Lollapalooza - July 23, 2003

Back in 2003, Lollapalooza was still a travelling tour, as opposed to the one city, one weekend event that is the current format. In the summer of 2003, Lollapalooza announced their tour dates and one of the stops was at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey. With bands like Incubus, Audioslave, and Jane’s Addiction on the bill, there was no way I would miss out.

The Donnas
The Donnas opened the main stage in style. I always wondered what happened to The Donnas. They were a decent, all girl band, and in 2003, I thought they would go on to be hugely successful. Their live act was solid, they looked magnificent (hot, sweaty, beautiful women playing rock and roll is always attractive), and they had a hit song in “Take It Off.” With so much going right, I am surprised that this band didn’t take off. As it was, I was happy to see them in concert and thought they did a great job as a live act.

Queens Of The Stone Age
I had never seen Queens Of The Stone Age prior to Lollapalooza, and I barely knew their music. I was familiar with a song or two that I had heard on the radio, but other than that, I had not paid them much attention. Thus, I had no idea what to expect when it was their turn to rock the Arts Center. All I knew is that they were the bridge to Incubus.

In a brief, simple, summary, this band sucked. I rarely trash any bands, as I know how hard it is to make good music, go out on stage, and perform in front of crowds both large and small, but there is no other way for me to state how I felt about Queens Of The Stone Age. It could quite possibly be the worst musical performance I ever sat through.

The lead singer had a voice that sound like broken glass being chewed. The instruments were all out of tune, and it appeared that the band did way too much partying before taking the stage. Hence, the band sucked. I quickly forgot about them and never gave QOTSA another thought until now. Most likely, I will never think about them again.

Incubus
This would be my first time witnessing Incubus live. I knew they would perform a condensed set, but figured it would be packed with hits, which would make me happy. Incubus delivered. While their performance at Lollapalooza was nowhere near as grand as their headlining performance I witnessed years later, it was still a power packed show.

Without lighting, special effects, or any other extras that headliners get, Incubus focused on the music. And that was enough for the crowd. Incubus’ music is what makes them special and there is no need for them to rely on special effects to enhance their show. The music does all the talking.

My only disappointment with Incubus was the fact that they did not play one of their biggest hits. For whatever reason, “Drive” was not on the set list that night, and to this day, I am still scratching my head over that.

Audioslave
2003 was really the year of Audioslave. After Rage Against The Machine split up and Soundgarden called it a day, Chris Cornell and the members of Rage (minus Zach) got together and made a super group. And super they were. Their debut album ranks in my top 50 albums of all time. The year it was released, I played it nonstop. To finally witness these songs in their live format was the treat of the night.

The band opened with a White Stripes song, which I found an odd thing to do. Not only were they opening with a song that wasn’t their own, but the song they chose (“Seven Nation Army”) was a current White Stripes song. I can’t recall ever seeing a band cover a current hit in concert. That being said, they performed a damned good version of the song.

After the cover intro, Audioslave songs followed. All of the best songs from their self-titled debut were played and the crowd loved it. Chris Cornell has a voice for the angels and Tom Morello is a guitar whiz worthy of being considered one of the greats. Their live performance really did the band justice.

Toward the end of their set, Cornell came out on stage solo with an acoustic guitar and played a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City.” It was well done and of course, the New Jersey crowd went wild for the Bruce cover.

Overall, Audioslave was magnificent. It was the only time I saw them in concert, but it was a memorable one.

Jane’s Addiciton
The headliners of the show were the recently reunited Jane’s Addiction. They were touring behind a brand new album, Strays, which was a solid record. This would be my second time seeing them in concert, so I knew how great the band was live. That night would be no exception.

As Jane’s set started, I noticed something strange occurring in front of me. It had been a long day of music, and a lot of people had a little too much (or way too much) to drink. By that time of the night, goofy things were bound to happen.

The not-so-gentleman in front of me and my friends decided that it was time for a bathroom break, but apparently he did not want to miss any of Jane’s Addiction. So, right in front of us and everyone else on the lawn, he whipped out his rod urinated. The crowd around him dissipated quickly, giving him plenty of room. After he finished tapping the tree, he zipped up and went right on rocking. I had to question what I just saw, but my friends confirmed it. We just watched a guy piss on the lawn at a Jane’s Addiction concert.

As for the real show, it was magnificent. Ninety minutes of great music from one of the founding fathers of alternative rock. I have always been enamored with Perry Farrell, considering him a musical genius. His excellence showed on that night as he and the rest of the band performed a concert that was entertaining, packed with hit songs, and extremely well performed. There were no complaints from me or my friends.

Lollapalooza 2003 was an entertaining event and worth the price of admission. While it would be the last time that I would see Jane’s Addiction in concert, they gave me quite a memory to go out on.

Friday's Rockin' Roundup - High School Reunion Edition

Tomorrow I will be attending my 20-year high school reunion. I know it’s hard to believe that your cousin Ryo is really that old, but it’s true. I have mixed feelings about the fact that twenty years have passed since my high school graduation day.

While there is a lot of nostalgia in attending my reunion, there are also some mixed feelings of uncertainty. Reunions can serve as a reinforcement of all that we have accomplished in life, but they can also serve as a reminder of all that we have not achieved. In high school dreams are endless, the sky is the limit. And a lot of us really believed that we were going to have it all---fame, fortune, and a life much different from anyone else.

While I love the fact that I’ve been chasing my dreams with full force lately, I still have a tendency to look around at all that I have yet to do. A 20-year reunion is just a harsh reminder of how fast the time goes. That just leads me down a road of doubt and uncertainty, which is a place I do not visit very often.

Yes, it will be nice to see classmates from yesteryear. It will be nice to catch up and learn what everyone has been up to. It will be nice to reminisce and banter about our glory days. When it’s all said and done, however, we have to continue to move forward. So, I will try my best to enjoy the night for what it is, and then move on and move forward.

Here’s what rocked this week:

No Anniversary For The Monkees
And without reason or explanation, The Monkees have cancelled their anniversary tour. Personally, I think the band was ready to kill each other. Sometimes, you just can’t go back to what you once had. I guess there are a lot of very unhappy 60 year old ladies this week.

Lollapalooza Wrap Up
The 20th Lollapalooza was held last weekend and the reports all appeared positive. Here’s a nice wrap up of the entire weekend in just a few hundred words. I did not realize that the Cars were performing at Lollapalooza this year. I also didn’t realize that Big Audio Dynamite got back together. Perhaps I need to check up on my music news a little more carefully, or get a better memory.

Gavin DeGraw Assaulted
This is a real shame. Gavin DeGraw was hospitalized after being assaulted in New York City by unknown suspects. And apparently, the attackers were not after his money. It all just sounds a little odd to me. Here’s hoping that he has a quick recovery.

Big Boi Arrested For Illegal Substances
Apparently, Outkast’s Big Boi likes to get high and then get his freak on. Nothing wrong with that, I guess. However, it would bother me less if he and Andre 3000 would get back together and work on a new album. I know there are rumors for a 2012 disc, but I want something concrete.

For more rants, raves, reviews, news, concert updates, and odd little chirps, you should follow me on twitter. www.twitter.com/ryovie

Friday's Rockin' Roundup - Mini-Vacation Edition

Since my mother’s milestone birthday was this month and my birthday was also this month, we decided it would be a good idea for me to head down south and visit her for a few days. So, the Guru is on a mini-vacation/long weekend. It couldn’t have come at a better time. My regular (9-5) job has me burnt out and the pace of the work isn’t slowing down. Every time that I tell myself things are going become calmer after this next big project, another huge project jumps in its place. It’s very draining, so a vacation is just what I need to clear my head, body, and spirit.

Visiting with Mom is always fun too. She likes to spoil me when I come to see her and we always have so much fun together. And while I’m down there, I’m hoping to see a Rays game and scratch another list off of my baseball stadium tour. Having already done Texas this year, Tampa Bay would make it two in one year. That would be nice.

My apologies for those who look forward to the weekly concert reviews and CD reviews. With work at the pace it has been and with this mini-vacation taking me away for a few days, there’s going to be no concert review or CD review this weekend. They will return in all their glory next week at their regularly scheduled time. Have a great Friday everyone!

And while I was packing a bag and thinking about the surf, sand, and sun, here’s what rocked this week:

Live Daily No More
Perhaps it’s a fallout of the Ticketmaster/Live Nation merger, perhaps there are other reasons, but it was very sad to learn that Live Daily is no longer publishing on the web. I was a huge fan of this website, and it was a major source of news and concert information for me. As a weekly blogger, this is a tough loss of an incredible source. There aren’t many sites out there that do what Live Daily did and they are going to be missed.

The Lollapalooza Lineup Unveiled
Just released, Lollapalooza 2010. Of course, Soundgarden is the last band of the weekend. I can’t wait to see what they perform, how they sound, crowd reaction, etc. Some of the choices on who to see is going to be hard though. Lady Gaga is up against the Strokes on opening night. Social D and Spoon overlap on day two. Green Day on night two is a no-brainer. And then MGMT at the same time as Wolfmother. What would you do? Over on the Lollapalooza site, you can create your own custom schedule. I wonder if it comes with a map to get you from stage to stage?

Nina Simone Back To Life
The Nina Simone movie is scheduled for a 2012 release (tentative – of course). Mary J. Blige is still scheduled to play the role of Nina. Nina was a pioneer and a legend in jazz music. Her music still speaks to fans many years after its release. I’d love to know what’s going to be on this soundtrack. And if Mary J. Blige covers a few of Nina’s classics, I’ll bet it will sound amazing.

Good Primer On Classical Music
I’ve been listening to a little more classical music lately. I’m not sure why, but it prompted me to do some research. If you ever wanted to get into classical music, but didn’t even know where to begin, this is an excellent introduction written by the folks at Naxos. It even covers concert etiquette if you are attending a live orchestra show. That’s valuable information!

For more daily treats, tweets, beats, and feats, you should follow me on twitter. www.twitter.com/ryovie

Friday's Rockin' Roundup - Brand New Ideas Edition

Lately, I’ve been working on some ideas for some interesting projects that may come to fruition in the near future. Yes, acting on these ideas would cause me to lose even more of the time that is such a precious commodity these days, but it would be worth it. The excitement that I feel when I envision these projects in their completed stage is the same excitement I felt when I prepared to launch The Rock and Roll Guru. It’s a good feeling that makes me push harder to achieve my goals.

As always, research first. My first step will be doing a lot of research to make sure what I want to release does not already exist. That could take up a month of time alone. However, it is better to put the time in now instead of doing all the work only to learn that a similar site already exists.

As things progress, and if these ideas look like they are going to become reality, I will keep you posted on the end result. And of course, as soon as I can make it official, I will release the full information and details. If everything goes according to plan, these projects are going to be amazing!

Here’s what rocked this week:

Free Download From Ratt
Ratt has a brand new album coming out on April 20th (Infestation). They want to share the first single with you for free. Eat Em Up Alive is available as a free download and worthy of a listen or three. New Ratt sounds pretty darned good.

One Step Closer To Iron Maiden’s The Final Frontier
This is probably the most anticipated album of 2010 for me. The way that I couldn’t wait for Kiss’ Sonic Boom last year is the way I feel about Maiden’s The Final Frontier this year. The fact that it is mixed and I still have to wait 4-5 more months is annoying. In a world of instant everything, that disc should be out a little sooner than late summer.

Rock N America Takes Over As The Hair Metal Festival Of Choice
Well, it appears that there will be a new festival in Oklahoma this July. The Rock N America Festival is filling the hole left by Rocklahoma. The Scorpions, Warrant, Ratt, Dokken, LA Guns, Firehouse, and Lynch Mob (just to name a few) will all be performing. If I hadn’t already purchased my ticket for M3, I would be giving serious consideration to this one. This is a hair metal lover’s dream! Tickets go on sale this Saturday. This festival is really going to kick ass!

Lollapalooza Lineup Announced
Perhaps it’s just me, but this lineup is not exciting. After Soundgarden and Social Distortion, there is nothing here that would make me shell out the money and travel to Chicago. I am pretty disappointed with this year’s acts.

The Summer Concert Wrap Up Part Two: The Festivals

On Monday, we discussed the tours that took place during the summer of 2009, which ones were great, which ones were not so great, and which ones just plain sucked. Today I’d like to examine the concert festivals that happened (or didn’t) during this past summer.

Rock On The Range
May 16 – 17
Technically a spring concert, Rock On The Range was a 2-day hard rock festival that featured top acts Motley Crue, Alice In Chains, Avenged Sevenfold, Slipknot, and Korn. This was the event that kick started the summer concert festivals. Other great bands that performed included Buckcherry, Shinedown, The Used, and Black Stone Cherry, just to name a few. Held at the Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, Rock On The Range was a great event to launch the summer concert festivals. With great bands on the bill and two days of hard rock mayhem, Rock On The Range was an excellent festival.

M3
May 30
The M3 Festival was a one day only rock event held at The Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. A gathering of the best in hair metal, the festivals headliners included Ratt, Extreme, and Twisted Sister. Other notable bands that performed were Kix, Dokken, Slaughter, Jani Lane, Y&T, and the BulletBoys. 2 stages were set up for the daylong event, with the only downside being that fans had to pick and choose which performers they wanted to see as most of the performance times overlapped. The reviews that I read showed this was one strong, fun, metal packed day of music. If it happens again next year, it might be on the top of my list for festivals to visit.

Bonnaroo
June 11 – 14
This year’s Bonnaroo festival packed in some great bands and great performances for a reasonable price ($250 for a full pass). Bruce Springsteen, Nine Inch Nails, The Beastie Boys, Wilco, and David Byrne all gave headline worthy performances. In addition to those bands, Phish performed for 2 nights as the main headliner (Bruce Springsteen was the other main headliner). The crowd was enamored with Phish and their performances were outstanding. Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band gave one of their most memorable shows on their current Working On A Dream tour and fans had a hard time determining which act was the best of the weekend.

Rocklahoma
July 9 -12
Billing this year’s Rocklahoma with the tag “It’s All About The Party,” was a marketing ploy that wound up working against the festival. Some fans cried that it was all about the party because the band and performances were awful. The reviews from this years’ Rocklahoma were not favorable to say the least. Held in Oklahoma in the sweltering summer heat, the first obstacle that fans had to overcome was the weather. Temperatures with the heat index hit over 110 degrees at one point, making it the hottest concert of the summer (in terms of the weather). With Stryper and Anthrax as two of the main headliners, fan complaints were strong that these were not headline worthy performers. The overall feel was that Rocklahoma lost some luster in its third year and there is hope that next year’s festival (should it be held again) will have better planning and better headline acts.

Lollapalooza
August 7 – 9
With Headliners Jane’s Addiction reunited and back in full swing, this year’s Lollapalooza was a spectacular event. Kings of Leon, Depeche Mode, Tool, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and The Killers rounded out the top bands for the festival. Other notable acts included Lou Reed, Ben Folds, and The Gaslight Anthem. Multiple bands and event tents rounded out Lollapalooza, providing an enjoyable and entertaining event for all who attended.

Rock Gone Wild
Scheduled for August 20 – 23
In what was beyond doubt the biggest disappointment of the summer, Rock Gone Wild never took place. Depending on who you believe, either the promoters were crooked, greedy, and screwed a lot of people (bands and fans) out of a lot of money, or, the promoters got screwed over by the casino grounds (where the concert was supposed to take place after being moved from its original site) and were left to take the hits.

Disappointments aside, I have to think the promoters were shady on this one. They moved the location from what was supposed to be awesome festival grounds to a much smaller area that they supposedly never had a legal contract with. They did this at the last minute (less than a month before the festival date). This only goes to show that ticket sales were not doing as well as they initially claimed. Even with their giveaways and special packages, fans were not buying.

Perhaps the promoters were too greedy. Perhaps an amazing festival (by the looks of the lineup anyway) met up with an awful economy and created an explosion. Perhaps it just wasn’t meant to be. Whatever the reason, the bottom line is that a lot of fans got screwed. Rock Gone Wild has set up information on how to get a full refund on their website (www.rockgonewild.com). If you bought tickets and haven’t received refund information, visit their site.

Outside Lands Festival
August 28 – 30
The summer festivals closed out with the Outside Lands Festival in California. Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, Incubus, The Black Eyed Peas, and Modest Mouse (just to name a few of the top groups) performed to the delight of fans from all across the United States. Held at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, the Outside Lands Festival was an excellent end to the summer festivals and perhaps the most diversified event in terms of the different types of music. From rock, to hip hop, to alternative, to folk, this festival offered something for everybody. The 2nd annual Outside Lands Festival looks like a strong leader for best festival of 2009 and with the direction this event is moving in, it is certain to be a hit again next year and is another festival that will be moving to the top of my consideration list.

What was your favorite festival? Did you have the opportunity to attend more than one? Drop a comment and let me know. The Guru would love to hear all about it.

Comments are open. Feel free to post some.