Last night was my first concert of March-hard for me to believe, but it's been a busy month. I made my way to the Cowboy Jack's restaurant in Plymouth on a cloudy March evening for good food and good conversations with some concert friends before the Killswitch Engage concert at the Skyway Theater in downtown Minneapolis.
We caught up over pizza and drinks and I drove my friends to the venue. I didn't mind driving as long as my copilots didn't mind navigating! We got to the former movie theater just in time to hear the heavy sounds of the first opening act, Toothgrinder. I was surprised to see the venue mostly full. This was also the first time I'd been to the Skyway since I won my electric guitar at the Immoralis show back in January.
Next up were the Alaskan metalers 36 Crazyfists. This was my first time seeing the band in a year, and they have a quite a loyal following. The mosh pit during their set was insane! I was glad my friends and I steered clear of the craziness and were able to enjoy their set.
After that set, we wandered to the lobby for a breather. There we found a friend in local band Emergent, who took the time to sincerely thank us for our ongoing support, especially since their lead singer recently decided to depart the band. I'm sure they will be back better and stronger than ever sooner than we know it!
After our breather, it was time to enjoy live rock from Southern rockers Memphis May Fire. Another band I knew nothing about, but really enjoyed, especially their closing track "Vices," a song written about the power and pull of addiction.
Finally about 10 pm it was time for headliners Killswitch Engage to take the stage. I had just bought their new album Incarnate, and they played several tracks from it, along with some fan favorites. They did a great job of keeping the energy up throughout their set, even when it was time to slow down during the track "Always" in paying tribute to a fallen friend.
We got out of the venue about an hour later and I drove my friends back to Cowboy Jack's where we said our goodbyes for the evening. A much needed night of fun with great friends!
Well that's all for now, next shows probably won't be for a couple of weeks. Until then, have a great Easter weekend, everyone!
Saturday, March 26, 2016
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Great Music for a Great Cause at the Doghouse Bar & Grill
Last Saturday was a busy day for me: I got up in time to help out at my hometown Friends of the Library book sale fundraiser, ran to St. Cloud for my weekly guitar lesson, and then headed back home after a quick lunch to get ready for another show. This time it was for a great cause: a memorial concert for my friend Tommy's dad, who lost his battle with cancer last fall. Portions of the proceeds were going to help his family pay for medical bills. I decided to go because a lot of my friends were going to be there, and it was helping a very worthwhile cause.
I got to my hotel on a spring-like afternoon (60 degrees in February in Minnesota? Who knew?), and had time to unpack and unwind for a little bit before heading to the venue. I got there just in time to catch up with some friends and hear the funk & roll sounds of my friends the GoodBars. They put on another fun set, the first of five bands to hit the small Doghouse stage.
Next up were The WaywardBoyz Club and then the Regenerators. While I didn't know much about these bands, I had fun enjoying their music and getting caught up in the festivities with my friends. Following the Regenerators' set was a very nice video tribute to Tommy's dad featuring songs by Black Stone Cherry, Firehouse, and one of Tommy Sr.'s favorite bands, Poison.
Soon, it was time for my friends in Antistar to launch some more spacey riffs onto the audience. They also debuted some new music, and were very thankful to the people gathered together for the benefit show. I hadn't seen this band in a while, so it was good to see them back to their great live performances again.
The final band, Ashes from Stone, put on a longer and very emotional set. One of their guitarists broke his arm in band practice earlier in the week, but he wasn't about to let that setback stop him from rockin' out on stage and also singing a tender tribute to his late grandfather.
Tommy Jr. was the original drummer in Ashes from Stone, and an announcement was made during Ashes' set that he would be returning to the band fulltime! This got the crowd excited, along with several other tributes to his dad, capped off by the finale, Poison's hit "Nothin' But a Good Time," played with a lot of special friends and guests either onstage or in the front row.
I got back to the hotel that night happy that so many people paid tribute to what was obviously a very important man. Next show will be TBD, so until then, take care, peeps! Have a great week!
I got to my hotel on a spring-like afternoon (60 degrees in February in Minnesota? Who knew?), and had time to unpack and unwind for a little bit before heading to the venue. I got there just in time to catch up with some friends and hear the funk & roll sounds of my friends the GoodBars. They put on another fun set, the first of five bands to hit the small Doghouse stage.
Next up were The WaywardBoyz Club and then the Regenerators. While I didn't know much about these bands, I had fun enjoying their music and getting caught up in the festivities with my friends. Following the Regenerators' set was a very nice video tribute to Tommy's dad featuring songs by Black Stone Cherry, Firehouse, and one of Tommy Sr.'s favorite bands, Poison.
Soon, it was time for my friends in Antistar to launch some more spacey riffs onto the audience. They also debuted some new music, and were very thankful to the people gathered together for the benefit show. I hadn't seen this band in a while, so it was good to see them back to their great live performances again.
The final band, Ashes from Stone, put on a longer and very emotional set. One of their guitarists broke his arm in band practice earlier in the week, but he wasn't about to let that setback stop him from rockin' out on stage and also singing a tender tribute to his late grandfather.
Tommy Jr. was the original drummer in Ashes from Stone, and an announcement was made during Ashes' set that he would be returning to the band fulltime! This got the crowd excited, along with several other tributes to his dad, capped off by the finale, Poison's hit "Nothin' But a Good Time," played with a lot of special friends and guests either onstage or in the front row.
I got back to the hotel that night happy that so many people paid tribute to what was obviously a very important man. Next show will be TBD, so until then, take care, peeps! Have a great week!
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