It's Throwback Thursday so here's an oldie but goodie.
A certain kind of magic is almost inevitable when you take two
legendary bands, each fronted by iconic female rockers and you have
them hit the road together for a 27- city North American tour. The
Rage and Rapture Tour, co-headlined by Garbage and
Blondie seems to have only picked up momentum as it rolled into a
series of East coast dates. The Aug. 2nd tour stop in
Philadelphia at The Mann Center, a beautiful outdoor venue
nestled in Fairmount Park, was absolutely everything that I had hoped
it would be. You know how sometimes you see a show that's so
fantastic that when you wake the next day you're still carrying it
with you? This was one of those for me. I left the venue a little bit
changed. I'm not exactly sure how or why, but I do know that it's a
good thing.
I've
always been entranced by Shirley Manson, from the very first
moment that MTV introduced her and the rest of Garbage to me. My
college-girl self thought that she was the epitome of cool, drop-dead
stunning and most importantly, she was smart. As Manson took the
stage, 25 years after my first impression of her was made, she was
still all of those things and more. Fire from the top of her hair to
the tips of her combat boots, owning every inch of the stage.
“Here
we are in the city of brotherly love. This is the city I fell in love
with when I grew up on the tiny little island of Scotland.” proclaimed Manson after the band’s first few songs. Clad in star
stockings, a shimmering silver dress and of course, a head full of
flame-colored hair Manson owned every bit of the stage as she lost
herself in the music. At times she seemed to be stalking the cords
and then in other moments, she was vulnerable to the point of
fragility before bouncing back with authority.
Manson has a way of
making you feel the anguish of her songs while turning them into a
bit of performance art. She appears almost catatonic for part of “#1
Crush” and then twirls with abandon through “Stupid Girl”.
Manson
introduced several songs by weaving in bits of her own personal
history as well stories of strong women rockers that affected her
and drove her to get to America, somehow. She was intensely connected
to the band and the audience simultaneously and somehow managed to
absolutely break my heart along with hers during a very still
rendition of “Cup Of Coffee”.
Their
set continued gaining momentum for well over an hour so that by the
time Garbage cranked out one of their anthems, “Only Happy When
It Rains”, it truly gave the audience the eventual outburst
that it needed. Manson started the song sitting on the stage and as
she slithered through the opening lyrics The Mann was fixated. By the
time the music crashed in, she was lying face down, soaking up the
cheers as the band enjoyed an energetic and deserved moment in the
spotlight.
As
The Rage and Rapture Tourcontinues
it's North American run I'm going to bet that it'll only get better
with each show. Garbage can't help but leave absolutely everything on
the stage.
I can't remember a moment in my life when music wasn't somehow playing in the backdrop binding together those things that would become real memories while helping the less important things to just sort of drift away into oblivion. When I was a kid, if my dad wasn't at the studio, then he was most definitely locked away in his home studio. He first sucked me in the door to that room with disco and a lot of my homework was eventually done on the floor next to one of his huge speakers. The deal was that once my homework was finished then I could pick any song and listen to it in his chair, with his headphones on. That was a huge thing to me and dad was smart because as my musical taste expanded, so did my time in his favorite chair. What started as one song while looking at cover art turned into dad leaving me with entire albums and loads of liner notes to dissect.
In the late '70s rock was just rock and there was no need to categorize it or throw it into some sort of sub-category. Good music was just that, good music. Toto's eponymous debut, followed by Hydra a year later, were two of my favorites and I spent a lot of time with headphones on soaking up every note played. I didn't know exactly what "shredding" was, but I believed my dad when he said that Steve Lukather was already one of the best and I also believed him when he said that David Paich was writing songs that were going to "stick".
Flash ahead 43 years and my dad was right because Lukather is now the guy that other equally legendary musicians consider as a personal mentor and Paich, well that silly little song about "Africa"has made him a mountain of cash (plus I dare you to find anyone over the age of twenty that doesn't know the chorus). Four decades have brought the band an abundance of riches, like a handful of Grammys, more than 40 million records sold, plus induction into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009.
Those same years have contained painful losses, debilitating illnesses, litigation, and the kind of personal demons that touch each and every one of us eventually, in one way or another. Sometimes the family that you choose becomes almost more important than the one that you were born into and the brotherhood of Lukather, Paich, Steve Porcaro, and Joseph Williams might be even more precious today than it ever was before.
Toto decided to commemorate their 40th anniversary by embarking on a 40 Trips Around The Sun tour, a celebration that has actually lasted for nearly two and a half years. The band brought down the house last night at The Met in Philadelphia as they closed the door not only on this tour but also on this incarnation of Toto. The band is now on hiatus for a well-deserved break and any future plans will be decided much further down the road.
The near-capacity crowd at The Met seemed well aware of the fact that it was the beginning of the end for this era of Toto and there were some bittersweet moments that spilled off the stage into the audience, but for the most part, this show was a celebration. The band took the audience on a two-hour ride through their catalog of 14 studio albums, serving up some of the anticipated favorites and just enough deep cuts to make true fans grateful to be in the house.
Opening with "Devil's Tower" and "Hold the Line" delivered a one-two musical punch, the kind that lets you know that it's going to be a fantastic show. The first electric set seemed to fly by as it included an extra sentimental variation of "I Will Remember" and "English Eyes". The instrumental "Jake to the Bone" is a personal favorite of mine because it really shows off the musicianship that is the backbone of everything that Toto does. Lukather is just fantastic and keyboardist Steve Porcaro seems to have a bit of a mad musical scientist thing going on as well.
The quintessential favorite, "Rosanna" closed out the first set and anyone that had still been in their seat abandoned it. As the audience recovered from the adrenaline blast of that song, chairs were placed on stage, and Lukather, Porcaro, Williams, Warren Ham (multi-instrumentalist/vocalist), and bassist Shem von Schroeck all settled in for an acoustic set. "Georgy Porgy", the first song that Lukather ever sang for Toto, kicked off a sentimental musical journey that included "I'll Be Over You" and "No Love". I love stripped-down sets and this one really showed off just how much value each member has on their own. It's no wonder that the fully plugged-in band sounds like layers of perfection.
Let's talk for a minute about 27-year-old keyboardist Dominique "Xavier" Taplin. He stepped in last year for an ailing David Paich and learned the entire show in just a couple of days. Lukather mentioned the band all wanting to adopt him and after a lengthy chat with him last year, I kind of felt the same way. He is talented enough to have toured years ago with Prince (let that sink in), and his piano solo in this show was absolutely beautiful.
One of the best parts of seeing Toto play live is the way that they really capture that whole jam band kind of energy. Nearly every note may be carefully placed but it never really feels that way. Instead, it feels like a group of guys that really listen to each other and play off of each other in response and nowhere was that vibe more apparent than in the final set.
The often lost in their catalog "Girl Goodbye" sent the band soaring with some of Lukather's best playing of the night matching Williams' effortless vocals. The latter was a ball of energy throughout the entire show, laying down some of the best vocals that I've ever heard him do live. "Dune (Desert Theme)" is another of those layered instrumental pieces that is best appreciated live and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", a sentimental favorite of Lukather, was one of the best songs of the evening. If you think that an electric guitar solo can't take you on an emotional roller coaster ride then you need to spend a few minutes with this version of the George Harrison classic.
On an evening filled with "moments," Toto was going to have to go a long way to top themselves, yet they did just that with their 12-minute version of "Africa". David Paich (sidelined for health reasons since last year) was not only in the house, but he took his seat at the keys and sang those lyrics that he wrote so many years ago. The audience knew just how important this moment was and responded with both respect and gratitude.
Lukather shredded, Williams played with the crowd and percussionist Lenny Castro's solo smack in the middle of the classic song was nothing short of genius. As someone pointed out to me, you could hear the sleigh bells that are actually in the song, usually lost beneath everything else. An encore of "Home of the Brave" closed out the night with the entire band leaving absolutely everything that they had left to give on the stage of The Met.
Since Covid-19 has brought 2020 gigs to a screeching halt we are flashing back to some of the best of the best content here at DailyBOOM.
When Mick Jones, Ian McDonald, and Lou Gramm first joined forces in New York City back in 1976 to form Foreigner, they never in a million years would have predicted that four decades later their music would still live on in regular radio rotation across the world. Health issues, growing pains, lineup changes, and internal strife have all played a part in the bands' evolution and temporary disintegration, but the music has always been much more powerful than all of those things combined. The music has weathered every storm that the band has faced, always waiting for them on the other side, ready to be played once the temporary diversions have been settled.
Foreigner's catalog is an overabundance of riches for any musician fortunate enough to be able to do it any sort of justice and no one understands this better than the band's original lineup, Mick Jones (lead guitar), Lou Gramm (vocals), Ian McDonald (guitar/sax), Dennis Elliott (drums), Rick Wills (bass) and Al Greenwood (keyboard). After the success of a handful of reunion shows last year, Jones, McDonald, Wills and Greenwood have once again decided to share the stage and recapture a bit of that rock and roll spotlight.
Gramm had originally been scheduled to join them but had to bow out a few days beforehand on doctors' orders, after a temporary illness flared up.
The Hard Rock in Atlantic City was one of only four shows slated for this year's Double Vision: Then & Now reunion and what transpired on stage really was a perfect balance of the original Foreigner members, with the current lineup. So far, this is the only rock band that has managed to successfully meld two different lineups and the end result is an incredible gift for everyone in attendance.
The first part of the show featured Foreigner's current powerhouse lineup led by Kelly Hansen on vocals. He absolutely shows off his range on hits like "Cold As Ice" and "Head Games" before sucking the crowd in with an emotional intensity on "Waiting for a Girl Like You" and "That Was Yesterday". Hansen often seems to get lost in the shuffle of frontmen, but he is truly one of the best around and there's no doubt that he leaves everything that he has got on the stage night after night.
Kelly Hansen
While Hansen is leading the way, the rest of the current lineup is an incredibly skilled group of musicians, all with decades of success before even venturing to set foot on a Foreigner stage. It's unimaginable to think that anyone could ever step in for Mick Jones, yet Bruce Watson did such a phenomenal job during a medical emergency years ago that he has never left. Watson has earned his spot by being versatile enough to either play lead guitar with his own unique flair or to accentuate the magic that Jones weaves, as his right-hand man.
Bruce Watson
Bruce Watson & Kelly Hansen
Jeff Pilson (interview here) spent years 'breaking the chains' with Dokken before joining Foreigner and he's still an animal onstage. One minute he is literally headbanging right in front of you and the next he is already at the opposite end of the stage rocking out. His bass playing is a standout, even on the ballads and his background vocals really add to the texture of the band. Pilson also functions as a music director and has a lot to do with all of those seamless transitions that you barely notice happening on stage.
Jeff Pilson
I think every great band needs a solid multi-instrumentalist and Tom Gimbel (interview here) is probably THE most versatile musician currently touring. In any given song he might be playing rhythm guitar ("Head Games", "Juke Box Hero"), keyboard ("Cold As Ice", "Waiting For A Girl Like You"), or if you're really lucky you'll get to hear him on flute ("Starrider"). Hands down, Gimbel's shining moment is when he cracks out his saxophone to make "Urgent" the soaring, iconic piece that it is.
Tom Gimbel
Michael Bluestein, on keyboards, is not only fantastic at his craft, but he is also quite an entertainer. Even from the back of the stage he always catches my eye with the way he pumps up and engages the audience. Chris Frazier has been the man behind the kit for the last eight years and he is the driving force that pushes this great band through songs like "Juke Box Hero". If drums really are the solid foundation for any band then Foreigner certainly is sitting in very solid, capable hands.
If you watch the interplay on stage with the current lineup you realize that these guys aren't lying when they say that they really are friends. There are so many little moments exchanged between them that are probably just as sentimental as the actual playing is.
In Atlantic City, Mick Jones took to the stage right before "Urgent" and this audience (clearly raised on Foreigner) went crazy when he started playing that infamous guitar solo that begins the song.
Mick Jones
Tom Gimbel & Mick Jones
After an extra-inspired version of "Juke Box Hero" Mick introduced the rest of the original members and one by one Greenwood, Wills, and McDonald all took their place on stage. Hansen continued on lead vocals and Watson pitched in on guitar as the guys who actually played on those original recordings launched into several songs from their very first album. Less than a minute into "Feels Like the First Time" it was obvious that this stage (mostly) full of 70ish-year-old men could still rock their asses off.
Mick Jones & Rick Wills
Rick Wills
Rick Wills on bass, seemed to be having the time of his life, with a smile that just couldn't be contained and it was cool to see (and hear) Al Greenwood make those melodic keys dance. Their set, which included "Blue Morning Blue Day" and "Long Long Way From Home", really made me want them to just keep playing.
Al Greenwood
Multi-instrumentalists always intrigue me because they just have so much going on. Ian McDonald seems to go through a mental checklist while meticulously getting himself together before playing and it's cool to see him have a bit of a sax solo, complete with a bit of theatrical flair, during "Long, Long Way from Home".
The split setlist for the Double Vision: Then & Now shows is exactly as you would hope that it would be. It allows each incarnation of the band to play to their strongest current abilities and then everyone wins. The sold-out audience in Atlantic City was certainly appreciative and perhaps even more importantly, every single guy playing seemed to be having one of the best nights of their musical career. There was no better way to wrap up such a rare evening than by bringing all twelve musicians back onstage to perform "I Want To Know What Love Is" and "Hot Blooded".
Two legendary Canadian classic rock bands performed at one of my favorite venues on a cold wintery Saturday night. The 5,000 capacity Casino Rama Event Center features outstanding sound, perfect sightlines, and always attracts great acts.
Trooper (formed in 1975) has been rocking audiences all over Canada for over 45 years! Founding members RA McGuire (lead vocals) and Brian Smith (lead guitar) along with Paul Roland Gogo (keyboards), Clayton Hill (drums) and Scott Brown (bass) brought their iconic brand of party rock to an enthusiastic and energetic crowd at Casino Rama Resort.
Trooper kicked off the night with their classic song (and perfect opener!) “Here For A Good Time (Not a Long Time)” which got the crowd up on its feet, singing along with every word. The set continued, covering all of the band's biggest hits from the ’70s including "3 Dressed Up as a 9", "Baby Woncha Please Come Home" and the ballad "Two For The Show", for which the audience loudly sang along.
Drummer Clayton Hill and bassist Scott Brown launched into a cool drum and bass solo following "Boy With A Beat". Although I usually use the drum solo as an opportunity to freshen my beverage, I stuck around for this one and was glad I did. Hill and Brown were excellent as they wowed the crowd with their outstanding musicianship.
The hits kept coming, with new song "Cold Water" included amongst classic tracks "Round RoundWe Go", "General Hand Grenade", "Santa Maria" and "Pretty Lady". I was surprised at how many songs I recognized and found myself singing along as the show went on.
The bands' energy was infectious and the entire audience was on its feet by the time the first notes of "The Boys in the Bright White Sports Car” played. This was a huge hit for Trooper when their 1979 compilation album Hot Shots was released and it continues to be a fan favorite. At this point in the show, the audience knew which song was coming next, and the roar that went up when the band launched into "Raise A Little Hell" was absolutely deafening. Trooper’s signature song (and biggest US hit), Raise A Little Hell had the capacity crowd on out of its seats, belting out the lyrics to one of the great Canadian rock songs of the 70s. The perfect choice to finish off a lively and energetic set from one of Canada’s best-loved bands.
Trooper came to rock and proved without a doubt that rock and roll definitely is alive and well in Canada in the 2020s!
During the intermission, I decided to move from my seat right up to the pit in front of the stage in order to get the best vantage point of a band I have been a fan of since the mid-80s. I was introduced to Loverboy by my cousins, who were massive fans and played Loverboy’s self-titled debut album non-stop during one of the summer vacations I spent with them in Montreal. Needless to say, I quickly became a fan as well and have continued to listen to their music regularly to this day. Loverboy became one of the biggest bands in rock music during the ’80s releasing 4 multi-platinum albums from 1980-1985 and has sold over 10 million albums in the US and Canada.
They first exploded onto the rock music scene in 1980 with their classic self-titled debut album and are now celebrating their 40th anniversary as a band in 2020. Original members Mike Reno (lead vocals), Paul Dean (lead guitar), Matt Frennette (drums) and Doug Johnson (keyboards) have been joined by Ken “Spider” Sinnaeveon bass, and they featured a hit-filled setlist for the raucous Rama audience.
With such a huge catalog of hits, I knew the setlist was going to be outstanding and I was not disappointed. The show kicked off with Doug Johnson’s keyboards leading us into "Notorious", the 1st single from the 1987 album Wildside. This brought the crowd to its feet as guitarist Paul Dean emerged onto the stage followed by lead singer Mike Reno. Notorious has that perfect sing-along chorus and the audience was more than happy to oblige.
From there the hits kept coming, with "Lucky Ones" from their 2nd album Get Lucky and a song I had hoped they would play,"Queen of the Broken Hearts" from Keep It Up. This one was a highlight for me and it has been one of my favorite Loverboy tracks for years. "Take Me To The Top" and "It’s Your Life" led into their beautiful ballad “This Could Be The Night” with Mike Reno showing that his vocal chops are still top-notch by hitting some of those unbelievably high notes. One couple even danced in the aisle!
The musical talent in this band is second to none, and it was on full display on this night with a highlight being Matt Frennette’s spectacular drum solo. I’ve always thought Matt was one of the most underrated drummers in the business and it was such a thrill to see his prowess on the drums in person.
From this point in the show, the band locked into high gear and delivered stellar versions of "The Kid Is Hot Tonite" (their 1st single ever!), "When It’s Over" and "Hot Girls In Love". The moment that "Turn Me Loose" started sent the crowd into a frenzy as the keyboards and that epic bassline kicked in. Turn Me Loose is still my favorite Loverboy song and I found myself screaming every word as Mike Reno delivered an unbelievable vocal performance. At this point, 5000 Loverboy fans were on their feet as the band finished their set with fan favorites "Working For The Weekend" and "Loving Every Minute Of It".
Thank you Loverboy and Trooper for a spectacular show and for allowing us to relive some of the magical times that were the 70s and 80s…. even if it was just for a few hours on a cold, wintery night in January.
