Good morning, everyone!
Just getting back into the swing of things after having a houseguest this weekend. I opened my home to a good friend from out of state, and we went to a few shows together. Always good to go new places and see and try new things.
I had this past Thursday and Friday off so that I could take my friend to see her favorite band Nickelback on the first day of the Minnesota State Fair. I'm not a big fair fan because of the sheer amount of people, but I bought our tickets back in December so that we could go to the show together. I found a parking spot within walking distance of the fairgrounds, and we spent a while exploring the booths before finding our grandstand seats.
Opener Daughtry took to the stage promptly at 7:30 pm, and entertained the large audience for about 45 minutes. This was my first time seeing the American Idol alum live in concert, and I thought he and his band put on a good opening set. Even their keyboard and vocal version of the Metallica hit "Nothing Else Matters" was well done.
An hour later, Nickelback's sound and light show started their set with the new song "Feed the Machine." I hadn't seen the band in 16 years (before they made it big), but they have an entertaining stage show. They ran through 15 songs, wrapping up their encore with the radio single "Burn It To The Ground" just before the nightly fireworks. I didn't know frontman Chad Kroeger was going to bring a couple of fans from the audience onstage to sing "Rockstar" with them, but I guess it's something they do on a regular basis.
Friday my friend and I went to a local BBQ restaurant for a late lunch and then went to the Red Carpet Nightclub in downtown St. Cloud for a free rock show on a rainy night. Live music was on the main stage from Furnace, Blurcurve and Fixated. While it was a good show, I was disappointed by the low turnout (maybe 25 people tops, including Red Carpet staff) and the fact that the show didn't start until 10:30 pm. By the time our friends in Fixated took to their headlining set at 1 am, they could only play for about 45 minutes because of the 2 pm bar close.
My friend was off to another show in southern MN yesterday before heading home, while I trekked to northwestern MN on a drizzly Saturday. It was good to see my friend again, and I hope she has a safe journey home.
Next live music experience for me is the Taste of Madison over Labor Day weekend. Until then, have a great weekend, everyone!
Sunday, August 27, 2017
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Moorhead Music
A couple weekends ago, I made my first trek to Moorhead, MN in 3 years for a free show at Jerry's Original Music Club featuring four great Upper Midwest bands. My only regret was that more people weren't there to have a great time at a rock show!
The first band was the only band I was unfamiliar with, North Dakota natives Shotgun Facelift. Despite the off-putting band name, they did a great job of entertaining the small crowd. I made a point to check out their music later and snagged a couple of their guitar picks during their performance.
Next up were my friends in Cold Kingdom. I was glad to chat with my friends in the band who were hanging out in the parking lot as I arrived, and it was great seeing them live in person for the first time since their CD release show in Minneapolis months ago. They brought the largest audience of the night to their set, and I don't think anyone was disappointed.
The third group were my friends in Screaming for Silence, promoting the release of their new ep House of Glass. It was great to finally hear the new songs alongside some familiar classics. I bought a copy of the new disc and rocked it all the way home later that evening.
The final act were Iowa natives Dead Horse Trauma. I picked up a couple of their CDs at the show to familiarize myself with their music more, but I thought they put on a good show despite the dwindling audience.
I stuck around long enough to chat with my friends for a while and catch up with my S4S buddies before making the 2 1/2 hour drive back home.
Going to the MN State Fair today with a friend for the Daughtry/Nickelback show, I'll blog about it later. Still some more fun shows coming up soon! Have a great week, everyone!
The first band was the only band I was unfamiliar with, North Dakota natives Shotgun Facelift. Despite the off-putting band name, they did a great job of entertaining the small crowd. I made a point to check out their music later and snagged a couple of their guitar picks during their performance.
Next up were my friends in Cold Kingdom. I was glad to chat with my friends in the band who were hanging out in the parking lot as I arrived, and it was great seeing them live in person for the first time since their CD release show in Minneapolis months ago. They brought the largest audience of the night to their set, and I don't think anyone was disappointed.
The third group were my friends in Screaming for Silence, promoting the release of their new ep House of Glass. It was great to finally hear the new songs alongside some familiar classics. I bought a copy of the new disc and rocked it all the way home later that evening.
The final act were Iowa natives Dead Horse Trauma. I picked up a couple of their CDs at the show to familiarize myself with their music more, but I thought they put on a good show despite the dwindling audience.
I stuck around long enough to chat with my friends for a while and catch up with my S4S buddies before making the 2 1/2 hour drive back home.
Going to the MN State Fair today with a friend for the Daughtry/Nickelback show, I'll blog about it later. Still some more fun shows coming up soon! Have a great week, everyone!
Sunday, August 6, 2017
Seether and Friends at the Myth
My ears are still ringing (the one thing I forgot at home were my earplugs) from Friday night's Seether show at the Myth in Maplewood, MN. That and my sore calves are the only "battle scars" from the show, another fantastic night of music and good friends.
My email from the VIP coordinator told me I had to be at the venue by 4 pm for the pre-show meet & greet, so I left work a little early in time to meet other fellow Seether fans. Shortly before 5 pm, the coordinator rounded us up to head upstairs to the 2nd floor of the Myth for our meet and greet. I got to shake each band member's hand twice and I got to chat with Sevendust lead guitarist Clint Lowery again for the first time since their 20th anniversary show in Worcester MA this June.
After the photo op, we headed downstairs to pick up our hand-signed posters and set lists inside Seether merch bags and our Poison the Parish T-shirts before going back outside to wait in line for the show to start. Those of us with VIP passes got into the venue a little earlier, and I found my spot along the front rail with my friends in line.
Right at 7 pm, local favorites Sleep Signals took to the stage. I enjoyed their set, but wished they had been given more than 12 minutes to perform. I guess that was because the 2nd opener, Dallas natives Big Story took to the stage right at 7:30 pm.
The final opener, Lettters from the Fire, was a band I'd last seen open for Nonpoint at the Fine Line Music Cafe in downtown Minneapolis a few years ago. They've had some lineup changes since, including a new singer, and have a totally different sound. That's a good thing, and I loved their energy. They really kept the crowd involved in their set. I made a point to buy a CD after the show, and also bought a T-shirt and talked with singer Alexa Kabazie after the show.
Shortly after 9 pm, Seether took to the stage, kicking off their 15-song set with the new single "Stoke the Fire." I really felt the crowd push against me from behind, but I stood my ground as always. I didn't like how some of my friends to my left eventually had to give up their spots, as the pressure from the crowd behind them was too much.
Patience has its rewards. Midway through Seether's set, I was fortunate enought to get one of bass guitarist Dale Stewart's guitar picks that a friend picked up, and I exchanged nods and smiles with Clint during their set. By the time the band closed their set with the hit "Remedy" (and their drum tech taking Scott Humphrey's place behind the drum kit), I was ready to move around a bit after standing in the same spot for 5 hours. I also took the time to catch up with some of my Twin Cities friends and wander the merch tables before calling it a night.
It was good to hear some of my Seether favorites like "Fine Again," "Save Today" and "Rise Above This" (which frontman Shaun Morgan wrote in memory of his brother) and also catch up with one of my new friends from the front row in the pit in the parking lot after the show. I came home with some cool souvenirs, but more importantly made some great new memories and friendships.
Already looking forward to more shows in the coming months - you'll just have to wait and see after I blog about them. Until next time, have a great week, everyone!
My email from the VIP coordinator told me I had to be at the venue by 4 pm for the pre-show meet & greet, so I left work a little early in time to meet other fellow Seether fans. Shortly before 5 pm, the coordinator rounded us up to head upstairs to the 2nd floor of the Myth for our meet and greet. I got to shake each band member's hand twice and I got to chat with Sevendust lead guitarist Clint Lowery again for the first time since their 20th anniversary show in Worcester MA this June.
After the photo op, we headed downstairs to pick up our hand-signed posters and set lists inside Seether merch bags and our Poison the Parish T-shirts before going back outside to wait in line for the show to start. Those of us with VIP passes got into the venue a little earlier, and I found my spot along the front rail with my friends in line.
Right at 7 pm, local favorites Sleep Signals took to the stage. I enjoyed their set, but wished they had been given more than 12 minutes to perform. I guess that was because the 2nd opener, Dallas natives Big Story took to the stage right at 7:30 pm.
The final opener, Lettters from the Fire, was a band I'd last seen open for Nonpoint at the Fine Line Music Cafe in downtown Minneapolis a few years ago. They've had some lineup changes since, including a new singer, and have a totally different sound. That's a good thing, and I loved their energy. They really kept the crowd involved in their set. I made a point to buy a CD after the show, and also bought a T-shirt and talked with singer Alexa Kabazie after the show.
Shortly after 9 pm, Seether took to the stage, kicking off their 15-song set with the new single "Stoke the Fire." I really felt the crowd push against me from behind, but I stood my ground as always. I didn't like how some of my friends to my left eventually had to give up their spots, as the pressure from the crowd behind them was too much.
Patience has its rewards. Midway through Seether's set, I was fortunate enought to get one of bass guitarist Dale Stewart's guitar picks that a friend picked up, and I exchanged nods and smiles with Clint during their set. By the time the band closed their set with the hit "Remedy" (and their drum tech taking Scott Humphrey's place behind the drum kit), I was ready to move around a bit after standing in the same spot for 5 hours. I also took the time to catch up with some of my Twin Cities friends and wander the merch tables before calling it a night.
It was good to hear some of my Seether favorites like "Fine Again," "Save Today" and "Rise Above This" (which frontman Shaun Morgan wrote in memory of his brother) and also catch up with one of my new friends from the front row in the pit in the parking lot after the show. I came home with some cool souvenirs, but more importantly made some great new memories and friendships.
Already looking forward to more shows in the coming months - you'll just have to wait and see after I blog about them. Until next time, have a great week, everyone!
Rockfest Observations 2017
Just catching up on blogging after a busy month of July. I attended Rockfest in Cadott, WI my birthday weekend last month, and thought I'd share a few observations:
1. VIP is worth the money. I splurged on the bronze package this year for the first time, and it was worth being able to go in for food whenever I wanted to or just needed a rest from the hot summer sun. I could have parked in the VIP lot each day, but I only chose to on the last day, which was my birthday and the hottest of all four days.
2. The pre-show bash is worth checking out. I had a great time Wednesday night with my friends in Seasons After and got to meet singer Rachel Lorin after her band's set and enjoy listening to Jack Russell's Great White and my buddies in the GoodBars.
3. People in the VIP area don't really pay attention to seat assignments. I saw this most days, people just kind of milled around and seating isn't enforced. My seat and row assignments were written on my wristband, but on the last day I plunged my right hand into an icy water bucket to grab a cold bottle of water, and when I removed my hand, I saw that the writing had worn off.
4. Pit passes are OK. I bought pit passes for Failure Anthem, Sevendust (who had to cancel, but Adam Gontier of Saint Asonia pinch-hit with an intimate acoustic performance) and Stone Sour and enjoyed each set.
5. Learn where and when meet and greet are. I learned to sit by the meet and greet on top of the hill the last day, and waited patiently while listening to Vimic's set to meet Lou Brutus, host of the syndicated radio show Harddrive and Hellyeah. I got to shake Vinny Paul's hand on my birthday, so that was another item to check off of my bucket list!
6. Mosh pits are the same wherever you go. I stood in the mosh pit on the What's On Top stage for Sin7, Gemini Syndrome and Mushroomhead. The Mushroomhead pit was intense, and I felt bad for the people who were getting crushed by people pushing from behind. I was firmly entrenched in my spot, and I didn't leave until after Mushroomhead's set had ended, because I needed a breather.
7. There are a lot of great regional bands out there! From my buddies in Seasons After to Chicago rockers Veilside, the Rachel Lorin band, Denver metalers Scarlet Canary and my friends in Twin Cities acts VIA, Sin7, Emergent and others. Happy I got to see their sets and/or buy merch/music from them for the trip home.
Next post coming up soon about Friday's Seether show at the Myth- stay tuned!
1. VIP is worth the money. I splurged on the bronze package this year for the first time, and it was worth being able to go in for food whenever I wanted to or just needed a rest from the hot summer sun. I could have parked in the VIP lot each day, but I only chose to on the last day, which was my birthday and the hottest of all four days.
2. The pre-show bash is worth checking out. I had a great time Wednesday night with my friends in Seasons After and got to meet singer Rachel Lorin after her band's set and enjoy listening to Jack Russell's Great White and my buddies in the GoodBars.
3. People in the VIP area don't really pay attention to seat assignments. I saw this most days, people just kind of milled around and seating isn't enforced. My seat and row assignments were written on my wristband, but on the last day I plunged my right hand into an icy water bucket to grab a cold bottle of water, and when I removed my hand, I saw that the writing had worn off.
4. Pit passes are OK. I bought pit passes for Failure Anthem, Sevendust (who had to cancel, but Adam Gontier of Saint Asonia pinch-hit with an intimate acoustic performance) and Stone Sour and enjoyed each set.
5. Learn where and when meet and greet are. I learned to sit by the meet and greet on top of the hill the last day, and waited patiently while listening to Vimic's set to meet Lou Brutus, host of the syndicated radio show Harddrive and Hellyeah. I got to shake Vinny Paul's hand on my birthday, so that was another item to check off of my bucket list!
6. Mosh pits are the same wherever you go. I stood in the mosh pit on the What's On Top stage for Sin7, Gemini Syndrome and Mushroomhead. The Mushroomhead pit was intense, and I felt bad for the people who were getting crushed by people pushing from behind. I was firmly entrenched in my spot, and I didn't leave until after Mushroomhead's set had ended, because I needed a breather.
7. There are a lot of great regional bands out there! From my buddies in Seasons After to Chicago rockers Veilside, the Rachel Lorin band, Denver metalers Scarlet Canary and my friends in Twin Cities acts VIA, Sin7, Emergent and others. Happy I got to see their sets and/or buy merch/music from them for the trip home.
Next post coming up soon about Friday's Seether show at the Myth- stay tuned!
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