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!
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.
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!
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 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 16th. If there are any tickets left after that (doubtful),
the general on sale will be February 21st 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!
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!
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!
