Category: Concert Reviews

Memories written in 2019

All I really remember about this show was being directly in front of the band and it was a show where the stage was at level with the crowd (think Heart and Crown).  Pretty wild!

Notes from scrapbook:

Went with Larisa, Kevin, Angela and two of her friends.  Collective Soul was awesome and so were The Cranberries.  Molson Ampitheatre is pretty cool.

Setlist (The Cranberries)

Promises
Animal Instinct
No Need to Argue
Sunday
Linger
Wanted
Salvation
Pretty
You and Me
When You’re Gone
Daffodil Lament
I Can’t Be With You
The Icicle Melts
Zombie
Ridiculous Thoughts
Dying in the Sun

Setlist (Collective Soul)

Tremble for My Beloved
December
Precious Declaration
Listen
The World I Know
No More, No Less
Gel
Run
Where the River Flows
I Will Follow [U2]
Heavy
Shine

 

 

A review for the masses. Counting Crows have become my favourite band nowadaysÖI remember the first time listening to them with Randy at some party where he was really into the music. I couldn’t understand why at the time but later on, I bought Recovering The Satellites which changed the way I looked at music.

I went with Joe to Waterloo to check out the Crows who were on a mini-tour through Canada to test out their new album material. I promised myself that I would hunt the Crows down to wherever they might play inside Ontario and I’m wondering if it was a coincidence that it was in Kitchener of all places, where my girlfriend lives.

Joe, Erica, Kevin, Larisa and I went to Lulu’s Roadhouse which is supposedly one of the largest bars in North America to see the Crows. When I entered this place, I was blown away by the size. It was massive! It had a restaurant feel to it, a country bar I suppose. At this point I realized I forgot my camera in the car and I couldn’t go back to get it. I kicked myself and then bought a beer to make me feel better. Ha ha! At first I was disappointed because I saw everyone sitting down and I thought you had to get a table to see the concert! Bummer deal! But then as I got closer I saw the tables around the standing room area. Sweet!

The Gigolo Aunts were already playing when we got in. We went down to the floor where we got a WICKED spot about ten feet from the stage. Gigolo Aunts were a GREAT band and I can see why the Crows brought them along on the tour. I was debating whether or not to buy their album but then I saw that I had to fork out 30 bucks for a shirt! The shirt is kind of neat though. On the front is pictures of planes which as the title This Desert Life which is the name of the new album due out in Mid-October. On the back has ìCounting Crows-Millennium Tourî. Nice.

I get back to the floor where Adam Duritz and some of the other boys coming out on stage to join the Gigolo Aunts!!! The rip into a song which starts ìSo you wanna be a rock and roll starî which I took as Mr. Jones since the Crows open that song in concert. I later found out it was a song by the Byrds. I will have to check it out since it was WILD! They then left the stage where I was left in awe to think that I was actually there.

Magical Mystery Tour song comes over the PA system. I knew this would happen since Iíve read reviews of the previous concerts throughout Canada. At the end, the moment I waited for for 2 yearsÖ.the band comes on stage.

Mr. Jones-The band starts out slow with the accordion and the lights coming upon them. ëSo you wanna be a rock and roll starí is sung again and I go wild! Then they rip into the regular electric version of the song which is awesome. Everyone was digging it. Great song. Kevin looked pretty happy as he only knew two songs by Counting Crows and this was one of them. I laughed when he told me that.

Have You Seen Me Lately?- I LOVE this song. Randy and I used to play it all the time. They played the accoustic version which is found on the live album. I like this one better since itís easier to sing to. By the way, Adam has shaved his goatee if I didnít mention it. It was kind of weird to see him like this as itís been awhile (from pictures and such). Adam does a lot of hand motions in this song when heís singing ëgive me the blue sky, give me the black cloudsí. He is greatly into this and the audience.

Daylight Fading-Wow! This is the first Crows song I learned on guitar. I like it even though it has a country music feel to it. Great stuff! I am absorbed by the music at this point. Thereís this guy behind me who keeps screaming ëOmahaí in between songs. I find him funny but later on Iím sure heís going to get on my nerves.

St. Robinson and His Cadillac Dream-Adam says that theyíll start playing some new songs for us. The new album will be out in October sometime and this is a song from it. I LOVED this song. It had a catchy chorus which for some reason I canít remember now. It was true Crows and will be a great song on the new album.

Mercury-Adam starts talking about how women in the past have twisted him inside out and how they rip your heart out which is greeted by the cheer of the men in the audience. He goes to say that this song is about those women because theyíre just like mercury. They brought out this wicked guitar which they played slide on. I think itís actually a steel guitar that they play. I love this song as he puts so much into it. He was sitting on a speaker for this one for the most part. Reaching out to the crowd too.

Omaha- Right before this song starts the guy behind me is still screaming Omaha as heís been doing ALL night long. Funniest thing was that when this song started up, he was so surprised he couldnít say anything. I was surprised they played this song as it is fairly old and not that popular but I was pretty happy when they did so.

Another HorseDreamerís Blues-The Crows introduce one of their friends from New Orleans who came up to play trumpet on the tour. He also plays the trumpet on their song Chelsea and Good Times (the latter which has never been released yet! As if!) I believe his name was Arthur Clark. He did a little trumpet solo to intro the song which was great. He put this bluesy feel to the song and the lighting was great. I wish I had a tape recorder for it. Iím in love with this song now after hearing it live. It used to be one of my least fave songs.

Round Here!!!- Wicked! Unbelievable! I love this song! This song was exactly like the live album version but then he threw some great lyrics in the middle of it. If youíve heard the live album, you know what I mean. He began rambling onÖîSo if you want to claim your fame, just go and play the gameÖgo to the agency man and make an album which will go farÖbecause you are a rock and roll starî Stuff like that all over the place. I loved it! It goes along with his whole feeling on how rock and roll stardom isnít all itís cut out to be since you lose a lot out of it along the way. Then he rips into the song again and leaves everyone freaking out! At the end he sings some more ëSo you wanna be a rock and roll starí. After the song is done, he says we should now know that this is the theme of the night if we didnít already know. Great song which lasted at least 10 minutes. I donít think many people were expecting him to go this long but I knew he throws a little into this song.

Recovering The Satellites- The lights go green and makes the band hard to see and they start playing Recovering. A smile comes over my face as this song sums up a lot of feelings about the Crows. I love it when he sings the line ëshe sees shooting starsí and ëbababab ba ba baí.

Hangin Around-Ok, hereís the thing. Iím finishing this review months after this concert so I will keep these comments short since I canít remember too much about it. Iím writing this after I have ëThis Desert Lifeí so I know all the songs they play. They brought the Gigolo Aunts to clap and sing along with them on this song. Great song! Very catchy.

Speedway-First time ever that they play this song live. Very impressed by it, it set a great mellow mood.

Rain King-Always a great one

Mrs. Potterís Lullaby-This is the first time I ever heard the song and months later the tune was still in my head. I love this song. One of my favourites in the world. ëHey Mrs. PotteríÖsomething that you canít forget about.

Sullivan Street-Surprised they played this but still good.

A Murder of One-Funny part of this was when he forgot where he was playing when he sang the ìIíve been to Paris, been to Romeî part.

Long December-Adam mentions that the first song he ever learnt in school was Beth by Kiss and this is it but he starts out with Long December.

Anna Begins-Wild song with the New Orleans trumpeteer. Best version of the song Iíve heard.

Walkaways-Always a cool ender for the night.

The Tea Party..concert review… The Tea Party-Barrymore’s, Ottawa, May 18, 1999

Rumour had it that The Tea Party were doing a mini-tour sponsored by Pepsi in which you had to win tickets off the radio. As
you can tell by this review, I did win tickets (Thank the Lord) and proceeded to the concert with my friend Donna.

Army Ants-At first, I never like this song but it is a great song if you feel it. It’s something that Jeff Martin puts so much emotion
into. Of course, he puts a lot of emotion into all his songs. I so close to the stage, that if I could get past the bouncer, I could
probably unplug his guitar. It was awe-inspriring.

Touch-He introduced this song as the first song off of the new album Triptych. It was a great songÖ.the guitar playing was
incredible and it had the powerful drum beat to it which could give you a headache after awhile. The response was great and he
smiled and said “That’s good, that’s good.”

Fire In The Head-The crowd starts up for this one. Nothing can beat any of the Edges of Twilight songs. So powerful they are.
This version was like the one I saw the last time.

Psychopomp-I think this is my favourite song by The Tea Party. It starts off lightly and then builds up to the ULTIMATE
climax. Such a beautiful song. Reminiscent of the version seen before, minus the orchestra. The lights set the mood greatly.

Underground-Another song off of Triptych, this song had a dark gloomy feel to it which might explain the name to it. A great
song with a catchy riff.

The Bazaar-Another great song off of Edges. Jeff rips into this one. Too much soloing for my eyes to handle!

Save Me-This was awesome! I didn’t think I would hear this song but it was too much. When he screams “Save meÖ”, it hits
something inside everyone around. Or they hit me, as many wild and crazy folks were doing.

Release-Very mellow song which was not unlike the album version except for a little added solo to it.

Temptation-The album version is tame in comparison to the live version. There is so much to it, and they throw in some great
solos which extend the song to a good 7 minutes. I love this song now after seeing it live.

Encore

Heaven Coming Down-The new single off of Triptych. I don’t mind this song, but I don’t think it’s the best either. He brought
out a cool guitar for it though. I should give the song credit though, I don’t think The Tea Party has a bad song.

Sister Awake-YES! Sister Awake! Everything was the same as the last concert I saw. I suppose if you’ve achieved perfection,
why mess with it? He started off with the acoustic, proceeded onto the drums along with Jeff and Stuart, then strapped on the
electric which blew me away.

Last thoughts-This guy changed guitars every song. Seriously! They were the same two guitars except for this one he played in
Heaven Coming Down. It was kind of funny but I think he uses different tunings all the time so he has to switch all the time. I
was impressed by the performance but disappointed that they did not play the River AND that they only played for an hour. I
suppose they will go all out this fall when they go on an extensive tour. Until thenÖ

Notes from scrapbook:

The Hip.  Cool concert.  Didn’t really care for our seats because no one was moving around.  A rock concert is meant to rock at.  Went with Shawn, Larisa, Scott, Rob, Dana, Randy and Rob.  Danny and his brother were there also but they were on the floor.  By Divine Right opened for them.  They were great.

Setlist

Poets
Grace, Too
Courage (for Hugh MacLennan)
Escape Is at Hand for the Travellin’ Man
Springtime in Vienna
Yawning or Snarling
Something On
Gift Shop
Vapour Trails
Flamenco
Fireworks
Membership
Ahead by a Century
Bobcaygeon
Nautical Disaster
Save the Planet
At the Hundredth Meridian

Daredevil
Chagrin Falls
New Orleans Is Sinking

Let’s Stay Engaged
Blow at High Dough

 

Notes from scrapbook:

Big Wreck was alright.  Watchmen ruled.  Almost lost my glasses that night!  Went with Danny and John and Joe.

Notes from scrapbook:

Sonichrome opened for Dishwalla.  Not a big crowd but it was fun.  Went with Joe and Rob.

 

Notes from scrapbook:

First concert back in Ottawa for year two.  An excellent concert with Stabbing Westward opening.  I was feeling the workout after the first few hours.  Went with Danny, John, Joe, Christina and a few of her friends.

Setlist

 

Cruel World
Surefire
Elegant
Home
Hollowman
The Devil You Know
T.D.M.
Pssyche [Killing Joke]

Nowhere Now
Sparkle And Shine
Wicked

Blunt
All That You Are (X3)
Razorblades and Bandaides
Burnt

Deeper

It was a bright and sunny day, Shawn and I, drove down to the docks for the day’s festivities. First goal: find a parking spot –
as we were waiting for a place to park something happened. Greg Hetson, guitarist in Bad Religion, stepped out of a cab, in
front of Shawn’s car, well, most of you might not care but it means a whole hell of a lot to me.

We parked and walked to the venue, got in (fucker took my stub-I collect them by the way!) and looked around-there was
skateboarding, bungee jumping, and countless other activities taking place. They had punk karaoke on one of the stages, two
members of NOFX and two members of Bad Religion played the tunes and you could sign to go up and sing, it was pretty
cool! We watched a couple of independent punk bands and walked around and at a definite moment in our lives we set
ourselves in the crowd to watch NOFX’s set, and with the exception of the sound guy who wanted to play with the controls,
they kicked very much ass. Every band played for 30 minutes, which wasn’t all that spectacular but thinking of how long a punk
song is… They played some classic songs from their old albums, the crowd went completely bananas. We then checked out
The Cherry Poppin Daddies, they sounded great and they played completely in sink with each other, it was really cool! The
horns sounded clear and the band was really tight “Who is that whispering in the trees,…” yeah, you know it. Rancid were
pretty cool, but I must say they did not move around like they used to, must be old age! If you have ever of The Specials, this
band is worth checking out live, they sounded great and the sun was setting when they started their set. We unfortunately made
the mistake of checking The Reverend Horton Heat out, but man does that guy need to retire or hide under a rock-I really
didn’t like his stuff, to bland I guess.

Then came the ultimate wait for Bad Religion, I stood almost completely in front – waiting. Shawn came to find me after a while.
They came on stage and the crowd was ready to accept them, boy did they kick some major ass! They started with “We’re
only gonna Die” and every one in the crowd starting moshing. As I was moshing I was noticing that I was getting further away
from the stage but that is okay, I had a lot of fun. They played songs like “Stranger Than Fiction”, “Parallel”, “Generator”, they
were really fun. Shawn and I decided to leave after their set, we like The Deftones, but we were beat and we could hardly
stand anymore.

*** – long wait for the good bands, one beer tent and one water tent for 40,000 thousand people.

By Joel Aubin

Ok, here it is: My brother, the world's biggest King Diamond fan, and I entered Lee's Palace one evening. We bought a drink
and sat down to listen to the first band, Tchorch, which is a Toronto based band-they were okay but nothing special. The next
band was Pitbull Daycare, which is an industrial type of metal band, and they were really good. I had chosen to stay seated
because it was my brother's first concert but when they started playing a Black Sabbath medley, I was pulled out of my seat by
Ozzy's spirit I think and I preceded to go to the stage. I waved to my brother to come over, he chose to stay seated. They
finished their kick ass set and left the stage. We had a 40 minute wait before the King appeared on stage, but I told my brother
that we should get up to the stage as soon as possible because the crowd was starting to form. Suddenly, the room was filled
with smoke and we heard the beginning dialogue from "Coming Home" off the Them album and after that the music started-and
King Diamond came out of nowhere, and started to sing-it was amazing. Most of his albums are concept horror albums so he
brings the characters to life on stage. He was touring for his latest album "Voodoo", and the characters came on stage to play
their parts. He burned a woman at the steak, he possessed the same woman with voodoo, she gave birth to a doll, it was
excellent. He finished off the night with "Come To The Sabbath" by Mercyful Fate, his other band and we chanted the lyrics out
to him. If you are a fan of horror-check him out. 

***** One of the most original shows I have seen
Joel Aubin