2011.04.21 Symphony X: First Flight 2011

Symphony X live at the Trocadero Theatre, Philadelphia, PA on April 21st, 2011.

Opening acts for the evening included Canadian black-metal band Blackguard and the odd-yet-excellent Power Glove. Blackguard didn’t serve up anything all that memorable, although their performance was energetic and they primed the crowd for more rock. Next up was the rather bizarre Power Glove, who delivered thrashy, power-metal versions of video game and cartoon theme songs. What at first seemed like a ridiculous concept very quickly became a rocking good time. The nutty Power Glove kicked ass.

There were two other major bands on the bill: Soilwork and Nevermore. Unfortunately both bands had dropped off the tour! Soilwork due to a band member injury and Nevermore had apparently disintegrated, with both the guitarist and bass player leaving the band. While we wanted to see both of these bands I don’t know how they would have fit in due to the time constraints of the venue.

Finally Symphony X took the stage. This is what we had come to see, and the boys from NJ didn’t disappoint. The one complaint I could lodge against the band is that they played a completely typical set. Apart from the two new songs the rest of the set seemed to be the same tunes played at gigs past! While they didn’t play an overly long set, they did treat the crowd to a great encore – The Odyssey in it’s entirety! A great way to close the night.

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Gary Moore found dead at age 58

Gary Moore

I’m deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Gary Moore. Here in the United Sates he may never have achieved the ‘star status’ that he enjoyed in Europe and Japan, yet he was well known, highly respected, and hugely influential to many guitarists since the 70′s. To study his music is like taking a master class in rock guitar. His was a career which covered blues rock, hard rock, melodic pop, electric fusion, and electric blues. That’s a lot of territory to cover, and while most guitarists practice a lifetime to master one style, Gary excelled at them all. Aside from his technical prowess, Gary was best known for his melodic phrasing, his ‘feel’ and his impeccable tone.

I was lucky enough to see Gary play live in 1987 on the Wild Frontier tour. It was one of those mind-bending concert experiences where the room ceased to exist and you felt like he was playing directly to you. A show that you walk away from changed somehow, although you know not how. I’m not sure if it was such a stellar performance or if I was just so thrilled to get to see Gary play that made the night so special. I do know now that it was a once in a lifetime event that will never have a chance to be repeated.

I remember my personal discovery of Gary… I was a huge Deep Purple fan and had been tracking down various bands that Deep Purple members had been in. While browsing the Deep Purple family tree I found a branch indicating that Ian Paice (drummer) had played for someone named Gary Moore. At my next visit to the used record store I picked up ‘Corridors of Power‘ and ‘Victims of the Future.’ I was blown away by what I heard on those records and proceeded to enlighten all my metal-head friends as to who this ‘unknown’ guitarist was! Since then I’ve followed his career though his various phases… like the ‘Little Big Man’ of guitar he had his metal phase, his Jeff Beck/fusion phase and finally back to his roots of blues rock and electric blues phase.

Another great musician has been taken from us too soon, but he left us with a fantastic catalog of music that will live on to inspire countless others. Gary, I can’t believe you’re gone. Say ‘Hello’ to Jimi, Pete, Phil and Stevie Ray for me.

2010.07.11 Iron Maiden & Dream Theater: PNC Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ

Iron Maiden & DreamTheater Tour

Tony, Al and myself took the drive to the PNC Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ to see Iron Maiden! This would be the first time seeing Maiden for Tony and Al, but it would be my third Maiden show. A major bonus for all three of us was the fact that Dream Theater was the opening act for the North American tour. Tickets were selling fast so we decided that instead of paying a premium for what were already crappy seats… we’d go cheap and sit in the grass.

We got to the venue early and did some hanging out in the parking lot, enjoying Maiden tunes and cold drinks with lots of other fans. When we finally made our way to the venue we found the longest entry lines we’ve ever seen. Lucky for us the multiple entrance gates kept the flow of people moving and before we knew it we were inside. We made our way to the grass seats and found a spot that was just about center stage.

Dream Theater came on right about 7:30 as promised delivered a set of their heaviest material. Mike Portnoy had indicated that they had tailored their set for the Iron Maiden audience, picking their heavier tunes hoping they would appeal to the heavy metal crowd. It seemed to work because while there were still people coming into the venue while they played, the overall reaction to their set seemed pretty positive. Hopefully Dream Theater gained some new fans!

Dream Theater setlist:
=================
01. As I Am
02. A Rite Of Passage
03. Home
04. Constant Motion
05. Panic Attack
06. Pull Me Under

Iron Maiden took to the stage while the PA played “Mars: The Bringer of War” from Holst’s “The Panets.” The stage was lit with colored lights and a jet black backdrop scattered with points of white like, looking like a portal into the depths of space. As the PA cut out the opening riff of “The Wicker Man” took over and the members of Iron Maiden scatter across the stage. From my position on the grass they look like insects buzzing about the stage, but the projection screens of the venue helped us keep track of the action on stage.

The setlist for this tour was designed to highlight their last three studio albums. While we always want to hear our favorite classics, the previous tour concentrated on their earlier material, so I can see why this time they chose to concentrate on “Brave New World”, “Dance of Death” and “A Matter of Life and Death.” A few old classics were tossed in along with one new song, “El Dorado,” from the upcoming album “The Final Frontier.”

Bruce Dickinson bounced around the stage like a man possessed and repeatedly coaxed the crowd into roars of approval. The remainder of the band also seemed full of energy, Dave and Adrian swapping from one side of the stage to the other and Janick spinning wildly as they played. At one point while addressing the crowd, Bruce informed us that they had sold out the venue! They also were sold out the following nights in NYC and Chicago! He then asked how many people were seeing Iron Maiden for the first time? He seemed rather surprised at the large number of hands that were raised. It seems that they experiencing a new increase in popularity.

The show closer was, of course, “Iron Maiden” along with required appearance of Eddie. Eddie strode onto the stage and taunted various band members and the crowd was treated to “Eddie Vision” … a camera eye view from Eddie’s viewpoint. From that angle we watched Janick poking at Eddie with his Stratocaster and Eddie’s massive arms taking swipes at Janick between guitar stabs! Before stalking off stage Eddie got ahold of a guitar and pretended to play!

The encore included “Number of the Beast”… the prerequisite “Hallowed be thy Name” and “Running Free.” I know they include “Running Free” for the crowd sing-along schtick… but really… it’s probably my least favorite of their songs and just about any other choice would have been preferable. Overall, it was an incredible show. I’m looking forward to the release of “The Final Frontier” on August 18th, 2010!

Iron Maiden setlist:
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01. The Wicker Man
02. Ghost Of The Navigator
03. Wrathchild
04. El Dorado
05. Dance Of Death
06. The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg
07. These Colours Don’t Run
08. Blood Brothers
09. Wildest Dreams
10. No More Lies
11. Brave New World
12. Fear Of The Dark
13. Iron Maiden
encore:
14. The Number of the Beast
15. Hallowed Be Thy Name
16. Running Free

2010.04.24 Transatlantic: The Whirlwind in Philadelphia

Transatlantic returned to Philadelphia on April 4th, 2010 to present their epic production “The Whirlwind.” This 78 minute suite of songs was performed as one piece without interruption, just as it was presented on the CD. A progressive, musical marathon of sorts! In addition to the “Whirlwind” there would be selections from previous albums… some of which clock in at 20min each on their own! This was going to be a long and very special concert!

For those unfamiliar, Transatlantic is a prog-rock ‘supergroup’ consisting of Neal Morse (ex-Spock’s Beard), Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings), Pete Trewavas (Marillion) and Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater). For their live presentation they included special guest Daniel Gildenlow (Pain of Salvation).

Taped from the Left-Front Balcony, right behind the VIP section. Sound from that position wasn’t bad, but I suspect the sound was better toward the center of the venue. The recording came out clear but the mix seems a little ‘thin’ and a tad harsh in the high-end to me. My attempts to further massage the sound were not successful so I backed off.

The taping Gods were not on my side this night. My rechargeable battery must be getting weak as it didn’t hold a charge as long as it used to. The battery cut out right before the end of “Duel with the Devil.” Altogether I ended up missing about 30min of music which included “Bridge Across Forever” and “Stranger In Your Soul.” Luckily there are a number of other complete sources available from this fine show.

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R.I.P. Ronnie James Dio 5/16/2010

Just heard that Ronnie James Dio left us at 7:15AM on May 16th, 2010.

One of the most recognizable voices in hard rock and metal for over 40 years, Ronnie leaves behind a legacy of over 40 albums from his main vehicles Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath (Heaven & Hell), and of course Dio.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest vocalists of the genre, by both fans and peers, Ronnie will be sorely missed and impossible to replace. When not on-stage Dio seemed to be a genuine good guy. Soft-spoken, intelligent, and kind in his manner, I never heard a bad word spoken of Ronnie James Dio.

Ronnie popularized the flashing of the so-called ‘Devil Horns’ as a symbol of solidarity amongst the metal community. \m/_ Some call it the ‘maloik’ which is actually a corruption of of the Italian ‘mal occhio’ which literally mean ‘evil eye.’ This hand gesture comes from a number of old-world superstitions and can be used to both put the evil-eye upon someone or to defend yourself against it!

Ronnie, your soaring voice and kindness of spirit will be greatly missed.

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http://www.ronniejamesdio.com/

R.I.P. Peter Steele 4/14/2010

Shocking news that Type O Negative’s Peter Steele has died. He was only 48 years old. Rest in peace, man. \m/_

http://www.typeonegative.net/

1989.02.14 Metallica: St. Valentine’s Justice

Metallica – “Damaged Justice” Tour – 1989

Here’s a blast from the past! Metallica played the Lee Civic Center in Fort Myers, FL on February 14th, 1989 and CBSLS was there to capture it. This recording was made with my trusty SONY WM-D3 Walkman Pro cassette recorder and a SONY single-point stereo mic.

The original recording was traded in limited fashion on cassette back in the early 90′s. This version was digitized from the original CBSLS Master Cassettes and processed in WaveLab 6 using the T-Racks3 mastering plug-ins to bring out the best of what was captured on the original Masters.

Known issues:
• Disc 1 @ 47:35 ‘One’ : first verse lost due to poorly anticipated tape flip

Highlights:
• Metallica at the peak of its power!
• I still remember seeing them blow up the giant “Lady Justice” statue!
• Opening act was Queensrÿche

Enjoy!

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2010.03.05 Blue Öyster Cult: Bringing in the Lords of Chaos

BÖC drew a large crowd to Crocodile Rock. This was only the second time I’d seem them live, but I’m willing to bet most of the crowd were long time fans! Of course, when you’re taping you always seem to end up with some kind of nut near you. This time out I had a guy right in front of me singing every word, waving his fist in the air, and bopping around like a spastic Solid Gold dancer! That, in itself, wasn’t that bad… but when his idiot friend showed up and decided that he’d rather talk than watch the show… that was starting to piss me off. Luckily my mics seem directional enough that he doesn’t disrupt the recording much. Except when he feels the need to whistle. What an ass-hat.

Right at the beginning of the show I lost one of my earplugs. Thanks to the band for not blowing out my hearing that night! The volume and the mix were decent for the venue and it resulted in a pretty good sounding recording!

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Wanted: Gary Moore August 28th, 1987 (video or audio)

Way back in 1987 (otherwise known as the ‘dark-ages’) live recording trades were carried out on cassette tape via postal mail. We used to find potential trades by exchanging printed lists and located like-minded traders through the classifieds section of Goldmine. Wow things are so much easier today! Anyway… I was a big fan of Gary Moore and when I heard that he was going to be coming to the United States in support of his “Wild Frontier” album I knew I had to see him… somehow… somewhere. I didn’t know anyone who was anywhere near the locations Gary was playing but I had traded tapes with a guy in Upper Saddle River, NJ which wasn’t too far of a drive from The Chance theater in Poughkeepsie! I knew this guy was also a Gary Moore fan so I contacted him about the show. I was in Colorado at the time but I would be in New Jersey when the show date rolled around. He agreed to pick up a ticket for me and gave me directions to get to his place. From there he’d drive to Poughkeepsie.

When the 28th rolled around I took the long drive from mid-western NJ to Upper Saddle River and met a person I had previously only exchanged a few tapes with. I can no longer remember his name, but this guy had the LARGEST collection of RoIO’s I’ve ever seen. Every drawer, closet, shelf, nook and cranny was overflowing with cassette tapes and VHS videos of shows he had either taped or traded for! It was amazing.

I remember getting to the venue and making our way upstairs to see if the balcony was full. It wasn’t. We ended up at a small table, dead center of the stage with a perfect view. While we settled in I noticed this guy had brought a small bag in with him. Inside he had a Video Camera which he positioned at the rail with a perfect shot of the stage area. When Gary came on it was an unbelievable performance! We were so close you felt like you were the only one in the audience! It was mesmerizing! Phenomenal! Fantastic! And my host had caught it ALL on VHS video tape!

The only other things I remember about that night was that I bought BOTH shirts that were available, and that I drove home very late and rather disappointed! The show and experience was awesome… but my taper host turned out to be a hoarder! I can’t hold it against him, but he was the kind of guy that didn’t want to trade so he would have the only copy of the show. He said he might eventually let it out… but not right away. I tried bargaining with him… but no luck. I never obtained a copy of that show.

Since then I’ve been on the lookout for this show. Gary Moore at The Chance theater in Poughkeepsie, NY on August 28th, 1987 on VHS. I do not know if anyone else in the audience was taping that night, but I’ve not come across this show in Audio or Video form. If you have this show I’d love to hear from you!

2009.09.26 King’s X: Great Expectations

King’s X opened for Porcupine Tree at a Sold Out show at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia on September 26, 2009 and CBSLS was there to capture the show!

Typically you don’t go to a show to see the opening act… but this was a welcome exception. As a big fan of both King’s X and Porcupine Tree I had been looking froward to this show for a long while.

As an opening act underdog, King’s X knew they had to hit the crowd hard and fast to win over any non-believers, and that’s exactly what they did! Dug, Ty and Jerry pounded out an energetic set that seemed to be very well received by the crowd!

This one is for Alan, who tried to buy at the door and found that the show was SOLD OUT.

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