Tag: Photo Galleries
1 Night Ranger – Florence, Ky Review & Photo Gallery
DV8, John Waite, and Night Ranger rocked the University of Cincinnati Medical Center Stadium in Florence, KY Saturday Night. Cincinnati’s favorite rockers DV8 opened the show on the main concourse stage, and provide an excellent set of classic tunes including Aerosmith, Boston, Shooting Star, Styx, and more recent songs from Kid Rock, Evanescence, Shinedown & many more. DV8 did a great job warming up the growing crowd at UCMC Stadium.
John Waite took the stage around 7:30 P.M. and dished out a great set of songs from his outstanding career with The Baby’s, Bad English and more.It was great to hear so many of Waite’s songs that I never got to hear live. John Waite’s voice is in fine shape. His voice hasn’t changed at all over the years. The great surprise of the night was seeing Keri Kelli (Alice Cooper, Pretty Boy Floyd) playing guitar for Waite’s band. Kelli got a chance to shine with a killer guitar solo, and really added a heavy & rocking flair to John Waite’s songs. John Waite’s set list included the songs, “Change”, “Missing You”, “Back On My Feet Again”, and “Best of What I Got”. John’s encore feature an A cappella version of “When I See You Smile”, and a rocking cover of “Whole Lotta Love”.
Over the last couple of years, the one band that has become a must see act for me is Night Ranger. Each and every time I see Night Ranger live, the band delivers an energetic set of outstanding tunes. Saturday night was no different. From the first moment Night Ranger took the stage, they owned the night. Brad Gillis, Joel Hoekstra and Jack Blades impressed me with their guitar acrobatics. Gillis and Hoekstra were absolutely killing it Saturday Night. They might just be one of the best guitar tandems in rock and roll today.
Of course I can’t talk about Night Ranger, without mentioning Jack Blades & Kelly Keagy. Both Jack & Kelly are such tremendous vocal talents. It is rare that a band has not one, but two exceptional singers. Night Ranger plays up to those strengths in all of their songs.
Night Ranger’s set included the songs “Lay It On Me”, “Sing Me Away”, “Four In The Morning”, “Coming of Age” (Damn Yankees), “Crazy Train” (Ozzy Osbourne), “Growing Up In California”, “Rumours In The Air”, “Secret of My Success”, “Sentimental Street”, an extremely rocking version of “Eddie’s Comin’ Out Tonight”, “High Enough” (Damn Yankees), “Boys of Summer” (Don Henley), “When You Close Your Eyes”, “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me” and an encore of “Sister Christian” and “(You Can Still) Rock In America”.
Night Ranger’s show was an absolute blast, and my only disappointment is I will have to wait several months to see them play again. Don’t miss Night Ranger if they come to your town. You can check out Night Ranger’s 2013 tour dates here!
0 Uncle Kracker, ZZ Top & Kid Rock – Cincinnati, Ohio Photo Gallery & Review
End of Summer. Just the thought of it makes me sad, and that is what labor day weekend represents for me. Cincinnati’s last big rock summer rock show of 2013 took place last Wednesday night. Kid Rock brought his “Best Night Ever” to the Riverbend Music Center.
I don’t know if it was the best night ever, but it was certainly one of the hottest. This was easily the hottest concert I have ever attended. The crazy heat didn’t keep the rock fans away. Riverbend was sold out with over 18,000 in attendance.
Uncle Kracker, ZZ Top, and Kid Rock all put on outstanding sets. This was my first time to experience all three bands, and I enjoyed all of them.
ZZ Top has been performing for over 40 years, and I am still scratching my head why it took until 2013 for me to see them live. Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard & Dusty Hill are all in their sixties, but they can rock with the best of them.
Kid Rock by far surprised the most. His command of the stage is second to none, and his show was a lot of fun. I would go back to a Kid Rock show in a heartbeat.
If you live in the U.S., you still have a chance to catch Kid Rock live. There are a handful of dates left in the U.S. Visit Kid Rock’s site for details.
Check out our photo gallery below!
0 Rock Allegiance Tour 2013 – All That Remains
In 2013, I have seen quite a few new and classic bands for the very first time. One of those bands is All That Remains. I have seen plenty of their video clips over the years, as well as a live DVD, but have never experienced All That Remains in a live setting.
All That Remains is a band that has stayed off of my radar, simply because I wasn’t a big fan of the band’s metalcore beginnings. The bands more recent offerings lean more towards the mainstream. The songs that singer Philip Labonte sings in a clean singing voice I like a lot. While All That Remains live show is a mix of both styles, there are more than enough songs with the clean vocals to keep me interested. I am glad that I got to see the band perform at the Rock Allegiance concert. I will definitely be picking up their latest album A War You Cannot Win soon!
If you haven’t heard All that Remains before, I recommend you check out the video clips below.
0 Rock Allegiance Tour 2013 – Airbourne
The 2013 Rock Allegiance Tour is in full swing with the bands Airbourne, All That Remains, HIM and Volbeat. While this may seem like a somewhat odd combination of bands, all four bands most definitely rock, and rock hard.
Airbourne is the opening band for this tour, and if you want to see them, you gotta be at the venue on time. They started at 7:00 P.M. sharp in Cincinnati, Ohio, and put on one hell of a show. There may have only been six songs in Airbourne’s set, but they definitely raised the bar high for the other bands that followed them.
The band opened up with “Ready to Rock”, and Joel O’Keefe took his guitar solo in this song out into the crowd via a piggy back ride from one of his roadies. This certainly got the crowd fired up, and deservedly so.
Airbourne always delivers a tremendous, hair-flying, fun rock and roll show that should not be missed.
Check out our photo gallery below!
Ryan O’Keeffe is all smiles.
Joel O’Keeffe gets a piggy back ride into the crowd!
0 Lita Ford & Poison Photo Gallery – Klipsch Music Center – 8/24/2012
Def Leppard brought their Rock of Ages tour to the Klipsch Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana August 24th, 2012. Hard Rock Hideout was at the venue to shoot the opening acts Lita Ford and Poison. Check out our photo gallery below!
There are a few dates left on the Rock of Ages tour in 2012. Be sure to check it out if it comes to your town!
Sep 8 Mexico City, Mexico Arena Ciudad de México / Poison & Lita Ford Buy Tickets
Sep 11 Albuquerque, New Mexico Sandia Casino Amphitheatre w/ Poison & Lita Ford Buy Tickets
Sep 12 Tucson, Arizona Anselmo Valencia Amphitheatre (Casino Del Sol) w/ Poison & Lita Ford Buy Tickets
Sep 14 Concord, California Sleep Train Pavilion w/ Poison & Lita Ford Buy Tickets
Sep 15 Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara Bowl w/ Poison & Lita Ford Buy Tickets
1 Mutemath, Incubus, and Linkin Park – 8/22/2012 – Cincinnati, Ohio – Photo Gallery
Linkin Park brought their Honda Civic Tour to the Riverbend Music Center last Wednesday. Check out the photo gallery below!
0 Charm City Devils & Theory of A Deadman – Cincinnati, Ohio – Review & Photo Gallery
Charm City Devils and Theory of A Deadman closed out the July concert season at Bogart’s in Cincinnati, Ohio on July 29th.
I have loved the band Charm City Devils since I first heard their song “Let’s Rock N Roll” under their old moniker Chosen Son on the Cruefest Compilation CD. The band doesn’t come to Cincinnati often. I believe the 2009 Cruefest was the last time they were here. Needless to say, when they come to town, I make a point to go.
The last couple of times I have seen Charm City Devils perform, I thought they were great, but on this particular night in Cincinnati, Ohio, they were the best I had ever seen them. Singer John Allen did an amazing job controlling the crowd. The band turned in a blistering set of tunes that included their songs “Burn Baby Burn”, “Spite”, “Start It Up”, “Love N’ War”, “Devil Is A Woman”, “Best of the Worst”, “True Love”, “I Got Mine (The Black Keys Cover)”, “Unstoppable”, “Man of Constant Sorrow” and “Let’s Rock N Roll”. If you get a chance to see them live, you should definitely go. You will not be disappointed. You can grab their newly released CD, Sins at Amazon.com.
I have to admit that I have been pretty tough on Theory of a Deadman in the past. Their live shows in the past have been somewhat of a let down to me. This was not the case at their Cincinnati show at all. The band made me eat crow, and I am ok with that. The band brought their “A” game to Cincinnati.
Tyler Connolly was interacting with the packed house at Bogart’s all night. The band was tight and sounded great. They did part of their set acoustically, while sitting on bar stools on the stage. It brought the old MTV Unplugged show to mind. I thought it was a very cool part of their show, and was a nice surprise. Theory of a Deadman performed their songs “Got It Made”, “So Happy”, “All or Nothing”, “Bitch Came Back”, “Gentleman”, “Nothing Could Come Between Us”, “Not Meant To Be”, “Truth Is”, “Out of My Head”, “Easy To Love You”, “Better Off” and “Low Life”. I am glad that I got to see Theory of a Deadman again, and won’t hesitate to do so in the future.
It was a fun night of rock and roll in Cincinnati. I will be looking forward to seeing Charm City Devils and Theory of A Deadman again in the future!
0 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival – Cincinnati, Oh Review & Photo Gallery
The Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival came to the Riverbend Music Center in July. This tour is easily the biggest Metal festival of 2012, and the lineup this year is pretty incredible. You have two of the Big Four thrash bands, Anthrax and Slayer, as well as Motorhead, Slipknot, As I Lay Dying, Asking Alexandra, The Devil Wears Prada, Whitechapel & more. Work commitments kept me from making it to the venue for the 2 P.M. start time, but I did manage to make in for the start of Anthrax’s blistering set.
This was the second time I have seen Anthrax in 2012, and much like the first time, the bodies started flying as soon as the music began. The security guys in the pit were having a time keeping up with all of the crowd surfers. Anthrax was incredible as always, but as good as they were, they weren’t the best band of the evening. I watched the conclusion of Anthrax’s set, and made my way to the main stage for As I Lay Dying.
This was a night of many firsts for me. I haven’t ever seen As I Lay Dying, Slayer or Motorhead, so I was excited to see these bands play for the first time. I have to admit, I am not much of a metalcore fan, but As I Lay Dying was very good at what they do. They hair was flying, and lead singer Tim Lambesis never stayed in place for a minute. My neck hurt just watching him perform. Lots of headbanging and hair flying fun!
Next up was the mighty Motorhead. I can’t believe that I haven’t seen the band play before now, but Lemmy Kilmister and company were excellent. Lemmy is still getting it done at the nice young age of 66. Of course, Motorhead closed out their set with the one and only “Ace of Spades” and it was as awesome as I expected it to be.
To my ears, the best band of the evening without question was Slayer. I readily admit that I haven’t been a big Slayer fan, but they blew me away. The band was on fire all night (as was their stage, with tons of pyro.) Kerry King might just be the most metal looking musician ever! I enjoyed watching him play.
I wasn’t able to photograph Slipknot, so I grabbed my seat for their set. I saw the band in the inaugural Mayhem festival back in 2008, so I already knew that they put on an in incredible show. They didn’t disappoint. Their is always something going on the stage during a Slipknot show. From Clown’s hydraulic drum kit, to the masks, random crowd surfing, and pyro you never know where to look during their set. I can’t remember Slipknot coming to Cincinnati before, but I am pretty sure this was their first time here. Judging from the people who raised their hand when Corey Taylor asked if it was their first time seeing Slipknot, there were thousands of people who have not seen them play before. They got their money’s worth at the 2012 Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival. This is a great festival for fans of metal music. I can’t wait until the next one.
0 Adelitas Way, Papa Roach & Shinedown at The PNC Pavillion 7/17/12
Adelitas Way, Papa Roach & Shinedown brought their tour to the PNC Pavillion last Tuesday night. This is a nice triple bill that was a pretty cool preview for the up and coming Rockstar Enegy Drink Uproar Festival which starts in August 17th – September 30th. Check below for the Hard Rock Hideout photo gallery from this show.
0 Bobaflex at Rock on The Range
Bobaflex is a band that I thought was one of the better surprises at Rock on the Range. I have the band’s album Tales From Dirt Town, so I knew some of their songs, but I have not seen them live prior to Rock on the Range. Much to my surprise, most of the songs in their set came from their latest album, Hell In My Heart. I haven’t picked up the CD before Rock on the Range, but it didn’t matter. Bobaflex’s set kicked ass. The McCoy brothers know how to rock a crowd, and there was a ton of people in attendance for the headlining show on the Jaegermeister stage at Rock on the Range. I have to admit, that Bobaflex fell off my radar for quite some time, but after seeing them live, they are a band that I will be paying attention to. I loved their set, and especially loved their cover of the Simon and Garfunkel classic “Sound of Silence”. If you haven’t checked out Bobaflex before, check out their videos below. I think you will like them!
Bobaflex set list at Rock on the Range included the songs: “Chemical Valley”, “Home”, “Vampire”, “Sound of Silence”, “Low Life”,” Bury Me With Guns On”, “Rise”, “Dangerous”, and “Slave”
2 Lynch Mob At the M3 Rock Festival
What can I say about George Lynch that hasn’t been said before? I am a huge fan, and it is always a big thrill for me to see him play live. The last time I saw Lynch Mob was in Columbus, Ohio in the summer of 2011. The band had a different line up at the time, and quite frankly, didn’t give the best of performances. This was not the case at M3!
At the M3 Rock Festival, Oni Logan was back in the band, along with Robbie Crane on bass and Scott Coogan on drums. I don’t know
what it is, but when Oni is singing with George, Lynch Mob can do no wrong in my opinion. Lynch was on fire at M3, and Oni Logan’s vocals were spot on perfect. Robbie Crane has been a great addition to the band since joining them last year. He does a great job on bass, and helps out with the background vocals too. Scott Coogan didn’t miss a beat.
Most of the songs in the set were from the Lynch Mob debut album. The set list consisted of “She’s Evil But She’s Mine”, “River of Love”
“Mr. Scary”, “Where Do You Sleep at Night?”, “Sweet Sister Mercy” and “Wicked Sensation”.
Lynch Mob was one of the best two acts on the side stage at M3 in 2012. I hope they return, and hopefully will get a chance to play a longer
set on the main stage next year.
Check out a couple of clips and our photo gallery below!
0 Stryper & The All-Star Jam At the M3 Rock Festival
One of the bands I was looking forward to the most at the M3 Rock Festival was Stryper. I never got to see the band play live before, and they rarely ever come to my area. Due to the messed up start times on Saturday, Stryper’s set was greatly shortened, and I couldn’t have been more disappointed. The band only got to play 6 songs, and there was no “the Rock That Makes Me Roll”, no “In God We Trust, and no “Honestly”. M3 kind of redeemed themselves by bringing out Oz Fox, Tim Gaines and Michael Sweet to perform “Heaven and Hell” with both Vinnie Appice and Carmine Appice on drums during the All-Star Jam. That was a cool rock and roll moment that I will never forget. I hope Stryper gets asked to come back to M3, and to play a longer set. They were easily one of the best bands at M3.
The All-Star Jam overall was cool but overall disappointing. How do you have an All-Star Jam without George Lynch or Warren DeMartini? The possibility was there to something very cool, but the short Jam session seemed much more like an after thought than a planned segment of the M3 Rock Festival. Who did participate in the All-Star Jam? Robert Mason, Terry Ilous, Michael Sweet, Mark Kendall, Oz Fox, Chris Taylor, Tim Gaines, Sean McNabb, Carmine Appice and Vinny Appice.
Stryper’s set list consisted of the songs: “Sing-Along Song”, “Reach Out”, “Calling On You”, “Free”, “To Hell With The Devil” and “Soldiers Under Command”.
The All-Star Jam set list was: “Rainbow In The Dark”, “All Right Now” and “Heaven And Hell”
Check out our Stryper and All-Star Jam photo gallery below!
0 L.A. Guns – New M3 Photo Gallery & New Video – You Better Not Love Me
L.A Guns wasn’t supposed to play at the M3 Rock Festival in 2012. When Cinderella cancelled, L.A. Guns (and Great White) were added to the bill. L.A. Guns quickly proved that they deserved to be there with a rockin’ set of L.A. Guns classics and their brand new song, “You Better Not Love Me”. I like this song the first time I heard it, and I am glad it has been released for all to hear in a video format.
“You Better Not Love Me” is on L.A. Guns new album, Hollywood Forever, which is due out June 5th, 2012. Check out the video below! You can pre-order Hollywood Forever here! Check out the video, and our L.A. Guns M3 Photo Gallery below!
4 Kix at the M3 Rock Festival
What can I say about Kix that hasn’t already been said? They are the only band that has played each and every year at M3, and I can’t imagine this festival without them. They proved once again why they deserve the headlining slot at M3 on Friday night, by turning in another energetic set of kick ass rock and roll. Kix blasted out the tunes “Hot Wire”, “Heartache”, “The Itch”, “Same Jane”, “Cold Shower”, “Girl Money”, “Don’t Close Your Eyes”, “No Ring Around Rosie”, “Lie Like a Rug”, “Midnite Dynamite”, “Cold Blood” “Blow My Fuse” and an encore with the crowd favorite “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah”. I am pretty sure 80% of the folks in attendance were singing along. (It sounded that way anyway.)
Overall, I thought the Kix off party was a big success for M3. This show seemed to have a lot more people in attendance than the Kix off party (Friday Night) in 2011. I hope M3 will bring Kix back again in 2013. My only disappointment was, I thought Kix’s set could have been a little longer. I was hoping they would at least play a couple of extra songs on their encore, but they only played one. I missed hearing “Red Light, Green Lite, TNT”, and “Sex”, but their set was still great, and I am extremely glad I got to see Kix again. They were easily one of the best bands of the M3 Rock Festival in 2012.
8 D Generation and Guns N’ Roses – Concert Review & Photo Gallery – U.S. Bank Arena – December 2nd, 2011
New York’s D Generation and Guns N’ Roses came to U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio on Friday December 2nd.
I have been more excited about this show than many concerts in the recent past, as I never got to see Guns N’ Roses live back in the day. D Generation took the stage sharply at 9 P.M. and played a high energy set which the large crowd seemed to enjoy. I have to admit that I am not very familiar with D Generation, but I liked the songs that I heard in their set. The last time the band played in Cincinnati, they opened for KISS back in 1996, so hopefully it doesn’t take them another fifteen years to come back to Cincinnati.
I have to admit that I had no idea what to expect with Guns N’ Roses. My expectations were somewhat low for this show. I didn’t know what kind of shape Axl Rose’s voice was in. I have never heard his current band play before. I have loved the original incarnation of Guns N’ Roses for so long, I never gave the new version of Guns N’ Roses a chance. With that being said, Axl Rose & company, BLEW ME AWAY!! Axl Rose is still singing at the top of his game, and his three guitarists DJ Ashba, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, and Richard Fortus, all trade off the lead guitar duties. Each one of these guys are tremendous musicians, and they all put on one hell of a show. DJ Ashba might be the guitarist to help take Guns N’ Roses back to the top. He gives Guns N’ Roses a recognizable face that fans automatically associate with. The cool thing is, Ashba, Thal and Fortus play together perfectly. Axl had no problem sharing the spotlight and gave his trio of axe slingers plenty of time to share the limelight. He even let bass guitarist Tommy Stinson handle the vocals on the cover of the Dead Boys tune “Sonic Reducer”.
Guns N’ Roses stage show was one of the biggest ones I have seen in quite some time. Video screens were set up on the far left and right hand side of the stage, as well as a massive video wall behind the stage. The lights and pyro were extremely cool. No matter where you were sitting, you saw a great show. Axl and company took the stage at 10:45 and played for nearly 3 hours with the set list below.
“Chinese Democracy”, “Welcome To The Jungle”, “It’s So Easy”, “Mr. Brownstone”, “Sorry”, “Shackler’s Revenge”, “Estranged”, “Rocket Queen”, “Live and Let Die”, “Riff Raff (AC/DC cover)”, “This I Love”, “Sonic Reducer (Dead Boys cover)”, “Street Of Dreams”, “You Could Be Mine”, “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, “November Rain”, “Don’t Cry”, “Whole Lotta Rosie (AC/DC cover)”, “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)”, “Nightrain”, “Madagascar”, “Better”, “Patience”, and “Paradise City”.
This concert made me a believer in the current version of Guns N’ Roses. I used to dream about a Guns N’ Roses reunion, but after the show I saw Friday night, I do not long for a reunion anymore. I am anxious to see how far this band can take things in the current lineup. If you have been on the fence about going to see Guns N’ Roses in your area, you should buy a ticket. This was an amazing night of rock and roll, and easily one of the best concerts I have seen in lifetime.
Check out our D Generation Slideshow & Photo Gallery below!
2 Thin Lizzy, Black Label Society & Judas Priest Photo Gallery – U.S. Bank Arena -Cincinnati, Ohio – November 8th, 2011
Thin Lizzy, Black Label Society & Judas Priest invaded Cincinnati’s U.S. Bank Arena on November 8th. Check out our Photo Gallery, & mini review below.
Thin Lizzy which is now fronted by The Almighty’s Ricky Warwick, sounded amazing. Warwick’s vocals are very similar to the late Phillip Lynott, and he does an excellent job. Damon Johnson (Brother Cane, Alice Cooper Band) is the bands newest guitarist replacing Vivian Campbell, and Richard Fortus. He seems to fit in quite well. I have never seen Thin Lizzy before, and was amazed at how good they sounded. I was thrilled to see this classic band in action. They lineup has changed several times over the years, but Thin Lizzy still rocks.
Black Label Society put on one of the loudest shows in recent memory. I am pretty sure the folks eating wings at Hooters in Newport, KY (that is down the river from U.S. Bank Arena) could hear Zakk Wylde & company. Black Label Society’s sound guy must have had all of their amps set at maximum volume. The only problem with this was, Zakk’s vocals were inaudible. I know all of Black Label Society’s music, and I could watch Zakk Wylde & company play all night. Wylde is a killer guitarist, and as much as I love his playing, I like his vocals even more. I was disappointed that I couldn’t hear them. Aside from that, Black Label Society sounded great.
Judas Priest took the stage and proceeded to play for over two hours. They covered songs from just about every facet of their career. The Metal God, Rob Halford is still getting it done in 2011. The 60 year old front man, may not be able to hit all of the notes he used to, but he still sounds great. Ritchie Faulkner who has replaced the retired KK Downing on lead guitar, not only looks the part,but does an amazing job. KK Downing will always be missed, but Faulkner has injected new life into Judas Priest. The Judas Priest set included the following songs: “Rapid Fire”, “Metal Gods”, “Heading Out to the Highway”, “Judas Rising”,”Starbreaker”, “Victim of Changes”, “Never Satisfied”, “Diamonds & Rust”, “Dawn Of Creation”, “Prophecy”, “Night Crawler”, “Turbo Lover”, “Beyond the Realms of Death”, “The Sentinel”, “Blood Red Skies”, “The Green Manalishi (With the Two Pronged Crown)”, “Breaking the Law”, “Painkiller”, “The Hellion”, “Electric Eye”, “Hell Bent for Leather”, “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin'” and “Living After Midnight”.
This is Judas Priest’s Epitaph tour, meaning the band will not longer do world tours from here on out. There was only four – five thousand in attendance at the Cincinnati show, which I though was extremely disappointing. This may be the last time we get to see Judas Priest perform in our area. Judas Priest put on an excellent that was a feast for the ears & the eyes. The show filled with pyro, lasers, and more importantly some legendary metal tunes played to perfection.
There are only a few tour dates left on the Epitaph tour. If you live in one of the areas below, you should definitely get a ticket for this show.
30 November 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre, Tampa
1 December Klipsch Amphitheatre at Bayfront Park, Miami, FL
3 December Hard Rock Biloxi Hotel & Casino, Biloxi
Check out our Photo Gallery below. You can right click on an image to view it larger.
0 Havok, White Wizzard, Revocation & Forbidden Invade the Alrosa Villa in Columbus
Last Saturday night, the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio was packed full of metalheads ready to enjoy the music from not one, not two, but seven heavy metal & metal core bands to delivery their music to the masses. Three local bands opened for the national touring bands Havok, White Wizzard, Revocation & Forbidden. The show was opened up by Domestic Terror, followed by Dismemberment, and Black Rue. Black Rue was my favorite out of the local trio of bands. Black Rue’s singer had a similar to look to Dimebag Darrell, with his long hair and beard. Considering the location of this concert, his look was a little unnerving to this hard rock fan. I enjoyed their tunes though, and thought they might merit a second look. Check them out on Reverbnation.
Denver, Colorado natives Havok was the first band out of the national acts, and easily one of the best. David Sanchez and company delivered a tight set of metal that included songs from the band’s two CD’s Time is Up and Burn. The last time I saw these guys in May of 2010, they a three piece band. Since the last time I saw them play, the band has filled their vacant guitar slot with guitarist Reese Scruggs. Scruggs playing combined with the great vocals and fretwork of David Sanchez has helped to take Havok’s sound to the next level. This up and coming metal band is great live, and no thrash metal fan afford to miss them. Check them out on Facebook at this link.
White Wizzard was next on the bill, and compared to the other heavy bands on this bill, they seemed like an odd fit for this show. Don’t get me wrong, I dig these guys. Their Iron Maiden-esque sound works for me, and the band does it well. I thought it was strange to have a more NWOBHM sounding band sandwhiched between two thrash metal acts, and an extreme metal band, but at least they are out there getting their music heard.
White Wizzard has had a revolving door of musicians over the years, but the lineup has appeared to have stabilized as of late. The band’s current singer, Mike Gremio (formerly of Cellador) does a great job on vocals. If you haven’t heard him sing before, you ought to check him out. Gremio’s vocals could be the key to White Wizzard making it to the next level of their career. Their set was far too short in my opinion.
Revocation was up next, and I knew absolutely nothing about this band, with the exception that they had one of those completely unreadable band logos. I did not know any of the band’s songs. While I thought the music was really good, the vocals didn’t really do anything for me. I have to admit, I am not a big fan of extreme metal so I didn’t enjoy this band as much as the others on the bill. I prefer vocals that I can understand, and don’t care for that cookie monster stuff too much. Revocation was easily the most intense band on the bill, and I can’t fault them for that. When singer/guitarist David Davidson would gaze into the crowd, I didn’t know if I should be frightened or excited. That is s0 Metal!
After a rather lengthy soundcheck, Forbidden stormed the stage, and simply blew me away. Forbidden is one of those thrash metal bands that I never thought I would get a chance to see, so I was looking very forward to seeing them play live. They far exceeded my expectations, and were easily the best band of the night. Singer Russ Anderson probably hasn’t missed too many meals, but this guy can still sing with the best of them. He was flat out getting it done at the Alrosa Villa. The guitar triage of Steve Smyth, Craig Locicero and Matt Camacho might just be the most under rated in thrash metal. They put on one energetic set which included the songs: “Forsaken Gates”, “Overthrow”, “Off the Edge”, “Forbidden Evil”, “Step By Step”, “Adapt or Die”, “Draggin”, “R.I.P.”, “Twisted”, “March”, “Omega Wave”, “Infinite”, a killer cover of Black Sabbath’s “Children of the Sea” which Russ Anderson dedicated to the late Ronnie James Dio, “Through Eyes of Glass” and “Chalice of Blood”. If you are a thrash metal fan, you gotta get out to see these guys play, you won’t be disappointed!
Check out our Photo Galleries below!
Havok
White Wizzard
Revocation
Forbidden
0 Emphatic, Pop Evil and Crossfade Live Review and Photo Gallery – 6/18/11
It was a rockin’ story of three different bands at the Phoenix Hill Tavern on Saturday Night. The three bands on the bill this evening was Emphatic, Pop Evil and Crossfade. All three bands are at different areas in their career, and every band has new music offerings in the very near future.
Emphatic is a new band trying gain a new fan base (and succeeding). Pop Evil is on their way to the top with their recent appearances at Rock at the Range & Rocklahoma. Crossfade had a ton of success with their debut album, and have been fighting to get back to the top of the rock heap ever since then.
Other than seeing their name in some recent press releases for the up and coming Carnival of Madness Tour, I knew absolutely nothing about the band Emphatic. I haven’t heard any of their music prior to this show. They quickly won me over with their energetic live set and catchy tunes. (Check out their song & video “Bounce” here.) Their new CD, Damage is coming out on July 12th. Judging from the tunes I heard in their live set, this is one CD that you will need to get!!
I have seen Pop Evil a few times over the last couple of years and they never disappoint. On this Saturday evening, the band’s performance was quite electric. Leigh Kakaty is a great front man, and knows how to get the crowd revved up. He had the crowd at Phoenix Hill Tavern energized and singing along with all of their songs.
Pop Evil’s set list had the following songs: “Breathe”, “Broken”, “Somebody Like You”, “Monster You Made”, “Daisy Chain”, “Shinedown”, “Save the World”, “Boss’ Daughter”, “100 in a 55”, “Last Man Standing” and “Hero”. I thought the band was going to bring the roof down when they performed “Last Man Standing” the new track off of their up and coming CD, War of Angels (which will be released July 5th)! There is a half sized wall that separates the pit area in front of the stage from the fans who prefer to sit at a table. Leigh Kakaty used this wall as his personal stage and got up close and personal with the fans, while singing “Last Man Standing”. This made for one unforgettable show from Pop Evil.
I may be biased, but I thought Pop Evil stole the show Saturday night. They were great, and the crowd loved them!
Crossfade was the headliner for the evening, and they quickly proved that they too were a force to be reckoned with. Crossfade had a pretty nice light show set up behind them that looked really cool while they played, but it made it pretty tough to get good photos. The band was pretty entertaining to watch nonetheless.
Les Hall had some pretty cool guitars that he changed out often during Crossfade’s set. He was a lot of fun to watch play. Ed Sloan was in fine vocal form all night. Mark Castillo was letting the drumsticks fly all night. Crossfade played a few of their new songs off of their new CD, We All Bleed (due out today, June 21st) including: “Lay Me Down”, “Dead Memories”, “Dear Cocaine”, “Killing Me Inside”, “We All Bleed” and “Make Me a Believer”. The rest of the set included the songs “Starless”, “Colors”, “Already Gone”, “Drown You Out”, “Dear Caine”, “So Far Away”, and “Cold”.
While I thought Crossfade was pretty good live, I thought Pop Evil was the band of the evening, but all three bands help to deliver a great night of rock in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday night!
Emphatic Photo Gallery
Pop Evil Photo Gallery
Crossfade Photo Gallery
