Last night was my 11th time seeing Aerosmith and true to form, they continue to impress and amaze.  They had a great set list, sounded fantastic, looked terrific and were really rocking!  The set list consisted of a lot of deep tracks, including a surprise cover of the Standell’s "Dirty Water" – sung by Joe Perry as an anthem to his Boston roots, and a cover of "Rattlesnake Shake," the song that brought the band together back in 1969 in New Hampshire.   The entire set list:

Toys
Mama Kin
S.O.S.
Sweet E
Baby Please
Dirty H2O
Stop Messin’
Seasons
Dream On
Rattle Snake
Eat The Rich
Cryin’
Draw The Line
Encore
Elevator
Walk This Way

That is a solid set from start to finish, and one of the longest shows of the tour so far.  By comparison, Motley Crue was a disappointment last night.  This marked the fourth time seeing the Crue, the most recent being back in March.  They sounded alright then, but I enjoyed them a lot more with my earplugs in, as it helped to cut through the wall of noise that they create with their overly-loud system.  Back then, Vince Neil’s habit of changing the entire flow of the song by skipping over words and sometimes entire lines of lyrics was odd, but the second time around, it was just annoying.  These are the songs you know by heart, and for the second time, I found myself unable to sing along to Vince’s choppy vocals. 

The sub-par performance wasn’t helped any by the fact that Vince was struggling with laryngitis.  So not only was the performance choppy and shaky, but even when the words were right, they didn’t sound good!!

I feel bad saying that since I’ve seen two great shows by the Crue, and the one in March was good – this was a real disappointment though, and I wish I didn’t have to say that.  It was also disappointing to see that on a tour where Aerosmith has been pulling out some deep cuts ("S.O.S. (Too Bad)," "Rattlesnake Shake," "Lord of the Thighs," "No More No More") that the Crue performed the same set they did 6 months ago, minus "Too Fast For Love," "Ten Seconds to Love," "Red Hot," "On With The Show," and "Anarchy In The UK" resulting in this rather predictable set list:

Dr. Feelgood
Shout At The Devil
Wild Side
Looks That Kill
Louder Than Hell
Live Wire
Girls Girls Girls
Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
Home Sweet Home
Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S.)
Primal Scream
Kickstart My Heart

Aerosmith more than made up for it, however, and showed the youngin’s (not that Crue is that young any more) how it’s done.

One quick concert-related note:  when everyone is waiting to get out of the parking lot, anyone who tries to drive up to the front of the line of cars, cutting everyone off should have their tires slashed.  Jerks.

Last but not least, here’s a few Aerosmith-related links:

Review of last night’s show in the Boston Globe

Steven Tyler reveals he has Hepatitis C

And this is a blog entry that was mentioned on the Aerosmith fan club discussion boards today.  This guy is an Aerosmith hater and offers his "Indisputable, Factual Reasons to Hate Aerosmith."  Now, just by the title, you know its going to be a questionable, possibly laughable post. 

I haven’t read much of the rest of his blog, but he admits to enjoying blaring his "honky-tonk country music" making him not much of a rock fan by his own admission.  Besides that, I’m guessing that this guy is a bit of a "music Nazi," believing that only a handful of the biggest-name bands and a handful of the most obscure bands – as well as the bands he likes, of course – are worthy of listening to. 

I actually think that Aerosmith belongs on rock’s "B-list" as well, but I think that the "A-list" is reserved for a very small number of bands and artists:  Elvis, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, the Who, Led Zepplin, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Black Sabbath, The Sex Pistols, U2, and Pink Floyd would be among them.  These are bands that are the first-generation of a particular genre or sound that others built upon.  The B-Listers include some damn good company:  Aerosmith, Kiss, Jefferson Airplane, Steve Winwood, Steely Dan, Nirvana, etc.  These people who came from a second generation and have influenced many others, but perhaps not as fundamentally as the A-list.  In fact, it might be tough to get anyone whose career started after 1975 on the A-list.  Aerosmith admitted from early on that they wanted to be the American version of the Stones – and they’ve accomplished that with their brawny, strutting style of cock-rock.  They don’t try to be important, they try to be fun, sexy, and purposefully banal in their delivery.  They aren’t out to save the world, they’re just trying to make fun while we’re waiting for it to end!

Aerosmith has had its fair share of influence on bands: from Van Halen to Guns n’ Roses, from the Black Crowes to Ratt, most rock bands started after 1975 would probably list Aerosmith as an influence some way. 

What is funniest about his post is that he calls his opinions "indisputable facts."  Saying that "Crying" "Amazing" and "I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing" are songs that suck isn’t really a fact – its an opinion.  I don’t care for those songs… in fact, I think they kinda suck myself, but I also know there’s a LOT of people who like that song.  "I Don’t Wanna…" hit number one on the singles chart, so apparently most people disagree with the idea that the song sucks.  Of course, N’Sync and Milli-Vanilla were also number one artists at some point, so you really can’t go on the tastes of the American public.

What really made me scratch my head is the the comment of "Once a band releases a “greatest hits”, they might as well stop releasing new music."  That just doesn’t make sense.  His precious Rolling Stones released numerous "greatest hits" compilations before Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main Street, Goats Head Soup, Some Girls and Tattoo You.   The Beatles had several compilations out before Sgt. Peppers and all that followed…  Springsteen has released some great albums after his Greatest Hits CD came out in ’95 and Bob Dylan – ha!  Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits came out in 1967 – BEFORE John Wesley Harding, Nashville Skyline, New Morning, Blood on the Tracks, The Basement Tapes, Time out of Mind, Love and Theft and his newest, Modern Times.

Apparently this guy thinks that all of these artists should have stopped putting out albums simply because they put together a greatest hits compilation.  Good job, buddy!

You gotta love blogging – it gives everyone a chance to voice their opinions, but it makes my blood boil just a little bit when opinions are given as facts!

Just a note that Beatallica is hitting the road in the coming months and if you are interested in seeing a very talented band play some great music that’ll make you laugh your ass off, you need to check them out.  Go to their web site for more information.  I’m hoping to do an interview with them in the next few weeks, so stay tuned!

What a better way of capping off a country fair experience than with a country music concert!?!?  Oh yes folks, you read it here: your devout head-banging metal-head went to his first country concert, put on by headliner Brad Paisley and supporting acts Eric Church and the Wreckers. 

I was hardly dragged there kicking and screaming before you get the wrong idea; I went willfully and gladly to make my woman happy and in the end it was quite enjoyable.   I’m not about to rush out and buy a full catalog of country CDs and I’m definitely not going to trade in my copy of Aerosmith’s "Rocks" for "Mud On the Tires" any time soon, so I guess I’m still not technically a fan, but I can appreciate it. 

I believe that one of the keys to country’s popularity is the relatively simple story-based lyrics that are featured in most songs.  Many country songs feature a narrative storyline and are usually quite relevant to the listener – songs about love and loss, about life and work.   They aren’t very abstract, but rather straightforward and understandable – and if case anyone takes that the wrong way, I don’t mean that as an insult, but rather a compliment.  I don’t know what’s easier to write a song about: nonsense or real life, but I’m guessing they are both pretty tough.

This is the opposite end of the spectrum from many other genres – in rock and rap/hip-hop, songs are often about a lifestyle unfamiliar to the listener, and that is part of the appeal.  The artists do the drugs, things and girls that we could/would never do, serving as escapism for the listener.   Others, like folk, are often about an idea or ideal that its listeners center themselves around.  Jazz, classical and even new age are more about the pure expression of musical ability and the raw emotion evoked by them. 

The closest thing to country that I enjoy is blues, which lacks the twang but often has the narrative style, but is usually less "every day" in their stories.  Country music, especially over the last few years, has managed to create interesting music that features rather mundane topics compared to the sex and drugs of rock – your girlfriend burning a cake isn’t exactly "Brown Sugar" even if the cake was made with it.

As my dad says "if we all liked the same thing, the world would be pretty boring" so I’ll take my rock and go to the occasional country concert if she’ll take her country and go to the occasional rock concert!

What is interesting is how much country has borrowed from pop and rock music – the production value of the show was excellent, with more lights than you ever would have seen 15 years ago at a country concert and complete with custom videos to accompany the music.  There were also a few hints of stolen licks from various rock songs here and there, showing their hand as to just how much of a cross-over country music has become.

Being at the 4th of July concert by the Pops was a bit of a special event concert – not so much because it was the once-a-year event, but because it was the first concert with Steven Tyler singing after his throat surgery. 

It got me thinking about a conversation I had with a friend a few months ago about other "Special Event" concerts I’ve been to.  These are concerts that aren’t just a regular tour supporting another new album release, but once-in-a-lifetime opportunities or times you’ve seen a band on their last tour (because someone in the band died and/or the band broke up) or on a reunion tour or a special night of a tour.  Here’s my list:

• U2 on the ZooTV tour, the biggest production to date for a tour
• KISS on their last tour WITHOUT make-up
• KISS on their (first) reunion tour with make-up BACK on
• Soundgarden (now broken up) when they opened for Neil Young in 1993
• Blind Melon (Shannon Hoon is now dead) on the same tour in 1993
• What appears to be Pink Floyd’s last tour ever (as of right now) in 1994
• Eagles on their first reunion tour
• Van Halen with Sammy Hagar
• Little Richard (not sure if he’s still performing any more)
• Roy Orbison (died in 1988)
• Reunited J. Geils Band in 1995
• Squirrel Nut Zippers, who don’t appear to have done much since 2000
• Seeing Billy Joel in a Q&A session at the Providence Performing Arts center
• Attending Woodstock ’99
• Saw Rage Against the Machine on their last tour in 1999
• Jimmy Page with the Black Crowes in 1999
• Judas Priest with Ripper Owens…
• …and Judas Priest back with Rob Halford
• Aerosmith with Kid Rock and Run DMC
• The short-lived "reunion" tour of Guns N’ Roses in 2002
• First night of the Aerosmith/Lenny Kravitz tour in 2005

Some are more momentous than others, but they are all kind of special for various reasons.  I’d be curious what some of my reader’s "special concerts" might be – what bands you saw before they broke up, before an artist died or special performances you may have been witness to!

To steal a number from Keith Knight’s K Chronicles comic, I experienced one of life’s little victories this afternoon. 

While listening to the radio on the way home from Boston this afternoon, Aerosmith’s "Love In An Elevator" started playing.  Being the first Aerosmith song I reallyliked and the one that initially got me into them, I cranked it up and was hoping that I wouldn’t get back to the office before the song ended.

As it turns out…. perfect timing.  The song ended, I turned the engine off and walked into the office.  Doncha just love it when a good song ends just as you get to where you’re going?

To riff on an old joke:

"I went to a boxing match and a hockey game an Andrea Bocelli concert broke out."

Oh yes indeed folks – my first operatic concert proved to be an enlightening one as I learned that Andrea Bocelli fans can be a bunch of pompous, stuck-up, pains-in-the-you-know-what. 

I’ve been to over 130 concerts, many of them at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, MA, and many of them have spanned a wide range of musical tastes: from the Chieftains to Slayer.  I knew it was going to be a different night just walking towards the entrance – instead of the jubilant activity and noises that accompany most of the concerts I’ve attended (such as tailgating, music blasting out of cars and trucks, people just randomly yelling), everyone was walking either in silence or talking in hushed tones.

Once at our seats, we waited for the show to start.  The Boston Pops were providing the backing music for Andrea (not bad!) and around 8:15 (the show was supposed to start at 8 according to the tickets), they began a bit of prelude music to warm up and set the mood.  No one singing – just instrumental.

It was at this point that things started take a bad turn.  As the orchestra started playing, a group of about 8 people came up the stairs, and were trying to figure out their seats.  An older middle aged man (a bit tough to tell how old he was – could be anywhere from 60 to 75 as far as I know) dressed in a too-tight polo shirt sitting two rows ahead of us was getting annoyed with their noise and actually told them, "I hope you find your seats soon so you can sit down and shut up!"

Now, I’ve been to a lot of concerts where those words would instantly start a fist fight.  But I’ve never seen or heard anyone say that to anyone at any of those concerts.  Apparently heavy metal fans and hard rock fans are far more understanding and accommodating than opera and classical fans. 

These two middle-aged dudes started to get up in each others faces, with their wives having to intervene to prevent a fight from starting.  Bizarre!  Then I went to say something to my mom about the situation and I got "shushed" by the woman in front of us.  I’ve never been "sushed" by a stranger before!!  I was dumbfounded!

The rest of the concert went fairly uneventfully, though about 8:30 a group of 4 African-Americans came and sat down two rows in front of us.  If you’re keeping track, you know that means they had to get by the tight polo shirt guy.  I thought he was pissed about the seat finders… these people who came in late – and were clearly having a good time but anxious to sit down to watch the show – got the "evil eye" for a good two minutes from him.  I couldn’t tell if it was purely because they came in late and disturbed his musical experience or because they were black or a little bit of both.  Given what he had shown of his temperament and his age, it was probably a little bit of both.  Then another couple came in late and sat in the row in front of us, right next to the "shusher" who was infinitely annoyed at them.  I thought there was going to be blood shed when one of them pulled out a digital camera to see if she could take a photo.  Luckily no flashes or beeps went off, so the shusher didn’t have to kill (again, probably).

So here’s my first memo to all you classical/opera fans out there: you’re going to see a popular opera singer (or opera-style singer; check the profile on AllMusic and you’ll see this: "Bocelli has been most successful as a pop ballad singer") at a place primarily sponsored by Budweiser and a classic rock station.   Tom Petty and then Nine Inch Nails are gonna be there the following week.  Don’t expect this to be Symphony Hall.   Yeah, I have a problem with people showing up really late too, but people have to work, fight through traffic and have a right to eat supper too.  I’ll give them a break.

When it comes right down to it, if you want complete quiet and reverence for a concert, don’t go to a place that serves frozen margaritas in three-foot tall glasses and sells Superpretzels.

Oh, and to all you over-privileged twits who think that driving a car worth more than the average American makes in a year (or two) entitles you to get out of the parking lot first, please spend your next $50,000 on getting a reality check.  We all paid to park there, we all want to get out quickly, but you need to wait your turn.  Getting cut-off is one thing, but when some jerk decided that he was entitled to cut 20 cars in line and was going to get in front of me, that just wasn’t going to happen.  Who drives a white Volvo station wagon when you’re that old anyway?

I’m going to go practice my deep breathing exercises now.

I had heard about this a while ago, but now it is official – on June 27th, 2006, KISS will open its first…..

coffeehouse.

Yes, indeedy, the bad-ass make-up-clad, flame and blood spitting glam rockers who are all about sex and rock n’ roll and partying will be opening a….

coffeehouse.

The press release is here, which starts off with an extensive description of the new perfume line they are also launching.  The perfume thing I can deal with, especially since it has pheromones, which fits the "sex sex sex" image of KISS. 

The coffeehouse is different thing entirely.  Oh Gene, what have you done?  They are still trying to be the vicious rock n’ rollers, but its tough to do when the press release contains lines like:

"[the café will serve] KISS Frozen Rockuccino, the most caffeinated and refreshing coffee beverage on the market, as well as a full array of cookies brownies and cupcakes"

and

"Added [Paul] Stanley, ‘the KISS Coffeehouse is our way of providing everyone with a buzz of great, quality treats and coffee filled with enough sugar and caffeine to get the party started and keep it going!’"

Cupcakes are good.  I like cupcakes.  Especially chocolate ones with chocolate frosting and white creamy filling.  Or yellow cake with chocolate frosting.  But I digress.

I don’t think of cupcakes when I think of KISS.  I think of demons, rock n’ roll, partying, and fashion models being violated by Gene Simmon’s tongue.   Now I just picture Gene in a fucking apron cooking up batches of danish and cupcakes.

(brownies CAN be "rockin" but they are usually "special" brownies if you know what I mean)

Also, when I think of ways to "get the party started and keep it going" a frozen coffee drink isn’t usually at the top of my list.  A shot of SoCo and a Jack & Coke works better for me, I find.

Anyway – good luck to them.  Hopefully Gene  can make enough money to restuff his bed mattress.  I don’t drink coffee, but if I ever find myself in Myrtle Beach, I’ll be sure to stop by.

I recently finally made the upgrade to digital cable, and I’m loving the improved sound and picture quality, as well as the on-demand entertainment.  One of the neatest things is found deep within the "Free Zone" of the On-Demand menu, where there’s an entire selection of concerts to be enjoyed free of charge. 

Tonight I put on a show by The Who at Royal Albert Hall in London back in 2000.  It is a good performance (I’m still watching it) and so far all the songs have been good selections and performed well.  The show is billed as "The Who and Friends" so they have a few guest singers and guitarists come on to do their thing with The Who, which is usually pretty cool.

Except that Bryan Adams was just on.  And they had him sing "Behind Blue Eyes."  They launched into the song – one of the Who’s most popular, loved by both the die-hard fans and the more mainstream set – and there was nearly no reaction from the crowd as they realized that this B-list washed-up 80’s rocker was going to attempt to sing one of the most heartfelt and difficult rock ballads you could choose to sing.

A few other artists have attempted this song, with similar discouraging results, most notably and painfully when that knucklehead Fred Durst tried to prove to everyone he could sing by covering it on their 2003 album Results May Vary.  Results may vary, huh?  Well, I think they just suck…

Anyway, this got me thinking that there needs to be the holy protected list of rock songs that must not be covered by other artists.  They can be played live occasionally as a tribute to a band’s influences, and if they are completely reinterpreted, then I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt (but then we get Madonna’s "American Pie" – be afraid).  But if you’re gonna just re-sing the song, just shorten the album, OK?  Here’s my first nominations for the holy creed of song forbidden to cover:

• "Behind Blue Eyes" – The Who
• "Bohemian Rhapsody" – Queen
• "Dream On" – Aerosmith
• "Welcome to the Jungle" – Guns n’ Roses
• "Stairway To Heaven" and "Black Dog" – Led Zeppelin
• "Let It Be" – The Beatles
• "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Candle In the Wind" – Elton John
• "Piano Man" – Billy Joel

Feel free to add your own songs that you feel should be left well enough alone.

The annals of rock n’ roll are full of incredible songwriters who produced lyrical works of poetry set to beautiful music.  Songs with deep meanings, sometimes hidden behind wonderfully symbolic imagery.  Some inspired greatness, others helped great causes and yet others brought enlightenment to entire generations.  Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, Pete Townshend, Neil Young, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Roger Waters…. so many great writers who wrote meaningful songs that have touched our souls.

Then there are the songs are still enjoyable for us to listen to, but are just shallow tid-bits of pure musical pleasure.  The marshmallow Peeps of the musical world: sweet, delicious and fleeting, but oh-so-good while they last.  Sometimes, though, songs can go one steep beyond to be more like a deep fried Twinkie: absolutely no redeeming value, but you can’t resist.  You know you shouldn’t be participating in it at all, but you can’t help it, since its just so bad its good.  I’ll admit that I’m a sucker for this stuff – songs with big fat juicy music hooks and catchy choruses.  Most people would say that I’m a musical snob, but I’m not above admitting that the Pussycat Doll’s "Don’t Cha" was one of my favorite songs of last year, though usually it is a basic guitar-driven rocker that gets my attention.

My newest piece of rock n’ roll decadence?  "Crazy Bitch" by Buckcherry.  Pure, unbridled sexual honesty from a bunch of old-fashioned tattooed and pierced rockers.  This is a song that would have had Tipper Gore asking for beheadings back in the 80’s.  Forget symbolic lyrics rife with analogies and similes – these guys get right to the wonderfully un-politically correct point: 

Hey
You’re a crazy bitch
But you fuck so good, I’m on top of it
When I dream, I’m doing you all night
Scratches all down my back to keep me right on

Please note: this is NOT a song about world peace or the struggles of third world nations to repay their debts!  However, just in case you missed the point, they end out the song with this oh-so-subtle play on words: "You’re crazy; But I like the way you fuck me."

I have to admire such straightforward prurience.  Now I’m sure that someone reading this will be all sorts of offended, saying that this is misogynistic and I shouldn’t be encouraging such behavior.  Well let me say three things: 1) These guys are living in the different world than most of us.  Check out the lyrics and you’ll see that they are referring to the wacky groupies that they hang out with.  Not that I feel bad for them or anything, I’m just pointing it out.  2) This is just a reflection of a larger trend out there – we’ve all seen the girls walking around with "bitch" or "slut" imprinted with sequins or rhinestones on their baby-doll t’s or camisoles.  Given the right airplay, this song could become the girl-power anthem of 2006! 3) Its a song.  Lighten up.

And its the music that makes this such a great song – if it was a crappy song I wouldn’t be writing about it.  But it is legitimately a good song with a catchy riff, a great guitar hook and a chorus which, while it may disturb some, finds a way to lodge itself in your head.  Which means I was wandering around CVS today quietly humming "you’re a crazy bitch… mmmm-mmm-mmm… but you fuck so good… mmm-mmm-mmm…" to myself.

Friday night in Chicago we saw Andrew "Junior Boy" Jones at Buddy Guy’s Legends.   Andrew Jones is a classic journeyman blues performer, working with a variety of singers and playing in back bands since he was 16.  In the 90’s, he started recording his own stuff, putting out some solid Texas-style electric blues.  This is the stuff that most people now think of as "the blues" thanks to performers like Stevie Ray Vaughn and the electric blues that many rock band state as major influences.

Friday night showed why this version of the blues is so damn popular.  Rockin’ and swingin’ with a wailing guitar, a howling organ, and a screaming harmonica player (Cheryl Arena), Junior Boy played over two hours of entertaining electric blues, from slow burns to fast shuffles.

The blues is one of those things where I find myself coming back to it every once in a while as a "musical palette cleanser."   A week or two of listening to the blues regularly and any music rut I was in is washed away and opens my head up for new sounds.  Not sure what it is – maybes its the primitive sound – guitar, drums, bass, maybe keyboard or harmonica – or the simple structure of the songs that do it.  Its like a taste sherbet between courses: good on its own but makes everything around seem even better.

Next time you’re feeling a little ambivalent about what to listen to… not sure what to put on… try some blues.  Pick up a little Stevie Ray Vaughn (recommended: Couldn’t Stand the Weather, Texas Flood) or the Alligator Records 20th Anniversary Collection. That will take care of the most casual of blues fans.  Listen to it.  Enjoy it.  Appreciate where it comes from: starting as hollers among the slaves in the deep south as they worked the fields, to the front porches of the emancipated blacks whose music mingled with that of the whites and moved up the Mississippi river, morphing along the way in Memphis, St. Louis, and eventually Chicago where it met up with electric instruments.

Don’t get me started… back in college I was a blues fanatic, a member of the Blues Foundation and everything.  Wrote research papers and gave presentations at academic seminars about it.  One thing that I found really funny about the blues in modern America is that the most popular icons of the blues are that of a white Texas boy (Stevie Ray) and two white comedians who put out a movie called The Blues Brothers when the music couldn’t possibly be any more rooted in pop culture .  Whether that’s a sign that the music has moved beyond the limitations of race or has been co-opted by white culture, I’ll leave up to you to discuss and decide.