Another Irvine Show! Sublime+

I've spent the last 3 concerts at Irvine Meadows (previously Verizon Wireless) 

July 9th was Marilyn Manson and The Smashing Pumpkins. 

July 14th was Van Halen 

July 17th Sublime w/Rome, Rebelution, Pepper, Mickey Avalon. It's a shame that they are going to take this venue out. If you're local to the Irvine area you already know the tragic loss of Wild Rivers, now they are taking our concerts away from us because houses are more profitable, and that's exactly what we need in Orange County... More people. I've seen so many acts at Irvine too, probably more than I can even remember right now. It is so convenient and nearby too. It will be missed, kinda. There are definitely better venues, but you can't beat the convenience.

Anyways,

Let's see how much of this show I can remember... hah...It was just this last Friday that I saw Sublime w/ Rome show. It was fun, but unfortunately it wasn't that good. Mickey Avalon is a lesser known artist, not really generating any smash hits and he opened the show. There are definitely people familiar with Mickey Avalon, but only about 20% of the audience was there for his set. I'm personally a fan of Mickey Avalon, but he is kind of a creepy older 30s no name making some funny songs. His dancers were probably the only thing the audience was watching, and that wasn't even high quality material. You may remember this Gem from Harold And Kumar 2 My Dick (song) :-p

I feel like I'm being cynical, but the show fell short due to many reason.
The biggest reason being the pricing. These tickets were overpriced and it was obvious. The lawn was packed and the seats were empty. Rebelution came on before Sublime. I didn't go in really knowing them and there was too much going on to really absorb/ I didn't care. To be honest I know this show doesn't make for great blog content. I wasn't there to take the show seriously. I was there to have a good time. I had fun all in all, but that was more hanging out with my girlfriend and making fuzzy memories.

The Lawn kept getting out of hand with several fires. Truth be told I was mostly there to see Sublime, and I don't know what happened but it was not easy to hear Rome. For some reason his Mic volume seemed to be way too low. I will take into account that I was at the very upper outskirts of lawn. So that could have played a role, but I feel it's not substantial. The bass to me was very distorted and muddy, which made the rest of the sound fall flat.

This wasn't the first time I had seen Sublime either. I caught Sublime when they played with Pepper and Cypress Hill. That show sounded a lot better. So I'm pegging the blame on Irvine's venue. Especially because the past two shows sounded a lot better, and I know it's because they were higher budget and able to bring in their own equipment and staff. Acts like Sublime w/Rome have to fall back more on what the venue already has to offer. April 29, 1992 was my favorite part of the night, cop lights flashing, and the audience felt like they were on the edge of a riot. Man, what I would give to see Bradley front the band. Respect to Rome, but man... R.I.P. There would have been a riot if Bradley was there.

I missed Pepper, but I've seen Pepper so it wasn't a big miss. I also never really got that into them. I spent the first two hours of the show with my friend John and the remainder of the show with my lady friend because there was no way to get through the lawn crowd to find John again. The show wasn't that great but at least I had a good time with good company.

Van Halen

Just this last Tuesday night I was at it again. Dan was going to a concert; as if I wasn't still stoked about the Marilyn Manson and The Smashing Pumpkins concert. I was ready to travel back in time to the 1980s to experience one of the most flamboyant front men along with the greatest guitarist there ever was; or at least a guitarist who has been featured on many many top list of greatest ever. A true electric guitar ninja, and the bands namesake; Eddie Van Halen.
Van Halen back at it again, a David Lee Roth fronted Van Halen with Alex Van Halen on drums and Wolfgan Van Halen on bass. Where's Michael Anthony? Well, according to Eddie Van Halen, he was taught most of his bass lines and wasn't that important to the band. However, that's Eddie Van Halen speaking, through his fake teeth. I'm not going to dive into the politics of Van Halen because it's not a very nice timeline and people still have a hard time getting along.
I'm just gonna take in the fact that it was. Myself, my girlfriend, my buddy James (squirrel), his sister Allison, Danielle, and my mom and pops. I even knew a slue of other people in the audience that night. A band so dynamic in the 80s that despite much action and success in decades, we were all brought together to witness a band that hit their stride and sat on top during the decade of 80s hair and screaming guitars.

David Lee Roth is still David Lee Roth, and anyone who knows his personality knows exactly what I'm talking about. He was cocky, big headed, and full of energy. And he put on the best performance he could but while also not hesitating to  ramble on a few stories, and dawn a couple different outfits.
Then there's the band behind David that makes the whole package come together. It's what people generally feel comfortable with. Everyone fell in love with a Van Halen fronted by the ice cream man. Hit after hit, music was tight, and David Lee Roth hammed his way into the hearts of thousands. He certainly couldn't sing his way there anyone. But that's okay!

My parents recently challenged me to perform a rating system to give to the people. There are so many criteria in which to rate a band. I have to take into account my own feelings, who is and isn't in the band, stage lighting, set design, song list.
I'm gonna give this show
2 out of 5 David Lee Roth screams
5 out of 5 Melted faces
2 out of 5 Audience power
5 out of 5 Legendary
3 out of 5 Story Telling
3 out of 4 Van Halen's (ah... see what I did there?)

End Times Tour

We are back. Yes, it's been a while but we are BACK. I write this in the afterglow of last night's epic concert. Marilyn Manson and The Smashing Pumpkins brought their End Times Tour to Irvine Meadows, Irvine CA last night and it was plain AWESOME. It was the second performance of the tour and I couldn't have been more pleased. This is the 3rd round of Marilyn Manson for me, and my first time getting a chance to see The Smashing Pumpkins.

 


Marilyn Manson has a new vigor I haven't seen before. This show was by far the best of the 3 Marilyn Manson performances I've seen.
His recent success with The Pale Emperor,This album brought him back to the headlines and I think critical acclaim has been good for him, however, he deserves it; he worked hard. He seems to have a new outlook on life. If you watch his interviews over the past few years you'll find a Marilyn Manson who grew up in a sense, instead of being lost in a depressive drug induced world of split ups and heartache. Now he has seemed to reflect on the death of his mother bringing him closer to his father. You find a Marilyn Manson finally staring into the eyes of Brian Warner. I think he's come a long way emotionally over the past few years and I think it's fantastic, he's a brilliant artist and has a brilliant mind. He's always been on a mission to stir up controversy in the name of individuality and open mindedness. I feel people disregard his profound impact, people like Bill O' Riley warned us of his negative impact. But in reality Marilyn Manson has become a Christ like figure.

I'm struggling to find what to say about the show, it was just a really solid Marilyn Manson concert. Stilt walking, bible burning, costume changes and a revived Marilyn Manson. Favorite song of the night was Lunchbox, but the entire set list was top notch. This concert felt like a Marilyn Manson concert should feel. It was fabulously wicked.
I could have done without the two cover songs. I love his covers of Personal Jesus, and Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This. But it always bothers me when an artist has a massive body of work and they lace in any more than one cover. I wanted more Marilyn Manson songs, but that's okay. The audience enjoys the covers and I'm pretty sure Marilyn enjoys performing the songs. So it's all good!

The Smashing Pumpkins, what a treat. What a tight sound. Now I can't reflect too much on Pumpkins. I genuinely care about Marilyn Manson, and have followed him ever since I was a young "disposable" teen. But I've always like a number of Smashing Pumpkins as anyone who is into good 90s alt. rock should be. Songs like 1979, Disarm, Bullet With Butterfly Wings, Cherub Rock, and so on and so forth.

But what a massive performance, the delivery that Billy Corgan still has is brilliant, he still feels like an artist in his prime. The light design was fantastic, as was for Manson. You can tell these two 90's powerhouse bands got together and put together a joint budget together and gave themselves a very fun tour. I felt like these two artist touring together is about as good as it can get. These two fit together so well.

Not only do the bands fit together, so do the front men of each band. Manson and Corgan being essentially best friends. Now that I reflect... we were awfully close to LA... I'm surprised Johnny Depp didn't make an appearance. Manson and Depp are also good buds.
What more do I put down on this post? I just really really enjoyed the performance okay? LOL

Photos grabbed by http://consequenceofsound.net article.

We Will Be Back After These Messages...

So for the next month my girlfriend Alex is going to be over seas in Poland. Alex is first generation American so both her parents were born and raised in Poland. She's got lots of family over there and she has visited frequently for her whole life. Seeing as she is my concert buddy, and also the editor for my blog posts. I've decided it would be necessary to postpone posting full fledged posts, I might pop in with something here or there, just don't expect anything.

July 10th will be the return from the month long hiatus. I see The Smashing Pumpkins and Marilyn Manson on the 9th, so I will come back with a fresh concert review. And that's when the wheels really start to spin.

Jason Aldean and Kenny Chesney in July
Van Halen in July
Kid Rock and Foreigner in August
Shania Twain In August 
AC/DC in September

And new to the list of upcoming concerts...

Luke Bryan In October

So stay classy ladies and gentlemen. I'll catch you on the flip side.

Oh... One last thing, I'll miss you Alex, I hope you make it there and back without being kidnapped by ISIS or Russia. See you when you get back!!!

Dan Goes To His Girlfriends Concerts

Ah, It is true that I find myself at concerts I wouldn't otherwise if

​it wasn't for my lovely girlfriend.​

Aside from all the Country acts. 

James Otto, 
Luke Bryan, 
Eric Church, 
Love and Theft, 
Kara Kramer, 
Laura Bell Bundy, 
Scotty McCreere, 
Brantly Gilbert, 
Lonestar, 
Tim McGraw(x2), 
Kenny, Chesney, 
Jason Aldean, 
Rascal Flatts (x2), 
Shania Twain, 
Keith Urban, 
Blake Shelton, 
The Band Perry, 

This song is a late 00's hit

​. ​You're

most likely to hear it in a department store these days. It came out of persistence and hard work, given that it was his 5th album but first to see chart success. You can't even call him a 00's artist considering the largest bulk of work came out in the 90's. Matt Nathanson is a singer

​/​

songwriter kind of gig. It's a guy with a great voice, great lyrics

​,​

and a guitar and a band. I feel like I appreciate Matt more than I care for his music on a passionate level

​ but ​

his taste in music doesn't even seem to totally jive with what he performs. He actually has a similar taste in music.

​ to myself​

  

Matt Nathanson gives everything he has on stage, telling stories and being a goof ball. It's hard not to enjoy his performance because if anything he's enjoying it the most. He's kind of self admittedly in love with himself  so he's going to strut the stage and make love with the audience.

​ He makes all the girls scream when he gyrates his hips.​

If that's his prerogative

​,​

all power too him. I'll probably be seeing you again Matt Nathanson.

Speaking of mid 00's bands that temporarily showed up on our radios. Actually this band did a lot more than Matt Nathanson as far as commercial success goes. I'm talking of course about Life

​h​

ouse

​;​

again another band Alex loves and has managed to see countless times.
<-----That song sound familiar? I bet it does! I bet it takes you back. A little bit of overplayed radio nostalgia

​,​

am I right? I first saw this band perform at the San Diego fair where old bands go to re live old glory days. The other time I saw them was kind of interesting. They did this thing at the Grammy Museum where they were the band was interviewed for quite some time then they performed a number of songs in a very intimate room. They sounded excellent in that room that I'm pretty sure was designed expertly for acoustics. The sound was so clean in that room. Lifehouse really brings a full sound and put what they've got into playing it live. They aren't that fun to watch but I enjoy hearing the hits I and everyone else grew to love.


  

My girlfriend is an old school fangirl when it comes to both Matt Nathanson and Lifehouse​.​

​She was hip to both bands before they hit the radio.

You​'re ​going to recognize this one too, and it's going to take you back and tickle your brain for a little bit. Ahh, the 00's, what an interesting time for music.

Dan Goes To Concerts In Vegas

Las Vegas, Sin City; remember, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Except for this entire blog post...In my large handful of times being to Las Vegas, I've been to a small handful of concerts. The first time I found myself in Vegas was actually on a concert mission. The mission was to see John Cougar Melloncamp open for the one and only Bob Dylan. Despite how amazing that show sounds, it wasn't as great as you might think. John Cougar really put on a good show, he sounded great. Aside from the fact that he didn't play 'Jack and Diane,' I really enjoyed his set. Unfortunately, Bob Dylan was the disappointment of the evening. I say that with a broken heart, because it was absolutely incredible to sit before him, and I deeply appreciate his music contributions. But the whole performance fell flat for me. Bob Dylan essentially sat down at a piano the entire time banging out song after song. He sounded out of shape and winded. I'll accept his age as a contribution to his tired sound, but I've seen plenty of older guys jam out with twice as much as Bob Dylan gave. I don't recall him even taking a moment to speak with the audience. He also left out some massive hits out of the set list. Considering that these tickets weren't cheap, I felt like I was taken for a ride. The set was minimalistic and the lighting wasn't anything special. It felt like two big names took the money and ran. Bob Dylan didn't even perform 'Like a Rolling Stone'. Not that he had to, but on top of not being conversational with the audience, it felt like a poor effort from a legendary performer. The rest of that Vegas trip was plenty fun to make up for it. Me and my friend John got into plenty of trouble while in Vegas.

My second concert in Vegas was a free gig on Freemont street. I mentioned this in my County Concerts post. Basically during the week of the American Country Music Awards there was a show put on by a surprising list of artists for a free show. This thing was packed. People everywhere in cowboy hats and Daisy Dukes. At one point someone dropped a 2 liter of Dr. Pepper on the ground essentially destroying a good proximity of standing area. He just stood there and watched it gush out of the bottle... I was not amused, first: that's a waste of perfectly good DP and secondly I don't like *squish squish* with every step I take.

As I said in my 1990s post,
   The Mandalay Bay puts on a summer concert series where various bands play poolside.
Well, this particular lineup was Sugar Ray, Gin Blossoms, Smash Mouth. A dynamic 90s nostalgia explosion in a beautiful Las Vegas setting. Nothing like sipping on a Budweiser surrounded by people having a good pool party time.
                                         (as I'm writing this post I realize how many shows I've seen in Vegas)
  
My fourth concert going venture in Vegas was to see Shania Twain. I actually surprised my girlfriend Alex with a pair of Shania Twain tickets. This was just one of many spectacular things that happened that Valentine's weekend. That performance wasn't even the performance that brought us to Vegas that weekend. Our original purpose was to see CeeLo Green, and I will get into how awesome that show was in a sec. First, the Shania Twain show, what an epic show that was, bare in mind I'm not entirely that into country music, but then again... Shania Twain isn't entirely country. Shania Twain is the best selling female country artist of all time, but she also crossover into mainstream radio during the 90s. Her performance was jam packed with nostalgic award winning mega hit songs. The band was note for note perfect, and there were dancers! It was a full tilt Vegas show, with moving set pieces to boot. It was a high energy captivating show full of audience interaction, recommencement story telling from Shania. She's also not afraid to get a little vulnerable on that stage talking about heavy things. This is why I am so excited to see her on her tour. I know it will lack the Vegas atmosphere, but she completely won me over in Vegas.

Then it was time for CeeLo Green. With special guest Boy George. WHaT?? I know, not only did CeeLo Green dazzle the audience, but Boy George came out and brought things up to 11 with a quick mash up of Karma Chameleon and Do You Really Want To Hurt Me? That was a fantastic surprise. But back to my man CeeLo, wow... His voice is so completely on point. I hope it wasn't Vegas magic, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't. That performance was so good tho, just everything about it. From his amazing multi-color moo-moos and his crazy falsetto voice. I wasn't as completely captivated by this show as Shania, but I did still really enjoy it. There was just no set, not much to look at. It was mostly just CeeLo being amazing, there wasn't enough flair for my taste.

 

So who did I see in Vegas last? Oh yeah, Jimmy Buffet. Suck on that.
There's nothing to say about Jimmy Buffet shows that hasn't already been said. But I'm officially a parrot head.

 
 

Punk Rock

This post is going to be tricky, and I know some reading this might disagree with a few of the things I might say. Punk is a genre that has many faces, and many fans. Those fans have many differing opinions.Bare in mind I am no authority on Punk but I've been to a handful of shows that I believe can be consider Punk shows.

My first Punk show was a band called Against Me!. This is more of a contemporary Punk Rock band. They have polished melodies with crunchy guitar and rough vocals. Lyrics laced with political and social commentary. When I refer to rough vocals I have in mind. - It's not whiny, and that's where I sort of draw the line on my punk threshold. In actuality my taste for Punk music is generally limited.

I like a polished punk music sound with a man singing, not a man singing like a boy. Which is what I wrote without realizing and recently found out that the lead singer Laura Jane Grace identifies as being a woman and now is publicly embracing being a woman. All power to her, if it feels right and it makes her happy then that's excellent. If anything it makes me like the music even more.

I saw Against Me! with opener.
Matt & Kim they were a fun band, it's always nice to walk away from enjoying an opening band you aren't familiar with.


It was a high energy show... Clearly!This was my first concert at the Grove Of Anaheim. I was invited to this show by my friend Haley who is a very cool person, she rounded up me and a couple other friends, Lauren and Andrea. The crowd had a lot of momentum, I felt responsible for trying to keep my female friends from dying as the ocean of people swirled around. At one point I felt it would be a good idea to jump into the mosh pit. Jumping into the mosh pit always seems like a good idea, however it often times turns out not to be. This particular time I basically had a pretty big person's body come down on by head. I felt my neck compress into my body and I felt dizzy and sick for a good 15 minutes after. They say it's fun and games until someone gets hurt, it's totally true.

I discovered Against Me! through Haley and they continue to be a band I listen too frequently. So thanks Haley! They really did put on a good show that night, they sounded fantastic. I really need to see them again, it's been years.

The second show one can consider punk would be Vans Warped Tour. I did find myself at one of those once. Ultimately Vans Warped tour doesn't cater to my taste in music. I went that year because it was free courtesy of my crazy ex-girlfriend. My friend Lauren was with us too, so that's now a total of 2 concerts in this post I've seen with Lauren out of a number of concerts. She should start her own blog. Next to Me and My girlfriend Alex, Lauren has a pretty high concert count.
I can't say I really enjoyed this concert that much. My ex really had a way of sucking the fun out of things. I think that night even ended in an argument. Thank god Lauren was there, but I think she didn't really have too much fun either >.< my ex was the worst. Warped tour was the first time I chanced upon the Adicts. It essentially was the only part of the festival that was cool for me. The first of now 4 Adicts concerts I've been too. You'll notice "I think" was used a lot in this paragraph, this is really a show that yeah... I attended, but it can stay a distant memory.

I was sold on the first time I saw the Adicts, now the Adicts have become one of my most favorite acts to see live. It is literally one of the funnest shows to go to. Streamers, glitter, and good ol' fashioned English Punk Rock. The people who've seen the Adicts know exactly what I'm talking about. If you haven't been to an Adicts concert you really should. You don't have to know their music, you don't have to be into Punk music. It helps, but it doesn't matter. Regardless of your taste, you are going to find yourself having a good time at an Adicts concert. I promise that it will be full of streamers, glitter, and good ol' fashion Punk Rock. I've managed to see the Adicts a total of 4 times. It was just last Halloween I got to see them perform at the House Of Blues on Sunset Strip with my numero uno gal-pal Alex. I've sat through a few acts as openers for the Adicts, and honestly the only interesting thing that's happened was East Bay Ray of the Dead Kennedy's performed with his band, and they performed a couple Dead Kennedy songs.

That concludes the Punk Rock shows I've attended. Not too much experience, but that experiences I have had with Punk shows have been great. It's a high energy crowd that is really into it. It's a little chaotic and it's not for the faint of heart. You'll be covered in sweat, you'll smell like beer. And you'll think to yourself how funny it is to see Punk Rockers march through downtown Disney. But I've seen that with a handful of acts at House of Blues Anaheim. I've seen a couple Metal artists there, and it's just funny to see metal heads in downtown Disney.