School's Out Cincinnati
So I have created a list of things I wanted to do this year and I am so bad about getting around to stuff that I only just completed my first one. And the only reason it got completed was because of my Crazy Friend Erin (tm.)
She became excited and told me, "You need to add Go see Alice Cooper to your list."
Erin is an Alice Cooper fanatic. When she and I reconnected three years ago she pulled a photo album out and there was a picture in thre I had long forgotten. She and her brother Tom went in the 80s to see Alice and they had the face make up on, looking like Alice himself.
"It'll be fun," she told me.
Show a Little Faith, There's Magic in the Nightmare
I rolled late into Cincinnati and stopped in for a burger at Arnold's. It is the oldest standing tavern in Cincinnati as I understand it. I met up with Aaron, Erin and Tom and had a beer as we conversed an ate for an hour before waling over to the Taft Theater.
While I can't go into detail the conversation, I just wish I had a recorder. It was simply funny the entire hour.
But there was a fundamental example of how polar opposite Erin and I are. There was a plump Australian girl walking around the place drunk. The accent was awesome. She was wearing a Mrs. Santa Claus outfit and she was quite lively, chatting up everyone around as she stammered about. She was loud, funny, friendly; and having her come over to our table was the last thing in the world I wanted to happen. The girl made herself the center of attention and all eyes were on on her, wherever she was in the bar. I hate being involved in the center of attention and her coming over would have done that.
Erin says, "Oh my God, we should get our picture taken with her!!!!"
Later we learned she was simply an actress acting drunk for the benefit of a play outside, trying to round up audience members.
At one point Erin excused herself from the table to go to the restroom. She returned with the black makeup on her face, looking like Alice cracking all of us up.
The show was simply amazing. I remembered more songs than I realized from his playbook. And Alice is both a showman and an athlete.
The first half of the set was extremely strong with the opening of "Black Widow" all the way through "Muscle of Love." It ROCKED.
He also had his various props (bringing out the snake, money with his face printed on it, etc.) By the 5th song, I was noticing how sad it was I don't need earplugs as music sounds muffled without them for me. I died little inside.
Anyways the music and the band were very solid on their own, but he added a nice touch with theatrics that he is well known for.
During "No more Mr. Nice Guy," the absolutely normal mother of three was throwing punches towards the stage. I couldn't help but laugh.
During "Halo of Flies," Tom, to my left, was so into it he grabs my left arm using it as a guitar and air guitars along; surreal and funny. It was right after this song that Tom and Erin ran up to the front row and watched the rest of the show there while Aaron and I enjoyed it from a distance.
1. The Black Widow
2. Brutal Planet
3. I'm Eighteen
4. Under My Wheels
5. Billion Dollar Babies (Alice Cooper cash went everywhere as he swung it off what looked like a fencing sword)
6. No More Mr. Nice Guy
7. Hey Stoopid
8. Is It My Body (brought out the snake)
9. Halo of Flies
10. I'll Bite Off Your Face
11. Muscle of Love.
My only complaint at this point was Alice shaking macaranas during "Muscle of Love." That does not really define "badass," Alice. I looked it up and verified it.
Then again, neither does a guy having the name "Alice," but up to this point, he was a badass showman on stage.
There were two songs in the middle that really did not do it for me.
12. Only Women Bleed
13. Cold Ethyl
Maybe it was the prop of the ragdoll manniquin woman, but it was a bit creepy as he tossed it around an then later kissed it.
During the show, the entire stage was decorated like a European Castle with a couple effigies hanging and I thought of Dracula for some misguided reason as the 2nd half of the set hit a peak with "Frankenstein." The ending had a 12 foot tall Frankenstein on stage. It was campy, amazing and awesome.
He brought the guillotine out during "Wicked Young Man" and (Kids - do not try this at home!) simulated his head getting chopped off.
"School's Out" also featured a verse of "Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall (Part Two)" that blended quite smoothly with his anthem. There were giant balloons and as Alice popped them, confetti flew everywhere.
It ended with him yelling out "School's Out Cincinnati!!!" and an amazing, surreal set came to an end.
The show went through the roof and ended with an amazing version of "Elected" with Alice saying he would run as a representative of "The Wild Party!"
14. Feed My Frankenstein
15. Clones
16. Poison
17. Wicked Young Man
18. Killer
19. I Love the Dead
20. School's Out (w/ Another Brick in the Wall)
21. Elected
The drive home was about 80 minutes.
I even saw a shooting star right before I hit exit 22 on I-71.
Erin told me to add Alice Cooper to my list. She was right.
Showing posts with label concert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label concert. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
The Big Train Keeps on Rolling
When I heard that Bob Seger was touring recently, I thought back to the only time I had ever seen him which was at Freedom Hall in 1986 (September 16th to be exact – yes, it’s a sickness to remember stuff like this.) I recalled being in high school and how disappointed I was that he had not performed some of the great hits like “Night Moves,” “Rock and Roll Never Forgets” and “Katmandu.” that night. I felt a little cheated.
In September I bought tickets for the 11/4 show in Columbus, Ohio, where I lived for 17 years, only to realize after the fact I was scheduled to be at a conference and I had to give those 8th row seats to a friend there. What was more frustrating was I was also shut out of the Louisville show. My definition of shutout is vastly different now then what it was back then. I could have gotten a nosebleed, but years of seeing shows up close thanks to the greatest network of Tramps has completely spoiled me, so I did not buy one. I would wait for the infamous ticket drop and let the ticket gods do with me as they please.
On the day of the show, at about 11:15, I pulled up a 3rd row seat that was released online!
I was seated on Clarence’s side (a direct nod to my fellow Tramps,) 3 seats in.
The show started off on a bad foot as they built up the momentum of walking out with the crowd cheering only to have a false start with “Roll Me Away” when they had to bring another bass out. The other issue with this opener was when Bob held the microphone out for the fans to sing the refrain. This just does not work well on this song.
“Trying to Live My Life Without You” did not help build the momentum.
“The Fire Down Below” was fairly solid, but it was at this point I was really bothered by the muddy mix. Bob’s voice was also drowned out in the mix. It was lacking strength and it was not loud enough.
Then it sort of came to a halt losing any momentum he gained by sitting down to do “Mainstreet.” But before it could even start, Bob experienced a guitar problem. They had to run out a replacement and Bob joked that it can’t possibly happen a third time [that something needs to be replaced.) I like the song, it just killed the tempo they were trying to build. The vocals were still not strong and I was not into the show at all. People were not engaged and seemed to be chattering quite a bit. Springsteen never has this occur this early. This is why a show should open with 5 to 7 rocking songs.
The show had zero flow at this point.
So the hope would be the “Old Time Rock and Roll” might pick it up. The crowd responded well, but I still had not. What was wrong? The band was not at all tight, vocals were weak, the sound was muddy. I was actually contemplating leaving it was that much of a cluster.
I'm not Mikey. I don't always like everything, but I love live music and almost never say anything negative about an act, but this was that bad. Could it get more detached than what it was?
Yes.
“Little Drummer Boy” brought to an end any momentum that the old war horse had gained. And I just hate the song to begin with. Sigh. It was completely out of place. It also featured a microphone malfunction that delayed the song starting as they brought out a new one.
The show finally took a step in the right direction with “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” although I think Springsteen performed it better when I saw him in Detroit in 2008. Still, I decided I would stay for another song.
The show took a swing for the better with the audible “Long Twin Silver Line,” one of my favorites off “Against The Wind.” It definitely was not on the setlist as someone sent me a photo from the back stage (see below.) The band was more in sync although the sound was still a little muddy, but it seemed improved. I got goosebumps if only because I love the song and never expected him to perform it. I decided I would stay for another song.
“Hey Hey Going Back to Birmingham” rocked. I decided I would stay for another song.
“Travelin’ Man” finally was where the show finally hit its stride. It was awesome. "Beautiful Loser” closed the first set. Overal it was unsatisfying for me. I had seen better performances from opening acts before. I was a little disillusioned.
At one point early in life, I was a bigger fan of Bob Seger than Bruce Springsteen as the songs all seemed to tell stories that had happened to me along the way. I really wanted this to be a good show. Could Bob and the band salvage the night?
The second set was vastly different. The band was tight, the sound was better and Bob finally sounded better as they tore through a set of classics. He must’ve ripped their ass at halftime because they came out and were very solid for the rest of the show.
“Nutbush City Limits” set the tone for the rest of the evening. It’s a favorite of mine and they did it justice.
“Come to Poppa” used a guitar riff that sounded similar to a Kinks riff, but if Jimi Hendrix was playing. It was really cool. Kenny Greenberg was on guitar and was, for me, the exceptional musician on the stage. He is apparently a session player in Nashville and added a lot with his lead guitar to every song.
“Her Strut” was really strong.
“Betty Lou’s Getting Out Tonight” is another favorite and was the best song of the night up to this point. I was immediately transported back to a memory in high school when Tim O'Brien heard the song for the first time when I was driving around and it didn't leave his head for days.
“We’ve Got Tonight” followed and then the classic “Turn the Page” was actually haunting as the opening sax sent chills down my neck.
“Sunspot Baby” became a sing-a-long with the crowd as they were very engaged at this point.
“Katmandu” ended a very strong 2nd set. It was very clear to me how much Bob really enjoys performing on stage during the entire second set.
The encores were very strong. “Against the Wind” may be my favorite Seger song and it was majestic. The second verse in particular stuck with me tonight.
“Hollywood Nights” was quite awesome.
“Night Moves” was nice.
“Rock and Roll Never Forgets” closed the night and was a powerful anthem, much more so considering how badly the show started. It was actually one of the best closers I've seen outside of a Springsteen show.
His performance was 2 hours and 20 minutes. The lady next to me took some photos I hope to post here after Sunday.
11/17/2011 – Yum! Center
1. Roll me away
2. Trying to live my life w/o you
3. Fire down below
4. Mainstreet
5. Old Time Rock and Roll
6. Little Drummer Boy
7. Ramblin' Gamblin' Man
8. Long Twin Silver Line
9. Hey Hey Going Back to Birmingham
10. Travelin' Man
11. Beautiful Loser
12. Nutbush City Limits
13. Come to Poppa
14. Her Strut
15. Betty Lou’s Getting Out Tonight
16. We've got tonight
17. Turn the Page
18. Sunspot Baby
19. Katmandu
20. Against the Wind
21. Hollywood Nights
22. Night Moves
23. Rock and Roll Never Forgets
In September I bought tickets for the 11/4 show in Columbus, Ohio, where I lived for 17 years, only to realize after the fact I was scheduled to be at a conference and I had to give those 8th row seats to a friend there. What was more frustrating was I was also shut out of the Louisville show. My definition of shutout is vastly different now then what it was back then. I could have gotten a nosebleed, but years of seeing shows up close thanks to the greatest network of Tramps has completely spoiled me, so I did not buy one. I would wait for the infamous ticket drop and let the ticket gods do with me as they please.
On the day of the show, at about 11:15, I pulled up a 3rd row seat that was released online!
I was seated on Clarence’s side (a direct nod to my fellow Tramps,) 3 seats in.
The show started off on a bad foot as they built up the momentum of walking out with the crowd cheering only to have a false start with “Roll Me Away” when they had to bring another bass out. The other issue with this opener was when Bob held the microphone out for the fans to sing the refrain. This just does not work well on this song.
“Trying to Live My Life Without You” did not help build the momentum.
“The Fire Down Below” was fairly solid, but it was at this point I was really bothered by the muddy mix. Bob’s voice was also drowned out in the mix. It was lacking strength and it was not loud enough.
Then it sort of came to a halt losing any momentum he gained by sitting down to do “Mainstreet.” But before it could even start, Bob experienced a guitar problem. They had to run out a replacement and Bob joked that it can’t possibly happen a third time [that something needs to be replaced.) I like the song, it just killed the tempo they were trying to build. The vocals were still not strong and I was not into the show at all. People were not engaged and seemed to be chattering quite a bit. Springsteen never has this occur this early. This is why a show should open with 5 to 7 rocking songs.
The show had zero flow at this point.
So the hope would be the “Old Time Rock and Roll” might pick it up. The crowd responded well, but I still had not. What was wrong? The band was not at all tight, vocals were weak, the sound was muddy. I was actually contemplating leaving it was that much of a cluster.
I'm not Mikey. I don't always like everything, but I love live music and almost never say anything negative about an act, but this was that bad. Could it get more detached than what it was?
Yes.
“Little Drummer Boy” brought to an end any momentum that the old war horse had gained. And I just hate the song to begin with. Sigh. It was completely out of place. It also featured a microphone malfunction that delayed the song starting as they brought out a new one.
The show finally took a step in the right direction with “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” although I think Springsteen performed it better when I saw him in Detroit in 2008. Still, I decided I would stay for another song.
The show took a swing for the better with the audible “Long Twin Silver Line,” one of my favorites off “Against The Wind.” It definitely was not on the setlist as someone sent me a photo from the back stage (see below.) The band was more in sync although the sound was still a little muddy, but it seemed improved. I got goosebumps if only because I love the song and never expected him to perform it. I decided I would stay for another song.
“Hey Hey Going Back to Birmingham” rocked. I decided I would stay for another song.
“Travelin’ Man” finally was where the show finally hit its stride. It was awesome. "Beautiful Loser” closed the first set. Overal it was unsatisfying for me. I had seen better performances from opening acts before. I was a little disillusioned.
At one point early in life, I was a bigger fan of Bob Seger than Bruce Springsteen as the songs all seemed to tell stories that had happened to me along the way. I really wanted this to be a good show. Could Bob and the band salvage the night?
The second set was vastly different. The band was tight, the sound was better and Bob finally sounded better as they tore through a set of classics. He must’ve ripped their ass at halftime because they came out and were very solid for the rest of the show.
“Nutbush City Limits” set the tone for the rest of the evening. It’s a favorite of mine and they did it justice.
“Come to Poppa” used a guitar riff that sounded similar to a Kinks riff, but if Jimi Hendrix was playing. It was really cool. Kenny Greenberg was on guitar and was, for me, the exceptional musician on the stage. He is apparently a session player in Nashville and added a lot with his lead guitar to every song.
“Her Strut” was really strong.
“Betty Lou’s Getting Out Tonight” is another favorite and was the best song of the night up to this point. I was immediately transported back to a memory in high school when Tim O'Brien heard the song for the first time when I was driving around and it didn't leave his head for days.
“We’ve Got Tonight” followed and then the classic “Turn the Page” was actually haunting as the opening sax sent chills down my neck.
“Sunspot Baby” became a sing-a-long with the crowd as they were very engaged at this point.
“Katmandu” ended a very strong 2nd set. It was very clear to me how much Bob really enjoys performing on stage during the entire second set.
The encores were very strong. “Against the Wind” may be my favorite Seger song and it was majestic. The second verse in particular stuck with me tonight.
“Hollywood Nights” was quite awesome.
“Night Moves” was nice.
“Rock and Roll Never Forgets” closed the night and was a powerful anthem, much more so considering how badly the show started. It was actually one of the best closers I've seen outside of a Springsteen show.
His performance was 2 hours and 20 minutes. The lady next to me took some photos I hope to post here after Sunday.
11/17/2011 – Yum! Center
1. Roll me away
2. Trying to live my life w/o you
3. Fire down below
4. Mainstreet
5. Old Time Rock and Roll
6. Little Drummer Boy
7. Ramblin' Gamblin' Man
8. Long Twin Silver Line
9. Hey Hey Going Back to Birmingham
10. Travelin' Man
11. Beautiful Loser
12. Nutbush City Limits
13. Come to Poppa
14. Her Strut
15. Betty Lou’s Getting Out Tonight
16. We've got tonight
17. Turn the Page
18. Sunspot Baby
19. Katmandu
20. Against the Wind
21. Hollywood Nights
22. Night Moves
23. Rock and Roll Never Forgets
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