Author: Mark McGauley

Five Finger Death Punch and Shinedown Rock Blue Cross Arena

Nothing goes better with the holidays than a kick-ass rock show. Just days before families gathered to have Thanksgiving dinner, rock fans in Rochester, had the opportunity to go see one of the best concerts Blue Cross Arena has had in quite some time. On Tuesday, Nov. 22nd, Rochester welcomed Five Finger Death Punch and Shinedown alongside support acts Sixx:A.M., and As Lions. The entire night consisted of great music alongside magnificent production.

The night started early just after 6 PM with opening band As Lions. While the area was still filling in, As Lions had the task of getting this crowd ready for a long night of headbanging. The audience may have not been familiar with the band, but that’s probably due to the fact that the group just came together in 2015. As Lions is lead by vocalist Austin Dickinson. If the last name rings a bell, it’s because you’re thinking of Dickinson’s father Bruce, lead singer of Iron Maiden. The rest of the band is made up of members of Dickinson’s past metalcore group, Rise to Remain, which disbanded with the creation of As Lions.

The 5-piece band played like they were playing in front of a sold out arena. The band has that radio-rock sound that could be found scanning the car radio. The band looked very comfortable on stage which isn’t common for an opening band. Their confidence should help carry them forward and land them tour gigs for many years to come. For anyone looking for a fresh new band, check out As Lions. Their debut album drops on January 20.

The next band of the evening was Sixx:A.M., which features Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe. Joining Sixx in Sixx:A.M. is vocalist James Michael, guitarist DJ Ashba and drummer Dustin Steinke. Sixx’s band has been around since 2007, with the release of The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack, but has always saw the back burner due to Sixx’s commitment with Crüe and Ashba’s work with Guns N’ Roses. Now that everyone is completely focused on Sixx:A.M. the band has their foot pressed against the gas pedal. Just this year, the band has released a double album which features Prayers for the Damned, Vol. 1 and Prayers for the Blessed, Vol. 2. The second of the two albums was released just days before Rochester’s show at Blue Cross Arena.

Now with five albums of material, the band has plenty to pick from for a setlist. The set opened with “This Is Gonna Hurt,” which was the title track of their second album. The second song they played was “Rise,” which has been all over the radio since its single release. The rest of the set consisted of songs mainly from Prayers for the Damned, Vol. 1. It’s remarkable to see how much fun this band has on stage. The joy and happiness radiates from the band into the audience unlike any other band. Fans sing along with every song and have smiles on their faces from ear to ear.

The set ended with “Life Is Beautiful,” which was off of the debut album The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack. Everyone in the audience surely knew this song and loved it. Sixx:A.M. surely had no troubles opening for Five Finger Death Punch. The heavy metal fans of Rochester welcomed Sixx and his band with open arms. The only thing that could have made the show better would have been a longer setlist. Hopefully once this tour wraps up, fans will have the chance to see a headlining tour around the country.

Next up for the evening was hard-rock veterans, Shinedown. Opening for Five Finger Death Punch, it was a mystery to see how they would do with the crowd. Questions were answered with the opening track of “Adrenaline.” Coming out strong with one of their heaviest songs from their album Amaryllis, Shinedown was prepared to blow the roof off of the arena. The statement was solidified with the next two songs, “Fly From the Inside” and “Diamond Eyes.” The crowd was going nuts and the band was loving it.

Singer, Brent Smith, had Blue Cross Arena at his fingertips and could get the crowd to do anything. On top of that, the production that Shinedown had with them was ridiculous. The last few tours Shinedown has brought out the pyro, but nothing like this tour. Comparing Shinedown’s stage show to the legendary KISS, who just played at Blue Cross Arena just a few months ago, it was night and day. Shinedown did not leave anything at home this tour. The band did slow things down a bit with songs like “How Did You Love” and “State of My Head,” which are off of the bands latest album Threat to Survival.

The crowd got to be up close and personal with singer Smith while he went out into the crowd to sing from the back of the floor. That wasn’t the only time Brent went out there. During their last song, “Sound of Madness,” Smith ended up at the soundboard platform, surrounded by fireworks. As the song ended, Smith ran back to the stage to say thank you and goodnight to the crowd in Rochester. This was certainly a performance that won’t be forgotten by anyone that was there.

Things cooled down after Shinedown left the stage and got the crowd ready for the night’s headliner, Five Finger Death Punch. The band came out with their popular opening track, “Lift Me Up.” This is another band that has a ton of material now to make a setlist from, so it’s always exciting to see what the band will do each tour. The night was pretty balanced with tracks from American Capitalist, Got Your Six, The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Vol. 1+2 and The Way of the Fist. The crowd interaction with Ivan Moody is always fantastic. At the beginning of the show, Moody was inviting fans to watch on stage, signing autographs and waving hello to whoever he could. While Moody was saying hello through his microphone, bassist Chris Kael and guitarists Zoltan Bathory and Jason Hook were throwing guitar picks at whoever they could.

Five Finger Death Punch is by far one of the most fan friendly bands out there. Halfway through their show, a fan was spotted with a sign that asked about playing guitar with them on stage for the song “Under and Over It.” Even though it wasn’t the song they were about to play, Moody invited the kid on stage. Hook gave the fan his guitar and Moody told him to play the intro to the song. The fan, Bathory and drummer Jeremy Spencer did a quick instrumental jam of the song and the kid nailed it. He was walking around stage like an absolute boss and got an arena full of cheers.

The band also slowed things down like Shinedown, with a few acoustic songs like “Wrong Side of Heaven” and “Remember Everything.” The night ended with “Under and Over It” and the encore anthem “The Bleeding.” This was once again another stellar show from Five Finger Death Punch, who seem to never take a break from the road and recording. Speaking of recording, at the show, Moody announced to the crowd that their new album was completed. Not to be confused with last year’s Got Your Six, Five Finger Death Punch is ready to drop another album. For fans, this means to be on the lookout for new singles, an album release date and more tour dates!

[ngg_images source=”galleries” container_ids=”239″ display_type=”photocrati-nextgen_basic_slideshow” gallery_width=”840″ gallery_height=”600″ cycle_effect=”fade” cycle_interval=”3″ show_thumbnail_link=”1″ thumbnail_link_text=”[Show picture list]” ngg_triggers_display=”never” order_by=”pid” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]

November 28, 2016
Ghost Wraps Up Popestar Tour

Last weekend, Swedish rockers, Ghost, ended yet another tour in North America, this time around, Ghost was on the road behind their Popestar EP release. The tour kicked off in September at the Main Street Armory in Rochester, NY, where NYS Music was on site getting a taste of the band’s new show. After traveling throughout North America, the band made their way back to the Northeast to wrap up their tour in Montreal and Brooklyn.

Friday’s November 11th show in Montreal, was an example of how much a band can improve over time. Compared to the first show of the tour, the band was like a well-oiled machine. After a lineup change and getting used to the differences, Papa (lead singer) and the Nameless Ghouls (bandmates) seemed much more comfortable together on stage. Compared to night one of the tour, the bass tone was much heavier and more prominent. Even though the band sounded great on stage, there’s still a big piece missing from Omega being gone. For fans who didn’t know, the original rhythm guitarist Omega had left the band before the tour and the Nameless Ghoul, Water, took over his position. With a vacant bassist slot, Ghost recruited a new Nameless Ghoul. One of the biggest highlights of the show each night, was watching guitarists Alpha and Omega trade off guitar leads and rhythms. These two Ghouls are extremely talented and are a pleasure to watch on stage.

Ghost brought most of its production that they had in Rochester, on night one of the tour. The restrictions for Ghost’s show varied from venue to venue depending on what was allowed. For instance, some of the smaller venues on tour like in Montreal, did not allow the band to fully utilize their production. On the other hand, at the King’s Theater in Brooklyn, where the tour wrapped up, Ghost was able to use everything they had with them.

The setlist was kept the same both nights, mirroring the tour opener in Rochester. Ghost started the night off with the Popestar single “Square Hammer.” Each show was pretty identical when it came to theatrics from the Ghouls and Papa. If one word had to be used to describe Ghost, it would be theatrical. When people go see the band, it’s like going to see a performance instead of a regular “concert.”

At the show on Saturday the 12th in Brooklyn, NY at the King’s Theater, Ghost was able to use their full production, which featured blasts of pyro from behind the stage. It was awesome being able to see Ghost end the tour in full force back in New York. For a band that was playing small clubs just a few years ago, Ghost is now selling out large theaters with ease and even adding second shows in some cities such as Toronto. It’s safe to say that Ghost is only going to continue to gain popularity with their next full release.

Before the band played “Mummy Dust,” Papa Emeritus III went into a discussion aimed toward President Elect, Donald Trump. With all of the drama surrounding the election, going to a show was supposed to be a way to escape everything for the time being. But unfortunately, Papa decided to bring up politics and got the crowd going. Surprisingly the crowd in Montreal supported Papa’s views much more than Brooklyn did. Montreal really seemed to dislike Donald Trump and Brooklyn kept fairly quiet. But, once the band actually started playing “Mummy Dust,” all of that quickly faded away. The confetti cannons blew off, which also contained the popular “Mummy Dust Money,” which are fake bills with Papa’s face and 666 as the value. These bills are sought after by many fans and get shared in many fan groups online for people who couldn’t get any at the shows.

As always, Ghost closed both shows with “Monstrance Clock.” The song is a great way to end the show, but there’s almost too much time taken before hand to introduce the song. The show is a “performance,” but realistically, if the conversation got cut down a bit, the band could play two or three more songs. At the end of the Brooklyn show, the final show of the tour, Papa thanked everyone and had the opening band come out on stage as well.

Saturday’s farewell in Brooklyn marked the last time fans in the Untied States will see Ghost for quite some time. The Popestar Tour is over and it’s time for the band to work on their new album. There aren’t many details for the next album out yet, but it’s already been started and should be out by the end of 2017. Ghost has posted a teaser video already on their Facebook mentioning that Papa Emeritus IV is coming. With a new Papa Emeritus, it’s safe to assume that the Nameless Ghouls will also get a new look as well.

It’s going to be a long wait for fans here considering they’ve essentially been spoiled with how often Ghost has come around. In the past year and a half, Ghost has hit many cities on the Black To The Future Tour, which lasted 2 legs, the Popestar Tour and other festival appearances such as Carolina Rebellion, Rock on the Range, Welcome to Rockville, and Rock N’ Derby.

Be sure to keep a lookout on NYSMusic for Ghost news and the announcement for Papa Emeritus IV and the new album.

November 21, 2016
Buckethead Completes Two Night Stand at B.B. King’s Blues Club and Grill

On September 22 and 23, guitar virtuoso, Buckethead, performed two nights in a row at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City. Buckethead, who is no stranger to the venue, packed in fans both nights and performed unique sets each night.

In recent years, Buckethead has been essentially off the radar when it comes to live shows. While sitting in his coop somewhere, he’s been busy putting out album after album. Although these new albums may not be chart topping releases, the man with the white mask and bucket on his head never disappoints.

The second show on Friday the 23rd was what every Buckethead fan could have wanted. The venue was packed tightly before Buckethead got on stage and seemed to keep getting tighter and tighter as the show went on. The show started shortly after 8PM with “Welcome to Bucketheadland.” With a catalog like the one he has, it’s impossible to tell what the man is going to throw at the crowd. After the opening song, it was another popular tune called “King James.”

The night prior, fans in the crowd said Buckethead had played almost 3 whole hours. Unfortunately, Saturday’s show was only about 2 hours total, but no one was complaining. Back in May, Buckethead made one of his first tour stops, for what seemed to be ages, at B.B. King’s Blues Club & Grill. At that show he played 2 sets totaling 23 songs, that included “Nottingham Lace” and “Lebrontron.” This time around, he only played a total of 18 songs. The decrease in songs was more than likely due to Buckethead playing 2 nights in a row though, so there weren’t any complaints.

Anyone that has seen Buckethead before knows that there isn’t much going on, up on stage. The stage itself is pretty bare. There are two Marshall cabinets with EVH 5150 heads. The floor contains a slew of guitar pedals and cables. Lastly, there are two pearl white Gibson Les Paul guitars, custom for Buckethead and sometimes a bass guitar. Buckethead doesn’t have any fancy backdrops or custom lighting like other bands/musicians have either. When someone goes to see Buckethead, the show is watching him play and listening to the music he can create.

There are absolutely no gimmicks at a Buckethead show. For those who don’t like the “costume” and “story” behind him, it’s something to look past since this guy is easily one of the best musicians of our time. Plus, the fact that no one has publicly seen or heard this man speak shows that Buckethead takes his image seriously and will probably never do what KISS did and lose the costume.

The beginning of the set seemed to be hit after hit for Buckethead fans. It was a great feeling knowing almost every song Bucket played from the start. Other songs early in the evening were, “Want Some Slaw?,” “Big Sur Moon,” “Siege Engine,” “Giant Robot Theme,” and most of all “Jordan.” After all these songs, fans turned to one another in almost disbelief at the set they were hearing.

One of the most entertaining parts of any Buckethead show is watching him improvise his songs. Songs like “Soothsayer,” one of Buckethead’s most popular, doesn’t sound like how it is on the record. Buckethead improvises so well, he can completely change a solo to one of his songs and make it even better.

The night ended not with Buckethead showing off his incredible guitar skill, but with his dancing and nunchucks skills. After his presentation of the robot dancing and nunchucks, he took out his sack of toys and handed them out to his fans who were close to the stage. Lucky fans got to leave the venue with different masks, action figures and more.

Buckethead Setlist: Welcome to Bucketheadland, King James, Want Some Slaw?, Crash Victim, Big Sur Moon, Siege Engine, Giant Robot Theme, Jordan, Mad Monster Party, Gory Head Stump 2006: The Pageant of the Slunks, The Redeem Team, Fountains of the Forgotten, Shaded Ray, Buckethead’s Toystore, Soothsayer, Jowls, The Embalmer, Jam, Toy Presentation

October 5, 2016
Rock Allegiance Stands Strong Among Competition

For the second straight year, Chester, PA was home to Rock Allegiance. The Rock Allegiance festival, which is one of the many Danny Wimmer Presents events, returned to Talen Energy Stadium (formerly PPL Park) on Saturday and Sunday September 17 and 18.

Unlike last year’s festival, Rock Allegiance 2016 was set for 2 full days that included some of the biggest bands today, such as Avenged Sevenfold, Alice In Chains, The Offspring and Slayer. To accompany two full days of music, this year added even more of the festival’s signature Gourmet Man Food and other experiences for fans to check out. Some of this year’s experiences included The Music Experience, The Jack Daniel’s Experience, FYE Experience and Zippo Encore. As always, proud sponsor, Monster, was on site giving away free products and hooking fans up with chances to meet their favorite bands.

Saturday’s festival lineup featured quite a mix of bands. There were heavy metal bands, cover bands, comedy bands, grunge bands and more. Some of Saturday’s stand-out performances were Skindred, Avatar, and Motionless In White. Each one of these bands brings something unique to the table that not an everyday band does. Skindred had the most unique sound of the day. The Welsh rockers mix heavy metal with reggae and create some insane grooves. Lead singer Benji Webbe certainly knew how to lead his band and give the crowd a set to remember past the weekend.

Certainly no one was disappointed with headliners Alice In Chains, Breaking Benjamin and The Offspring. Each one of those bands has earned their keep and each had their own die-hard fans in attendance. Alice In Chains was joined by Billy Duffy of The Cult for their song “Rooster.” One band that failed to bring out the special guests that everyone was hoping for was Taylor Hawkins’, Chevy Metal.Â Chevy Metal, which is Hawkins’ cover band that rips through classic rock songs with ease, is known for bringing out big names at their shows. Unfortunately, when the band closed out the Liberty Stage, no guests came out to join the band.

Fans of Sepultura got to hear the legendary album, Roots, in its entirety during Max & Igor Cavalera’s Return To Roots set. This was one of the most bad-ass sets of the day. Seeing the two brothers back on stage doing Sepultura songs was absolutely incredible and the crowd went wild. One band that seemed to sneak its way into a huge main-stage slot was Baroness. These guys have been growing and growing non-stop and have been receiving incredible support from some of the biggest musicians on the planet. The love and support of Baroness landed them a late evening slot and definitely gave the band a chance to reach an audience of plenty of Baroness virgins.

It’s impossible to not mention Trivium when it comes to kicking ass. The guys in Trivium seem to live on the road and never show any signs of slowing down. Although their last album Silence In The Snow, wasn’t as “heavy” as some old fans would have liked, this monster of an album has been a commercial hit and the tracks are solid. Gone are the signature screams of singer Matt Heafy, but the record showcases Heafy’s ability to actually sing. Together with long time band members Corey Beaulieu and Paolo Gregoletto and new drummer Paul Wandtke, Trivium continues to give festival crowds around the world a brutal, fast and a seemingly too short set.

Saturday’s top performance didn’t come from any headliner or by any band that played on either stage inside the stadium. The top band of the day took the Liberty Stage at 4:15. That band was letlive. For people who skipped letlive., saying they missed out is a complete understatement. Often times, writers will say a band had “high energy” and all these other generic compliments about a band they thought was pretty good. On Saturday, letlive. could be described to someone who missed them simply as, f*&King insane. Singer Jason Aalon Butler gave Rock Allegiance everything he could, without getting in too much trouble. Butler ended up hanging upside down at the soundboard tent and running throughout the crowd while his team of roadies tried to keep the audience from becoming strangled with this microphone cord. If there’s one thing fans at Rock Allegiance aren’t ever going to forget, it is letlive’s set.

Out of the 2 day festival, Sunday was definitely the day with the stacked lineup. The day started off with what would be one of the best sets of the day from Death Angel. Singer Mark Osegueda is by far one of the best vocalists in heavy metal. This guy can hit any note imaginable. If there was one bad thing to say about Sunday, it would be Death Angel’s set was too damn short. Next time, Death Angel deserves a mid-day main stage slot to show the crowd what they bring to the table.

After Death Angel, bands like Devour The Day, Twelve Foot Ninja, Crobot and Kyng were all back to back one after the other. Although none of these bands have hit it big yet, they’re all in the process of knocking down that door. This year was Devour The Day’s second year in a row playing Rock Allegiance and the crowd was definitely excited to see them again. The singer of Kyng wasn’t too happy with them and Crobot playing at almost the same exact time. He went on to say that whoever booked that should be fired.

From 2:30 onward, many fans may not have even left the two main stages inside Talen Energy Stadium. Unfortunately for bands like Neck Deep, Amity Affliction and Pierce The Veil, the main stages where were the party was at. Although, even though the inside floor was packed in, these bands attracted their own die-hard fans and fans who may have been curious to check out someone new. Pierce The Veil certainly could have played inside due to the crowd and the stage setup they had. The guys in Pierce The Veil are an absolute blast to watch on stage and their spaceship on stage isn’t something every band brings out on the road.

Sevendust had a huge crowd over at the Bridge Stage for their set. One of those fans at the Bridge Stage was Anthrax singer, Joey Belladonna, who joined Lajon Witherspoon to sing “Face to Face.” Sevendust was another victim of the dreaded short festival set. Only having time for a handful of songs, Sevendust wasted no time between songs and gave fans as much as they could. The band closed out their set with their Grammy nominated track “Thank You.”

Some other highlights of the day were Hellyeah and Killswitch Engage. Both of these bands are entertaining to watch from start to finish. Hellyeah singer, Chad Gray is one of the most explosive front-men in metal. Hellyeah’s setlist only featured songs off their 2 latest albums Blood for Blood and Unden!able. During the track “Sangre por Sangre,” bassist Kyle Sanders spit fake blood all over Chad’s face. Chad would sport this blood for the rest of the set and it was clear this band meant business. Hellyeah have certainly been working their asses off creating new music and trying to win over the haters of their group.

Killswitch Engage, on the other hand, doesn’t have to do anything fancy on stage to win over fans. The guys in KSE are purely bad-ass and get the crowd going regardless if they’re fans of their band or not. Certainly one of the rowdiest crowds of the day, Killswitch gave them all the reason to be. Guitarist, Adam Dutkiewicz, did what he does best and got the people of Rock Allegiance in the KSE mood. Dutkiewicz and singer Jesse Leach lead the charge and helped give Killswitch Engage one of Sunday’s best performances.

The rest of the evening after KSE was great as anyone would have guessed. Chevelle, Anthrax, Volbeat and Slayer were all fantastic. Each band had a giant fan base in each section of the floor. Slayer fans waited all day along the rail of the Bridge Stage to be in front of Kerry King and Tom Araya. Having half of the big “four” on one stage was an easy choice for thrash metal fans on where to set up camp. Getting that front row spot for both Anthrax and Slayer would put any thrash metal fan in heaven, or in this case, hell.

As expected, Anthrax stuck with their casual festival setlist. This setlist is fine for any casual fan of Anthrax, but the die-hard fans who traveled to see them definitely wanted something a little different. Tracks like, “Got The Time” and “Antisocial” could definitely be replaced by songs off their latest two albums, which were both outstanding. Both Chevelle and Volbeat, on the other hand, picked their setlists well offering a nice balance between new and old material. Slayer was also another band that seemed to surprise the crowd with their setlist choice. Instead of playing mainly tracks of their latest album Repentless, they only chose to play the title track. The rejuvenated Slayer lineup dug into deep cuts as well as playing the fan-favorite classics like “Raining Blood” and “Angel of Death.”

The two top performances on Sunday belonged to two bands that toured together not too long ago. Those two bands are Ghost and headliner Avenged Sevenfold. Ghost, who just kicked off their Popestar Tour days before, opened their set with their new EP single “Square Hammer.” For fans who hadn’t caught on to Ghost already, were probably walking out of the stadium that night with a shirt or CD from the FYE tent. Ghost definitely had one of the biggest fan bases over the entire weekend. Ghost shirts were seen by the minute on both days of the festival. The stage show wasn’t what fans will see at headlining shows due to time restrictions, but fans weren’t complaining. The Ghouls, complete with their new female bassist, ripped through 6 more songs after “Square Hammer.” Together with Papa Emeritus III, the band flawlessly performed songs such as “From the Pinnacle to the Pit,” “Cirice,” “Year Zero”, and more. Unlike headlining shows where the band closes with “Monstrance Clock,” Ghost changed things up and said their goodbyes with “Mummy Dust.”

The chance of Avenged Sevenfold disappointing the fans at Rock Allegiance this year was practically 0%. It’s been a while since Avenged Sevenfold has toured and fans were ready for something that was new and fresh. The band went on stage and opened with “Nightmare.” Fans could quickly point out that Avenged no longer had the extensive stage setup like they did on their Mayhem Festival run a few years back. This time, Avenged kept things simple with an empty stage and a giant LED screen. People who thought that was all they brought were definitely mistaken. It didn’t take long for the onslaught of flames to come from the back of the stage song after song. The new tour not only meant a new stage but also a refreshed setlist. This time around, Avenged played tracks like “Planets,” “Acid Rain,” “To End the Rapture,” and “Second Heartbeat.” The weekend ended with “Unholy Confessions,” instead of the typical encore of “A Little Piece of Heaven.”

At the end of the weekend, it would be hard to say fans were left disappointed. The lineup for both days of the festival was solid and seemed to have something for everyone. It may have been noticed by people at Rock Allegiance that it wasn’t close to a sold-out capacity crowd, but that doesn’t affect the experience negatively. With two other festivals going on over the same weekend, both within reasonable driving distance, Rock Allegiance held its ground and drew a decent size crowd for what it was up against. Hopefully next year, Chester, PA. can once again be the host of Rock Allegiance for the 3rd straight year.

September 26, 2016
Ghost Kick Off Popestar Tour in Rochester, NY

Ghost is back on the road once again and is giving fans their biggest show yet – the Swedish metal group, lead by Papa Emeritus III, kicked off their Popestar Tour Friday, September 16 in Rochester, NY. The show was held at the Main Street Armory which was home for a few days while the band worked out the kinks in the new production they were debuting for the first time ever.

The show was kicked off by the duo that goes by Zombi. It was a synth set that kept fans occupied while they waited patiently to see the debut of Ghost’s new production. Everyone knew it was time for Ghost when the lights dimmed and their signature entrance music “Masked Ball” played over the house speakers.

To coincide with their new release, the Popestar EP which hit shelves that day, Ghost opened up the night with “Square Hammer.” Fans in Rochester were the lucky ones who got to see the new single performed live for the first time ever. Together with a new stage setup, which featured a trippy looking black and white checkerboard floor, Ghost was full of surprises all night long.

It didn’t take long Friday night for fans to realize something besides the production was different on the stage. Although the Nameless Ghouls’ identities are kept secret, there was an apparent change in the band. As rumors sparked throughout the room and comments flooded live Facebook streams, it was confirmed that the Ghoul who goes by Omega had been replaced. Sadly, Omega, who was one of the original members of the band, was not in Rochester and would not be with the band on this tour. It remains unconfirmed whether or not Omega is gone for good, but he was certainly missed Friday night.

With Omega’s departure, it’s with open arms that fans of Ghost welcome a new member. This new member is handling bass duties for the band and the original bassist, Water, has taken over the second guitarist role. Any fan of Ghost could easily identify Water as the Ghoul who was taking over Omega’s role.

What fans couldn’t answer though was, “Who’s the new bass player?” The new bass player is certainly a tiny one, which leads many to believe that the new member is indeed a female. This tiny Ghoul, who rocks the red nail polish, seemed a bit nervous on stage at first but warmed up throughout the set. To help confirm the rumors about the new Ghoul, she used a black guitar pick that had a pink symbol for Water. Overall, for her first show, the new Ghoul did a great job in the Water role. Original Water, who’s now playing as Omega, was outstanding. As Papa Emeritus III said in previous shows when he introduced Water on the bass, he plays a mean guitar.

Once fans realized there were new faces behind the masks and processed that Omega wasn’t there, they were able to appreciate the new production the band brought. This time around, Ghost had pyro, CO2 cannons, and confetti cannons. Throughout the night, these added bonuses would pop up and give Ghost’s live show an added punch. Songs like “Square Hammer,” “From The Pinnacle To The Pit,” “Year Zero,” and a few others featured those new added bonuses.

Papa Emeritus III, the front man of Ghost, engaged the crowd all throughout the night. He took a poll of where the crowd came from and it seemed like Buffalo was the clear winner. Other cities Papa mentioned were Niagara Falls, Syracuse, Albany, and obviously Rochester. One of the best things about seeing Ghost live is the humor of Papa Emeritus III. It’s almost impossible to go see a Ghost show without laughing once.

The Popestar Tour setlist was fairly similar to what Ghost has been playing since Meliora came out, but the show is certainly different. Papa no longer introduces his Ghouls, which also supports the rumors of a lineup change. Some new songs have been added while others have been cut. The balance between albums Meliora, Infestissumam and Opus Eponymous was fairly done. The only song off the setlist that wasn’t part of those 3 albums was “Square Hammer.”

The night came to a close in typical Ghost fashion. The song, “Monstrance Clock,” has been Ghost’s go to song to end shows for quite some time. For anyone who hasn’t had the chance to see Ghost yet, this tour is the one to certainly check out. The Popestar Tour runs all the way through October and wraps up in Brooklyn, NY on November 12. From now until November, the Ghost will make their way all across the United States and select cities in Canada.

Setlist: Square Hammer (Live Debut), From The Pinnacle To The Pit, Secular Haze, Stand By Him, Con Clavi Con Dio, Per Aspera ad Inferi, Body and Blood, Devil Church, Cirice, Year Zero, He Is, Absolution, Mummy Dust, Ghuleh/Zombie Queen, Ritual, Monstrance Clock

September 22, 2016
KISS Brings the Freedom to Rock Tour to Rochester

It’s not often Rochester gets a massive arena rock show. On Monday August 29, the Blue Cross Arena welcomed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members, KISS on their Freedom to Rock tour. Monday night’s show marked the first time KISS had stopped in Rochester in over 15 years, the last tour being the Psycho Circus tour.

Before KISS stepped on stage to mark their return to Rochester, The Dead Daisies warmed up the crowd. To those who aren’t familiar with The Dead Daisies, they’re a pure Rock n’ Roll band that’s featured a who’s who of musicians over the years. The current lineup features singer John Corabi, lead guitarist Doug Aldrich, bassist Marco Mendoza, drummer Brian Tichy, and rhythm guitarist David Lowy. For those unfamiliar with some of the members, John Corabi was a member of Motley Crue. Doug Aldrich played guitar in Whitesnake and Dio. Marco Mendoza worked with Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy as their bass players. Finally, Brian Tichy spent some time handing drum duties for Ozzy Osbourne and Billy Idol.

The Dead Daisies played a 10 song set which featured songs from a few different albums, including their newest, Make Some Noise. Songs like “Make Some Noise,” and “Long Way to Go” were both tracks that came from last year’s album. The band also threw in some cover tracks such as “Fortunate Son,” by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Fans who were there early seemed to really enjoy the set. The band themselves seemed to have a great time on stage together. There were guitar picks getting thrown all around the stage and out into the crowd. To cap off their set, the band invited fans to come meet them at their merchandise booth afterwards.

Before the black curtain dropped, fans heard “Alright Rochester! You wanted the best! You got the best! The hottest band in the world, KISS!” The curtain then dropped and fireworks and smoke filled the stage while Gene, Paul and Tommy were being lifted down from their center stage platform. KISS wasted absolutely no time and opened with one of the biggest rock anthems ever, “Detroit Rock City”. Complete with pyrotechnics and fireworks, KISS brought Rochester the show it’s been waiting for.

Singer and guitarist Paul Stanley told the crowd they were getting a real rock show, without dancers humping each other, no musicians playing backstage and no backing tracks. It was incredible to see a band that started in the 70’s bring such a production and sound so good.

Before playing “God of Thunder,” Gene Simmons did his bass solo. Complete with dim lights, fog and undertaker-like music in the background, Gene’s platform in the middle of the stage rose to the top of the area. Once he was lowered back down is when the audience got to see the blood spitting and famous Simmons tongue action.

Paul did most of the talking between songs throughout the night. He told the crowd that it started to feel like a circus and welcomed everyone to the show. From that point, everyone knew that the band was about to play “Psycho Circus.” The song started out with the vintage KISS logo flashing on the giant LED screens in the background. At the end, there was another burst of fireworks like many of the previous songs.

After “Psycho Circus,” guitarist Tommy Thayer took over vocals for the song “Shock Me”. During the song, since Paul Stanley didn’t have vocals to worry about, he decided to show off his guitar skills. With all sorts of tricks up his sleeves, Stanley started playing the guitar between his legs with ease. At the end of “Shock Me,” Thayer did a guitar solo that ended with rockets being shot from the headstock of his guitar. He shot one to one side of the stage and then walked to the other side and shot a second rocket in the opposite direction. Thayer then finished off the solo in the center of the stage and shot a rocket directly up in the air.

A few songs later, Paul Stanley asked the audience, “How many of you people like to lick something?” After loud cheers back, Stanley said, “Rochester you are one dirty audience,” and the band went started “Lick It Up”. This track features more “pyro” from behind the band and lasers that shot around the venue. To add to the visual masterpiece KISS creates, drummer Eric Singer’s drum kit lifted up high in the air. Following along, the rest of the band got a lift up on their own platform in from of Singer.

When the band played “War Machine,” the LED screens had a war battle animation on them which was nicely done. The video showed a dragon that blew fire and the animation was perfectly timed with the pyrotechnics that went off on stage. KISS definitely has a great production team that helps them continue to put on one of the best live shows in the world. The end of the stage went dark with red spotlights circling around the arena. When the smoke filled the stage, Gene Simmons emerged with his lit torch and spit fire. This is something that Simmons has done for many years but never gets old and seems to always get better.

The next song of the night for Rochester was “Love Gun.” Before the song started, Paul Stanley once again took to the microphone and asked how everyone was doing so far. He went on to say how the band started in NYC and how Rochester was pretty close to home. Then Stanley said, “For all the times we’ve been here, tonight I wanna be down there with you. But you have to invite me.” After that is when Stanley got on his zipline and flew to a platform at the back of the floor next to the soundboard.

With singer and guitarist Paul Stanley still at his platform in the back of the arena, he performed a chilling guitar solo with the disco ball reflecting purple lights. This then led into the song “Black Diamond.” The song kicked off as Stanley landed back on the main stage. Simultaneously, fireworks exploded and the band did their thing. Once again, Eric Singer’s platform rose in the air and two panthers were on the LED screen to each side of Singer.

The encore kicked off slowly with the KISS classic, “Beth.” The song was sung by drummer Eric Singer who came down from his drum kit and stood front and center on the stage. Behind Singer was the rest of the band who performed the song with their acoustic instruments.

After “Beth,” the band brought out local military and gave them a salute. KISS had the crowd sing the Pledge of Allegiance before continuing to talk about their goals on the Freedom to Rock Tour. With the “KISS One Nation” on the LED screen, Stanley told the crowd that they were donating $150,o00 to the heroes. Stanley went to state that “patriotism is cool” and said “God bless America, thank you.” While the crowd roared in cheers of support, KISS started to perform the Star-Spangled Banner. Again, the center of the stage rose up with the band on board and the LED screen showed the Flag of the United States on it as more fireworks went off to help celebrate.

The evening ended in KISS fashion with “Rock and Roll All Nite.” The song was paired with endless confetti being shot from multiple areas. This was the perfect way to end the show. For those who may have missed KISS, do yourself a favor and check out their upcoming tour dates. They have plenty of shows scheduled in the New England region including shows in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

KISS Setlist: Detroit Rock City, Deuce, Shout It Out Loud, Do You Love Me, I Love It Loud, Flaming Youth, Bass Solo, God of Thunder, Psycho Circus, Shock Me, Guitar Solo (Tommy Thayer), Gold Gin, Lick It Up, War Machine, Love Gun, Guitar Solo (Paul Stanley), Black Diamond, Beth, The Star-Spangled Banner, Rock and Roll All Nite

September 2, 2016
Metallica Kicks Off Return With a Sold-Out Performance at U.S. Bank Stadium

The internet just recently exploded with the news that Metallica has finally set a date for their new album, Hardwired…To Self-Destruct. The world has been waiting for the follow up to Death Magnetic, which was released in 2008 and now fans now have their calendars marked for Nov. 18. To make the news even better, Metallica released its first single “Hardwired” the same day. The single was well received by both fans and critics, who all said it seemed like the band went back to its roots.

On Saturday, Aug. 20, Metallica was the very first rock band to play at the brand new U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Joining Metallica for this special occasion were Avenged Sevenfold and Volbeat. Months before the show, the event was completely sold-out. With the album news and the single dropping days before the show, the hype around Minneapolis was incredible.

The line outside the new home of the Minnesota Vikings was miles long, as excited fifth members of the Metallica family eagerly waited to get in and secure their spot on the rail. The night started off with Metallica’s friends and old tour-mates Volbeat. Volbeat has been busy on the road after its recent release Seal the Deal & Let’s Boogie. The band started things off with the first single from that album “The Devil’s Bleeding Crown.” The crowd response to Volbeat was great. Metallica fans seem to remember Volbeat quite well after their opening slot on the Death Magnetic tour.

Volbeat was given enough time to rip through ten songs. Other songs on the setlist included, “The Mirror and the Ripper,” “Sad Man’s Tongue” and “Hallelujah Goat.” Volbeat did a great job picking through a now decent size catalog. The band has gone through several lineup changes since its inception, including a recent change in bass players. Even with new blood in the band, Volbeat certainly still blend well together and put on a solid show. The performance ended with “Still Counting,” which left Minneapolis wanting more Volbeat except everyone in the crowd was ready for the mighty Metallica.

Before Metallica took the stage, Avenged Sevenfold had a chance to show the crowd that even though they’ve been quiet the last year, they still know how to kick ass. When the band took the stage, the venue was still quite empty, just as it was for Volbeat. Avenged opened with “Nightmare” and before fans knew it, there was a wall of fire behind the band. The pyrotechnics that Avenged Sevenfold brought with them were certainly a highlight of the entire evening. New drummer Brooks Wackerman did a spectacular job for just his second live performance with the group.

Avenged Sevenfold gave U.S. Bank Stadium fans hit after hit. Songs like “Beast and the Harlot,” “Hail to the King,” and “Almost Easy” were just some of what the band gave the audience. For the first time since 2012, the band played “God Hates Us.” The only downfall of watching Avenged as part as an opening slot was the short ten song set. There are not many bands that Avenged Sevenfold can open for, since they have the power to headline arenas and amphitheaters themselves. Singer M. Shadows said goodnight to the sold-out stadium with a killer performance of “Unholy Confessions” from their 2003 release Waking The Fallen.

As the lights dimmed and the giant video screens turned on, the familiar sounds of “The Ecstasy of Gold” began to play over the speakers. The video screens illuminated the sold-out U.S. Bank Stadium and there truly wasn’t an empty seat in the massive arena.

Lars Ulrich came out to his drum kit and kicked things off with “Creeping Death”. From the first note, the atmosphere in the stadium was electrifying. For a band that formed in the ’80s, Metallica has not lost its touch. There are not many metal bands that have the ability to sell out a 50,000+ stadium and Metallica did this months before the show happened.

The night’s stage was familiar to those who saw the “Night Before” show in San Francisco, where Metallica performed the night before the Super Bowl. The band and fans deemed the performance “Too Heavy For Halftime,” a title given after Metallica wasn’t picked to play halftime at the Super Bowl. The stage, fairly open and backed with the massive LED screens, was complimented by Metallica’s signature runway/snake pit. This circular catwalk gives a select number of lucky fans to be inside the catwalk and not get crushed in the crazy general admission crowd.

Metallica seemed to keep the setlist fairly generic for the special event. Fan favorites like “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “Fuel” and “The Unforgiven” could have been guessed by anyone before the show started. One of the highlights of the show was the band’s performance of “Leper Messiah.” The band gave their fifth members a poll to vote on what song they wanted the band to play. The die-hard Metallica fans knew what song they wanted to hear from the list, and they got their way. Although James Hetfield forgot to sing a portion of the lyrics, the band actually went back later in the night and replayed that part of the song. The band completely laughed it off and so did the crowd.

The biggest question of the night was if fans would hear the newly released single, “Hardwired.” Well, after ending the set with “Seek & Destroy,” Metallica kicked off the encore with “Hardwired”. This new single sounded even better live and the crowd went insane. If this first single is any indication on the path Metallica took for the upcoming album, fans will certainly be happy.

After “Hardwired,” the band chose “Whiskey in the Jar” as their cover for the evening. The night ended with “Nothing Else Matters” and “Enter Sandman.” At the end of “Enter Sandman,” there was a huge fireworks display that went off on each end of the stage. The fireworks came just feet from the new stadium roof. If anyone was going to destroy the brand new stadium, there would be no better way than to have Metallica do it.

For fans who stuck around shortly after James, Lars, Kirk and Robert said their goodbyes, they got to see a trailer for the new album that played on the LED screens. The hype for this November is going to be bigger than any other album Metallica has done. Surely to chart at #1, Metallica will be supporting their new release by hitting the road in early 2017.

Volbeat Setlist: The Devil’s Bleeding Crown, The Mirror and the Ripper, Sad Man’s Tongue, Hallelujah Goat, Dead but Rising, The Gates of Babylon, Doc Holliday, Seal the Deal, Radio Girl

Avenged Sevenfold Setlist: Nightmare, Critical Acclaim, Beast and the Harlot, Hail to the King, Buried Alive, Almost Easy, Afterlife, God Hates Us, Bat Country, Unholy Confessions

Metallica Setlist: Creeping Death, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Fuel, King Nothing, The Memory Remains, The Unforgiven, Leper Messiah, Welcome Home (Sanitarium), Sad But True, Wherever I May Roam, One, Master of Puppets, Battery, Fade to Black, Seek & Destroy, Hardwired, Whiskey in the Jar, Nothing Else Matter, Enter Sandman

August 30, 2016
Heavy Montréal Stands Strong With 30,000+ Metalheads

Once again, Montréal brought in thousands upon thousands of the world’s biggest heavy metal fans last weekend. The event known now as Heavy Montréal, was held on August 6 and 7 at the Plaine des Jeux at Parc Jean-Drapeau. The weekend was host to more than 37 bands that played across 3 different stages. Out of the 30,000+ fans that attended, approximately 23 countries were represented. Those countries include fans from, the United States, Germany, Australia, Brazil, Switzerland, France, Great Britain and more.

For those who attended the festival last year, there were two main differences. Those differences were the festival was dropped down to only Saturday and Sunday instead of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The other difference being in the actual festival grounds. This year, the festival moved to the smaller side of the island known as the Plaine des Jeux. Over the same weekend, metal fans may have run across many hipsters wearing their colorful tank tops and board shorts while taking the metro to Heavy Montréal. The reason for the mix of music scenes was because right next door at the old Heavy Montréal festival grounds was the ÎLESONIQ festival which was headlined by artists such as Zedd and Skrillex.

Anyways, back to the metal. Saturday was a busy day for everyone it seemed. Only the most loyal fans to the headlining bands camped along the rail all day to catch that one band they came for. Pop Evil was one of the bands who started off the weekend and they seemed to love Montréal and the crowd loved them. The band opened up with the crunching riff of “Deal With The Devil”. Festival sets are never long, so everyone has to bring their ‘A’ game. The crowd support and reaction at just 1:30 in the afternoon was incredible.

In the middle of the afternoon on Saturday, it seemed to go back and forth from one great artist to the next. Bands like The Dillinger Escape Plan, Skeletonwitch, Fear Factory and Kataklysm were only some of the options early in the day. Each of those bands all seemed to draw respective crowds which was surprising when some of the sets overlapped. Somehow it seemed like no matter who was playing next, each stage was packed.

Saturdays biggest surprise was Escape The Fate. Playing on the Blabbermouth.net stage, these guys absolutely stole the show. Skeptical on how the crowd would react at a festival dominated by “heavier” bands, Escape The Fate provided that breath of fresh air in the afternoon. The band’s setlist consisted of mainly songs off of their last 2 studio albums, which were both solid from start to finish.

Other bands that played Saturday that put on unforgettable performances were Sabaton, Sebastian Bach and Black Label Society. Sabaton had the best stage set of the entire weekend hands down. The Swedish power metal guys in Sabaton brought both pyro to their stage set and a tank. Yes, you read that correctly, a tank. To go along with the awesome stage show, Sabaton ripped through a 10 song set list that consisted of songs like “Ghost Division,” “To Hell and Back” and “Night Witches.”

Sebastian Bach, who everyone knows as the voice of Skid Row, seemed to surprise the audience with a high energy impressive set. Sebastian came on stage to “Slave to the Grind” and was headbanging while swinging his microphone around him. Sebastian connected with the Montréal crowd by speaking lots of French to them, which brought roars from the packed audience. Fans of the TV show “Trailer Park Boys” were present in the crowd, which is a show Sebastian is commonly featured on. Fans brought in a sign for Sebastian, which he took, not to rip up and throw away like Axl Rose would have done, but instead Sebastian held it up high with laughs and propped it up on stage. It could easily be seen that Sebastian was in high spirits and truly loved performing at Heavy Montréal.

Black Label Society was one band that not a single person in Montréal should have missed. Friday night the band played a headline show in the city and on Saturday once again at Heavy Montréal. Watching Zakk Wylde shred on the guitar is mind-blowing. The man can virtually play anything with his eyes closed. The band was tight and ripped through a quick 8 song setlist, highlighted by “Funeral Bell,” “Bleed for Me,” “Godspeed Hell Bound” and “Stillborn.” The end of the set wasn’t the end of Zakk for the weekend. Everyone knew that Zakk and his band would be back on Sunday for more, but not to perform as Black Label Society, but under Zakk’s name instead for a softer set.

The end of the day 1 for Heavy Montréal was capped off by Mastodon, Nightwish, and last but not least Five Finger Death Punch. Mastodon, who was scheduled to play last year’s Heavy Montréal but was forced to cancel, came back this year and gave fans what they’ve been waiting for. The group from Atlanta, Georgia mixed with tremendous talent all around has been on the round behind their 2014 release of Once More ‘Round the Sun. As many fans hoped, Mastodon focused on that album playing track from it such as “The Motherload” and personal favorite “High Road.” Other fan favorites from the set included “Oblivion”, “Divinations” and “Blood and Thunder.”

Nightwish made its only stop in North America of 2016 at Heavy Montréal. For being a symphonic metal band from Finland, the crowd support for Nightwish was unbelievable. The band opened with “Shudder Before the Beautiful” which was off their 2015 release Endless Forms Most Beautiful. Their latest album seemed to be the focus of the night with 5 songs played off it in total. The band brought in an impressive pyro display wish some fans certainly didn’t expect. Between the frequent pyro blasts right in front of singer Floor Jansen and guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, the C02 cannons going off gave Nightwish the complete production package.

Night 1 of Heavy Montréal was closed out by one of the most bad-ass bands of today, Five Finger Death Punch. These guys have been non-stop with a vicious cycle of releasing albums and touring without taking a break. Work has already begun for their next album after just recently putting out Got Your Six. The road warriors opened their set with “Lift Me Up” which was off Volume 1 of The Wrong Side of Heaven And The Righteous Side of Hell. With a short set and so many tracks to choose from, it’s hard for the band to really dig into their catalog. The guys seemed to try and keep everything balanced by playing at least 1 song off of 6 different albums. The night ended strong with “Got Your Six,” “Under and Over It” and “The Bleeding.” Five Finger Death Punch gave the crowd everything they had and the crowd showed no signs of letting up. Fans at Heavy Montréal were ready for day 2 before they even left the island.

Sunday started off with bands I Prevail and We Came As Romans. Both drew in the younger crowds early in the afternoon. I Prevail played their hit cover song “Blank Space” which was made famous by Taylor Swift. Surprisingly, this rendition was awesome and I Prevail really made it their own.

Guitar genius Tosin Abasi was on site Sunday with his band Animals as Leaders. This instrumental djent band drew in all the guitar nerds in the crowd over to the Scène HEAVY stage to get a glimpse at Tosin doing his thing. Animals as Leaders was definitely one of the standouts of the weekend for their uniqueness.

One of the summer’s biggest metal tours made their stop in Montréal on Sunday. The tour features Saint Asonia, Alter Bridge, Breaking Benjamin and Disturbed. Saint Asonia was the creation of Adam Gontier, formally of Three Days Grace and Mike Mushok of Staind. Joining them in Saint Asonia are Corey Lowery on bass and Rich Beddoe on drums. Basically a “supergroup” these guys have been going strong after their formation in 2014 and touring behind their 2015 self-titled release.

Hatebreed also played on Sunday. Many fans may have missed the fact that Hatebreed was at Heavy Montréal because they were a very late addition for Trivium who had to cancel last minute. For a last minute add-on, Hatebreed came to destroy Parc Jean-Drapeau. Ironically, the band opened up with “Destroy Everything” and then immediately went into “Looking Down The Barrel of Today.” The band a total of 4 songs off of The Concrete Confessional which was a heavy hitting album Hatebreed released last May.

Both Blind Guardian and Zakk Wylde drew big crowds on day 2 of Heavy Montréal. Blind Guardian who just played Wacken Open Air in Germany 2 days before coming to Montréal, had the best sound of the weekend. The German power metal band played a 8 song set that featured tracks from 6 different albums. The most popular album of the setlist for Blind Guardian was Nightfall in Middle-Earth. The tracks featured on that album that were played during the set were “Into the Storm,” “Mirror Mirror,” and “Time Stands Still(At The Iron Hill).”

Zakk Wylde was playing for his 3rd time in 3 days. This time just under the name Zakk Wylde, but still with his BLS bandmates on stage with him. The set started out with “Sold My Soul,” which seemed like a 20 minute guitar solo that features Zakk going nuts by playing behind his head and with his teeth. The band played “In This River” which is a Black Label Society song, but this version definitely had a different spin to it. Watching the band transform and play something completely different than the day before was very cool. There probably aren’t many bands out there that can do what Zakk and his Black Label crew could.

Sometime during the late afternoon the rain finally came down. While it started out as a light shower and then stopped, things changed shortly after with a downpour. The rain didn’t last long but from what fans were saying, it was the first time it had ever rained at Heavy Montréal.

As stated earlier, Alter Bridge was in Montréal and ready to show the city what they’re made of. Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti together make one of the best guitar combos in rock. Together, with the rest of Alter Bridge, the band puts on an incredible live performance. Myles is one of the best vocalist there are today and the band creates some heavy hitting riffs that are hard to get out of your head once you hear them. Songs like “Come To Life,” “Ties That Bind,” “Isolation” and “Addicted to Pain” are just some of what Alter Bridge played during their short set. The only thing that can be said is that Alter Bridge needs to do a headlining tour and come back to Montréal very soon. With a new album The Last Hero due out on October 7, Alter Bridge fans may very well get that headlining tour they’ve been wanting.

One of the best bands of the day if not the best overall was the mighty Killswitch Engage. The guys in Killswitch Engage squeezed in 11 songs into their short set time and showed every other band over the weekend how it’s done. Guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz lead the charge and opened up the set with “My Curse.” Between songs Dutkiewicz made sure the crowd did not calm down. This was definitely the set to see at Heavy Montréal. The crowd was a constant circle pit with crowd surfers and topless chicks. To sum it all up, the word would be chaos. Vocalist Jesse Leach was quite impressive in his ability to not only cover his original songs, but also some of the songs Howard Jones originally sang on. Songs like “Rose of Sharyn,” “The End of Heartache,” and “Holy Diver” sounded incredible with Jesse back in the band. On top of that, their newest material from Incarnate and Disarm the Descent was absolutely killer live. The mix of fast brutal riffs and energy Killswitch Engage brings to the table makes them a hard act to top for the rest of Heavy Montréal.

The 8th Heavy Montréal was closed out with Breaking Benjamin, Volbeat and Disturbed. Breaking Benjamin has been on the road ever since their release of Dark Before Dawn in 2015. With Benjamin Burnley is the only original member left in the band and he’s done a spectacular job filling the spaces next to him on stage. The reformed Breaking Benjamin sounds awesome together, especially Ben. It’s a pleasure to be able to see Ben back out on the road playing songs such as “So Cold,” “Breath,” “I Will Not Bow” and last but not least “The Diary of Jane.” To add to that, the new material off of Dark Before Dawn is also great live and the crowd in Montréal certainly helped Ben out by singing basically every word alongside with him.

Volbeat, who just released Seal the Deal & Let’s Boogie came out with “The Devil’s Bleeding Crown.” The highlight of their set was performing “Evelyn” with the Barney from Napalm Death. Volbeat who now features a new bass player, Kaspar Boye Larsen and Rob Caggiano on guitar, still puts on a great live show, but the energy on stage was missing that came from their former bass player Anders, who left the band last year. The band was sure to play hits like “Sad Man’s Tongue,” which was introduced with a little “Ring of Fire” intro by Johnny Cash. The crowd was definitely familiar with Volbeat and their love and respect for Johnny Cash. The night for Volbeat ended with “Still Counting” and just about everyone at the festival could be heard singing, “Counting all the assholes in the room,” even the people waiting across the way waiting for Disturbed.

Back from their hiatus and hitting the road after releasing Immortalized, Disturbed has been destroying every arena, amphitheater and festival it can play at. Heavy Montréal was no exception to that statement. Bringing an onslaught of pyro, just like Nightwish did the evening before, David Draiman and the rest of Disturbed were there to show Montréal they were back and meant business. The set opened with “Ten Thousand Fists,” “The Game” and “The Vengeful One.” For a band that took a long break, one would expect them to be rusty and still not be in the swing of things. Not Disturbed, this band is a well oiled machine that shows no signs of slowing down. The biggest surprise was hearing the band play “Land of Confusion,” a song that hasn’t been featured in their setlist often on tour. The band obviously played it’s insanely popular cover of Simon & Garfunkel, “The Sound of Silence.” Just about every cell phone and lighter was in the air for this song and it was a powerful performance to say the least. The night was full of other hits like “Stupify,” “Inside the Fire,” “Stricken,” “Indestructible” and “Voices.” The night and entire weekend came to a close with the song that just about everyone in the world could have predicted, “Down With the Sickness.” This was the perfect ending for a perfect weekend of metal music at Heavy Montréal.

If anyone has thought about going to Montréal for this festival, it’s highly recommended. The city is beautiful, the people are friendly and getting to and from the festival is easy. On top of that, Heavy Montréal is one of the most organized and put together festivals in North America. Look for a lineup announcement coming to NYS Music for Heavy Montréal 2017 early next year.

August 16, 2016
Steel Panther Brings Hair Metal To The Sherman Theater

On Saturday, July 30, the greatest 80s hair-metal band to not come out of the 80s took over the Sherman Theater. Steel Panther, the comedic hair-metal/glam-metal band came to Stroudsburg, PA to give fans a taste of what they can’t get anymore, unless they’re listening to classic-rock radio stations that have been playing the same songs for 30 years.

Unlike bands like Motley Crue, Van Halen, Skid Row, etc. Steel Panther can give fans a live performance that’s absolutely spot on. Perhaps it’s because the band only got its start in the early 2000s or maybe they have some special potion that keeps their musical talents from slipping away.

After releasing a live acoustic album called Live From Lexxi’s Mom’s Garage Steel Panther has been playing gigs in select cities. Between gigs the band has also been working on its official follow-up album to 2014’s All You Can Eat. While fans are anxiously waiting for new material, they get to watch Steel Panther do what they do best out on the road.

Saturday’s set started off with “Eyes of a Panther,” which is off Steel Panther’s official debut album Feel the Steel. The debut album seemed to be focused on the most throughout the night. Over half the setlist came from that first album, but the crowd didn’t seem to care.

As always, Steel Panther’s show wasn’t without the jokes, banter, and crowd interaction with the ladies. Even though some of the act may be repetitive for some fans, that didn’t stop them from laughing hysterically. For fans who aren’t familiar with Steel Panther, mix together a glam-metal band with Dr. Dirty and that’s what is created.

Lead singer Michael Starr, at the age of 51, continues to exceed expectations for live performances. At his age, Starr continues to blow away fellow vocalists in his age group. Singers from other 80s bands should be getting on top of their game before Starr takes their job. Starr and fellow guitarist both played in the Van Halen cover band called The Atomic Punks, so if Van Halen ever needs a new singer, Starr should be getting a phone call.

During Satchel’s guitar solo, he made his way up to the drum kit. From the kit, Satchel played some famous guitar riffs while also playing the bass drum. Watching Satchel play is just mesmerizing. The guy comes up with some bitchin’ riffs and can shred up and down the neck of the guitar with ease. Michael Starr and guitar master Satchel shouldn’t be getting all the credit though. Lexxi Foxx and Stix Zadinia do a kick-ass job on the bass and drum-kit.

The only downfall of the night was that it seemed to end too fast. Only playing 15 songs including a guitar solo just doesn’t seem to feed the Steel Panther hunger. With more songs though, the band would probably have to cut out the comedic segments between songs and that’s a part of the experience.

Setlist: Eyes of a Panther, Tomorrow Night, Fat Girl, Party Like Tomorrow Is the End of the World, Let Me Cum In, Asian Hooker, Turn Out the Lights, Guitar Solo, Ten Strikes You’re Out, Girl From Oklahoma, 17 Girls in a Row, Gloryhole, Community Property, Party All Day, Death to All but Metal

[FinalTilesGallery id=’924′]

August 4, 2016
Whitesnake Fills Artpark For A Night Of Greatest Hits

On Tuesday, June 28th, Whitesnake and special guests Whitford/St. Holmes rolled into Lewiston, NY for an unforgettable night at Artpark.

The evening started off just after 7PM with Whitford/St. Holmes. For those who were unfamiliar with the band, they surely put two and two together once the two legends took the stage. Nearly 40 years ago, Brad Whitford left Aerosmith to team up with Ted Nugent vocalist Derek St. Holmes to do an album and a tour. Now in 2016, the duo have another album and are getting the crowds ready each night for Whitesnake. Together, Whitford and St. Holmes cranked through 6 songs off their new album Reunion and ended with a mix of Aerosmith/Nugent tracks. For fans of that pure rock/blues rock genre, Whitford/St. Holmes truly bring it. As an added bonus, immediately after their set, both Whitford and St. Holmes stopped by the merch booth to sign copies of Reunion and meet fans.

After a quick stage change, the sound of “My Generation” by The Who came over the PA. This sound meant it was time to start the show and out walked the man everyone came to see, David Coverdale. Forming Whitesnake in 1978 after leaving Deep Purple, Coverdale has been the front-man ever since. Joining Coverdale in Whitesnake on Tuesday, were Tommy Aldridge on drums, Reb Beach and Joel Hoekstra on guitar, Michael Devin on bass and Michele Luppi on keyboards.

The set kicked off with the track “Bad Boys” which was off the 1987 release Whitesnake. From that point, the crowd knew that the band was there for business. Labeled as “The Greatest Hits Tour”, Coverdale and the rest of Whitesnake surely delivered that to Artpark. Fans probably could have guessed what Whitesnake was going to play that evening but that wasn’t the point. It’s not often an iconic band such as Whitesnake comes to Lewiston, NY to play the beautiful Artpark. Judging from the turnout, everyone seemed to agree and bought tickets for the show. Artpark always offers great prices to their shows and at their concession stands.

One of the highlights of the night was watching Reb Beach and Joel Hoekstra on guitar. The two went back and forth all night trading guitar licks and ripping solos. The two of them play with such ease and know how to perform. Both Beach and Hoekstra have great résumés. Beach has worked with bands such as Winger, Dokken, Alice Cooper and more. Joel Hoekstra, on the other hand, played for Night Ranger and was a member of the Trans Siberian Orchestra.

Fans both young and old were spotted throughout the crowded amphitheater. Parents, who’ve been listening to Whitesnake for what seems like ages now, brought out their kids to see the show. Seeing generations rock out together to songs like “Slow an’Easy”, “Is This Love” and “Here I Go Again” goes to show how timeless these songs are. Whitesnake’s legacy is one that is surely going to last forever.

Coverdale and the rest of Whitesnake ended the night with the hard-hitting track “Still of the Night” off their 1987 self-titled album. Coverdale, for being 64 years old, still sings the classic hits, like this one, incredibly well and left the audience standing begging for more.

Whitesnake Setlist

Bad Boys, Slide It In, Love Ain’t No Stranger, The Deeper The Love, Fool For Your Loving, Sailing Ships/Judgement Day, Guitar Solo, Slow an’Easy, Bass Solo, Crying In The Rain, Drum Solo, Is This Love, Give Me All Your Love, Here I Go Again, Still Of The Night.

Whitford/St. Holmes Setlist

Shapes, Rock All Day, Hell Is On Fire, Gotta Keep On Movin’, Shake It, Hot For You, Dayjob Medley (Last Child/Train Kept A-Rollin’/Stranglehold)

[FinalTilesGallery id=’842′]

July 3, 2016