issues with the whole verification through Ticketmaster process anyway, but that’s a topic for another time. I may or may not try to get general tickets for Fenway in Boston, but I’m real hopeful that PJ will add some dates to the NYC area. MetLife stadium is a great place to hold a concert in the summer!

Brian Fallon’s Solo Album Is Out Today

Not to be outdone by his band that’s been on hiatus and is now returning with a boom, Brian Fallon will release a new solo album today. Sleepwalkers is the second solo album from Fallon and every song that I have heard from this record is magnificent. I can’t even begin to describe how talented Brian Fallon is or how much I love his music. It is filled with such passion that it just overwhelms me (in a very good way). There was a great article posted on the independent that talks about his new record, The Gaslight Anthem, and much more. It’s definitely worth reading, especially if you are a fan!

The Latest Episode of The Psycho Circus Podcast Is Up

I’ll wrap up this edition of Friday’s Rockin’ Roundup with a shameless self-promoting plug. The latest episode of my Podcast The Psycho Circus Podcast is up. It’s also available on iTunes and Tune-In. This episode covers my favorite KISS album of all time, Destroyer, so I really hope that it gets a lot of listens. And if you like what you hear, think about subscribing. My plan is to post a new episode every week until I collapse from over-commitment!

The Summer Concert Wrap Up: Part One

With Memorial Day arriving early this year (May 25th) and Labor Day arriving later than normal (September 7th), this was one of the longest summer concert seasons in a while. Those 15 weeks of concert bliss certainly did not disappoint. While I missed out on some great tours this summer (DMB – saw them in April, Blink 182 – work got in the way, and Def Leppard/Poison/Cheap Trick – cost too much), I was able to see my fair share of great shows.

This summer my concert list was short and sweet. I hit Bruce Springsteen on Memorial Day weekend, Nickelback (with Saving Able, Papa Roach, and Hinder) in July, AC/DC in late July, and Incubus in August. Not a bad set for the summer.

This summer provided many excellent tours and some great bands hit the road.

Blink 182 made a surprise announcement earlier in the year that they were reuniting and going on tour. They did their best to keep ticket prices low and took some great bands out with them including Weezer, Panic at the Disco, and Taking Back Sunday.

Staind unleashed their Stimulate This! tour in an effort to give fans great live music for a low price. Taking Shinedown, Cheville, and Haelstorm on the road with them was a move that certainly helped and delighted hard rock fans nationwide.

Nine Inch Nails said goodbye while Jane’s Addiction said hello. The recently re-reunited Jane’s Addiction teamed up with NIN for a double dose of WOW! Unfortunately, I missed this concert due to family obligations, otherwise I would have been there. Nine Inch Nails declared halfway through the tour that this was the end for them, and there were huge bets on whether Jane’s Addiction would make it to the end (they did). That was a great pairing for an excellent summer tour.

Incubus was without a doubt the biggest surprise of the summer for me. I went to see them on a last minute whim and had no real expectations of what they’d be like. I’ve always enjoyed their music, but never went crazy for the band. After seeing them live, that all changed. Their performance was top notch. Brandon Boyd is an incredible showman and he has an amazing voice. As a front man and lead singer, his was amazing in concert.

AC/DC stormed through the Northeast this summer. While I got to witness them at Giants Stadium, I would not have been able to do so if a special ticket offer did not turn up. Their performance was incredible (as always) and I’m glad that I went to see them, but they need to rethink their ticket prices if they want sellout crowds. $100 for nosebleeds is not a bargain in anyone’s book.

Dave Matthews Band was out on tour in support of their latest release Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King. A consummate touring band, DMB is always on the road every year, and even with the passing of one of their leaders (LeRoi Moore) last summer, they still are out on an extended tour this year. Always a great band to watch, DMB is an enjoyable summer experience, and for some fans, it’s not summer without them.

Phish reunited and went on tour to the delight of millions (as obvious by how quick the tickets sold out). While there were issues getting tickets at first, things eventually worked out when Live Nation decided to stagger the on sale dates of their future shows. The Phish-heads rejoiced and from what I’ve heard, the band is in top form. The band even gave away free downloads to their first three reunion shows.

Judas Priest hit the road taking hard rock veterans Whitesnake with them. They also offered the opening slot to a hot new band, Pop Evil. If you haven’t already checked out their debut album, cousin Ryo highly recommends it. While Whitesnake had to leave the tour at the tail end due to David Coverdale’s throat problems, the reports from people who got to see the full act were nothing but raves. Judas Priest played British Steel in its entirety and Whitesnake hauled out all the expected classics with one or two new songs.

Other notable tours this summer included OAR, Green Day, Nickelback (with Saving Able, Papa Roach, and Hinder), Billy Squire, Toad the Wet Sprocket, the newly reunited Creed, Bob Dylan with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp, and Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band.

Some concerts this summer were not so great, or met with a very unfortunate ending.

Aerosmith was forced to cancel a tour that started late, was plagued with issues and injuries from the beginning, and had ticket prices that were way too high. Initially, this tour was supposed to be supporting a new record that Aerosmith never got around to finishing. Fans were disappointed, band members were disappointed, and supposedly Steven Tyler fell off the wagon again. He debates that saying he is still clean and sober, but there’s no debating this, the Aerosmith tour did not happen and they are nowhere close to finishing the new album. If you’re not touring, and you’re not recording, just what the hell are you doing?

Def Leppard/Poison/Cheap Trick went out on tour together to the delight of many. The news of this unlikely band pairing sent a lot of fans searching for tickets, only to find that the prices were out of control. On top of that, Poison played their standard tired setlist and the reports were that Def Leppard just sucked. Supposedly Joe Elliot can’t sing anymore and as mighty as Def Leppard once was, it may be time for them to think about hanging it up.

So, what concerts did you get to take in this summer? What concerts were you shut out of? Which concerts do you think were overpriced? Which concerts gave you the most bang for your buck? The guru would love to hear from everyone and get their thoughts on the 2009 summer concert season. And be sure to check in on Wednesday (9/9) when I recap the summer festivals.

Comments are open. Feel free to post some.