Friday's Rockin' Roundup - Pitchers and Catchers Edition

For me, three of the greatest words to hear are pitchers and catchers. It means that baseball season is about to begin. Avid readers of The Rock And Roll Guru know what a baseball junkie I am. I read all the off season reports, follow the trade rumors, keep up with the team transactions and yes, I even watch spring training games when they are televised. I love this time of year. Baseball is about to begin for another season and that means spring and concerts aren’t that far behind.

For baseball fans nationwide, spring training brings hope. Every team has a chance to make the playoffs and every fan can argue why their team can be a contender. Come May, that will no longer be true, but the optimism that spring training brings is glorious. And it all starts next week when pitchers and catchers report for spring training duty. Here’s to another great season of the greatest game ever invented. Play ball!

Here’s what rocked this week:

Old Rocker’s Review of Robert Plant’s Band Of Joy
The old rocker got to witness Robert Plant’s Band of Joy at the Beacon Theater and was kind enough to post a review for us to enjoy. It’s nice to see that Plant still performs some Led Zeppelin hits even if they are re-worked a bit. While a Led Zeppelin reunion is highly unlikely, old rocker claims this is the next best thing. Judging by the clips and his review of the show, I believe him.

Simpson and Wentz File For Divorce
Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz have filed for a divorce. It’s hard to be married when you’re living the superstar lifestyle. Hopefully they can part amicably and be able to give their young child support from both parents. Perhaps Pete will have time to get Fall Out Boy back together again. That would be real nice.

LCD Soundsystem Will Call It A (Live) Career
LCD Soundsystem has announced that their final live show ever will be held at Madison Square Garden on April 2nd. While this news disappointed fans, James Murphy was quick to point out that LCD Soundsystem will still be releasing music in the future. It just means that there will be no more live shows. Their farewell performance promises to be magnificent. Tickets are on sale today (February 11th). I am sure they will sell out.

The Grammys Are On This Sunday
And finally this week, The Grammy Awards will be aired this Sunday night at 8PM Eastern on CBS. As I did last year, I will be tweeting during the show and enjoying the live moments as they unfold. Every year I watch the Grammys, celebrating my love of music along with many others across the nation. The live performances for this year’s show are appealing and of course, I am curious to see how I did on Grammy predictions.

Want to join in all the tweeting fun for the Grammys? Follow me on twitter: www.twitter.com/ryovie

Friday's Rockin' Roundup - Pub Crawl Edition

Tomorrow afternoon, I will be trolling through a lot of bars in New York City as I head out with my uncles, cousins, and friends on our third annual pub crawl. Last year we toured the city of Boston and had a bombastic time. This year appears to be even better than ever, with more guys coming along and a long day of drinking and having fun. By the end of the night, we are very well in the bag, but it’s always so much fun that I don’t even mind the hangover the next day. OK, maybe it hurts a little, but it’s worth the pain to have that good of a time.

Here’s what rocked this week:

Ace Frehley Live Review
You can read the review of Ace Frehley’s live performance over at Heavy Metal Addiction. The setlist is included and all I can say is “wow!” It appears that it was a great concert with an amazing choice of songs. Makes me wish I would have travelled to CT on Saturday.

A Very Deep Look At Stairway To Heaven
This is a long post, but a worthy read, as the author tries to determine just what makes Stairway To Heaven one of the greatest rock songs ever. A lot of research and insight went into this post. It’s an enjoyable read and although I get tired of the song sometimes, it did drive home the point of why it’s so popular.

The 5 Best Streaming Music Services
This is a great article for anyone looking for a streaming music service. Their choice for top 5 are broken down, include price and links. Personally, I use AOL Radio, but that’s because they have an all Pearl Jam station, an all Dave Matthews Band station, and a hair metal station. What more do I need?

Phish Heading Back On The Road
Phish recently announced a new tour for this summer. Add this to the list of great shows worth seeing in 2010. Full tour details are included in the link as well as on sale dates.

For more updates, shout outs, and musical references, you should follow me on Twitter. www.twitter.com/ryovie

Setlist Thursday: Led Zeppelin - July 7, 1980

Every Thursday The Rock and Roll Guru provides brief commentary on a setlist from a recent or classic concert.

This is the last concert that John Bonham ever performed with Led Zeppelin before his untimely demise. The concert took place in Berlin Germany. Led Zeppelin is one of the few bands that I regret not ever being able to see in concert. From scrutinizing the setlist, this must have been one hell of a concert. Just to hear Jimmy Page’s opening riffs of Kashmir would send chills down my spine. I can understand why fans and execs are juiced to have Led Zeppelin get together for one big tour. I’d pay close to $200 to see them and I don’t pay that kind of money for any concert. Look at this setlist! Amazing!

Setlist
The Train Kept A Rolling
Nobody’s Fault But Mine
Black Dog
In The Evening
The Rain Song
Hot Dog
All My Love
Trampled Underfoot
Since I’ve Been Loving You
White Summer
Black Mountain Side
Kashmir
Stairway To Heaven
Rock and Roll
Whole Lotta Love

Comments are open. Feel free to post some.

Who Should Sing For Led Zeppelin?

Recently the rumors have started to swell again that Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and Jason Bonham are planning a Led Zeppelin reunion. While I feel that this is not Led Zeppelin without Robert Plant, just a bunch of guys trying to cash in, that is a topic for another day.

If Zeppelin does decide to go through with this Robert-less reunion, ala Queen (with Paul Rodgers), whom should they get to sing for them? Should it be an unknown? A hugely known? A has been? It’s going to be very hard to replace the voice of Robert Plant, so they should seek out someone who has a similar sound and style.

With that being said, I recommend Lenny Wolf. You guys remember... the lead singer of Kingdom Come? The last I checked, Kingdom Come was still around and making records that sell in Europe, but they haven’t been heard much here in the USA.

When Kingdom Come first came on the scene back in 1989, they were written off as a Led Zeppelin wannabe band with the Robert Plant clone front man. Having listened to Kingdom Come for years, I know Lenny Wolf does have a sound and style similar to the Led-Zeppelin era Plant. So if they were to approach someone, why not Lenny?

I can’t imagine that he would say no, but who knows? Money and fame don’t motivate everyone. Perhaps Lenny is happy plugging along with Kingdom Come, and if he is, good for him. I just think it would be in Zeppelin’s best interest to at least approach the guy and see if he’d be willing to audition.

As for a Zeppelin reunion, would I go if Robert Plant were not singing? Unless the tickets were dirt cheap (which I have to think they would not be), then no, I can’t see myself going. I did not go to the Queen with Paul Rodgers concerts, even though I am a fan of both bands. Without Freddie, it is not Queen, and the same principal applies here. Page/Jones/Bonham cannot think that the fans would be willing to shell out between $100 - $500 for a less than pure Led Zeppelin. I say pure, because Jason Bonham is the son of John and that’s as pure as you can get given the circumstance.

Now after all these years, they are finally close to getting back together and they may want to move forth without Plant. I don’t see the fans paying the big bucks, but I may be wrong. ¾ of Led Zeppelin may be better than no Led Zeppelin to a lot of people who have never seen them before.

Who would be your choice to sing for Led Zeppelin? Lenny Wolf? Someone else?

Comments are open. Feel free to post some.