Category: Show Reviews

Mountain Jam 2016: Day 3

Saturday, the main day of Mountain Jam 2016 had arrived. Attendees stepped out into a brand new day of the weekend. The warmth started to set in as the fog fully broke at about 9 a.m. It was easy to tell the day ahead of music and festivities would be glorious, sun-filled and containing an item that many people would be crossing off of their musical bucket lists after nightfall.

The day started off with an act in Healey Hall that has helped bridge the parent-child festival gap at Mountain Jam for multiple years. Ratboy Jr., comprised of Timmy Sutton (rhythm acoustic, electric guitar, vocals) and Matty Senzatimore (drums, keyboards, bells, vocals) provide families with a friendly place to bring their children first thing in the morning. As we all know, the children get up early and must be entertained. Described as “Ween-esque,” whose “intergalactic folk music is paired with curious subject matter like eating clouds, high five-ing shadows, big-headed Mexican wrestling hopefuls, space fuzz and guitar pickin’ chickens,” by Out With The Kids, Ratboy Jr. has become just as important of an act at Mountain Jam as most other supporting acts the core attendees arrive to see.

Once the children had their fill of silliness to hold them over until after nap time, the rest of the spectacular and diverse schedule of music, events and workshops started to unfold. Next up in Healey Hall was the Paul Green Rock Academy, a school in Saugerties, NY, that is driven to show kids a path to success onstage through interactive performance-based lessons, with the goal of creating genuine music through creativity and experience. While the kids were rocking out the Hall, Rochester-based Mikaela Davis was performing on the Valley Stage. Mikaela was a late addition to the bill when Gary Clark Jr. had to suddenly back out. Shortly after, Darlingside, a Cambridge, MA, indie-folk band, hit the Mountain Stage. NYS Music was fortunate enough to be nearby when Darlingside stopped by Radio Woodstock’s live broadcast area for a quick set and captured a clip on Instagram.

The Mountain and Valley Stages’ next acts were dynamite, to say the least. After Mikaela Davis played, Con Brio, Son Little, Lettuce and Houndmouth finished out the Saturday music on the Valley Stage. Alternating from those acts on the Mountain Stage were Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, the Record Company, a Warren Haynes solo set (another addition from the Gary Clark Jr. cancellation) and Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats. Each of the last acts on the two concert field stages played to the audience as dusk turned to night.

While those bands played their sets, Healey Hall was home to a couple of workshops, one by Jay Blakesberg, in which he gave an abridged version of his book tour presentations he gives all over the country. Jay told NYS Music that he normally talks a lot longer about his books, but since he only had 45 minutes he chose to dedicate more time to a question-and-answer session and signing books for fans. There was also a documentary on Lettuce follow by an opportunity for participants’ questions, and then another documentary called A History of Cannabis in America. These events helped many attendees get more out of this mountain festival by allowing an in-depth view into portions of the music industry.

Once the sun was down, the face of the mountain filled to the point that a nine-year veteran attendee exclaimed that the crowd was the largest he’s ever seen on a Saturday night. He hypothesized that it could be attributed to large single-day ticket sales sparked by the 9:30 p.m. act, Beck. Unlike most acts at festivals, Beck came out late, but no one was upset once he hit the stage.

Beck opened up his set with “Devil’s Haircut” and naturally, the crowd erupted with cheers. Anyone who has seen one of his shows knows just how amazing the next hour and a half went. The set list of Beck’s performance was equally as eclectic as his history of songwriting and production. Aside from the opener, he played hits like “Loser,” “Que Onda Guero” and “E-Pro.” He also paid homage to the late artists Prince and David Bowie by covering “Raspberry Beret” in the latter half of his set and by playing part of “China Girl” during his band introductions in the middle of the encore, “Where It’s At.” Once Beck’s set was over, no one could stop talking about how electrifying he was. However, there wasn’t a soul who was worried about a lull in the fun, since the late-night acts to come were certain to keep people’s ears filled with topnotch music and help their feet continue to kick the dust around with a variety of impromptu dance moves.

The first act of the late night was Con Brio, playing their second set of the night, but this time in Healey Hall, which due to the last-minute schedule changes overlapped Beck’s set by a half hour. Next up was Thievery Corporation on the Mountain Stage. Lettuce finished off Saturday’s music in Healey Hall and played to a packed house, while the oh-so-common Mountain Jam rain finally made its first appearance of the weekend.

Slowly, but surely, people made their way back to their campsites to ensure everything was watertight in anticipation of any increased precipitation. The biggest hope on everyone’s mind was that the rain would move in and out while everyone was sleeping so Sunday’s big acts like Michael Franti, Brandi Carlisle and the Avett Brothers would be able to perform under clear skies. Little did they know the weather had different plans for Sunday.

Check out the photos below taken by our staff photographer, Steve Malinski, throughout Day Three of Mountain Jam.

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June 7, 2016
Dark Star Orchestra Treats Buffalo Crowd to Three Sets

Back in 1972 the cost of a gallon of gas was 55 cents. Richard Nixon was our nation’s president, soon to experience a fall from grace. The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI. “American Pie” by Don McLean was #1 on the music charts. March 25, 1972 was the date in Grateful Dead history that Dark Star Orchestra helped us relive in Buffalo. That original show took place at the Academy of Music in New York City.

DSO took the stage at the sold out Town Ballroom in Buffalo NY right after 8:00 p.m. They started the night off with the classic “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You).” They would close the first set with “Bertha.” Throughout the night they teased the crowd saying they might play three sets.

By the start of the second set, DSO seemed to be feeding off the enormous amount of energy that the crowd was providing. “Mr. Charlie” got things started with set two. They would close this energetic second set with the sing a long classic “Casey Jones.”

The third set did not directly correlate with this date in Grateful Dead history. It was a filler set but you couldn’t ask for a better way to close out four hours of beautiful music. Songs like “Black Throated Wind” and “Tangled Up In Blue” really seemed to hit the sweet spot with the crowd. All in all it was a beautiful night of music. The crowd consisted of old school and new school Dead Heads. No matter what their age, every last one of them left the Town Ballroom with a huge smile on their face.

Set One: How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You), Are You Lonely For Me Baby, Next Time You See Me, Brown Eyed Women, Smokestack Lightnin’, Sitting On Top Of The World, Sugaree, Looks Like Rain, Bertha

Set Two: Mr Charlie, Black Throated Wind, Deal, Playing In The Band, Turn On Your Lovelight, Casey Jones

Set Three (Filler): Chinatown Shuffle, Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues, Black-Throated Wind, Positively 4th Street, Tangled Up In Blue

June 6, 2016
Eagles of Death Metal Fly High at Upstate Concert Hall

There’s nothing quite like a good, old fashioned rock and roll show on a Tuesday night, am I right? Concert goers of all ages turned out on a summer-y weeknight at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park to see Palm Desert natives Eagles of Death Metal slay with their own brand of blues-rock.

Don’t let their name fool you, folks. They are NOT a death metal band. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) They are a rock and roll band. Unapologetic for their riff-heavy, get ya dancin’, tight jeans and leather jacket brand of rock- they even entered with panache. Frontman, Jesse “Boots Electric” Hughes came out on stage to E.L.O’s “It’s Magic,” proudly waving an American flag for all to see.

Hughes has not been a stranger to the headlines lately, being an avid Trump supporter, and a self proclaimed “gun-totin’ American.” The band themselves gained worldwide notoriety after the terrorist attacks at Bataclan in Paris this past November, where at a sold out show of 1500 people, 89 concert goers were tragically gunned down. Eagles of Death Metal made their return to Paris onstage with U2, giving a powerful performance of Patti Smith’s “People Have The Power.”

Fast forward to now, on their American Tour, their past tragedy not quite behind them, the band has created a new fan base of listeners. Their latest release, “Zipper Down” is filled with catchy, strut-worthy pieces, and they hit on all the best at Upstate Concert Hall.

The band opened with “I Only Want You” from their 2004 release, Peace, Love and Death Metal. The crowd immediately roared with delight, dancing, jumping, and sweating with Hughes. Keeping the momentum, they continued on to “Secret Plans” from 2008’s Heart On. Hughes co-founder and Queens of the Stone Age frontman, Josh Homme was not part of the night’s lineup, though it seemed he was there in spirit. At one point a fan screamed out “BETTER THAN HOMME” to his tour drummer. This delighted Hughes, who said he couldn’t wait to “call him up and tell him that. He’s gonna love that.” EODM then started playing their new material off of Zipper Down, starting with their single, “Complexity.” It was great to see the crowd chanting in unison, “My socks and underwear, I like to keep them clean. It’s so easy without complexity!” After that, the band performed “Skin Tight Boogie Baby,” a personal favorite off of their new album, for the very first time in front of a live crowd. “That means we’re going to f*ck it up,” boasted Hughes, though no mistakes were heard during the performance.

I’d be remiss to not mention the amazing sounds of Nashville female rockers, Thelma and the Sleaze, who are supporting Eagles of Death Metal on this leg of their tour. They really know how captivate an audience. Lead singer and guitarist, LG, looking like Janis Joplin, but sounding like Stevie Nicks mixed with a fire banshee, was all business, with no frills. It was so refreshing to see 4 women rock so hard. I’m sure they are used to taking people by storm, and Tuesday night was no exception.

The entire night was filled with pure, unadulterated rock and roll. The kind of rock and roll that flows through your veins and gets you excited about music again, and makes you feel something. Raw, visceral, sweaty, and fun. It was a fantastic evening, and I’m sure anyone who was there will say the same.

June 5, 2016
The Stars Shone Bright at the Lakeview Ampitheater’s First Concert of the Summer with Ringo Starr

You couldn’t have dialed up a better evening to hold the first concert of the season at the Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse Friday night, kicking off the summer concert series was the perfect show for the perfect night with Ringo Starr and His All Star Band.

With 80-degree temperatures, a slight breeze off the water and a utopic atmosphere, Ringo and his bandmates took to the stage early in the day to speak with media and answer questions about the upcoming summer tour. Having a chance to speak with all the talent on the stage was a surreal moment for this photographer/journalist, especially having owned and played his “You’re Sixteen” and “Photograph” 45’s over and over again until they skipped from wear and tear, was definitely a highlight of my career, and a little nerve wrecking as you can imagine.

As the band took the stage one by one, they all settled in and we were treated to a teaser of music from the show to come that evening. The little snippets of music were tantalizing and as the question and answer session began afterward, I knew that I had to ask them all something relevant and memorable, wanting to gain insight into each of their personalities. Little did I know, that I would be able to make Ringo laugh as I shared my lovable, but blonde personality with him and the band during my turn at the mic. This peek into each musician’s personality, and how Ringo had effected them on their musical journey, was insightful and exciting as they shared special moments of songs they first heard from Ringo. (in order as they speak on soundbite – Steve Lukather, Richard Page, Todd Rundgren, Warren Ham, Gregg Rolie, Gregg Bissonette and Ringo Starr)

As the press conference ended, the anticipation began to mount as the crowds made their way to the main gate. For those coming to future shows I highly recommend taking a look at this map and planning your trip accordingly. There are still some kinks to work out, however, as the summer goes on, these will be addressed I am sure. This venue is spectacular, and the views of the water and sunset that occur are breathtaking.

As the band took to the stage for the main event, Ringo’s sense of humor shone through immediately as he thanked everyone for coming to the venue built for him to perform. He also let those arriving late know that he would happily begin again so that they didn’t miss anything. It is this lovable and quirky personality that has endeared him to us for all these years. He was exactly as I imagined he would be; not pretentious at all, but down to earth, lovable, witty and fun to watch play and sing the entire night.

The entire evening of music was a trip down memory lane. Each band member shone through as they took their turn to sing their hits and play their parts. Gregg Rolie, who played with Santana at the original Woodstock, and some of my favorite albums as a member of Journey, was on keyboards and set a groove for the night as he played and sang hits such as “Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen” and “Oye Como Va.” Definitely setting the mood and getting the crowd up and dancing, Rolie brought a Latin flavor to the evening with his additions to the setlist.

I was amused and impressed with my first time seeing Todd Rundgren perform. He had the audience up on their feet as he played “Bang the Drum All Day,” and his ability to punctuate the end notes on “Rosanna” and other songs throughout the night with high kicks, totally endeared him to the audience as they looked on grinning.

Warren Ham, who played in Bloodrock, Kansas, and AD, may have been high on the riser, but got down with his percussion, hit all of the high notes while up there, and rocked all wind instruments, especially on “Photograph,” stirring up the crowd and jazzing up the stage.

As I watched Gregg Bissonette play along side Ringo, their different styles were extremely complimentary. His energy and sideways smiles and glances toward Ringo sitting to the right have to be moments one could only dream of as a drummer.

The crowd inciter of the evening was Steve Lukather, who got the crowd up off their seats and singing along to not only his songs from Toto such as “Hold the Line,” “Rosanna” and “Africa,” but his guitar riffs and solos all night long were spot on and blew away the audience with cheers and ovations upon completion.

Richard Page from Mr. Mister delivered three of my favorite songs of the evening when he sang “Kyrie” and “Broken Wings,” and a newer one called “You Are Mine.” Between the background percussion from Ringo on the cajon, Steve Lukather’s guitar and crystal clear vocals, this beautiful ballad had a Caribbean feel and blended in nicely with the two songs following with the same rhythm. You would think that having such diverse musicians with such diverse sounds on the setlist would not flow smoothly. However that was not the case at all. The music flowed effortlessly, delivering hit after hit.

Finally, to watch Ringo perform was magical and mystical for everyone. His fun loving delivery of his songs and lyrics, facial expressions, witty banter and laying down the beats for those around him on stage definitely shone the brightest and is what makes him the Starr. To say there was a favorite moment or song would be tough to pinpoint, however, “Act Naturally,” a Buck Owens song found the crowd singing and dancing along. As the night grew darker, the music grew brighter with “Yellow Submarine,” “Photograph” and “A Little Help From My Friends,” engaging the audience and having them sing and dance along.

It didn’t matter what age you were, everyone knew the words, everyone knew the melody, and everyone sang along. All night long I found myself on my feet, hands clapping, and singing along as though I was back as a teenager once again listening to “She’s Sixteen” on my turntable.

Setlist: Matchbox (Carl Perkins cover), It Don’t Come Easy (Ringo Starr song), What Goes On (The Beatles cover), I Saw the Light (Todd Rundgren cover), Evil Ways (Willie Bobo cover), Rosanna (Toto cover), Kyrie (Mr. Mister cover), Bang the Drum All Day (Todd Rundgren cover), Boys (The Shirelles cover), Don’t Pass Me By (The Beatles cover), Yellow Submarine (The Beatles cover), Black Magic, Woman/Gypsy Queen (Santana cover), You’re Sixteen (Johnny Burnette cover), I’m the Greatest (Ringo Starr song), You Are Mine (Richard Page cover), Africa (Toto cover), Oye Como Va (Tito Puente cover), I Wanna Be Your Man (The Beatles cover), Love Is the Answer (Utopia cover), Broken Wings (Mr. Mister cover), Hold the Line (Toto cover), Photograph (Ringo Starr song). Act Naturally (Buck Owens cover), With a Little Help From My Friends (The Beatles cover), Give Peace a Chance (Plastic Ono Band cover)

Ringo will be touring up until his birthday celebration on July 2 in Los Angeles. Below please find the shows near your area. On July 7, Ringo has invited everyone to join him in front of Capitol Records in LA for his annual Peace and Love birthday event. Having celebrated each year since 2008 in this manner, Ringo hopes to bring awareness and spread peace and love to all on this planet.

June 5 Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY
June 7 Bergen Performing Arts Center, Englewood, NJ
June 8 Cross Insurance Center, Bangor, ME
June 10 Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, Gilford, NH
June 11 DCU Center, Worcester, MA
June 14 FM Kirby Center, Wilkes-Barre, PA
June 12 Santander Arena, Reading, PA
June 15 St. George Theatre, Staten Island, NY
June 18 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
June 17 Warner Theatre, Washington DC
June 19 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
June 21 Foellinger Theatre, Fort Wayne, IN
June 22 Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH
June 23 Fox Theatre, Detroit, MI
June 25 Pinewood Bowl Theater, Lincoln, NE
June 26 Hartman Arena, Wichita, KS
June 28 Paramount Theatre, Denver, CO
July 1 Humphreys Concerts, San Diego, CA
July 2 The Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

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June 5, 2016
Mountain Jam 2016: Day 2

On June 3, festival-goers awoke in their tents, RVs, and hotel rooms to a beautiful day ahead. The temperature was in the low 60s, there was some light comfortable wind blowing through the mesh of tents, and some clouds in the sky, which kept the sun from waking people up hot and sweaty. Most importantly, there was the first full day of Mountain Jam 2016 ahead.

The day of music got underway on the Valley Stage with The Suitcase Junket, a one-man-band out of Amherst, MA. Matt Lorenz entertained the crowd with his adaptation of a music man, crooning out sweet lyrics, while smoothly playing a combination of a variety of instruments to accentuate those heartfelt vocals.

The next couple of acts to hit the Valley Stage were Marcus King Band and Love Canon. Marcus King and his band proved to be a crowd favorite and was invited to play a small acoustic set live on Radio Woodstock, which is broadcasting on-site all weekend. NYS Music captured a moment of that radio set on Instagram. Love Canon, a fast-paced bluegrass band with a keen ability to cover Top 100 songs got the late-afternoon crowd fired up for the evening to come. Their covers of J. Geils Band’s “Centerfold” and Africa’s “Toto” ensured that as few butts were on the grass or in chairs as possible.

The Mountain Stage had its first act early in the afternoon, with And The Kids, a band based in Northampton, MA, who labels themselves as not just indie rock, but as an existential and accessible form of music. After this unique and subtle yet powerful trio was a band who has worked hard to be thought provoking with the depth to assist generations with escaping the ease of apathy. That band with such an intense charge is Nahko and Medicine for the People. NYS Music was fortunate enough to catch a few minutes with Nahko, an artist with a great heart and his mind truly in an enlightened state.

“A lot of the music that I eventually opened up to that fueled my own style of writing came from [the Sixties]. The old story-telling of a time when there was a very strong movement, as far as a social movement goes, to become aware of yourself and to be involved in your political structure and to be involved in making democracy work for the people.” He goes on to explain that he doesn’t see his music having a political drive. Instead he prefers to label it as having political content and some non-fictional history lessons, which is ultimately positioned to open fans’ minds in order to do their part in shaping a better world.

The Santa Monica, CA based band was here playing their first Mountain Jam and were excited to say the least. The only disappointment was that they had to leave almost directly after their set. However, the reason was nothing short of incredible: they are performing at a Bernie Sanders rally in San Diego, CA.

The Mountain Stage then welcomed Courtney Barnett, the Melbourne, Australia-based singer, song writer, guitarist and all-around bad-ass performer. Courtney brought her attitude-filled full-bodied sound to the Catskill Mountains, introducing many to her music and galvanizing the crowd when she played The Grateful Dead’s “New Speedway Boogie” for her first time ever in front of an audience. NYS Music posted a clip of that excellent cover on Instagram as it happened.

Immediately after the Australian indie-rocker finished her set, Brooklyn’s own Turkuaz got things started on the Valley Stage. Anyone who has seen this power funk ensemble knows that the impending set they stand anxiously waiting to see will fill everyone’s ears with a ground shaking orchestration. Turkuaz shows everyone why this relatively young band has started to gain the momentum that is likely to carry them to very high places in the national music scene and possibly beyond.

As the evening led into night, Mountain Jam 2016 was captivated by the music of Jason Isbell and Chris Robinson Brotherhood, who was making their return after having been on the Mountain Jam X billing in 2014. By the time CRB was wrapping up their ever-soul-filled set, dusk had settled in nicely and the previously anticipated rain had decided to issue a stay of aquatic festival execution.

The soon to be chilly night was then taken over by an incredible pair of Mountain Stage acts. Wilco was tasked with firing up the crowd for the historical host of Mountain Jam, Warren Haynes. The veteran band completed their assignment with mastery, giving a massive crowd of long-time Wilco fans and first-timers alike the 90’s alternative rock fix they’d been seeking, whether they knew it or not.

After Wilco, there was a 30 minute lull. That gave people enough time to run and prepare for the host to present his musical bounty. Gov’t Mule took the stage just before 11:00 pm to a crowd itching to hear the drawl of that Southern rock. It’s not easy to forget how breathtaking of a show the Mule gives its fans, but if someone in that crowd had forgotten, they were immediately reminded when the band opened up with the Black Sabbath cover “Sweet Leaf.” They proceeded to give the audience some of their favorites, including “Thorazine Shuffle” and “Funny Little Tragedy,” which finished with a “Thorazine” reprise, Traffic’s “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” “Mule,” in which the festival was teased with riffs of “Shakedown Street,” and then finished with a “Soulshine” encore.

When Warren and his crew of troubadours left the Mountain Stage the crowd was split in two. Those who filed toward Healey Hall for The New Mastersounds and those who sought the comfort of their camp sites, RVs and hotels after a long first full day of Mountain Jam 2016. For the latter, rest was needed to ensure the best experience of the Saturday of music and events to come, while the former knew that it would take a powerful force to stop their momentum.

Today, the third day of the 12th annual Mountain Jam, the festival-goers are in store for a day filled with amazing music and other incredible events. Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds, Beck and Thievery Corporation have Mountain Stage duties. Son Little, Lettuce and Houndmouth will be playing their sets on the Valley Stage. All the while there will be workshops, documentaries and Q&As from the likes of Jay Blakesberg and Lettuce. Late night will be covered by the sounds of Con Brio and then Lettuce. Whether you haven’t yet streamed Mountain Jam 2016 or if you have all along, be sure to visit Tourpedo to stream all of these great artists. In the meantime, check out these galleries from yesterday by our staff photographer, Steve Malinski.

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June 4, 2016
Mountain Jam 2016: Day 1

On the first day of the 2016 Mountain Jam at Hunter Mountain, there was a much expected buzz throughout the festival grounds. Thursdays of a four-day festival can be one of the greatest days; it’s the kick-off to the annual celebration of music and arts. Attendees, staff and volunteers are just gaining their bearings for the weekend to come, but most notably, Thursdays tend to be a bit more exclusive. Not everyone has a schedule that allows for them to arrive so early, making attendance on the first day much lighter than the rest. This was the case in Hunter on June 2.

Mountain Jam 2016 kicked off on the Valley Stage with a quartet of consecutive acts who were not only the musical welcoming committee as the first wave of fans poured in, but they were the catalyst for a day and evening of incredible music. Jane Lee Hooker, a New York City-based blues quintet, were first to play. The all-female blues band brought fervor and soul to the stage, which proved their respect to the blues craft and their namesake, John Lee Hooker. Next up was the Capital Region’s own Wild Adriatic; they lived up to expectation and performed an amazing set, which only substantiated the next act, Cabinet, a Pennsylvania bluegrass band that always makes the crowd shake and stomp.

The fourth band of the initial quartet was Donna the Buffalo, a Central New York-based band riddled with Americana influence from old-time Appalachian music to modern rock and country; this was the group’s first Mountain Jam billing. NYS Music sat down with Tara Nevins and Jeb Puryear, who founded the band in 1989. When asked how they came to be, Jeb said, “We’re both old-time fiddle players, and in that form of music, a lot of people jam with each other. All you have is acoustic instruments, so you can just meet easily.” He added that Tara was the first person he’d met that wrote songs like the ones heard on the radio. A smile instantly hit her face when he paid her that compliment.

Over the course of time, Donna the Buffalo, comprised of these old-time players Tara and Jeb, met back in the ’80s and evolved from acoustic fiddle and banjo music to a more modernized, electric bluegrass. “The music [Appalachian music] kind of predates bluegrass; the kind that bluegrass grew out of,” Tara added. “I started writing songs that were more pop-oriented and then Jeb started writing songs. Then we [started to] transfer to electric instruments, and thus, was the formation of Donna the Buffalo.” Although they evolved into a more modern sound, they still stick close to their roots, continuing to play bluegrass festivals around the country, including their own called the Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance in their hometown of Trumansburg.

As the evening progressed, the heavy hitters started to come out. The first Mountain Stage act was Train Play Led Zeppelin II. Festival-goers throughout the grounds were hypothesizing how the performance would go. Only those who had heard Train play Zeppelin tunes on Howard Stern’s Sirius/XM radio show knew just how amazing it was going to be. The band’s frontman, Pat Monahan, was a true embodiment of a young Robert Plant. The band masterfully moved through the entirety of Led Zeppelin II and finished off their set with a crowd-pleasing reprise of “Stairway to Heaven.”

After Train finished their jaw-dropping performance, an amazing duel between Marco Benevento and Superhuman Happiness on the Valley Stage and Umphrey’s McGee on the Mountain Stage commenced. Marco and his collaboration of astounding musicians and singers paid homage to the late David Bowie by covering a vast amount of his catalog, including legendary hits like “Oh You Pretty Things,” “Let’s Dance” and “Life on Mars.” Chills were brought to many spines in the audience as this well-orchestrated performance not only gave everyone a live listen of Bowie tunes, but paid breathtaking amounts of respect to Ziggy Stardust—a face, voice and mind that the music world and its fans miss very much.

The echos of Bowie off of Hunter Mountain were responded to by a true fan favorite, Umphrey’s McGee. Although the Thursday crowd was light, it seemed every soul in Hunter was on the concert field. The boys from Chicago started their set off with “Similar Skin,” after which Brendan Bayliss delivered the message that instead of everyone pacing themselves for the weekend to come, a full-on party should take place since they were only around for the one night. After that public service announcement, Umphrey’s kicked into “Rocker (Part II),” and it didn’t slow down much from there. As is often a staple at Mountain Jam, Warren Haynes came out to jam during the first set, helping to breakup “Higgins” with a mid-song jam of southern rock and blues.

Another guest hit the Mountain Stage to make an appearance. Dressed in his eye-grabbing garb for the Bowie tribute set, Marco Benevento sat with Joel Cummins during the adapted and absolute monster cover of Pink Floyd’s “Breath.” After the first set was over, the crowd was filled with electricity. Marco played his second set of Bowie music, which made way for the second set of Umphrey’s; this second set seemed to step-up from the groundwork laid out in the first. Starting off with “40’s Theme,” the band moved through their second set making head-banging and fist-throwing and, of course, the Ryan Stasik-patented style of rock horns, explode throughout the crowd.

The boys finished their set with a line of “Educated Guess, “Conduit” and “Relax, Have a Thunderkiss.” Surprisingly, the crowd didn’t chant out the so-often-heard “We want the Umph!” chant, but they came back onstage with a certain vengeance, encoring with “Hajimemeshite” into “Bridgeless” to end the night; the perfect bookend to a perfect first night of Mountain Jam 2016.

Today’s lineup has some much anticipated acts throughout the day. Jay Blakesberg is personally looking forward to Courtney Barnett and Jason Isbell, both hitting the Mountain Stage in the late afternoon. Also playing today are favorites Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Wilco and Warren Haynes’ own Gov’t Mule. Be sure to log into the live stream, so you don’t miss any part of the Mountain Jam 2016 weekend.

June 3, 2016
Hollywood Vampires Kick off Historic Night of Rock & Roll

Ever since their debut concert at The Roxy last September in LA, and their subsequent follow up performance at the 2015 Grammy Awards, fans have been impatiently awaiting the return of the star studded Hollywood Vampires.

The Hollywood Vampires kicked off their 2016 world wide tour with opening night being held at the Turning Stone Event Center in Verona, New York. The event sold out in record time, bringing fans across the country just to be part of this night of history in the making. For those just waking up from their Rip VanWinkle nap, this star studded group is lead by Alice Cooper, aka Hollywood Vampires Lair President, and together with the legendary Joe Perry on guitar, Johnny Depp on guitar, Matt Sorum on drums, Robert DeLeo on bass, Tommy Henrickson on guitar, and Bruce Witkin on keyboards and guitar, these superstars and virtual list of who’s who in the rock world took to the stage and raised the crowd to their feet and blew the roof off it’s frame. Okay, perhaps I exaggerate a wee bit. The audience sat down occasionally.

Starting out the evening with a glimpse of who inspired them musically, it was a foreshadowing to an evening of honoring some of their favorite musical inspirations throughout the years, with some new music sprinkled within. Finding their footing on stage with the crowd, they began to meld together seamlessly after a song or two. It was apparent as they played on with each song, they began to relax and feel the music and feed off the crowd.

No matter what song Alice Cooper was singing, he owned it. His cover of the Beatles, “Come Together”, was epic, while Joe Perry’s bluesy rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s, “Stop Messin Around”, showcased every skill set on that stage from Cooper’s harmonica, to Witkin’s keyboard solo, to Perry’s growling vocals. On Bowie’s Rebel Rebel cover, it was Sorum’s drum solo that dominated this tune, while DeLeo and Henrickson’s bass and guitar were the heartbeat of every song throughout the night. Cooper who has dominated his shock rock genre since day one, spoke to the audience about the background of “My Dead Drunk Friends”. Always an inspiration to others in the business, Cooper’s new song, co-written together with Depp, paid tribute to ‘lair mates’ who didn’t quite make it out of Rainbow Bar in the standing position. Despite his attempts to blend into the background, Depp couldn’t if he tried. Depp’s creative side shines through no matter what he attempts. In the past Depp hesitated to share his musical side to the public, claiming he didn’t want his fame as an actor to outshine the music itself. But when music is your first passion and the talent is there, it just reinforces to the audience that you are one talented artist, no matter what venue you are in.

As the night came to a close, and the final encore of “School’s Out” finished it’s last note, and the Vampires took their last bow, those present felt as though they had just witnessed history on stage. As excited as the audience was, those on stage were just as excited and pumped for the night they won’t soon forget either.

Setlist: Raise the Dead, Got a Line, 20th Century Boy, Pinball Wizard, My Generation, Manic Depression, Cold Turkey, Come Together, 7&7, Whole Lot of Love, 5 to 1/Break On Through, Rebel Rebel, Suffragette City, Bad As I Am, Stop Messin’ Round, Dead Drunk Friends, Ace of Spade, 18 , Sweet Emotion Encore: Train Kept Rollin, School’s Out

June 2, 2016
Final Night at Rock ‘N Derby Closes With Shinedown, Sixx A.M. and Sevendust

Rock ‘N Derby closed out its inaugural weekend at the Schaghticoke Fairgrounds on Sunday, May 22. The first two days of the festival were really, really good, and Sunday’s lineup may have been the best of the weekend with the likes of Sevendust, Ghost, Sixx: A.M., Trivium, Megadeth, Collective Soul, Coheed and Cambria and, the headliners of the day, Brent Smith and Shinedown. The only disappointment was Like A Storm not being able to make the show due to its tour bus breaking down.

Shinedown closed out the first ever Rock ‘N Derby on the Derby Stage. In usual Shinedown fashion after the first couple of songs into the bands set, frontman Brent Smith united the crowd with each other and with the band. As drummer Barry Kerch provided the beat, Smith asked the crowd, “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, New York, where you at? If this is your very first time seeing Shinedown, then raise your hands please.” Smith then told the people of the crowd to look to their left, then to their right, and said, “You see, there is a reason for this, you see that person standing next to you, you may have never met before tonight’s event. We’re gonna change that, everyone turn to your neighbor right now, I wanna see you shaking each others’ hands, giving each other high fives and tell them how nice it is to see them at the show.”

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Before the band got into the song “If You Only Knew,” Smith told the fans that he knows it’s been a long weekend, and told the crowd to give a big round of applause for all the other performers who played during the festival, and that he is honored that he gets to share the stage with them. Smith then said “With that being said, we’re not in those bands. We’re in Shinedown. And this is 100% between us, and all of you here tonight. So, did you bring your singing voices tonight? This next song is for all the ladies, where you at? This is dedicated to all the lovers and the ladies.”

Smith gave an extensive speech before the song “Enemies,” that created a moment that has to be witnessed live. He had everyone at Rock ‘N Derby jumping and going insane when the song kicked off.

As the rest of the members of Shinedown jammed on stage, Smith started his speech on stage, and then ended up in the middle of the crowd. He started off by saying “Let’s make 100 percent sure, that all of you here tonight are getting exactly what you want. Cause here’s the thing. You see, we only have one boss. It just happens to be everyone in the audience. So, if you’re not happy, no one’s happy, and you ultimately decide who stays and who goes.”

Smith then had the crowd split in the middle. Once the fans did. Smith left the stage and continued his speech to the fans. Smith then stated “Now listen up, this next song, we guarantee your gonna know the song. What I’m gonna do is this, I’m gonna go back up on stage, I’m gonna count to three. Then I’m gonna say the word go. When I say go, I want every single person that is able, I want you jumping up and down. I wanna see all this dust up in the air. I wanna see every single person in the state of New York bouncing simultaneously up and down. That’s gonna lets us know that we’re at a real rock show.” Smith then returned to the stage and said, “This is all on you. You not at the library, and this ain’t no funeral. Your at a rock & roll revival people.”

Shinedown was to play “State Of My Head,” but before the song, Smith asked for all the lights to be turned off at the fairgrounds. Smith then asked all the fans to light up their cell phones and lighters. In a beautiful sight, Smith said “It’s good to see the stars of New York State.”

Smith would be the last artist to acknowledged the 5-year old girl spending her birthday weekend at the festival. After asking her name Smith then said sincerely “Here’s the thing. I have to give her a lot of credit. ‘Cause 5-years old, and she’s been at a Shinedown show on top of the barricade all weekend. Her mother just mouthed it to me, that she’s been here not just for this show, she’s been here the whole weekend. So I think the least we can do is sing “Happy Birthday.” Smith then led the crowd in to sing “Happy Birthday” one more time.

After the last song in the set “Sound Of Madness,” Smith did his usual concert send off by saying “Our new record is called Threat To Survival. It’s available everywhere. Be good, be good to each other, God bless you all. It’s never goodbye, it’s just ’til next time.” Smith told drummer Barry Kerch to lock it down. Kerch pounded the drums a few times and closed out the set.

Sevendust showed how it’s done on the Derby Stage. The band walked onto the stage while the intro to the song “Thank You” played. Frontman Lajon Witherspoon took the stage and asked the crowd “Do you know who we are? We are Sevendust. Let me see your hands in the air. Y’all better make some fucking noise.”

After the song, Witherspoon again asked the crowd if they knew who they were. He then said to the crowd, “Ladies and gentlemen in the pit, you guys kick ass. I love it when I see the gentlemen invite the ladies in, and it ain’t nothing but a bunch of fun out there.” He went on and asked “Are you guys happy to see us this evening? Thank you for being here so early. We love you guys, God Bless. Are you ready for some more Sevendust music? I wanna see you dance. Are you with us out there? If you can’t be in the pit, I wanna see you bouncing.” Witherspoon the turned his attention to the fans in the back “How you all doing back there in the VIP, whats up?”

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After the band performed “Decay,” Witherspoon may have spilled the beans on a future tour. He asked the crowd if the were ready for headliners Shinedown. He then asked what the people in Schaghticoke knew about the band Ghost. Witherspoon then asked the crowd what they thought of a possible Ghost and Sevendust Tour. Fans cheered.

Witherspoon took the time before the song ‘Praise” to tell fans how close they make him and the band feel to the crowd. Witherspoon first asked fans if they were enjoying themselves. He then said “Can I say something to you? Thank you for making all of our dreams come true. Let me tell you why. And I say this, and I know I fucking say this before anyone else says this. If it wasn’t for each and every one of you guys, none of us would have a fucking job. So thank you very much. If you don’t know who we are, we are Sevendust. We do not have concerts. We have family fucking reunions. Let me see your hands in the air. Let me see what you all got.”

As Witherspoon was talking about the next song “Pieces,” He noticed a sign in the crowd that said split the crowd. Baffled by the request he said “Split the crowd? I never had anyone tell me to do that. I don’t know what that means. You guys wanna split the fucking crowd. Let me see you split right here in the middle. I never done this before. You had a fucking sign (points to fan in the crowd), just spread out right here in the middle. You know what I’d like to fucking do. Since he requested a split, let me see you guys walk around in a circle right in the middle of that split.” Sevendust dropped the track, and in a pretty cool site, fans moved in the pit so hard you could see a dirt cloud slowly rise up and get thicker where you could hardly see the band if you hung out in the back to watch the band perform.

Sixx: A.M. battled a slight rain storm for about 10 minutes, but that didn’t stop them from being one of the day’s, if not one of the weekend’s top performers. They are the total package. The have the look, they have the sound, they have the stage presence and they have the songs. They also sport two female backup singers on stage. Sixx: A.M. started off with “This Is Gonna Hurt,” and “Rise.”

Frontman James Michael took a break to chat with the crowd after the song “This Is Gonna Hurt,” and said, “What’s up Rock ‘N Derby? How you motherfuckers doing today? Let me ask you something. Who is seeing Sixx: A.M. for the very first time right here, right now?” After about everyone in the packed lawn area watching their set cheered because they seem to never tour in this area, Michael continued “Very good. Keep your hands up in the air, everybody put your fucking hands in the air and make a fist like I’m doing, and every time you hear us say the word rise, I wanna see you throw your motherfucking fists up in the air. Will you do that for me? Are you ready to Rise?

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After the song “Rise,” the crowd was so hot during the song, Michael yelled to the crowd “Ah Fuck yeah Rock ‘N Derby. He then introduced the next song in set “Everything Went To Hell” by saying “This one goes out to the bitch that ripped my fucking heart out of my chest. You know what I’m fucking talking about, don’t you.

Once the last song in the set “Life Is Beautiful,” concluded, Michael introduced the band. Nikki Sixx, the band’s bassist (also the bassist of Mötley Crüe) then took the mic and introduced Michael. Amazing live show left everyone wanting more.

Trivium hit the Derby Stage hard. After two songs in the opening of their set, singer Matt Heafy stopped to talked to the crowd. He asked “How the fuck we doing today? We are Trivium. Is this anyone’s first time seeing Trivium today?” After the first timers responded, Heafy said “Pleasure to meet y’all” and then asked “Is this anyone’s second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth or 10th time seeing Trivium? Alright my friends one very simple rule for a Trivium show my friends. Whatever the fuck we’re doing up here, we need you all to be doing down there. That’s headbanging, singing, screaming, moving your asses, sweating and all that good fucking shit.”

He then gave a rundown on what crowd on the festival circuit was the best so far. Heafy said the crowd “If you want be the motherfucking best my friends, we all got to step it the fuck up.” Trivium followed Heafy’s speech with the band’s current single “Dead and Gone.”

Next song in the setlist Heafy told the crowd that they were gonna go back to the fourth album, but needed the fans’ help before they play “Down From The Sky.” He went on to say that on the next song, “Lets make some noise together. I’ll do it with you, but y’all gotta do it with me too.”

Heafy introduced “Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr.” He introduced the song by saying “This next song is an old motherfucker. This song goes real well with a nice circle pit or two or three or whatever you feel like doing but we need that shit.”

Heafy then explained how the pit works, “You run and you turn left, if they fall down, pick them the fuck back up. If you ain’t in that circle, you’re banging your head, you’re shaking your ass or you’re fucking moving your bodies.”

Queensbury native Frank Palangi opened the final day Sunday at Rock ‘N Derby, on the Upstate Concert Hall Arena Stage. Palangi played a good mix of original tunes and cover tunes. Palangi and his band came right out to get noticed, and they did. By the end of his set, most of the fans that were sitting over on the bleachers, made their way to the general standing area to rock out closer to him.

After his first song, Palangi asked the crowd, “You guys ready to make some noise today?” After the fans’ minimal response, Palangi then asked the crowd louder, “I said, are you ready to make some noise today?” He then went on to explain what the next song in his set is about. Palangi said the next song is about being lied to. he then asked the fans “Who’s ever been lied to?” After a couple shouts from the crowd he replied, “Just a couple of people? I don’t find that true. It’s a song about basically somebody taking your words and twisting them around.”

Before Palangi performed the song “Driving These Lines,” he gave a quick run-down about the song being about the ups and downs in life and the music industry. He said “You run into stuff that bothers you, but then its like, I can’t do anything about it. But that’s life.” After the song, he thanked one of the sponsors at Rock’N Derby, entertainment retailer f.y.e.. He then thanked the local f.y.e.’s for supporting local artists by selling their music in their stores. He said “f.y.e.’s here in New York support local artist and they are awesome.”

Drummer Josh Opitz and Palangi showed off some of their skills before they performed their new single “Break These Chains.” Optiz started off teasing a drum solo with Palangi shredding a rift on his guitar.

Palangi then played a cover by the band Full Devil Jacket. Palangi talked about how the band was a big influence on him since Woodstock 1999 and showed respect to singer Josh Brown. He talked about how he gave Brown his CD and he listened to it. Brown then gave it to his producer and said this is how it all got started for him and he hasn’t stopped since. Palangi then told fans that he met the members of his band on Craigslist, and that they are blessed to do music here the last couple of years. Palangi then played the song “Now You Know.”

Palangi paid tribute to friend and bandmate TR Remsen who passed away recently from cancer. He said he was right there with them, as he pointed to the empty spot next to him. The band closed with the song “I Am Ready.”

May 29, 2016
A Matured Jimkata Blows the Roof off the Hollow

One of the greatest things about seeing a band numerous times is the ability to witness the progression they make over the years. And if you see the band frequently, it will feel gradual and natural, but if it’s been a while since you’ve seen them, the improvement can be striking. Case in point: Jimkata’s performance at the Hollow on May 20.

The Ithaca-based electro-rock band tours nationally and is a festival frequenter. For years, Albany has had the pleasure of watching them grow. But for some of us who hadn’t seen them in awhile, their show at the Hollow Bar and Kitchen on May 20 was like seeing a long-lost childhood friend all grown up. The resemblance is there, but they’ve metamorphosed into an adult.

The “party-funk” duo the Hornitz kicked things off at what would be a night of exceeded expectations. These two, known as “Friendship” and “Stoo,” use loops to create the sound of a full band. The tenor sax and bass trombone made for a funky throw down. Fans were more than willing to sing along to “Overnight Success” (Dance with Anyone) as well as a playful rendition of Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend.”

When the three men comprising Jimkata took the stage, it was clear from the first note that this is not the young band we once remembered. The vocal strength of frontman Evan Friedell has matured, and the sincerity in his demeanor and relatable lyrics are enough to create goosebumps. While in general Jimkata is not known for lengthy jams, Aaron Gorsch was given several opportunities to really let lose. And although the group certainly does not need to rely on the jams (and doesn’t), Gorsch shows that they’re more than an electronic, pop-infused rock band—there is talent on both the song and the ability to improvise. The analog synthesized tones recalled the sounds of the ’80s (without the corniness); the bass was heavy and the lights pulsating, and drummer Packy Lunn beat fire, adding to the intensity—the experience was thrilling.

They played favorites from years ago off of their 2012 fan-funded album, Die Digital, including “Nightshade,” “Chain Store” and “Electronic Stone,” all of which left old fans with a rush of emotion; some with their eyes closed, but still grooving to the music. Having just released their latest album, In Motion, the band played several tracks from it like “Innocence” and “Wild Ride,” (see the official music video above) a song that gives goosebumps and might make you put your arm around your best friend and say, “I love you, man,” as seen firsthand during this Albany show. After the crowd begged Jimkata to return to the stage with the syllable-pointed chant of “Jim-Ka-Ta, Jim-Ka-Ta,” they returned for a three-song encore that featured “I Won’t Let You Down” off of the new album, “ Electronic Stone” that got serious crowd engagement and “Roll with the Punches.”

Having gone from four members to three has not hindered their performance. What was once a “pretty good” electronic rock band has grown into a beautifully powerful, multi-layered core of matured musicians. If you haven’t seen these guys in awhile, make a point to do so in the near future. You’ll be proud.

May 28, 2016
ADTR, Halestorm, Anthrax and Others Rock Day Two at Rock’N Derby

Rock’N Derby continued Saturday at the Schaghticoke Fairgrounds, and saw a comfortable but cloudy day, with a small 10-minute rain shower during Halestorm’s set. The music started at 1:30 p.m. at the Upstate Concert Hall Arena Stage with New York City area band Streetlight Circus.

Saturday’s lineup was jam-packed with bands, and boasted the biggest lineup out of the three days. The turnout of fans looked, considerably larger than Friday’s crowd. Fans who packed the fairgrounds saw the likes of Anthrax, Halestorm, Hollywood Undead, Sebastian Bach, Beartooth, Chevy Metal, All That Remains, Avatar, Cilver and A Day To Remember, who were the headliners for Saturday.

A Day To Remember had the longest set time of any band in the three-day festival, with an hour and a half of playing time. ADTR headlined the Derby Stage, and their set had the most crowd surfing fans of the weekend to that point.

After giving props to the security team for catching fans surfing over the rail all day, frontman and lead vocalist Jeremy McKinnon then asked the crowd if they had ever surfed a crowd surfer. He said to fans, “So during this next song, I’m gonna start this off by saying, you don’t have to participate in this shit cause its wild. We were playing in Wisconsin or some shit, on the Warped Tour one time, and these two guys did something that I will literally never forget. And I dubbed it ‘crowd surfing on top of a crowd surfer.’ Now let me explain this shit to you, somebody crowd surfs on top of the crowd as normal, and then your friend stands on top of you, like your a fucking surf board, and surfs all the way up to the front to the [security]. Please guys don’t do this, but have a fucking good time New York.” The band then played “Better Off This Way.”

As the intro played for “Have Faith In Me,” McKinnon asked where the ladies were in the crowd. After many screams from the ladies in the lawn, the singer then said “Wow, that’s a lot of you.” He then dedicated the next song to them.

In a hilarious moment, ADTR was next to notice the birthday girl in the front before the song “Sometimes You’re the Hammer, Sometimes You’re the Nail” and told the crowd they only had 3 songs left.

McKinnon and lead guitarist Kevin Skaff had fun with the crowd and randomly started playing “Faith,” by George Michael. After two lines of the song, Skaff then joked “That was one song out of three.” The crowd laughed and McKinnon replied, “That’s one song down. What else we got Skaff?”

Skaff started singing “Happy Birthday” to even more laughter. This prompted McKinnon to ask the crowd if anybody had a birthday. As the two’s eyes combed through the crowd, Skaff noticed a fan that said they turned sixteen today. He said back “You just turned sixteen and you already have a beer? That’s weird.” The crowd erupted again with laughter.

McKinnon then noticed the 5-year old girl and asked if she wanted to come up on stage. The frontman then said to the crowd “Everybody out there tonight, this is this girls first show and she turns five years old today.” After cheers from the crowd, he asked the girl her name, then the band and the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to the girl. After they sang to the girl, McKinnon said, “That should work for a first concert.” Skaff then interjected “That’s some good footage, put it in the archives. I was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle for my fifth birthday.” That made McKinnon and the crowd laugh. The band got down to business and asked the crowd how many of them checked out their latest album Common Courtesy.

A lot of bands could take note when being a headliner from ADTR when it comes to how many songs a band puts in their set. McKinnon recalled a story that happened from the beginning of their current tour. McKinnon stated, “I gotta to tell you a true story. We started this tour, and we were playing fifteen songs … and this girl got on Twitter and she was like, ‘Yo, I waited eight years to see your band, and you only played fifteen songs?’ And I got to tell you, she was not wrong, and I felt guilty. So we’re gonna play some extra songs for you tonight. Is that cool?” The fans at Rock ‘N Derby went crazy. McKinnon finished by saying, “So if this song right here meant anything at all to you in your life. If this song is your shit…you owe that girl.” ADTR then played “It’s Complicated.”

ADTR closed out with “The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle.” McKinnon introduced the last song by saying “We are A Day to Remember from Central, Florida, and you’ve been fucking amazing tonight. Thank you for sticking around. This is going to be our last song for the night, and this is what I need from you. I wanna see everybody out there jumping up and down with us on this next song. That means everybody across the back, everybody on the fucking sides and especially all my people down fucking front. New York are you with me? I wanna feel the earth fucking shake.” What a way to close out the second night. ADTR’s set was really fun and energetic and wild. Multicolored streamers shot through the sky during the last song in the set. Set Time 9:30-11 p.m.

Anthrax headlined the Rock’N Stage on Saturday night. Huge turnout of fans to take in their set. Joey Belladonna, an upstate New York native and the band’s lead singer, shouted out to the crowd after a couple songs saying, “Oh yeah, how we doing out there? Everybody good? I know we got a lot of people from New York here tonight. Good evening to you. It’s nice to be here. This is the first time I’ve seen this show out this way. It’s nice to see everybody here. You all having a good time? Fuck yeah, lets get this going, alright?” Anthrax then played “Madhouse.”

After a couple more tracks, guitarist Scott Ian had the crowd laughing as he took the time to talk with the crowd about how the name of the town is hard to say and to give Belladonna a small break from singing. Ian stated “Upstate New York, how the fuck are you Rock’N Derby? Someone told me how to pronounce the name and where we are and I all heard was Shitty Coke!” The crowd erupted with laughter and started a “Shitty Coke” chant. Ian then apologized saying “Excuse me if I’m saying it wrong.” He then yelled “Shitty Coke, New York! We have a new album called For All Kings. I got a question, my friends. Do you love thrash metal? You’re welcome. This is ‘Evil Twin’.”

During the intro to “War Dance” drummer Charlie Benante stopped the song making Scott Ian state “Why did you stop? I have to watch Game Of Thrones. You wanna know why he stopped. Cause Charlie is very concerned that some of you aren’t having as much fun as you should be having. Now check it out, don’t take this the wrong way. We love those dudes in Extreme. They were up here earlier. But this ain’t “More Than Words” now. This is some demolition derby shit. Let’s see you fuckers move one more time tonight. Let’s try the ‘War Dance’ again.” Set Time 9-10 p.m.

This was the part of the night where the crowd segregated from one another. Everyone over 35 was there to watch Anthrax, while everyone under was watching A Day To Remember.

Halestorm got the many fans taking in their set right into it by kicking things off with the song “Apocalyptic”. Frontwoman Lzzy Hale yelled to the crowd, ‘Rock ‘N Derby, are you ready?” After cheers from fans, Lzzy pointed to her brother on drums and replied “Arejay, give it to them.” Arejay let out a big “yeah,” then started the intro to “Love Bites.”

After the band finished “Love Bites,” Lzzy took a minute to get acquainted with the crowd, she said “Rock’N Derby.” Then Lzzy shouted the name of the town Schaghticoke, correctly. She asked if she pronounced it right then went on to say “So how many of you are actually from Schaghticoke?” After almost silence from the fans Lzzy said “That’s like ten people.” After some laughs, Lzzy then got serious and introduced who they were and what they are about. She stated “Thank you so much for allowing us to be here tonight. We are Halestorm. My name is Lzzy Hale, and for the next 70 minutes or so I’m gonna be bossing you around alright. So, we got two rules, number one, we are all here to have a fucking fantastic time tonight. And number two Schaghticoke, when I say scream, you fucking scream, alright? Ready?” Halestorm then performed “Scream.”

Lzzy then talked about how she is a a freaky chick. She said there’s some stuff up here that just ain’t right, pointing to her head, then told the crowd to ask any of her ex-boyfriends. She then said to the crowd “I feel like I’m not alone tonight, Schaghticoke, I’m not alone. Sing this one if you know it.” Halestorm then went into “Mz. Hyde.”

If you know the lyrics, Lzzy picked the perfect time to perform the song, “Rock Show.” She noticed the birthday girl and said “Happy fifth birthday darling.” Lzzy then said to the crowd “This is what its all about right here. We have a future leader of rock and roll, right front and center. Young lady’s fifth birthday, first rock concert. I’m gonna be looking for you for lyrics alright.” The frontwoman the went on to sing freestyle asking the fans in attendance if they wanted her, if they loved her, cause she loves them too. Lzzy then asked the crowd “Schaghticoke, are we in church? Schaghticoke, are we in a classroom right now? Hell no. Schaghticoke, are we at a boring dead end job right now? Schaghticoke, give me one more, are we at a fucking rock show tonight?”

After the song, Lzzy asked the crowd if anyone watched the demolition derby that went on earlier in the day. In a funny moment, she then shared her experience with the crowd “So something pretty cool, I was watching the derby over there. Fucking demolition derby. I was watching through the fence and I was like, what does it say on the side of number 33, it said fucking Halestorm, that’s what it said. So I’m rooting for this truck, I’m rooting for it the whole time, I’m like kill him, finish him. And then what do you know? Number 33 Halestorm won the friggin derby today. So this one goes out to all the drivers, this is called “I Like It Heavy.”

After Arejay’s drum solo, Lzzy asked the fans if they could do something for her because she has never been to Schaghticoke. She the said “We decided that there’s only about 10 people actually live here. So I kinda wanna know something. I need to know what you can do. I need to know how crazy you motherfuckers are. I need to know, I need to know what kind of freaks showed up at a rock show in Schaghticoke, New York tonight. Are you ready?” Halestorm played “Freak Like Me.” Set Time 7:45-9 p.m.

Avatar, a Swedish rock group, performed on the Rock’N Stage and put on one hell of a live show. Their costumes and frontman Johannes Michael Gustaf Eckerström’s gestures and mannerisms are silly but fun to watch. He had the whole crowd rocking and laughing at the same time. It’s really a feel-good time watching this band. It’s like a show inside of a show.

As the intro for the band’s song “Hail The Apocalypse,” Eckerström asked the crowd to raise their horns in the sky and join us as we burn the house down. The band had a really good fan turnout ready to take in Avatar’s set. Set Time 3:30-4:10 p.m.

All That Remains followed Avatar on the Rock’N Stage. Singer Philip Labonte stopped after a couple songs to ask the crowd, “You guys got some energy out there, huh?” Not liking the fans’ response, Labonte yelled to the crowd, “C’mon, I know you can do better than that, make some noise. In case you’re not familiar with All That Remains, we’re one of those bands who like to do some heavy stuff and some not-so-heavy stuff. The two songs we just played, they fall under not-so-heavy. And I think you gentlemen out there on the floor, out there in the pit. You guys ready for something heavy? Again not feeling the response from the crowd he wanted, Labonte yelled ‘Bullshit,’ then screamed “Are you ready for something heavy?” ATR then played “No Knock.”

Labonte wanted to bring things back down for a bit. After asking fans if they were having a good time, he sat on the stage and said to the fans, “We don’t have a lot of time left so we’re gonna do a few more, and like I said earlier, we’re one of those bands that likes to play some heavy stuff, and some not-so-heavy stuff. A couple records back we wrote a song, that’s really not heavy at all, and if its cool with you guys, were gonna do it for you, alright? Here’s the deal, now’s the time to cuddle up next to your girlfriend or boyfriend if you expect to get laid tonight. Well you should expect to get laid, you’re at a fucking show, and everyone is drinking and shit. If you know the words, c’mon and sing along. This ones called “What If I Was Nothing?” Set Time 4:30-5:10 p.m.

Hollywood Undead, an L.A. rap and rock group, had fans over at the Derby Stage bouncing and jumping through their whole set. Hollywood Undead has a unique stage show. If every member wearing their own individual masks on stage wasn’t enough, every member of the band plays an instrument and has vocal duties throughout their sets. Band members even rotate singers and musicians during their songs.

Jordan “Charlie Scene” Terrell called up the little girl who was celebrating her fifth birthday at Rock ‘N Derby on stage to introduce the band’s next song. After asking her name, Terrell then asked the girl what her favorite song was. She replied “Let It Go” from the Disney movie Frozen. Terrell replied to the girl “Holy shit, we definitely don’t know that one. How about you introduce this song. Check this out. Let’s have you help me introduce this song. I’m gonna tell you what to say.” Terrell held the mic in front of her and whispered in the girls ear as he held another mic with his back turned. Terrell then said in a little squeaky voice, “This song is called ‘Comin’ in Hot’ motherfucker.”

George “Johnny 3 Tears” Ragan stopped to talk to the crowd before the song “Day Of The Dead.” He made fun of the name of the town by pronouncing it Schnananananacoke.” Terrell replied “Did somebody say coke?” Ragan finished his speech by saying “You guys are fucking awesome. Thanks for having us, thanks for coming and support. It’s our pleasure to be here and do this Derby. We love it so fucking much. We had a record come out last year. We will play a song from it. This song is called ‘Day Of The Dead.’” Set Time 6:30-7:15 p.m.

Former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach, rocked the Rock ‘N Stage. After the first song in the set “Slave To The Grind,” Bach said to the crowd, “I see you in the back, what the fuck’s going on New York? Lets go back to the first album. What do you say? Bach then played “Big Guns.” Bach played many Skid Row classics, ending the set with “Youth Gone Wild.” Bach really exceeded my expectations of him. It was going around that he was not feeling well, and his meet and greet with RND Vip’s was cancelled. Bach performed pretty good on stage vocally and showed a ton of energy. Set Time 6:35-7:20 p.m.

Beartooth rocked out the Upstate Concert Hall Stage. I was kind of let down here, but it may not have been all their fault. They had bad sound quality, and I actually think they may have been too loud for the building they were in. There seemed to be an echo at times during their set depending on where you stood in the venue.

Singer Caleb Shomo asked the crowd, when he says “1, 2” he wants them to say back, “1, 2, 3 ,4,” before the song “Dead.” He said to fans “We’re gonna do this one more time. When you say one, this whole room, barn, thing, is gonna be one giant mosh pit. Everybody moves. I need mass organized chaos. This ones called ‘Dead.’”

Before the band played their new single “Aggressive,” Shomo said to the crowd “We kind of feel like we’ve been playing the same old shit for a little bit too long. We’re gonna change that one. We have a new record. Were gonna play a new one for you now, is that O.K.? This is the title track of our new album. This song is called “Aggressive,” Let’s go.” Set Time 8:45-9:30 p.m.

May 28, 2016