What a great Led Zeppelin song! Of course, that's not what I'm writing about. I've noticed a disturbing trend in the way people communicate. I'm not sure if it's the advent of the internet or just skewed views on how to communicate in general.
The first thing I've noticed, and I'm sure I've done myself on occasion, is a trend to take something a friend tells you and play Devil's Advocate with them. As an example, I told two friends the same story today. The story was about someone they didn't know and a situation I had with that person. The first friend automatically started asking questions to try to see if there was something I wasn't telling him and was looking at taking the other person's side in the situation. The second friend listened and when I was done related a similar situation he had been involved in. The second friend did the right thing. With friends, understand that the friend is telling you everything you need to know and there is no reason to argue it or choose the side of a stranger. Even if you don't know all of the details, you should still listen politely and give your friend the benefit of the doubt. That's part of friendship and it's a proper way to communicate. Besides, why would you ever side with a stranger over a friend? Being a friend means you have a relationship strong enough to know and understand each other to some extent. That is why they are your friend. You don't make friends by making every conversation some sort of debate.
The second thing I've noticed is how some people do what I call "reading between the lines". I'm not the sort to hint at things so it really disappoints me that people who know me would assume that I'm implying something I'm not or twisting my words around. My ex-wife does this sort of thing. I'm a very literal, blatant person. I stick to the topic at hand and I don't veer off subject. People that steer conversations to alternate subjects have a serious problem communicating. The idea of conversation is to converse about a subject and stay on it until it's time to move to a different subject and it is mutually agreed on. Steering conversations is a tactic for people who either don't understand the subject at hand or just enjoy conflict.
The third thing I've noticed probably is closer to being spurred on by the growth of the internet. Relationships take cultivating. The internet has provided opportunities to turn on people with little to no provocation. The friends you think you are making may not be friends at all. You may find that one little disagreement ends all contact with someone you thought was your friend. Instead of taking time to work through disagreements, you may also have a very public forum to air things that would normally be done in private and it turns into something hateful instead of an opportunity to strengthen a friendship.
It's amazing to see how this has started with young people and started to work its way up in age. I know there are more ways to communicate than ever and it's made us all more impersonal in some ways. You will always see things in a direct form here. I don't hint at anything but fun surprises and I don't take potshots at anyone here, unless it's my ex or Democrats, of course. Words mean things. Relationships mean things. Take the time to choose your words carefully and to cultivate relationships with those you meet. Those you touch will be your legacy.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Monday, October 24, 2005
Halloween Costume Party
Now that my 10 part concert review series is out of the way, I can post an update on other recent activities. It was a nice quiet weekend to get that done, but it was so time consuming!
Saturday night we had a costume party at the house. It was a lower turnout than the usual 125+ people we have out and we expected that. We required that everyone come in costume or pay double to get in. While the guys were getting last minute things done at the local stores, we had 4 people arrive early. One dressed in drag. One was a Drama Queen. One just looked like a punker girl. The best one was dressed as Derek in his Geek Squad outfit. It was weird answering the door and seeing a guy that looked like my roommate. (Insert joke here about the guy in drag.) They were quite early, though, as the party really doesn't start rolling until about 10:30pm or so.
We had about 1/4 of the people show up in costume. The rest were glad to pay extra since we always throw a great party. We even had a professional model show up in Daisy Dukes! Go check her out at www.jenny-marie.com and tell her I said to say hello! For you Sludgers, I went as Stevie Rachelle. Basically, I have long blond hair and wore a hat and my Sludge T-shirt. Simple enough, eh? Derek and Pete had simple costumes, too, with Derek being the more elaborate as he actually purchased a costume.
We did the usual Perkins thing after the party. We ran into a few people from the party doing their recovering there.
Sunday Derek and I went to see Doom. I'm not a real big fan of video game movies because the end of most of them sets it up as they just finished level one and are ready for level 2. That's not very original, but I guess it serves the game and sequels. Doom didn't resort to this. It was described by a guy at work as a good suspenseful movie that was like seeing Aliens for the first time. I would have to agree, but I'm not sure it lives up to that high of a billing. The Rock was good at assuming his action hero mantle and the effects were great. You really felt like they took a lot of time and detail on the set and action sequences.
It was a good weekend to catch up on some TV I'd taped, too. I didn't get a lot of sleep, but I watched some baseball, football, and my Sunday morning news shows. It rained here this weekend and was a real gloomy weather weekend. I like those when I have a free weekend to do as little as possible. It makes me want to stay inside and hide under blankets.
If you get some free time, you might enjoy the concert reviews I spent the last few days typing up and posting here. I just wanted to get them on the site. I also have updated the Concerts Attended lists along the right side. I tried to separate each show and provide a little more detail. Let me know what you think!
Saturday night we had a costume party at the house. It was a lower turnout than the usual 125+ people we have out and we expected that. We required that everyone come in costume or pay double to get in. While the guys were getting last minute things done at the local stores, we had 4 people arrive early. One dressed in drag. One was a Drama Queen. One just looked like a punker girl. The best one was dressed as Derek in his Geek Squad outfit. It was weird answering the door and seeing a guy that looked like my roommate. (Insert joke here about the guy in drag.) They were quite early, though, as the party really doesn't start rolling until about 10:30pm or so.
We had about 1/4 of the people show up in costume. The rest were glad to pay extra since we always throw a great party. We even had a professional model show up in Daisy Dukes! Go check her out at www.jenny-marie.com and tell her I said to say hello! For you Sludgers, I went as Stevie Rachelle. Basically, I have long blond hair and wore a hat and my Sludge T-shirt. Simple enough, eh? Derek and Pete had simple costumes, too, with Derek being the more elaborate as he actually purchased a costume.
We did the usual Perkins thing after the party. We ran into a few people from the party doing their recovering there.
Sunday Derek and I went to see Doom. I'm not a real big fan of video game movies because the end of most of them sets it up as they just finished level one and are ready for level 2. That's not very original, but I guess it serves the game and sequels. Doom didn't resort to this. It was described by a guy at work as a good suspenseful movie that was like seeing Aliens for the first time. I would have to agree, but I'm not sure it lives up to that high of a billing. The Rock was good at assuming his action hero mantle and the effects were great. You really felt like they took a lot of time and detail on the set and action sequences.
It was a good weekend to catch up on some TV I'd taped, too. I didn't get a lot of sleep, but I watched some baseball, football, and my Sunday morning news shows. It rained here this weekend and was a real gloomy weather weekend. I like those when I have a free weekend to do as little as possible. It makes me want to stay inside and hide under blankets.
If you get some free time, you might enjoy the concert reviews I spent the last few days typing up and posting here. I just wanted to get them on the site. I also have updated the Concerts Attended lists along the right side. I tried to separate each show and provide a little more detail. Let me know what you think!
Waterstock 2004
My final entry, part 10, in my review series. I finally got caught up! The next post will be about the weekend Halloween costume party. Fun stuff!
"Joey, I told you I'd post a review on Metal Sludge. You asked how it was and I told you it kicked ass. Thought you and the rest of the band might want to see what I posted. The first part is the post I put on before the show and then my lengthy review. At the end is a link to a few pics I took and you are welcome to use them for anything you like. Once again, welcome back and thanks for still going at it! Warrant kicked my ass!
Just wanted to let you all know that I'm heading out to see 5 great bands today. LA Guns will start the show at 1:30pm kicking off the day. Firehouse, Great White, Warrant, and Jackyl will make the day complete! J-Dub and I will be getting some pictures and I will post a review of the show on here.
Just for the record, I have seen LA Guns on the Poison tour, so this line-up will be completely different except for Riley. I saw Firehouse's original lineup on the Rock Never Stops tour in Des Moines a few years ago, so I will see the new bass player for the first time. I've seen Warrant by themselves in Des Moines with Billy and Fasano. I've seen them at Rock Never Stops with Rick Stier and Vikki Foxx. I saw them again last year with Whitesnake. This will be the first time I have seen Steven and Joey and I'm anxious to hear Jaime singing for them. I saw Great White on the Poison tour so this will be a revamped lineup, too. I saw Jackyl with all original members at the 98.9 The Rock Rockfest in KC, so this will be my first time seeing them as a four piece.
It should be a great show and you should hear all about it from me if you don't get a chance to attend!
Here is the review. As anyone who has seen my posts knows, I can be very detailed so...
First the set lists...
LA Guns
No Mercy
Sex Action
Never Enough
I Wanna Be Your Man
Marseilles (Angel City)
Nothing Better To Do
Long Time Dead
Crystal Eyes
Riley's Drum Solo (pieces of Led Zep)
One More Reason
Electric Gypsy
Encore:
Ballad Of Jayne
Rip And Tear
Firehouse
Rock On The Radio
All She Wrote
Crash
Holding On
When I Look Into Your Eyes
Shake & Tumble
?Drivin' Down? (Not Lover's Lane or Bringing Me Down)
Overnight Sensation
Highway To Hell (AC/DC cover)
Love Of A Lifetime
Reach For The Sky
Encore:
Don't Treat Me Bad
Warrant
Sure Feels Good To Me
Down Boys
32 Pennies
Bed Of Roses
Love In Stereo
Sometimes She Cries
Mr. Rainmaker
All My Bridges Are Burning
Quicksand
Blind Faith
Ridin' High
Thin Disguise
Song And Dance Man
Hold On To 18 (Black N Blue tune)
Heaven
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Encore:
Good Times (unreleased new song)
Cherry Pie
Great White
Lady Red Light
Shot In The Dark
Face The Day
On Your Knees (introductions)
Save Your Love
Paradise (Jack Russel solo tune)
Can't Shake It
Rollin' Stoned
Rock Me
Once Bitten Twice Shy
Jackyl
Just Like A Devil
I Stand Alone
Mr. Evil
Kill The Sunshine
Push Comes To Shove
When Will It Rain (It started sprinkling during this one!)
Down On Me
Dirty Little Mind
She Loves My Cock
Encore:
The Lumberjack
I couldn't tell you how many people were there, but it was huge. There were actually idiots who thought they could put lawn chairs up front, but they soon disappeared. The day was nice and cool and we got a few sprinkles in the evening. It even started sprinkling a second time during Jackyl's When Will It Rain.
The reception to all of these bands was excellent. I heard various comments from people who were there to see Warrant and didn't know Jani wasn't in the band to people who weren't that anxious to see Great White, but loved their show. There was a nice turnout for everyone. The crowd just got louder as the day went on. There were the typical beach balls and women baring their breasts. There was the porn star LA LaMann (I've been wondering why a woman would go by the name LaMann in the porn industry...). There were the giveaways (Harley and boat) and a tattooing and piercing tent.
The only real bad thing was the amount of fat and old chicks. There were even fat chicks baring their breasts. Disgusting! There were a few hotties baring their tops for beads and that was cool. I think I got a few pictures of that...
As for the bands, LA Guns had a real swagger to them. Phil was a tad tanked, it seemed, but in great form. Very funny and jovial about the monitor problems. Nothing Better To Do was sung by guitarist Stacey Blades. This guy was a great replacement for Traci! I told him that I will title his picture, when I get it posted, as Traci's permanent replacement. Les Paul through a Marshall stack...ya just can't beat it! Adam was really into the show and was giving his rock star snarl to a few people in front. Steve did a great job and used some Zep in his solo. That dude sure is looking old, but plays with more energy than some of the newer drummers I've seen. I think Phil was kind of surprised by the reaction to his band. The crowd really did support them and it was 1:30pm! Great set.
Firehouse got the crowd going, too, but I did notice more people milling about during their set. I had to grab a bite to eat, but made sure I wasn't too far away to see and hear what they were doing. They passed the vocals around, too. Their bass player sang Highway To Hell. I think a lot of people were surprised to hear Firehouse cover AC/DC, but they went nuts. Firehouse is a VERY tight band and made it clear that they have made a career out of music. These guys seem the most professional of all the bands. They have a great sound and great songs. I have everything these guys have put out, but you will notice in the set list that I can't figure out one tune. Gotta go back and listen...
Warrant freakin' rocked! Jaime is an excellent singer and replacement for Jani! I can't say enough good things about this lineup. Jaime's stage banter was corny as hell, but he didn't hide it and was really quite funny doing it. Doing his song Hold On To 18 was well deserved and the crowd went nuts hearing it. Joey freakin' kicked everyone's ass with his guitar playing. He hasn't lost a thing but his looks. There were some faces he made while playing that reminded me of my dad and grandfather. Of course, he isn't ashamed of being who he is and his attitudinal playing really took the forefront. Eric and Jerry were solid as always and the interaction between them and the 3 "new" guys was like family. Steven was great vocally and with the time keeping. I told him and Joey two things...WELCOME BACK and IT'S ABOUT TIME! Joey and Steven seemed to relish being back on stage as Warrant and the crowd picked up on it. They did tunes from the first 3 CD's as well as losing their virginity to us with a new tune called Good Times. I can't wait to hear the rest of the new tunes! "When there's good times we rock. When there's bad times we roll." Waterstock was good times!
Great White sounded great. I do have one thing I was disappointed about. Too many jams. These guys have so many great songs from their career, but they had to extend a few like On Your Knees and Can't Shake It instead of adding more songs. It was kinda weird seeing Jack and Mark up there with 3 young guys who looked like they didn't belong on the same stage with the older guys. They sure played like they belonged, though, and brought a lot of energy to the stage. They were rocking out to tunes that were probably written before they knew what rock n roll was. It almost made me shed a tear seeing the hope that their generation could provide to my generation's music. In spite of the long jams, Great White did rock and had the crowd into them. As I said earlier, the crowed just got louder with each band. It was cool to hear a song off of Jack's solo CD. I probably would have picked a different song, but this one did fit the band. Jack was having fun and still had the moves to go with THE voice. Solid show.
Jackyl really deserved to headline this party. They came out tearing up the place! Jesse had to stand in front of the mic while he played guitar and seemed like the eye of a freakin' hurricane! Jeff was flinging sweat with every snap of his neck and Roman was just trying to keep up with him! Those guys were everywhere! Chris was playing in his bikini underwear and knocking things over (well, just one cymbal). Jesse had just made the comment that they beat back the rain (which started during Great White) and then kicked into When Will It Rain. Yes, it actually started raining again part way through this tune. Jesse brought out the chainsaw in typical fashion to finish off the show and a wooden stool. I know people started clearing out a bit due to the rain, but the many that stuck around for Jackyl were not disappointed at all. These guys put everyone else to shame with the shear energy of their show.
I hope to have the pics up in the next couple of days. I got autographs from everyone except for Great White. I should have stuck around to get those, but I had a friend take the item I had for them to sign out to his car by mistake. I even had Jaime St. James sign an old Black N Blue cassette cover for In Heat. He was shocked to see it. I think I was most impressed with LA Guns, Warrant, and Jackyl. All for different things, but they all kicked major ass. Firehouse and Great White were awesome, too, don't get me wrong, but the others just ruled. These bands need to play here more often. The show was such a success that they are planning another one next year. The promoters have been doing shows in Omaha and this was a test run to try the same thing here. J-Dub and I went to the Omaha show last year, which was Poison, Vince Neil, and Skid Row. Omaha definitely has the better women. Des Moines just didn't show off their best at Waterstock. Two things wrong with this crowd were the lack of beautiful women flashing and the idiots trying to put lawn chairs up front. The crowd was into the shows, but they just had no idea what an outdoor concert is really like. Hopefully, this show educated Iowa on what to expect in the future. This state is so far behind everyone but Arkansas (sorry Cracker), so hopefully these shows will help them catch up.
Hope I didn't miss anything! I mentioned Sludge to everyone I talked to, but didn't get to wear my shirt due to my daughter wearing it and it's still in the dirty laundry. Pictures will be sent soon!"
"Joey, I told you I'd post a review on Metal Sludge. You asked how it was and I told you it kicked ass. Thought you and the rest of the band might want to see what I posted. The first part is the post I put on before the show and then my lengthy review. At the end is a link to a few pics I took and you are welcome to use them for anything you like. Once again, welcome back and thanks for still going at it! Warrant kicked my ass!
Just wanted to let you all know that I'm heading out to see 5 great bands today. LA Guns will start the show at 1:30pm kicking off the day. Firehouse, Great White, Warrant, and Jackyl will make the day complete! J-Dub and I will be getting some pictures and I will post a review of the show on here.
Just for the record, I have seen LA Guns on the Poison tour, so this line-up will be completely different except for Riley. I saw Firehouse's original lineup on the Rock Never Stops tour in Des Moines a few years ago, so I will see the new bass player for the first time. I've seen Warrant by themselves in Des Moines with Billy and Fasano. I've seen them at Rock Never Stops with Rick Stier and Vikki Foxx. I saw them again last year with Whitesnake. This will be the first time I have seen Steven and Joey and I'm anxious to hear Jaime singing for them. I saw Great White on the Poison tour so this will be a revamped lineup, too. I saw Jackyl with all original members at the 98.9 The Rock Rockfest in KC, so this will be my first time seeing them as a four piece.
It should be a great show and you should hear all about it from me if you don't get a chance to attend!
Here is the review. As anyone who has seen my posts knows, I can be very detailed so...
First the set lists...
LA Guns
No Mercy
Sex Action
Never Enough
I Wanna Be Your Man
Marseilles (Angel City)
Nothing Better To Do
Long Time Dead
Crystal Eyes
Riley's Drum Solo (pieces of Led Zep)
One More Reason
Electric Gypsy
Encore:
Ballad Of Jayne
Rip And Tear
Firehouse
Rock On The Radio
All She Wrote
Crash
Holding On
When I Look Into Your Eyes
Shake & Tumble
?Drivin' Down? (Not Lover's Lane or Bringing Me Down)
Overnight Sensation
Highway To Hell (AC/DC cover)
Love Of A Lifetime
Reach For The Sky
Encore:
Don't Treat Me Bad
Warrant
Sure Feels Good To Me
Down Boys
32 Pennies
Bed Of Roses
Love In Stereo
Sometimes She Cries
Mr. Rainmaker
All My Bridges Are Burning
Quicksand
Blind Faith
Ridin' High
Thin Disguise
Song And Dance Man
Hold On To 18 (Black N Blue tune)
Heaven
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Encore:
Good Times (unreleased new song)
Cherry Pie
Great White
Lady Red Light
Shot In The Dark
Face The Day
On Your Knees (introductions)
Save Your Love
Paradise (Jack Russel solo tune)
Can't Shake It
Rollin' Stoned
Rock Me
Once Bitten Twice Shy
Jackyl
Just Like A Devil
I Stand Alone
Mr. Evil
Kill The Sunshine
Push Comes To Shove
When Will It Rain (It started sprinkling during this one!)
Down On Me
Dirty Little Mind
She Loves My Cock
Encore:
The Lumberjack
I couldn't tell you how many people were there, but it was huge. There were actually idiots who thought they could put lawn chairs up front, but they soon disappeared. The day was nice and cool and we got a few sprinkles in the evening. It even started sprinkling a second time during Jackyl's When Will It Rain.
The reception to all of these bands was excellent. I heard various comments from people who were there to see Warrant and didn't know Jani wasn't in the band to people who weren't that anxious to see Great White, but loved their show. There was a nice turnout for everyone. The crowd just got louder as the day went on. There were the typical beach balls and women baring their breasts. There was the porn star LA LaMann (I've been wondering why a woman would go by the name LaMann in the porn industry...). There were the giveaways (Harley and boat) and a tattooing and piercing tent.
The only real bad thing was the amount of fat and old chicks. There were even fat chicks baring their breasts. Disgusting! There were a few hotties baring their tops for beads and that was cool. I think I got a few pictures of that...
As for the bands, LA Guns had a real swagger to them. Phil was a tad tanked, it seemed, but in great form. Very funny and jovial about the monitor problems. Nothing Better To Do was sung by guitarist Stacey Blades. This guy was a great replacement for Traci! I told him that I will title his picture, when I get it posted, as Traci's permanent replacement. Les Paul through a Marshall stack...ya just can't beat it! Adam was really into the show and was giving his rock star snarl to a few people in front. Steve did a great job and used some Zep in his solo. That dude sure is looking old, but plays with more energy than some of the newer drummers I've seen. I think Phil was kind of surprised by the reaction to his band. The crowd really did support them and it was 1:30pm! Great set.
Firehouse got the crowd going, too, but I did notice more people milling about during their set. I had to grab a bite to eat, but made sure I wasn't too far away to see and hear what they were doing. They passed the vocals around, too. Their bass player sang Highway To Hell. I think a lot of people were surprised to hear Firehouse cover AC/DC, but they went nuts. Firehouse is a VERY tight band and made it clear that they have made a career out of music. These guys seem the most professional of all the bands. They have a great sound and great songs. I have everything these guys have put out, but you will notice in the set list that I can't figure out one tune. Gotta go back and listen...
Warrant freakin' rocked! Jaime is an excellent singer and replacement for Jani! I can't say enough good things about this lineup. Jaime's stage banter was corny as hell, but he didn't hide it and was really quite funny doing it. Doing his song Hold On To 18 was well deserved and the crowd went nuts hearing it. Joey freakin' kicked everyone's ass with his guitar playing. He hasn't lost a thing but his looks. There were some faces he made while playing that reminded me of my dad and grandfather. Of course, he isn't ashamed of being who he is and his attitudinal playing really took the forefront. Eric and Jerry were solid as always and the interaction between them and the 3 "new" guys was like family. Steven was great vocally and with the time keeping. I told him and Joey two things...WELCOME BACK and IT'S ABOUT TIME! Joey and Steven seemed to relish being back on stage as Warrant and the crowd picked up on it. They did tunes from the first 3 CD's as well as losing their virginity to us with a new tune called Good Times. I can't wait to hear the rest of the new tunes! "When there's good times we rock. When there's bad times we roll." Waterstock was good times!
Great White sounded great. I do have one thing I was disappointed about. Too many jams. These guys have so many great songs from their career, but they had to extend a few like On Your Knees and Can't Shake It instead of adding more songs. It was kinda weird seeing Jack and Mark up there with 3 young guys who looked like they didn't belong on the same stage with the older guys. They sure played like they belonged, though, and brought a lot of energy to the stage. They were rocking out to tunes that were probably written before they knew what rock n roll was. It almost made me shed a tear seeing the hope that their generation could provide to my generation's music. In spite of the long jams, Great White did rock and had the crowd into them. As I said earlier, the crowed just got louder with each band. It was cool to hear a song off of Jack's solo CD. I probably would have picked a different song, but this one did fit the band. Jack was having fun and still had the moves to go with THE voice. Solid show.
Jackyl really deserved to headline this party. They came out tearing up the place! Jesse had to stand in front of the mic while he played guitar and seemed like the eye of a freakin' hurricane! Jeff was flinging sweat with every snap of his neck and Roman was just trying to keep up with him! Those guys were everywhere! Chris was playing in his bikini underwear and knocking things over (well, just one cymbal). Jesse had just made the comment that they beat back the rain (which started during Great White) and then kicked into When Will It Rain. Yes, it actually started raining again part way through this tune. Jesse brought out the chainsaw in typical fashion to finish off the show and a wooden stool. I know people started clearing out a bit due to the rain, but the many that stuck around for Jackyl were not disappointed at all. These guys put everyone else to shame with the shear energy of their show.
I hope to have the pics up in the next couple of days. I got autographs from everyone except for Great White. I should have stuck around to get those, but I had a friend take the item I had for them to sign out to his car by mistake. I even had Jaime St. James sign an old Black N Blue cassette cover for In Heat. He was shocked to see it. I think I was most impressed with LA Guns, Warrant, and Jackyl. All for different things, but they all kicked major ass. Firehouse and Great White were awesome, too, don't get me wrong, but the others just ruled. These bands need to play here more often. The show was such a success that they are planning another one next year. The promoters have been doing shows in Omaha and this was a test run to try the same thing here. J-Dub and I went to the Omaha show last year, which was Poison, Vince Neil, and Skid Row. Omaha definitely has the better women. Des Moines just didn't show off their best at Waterstock. Two things wrong with this crowd were the lack of beautiful women flashing and the idiots trying to put lawn chairs up front. The crowd was into the shows, but they just had no idea what an outdoor concert is really like. Hopefully, this show educated Iowa on what to expect in the future. This state is so far behind everyone but Arkansas (sorry Cracker), so hopefully these shows will help them catch up.
Hope I didn't miss anything! I mentioned Sludge to everyone I talked to, but didn't get to wear my shirt due to my daughter wearing it and it's still in the dirty laundry. Pictures will be sent soon!"
Poison in Omaha 8/23/03
Part 9 in my review series... Paige's first concert and Brittany's second. Brittany was on the front row for Poison. I didn't expect to take them that day, but they had a blast and it was great to spend the time with them. They even got in for free!
"What an awesome show! It started at 3pm with these bands. I missed the opener, some local band named Xtend, but I do have a CD here of them that I haven't popped in, yet. I could hear, but missed the first two Skid Row tunes as the place was packed. Z92 from Omaha was having this birthday bash and had a huge turnout. They did have tickets discounted to two admissions per ticket. I even got my two kids in free.
We got down toward the front of the stage during Skid Row. They sounded great, just like when I saw them in KC a couple months ago. They did New Generation and Thick Is The Skin from their new CD and Johnny's rap was similar about how there are no samples, "just guitar, bass, and f$cking drums". Rachel sang Psychotherapy, too. The crowd was into them from the start and the breasts were bountiful. Skid Row was tight and having a blast on stage.
Vince Neil had the plug pulled on him during two songs in his set. The opener Live Wire was going right along and then the power went out on him. It sucked but Vince handled it surprisingly well. It also went out one more time a couple more tunes into the set. He threw out You're Invited But Your Friend Can't Come in order to add Girl Don't Go Away Mad. I kinda wish he had kept the solo tune. In fact, I wish he would do more of his solo music. I don't think 3 solo tunes would be too much. He closed with Teaser and Kickstart My Heart. I'm one of those that actually likes seeing him do Teaser. Again, Vince got as much out of the show as we did. The crowd was fighting for him and even chanting BS while the power was being figured out. Vince still got to play a full set, so that was cool. Vince's voice wasn't as good as it was in KC, but he still had the same energy and worked the crowd really well. He made sure to thank the sound guy at the end of the show, which made me wonder if that was the guy causing the problems or fixing them.
Poison came out to a huge roar. The crowd certainly came to see them. CC didn't do any songs during his solo, but did play licks from various other guitarists as well as messing one up. I kinda wondered if he wasn't just a little toasted or in a bad mood. He turned to his side of the stage and got a face full of smoke at one point and seemed a bit ticked. He also seemed to be forcing things a tad bit. He even fell off the stage on Bobby's side during one song that they had to restart. Bobby did look like he was having a blast and so did Bret. Rikki must have been having fun because he seemed to stand up more than usual while playing. It might have been to see the women on shoulders during their entire set.
It was an unusual time for them all to play so I think they were all a bit excited about the party they were having afterward. They had a huge area fenced off backstage and it seemed like tons of people made it back there. J-Dub, my daughters, and I walked around to the back side of that area and got to meet 4 of the guys from Skid Row. We had a fence between us, but Scotti Hill came around and said hello to us. He even made an impression on my daughters with his kindness and humor. My youngest daughter, she's 5 and this is her first concert, thought he was very funny because he took off his hat and shook his hair in front of her. J-Dub got pics with everyone but Rachel and I got everyone to autograph their new CD, except for Rachel. I guess Rachel was on the bus watching a race. I was able to buy the new CD after the show from one of their crew. He was so kind when I inquired about where to get a CD. I work at Best Buy in Des Moines and our inventory count shows 0 for Thickskin CD's in the entire Iowa Best Buy district. They sold it to me for $15 after the show and they were kind enough to autograph it. Johnny, Snake, Scotti, and Phil were all very kind. Skid Row, if for some reason you are reading this, the new CD rocks! I can't get the groove for Thick Is The Skin out of my head. I did download most of the tunes, but I'm a collector and had to have the CD. I'm making sure a couple of the tunes get played over our sound system where I work. I hope that's ok! I just want everyone else to hear this stuff! GO BUY THE CD!
Just an extra note, as I know this has gone on long enough, but we also saw some idiot get Vince riled up afterwards. Vince and his band were milling about in the same area as Skid Row. Vince was taking pictures and visiting with a few people next to his bus and some guy just had to say something that was probably very stupid. Vince lunged forward and started cussing the guy. Some really tall guy stepped in between and finally got Vince ushered onto his bus. I don't know what was said, but after a show be nice to the guys who just put on a show for you. Don't say things that will provoke them. I was thankful to meet the guys I did and let them know it.
J-Dub and I may go again this Saturday to the show in Cedar Rapids. This is one tour worth seeing, so get out there and support all of these bands!"
"What an awesome show! It started at 3pm with these bands. I missed the opener, some local band named Xtend, but I do have a CD here of them that I haven't popped in, yet. I could hear, but missed the first two Skid Row tunes as the place was packed. Z92 from Omaha was having this birthday bash and had a huge turnout. They did have tickets discounted to two admissions per ticket. I even got my two kids in free.
We got down toward the front of the stage during Skid Row. They sounded great, just like when I saw them in KC a couple months ago. They did New Generation and Thick Is The Skin from their new CD and Johnny's rap was similar about how there are no samples, "just guitar, bass, and f$cking drums". Rachel sang Psychotherapy, too. The crowd was into them from the start and the breasts were bountiful. Skid Row was tight and having a blast on stage.
Vince Neil had the plug pulled on him during two songs in his set. The opener Live Wire was going right along and then the power went out on him. It sucked but Vince handled it surprisingly well. It also went out one more time a couple more tunes into the set. He threw out You're Invited But Your Friend Can't Come in order to add Girl Don't Go Away Mad. I kinda wish he had kept the solo tune. In fact, I wish he would do more of his solo music. I don't think 3 solo tunes would be too much. He closed with Teaser and Kickstart My Heart. I'm one of those that actually likes seeing him do Teaser. Again, Vince got as much out of the show as we did. The crowd was fighting for him and even chanting BS while the power was being figured out. Vince still got to play a full set, so that was cool. Vince's voice wasn't as good as it was in KC, but he still had the same energy and worked the crowd really well. He made sure to thank the sound guy at the end of the show, which made me wonder if that was the guy causing the problems or fixing them.
Poison came out to a huge roar. The crowd certainly came to see them. CC didn't do any songs during his solo, but did play licks from various other guitarists as well as messing one up. I kinda wondered if he wasn't just a little toasted or in a bad mood. He turned to his side of the stage and got a face full of smoke at one point and seemed a bit ticked. He also seemed to be forcing things a tad bit. He even fell off the stage on Bobby's side during one song that they had to restart. Bobby did look like he was having a blast and so did Bret. Rikki must have been having fun because he seemed to stand up more than usual while playing. It might have been to see the women on shoulders during their entire set.
It was an unusual time for them all to play so I think they were all a bit excited about the party they were having afterward. They had a huge area fenced off backstage and it seemed like tons of people made it back there. J-Dub, my daughters, and I walked around to the back side of that area and got to meet 4 of the guys from Skid Row. We had a fence between us, but Scotti Hill came around and said hello to us. He even made an impression on my daughters with his kindness and humor. My youngest daughter, she's 5 and this is her first concert, thought he was very funny because he took off his hat and shook his hair in front of her. J-Dub got pics with everyone but Rachel and I got everyone to autograph their new CD, except for Rachel. I guess Rachel was on the bus watching a race. I was able to buy the new CD after the show from one of their crew. He was so kind when I inquired about where to get a CD. I work at Best Buy in Des Moines and our inventory count shows 0 for Thickskin CD's in the entire Iowa Best Buy district. They sold it to me for $15 after the show and they were kind enough to autograph it. Johnny, Snake, Scotti, and Phil were all very kind. Skid Row, if for some reason you are reading this, the new CD rocks! I can't get the groove for Thick Is The Skin out of my head. I did download most of the tunes, but I'm a collector and had to have the CD. I'm making sure a couple of the tunes get played over our sound system where I work. I hope that's ok! I just want everyone else to hear this stuff! GO BUY THE CD!
Just an extra note, as I know this has gone on long enough, but we also saw some idiot get Vince riled up afterwards. Vince and his band were milling about in the same area as Skid Row. Vince was taking pictures and visiting with a few people next to his bus and some guy just had to say something that was probably very stupid. Vince lunged forward and started cussing the guy. Some really tall guy stepped in between and finally got Vince ushered onto his bus. I don't know what was said, but after a show be nice to the guys who just put on a show for you. Don't say things that will provoke them. I was thankful to meet the guys I did and let them know it.
J-Dub and I may go again this Saturday to the show in Cedar Rapids. This is one tour worth seeing, so get out there and support all of these bands!"
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Metal Sludge Tour 6/03
Part 8 in my review series...
"WOW! What can I say? This MSX Tour rocks! Metal Sludge Tour Extravaganza it is! I'm from Des Moines and J-Dub and I made the travel last Thursday night to Clear Lake, IA. I've never been before and hadn't really known that it was the last place Buddy Holly played. J-Dub and I work at Best Buy in Des Moines (he's a manager and I'm a lowly computer tech) and we try to hit a few shows in Iowa, such as Def Leppard in Council Bluffs, Journey/Styx/REO in Ames, and maybe Alice Cooper at Clear Lake. He's the one that introduced me to Sludge and also gave me a T-shirt. As a matter of fact, we were the only ones wearing Metal Sludge T's at the Clear Lake show.
On the way up to Clear Lake, we passed an SUV with two chunky girls who had their video camera out. I'm not sure what for, but we were passed a few times and filmed. Maybe it's because J-Dub was drinking and I was driving. Maybe they wanted a beer, too. I don't know. We thought they might be headed to Clear Lake, too, but we didn't see them. We lost them when J-Dub started having to take pee breaks. No, he wasn't drunk. This is just a natural thing when having an alcoholic beverage of choice. Besides, who would show up to a show like this wasted only to not be able to take in every single thing that was going on? Oh, there was one guy...
When we got to the Surf Ballroom there was a small line outside. We read on their site that the doors were to open at 7pm, but it was after 7:30pm that the doors finally opened. It didn't matter much since there was no hint of a crowd. I was really disappointed at the turn out. These bands deserve a lot better crowd. We finally got in and checked out the merch table. It was really weird seeing Pretty Boy Floyd had so many more T-shirts available than either Faster Pussycat or Enuff Z'Nuff. There were tons of signed drum heads, several CD's that were NOT band CD's, signed drum sticks, and more. There was a DVD that had the Newlydeads on it, a CD that Chip produced, two CD's from Monaco. There wasn't a single Faster Pussycat CD. No Pretty Boy Floyd CD's, except for the 3 song promo disc they readed for their European trip, and one Enuff Z'Nuff CD. (Well, I did see one CD, Animals With Human Intelligence, that they put on the table when I pointed it out.) I bought the Pretty Boy Floyd disc, over-priced at $10 (hey, I'm a fan and was willing to support them, but it's still high for 3 songs), the EZN CD Welcome To Blue Island (probably under-priced with 14 tracks, but it was pretty fair since they covered that awful band Nirvana), and the FP 8x10. Oh, and J-Dub and I got the two Sludge pins! Everybody from the bands signed my stuff, except Danny, FP's bass player. He wasn't anywhere to be found after the show. I would have loved to see even a teaser CD of new FP material and/or some full PBF CD's.
After a while, I lost track of time, the show was underway. PBF came out and totally shook everyone awake. These guys just tore it up! Lesli and Chadpole hit the front of the stage running. I've never seen these guys before, but am glad I caught the lineup that night. Chad was bleeding shortly into the set all over his guitar. Steve still has his voice and led the 100-150 people there (maybe I'm over-estimating) into the best set of the night. I got to take one strum on Chad's guitar as he stuck it over our heads and Steve stuck the mic in my face for a quick line in a chorus. They did this to several people and had everyone totally into their music. I got to visit with each of them afterwards (especially Chad) and asked them about the new stuff coming out later this year. I told them all that they sound great when going for a punk style vibe. Steve's voice sounds killer on the stuff that has that punk edge to it. These guys really aren't a Pretty Boy band. They rock like their lives depend on it. Dish explained the song 727 to me when I had them autograph their CD. Sorry to hear that news, but Dish, I really listened to it on the way home and several times since and you were right about each song. F$ck The Rock is better than you give credit, though. Chad, keep rocking out, man. You and Lesli give so much energy when you swing those axes. Steve was the consumate frontman and was very cool to visit with. It's a shame you guys aren't so much more popular! Keep giving it your all!
Enuff Z'Nuff was up next and I gotta admit that I was visiting with PBF through about the first 1/3 of their set. I could hear it fine, though. Monaco really is the voice that everyone has written about. I heard She Wants More and kinda perked up and turned around during that song. I finally made my way back to the floor and EZN sounded so tight. They don't have the energy of the other two bands, but certainly have some great songs. Ricky was quite the showman on drums and Chip looked on with his usual laid back cool. I think that bass of his is actually 12 strings, not 4 or 8. That was my count anyway. These guys are certainly tight and had all the harmonies down pat. Monaco seems a little quiet for a frontman, but he certainly didn't make you miss Donnie much. All three were very kind after their set and autographed my CD. It was their bus that most of the partying was happening on, too. Steve had to take a break from that bus because he was "tired of looking at ugly chicks and visiting with dudes". Of course, this was way after the show and he did look like it was time to hit the hay.
Faster Pussycat set the stage for one creepy, punky show laced with attitude. They had the hanging lights and tons of fog. I'm just glad the fog wasn't laced with anything or we wouldn't be able to remember that show! It was a constant thing all through their set. I did suggest to their drummer later that some variation would have been cool, but they did start out with that creepy effect they were going for. FP did the classics and some new tunes. I missed Little Dove, but I'm sure that will be added as they go along. Taime was full of attitude and still remained nice. He even tried to give some really drunk guy props, but the drunk was so stupid that Taime finally had to poke a little fun. He tried to get the guy to sing along, but the guy was slurring so badly and just giving it up for anything that Taime did, that Taime finally made up some gibberish instead of the regular stage rap to which the guy kept hollering and pointing at Taime. This drunk guy was so totally wasted and made such an ass of himself. A few idiots kept hollering between songs for FP to do their "only good song - Babylon", which annoyed the hell out of me, but FP kept smiling instead of using the mic stands to bash a few skulls. I had the chance to talk to their drummer, Chad, before and after the show. I told him that FP stood out on the songs with more of a punk attitude, just like PBF does. He just about busted trying to contain his enthusiasm when I said that. He just kept saying "wait til you hear the new tunes" and told me to get up front for their set. At first, I didn't really realize he was the FP drummer, as I'm a bit out of the loop sometimes. I suspected he was when I first talked to him, but was still unsure. What a great guy with a great attitude. He was right on about the new tunes and the show in general. Afterwards, he talked mine and J-Dub's ears off! More on that in a bit... The FP show was proof that these guys should be headlining bigger venues, too. It's a shame that most CD buying people turn out for the "pop" stuff instead of great music. FP totally rocks. Danny held down the bottom end with Chad as they grooved along. Xristian stood above everyone with his guitar swagger. Brent just played it cool with that Les Paul of his. They all came right to the front of the stage and got the crowd into it. Taime stuck the mic in my face for a chorus line and Brent gave the girl holding the video camera a tip or two on what to shoot. (Apparently, they were going to shoot their upcoming DVD at the Surf Ballroom.) It was during their set that one girl right behind me and J-Dub decided to let the top down (ok, it really went up) and two other girls decided to get onstage and dance. Taime implored them, as did the crowd, to take it off, but they just danced. When Taime realized that no clothing was coming off, he had the band go ahead and kick into the song. After Babylon, they left the stage. A few of us wanted an encore, but there just weren't that many people there to make it loud enough for them.
Afterwards, I got the chance to visit with Brent and ask him about his switch to a Les Paul from the Fender he used to play ("meatier tones, man") and visited with Chad a ton. Chad told us about the Bang Tango/Beautiful Creatures (he said to grab their new CD the day it's out) situation. We talked about his friends in some obscure bands (Eric Singer, Joe LeSte, Brides Of Destruction...ok, maybe not that obscure) and I think he was surprised to know that J-Dub and I were fairly current with knowing who was where. None of us could figure out who was playing drums in Alice Cooper's band, though. J-Dub happened to spend a week or so in Hollywood and got to see, but not meet, Taime, Kelly Osbourne, and Matt Sorum when Taime DJ'd at the Viper Club on Metal Shop night (did I get the right club?). When J-Dub brought this up to Taime, he remembered that night because there was some GNR tribute band there. Chad said he was there that night, too. It's a shame that J-Dub didn't get to meet them then. Taime was the last one we visited with on the way out. He was pretty much hanging on his own bus until most everyone left, I think. We just caught him coming back into the building when most of the equipment seemed to be packed up. He was very gracious and even though he said from the stage that it would be 4 years until the new CD, he said they hope to have it out before year's end, seriously.
Metal Sludge, you guys have a great tour on the road. J-Dub and I represented in our Metal Sludge T-shirts and J-Dub should be sending in some pics as he took several of both of us with various band members. Get out and support this tour so we can see more shows like this one. Oh, and even though Des Moines has pretty much been blackballed from most tours, you might get a bigger crowd here than in Clear Lake. Buy the merch, Sludgeaholics, and support these guys so they don't disappear into obscurity on us! Get some new tunes, FP and PBF! Keep up the great attitudes and keep these lineups in tact! You guys are hitting on all cylinders!
"WOW! What can I say? This MSX Tour rocks! Metal Sludge Tour Extravaganza it is! I'm from Des Moines and J-Dub and I made the travel last Thursday night to Clear Lake, IA. I've never been before and hadn't really known that it was the last place Buddy Holly played. J-Dub and I work at Best Buy in Des Moines (he's a manager and I'm a lowly computer tech) and we try to hit a few shows in Iowa, such as Def Leppard in Council Bluffs, Journey/Styx/REO in Ames, and maybe Alice Cooper at Clear Lake. He's the one that introduced me to Sludge and also gave me a T-shirt. As a matter of fact, we were the only ones wearing Metal Sludge T's at the Clear Lake show.
On the way up to Clear Lake, we passed an SUV with two chunky girls who had their video camera out. I'm not sure what for, but we were passed a few times and filmed. Maybe it's because J-Dub was drinking and I was driving. Maybe they wanted a beer, too. I don't know. We thought they might be headed to Clear Lake, too, but we didn't see them. We lost them when J-Dub started having to take pee breaks. No, he wasn't drunk. This is just a natural thing when having an alcoholic beverage of choice. Besides, who would show up to a show like this wasted only to not be able to take in every single thing that was going on? Oh, there was one guy...
When we got to the Surf Ballroom there was a small line outside. We read on their site that the doors were to open at 7pm, but it was after 7:30pm that the doors finally opened. It didn't matter much since there was no hint of a crowd. I was really disappointed at the turn out. These bands deserve a lot better crowd. We finally got in and checked out the merch table. It was really weird seeing Pretty Boy Floyd had so many more T-shirts available than either Faster Pussycat or Enuff Z'Nuff. There were tons of signed drum heads, several CD's that were NOT band CD's, signed drum sticks, and more. There was a DVD that had the Newlydeads on it, a CD that Chip produced, two CD's from Monaco. There wasn't a single Faster Pussycat CD. No Pretty Boy Floyd CD's, except for the 3 song promo disc they readed for their European trip, and one Enuff Z'Nuff CD. (Well, I did see one CD, Animals With Human Intelligence, that they put on the table when I pointed it out.) I bought the Pretty Boy Floyd disc, over-priced at $10 (hey, I'm a fan and was willing to support them, but it's still high for 3 songs), the EZN CD Welcome To Blue Island (probably under-priced with 14 tracks, but it was pretty fair since they covered that awful band Nirvana), and the FP 8x10. Oh, and J-Dub and I got the two Sludge pins! Everybody from the bands signed my stuff, except Danny, FP's bass player. He wasn't anywhere to be found after the show. I would have loved to see even a teaser CD of new FP material and/or some full PBF CD's.
After a while, I lost track of time, the show was underway. PBF came out and totally shook everyone awake. These guys just tore it up! Lesli and Chadpole hit the front of the stage running. I've never seen these guys before, but am glad I caught the lineup that night. Chad was bleeding shortly into the set all over his guitar. Steve still has his voice and led the 100-150 people there (maybe I'm over-estimating) into the best set of the night. I got to take one strum on Chad's guitar as he stuck it over our heads and Steve stuck the mic in my face for a quick line in a chorus. They did this to several people and had everyone totally into their music. I got to visit with each of them afterwards (especially Chad) and asked them about the new stuff coming out later this year. I told them all that they sound great when going for a punk style vibe. Steve's voice sounds killer on the stuff that has that punk edge to it. These guys really aren't a Pretty Boy band. They rock like their lives depend on it. Dish explained the song 727 to me when I had them autograph their CD. Sorry to hear that news, but Dish, I really listened to it on the way home and several times since and you were right about each song. F$ck The Rock is better than you give credit, though. Chad, keep rocking out, man. You and Lesli give so much energy when you swing those axes. Steve was the consumate frontman and was very cool to visit with. It's a shame you guys aren't so much more popular! Keep giving it your all!
Enuff Z'Nuff was up next and I gotta admit that I was visiting with PBF through about the first 1/3 of their set. I could hear it fine, though. Monaco really is the voice that everyone has written about. I heard She Wants More and kinda perked up and turned around during that song. I finally made my way back to the floor and EZN sounded so tight. They don't have the energy of the other two bands, but certainly have some great songs. Ricky was quite the showman on drums and Chip looked on with his usual laid back cool. I think that bass of his is actually 12 strings, not 4 or 8. That was my count anyway. These guys are certainly tight and had all the harmonies down pat. Monaco seems a little quiet for a frontman, but he certainly didn't make you miss Donnie much. All three were very kind after their set and autographed my CD. It was their bus that most of the partying was happening on, too. Steve had to take a break from that bus because he was "tired of looking at ugly chicks and visiting with dudes". Of course, this was way after the show and he did look like it was time to hit the hay.
Faster Pussycat set the stage for one creepy, punky show laced with attitude. They had the hanging lights and tons of fog. I'm just glad the fog wasn't laced with anything or we wouldn't be able to remember that show! It was a constant thing all through their set. I did suggest to their drummer later that some variation would have been cool, but they did start out with that creepy effect they were going for. FP did the classics and some new tunes. I missed Little Dove, but I'm sure that will be added as they go along. Taime was full of attitude and still remained nice. He even tried to give some really drunk guy props, but the drunk was so stupid that Taime finally had to poke a little fun. He tried to get the guy to sing along, but the guy was slurring so badly and just giving it up for anything that Taime did, that Taime finally made up some gibberish instead of the regular stage rap to which the guy kept hollering and pointing at Taime. This drunk guy was so totally wasted and made such an ass of himself. A few idiots kept hollering between songs for FP to do their "only good song - Babylon", which annoyed the hell out of me, but FP kept smiling instead of using the mic stands to bash a few skulls. I had the chance to talk to their drummer, Chad, before and after the show. I told him that FP stood out on the songs with more of a punk attitude, just like PBF does. He just about busted trying to contain his enthusiasm when I said that. He just kept saying "wait til you hear the new tunes" and told me to get up front for their set. At first, I didn't really realize he was the FP drummer, as I'm a bit out of the loop sometimes. I suspected he was when I first talked to him, but was still unsure. What a great guy with a great attitude. He was right on about the new tunes and the show in general. Afterwards, he talked mine and J-Dub's ears off! More on that in a bit... The FP show was proof that these guys should be headlining bigger venues, too. It's a shame that most CD buying people turn out for the "pop" stuff instead of great music. FP totally rocks. Danny held down the bottom end with Chad as they grooved along. Xristian stood above everyone with his guitar swagger. Brent just played it cool with that Les Paul of his. They all came right to the front of the stage and got the crowd into it. Taime stuck the mic in my face for a chorus line and Brent gave the girl holding the video camera a tip or two on what to shoot. (Apparently, they were going to shoot their upcoming DVD at the Surf Ballroom.) It was during their set that one girl right behind me and J-Dub decided to let the top down (ok, it really went up) and two other girls decided to get onstage and dance. Taime implored them, as did the crowd, to take it off, but they just danced. When Taime realized that no clothing was coming off, he had the band go ahead and kick into the song. After Babylon, they left the stage. A few of us wanted an encore, but there just weren't that many people there to make it loud enough for them.
Afterwards, I got the chance to visit with Brent and ask him about his switch to a Les Paul from the Fender he used to play ("meatier tones, man") and visited with Chad a ton. Chad told us about the Bang Tango/Beautiful Creatures (he said to grab their new CD the day it's out) situation. We talked about his friends in some obscure bands (Eric Singer, Joe LeSte, Brides Of Destruction...ok, maybe not that obscure) and I think he was surprised to know that J-Dub and I were fairly current with knowing who was where. None of us could figure out who was playing drums in Alice Cooper's band, though. J-Dub happened to spend a week or so in Hollywood and got to see, but not meet, Taime, Kelly Osbourne, and Matt Sorum when Taime DJ'd at the Viper Club on Metal Shop night (did I get the right club?). When J-Dub brought this up to Taime, he remembered that night because there was some GNR tribute band there. Chad said he was there that night, too. It's a shame that J-Dub didn't get to meet them then. Taime was the last one we visited with on the way out. He was pretty much hanging on his own bus until most everyone left, I think. We just caught him coming back into the building when most of the equipment seemed to be packed up. He was very gracious and even though he said from the stage that it would be 4 years until the new CD, he said they hope to have it out before year's end, seriously.
Metal Sludge, you guys have a great tour on the road. J-Dub and I represented in our Metal Sludge T-shirts and J-Dub should be sending in some pics as he took several of both of us with various band members. Get out and support this tour so we can see more shows like this one. Oh, and even though Des Moines has pretty much been blackballed from most tours, you might get a bigger crowd here than in Clear Lake. Buy the merch, Sludgeaholics, and support these guys so they don't disappear into obscurity on us! Get some new tunes, FP and PBF! Keep up the great attitudes and keep these lineups in tact! You guys are hitting on all cylinders!
Def Leppard at Vet's in Des Moines, IA 6/7/03
Part 7 in my review series really has two concert reviews, but it's mostly about the mighty Lep!
"This is going to be an awesome month of concerts for me. June 1st I got to see Styx, REO Speedwagon, and Journey in Ames, IA. All 3 bands tore the roof off the place. Styx did three new tunes from Cyclorama (the weirdest CD cover I have seen from them). The songs fit right in with the classics of old. REO did all their hits, such as Ridin' The Storm Out, Roll With The Changes, and the obligatory Can't Fight This Feeling. Styx had more energy, but I think the crowd knew more of REO's tunes. Journey came out and had a set that rocked a bit more than when I saw them two years ago with John Waite and Peter Frampton opening. They concentrated on the rockier side of Journey, which I am totally grateful for. The tune Stone In Love is still a favorite of mine and the newer tune Higher Place totally rocks! They did one other new tune off of Red 13, which I don't know the name of, yet. Awesome show and each got to use the full stage and the huge screen in back of them. Very professional!
Just last night, I got to see Ricky Warwick and Def Leppard shake up Des Moines. Ricky did about 5 tunes from his CD with one that Vivian Campbell joined him on. It would be cool to hear Ricky with a full band. The songs are great, but the constant acoustic rhythm guitar can be a bit much. He did try to vary it up a bit with some great dynamics. It did sound better than a few months ago in Council Bluffs where Ricky's guitar was just mixed too "brightly". He didn't tell any stories this time around, either, but the songs pretty much did it for themselves.
Def Leppard came out to their own Disintegrate and ripped through the first half of the High N Dry album. (Yes, I'm old enough to remember LP's.) For those of you too young to remember, that would be the tunes Let It Go, Another Hit And Run, High N Dry (Saturday Night), Bringin' On The Heartbreak (Yes, Def Leppard wrote it and Mariah Carey covered it.) and the instrumental Switch 625. The crowd seemed a tad lost on a couple of these tunes, but it was totally rocked out and enthusiastic by the guys in Def Lep. It's great to see them including a couple of instrumental things with Disintegrate and Switch 625. I like that idea instead of having breaks for drum solos and such. It shows a very unified band who let the songs do the showing off and they each get a chance at wanking off within the songs themselves. I don't mean wanking off in a bad way. Def Lep are very accomplished musicians and the guitar solos, rumbling bass lines, and awesome rhythms give them the chance to showcase within the context of a song without making it an "out of place" moment. Once they finished half of High N Dry, they cut right into a bunch of other great hits. Foolin' was up next, followed swiftly by Make Love Like A Man. This was the second time in the last four times I have seen them live that they included Make Love. Very catchy tune and the Iowa crowd sang along with every word. Hysteria marked a representation of the same titled CD and then it was time for a few things that the crowd wasn't so familiar with (due to radio, not Def Leppard). Long Long Way To Go, which is a killer slow tune off the new CD was wonderfully performed (It's one of my girlfriend's faves!) and the crowd got into it despite not hearing it much on radio. Slang totally rocked my socks off once again. I love hearing this song and wish more people knew about it and the CD of the same name. I used to do the Tom Cruise thing rocking out to this song. Four Letter Word was up next and this song should be a bigger radio hit, too. "Lust can kinda be nice..." It's one of the more upbeat tunes on their new CD. Have you got "X", yet? Promises was the only song to represent Euphoria, too. I'm not sure why some tunes just aren't played much, such as Demolition Man and my kids' favorite, Back In Your Face, but I'm glad they are doing songs off of just about everything they have done. It was great to see an acoustical break for Two Steps Behind. That's such a great song and a wonderful lead-in to Now, from the new CD. Have you got "X", yet? The majority of the rest of the show was dedicated to the Hysteria CD. Women and Rocket were crowd cheering anthems, and a few of us knew the song in the breakdown of Rocket. Anyone ever heard of a little band called The Who? It was cool to hear a verse of My Generation. I've seen this once before and since this song is a dedication to the bands who inspired them, it was great to hear them do this. My favorite Def Leppard tune, Photograph, probably got the biggest response at this point in the night when they ripped into it. The Vet's Auditorium was by no means packed, but the crowd sure made it seem that way. Animal and Armageddon It came after and then the biggest crowd pleaser of all came roaring out of the speakers. Pour Some Sugar On Me had everyone, and there was a guy my dad's age sitting next to me so I mean everyone, on their feet and singing along. I'm 34 so imagine someone being 20 years older than me going nuts for that song. Thankfully, there was plenty of youthful eye-candy such as my 19 year old girlfriend. (Yea, just think about that one for a while. I haven't even hit mid-life, yet!) There were several g-strings and bras flowing up to the stage throughout the night and this song pretty much did it for everyone. Hey, I like the song, but the crowd wents nuts over it. I knew the song was going to make Hysteria huge the first day that CD was released and I heard it coming from a Christian college dorm room. I went out and bought it that day myself! But Photograph is still the one that does it for me. Anyway, just when you thought 21 tunes (counting the two instrumentals) was going to be it, they once again tore the roof off the place with Rock Of Ages. I figured after a set this great and this long, what could they possibly encore with? The crowd was still going berserk and still hadn't say down since the opening strains of Disintegrate. There is a floor section and then a balcony style section all the way around this building. The stomping in the half full balcony made it sound like this old building was going to come down. Def Leppard returned to put the stomping to an end with Love Bites and brought it right back with Let's Get Rocked. Now Des Moines is pretty conservative. Shoot, Iowa as a whole is pretty conservative, but they were still going nuts after Let's Get Rocked finished. The Def Leppard guys thanked Des Moines again and just had to stay out and blow kisses to the girls, high five the front row, and acknowledge every section in the house, or else they would be asked to encore again. This crowd did not want to leave! The house lights finally came up so that everyone knew for sure the show was over. I thought CC Deville was bad in having to be carried off the stage at the end of Poison's show, but this crowd certainly seemed like they had to be told when the show was officially over. Very few people went rushing out to the parking lot. Granted, it was quite congested with all the construction going on in the downtown area and there were a ton of people there, but it didn't seem like everyone was in a hurry to go.
What a way to start and end a week. Styx, REO, and Journey on Sunday and Ricky Warwick and Def Leppard on Saturday. Now I have two more shows to go to before the month is over. Poison, Vince Neil, and Skid Row are going to bring Nothin' But A Good Time to KC, while Faster Pussycat, Enuff Z'Nuff, and Pretty Boy Floyd are going to bring the whip to Clear Lake, IA. I may even take this coming Thursday to go see a free concert by Cheap Trick. Next month, Alice Cooper is nearby and Queensryche, Dream Theater, and Fates Warning are going to show KC what rock musicians are capable of.
I know this is a long winded review and if I had the set lists of Styx, REO, and Journey, it would be longer. It would be great if each of you could post set lists of the shows you go to and point out the things that would make the rest of us wish we were there. I don't care if you have to write it in book form, it's that kind of e-mail that I save. If all you talk about is who you met at the show in your circle of friends and comment how the band rocked, it's not worth the effort to read it. Give me all the great details! Have fun at the concerts you attend this summer and tell us all about them. Support your favorite bands so they will give us more opportunities to hear our favorite songs live.
Set List:
Disintegrate Intro
Let It Go
Another Hit And Run
High N Dry (Saturday Night)
Bringin' On The Heartbreak
Switch 625
Foolin'
Make Love Like A Man
Hysteria
Long Long Way To Go
Slang
Four Letter Word
Promises
Two Steps Behind (acoustic)
Now
Women
Rocket (extended with My Generation)
Photograph
Animal
Armageddon It
Pour Some Sugar On Me
Rock Of Ages
Encore:
Love Bites
Let's Get Rocked
"This is going to be an awesome month of concerts for me. June 1st I got to see Styx, REO Speedwagon, and Journey in Ames, IA. All 3 bands tore the roof off the place. Styx did three new tunes from Cyclorama (the weirdest CD cover I have seen from them). The songs fit right in with the classics of old. REO did all their hits, such as Ridin' The Storm Out, Roll With The Changes, and the obligatory Can't Fight This Feeling. Styx had more energy, but I think the crowd knew more of REO's tunes. Journey came out and had a set that rocked a bit more than when I saw them two years ago with John Waite and Peter Frampton opening. They concentrated on the rockier side of Journey, which I am totally grateful for. The tune Stone In Love is still a favorite of mine and the newer tune Higher Place totally rocks! They did one other new tune off of Red 13, which I don't know the name of, yet. Awesome show and each got to use the full stage and the huge screen in back of them. Very professional!
Just last night, I got to see Ricky Warwick and Def Leppard shake up Des Moines. Ricky did about 5 tunes from his CD with one that Vivian Campbell joined him on. It would be cool to hear Ricky with a full band. The songs are great, but the constant acoustic rhythm guitar can be a bit much. He did try to vary it up a bit with some great dynamics. It did sound better than a few months ago in Council Bluffs where Ricky's guitar was just mixed too "brightly". He didn't tell any stories this time around, either, but the songs pretty much did it for themselves.
Def Leppard came out to their own Disintegrate and ripped through the first half of the High N Dry album. (Yes, I'm old enough to remember LP's.) For those of you too young to remember, that would be the tunes Let It Go, Another Hit And Run, High N Dry (Saturday Night), Bringin' On The Heartbreak (Yes, Def Leppard wrote it and Mariah Carey covered it.) and the instrumental Switch 625. The crowd seemed a tad lost on a couple of these tunes, but it was totally rocked out and enthusiastic by the guys in Def Lep. It's great to see them including a couple of instrumental things with Disintegrate and Switch 625. I like that idea instead of having breaks for drum solos and such. It shows a very unified band who let the songs do the showing off and they each get a chance at wanking off within the songs themselves. I don't mean wanking off in a bad way. Def Lep are very accomplished musicians and the guitar solos, rumbling bass lines, and awesome rhythms give them the chance to showcase within the context of a song without making it an "out of place" moment. Once they finished half of High N Dry, they cut right into a bunch of other great hits. Foolin' was up next, followed swiftly by Make Love Like A Man. This was the second time in the last four times I have seen them live that they included Make Love. Very catchy tune and the Iowa crowd sang along with every word. Hysteria marked a representation of the same titled CD and then it was time for a few things that the crowd wasn't so familiar with (due to radio, not Def Leppard). Long Long Way To Go, which is a killer slow tune off the new CD was wonderfully performed (It's one of my girlfriend's faves!) and the crowd got into it despite not hearing it much on radio. Slang totally rocked my socks off once again. I love hearing this song and wish more people knew about it and the CD of the same name. I used to do the Tom Cruise thing rocking out to this song. Four Letter Word was up next and this song should be a bigger radio hit, too. "Lust can kinda be nice..." It's one of the more upbeat tunes on their new CD. Have you got "X", yet? Promises was the only song to represent Euphoria, too. I'm not sure why some tunes just aren't played much, such as Demolition Man and my kids' favorite, Back In Your Face, but I'm glad they are doing songs off of just about everything they have done. It was great to see an acoustical break for Two Steps Behind. That's such a great song and a wonderful lead-in to Now, from the new CD. Have you got "X", yet? The majority of the rest of the show was dedicated to the Hysteria CD. Women and Rocket were crowd cheering anthems, and a few of us knew the song in the breakdown of Rocket. Anyone ever heard of a little band called The Who? It was cool to hear a verse of My Generation. I've seen this once before and since this song is a dedication to the bands who inspired them, it was great to hear them do this. My favorite Def Leppard tune, Photograph, probably got the biggest response at this point in the night when they ripped into it. The Vet's Auditorium was by no means packed, but the crowd sure made it seem that way. Animal and Armageddon It came after and then the biggest crowd pleaser of all came roaring out of the speakers. Pour Some Sugar On Me had everyone, and there was a guy my dad's age sitting next to me so I mean everyone, on their feet and singing along. I'm 34 so imagine someone being 20 years older than me going nuts for that song. Thankfully, there was plenty of youthful eye-candy such as my 19 year old girlfriend. (Yea, just think about that one for a while. I haven't even hit mid-life, yet!) There were several g-strings and bras flowing up to the stage throughout the night and this song pretty much did it for everyone. Hey, I like the song, but the crowd wents nuts over it. I knew the song was going to make Hysteria huge the first day that CD was released and I heard it coming from a Christian college dorm room. I went out and bought it that day myself! But Photograph is still the one that does it for me. Anyway, just when you thought 21 tunes (counting the two instrumentals) was going to be it, they once again tore the roof off the place with Rock Of Ages. I figured after a set this great and this long, what could they possibly encore with? The crowd was still going berserk and still hadn't say down since the opening strains of Disintegrate. There is a floor section and then a balcony style section all the way around this building. The stomping in the half full balcony made it sound like this old building was going to come down. Def Leppard returned to put the stomping to an end with Love Bites and brought it right back with Let's Get Rocked. Now Des Moines is pretty conservative. Shoot, Iowa as a whole is pretty conservative, but they were still going nuts after Let's Get Rocked finished. The Def Leppard guys thanked Des Moines again and just had to stay out and blow kisses to the girls, high five the front row, and acknowledge every section in the house, or else they would be asked to encore again. This crowd did not want to leave! The house lights finally came up so that everyone knew for sure the show was over. I thought CC Deville was bad in having to be carried off the stage at the end of Poison's show, but this crowd certainly seemed like they had to be told when the show was officially over. Very few people went rushing out to the parking lot. Granted, it was quite congested with all the construction going on in the downtown area and there were a ton of people there, but it didn't seem like everyone was in a hurry to go.
What a way to start and end a week. Styx, REO, and Journey on Sunday and Ricky Warwick and Def Leppard on Saturday. Now I have two more shows to go to before the month is over. Poison, Vince Neil, and Skid Row are going to bring Nothin' But A Good Time to KC, while Faster Pussycat, Enuff Z'Nuff, and Pretty Boy Floyd are going to bring the whip to Clear Lake, IA. I may even take this coming Thursday to go see a free concert by Cheap Trick. Next month, Alice Cooper is nearby and Queensryche, Dream Theater, and Fates Warning are going to show KC what rock musicians are capable of.
I know this is a long winded review and if I had the set lists of Styx, REO, and Journey, it would be longer. It would be great if each of you could post set lists of the shows you go to and point out the things that would make the rest of us wish we were there. I don't care if you have to write it in book form, it's that kind of e-mail that I save. If all you talk about is who you met at the show in your circle of friends and comment how the band rocked, it's not worth the effort to read it. Give me all the great details! Have fun at the concerts you attend this summer and tell us all about them. Support your favorite bands so they will give us more opportunities to hear our favorite songs live.
Set List:
Disintegrate Intro
Let It Go
Another Hit And Run
High N Dry (Saturday Night)
Bringin' On The Heartbreak
Switch 625
Foolin'
Make Love Like A Man
Hysteria
Long Long Way To Go
Slang
Four Letter Word
Promises
Two Steps Behind (acoustic)
Now
Women
Rocket (extended with My Generation)
Photograph
Animal
Armageddon It
Pour Some Sugar On Me
Rock Of Ages
Encore:
Love Bites
Let's Get Rocked
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Def Leppard in Council Bluffs, IA
Part 6 in my review series is just a setlist. J-Dub and I hit this show on 12/20/02. Ricky Warwick opened the show with a cool acoustic set.
Disintegrate Intro
Let It Go
Rock Rock (Til You Drop)
Stagefright
Bringin' On The Heartbreak
Switch 625
Foolin'
Too Late For Love
You're So Beautiful
Hysteria
Long Long Way To Go
Four Letter Word
Promises
Now
Women
Rocket (extended)
Photograph
Animal
Pour Some Sugar On Me
Armageddon It
Rock Of Ages
Encore
Love Bites
Let's Get Rocked
I do remember being glad that they were supporting X with so many songs. It's great to see bands still recording and not afraid to show off the new CD.
Disintegrate Intro
Let It Go
Rock Rock (Til You Drop)
Stagefright
Bringin' On The Heartbreak
Switch 625
Foolin'
Too Late For Love
You're So Beautiful
Hysteria
Long Long Way To Go
Four Letter Word
Promises
Now
Women
Rocket (extended)
Photograph
Animal
Pour Some Sugar On Me
Armageddon It
Rock Of Ages
Encore
Love Bites
Let's Get Rocked
I do remember being glad that they were supporting X with so many songs. It's great to see bands still recording and not afraid to show off the new CD.
Poison at Sandstone in KC 7/20/02
Part 5 in my review series...a BIG ONE!
"Just trying to recover from last night's Poison show in KC. What an awesome night! I'm 33 and the other 3 guys that went with me to the show are between 18 and 20. and said it was the best show they had ever seen. Following is a complete review of all 4 bands:
Faster Pussycat
FP came out in their almost Nazi style outfits. They had on the long black boots, military style caps, white shirts, black ties, and faces painted white. They each had black hair except for Xristian Simon. His was short and blond and he wore a black kilt. Taime brought out a black umbrella with a skull and crossbones on the top. Brent Muscat had huge platform shoes on. They opened with These Boots Are Made For Walkin'. This was a really cool version of the song, slowed way down, with a military step beat to it. They then punked right into Cathouse and then a "song about eatin' your pussy", Slip Of The Tongue. The new song Hellbound (?) was next up. It was nice to hear them in familiar territory on the new one. Taime then sat down for a bit on House Of Pain. This tune really got the people who were there into Faster Pussycat. It was so familiar that everyone perked up. There weren't a lot of people in the place, yet, but since it was Saturday there were more than usual for an opening act. Bathroom Wall was up next and then Taime dedicated the last tune to Betty Blowtorch (Bianca). That last song was Shut Up & F$CK. The crowd kept repeating that line for a couple of minutes after FP got offstage. Great set, but just way too short. I was hoping to hear Little Dove, Big Dictionary, and Poison Ivy. Good set, though, and quite unique.
These Boots Are Made For Walkin'
Cathouse
Slip Of The Tongue
Hellbound (?)
House Of Pain
Bathroom Wall
Shut Up & F$ck
Winger
Winger took the stage as complete professionals. They sound so full as a 5 piece with both Paul Taylor and Jon Roth. I was surprised at how many times they both played guitar along with Reb Beach. They even showed off their 3 guitar attack a few times. Kip still has his voice and led the boys quite well through this set. They kicked things off with Blind Revolution Mad, which is a good opener, but not as familiar to most of the people there. They then launched into Madeleine and Hungry, they slowed things down a bit with Miles Away. They said this was the last night of their tour with Poison, so they dedicated Rainbow In The Rose to the crews of all the bands. Reb got to show off a bit with a short guitar solo. He still looks like a 70's style rocker with the long straight blond hair, no shirt, and bell bottoms. It was good to see him in Winger because he just seemed so out of place with Dokken on stage last year. Don't get me wrong. I thought the music Reb did with Dokken was great, but on stage he seemed to have a 3 foot radius to move around in. With Winger, he could go anywhere on stage he wanted. You Are The Saint, I Am The Sinner was ended with all 3 guirarists taking a solo turn and then finishing out the song with some great runs and harmonies. I hope they get into the studio with this lineup ASAP. Winger really needs to get back out and get some new tunes going. This lineup has such great talent that I hope this isn't a one-off tour for them. Once again, Winger slowed things down with Headed For A Heartbreak. They picked it up for the final two tunes with Can't Get Enuf and Seventeen. They really got the growing crowd into their show. Their musicianship was probably the best of all the bands, at least on stage. I know a lot of people dogged Winger for having a pinup boy in Kip, but listen to their songs and you will hear simple melodies over some very complex instrumental parts. The rhythm changes and harmonies and unexpected breaks really give them a chance to shine underneath the catchy choruses they write.
Blind Revolution Mad
Madeleine
Hungry
Miles Away
Rainbow In The Rose
Reb's Solo
You Are The Saint, I Am The Sinner
Headed For A Heartbreak
Can't Get Enuf
Seventeen
Cinderella
Somebody Save Me! Cinderalla rocked! They had the lights, the pyro, a keyboard player, some guy who jumped out during one tune to play acoustic guitar, Tom played sax, and we got an encore! They started off with Somebody Save Me and jumped directly into Push Push. There was only one disappointment in Cinderella's show. They only did songs off the first 3 CD's. I know that they played the most popular stuff, though. They lauched into Last Mile and Night Songs next. There wa a bit of a blues guitar thing that Tom did (not exactly Bad Seamstress Blues) that led into Fallin' Apart At The Seams. The crowd was just eating up everything Cinderella did. We all went nuts! They held everyone from start to finish. Eric and Jeff were both slinging their guns, so to speak. They slowed things down a tad for Last Train, but followed it up with Comin' Home. The gospel sing-a-long of Shelter was phenomenal. Their keyboard player had the honky tonk piano down pat. The whole crowd was singing along with the chorus. They ended their regular set with Nobody's Fool and Gypsy Road. Their closer is one of my personal faves. Of course, we had to yell for an encore. The baby grand piano was rolled out and we all knew there were going to be 2 songs for the encore because of it. You never end with a slow song. So as you have probably guessed, the encore was Don't Know What You Got followed by Shake Me. Cinderella ruled the night up to the point that Poison hit the stage. Close call, though!
Somebody Save Me
Push Push
Last Mile
Night Songs
Fallin' Apart At The Seems
Last Train
Comin' Home
Shelter
Nobody's Fool
Gypsy Road
Don't Know What You Got
Shake Me
POISON
Well, they had the same stage setup as last year, but the backdrop was different an so was Rikki's paint job. They also had their keyboard player on stage again this year. Poison came out hitting on all cylinders. Their usual opener, Look What The Cat Dragged In, had everyone on their feet from the very beginning. In a surprising turn, they then launched into their usual encore, Talk Dirty To Me. Bret really likes visiting KC and KC didn't disappoint. Everyone was singing along to every word. They played Ride The Wind and then dedicated Squeeze Box to the memory of John Entwistle. Apparently, Johnny Dare of 98.9 The Rock in KC kept announcing on his radio show that everyone was supposed to lose their top during the next song. Midwestern women are certainly well endowed and left nothing to the band's imagination. During I Want Action, Bret could barely concentrate on the break in the song where he talks about what CC is thinking. It went a couple of extra measures just so they could take it all in. The women certainly made the band think they had died and gone to heaven. CC even had trouble finishing his solo break which was up next. He had to stop in the middle of his noodling just to tell the girls that he was having so much trouble. He said he was trying to "play the guitar, jack off, and see all the titties" and they were making things tough on him. Oh, to always have a life like that! CC changed things up a bit this year by playing Emporer's New Clothes as his solo tune. Great job, but it's not as readily catchy as I Hate Every Bone In Your Body But Mine. CC promised he'd be right back as Bret came out to start Something To Believe In. Bret dedicated it to the families who lost loved ones in the 9/11 attacks. Rikki kicked into the beat we all know and love for Your Mama Don't Dance next and then launched into his own drum solo. Everyone went nuts watching Rikki play. He had some cool beats, twirls, and moves. His precision is to be envied. He didn't invent anything new in playing, but he is mindful of what fans want from a drum solo. It has to capture you and make you want to move. Rikki's set was a spectacle in itself with a wonderful paint job that you will have to see on his website. Bret came out with his acoustic to start the song we all broke to number one, Every Rose Has Its Thorn. Rikki followed that up with Bobby to the familiar intro to Unskinny Bop. Bobby was really enjoying himself from the start. Fallen Angel was up next to the delight of everyone. Bret called out Winger for the finale. Kip, Jon, and Reb came out for Rock And Roll All Nite. Bret was gracious with the mic and let Kip do a lot of the song. Kip's not quite the master of ceremonies that Bret is, but he did look like he had taken his own advice from years ago and loosened up. The guys gave each other hugs all around as the confetti fell and they thanked the crowd for their support over the last 17 years. Kip thanked Poison for this opportunity, too, and thanked the crowd as well. Of course, we had to call for an encore. Nothin' But A Good Time was the encore and the confetti rolled out once again as well as the last bursts of pyro. They had the orange flames, the green flames, the twirlers, the large strobes, and everything else they could set off. A great time was had by all and Poison promised to do it again next year. I just hope they put out another record before that tour, too! If there were any disappointments, the lack of new material was the biggest. Most of the people I had met had been out the last 3 years, too. It would have been good to get at least one or two more of the newer songs. I'm still holding out for a Native Tongue and Crack A Smile tune, too. All they have to add are Power To The People, Sexual Thing, and Stand and drop Your Mama Don't Dance, Rock And Roll All Nite, and Look What The Cat Dragged In. They could even drop Fallen Angel to add another tune. Of course, with only 13 songs in the set, there is plenty of room to boost it up a few. Def Leppard did 22 when I saw them a couple years ago. Poison ended well before midnight so a longer set would certainly fit into the night. Maybe next time they will put forth a list of tunes they haven't played for a while and let the fans decide what rare ones get played. Just a thought.
Look What The Cat Dragged In
Talk Dirty To Me
Ride The Wind
Squeeze Box
I Want Action
CC's solo
Emporer's New Clothes
Something To Believe In
Your Mama Don't Dance
Rikki's solo
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Unskinny Bop
Fallen Angel
Rock And Roll All Nite
Nothin' But A Good Time
What an awesome concert! If you missed it, I am truly sorry and hope that this review helps you realize that you really need to be out in support of these guys next year! HAHA! Keep supporting your favorite bands and they wil keep returning.
Now, I have a personal experience from this show to share. You see, a week ago I dropped a computer and tried to catch it with my right leg. My shin was heavily bruised and it has left me walking with a cane for the last week. I'm a long-haired guy who wore a Metal Sludge T-shirt to the Poison show and walked with a cane. I had Section 2 Row U seats with a few friends. I don't know if it was the Metal Sludge shirt or the fact that I was limping with a cane or both, but when I met Big John he said he'd get me into the meet and greet after the show. I've never met Big John before, but greeted him as he passed me on the hillside. He was very kind and said he didn't know for sure if there would be a greeting session, but said to see him after the show. I saw him after the show and he said to hang out and he'd take care of things. I guess I was hobbling too slow because when I followed him to the gate I got about 50 feet behind him. He entered with 4 girls that were also following him back to the tent and probably didn't see me to let me in since I was so far behind. I was close to meeting my favorite band. That's the closest I've ever been. There were a few people cussing security because Brets meet and greet got cancelled due to "security reasons". I don't know what the big deal is, but I wouldn't complain about something like that. Security reasons or not, respect the guys for putting on a great show and leave it at that. Do they really owe you more than a great show? I understand that some people pay to join fan clubs in the hopes that they get to meet the band, but it's not a guaranteed thing. Why do we appreciate them in the first place? It's the music they make and the show they put on. I did send a Sandstone security guy down about 20 minutes later (I was thinking Big John might come back toward the gate and I am a patient type of guy) to see if I could get in, but it was too late. They couldn't let anyone else down. I hobbled back to the car and headed back to Des Moines. I had a great time and I appreciate Big John's offer. Big John, if you happen to read this, thanks for the offer and I hope I get to take you up on it sometime in the future!
"Just trying to recover from last night's Poison show in KC. What an awesome night! I'm 33 and the other 3 guys that went with me to the show are between 18 and 20. and said it was the best show they had ever seen. Following is a complete review of all 4 bands:
Faster Pussycat
FP came out in their almost Nazi style outfits. They had on the long black boots, military style caps, white shirts, black ties, and faces painted white. They each had black hair except for Xristian Simon. His was short and blond and he wore a black kilt. Taime brought out a black umbrella with a skull and crossbones on the top. Brent Muscat had huge platform shoes on. They opened with These Boots Are Made For Walkin'. This was a really cool version of the song, slowed way down, with a military step beat to it. They then punked right into Cathouse and then a "song about eatin' your pussy", Slip Of The Tongue. The new song Hellbound (?) was next up. It was nice to hear them in familiar territory on the new one. Taime then sat down for a bit on House Of Pain. This tune really got the people who were there into Faster Pussycat. It was so familiar that everyone perked up. There weren't a lot of people in the place, yet, but since it was Saturday there were more than usual for an opening act. Bathroom Wall was up next and then Taime dedicated the last tune to Betty Blowtorch (Bianca). That last song was Shut Up & F$CK. The crowd kept repeating that line for a couple of minutes after FP got offstage. Great set, but just way too short. I was hoping to hear Little Dove, Big Dictionary, and Poison Ivy. Good set, though, and quite unique.
These Boots Are Made For Walkin'
Cathouse
Slip Of The Tongue
Hellbound (?)
House Of Pain
Bathroom Wall
Shut Up & F$ck
Winger
Winger took the stage as complete professionals. They sound so full as a 5 piece with both Paul Taylor and Jon Roth. I was surprised at how many times they both played guitar along with Reb Beach. They even showed off their 3 guitar attack a few times. Kip still has his voice and led the boys quite well through this set. They kicked things off with Blind Revolution Mad, which is a good opener, but not as familiar to most of the people there. They then launched into Madeleine and Hungry, they slowed things down a bit with Miles Away. They said this was the last night of their tour with Poison, so they dedicated Rainbow In The Rose to the crews of all the bands. Reb got to show off a bit with a short guitar solo. He still looks like a 70's style rocker with the long straight blond hair, no shirt, and bell bottoms. It was good to see him in Winger because he just seemed so out of place with Dokken on stage last year. Don't get me wrong. I thought the music Reb did with Dokken was great, but on stage he seemed to have a 3 foot radius to move around in. With Winger, he could go anywhere on stage he wanted. You Are The Saint, I Am The Sinner was ended with all 3 guirarists taking a solo turn and then finishing out the song with some great runs and harmonies. I hope they get into the studio with this lineup ASAP. Winger really needs to get back out and get some new tunes going. This lineup has such great talent that I hope this isn't a one-off tour for them. Once again, Winger slowed things down with Headed For A Heartbreak. They picked it up for the final two tunes with Can't Get Enuf and Seventeen. They really got the growing crowd into their show. Their musicianship was probably the best of all the bands, at least on stage. I know a lot of people dogged Winger for having a pinup boy in Kip, but listen to their songs and you will hear simple melodies over some very complex instrumental parts. The rhythm changes and harmonies and unexpected breaks really give them a chance to shine underneath the catchy choruses they write.
Blind Revolution Mad
Madeleine
Hungry
Miles Away
Rainbow In The Rose
Reb's Solo
You Are The Saint, I Am The Sinner
Headed For A Heartbreak
Can't Get Enuf
Seventeen
Cinderella
Somebody Save Me! Cinderalla rocked! They had the lights, the pyro, a keyboard player, some guy who jumped out during one tune to play acoustic guitar, Tom played sax, and we got an encore! They started off with Somebody Save Me and jumped directly into Push Push. There was only one disappointment in Cinderella's show. They only did songs off the first 3 CD's. I know that they played the most popular stuff, though. They lauched into Last Mile and Night Songs next. There wa a bit of a blues guitar thing that Tom did (not exactly Bad Seamstress Blues) that led into Fallin' Apart At The Seams. The crowd was just eating up everything Cinderella did. We all went nuts! They held everyone from start to finish. Eric and Jeff were both slinging their guns, so to speak. They slowed things down a tad for Last Train, but followed it up with Comin' Home. The gospel sing-a-long of Shelter was phenomenal. Their keyboard player had the honky tonk piano down pat. The whole crowd was singing along with the chorus. They ended their regular set with Nobody's Fool and Gypsy Road. Their closer is one of my personal faves. Of course, we had to yell for an encore. The baby grand piano was rolled out and we all knew there were going to be 2 songs for the encore because of it. You never end with a slow song. So as you have probably guessed, the encore was Don't Know What You Got followed by Shake Me. Cinderella ruled the night up to the point that Poison hit the stage. Close call, though!
Somebody Save Me
Push Push
Last Mile
Night Songs
Fallin' Apart At The Seems
Last Train
Comin' Home
Shelter
Nobody's Fool
Gypsy Road
Don't Know What You Got
Shake Me
POISON
Well, they had the same stage setup as last year, but the backdrop was different an so was Rikki's paint job. They also had their keyboard player on stage again this year. Poison came out hitting on all cylinders. Their usual opener, Look What The Cat Dragged In, had everyone on their feet from the very beginning. In a surprising turn, they then launched into their usual encore, Talk Dirty To Me. Bret really likes visiting KC and KC didn't disappoint. Everyone was singing along to every word. They played Ride The Wind and then dedicated Squeeze Box to the memory of John Entwistle. Apparently, Johnny Dare of 98.9 The Rock in KC kept announcing on his radio show that everyone was supposed to lose their top during the next song. Midwestern women are certainly well endowed and left nothing to the band's imagination. During I Want Action, Bret could barely concentrate on the break in the song where he talks about what CC is thinking. It went a couple of extra measures just so they could take it all in. The women certainly made the band think they had died and gone to heaven. CC even had trouble finishing his solo break which was up next. He had to stop in the middle of his noodling just to tell the girls that he was having so much trouble. He said he was trying to "play the guitar, jack off, and see all the titties" and they were making things tough on him. Oh, to always have a life like that! CC changed things up a bit this year by playing Emporer's New Clothes as his solo tune. Great job, but it's not as readily catchy as I Hate Every Bone In Your Body But Mine. CC promised he'd be right back as Bret came out to start Something To Believe In. Bret dedicated it to the families who lost loved ones in the 9/11 attacks. Rikki kicked into the beat we all know and love for Your Mama Don't Dance next and then launched into his own drum solo. Everyone went nuts watching Rikki play. He had some cool beats, twirls, and moves. His precision is to be envied. He didn't invent anything new in playing, but he is mindful of what fans want from a drum solo. It has to capture you and make you want to move. Rikki's set was a spectacle in itself with a wonderful paint job that you will have to see on his website. Bret came out with his acoustic to start the song we all broke to number one, Every Rose Has Its Thorn. Rikki followed that up with Bobby to the familiar intro to Unskinny Bop. Bobby was really enjoying himself from the start. Fallen Angel was up next to the delight of everyone. Bret called out Winger for the finale. Kip, Jon, and Reb came out for Rock And Roll All Nite. Bret was gracious with the mic and let Kip do a lot of the song. Kip's not quite the master of ceremonies that Bret is, but he did look like he had taken his own advice from years ago and loosened up. The guys gave each other hugs all around as the confetti fell and they thanked the crowd for their support over the last 17 years. Kip thanked Poison for this opportunity, too, and thanked the crowd as well. Of course, we had to call for an encore. Nothin' But A Good Time was the encore and the confetti rolled out once again as well as the last bursts of pyro. They had the orange flames, the green flames, the twirlers, the large strobes, and everything else they could set off. A great time was had by all and Poison promised to do it again next year. I just hope they put out another record before that tour, too! If there were any disappointments, the lack of new material was the biggest. Most of the people I had met had been out the last 3 years, too. It would have been good to get at least one or two more of the newer songs. I'm still holding out for a Native Tongue and Crack A Smile tune, too. All they have to add are Power To The People, Sexual Thing, and Stand and drop Your Mama Don't Dance, Rock And Roll All Nite, and Look What The Cat Dragged In. They could even drop Fallen Angel to add another tune. Of course, with only 13 songs in the set, there is plenty of room to boost it up a few. Def Leppard did 22 when I saw them a couple years ago. Poison ended well before midnight so a longer set would certainly fit into the night. Maybe next time they will put forth a list of tunes they haven't played for a while and let the fans decide what rare ones get played. Just a thought.
Look What The Cat Dragged In
Talk Dirty To Me
Ride The Wind
Squeeze Box
I Want Action
CC's solo
Emporer's New Clothes
Something To Believe In
Your Mama Don't Dance
Rikki's solo
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Unskinny Bop
Fallen Angel
Rock And Roll All Nite
Nothin' But A Good Time
What an awesome concert! If you missed it, I am truly sorry and hope that this review helps you realize that you really need to be out in support of these guys next year! HAHA! Keep supporting your favorite bands and they wil keep returning.
Now, I have a personal experience from this show to share. You see, a week ago I dropped a computer and tried to catch it with my right leg. My shin was heavily bruised and it has left me walking with a cane for the last week. I'm a long-haired guy who wore a Metal Sludge T-shirt to the Poison show and walked with a cane. I had Section 2 Row U seats with a few friends. I don't know if it was the Metal Sludge shirt or the fact that I was limping with a cane or both, but when I met Big John he said he'd get me into the meet and greet after the show. I've never met Big John before, but greeted him as he passed me on the hillside. He was very kind and said he didn't know for sure if there would be a greeting session, but said to see him after the show. I saw him after the show and he said to hang out and he'd take care of things. I guess I was hobbling too slow because when I followed him to the gate I got about 50 feet behind him. He entered with 4 girls that were also following him back to the tent and probably didn't see me to let me in since I was so far behind. I was close to meeting my favorite band. That's the closest I've ever been. There were a few people cussing security because Brets meet and greet got cancelled due to "security reasons". I don't know what the big deal is, but I wouldn't complain about something like that. Security reasons or not, respect the guys for putting on a great show and leave it at that. Do they really owe you more than a great show? I understand that some people pay to join fan clubs in the hopes that they get to meet the band, but it's not a guaranteed thing. Why do we appreciate them in the first place? It's the music they make and the show they put on. I did send a Sandstone security guy down about 20 minutes later (I was thinking Big John might come back toward the gate and I am a patient type of guy) to see if I could get in, but it was too late. They couldn't let anyone else down. I hobbled back to the car and headed back to Des Moines. I had a great time and I appreciate Big John's offer. Big John, if you happen to read this, thanks for the offer and I hope I get to take you up on it sometime in the future!
Tesla at the ValAir in Des Moines 5/01
Part 4 in my review series...
"Saw the Tesla concert last night and was blown away! Those guys are such great songwriters and very talented musicians. I'd almost forgotten just how good they were! The mix made the vocals a little hard to hear, but then again, I was about 15 ft. from the stage. The place was pretty full and a little too crowded down where I was. There was too much pushing and shoving for my taste, but there were only a few bad apples and it wasn't too awful.
The show was opened by doubleDrive, a band from Atlanta. They were decent. They had 3-4 really good tunes and a few fillers. I was ready for them to be done about 5-6 songs into their set, but that's partly because I'm not into the whole Godsmack style sound they had going. That's what it sounded like live and it may be different on tape. Some good grooves that got me ready for Tesla.
Tesla's set was opened with Comin' Atcha Live. Great opener. The rest of the set is as follows with a few comments thrown in.
Hang Tough
Gettin' Better (I'd almost forgotten about this gem!)
The Way It Is (Wish I still had the single as it had a couple of unreleased tunes. Speaking of which, it would be nice if they cleaned out the Tesla vault like Def Leppard did on a CD.)
Song And Emotion (Great songs related to Steve Clark's death. Tesla opened for Def Lep years ago.)
Time's Makin' Changes (I have the video with this title and it has all of their videos on it!)
Signs (Electric!)
Little Suzi (This is the first song I always think of when I think about Tesla. Great live tune!)
What You Give
Heaven's Trail (No Way Out) (Great shout along chorus!)
Mama's Fool (I was just listening to Bust A Nut last week and with they would have done a couple more off of this one!)
Love Song (Before the song got going, they had a local kid that was about 6-8 years old come out and jam on guitar with Frank Hannon and Troy Lucketta. This kid is a rocker! Mostly a blues riff and he didn't want to quit playing! Frank threw up his hands in awe and walked off to let the kid jam.)
Edison's Medicine (Oh,I was so glad they played this rune! It rocks! I had a vision in my head as soon as they ended Love Song that they should start Edison's Medicine without missing a beat. They did pause here briefly, but the song just fits right after Love Song. What a rocker!!)
Showdown (Can't remember if this is the right title. I got a little fuzzy on these last few songs, but I know this one. "It's a showdown..."
As She Goes (This has an awesome riff and I don't know if it's the title or not. It rocked and sounded like it could be a new tune.)
The last song was familiar, but I need to dig thru my Tesla CD's to get the title. It had a bluesy, train chug type riff to close the show. Great song, but not real familiar to me as the hits are.
I had all of my Tesla tapes ripped off years ago and since restocking my CD collection with them I haven't renewed my listening. I need to do that as this show reminded me. Great show and VERY awesome live band. I couldn't believe how great they sounded. They need to be playing bigger halls again. Check them out when you get the chance!"
"Saw the Tesla concert last night and was blown away! Those guys are such great songwriters and very talented musicians. I'd almost forgotten just how good they were! The mix made the vocals a little hard to hear, but then again, I was about 15 ft. from the stage. The place was pretty full and a little too crowded down where I was. There was too much pushing and shoving for my taste, but there were only a few bad apples and it wasn't too awful.
The show was opened by doubleDrive, a band from Atlanta. They were decent. They had 3-4 really good tunes and a few fillers. I was ready for them to be done about 5-6 songs into their set, but that's partly because I'm not into the whole Godsmack style sound they had going. That's what it sounded like live and it may be different on tape. Some good grooves that got me ready for Tesla.
Tesla's set was opened with Comin' Atcha Live. Great opener. The rest of the set is as follows with a few comments thrown in.
Hang Tough
Gettin' Better (I'd almost forgotten about this gem!)
The Way It Is (Wish I still had the single as it had a couple of unreleased tunes. Speaking of which, it would be nice if they cleaned out the Tesla vault like Def Leppard did on a CD.)
Song And Emotion (Great songs related to Steve Clark's death. Tesla opened for Def Lep years ago.)
Time's Makin' Changes (I have the video with this title and it has all of their videos on it!)
Signs (Electric!)
Little Suzi (This is the first song I always think of when I think about Tesla. Great live tune!)
What You Give
Heaven's Trail (No Way Out) (Great shout along chorus!)
Mama's Fool (I was just listening to Bust A Nut last week and with they would have done a couple more off of this one!)
Love Song (Before the song got going, they had a local kid that was about 6-8 years old come out and jam on guitar with Frank Hannon and Troy Lucketta. This kid is a rocker! Mostly a blues riff and he didn't want to quit playing! Frank threw up his hands in awe and walked off to let the kid jam.)
Edison's Medicine (Oh,I was so glad they played this rune! It rocks! I had a vision in my head as soon as they ended Love Song that they should start Edison's Medicine without missing a beat. They did pause here briefly, but the song just fits right after Love Song. What a rocker!!)
Showdown (Can't remember if this is the right title. I got a little fuzzy on these last few songs, but I know this one. "It's a showdown..."
As She Goes (This has an awesome riff and I don't know if it's the title or not. It rocked and sounded like it could be a new tune.)
The last song was familiar, but I need to dig thru my Tesla CD's to get the title. It had a bluesy, train chug type riff to close the show. Great song, but not real familiar to me as the hits are.
I had all of my Tesla tapes ripped off years ago and since restocking my CD collection with them I haven't renewed my listening. I need to do that as this show reminded me. Great show and VERY awesome live band. I couldn't believe how great they sounded. They need to be playing bigger halls again. Check them out when you get the chance!"
Ratt at Supertoads in Des Moines 1/2001
Part 3 in my review series...
"Just got back from the Ratt show at Supertoads in Des Moines, IA. What a show! Jizzy Pearl sounds as good, if not better, than Stephen Pearcy. He really does fit well. John Corabi even got to handle a few vocals and was in fine form on rhythm guitar. When he sang with Jizzy on Lack Of Communication, I was floored at how well they both can sound like Pearcy. Warren DeMartini is just a phenomenal guitarist. That guy has so much soul coming out of his fingers, it's impressive. He even handled a few bocals on Walkin' The Dog. He has such a stage presence, too, without really having to do much. He just has that attitude... Bobby Blotzer was his usual humble self. He has so much rhythm and groove that I consider him to be one of the best drummers around. One of the things that has always endeared me to Ratt was their rhythm and groove. Robbie Crane has fit the bill nicely since he has joined up. Robbie certainly had to adapt to a different style of playing, but he and Bobby sure hold the groove. The set list was as follows:
I Want A Woman (one of my fave Ratt tunes - groove!)
Wanted Man (this early hit was one of the first I heard after Round And Round, of course)
I'm Insane (What a pleasant surprise! I've seen Ratt twice now and they didn't work this song into their set on the Poison tour.)
Dance (Dancing Undercover will always be my favorite Ratt CD. There wasn't a bad song on it!)
Way Cool Jr. (I remember when this song came out and fell in love with Warren's bluesy interpretations here.)
Luv Sick (With Poison, they played Over The Edge from their newest CD. I was glad to hear at least one tune and something different. They should have done at least one more, tho, in my humble opinion.)
Body Talk
Slip Of The Lip (These two tunes from Dancing Undercover rank as their finest. It's all groove. Can't stress that enough.)
Nobody Rides For Free (Point Break was a decent movie... Actually, I think this was their first tune as a four piece, at least in video.)
Walkin' The Dog (Ah, the awesomeness of their tunes...)
Lovin' You Is A Dirty Job (More Ratt style blues. Detonator is an awesome CD, too. Anyone remember that Jon Bon Jovi sang backup on one of the songs from this CD?)
Shame Shame Shame (Two from Detonator in a row.)
Lack Of Communication (Corabi sounded so good complimenting Jizzy on this one. John really seemed to be having fun playing Ratt tunes.)
Back For More (Everyone sang along on the chorus of this one. I'm surprised at how many songs the crowd was really into.)
Round And Round (THE RATT HIT! My first exposure to Ratt was this song and video. Still a classic!)
Lay It Down (Encore time. The crowd was chanting this song title until Ratt came out and played.)
You're In Love (Ratt segued right into this one and used it as a great closer for the night.)
Everyone seemed to have a blast; the band and the fans. Catch this show!"
"Just got back from the Ratt show at Supertoads in Des Moines, IA. What a show! Jizzy Pearl sounds as good, if not better, than Stephen Pearcy. He really does fit well. John Corabi even got to handle a few vocals and was in fine form on rhythm guitar. When he sang with Jizzy on Lack Of Communication, I was floored at how well they both can sound like Pearcy. Warren DeMartini is just a phenomenal guitarist. That guy has so much soul coming out of his fingers, it's impressive. He even handled a few bocals on Walkin' The Dog. He has such a stage presence, too, without really having to do much. He just has that attitude... Bobby Blotzer was his usual humble self. He has so much rhythm and groove that I consider him to be one of the best drummers around. One of the things that has always endeared me to Ratt was their rhythm and groove. Robbie Crane has fit the bill nicely since he has joined up. Robbie certainly had to adapt to a different style of playing, but he and Bobby sure hold the groove. The set list was as follows:
I Want A Woman (one of my fave Ratt tunes - groove!)
Wanted Man (this early hit was one of the first I heard after Round And Round, of course)
I'm Insane (What a pleasant surprise! I've seen Ratt twice now and they didn't work this song into their set on the Poison tour.)
Dance (Dancing Undercover will always be my favorite Ratt CD. There wasn't a bad song on it!)
Way Cool Jr. (I remember when this song came out and fell in love with Warren's bluesy interpretations here.)
Luv Sick (With Poison, they played Over The Edge from their newest CD. I was glad to hear at least one tune and something different. They should have done at least one more, tho, in my humble opinion.)
Body Talk
Slip Of The Lip (These two tunes from Dancing Undercover rank as their finest. It's all groove. Can't stress that enough.)
Nobody Rides For Free (Point Break was a decent movie... Actually, I think this was their first tune as a four piece, at least in video.)
Walkin' The Dog (Ah, the awesomeness of their tunes...)
Lovin' You Is A Dirty Job (More Ratt style blues. Detonator is an awesome CD, too. Anyone remember that Jon Bon Jovi sang backup on one of the songs from this CD?)
Shame Shame Shame (Two from Detonator in a row.)
Lack Of Communication (Corabi sounded so good complimenting Jizzy on this one. John really seemed to be having fun playing Ratt tunes.)
Back For More (Everyone sang along on the chorus of this one. I'm surprised at how many songs the crowd was really into.)
Round And Round (THE RATT HIT! My first exposure to Ratt was this song and video. Still a classic!)
Lay It Down (Encore time. The crowd was chanting this song title until Ratt came out and played.)
You're In Love (Ratt segued right into this one and used it as a great closer for the night.)
Everyone seemed to have a blast; the band and the fans. Catch this show!"
Warrant at Supertoads in Des Moines 12/2000
This is part two in my review series. I'm retyping all of these reviews, but you will see some references to the audience they were directed to. I want to keep them mostly intact.
"Well, folks, Iowa isn't known for advertising their local events very well, but I did find out about the Des Moines show from this wonderful list of ours!! It was held at a very redneck bar called Supertoads. Ratt will be there next month, so I will be returning. The place needs a paint job, some proper furniture, and better lighting, but I'm not writing this to review the bar, just the show.
Warrant totally ROCKED!! Jani looks like he could actually start growing hair again. Jerry has that gothic thing almost going for him and the other guys just had a great time. Billy has some soul in those fingers of his, so I was greatly impressed at his addition to the band. Mike told me to check out Dad's Porno Mag, but I told him my dad's a preacher and doesn't read those kinds of things... Actually, I'm gonna start checking out their stuff as he is a rock solid drummer and a consumate showman behind the kit.
As for the set list, it is as follows:
Down Boys (This is the song that started it all for me! What a groove!)
DRFSR (I was kind of surprised to hear this gem, but loved it nonetheless. Jani had to get a smoke before the song got going.)
32 Pennies (I just love this one, too. It's much heavier live than on their first CD. I'm glad they didn't do the "lite" version on Latest & Greatest.)
Machine Gun (Jani made it a point to make sure we heard some heavier stuff as I'm sure they always got pounded by critics as being too lite.)
Crawl Space (Finally something newer!)
AYM (More newer material! YIPPEE!! This song is so much better live, too! I always thought it suffered a bit on CD due to the mix.)
Heaven (Jani apologized for having to play the obligatory ballads. He did that throughout the next few songs, too. It was pretty funny, but they really have nothing to be ashamed about in playing these songs. Their ballads did help make them famous and they wouldn't have been recorded had they been bad songs.)
Blind Faith (More stuff to get, as Jani would say, "pussy".)
Sometimes She Cries (I'm not big on ballads, but I have always liked this melody for some reason.)
I Saw Red (Can you believe he still sings this song sounding as angry as he did when he wrote it? Man, does he hold a grudge! HAHA!)
Hole In My Wall (I took a buddy of mine who is only 24 and this was his first concert ever!! He loved the lyrics to this one. Hell, he loved the whole show and made sure to tell the band that when we met them for autographs.)
Indian Giver (It is just so cool that they made room for more than just the hits!)
Southern Comfort (Great tune! I took Latest & Greatest to get autographed!)
Uncle Tom's Cabin (Man, this riff just rocks your head off!)
Marry Me (?) (This is the Dramarama cover tune. Warrant sure knows their punk! Geez! This could have come off as the Offspring or something! They sure showed off some diversity last night. Jani told us through the night that they weren't leaving until they played a bit of everything we wanted to hear.)
War Pigs (It was up to Jerry if they played something heavy or more West Coast pop/punk. Jerry chose HEAVY!! Jani has such a great voice and he didn't try to cover up too many high notes at all. Nice to know he still has it.)
Cherry Pie (Jani said he was against the whole rock star "encore" thing so he just came out and finished off the night with this tune. EVERYONE was singing along.)
After the show, the band filed out for autographs at the T-shirt table. I was surprised that all they had for sale was a baseball cut shirt and a B&W photo. I was grateful for the photo as it had the new guys. I bought one of each and gave the photo to my buddy as his souvenir of his first show. He freaked out. Very cool night! Got the shirt signed, my CD signed, and the photo. Jani was the only one who didn't come out, but that was no big deal as I got a chance to meet him on last year's Rock Never Stops tour.
I don't care what you have read about previous shows, check them out! I told them they really need to get a bigger tour next year. I wanta see them "blow shit up" as Jerry so eloquently put it when I mentioned that to him. Erik said something about touring with Ratt next year, but to be honest, I hope they have patched things up with Poison and head out on that tour as the band right before Poison. They really deserve the backdrops and pyro!! Hope they break out the old leathers, too! HAHA!! Check them out! You will not be disappointed!!"
"Well, folks, Iowa isn't known for advertising their local events very well, but I did find out about the Des Moines show from this wonderful list of ours!! It was held at a very redneck bar called Supertoads. Ratt will be there next month, so I will be returning. The place needs a paint job, some proper furniture, and better lighting, but I'm not writing this to review the bar, just the show.
Warrant totally ROCKED!! Jani looks like he could actually start growing hair again. Jerry has that gothic thing almost going for him and the other guys just had a great time. Billy has some soul in those fingers of his, so I was greatly impressed at his addition to the band. Mike told me to check out Dad's Porno Mag, but I told him my dad's a preacher and doesn't read those kinds of things... Actually, I'm gonna start checking out their stuff as he is a rock solid drummer and a consumate showman behind the kit.
As for the set list, it is as follows:
Down Boys (This is the song that started it all for me! What a groove!)
DRFSR (I was kind of surprised to hear this gem, but loved it nonetheless. Jani had to get a smoke before the song got going.)
32 Pennies (I just love this one, too. It's much heavier live than on their first CD. I'm glad they didn't do the "lite" version on Latest & Greatest.)
Machine Gun (Jani made it a point to make sure we heard some heavier stuff as I'm sure they always got pounded by critics as being too lite.)
Crawl Space (Finally something newer!)
AYM (More newer material! YIPPEE!! This song is so much better live, too! I always thought it suffered a bit on CD due to the mix.)
Heaven (Jani apologized for having to play the obligatory ballads. He did that throughout the next few songs, too. It was pretty funny, but they really have nothing to be ashamed about in playing these songs. Their ballads did help make them famous and they wouldn't have been recorded had they been bad songs.)
Blind Faith (More stuff to get, as Jani would say, "pussy".)
Sometimes She Cries (I'm not big on ballads, but I have always liked this melody for some reason.)
I Saw Red (Can you believe he still sings this song sounding as angry as he did when he wrote it? Man, does he hold a grudge! HAHA!)
Hole In My Wall (I took a buddy of mine who is only 24 and this was his first concert ever!! He loved the lyrics to this one. Hell, he loved the whole show and made sure to tell the band that when we met them for autographs.)
Indian Giver (It is just so cool that they made room for more than just the hits!)
Southern Comfort (Great tune! I took Latest & Greatest to get autographed!)
Uncle Tom's Cabin (Man, this riff just rocks your head off!)
Marry Me (?) (This is the Dramarama cover tune. Warrant sure knows their punk! Geez! This could have come off as the Offspring or something! They sure showed off some diversity last night. Jani told us through the night that they weren't leaving until they played a bit of everything we wanted to hear.)
War Pigs (It was up to Jerry if they played something heavy or more West Coast pop/punk. Jerry chose HEAVY!! Jani has such a great voice and he didn't try to cover up too many high notes at all. Nice to know he still has it.)
Cherry Pie (Jani said he was against the whole rock star "encore" thing so he just came out and finished off the night with this tune. EVERYONE was singing along.)
After the show, the band filed out for autographs at the T-shirt table. I was surprised that all they had for sale was a baseball cut shirt and a B&W photo. I was grateful for the photo as it had the new guys. I bought one of each and gave the photo to my buddy as his souvenir of his first show. He freaked out. Very cool night! Got the shirt signed, my CD signed, and the photo. Jani was the only one who didn't come out, but that was no big deal as I got a chance to meet him on last year's Rock Never Stops tour.
I don't care what you have read about previous shows, check them out! I told them they really need to get a bigger tour next year. I wanta see them "blow shit up" as Jerry so eloquently put it when I mentioned that to him. Erik said something about touring with Ratt next year, but to be honest, I hope they have patched things up with Poison and head out on that tour as the band right before Poison. They really deserve the backdrops and pyro!! Hope they break out the old leathers, too! HAHA!! Check them out! You will not be disappointed!!"
Def Leppard at the Iowa State Fair 8/2000
I'm going to be posting some of my old reviews to get them up on this site and this will be the first since it was Brittany's first concert. I can't believe it's been 5 years. This is one of my first written reviews, so be kind.
"Went to the Def Leppard show at the Iowa State Fair and it was AWESOME!! Here is a rundown of the show.
Rock! Rock! (Til You Drop) (This is a great opener! No fanfare; just come out and BOOM!
Action (Sweet cover tune. It has been recoreded by them, but I'd never seen then do a cover live. EXCELLENT!)
Women
Make Love Like A Man (I saw them last year in the Montgomery County Fair in Missouri and they didn't play this one. It was nice to hear since it's one of my favorite tongue in cheek tunes.)
Foolin'
Animal
Hysteria
Slang (I bought this CD and it kicks major ass! I'm so surprised it didn't sell well. This was my fave tune off of it! It makes you want to start jumping!)
Promises (This is the only Euphoria song they played. I heard them sound check it earlier in the day while going on a few fair rides with my 5 year old daughter. By the way, I took her with me and she loved it! She got a bit tired standing, but I hoisted her up on my shoulders several times - by the way I'm still having back pain! HAHA! - and she knew a few songs like this one. She was treated VERY nicely and was even given some ear plugs by a woman standing next to us. My daughter had a blast and rocked out about as much as her dad! Anyway, last year they did 3 tunes off of Euphoria. My daughter's fave is Back In Your Face and I like Demolition Man. I'm surprised that those two songs haven't been added to the set list. The other two they did last year were Goodbye and Paper Sun, which Joe described as the band's personal favorite. I would have loved to have heard more from Euphoria.)
Two Steps Behind (Acoustic and wonderful. They started out the next song acoustically, too!)
Bringin' On The Heartbreak (Pyromania is as far back as these guys seem to play. I would love to hear them represent every CD. They don't have that many out and they mostly represent Hysteria, which is a classic! I would love to hear things like Rock Brigade and High N Dry. Just my opinion, of course.)
Photograph (My all time favorite Def Leppard song and the first one I ever heard. That guitar riff just makes you move! Hell, I didn't even know who Marilyn Monroe was until I did some looking after this song came out! Guess I was just that young. hehe)
Rocket
Armageddon It (The crowd loved this one and Rocket as they had a chance to participate. Fist pumping stuff!)
Pour Some Sugar On Me (I remember hearing the Hysteria CD the day it came out on a friends sound system. He had the best sound at the time. It was so awesome that I went out and owned it the day it was released as well. When he got to PSSOM, I was hooked. I told him right there and then that this was the best song on the CD and if it was released as a single, they would sell millions! Guess I should have tried to get paid for that forecast! It was when this song came out that Hysteria really took off. I always wished I was a recored executive! HAHA! Of course with today's drivel they pass off for music, I'd be WAY off!)
Rock Of Ages (I remember hearing this song in my high school music class and being surprised my teacher let the girl bring this album! We had a day of just listening to whatever we brought and this cute blond brought Def Leppard and Quiet Riot. I'm a preacher's kid, so this was just music that blew me away! Great set closer. The crowd went nuts for these guys tonight!)
Encore Time
Love Bites (I know a lot of people like this song and it's a good song, but I am just not into ballads. Especially for an encore. I'm always like "get out here and rock my socks off some more!", but this is what they played. It was good, though.)
Let's Get Rocked (I know this is the song some people term as a sellout tune, but I love it! It does rock! It was hilarious as always to hear Joe say instead of "I suppose a rock's out of the question" and say "I suppose a blow job's out of the question". It's especially funny cuz you know he's looking at some girl on the front row right in the eye when he says it. HAHA! At least that's what I would imagine! Joe just struts with this song. It's great! It's a great way to cap off a night of 18 songs, all hits, by a very gifted band.)
You really gotta see these guys! AND SUPPORT THE NEW MUSIC BY ALL THESE OLD BANDS!! I have the new CD's by Def Lep, Slaughter, Warrant, both of Poison's, Great White, Cinderella's live one they sell at the shows, Firehouse, etc.. You gotta show them that you want more than just the same old stuff! PLEASE!!"
"Went to the Def Leppard show at the Iowa State Fair and it was AWESOME!! Here is a rundown of the show.
Rock! Rock! (Til You Drop) (This is a great opener! No fanfare; just come out and BOOM!
Action (Sweet cover tune. It has been recoreded by them, but I'd never seen then do a cover live. EXCELLENT!)
Women
Make Love Like A Man (I saw them last year in the Montgomery County Fair in Missouri and they didn't play this one. It was nice to hear since it's one of my favorite tongue in cheek tunes.)
Foolin'
Animal
Hysteria
Slang (I bought this CD and it kicks major ass! I'm so surprised it didn't sell well. This was my fave tune off of it! It makes you want to start jumping!)
Promises (This is the only Euphoria song they played. I heard them sound check it earlier in the day while going on a few fair rides with my 5 year old daughter. By the way, I took her with me and she loved it! She got a bit tired standing, but I hoisted her up on my shoulders several times - by the way I'm still having back pain! HAHA! - and she knew a few songs like this one. She was treated VERY nicely and was even given some ear plugs by a woman standing next to us. My daughter had a blast and rocked out about as much as her dad! Anyway, last year they did 3 tunes off of Euphoria. My daughter's fave is Back In Your Face and I like Demolition Man. I'm surprised that those two songs haven't been added to the set list. The other two they did last year were Goodbye and Paper Sun, which Joe described as the band's personal favorite. I would have loved to have heard more from Euphoria.)
Two Steps Behind (Acoustic and wonderful. They started out the next song acoustically, too!)
Bringin' On The Heartbreak (Pyromania is as far back as these guys seem to play. I would love to hear them represent every CD. They don't have that many out and they mostly represent Hysteria, which is a classic! I would love to hear things like Rock Brigade and High N Dry. Just my opinion, of course.)
Photograph (My all time favorite Def Leppard song and the first one I ever heard. That guitar riff just makes you move! Hell, I didn't even know who Marilyn Monroe was until I did some looking after this song came out! Guess I was just that young. hehe)
Rocket
Armageddon It (The crowd loved this one and Rocket as they had a chance to participate. Fist pumping stuff!)
Pour Some Sugar On Me (I remember hearing the Hysteria CD the day it came out on a friends sound system. He had the best sound at the time. It was so awesome that I went out and owned it the day it was released as well. When he got to PSSOM, I was hooked. I told him right there and then that this was the best song on the CD and if it was released as a single, they would sell millions! Guess I should have tried to get paid for that forecast! It was when this song came out that Hysteria really took off. I always wished I was a recored executive! HAHA! Of course with today's drivel they pass off for music, I'd be WAY off!)
Rock Of Ages (I remember hearing this song in my high school music class and being surprised my teacher let the girl bring this album! We had a day of just listening to whatever we brought and this cute blond brought Def Leppard and Quiet Riot. I'm a preacher's kid, so this was just music that blew me away! Great set closer. The crowd went nuts for these guys tonight!)
Encore Time
Love Bites (I know a lot of people like this song and it's a good song, but I am just not into ballads. Especially for an encore. I'm always like "get out here and rock my socks off some more!", but this is what they played. It was good, though.)
Let's Get Rocked (I know this is the song some people term as a sellout tune, but I love it! It does rock! It was hilarious as always to hear Joe say instead of "I suppose a rock's out of the question" and say "I suppose a blow job's out of the question". It's especially funny cuz you know he's looking at some girl on the front row right in the eye when he says it. HAHA! At least that's what I would imagine! Joe just struts with this song. It's great! It's a great way to cap off a night of 18 songs, all hits, by a very gifted band.)
You really gotta see these guys! AND SUPPORT THE NEW MUSIC BY ALL THESE OLD BANDS!! I have the new CD's by Def Lep, Slaughter, Warrant, both of Poison's, Great White, Cinderella's live one they sell at the shows, Firehouse, etc.. You gotta show them that you want more than just the same old stuff! PLEASE!!"
Friday, October 21, 2005
Odds And Ends
I may have an old debt paid in full soon. LKA's mom called. I've been holding a couple of really old PC's until her debt has been paid in full. Her mother called and would like to pay that debt for her so she can have the PC's. That would be some nice unexpected money.
I was supposed to go see Petra today, but that isn't going to happen. I have to catch them in Waterloo in a few weeks. It's the last tour so I have to go. I wish I could have made both shows.
Tomorrow is a monthly party. We have this one themed for Halloween, so no costume no admission. I do have a work around for the ladies attending. If they show up without a costume, we can always use more "lingerie models". Problem solved, eh?
Should be a nice fun weekend.
I was supposed to go see Petra today, but that isn't going to happen. I have to catch them in Waterloo in a few weeks. It's the last tour so I have to go. I wish I could have made both shows.
Tomorrow is a monthly party. We have this one themed for Halloween, so no costume no admission. I do have a work around for the ladies attending. If they show up without a costume, we can always use more "lingerie models". Problem solved, eh?
Should be a nice fun weekend.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Good TV
I watch a lot of TV as I've mentioned before. I just thought it was a good idea to update my thoughts on some shows I've been watching a lot of. I'll admit right up front that I haven't seen a single episode of Lost, Desperate Housewives, Law And Order, or Veronica Mars. I'm sure those shows are good, but jumping in now would just make me feel lost. I've also never seen 24, The OC, Invasion, or some of the other "hot" shows on TV. There are some that seem intriguing, but I'll wait until someone has the DVD to get caught up on these shows.
The ones I do watch and rarely miss are:
Sitcoms
How I Met Your Mother (Doogie Howser has the best lines on this show!)
The War At Home (An updated Married With Children? Very funny stuff from a parental point of view.)
Out Of Practice (I'm just still a huge fan of the FONZ!!)
According To Jim (The family sitcom is alive and still funny.)
Hope And Faith (Love Boat, Happy Days, Married With Children...how many good shows can this guy be on?)
Rodney (I love his standup and enjoy seeing a tamer version on TV. Now if HBO did sitcoms...)
My Name Is Earl (Karma trailer court style. Best new sitcom out there!)
The Office (The awkward moments are the laughs.)
Blue Collar TV (Foxworthy, Cable Guy, Engvall...need I say more?)
Joey (Friends. Need I say more?)
Twins (They own a lingerie company!!)
Still Standing (Jamie Gertz is so hot!)
George Lopez (The storylines are very good.)
Freddie (Just caught the first episode and I'm anxious to see if this show gets smarter.)
Action/Drama
Smallville (Never missed an episode and we're in season 5. I have the first 4 seasons on DVD. Superman!)
Surface (I'm anxious to see how this show pans out and what these creatures are. Could drop this one...)
Commander In Chief (I have everything recorded, but haven't started watching. Geena is in a league...)
E-Ring (A different show each week that can be watched alone. I love this type of show.)
CSI (I watch the reruns because there is so much on TV that night.)
CSI: Miami (I love these procedural shows.)
CSI: New York (I don't get to catch this often, but it's still the right formula.)
Ultimate Fighter (I'm not big on reality shows, but I like to see the fights.)
WWE RAW (It's like a comic book come to life.)
The Apprentice (You can only learn from successful people.)
Martha Stewart's Apprentice (I wasn't sure I'd like this, but the formula is a good one.)
Bones (What an awesome couple this could turn into! Another good procedural.)
Supernatural (I can't turn away from the TV when I watch this show.)
Criminal Minds (This reminds me of a short-lived show called UnSub, which I loved.)
My Fair Brady (Reminds me of my last long term relationship.)
Breaking Bonaduce ("I'm a car crash and you have every right to stop and look...")
Reruns
Fastlane (Derek and I watch this every time we find an episode we haven't seen before. It should still be on.)
I tried Related and found it a fun show, but I'm not sure how much longer it will be on. I did try Invasion and just found my mind wandering.
So much TV and so little time in a day to catch it all. Thankfully, I have two DVR boxes in the house and some nights I have 4 shows taping at the exact same time. Also, DVR does allow you to skip commercials quickly, so that reduces a one hour show to about 40 minutes.
Got any other shows I ought to see or opinions on these? I'm not into shows that are essentially soap operas, as you can tell. Let me know what your viewing habits are.
The ones I do watch and rarely miss are:
Sitcoms
How I Met Your Mother (Doogie Howser has the best lines on this show!)
The War At Home (An updated Married With Children? Very funny stuff from a parental point of view.)
Out Of Practice (I'm just still a huge fan of the FONZ!!)
According To Jim (The family sitcom is alive and still funny.)
Hope And Faith (Love Boat, Happy Days, Married With Children...how many good shows can this guy be on?)
Rodney (I love his standup and enjoy seeing a tamer version on TV. Now if HBO did sitcoms...)
My Name Is Earl (Karma trailer court style. Best new sitcom out there!)
The Office (The awkward moments are the laughs.)
Blue Collar TV (Foxworthy, Cable Guy, Engvall...need I say more?)
Joey (Friends. Need I say more?)
Twins (They own a lingerie company!!)
Still Standing (Jamie Gertz is so hot!)
George Lopez (The storylines are very good.)
Freddie (Just caught the first episode and I'm anxious to see if this show gets smarter.)
Action/Drama
Smallville (Never missed an episode and we're in season 5. I have the first 4 seasons on DVD. Superman!)
Surface (I'm anxious to see how this show pans out and what these creatures are. Could drop this one...)
Commander In Chief (I have everything recorded, but haven't started watching. Geena is in a league...)
E-Ring (A different show each week that can be watched alone. I love this type of show.)
CSI (I watch the reruns because there is so much on TV that night.)
CSI: Miami (I love these procedural shows.)
CSI: New York (I don't get to catch this often, but it's still the right formula.)
Ultimate Fighter (I'm not big on reality shows, but I like to see the fights.)
WWE RAW (It's like a comic book come to life.)
The Apprentice (You can only learn from successful people.)
Martha Stewart's Apprentice (I wasn't sure I'd like this, but the formula is a good one.)
Bones (What an awesome couple this could turn into! Another good procedural.)
Supernatural (I can't turn away from the TV when I watch this show.)
Criminal Minds (This reminds me of a short-lived show called UnSub, which I loved.)
My Fair Brady (Reminds me of my last long term relationship.)
Breaking Bonaduce ("I'm a car crash and you have every right to stop and look...")
Reruns
Fastlane (Derek and I watch this every time we find an episode we haven't seen before. It should still be on.)
I tried Related and found it a fun show, but I'm not sure how much longer it will be on. I did try Invasion and just found my mind wandering.
So much TV and so little time in a day to catch it all. Thankfully, I have two DVR boxes in the house and some nights I have 4 shows taping at the exact same time. Also, DVR does allow you to skip commercials quickly, so that reduces a one hour show to about 40 minutes.
Got any other shows I ought to see or opinions on these? I'm not into shows that are essentially soap operas, as you can tell. Let me know what your viewing habits are.
Computer Work
I do computer work on the side. Anything hardware related and many things software related. I build them and sell them. I load them up with useful programs. I remove viruses and adware. I teach people how to use them effectively. This kind of work is fun for me. I've had new challenges along the way with proprietary software used by tool companies, cities doing their own water utility, county and medical facilities. I've helped a guy go into business for himself doing computer work. I've helped others get started on things such as family trees, video work, and accounting for their businesses. I've taught courses at a community college for seniors and for a certain company's employees. I've run this computer business for about 10 years now.
Over the last couple of years I've reduced my work load to where it's few and far between and usually only customers I've taken care of previously. I've enjoyed the job I've had for the last year and a half and haven't felt the need to do side work. The previous job I had called it a conflict of interest, but what they don't know... I'm starting to rethink things a bit, though, just because I enjoy the work so much. Money also plays into this.
Sometimes you just have to pursue things you enjoy and try to do it in a way that's beneficial and in moderation. I'm not expensive, so if you know anyone that needs some computer work done...
Over the last couple of years I've reduced my work load to where it's few and far between and usually only customers I've taken care of previously. I've enjoyed the job I've had for the last year and a half and haven't felt the need to do side work. The previous job I had called it a conflict of interest, but what they don't know... I'm starting to rethink things a bit, though, just because I enjoy the work so much. Money also plays into this.
Sometimes you just have to pursue things you enjoy and try to do it in a way that's beneficial and in moderation. I'm not expensive, so if you know anyone that needs some computer work done...
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
The Best Time
My kids and I had an awesome, but way too short, weekend. We started out Saturday with breakfast at IHOP while the car was getting an oil change and then picked up Sorry and some Yahtzee scorepads and a set of darts. We then came home and I taught the girls to play darts and we played Sorry. It was fun just spending time together doing that. We then had pizza at the Hut and then came back and played some more. They were so excited to just play darts and Sorry. Then we went to a movie at the IMAX. We saw Mysteries Of The Nile and it was great. The girls had never been to an IMAX before and were just elated to see something like this. We picked up some fun things in the gift shop, too. After that was some DQ and then home to watch Man Of The House and eat popcorn. It was such a simple day and yet so much fun! It just flew by and we each enjoyed the time spent together. I have the best kids in the world!
Tonight was another great night. The softball team took second place on the season so we were seeded second for a single elimination tournament tonight. Since there were 6 teams, we got a bye in the 6:30pm round and played in the 7:40pm second round. It turns out that the 5th place team beat the 3rd place team to make it to round two. We got to play the 5th place team to advance to the championship game and beat them 8-7. It was a hard fought win, but we pulled it out. It also turns out that the last place team had beat the 1st place team to advance to the championship game. We had beat this team twice during the season and beat them again 18-15. I was elated! I was also shocked. We actually played the 5th and 6th place teams in that order to win the tournament. I was not prepared for that at all. I fully expected to play the 3rd and 1st place teams and wasn't sure how those games would go. I guess this is why the games are actually played. It was a great effort by the entire team for these two wins and a great way to cap off a summer of softball as the tournament champs!
Now if only the rest of the week goes that well...
Tonight was another great night. The softball team took second place on the season so we were seeded second for a single elimination tournament tonight. Since there were 6 teams, we got a bye in the 6:30pm round and played in the 7:40pm second round. It turns out that the 5th place team beat the 3rd place team to make it to round two. We got to play the 5th place team to advance to the championship game and beat them 8-7. It was a hard fought win, but we pulled it out. It also turns out that the last place team had beat the 1st place team to advance to the championship game. We had beat this team twice during the season and beat them again 18-15. I was elated! I was also shocked. We actually played the 5th and 6th place teams in that order to win the tournament. I was not prepared for that at all. I fully expected to play the 3rd and 1st place teams and wasn't sure how those games would go. I guess this is why the games are actually played. It was a great effort by the entire team for these two wins and a great way to cap off a summer of softball as the tournament champs!
Now if only the rest of the week goes that well...
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
2nd Place
Well, the Church League Fall Season is now over and all that's left is a single elimination tournament this coming Monday. We won both of our games a couple days ago to finish out the season 6-2-2. That means we have beat every team once and one of them twice. It's good to know we have that kind of talent on the team. We finished second place with that record. I sent out the batting averages for everyone so they know how they did and it surprised me that after Monday night, I was the top one in that category. I hit .767 and scored 8 runs in the 10 games we played. I was in the bottom half of the lineup all but twice, which accounts for the lack of runs scored. Maybe next year I can move myself up in the lineup to increase that. Since I get on base a lot with singles, I'm good for an RBI for one of our power hitters. We had two other guys hit over .700 that scored as much or more than me. It was a fun season and we have a great team. I'm anxious to see how we do in the tourney!
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Darts
One roommate went to a flea market last week and came back with a treasure. A Joe Camel wooden enclosure with an unused dart board inside. You open the doors of the wood frame and they have the Cricket setup on each door as a chalk board area. He got it with one nice set of darts and then went to Wally World to get another set. It's been a blast having something else to do around here besides computers and TV. I've actually won most of my games against him, but he is a better dart thrower. I've always enjoyed darts, but I don't tend to frequent places that have darts set up. It's nice to have that in the basement.
Now if we had a pool table and a karaoke machine...
Now if we had a pool table and a karaoke machine...
Friday, October 07, 2005
New Car
I finally have a new set of wheels! It's a 99 Toyota Corolla. A white four door sedan that will get great gas mileage. It runs great and I just need to get the oil changed this weekend. It's nice to have this freedom again. I've had some great friends loaning me vehicles and giving me rides. I'm trying to return the favor with them as best as I can. The main guy I got rides into work with has still been car-pooling with me, so that's been cool.
It looks like both of my roommates will have new autos, too. One has a late 60's red fire truck pickup. It's a beauty, but it gets horrible mileage. He has a line on a car now. The other roommate has a car that the axle rods are about to go on and he finally found a car he will replace that one with. Interesting timing, but at least it's before winter for each of us.
Smallville has shown two episodes so far. It's really cool that it is referencing Superman 2 so much. That was the best Superman movie made. Great show! I'm enjoying The Apprentice, too, and hope Joey stays on the air long enough to get running well. Night Stalker is another great new show. Thursday nights are still a great night for TV.
This weekend will be a good one to catch up on my shows that I've DVR'd. I have nothing else at all planned.
I will be watching the MLB playoffs and the NFL on Sunday. My Yankees are 1-1 with the Angels and Randy Johnson pitches today, if the rain stays away. Fortunately, the Red Sox are getting stomped by the White Sox. Being a Yankees fan, I can't stand the Red Sox in the post season. I'm rooting for the Cardinals in the National League and as much as I hate the idea of the wild card, I'm still an Astros fan due to Clemons and Pettite being there. I'm hoping the Braves will get sent back to Atlanta for the winter.
My Chiefs and Cowboys are 2-2, which isn't that great. The Chiefs had such a prime opportunity to put away the Eagles last week and blew it big time. I am very disappointed since they have such a great team. The Cowboys still have hope, too. I've always thought Bledsoe was a great quarterback and Parcells a great coach. I'd like to see them put the 'Boys in the playoffs and be contenders this year. I'm a bit sad for Green Bay as I'm a Brett Favre fan. That guy deserves a great season.
It's great that I'm actually getting to take time on Sundays to watch the NFL and I've been keeping more in touch with baseball the last two years. Having weekends and evenings free sure helps.
Not much else going on and not very many shows coming up. I hope to see Petra twice!
It looks like both of my roommates will have new autos, too. One has a late 60's red fire truck pickup. It's a beauty, but it gets horrible mileage. He has a line on a car now. The other roommate has a car that the axle rods are about to go on and he finally found a car he will replace that one with. Interesting timing, but at least it's before winter for each of us.
Smallville has shown two episodes so far. It's really cool that it is referencing Superman 2 so much. That was the best Superman movie made. Great show! I'm enjoying The Apprentice, too, and hope Joey stays on the air long enough to get running well. Night Stalker is another great new show. Thursday nights are still a great night for TV.
This weekend will be a good one to catch up on my shows that I've DVR'd. I have nothing else at all planned.
I will be watching the MLB playoffs and the NFL on Sunday. My Yankees are 1-1 with the Angels and Randy Johnson pitches today, if the rain stays away. Fortunately, the Red Sox are getting stomped by the White Sox. Being a Yankees fan, I can't stand the Red Sox in the post season. I'm rooting for the Cardinals in the National League and as much as I hate the idea of the wild card, I'm still an Astros fan due to Clemons and Pettite being there. I'm hoping the Braves will get sent back to Atlanta for the winter.
My Chiefs and Cowboys are 2-2, which isn't that great. The Chiefs had such a prime opportunity to put away the Eagles last week and blew it big time. I am very disappointed since they have such a great team. The Cowboys still have hope, too. I've always thought Bledsoe was a great quarterback and Parcells a great coach. I'd like to see them put the 'Boys in the playoffs and be contenders this year. I'm a bit sad for Green Bay as I'm a Brett Favre fan. That guy deserves a great season.
It's great that I'm actually getting to take time on Sundays to watch the NFL and I've been keeping more in touch with baseball the last two years. Having weekends and evenings free sure helps.
Not much else going on and not very many shows coming up. I hope to see Petra twice!
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Two In A Row
We won both games against the teams we tied against earlier in the season. The first was against the third place team as we won by forfeit. They only had 6 players show up and they had to forfeit both of their games last night. That's a shame as they are a good solid team and fun to play. The second game was against the last place team. We were tied at 10 until the last two innings when we doubled that and held them to no more runs. That puts us at 4-2-2 for the season and should vault us to third from fourth. We may go 1-1 next week, but I hope to go 2-0 again. That should be good enough for second place on the season if we can do it. We have a single elimination tournament the following week.
I have a lot of fun playing softball and getting some of my competitive spirit out. I think I was a bit too intense last night as I really wanted to take home both of those wins for our team. We have a really solid bunch of players and I know we can be better if we put more effort into it. I just have a naturally competitive drive and sometimes it comes out in outbursts. I couldn't believe a couple of throws and a couple of passed balls on plays. I've seen times where easy catches are dropped in the outfield and I've had a walk in just about every game I've pitched, too. I even made an errant throw to third in one game. We all make mistakes and it hurts when we do. These guys are my softball brothers and sisters and I hope they are understanding when I get carried away.
Now for the other "two in a row". Bush has made two unusual picks for judges in a row. Roberts has been fantastic in his career, but virtually an unknown in the public eye. Miers, too, has been a virtually unknown subject. She has had a wonderful career, too. It's good to see good people put up for Supreme Court nominees. They are people that have experience and seem to understand that there are 3 distinct branches of government. They seem to understand that a judge doesn't make law, but enforces and interprets the laws that the legislative branch makes. They also stick to our laws instead of using foreign law as precident.
It didn't take but a minute from the announcment yesterday for Miers for the negative people to come out of the woodwork. They say she has no experience as a judge and therefore isn't qualified. Did you know that you don't even have to be a lawyer to be appointed to the Supreme Court as a judge? My grandfather was a judge in the small town he lived in and he was as fair as they come. When his wife got a speeding ticket, he made her pay the ticket. Of course, when that hit the rest of the town they knew they had the right man for the job. Wouldn't it be great to have at least one sitting judge that isn't a lawyer? This country doesn't have to be run by people who are history professors and lawyers. Regular, every day, Joe Schmo's can be leaders, too. That's the great thing about this country of ours. We the people...
I have a lot of fun playing softball and getting some of my competitive spirit out. I think I was a bit too intense last night as I really wanted to take home both of those wins for our team. We have a really solid bunch of players and I know we can be better if we put more effort into it. I just have a naturally competitive drive and sometimes it comes out in outbursts. I couldn't believe a couple of throws and a couple of passed balls on plays. I've seen times where easy catches are dropped in the outfield and I've had a walk in just about every game I've pitched, too. I even made an errant throw to third in one game. We all make mistakes and it hurts when we do. These guys are my softball brothers and sisters and I hope they are understanding when I get carried away.
Now for the other "two in a row". Bush has made two unusual picks for judges in a row. Roberts has been fantastic in his career, but virtually an unknown in the public eye. Miers, too, has been a virtually unknown subject. She has had a wonderful career, too. It's good to see good people put up for Supreme Court nominees. They are people that have experience and seem to understand that there are 3 distinct branches of government. They seem to understand that a judge doesn't make law, but enforces and interprets the laws that the legislative branch makes. They also stick to our laws instead of using foreign law as precident.
It didn't take but a minute from the announcment yesterday for Miers for the negative people to come out of the woodwork. They say she has no experience as a judge and therefore isn't qualified. Did you know that you don't even have to be a lawyer to be appointed to the Supreme Court as a judge? My grandfather was a judge in the small town he lived in and he was as fair as they come. When his wife got a speeding ticket, he made her pay the ticket. Of course, when that hit the rest of the town they knew they had the right man for the job. Wouldn't it be great to have at least one sitting judge that isn't a lawyer? This country doesn't have to be run by people who are history professors and lawyers. Regular, every day, Joe Schmo's can be leaders, too. That's the great thing about this country of ours. We the people...
Monday, October 03, 2005
I'm Almost There!
I may have a car tomorrow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed! It's a 99 Toyota Corolla that's in great shape and will keep me from spending a ton on gas. I had to go the used route due to some things I found on my credit report. It turns out that the two things that are keeping my score low can probably be taken care of with two phone calls. They just need to be updated. Of course, once I do that it takes another 30 days to drop off. My credit report only has things on it from when I was married and nothing since. Something to ponder...
We are almost done with softball for the year, too. Tonight we play the two teams we tied and I hope to chalk them both up as wins since we beat both during the summer league. Fingers crossed for that, too!
The car is the big thing and the softball is the more immediate thing since it happens tonight.
I read something interesting. I'm not a sexist, so please don't hassle me about the article. It does make some great points and should be read by all. Check it out at the following address and let me know what you think. http://www.askmen.com/dating/curtsmith_100/149_dating_advice.html
We are almost done with softball for the year, too. Tonight we play the two teams we tied and I hope to chalk them both up as wins since we beat both during the summer league. Fingers crossed for that, too!
The car is the big thing and the softball is the more immediate thing since it happens tonight.
I read something interesting. I'm not a sexist, so please don't hassle me about the article. It does make some great points and should be read by all. Check it out at the following address and let me know what you think. http://www.askmen.com/dating/curtsmith_100/149_dating_advice.html
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