|
Shinedown at The Rave/ Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee was a date I had on my calendar for months when this show was announced and I was excited for a few reasons. 1) I've never been to the legendary The Rave/ Eagles Ballroom but I have heard such cool things of this venue, 2) Shinedown headlining, last time I saw them was one of the BEST shows i've EVER seen so the anticipation was high and 3) I got to experience both with my son Brandon as he also got to see one amazing show! Hailing from Philadelphia, PA, Matthew Cullen or as he is known by Zero 9:36 was the opening act at the sold out The Rave. Zero is a rapper firmly building a name in the rock genre and his style can be reminiscent of legendary rapper Eminem. Zero dashed his way back and forth across the massive The Rave stage as he belted out his 30 minute set that featured his hit "Adrenaline". Zero grabbed the crowd and pulled them in throughout and received an awesome response. After his set, Brandon and I got the opportunity to meet and talk to Zero for a few minutes and he was gracious to take a photo with us. It was a great experience for the both of us. ZERO 9:36SHINEDOWNThe anticipation grew for the headliners Shinedown, the dim blue light engulfing the drum set was a cool effect before the lights went dark as vocalist Brent Smith along with band mates, guitarist Zach Myers, bassist Eric Bass and drummer Barry Kerch emerged to the sounds of the rocking "Cut The Cord". Lathering up the masses was just the beginning of an incredible set. To me, Smith is one of the best frontmen in rock music as he commands the audience and connects intimately like he's talking to you and just you even though you are surrounded by thousands. With nearly 20 years of experience Shinedown has a catalog of music that ranges from hard and heavy to the softer more ballad type where everyone can just sing along. Shinedown graced us with "Save Me", "State of My Head", "45" but for me the song that got me was their rendition of "Get Up" where Smith asked the crowd to pull out lighters and/or cell phone spotlights that lit up The Rave light fire flies as he belted out the memorable song (see the YouTube video I took). Finishing off the night the guys rocked out with their cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man" and wrapping it up with "Sound of Madness" that had the masses in a tizzy. Shinedown has been known for having amazing shows, their 2018 show I covered was one of my favorite shows every and tonight was right up there with that with their performance. The Milwaukee faithful were not disappointed on this night and as my son Brandon said after and I have to agree, "That was amazing". Yes it was. Rock On!
0 Comments
Oooooh the buzz was there on Friday night for the legendary rock band Living Colour. Fresh off of their afternoon set at steamy Riot Fest at Douglass Park in Chicago, IL where former WWE and current AEW Wrestler CM Punk joined the band on stage. The excitement filled the main room at Reggie's Music Club for a late night Riot Fest after show. Known for their 1990 Grammy Award winning Hard Rock anthem "Cult Of Personality", easily one of my favorite songs ever and a staple on my workout playlist, the quartet from New York City brought not just their metal chops but swooned the masses with their funk, jazz, hip hop, punk and rock catalog. Right around 11:15pm, vocalist Corey Glover and the guys emerged and received a Chicago welcome. "Memories Can't Wait" kicked off the set as we took in the masterful solos and riffs from guitarist Vernon Reid with each and every song which was a sight for sore, eh, ears. Reid displayed his technical mastery that would put many other guitarists to shame. For the next hour plus we were graced with "Glamour Boys", "Love Rears Its Ugly Head" and the before mentioned "Cult Of Personality" but Living Colour wrapped up their set with a cover of The Clash's classic hit "Should I Stay or Should I Go" that had Reggie's in a frenzy. It took me 30+ years to finally see and photograph Living Colour live and I loved every minute of it. The ONLY thing that would have topped it would have been an appearance again from CM Punk but we can only take what is presented to us. Rock On! Swedish metal band Avatar made their triumphant return to the House of Blues in Chicago for the first time in just over 2 years. With their album Hunter/ Gatherer which was released in late 2020 during the pandemic shutdown the band is rocking the "Era of the King" look during this inception of the band. Vocalist Johannes Eckerstrom who dons the makeup similar to that of Brandon Lee's epic character "Eric Draven" from the movie The Crow. Avatar came out a blazin' as they set the stage for the next 1 1/2 hour set with their heavy single "Colossus". Johannes and his court had the masses head banging along to hits "A Statue of the King", "Hail The Apocalypse", "Smells Like A Freak Show" and others. The lights, the atmosphere, the outfits and the music makes Avatar not just a musical but a visual experience. Rock On! Women of hard rock/ metal were at the forefront on this mid September night at Reggie's Club in Downtown Chicago and were we in for a treat with these four bands. Keep reading below... BULLET TO THE HEARTChicago's own Bullet To The Heart were at their best as they kicked off the show as vocalist Audrey Queen took the reigns and lathered up the masses during their 30 minute set. The energy and passion that BTTH brought laid the ground work for what was to come. Thrashing through their new single "Tortured Pleasure" as well as "Falling Away", they capped off their set with the kick you in your fucking teeth "Knives Deep" and they left us wanting more! STITCHED UP HEARTStitched Up Heart led by the sparkling Mixi with her multi colored hair and warrior style outfit were next up and popped off their biggest hits with "Catch Me When I Fall", "Finally Free" and "Monster". INFECTED RAINInfected Rain was the most intriguing band of the night for me. This was their first time touring the U.S. and their first time in Chicago and they slayed it! Hailing from Chisinau which is located in Moldova, Infected Rain features the flowing dread locked Elena "Lena Scissorhands" Cataraga on vocals along with fellow band members Vadim, Vladimir, Sergey and Eugen flanking her on stage. I wasn't sure what to expect but after 45 minutes of sheer metal I loved how Lena had the masses in her palm and how she connected with the crowd. "Passerby", "Black Gold" and "Taphephobia" were just a few of the songs they had for us tonight. BUTCHER BABIESHeadlining on this Friday night was the one and only Butcher Babies. Led by the female vocalist duo of Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey along with guitarist Henry Flury, bassist Ricky Bonazza and drummer Chase Brickenden their shows are an experience. I love how Carla and Heidi play off each other with their vocals on songs and how "in your face" they are throughout their set. Kicking off with "I Smell a Massacre", new songs "Bottom of a Bottle" and "It's Killing Time, Baby" Butcher Babies are always thrashing around the stage and capping off the night with "Yorktown" was a fitting way to go out. Rock On! It was a few months ago when I was introduced to Them Dirty Roses by good friend and publicist Tom George. He was talking so highly of them and I take Tom by his word since he is the same man who has introduced me to Blacktop Mojo, Joyous Wolf, South Of Eden among many others over the past few years. Well tonight I finally had the opportunity to check out one of Tom's new finds at Joe's on Weed Street in Chicago. Joe's is a legendary and award winning live music venue featuring mainly country artists. Over the years Joe's has hosted up and comers like Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley, Eric Church and a bevy of others. It was Them Dirty Roses first time in Chicago and the guys strolled onto the massively wide stage to take their collective spots moments before the music hit. Sporting bell bottom pants, tinted sunglasses, long flowing hair and beards like the legendary 70's "Southern Rock" bands before them the quartet had the look to fit their music catalog. It took a little bit early on for the masses and the band to get lathered up before the real fun started with their bad ass cover of "Mississippi Queen" before rolling through their head bobbing, baby making, booty shaking 90 minute set that included "Fix You", "Holy Roller", "Cocaine and Whiskey". I'm saying that because their was literally booty shaking going on. The last few songs were epic! The inebriated crowd danced and rocked out as the Alabama boys got a well deserved Chicago encore request as we were chanting "One More Song" over and over till the guys wandered back onto the stage. We were in for a treat as the beginning riff of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" rumbled through the speakers to our wanting ears. Them Dirty Roses gave the Chicago audience what we wanted, pure rock and roll to end a show to a flurry of deafening cheers. To say that I was impressed by Them Dirty Roses would be an understatement, from their down to earth off stage personalities to their on stage musical magestry they just have it. I've said this before and I will rehash my statements but we are witnessing a new generation of rock and roll bands that WILL be the headlining bands in the near future. For those saying that Rock Music is dead must be listening to the same old 20+ year playlists from the "Classic Rock" stations and not looking for the incredible new music that is out there. There are folks like myself that pride on sharing new music and new bands, so instead of ho humming through another tired 80's hair band ballad take a chance and listen to something new, something fresh and rocking. It's out there, just open your mind and take a listen. ROCK ON! EVAN J. THOMAS PHOTOGRAPHY |
AuthorLook here for the newest releases and news in the Rock, Metal and Alternative genres! Archives
September 2021
Categories |
RSS Feed
Proudly powered by Weebly