I'm Awake I'm Alive

Now I know what I believe inside

Now it's my time

I'll do what I want 'cause this is my life

Of all the bands at Summerfest 2013, last night was the one show I knew was going to be awesome...Skillet. Skillet puts on, in my opinion, the absolute best show that I have ever seen at one of the side stages at Summerfest. Absolutely amazing!

Arrived on the grounds and walked around some. Got some food and a beer or two or three and then my brother went off to see Rush. I headed over to the Miller Lite Oasis stage. As I got closer to the stage, I heard a sound that I hadn't heard much of at all this year...hard rock! The speedy, finger-fretting guitars, the double bass, the growling lyrics. Oh hard rock, how I missed thee. The band was We As Humans. I've never heard of them before. They were pretty good. Near the end of their set, the singer was introducing a song that John Cooper, singer of Skillet, sang on with him. No sooner did the song start that John Cooper came out and sang it with them live. Pretty cool.

Just as the clock turned 10:00pm, I was able to squeeze in the middle of the sea of people. Skillet took the stage and commenced ripping our faces off. They kicked the show off with "Hero" followed by "Whispers in the Dark" and "Comatose". Then they played a song, "Sick of It", off their new album, Rise, which was just released a week ago. The new songs rock! Hell, Skillet rocks! Fireworks, sparklers, lights, smoke, fire, elevators, and a huge video screen were all part of this amazing performance that, as I mentioned, you just don't see at a Summerfest side stage. Of course, all of that is just icing on a cake of amazing rock music!  Their setlist included "Those Nights", "Awake and Alive", "The Last Night", "Savior", "Monster", and a couple more from their new album, "Rise" and "Circus For a Psycho". Skillet left the stage briefly. The cellist and violinist came out and performed a duet of "The Star Spangled Banner", to which everyone in the crowd provided the vocals. For their encore, Skillet killed us with "Rebirthing".

Check out more pics

Today we are doing a tour of Milwaukee Brewing Company before heading down to Summerfest again. Possible bands we might see...Hollywood Undead or Rick Springfield.  Who knows?

Have a great night!  Keep rockin'!

Vacation All I Ever Wanted

Even though, as I've mentioned, the music lineup at Summerfest 2013 isn't as good as I had hoped,  and the weather has been cooler this year, this has been a pretty awesome vacation so far. Let me catch you up on the last few days. Monday, Summerfest was closed. The weather was gorgeous, so we did some landscaping. Certainly not the typical type of fun I normally have, but it was good to hang with my brother all day. Tuesday we went back down to the Summerfest grounds. Met up with a few friends who were going to see NKOTB and the Package Tour. Not us though. Hah! No band that we really wanted to see, so we just walked around. Caught the first few songs from Styx and then we did something that I've never done before...went home early. Yikes! The combination of yard work, sun, and lack of good bands, we were beat.

Wednesday saw a return to the action. I scored some blue seat tickets, 11th row center, from a good friend of mine. Also got tickets to the Captain's Deck for the rest of the weekend. It's a balcony area above the concessions. Great place for people watching. Comes with three beers each. Very nice! Very appreciative of my friend who gave them to me!

Yes...that reads "THE GO GO'S" on those tickets. Free tickets to see Pitbull last Sunday...Why not?!  Free tickets to see The Go Go's?  Absolutely! I'll be honest, my inner 15-year-old self was drooling a little. I had a crush on Belinda Carlisle as a young teen. That crush all came back last night. Even at 55 years young, she is still beautiful! I may have screamed "I Love You Belinda" a few times.  Hahaha

But what I wasn't expecting was to see a really great show. I know many of their songs, but never saw them perform live. Rocking songs. Amazing vocals. Powerful music. Really great show. Opened with "Get Up and Go" and rolled right into "Vacation". In the middle, Belinda sung "Mad About You" from her solo stuff. They did an awesome cover of The Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated". Just like 4th of July fireworks, they finished with a great grand finale of "Head Over Heals", "Our Lips Are Sealed", and a medley of KISS' "Rock N Roll ALL Night" that flowed into "We Got the Beat". Absolutely glad that we went...and THANK YOU again to my friend for the sweet tickets!!   I've added pictures here.

Today is July 4th, Independence Day. I'll take a moment here to give a hearty Thank You to all of my brothers and sisters in uniform. Thank You to all who have served in the armed forces, past, present, and future. To all those serving overseas, away from their families, and those deployed to hazardous locations, be strong, be safe, and come home soon. Semper Fi!

Tonight, my brother has a ticket to see Rush. I told my brother that I wasn't a fan, so if he bought tickets, he should buy one. He'll have a great time.  I'm going to see Skillet most likely.  There's a good chance he may make the end of the Skillet show. We'll see.

Don't Stop the Party!

After hanging at a friend's house on Saturday, my brother and I went to Summerfest last night, his first night on the grounds. As we pulled into the parking lot, I noticed we pulled in right behind my friends, the Hansons. So we ended up hanging with them all afternoon. Another night that I wasn't sure who to see, my intention was to check out Social Distortion. Although, we could have saw Alice Cooper (saw him last year) or Silversun Pickups (again). We walked from the North end to the South end to discover that we could get in to see Pitbull with Far East Movement...FREE! FREE tickets to Pitbull?? Why not?!?!

Now, anyone that knows me, knows that, while I have a very wide range of musical likes, I have a tendency to lean towards the rock/hard rock/heavy metal genre. I do surprise people sometimes though.  But if I told you that five of the first six bands I saw at Summerfest 2013 were going to be DJ/rap/hip-hop/dance music, you would have laughed at me, right?  It's true folks!  Brother Ali, Atmosphere, LL Cool J, Far East Movement, and Pitbull. Who would have that that possible?!

Some DJ entertained us for about 20 minutes before Far East Movement too the stage somewhere around 8:30pm. I'll be honest and tell you that I really only know one song..."Poppin bottles in the ice, like a blizzard. When we drink we do it right gettin slizzard." They may have played for about 45 minutes or so, but it was energetic and entertaining. These types of concerts are new for me, so I'm not sure how to judge them. Much different than watching a rock band, because most everything is electronic and/or pre-recorded and mixed. Lot of fun though.

Right at 10:00pm, Mr. Worldwide takes the stage. Talk about a nonstop, insanely-awesome dance party!! We were that close due to the location of the FREE tickets, but it was still a pretty awesome show. The crowd went crazy!  Just like any other concert, I think I would have enjoyed it much more had I been closer. I've added more pics...check them out.

Summerfest is closed today. Not sure what tomorrow will bring. Again, not many bands I want to see.  Styx? AWOLNATION?  Damn, I sure get spoiled having this awesome 11-day festival in my backyard. Guess we'll have to see.  Until then, keep on party rockin'!!

Summerfest 2013 is here!!

Yes! Summerfest 2013 is finally here! Opening night was Wednesday, June 26, but last night (Friday, June 28) was the first night I went. Normally I would have written about Summerfest long before now, but this year was different. Though it may be different, it is still going to be one helluva time!

When the lineups were announced this year, I was less than impressed. Sure they have a lot of new, younger, pop-type bands that are very popular today, such as Fun., AWOLNATION, Atlas Genius, Imagine Dragons, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Neon Trees. They also have the classic bands from the 70s and 80s, such as REO Speedwagon, Tom Petty, Pat Benatar, Alice Cooper, and Loverboy. Mix in your country acts, jazz, your local and regional bands and you have a very impressive collection of music from all genres and all walks of life. Definitely something for everyone, but something was missing this year. Where are the rock bands?  Where's the heavy metal?

Summefest 2013 is definitely light on the hard rock and heavy metal this year. That's okay though. While there isn't any one band (aside from seeing Skillet again) that I absolutely have to see, I will still see some really good bands and hopefully discover some new ones. Personally, I am a little disappointed at the lack of hard rock and heavy metal, but that's okay. When you live in Milwaukee, like I do, and you have the opportunity to go to Summerfest at least eight days every year, you can get spoiled. I'm a die-hard Summerfest attendee and I realize how difficult it must be to book the over 700 bands that play every year, especially when Summerfest competes against dozens of other festivals both in the U.S. and overseas. I'll get off that soap box now. Let me talk about last night.

I get down to the Summerfest grounds and stopped off at the rock stage. It has another lengthy sponsor this year, so I'll just refer it to the rock stage. A young band from Detroit, Citizen Zero, was playing. I listened to a few of their songs. Good young rock band. Got my head bobbin' and my foot moving. Left the stage to get something to drink and eat. The skies were a little grey, but it wasn't raining yet. Let's hope it stays that way. Summerfest not only has great music and great food, but this being "Brew City", they have great beer too. Draft Magazine recently listed Summerfest as on of the 7 summer music festivals with great beer. I headed to the Lakefront Brewery booth and ordered me a cold Fixed Gear red ale. Excellent beer!

Back to the rock stage and to the second row awaiting the Lovehammers. Met up with a few of Lovehammers' close followers whom I met at Club Garibaldi on St. Patrick's Day this year. From Chicago, Lovehammers are at Summerfest nearly every year, with the last time in 2010 playing at 10:00pm.  Here's what I wrote about them then. They played at 6:30pm last night. Still a great show and a band every one should see. Marty even got out into the crowd during one song.

After the show finished, I walked around some. Had a Black IPA from Water Street Brewery. Stopped at the Harley-Davidson stage where Brother Ali was killing it. DJs from Minnesota, there were four guys on stage in front of mixing tables the length of the stage. They were mixing up a great mix of classic rap along with current hip hop. The stage was packed! People all over the place, dancing and singing along. It was pretty intense. Brother Ali was good, but Atmosphere was on at 10:00pm. They packed the Miller Lite stage at 6:00pm last year. They packed the H-D stage this year.

I went over to the BMO Pavillion to catch LL Cool J. That was a fun show. The new BMO Pavillion is such an awesome stage. I was 20 to 30 feet outside the stage and still had a great view because of how the stage was designed. LL got funky too, rapping some of his classics like "The Boomin' System" and "Goin' Back To Cali". I really enjoyed the show.

Check out some pictures.

My brother Dennis is back this year. Picked him up this morning. Should be another great year of fun and music!  Not sure if we'll head to Summerfest tonight or if we'll end of doing something else. Hey, the Big Gig is 11 days long, plenty of music to see.

You don't bring me pleasure

You just bring me pain and nothing in between

For the third Wednesday in a row, I saw yet another amazing concert at The Rave. First it was Shinedown and Bush, then it was Alice in Chains. Last week it was Bullet For My Valentine with special guests, Halestorm and Young Guns. If these three shows were the only concerts I get to see this year, then I can definitely live with that. So amazing! So awesome!!  The year isn't even half over yet. Summerfest is a month away. Who knows what other amazing bands will make their way through Wisconsin before year's end?!

Opening band for this night was Stars on Stereo. Young rock band with a female lead singer. I've made it no secret how I feel about female rock vocalists. Not all do it for me. This young lady was good. Band had good energy. I didn't know any of their songs, but she did a fantastic cover of Aerosmith's Dream On.

Next up was another young band out of London, Young Guns. Just two albums out, but their latest album, Bones, is a must listen for any rock fan. If Stars on Stereo had energy, these guys were on speed or had several red bulls before hitting the stage. Great set. Definitely recommend you check this band out!

After Young Guns, it was Halestorm. Saw this band for the first time at Summerfest 2012. I was quite impressed then and I'm still impressed now. I was much closer this time around than last year. The show was nonstop rock all the way through. Lzzy is still hot and has probably the absolute best female rock vocals today! And I still believe her drummer brother, Arejay, is the human version of the Muppets' Animal. Another must see band!

Headlining this evening was a band that quickly became my most favorite band since I first heard Metallica. Bullet For My Valentine have been my 21st Century "Metallica". Since I heard my first song from them, "Tears Don't Fall", I was hooked. This is my second time seeing them live. The first time being back in 2010.  Absolutely amazing metal band!

"Of Fortuna" plays just before Bullet For My Valentine take the stage. They rip right into a song of their latest album, Temper Temper, called "Breaking Point." After that is was song after killer song, including "Your Betrayal", "Waking the Demon", "Riot", "The Last Fight", all hell, checkout the setlist below. All of the songs were awesome!!

Check out pictures from the show.

Even after they bonus encore of "Begging for Mercy", I was still wanting more. But, alas, no more concerts scheduled until Summerfest. Summerfest should be a good time...it always is. But don't tell my brother that I'm not exactly thrilled with this year's lineup. Maybe I'm spoiled because I get to go to Summerfest every year, because it's in my own back yard. Maybe I'm spoiled because I get to see so many great bands at a great venue like The Rave, which is also just minutes away. I won't even mention The Riverside Theater, Turner Hall, or any of the other smaller venues. Being a diehard music lover like myself, who goes to dozens of concerts each year, even I know that there will be times that I'll be less than satisfied. You can tell my brother this though...we will have an amazing time. Summerfest is amazing and sharing it with my brother is pretty cool!

Until the next show, keep rocking!!

Into the flood again

Same old trip it was back then

So I made a big mistake

Try to see it once my way

I just watched the second of three consecutive Wednesday night concerts in May 2013...Alice in Chains. Wow! Totally rocked! Totally awesome! I wasn't sure I would see a show this year that would rival Soundgarden, but Alice in Chains certainly made it difficult to choose a favorite. After Soundgarden, Stone Sour, and now Alice in Chains, every other concert this year is icing on the musical cake. And Summerfest isn't even here yet! So about the show...

Opening band was called Bloodnstuff. I figure with a name like Bloodnstuff - if you were to judge a band by its name - would be a heavier band, maybe even a little metal. Not to be.  There was no blood. Just some stuff. They were just two guys, a drummer and a guitarist/singer. All of their songs really sounded like one very long song. They didn't catch my interest.

Alice in Chains take the stage and immediately rip into Angry Chair. Much like Soundgarden, they got out there and played no frills, nonstop rock music. A lengthy nineteen song setlist consisting of a few from their latest album, "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" - Hollow, Phantom Limb, Stone - , and many of their greatest hits - Your Decision, Down in a Hole, Man in a Box, Would?. Here's the setlist...

5/15/2013 at The Rave

Alice in Chains are only doing a handful of Midwest shows. Super excited that they came to Milwaukee. What an amazing show!

I know I've previously written about how I feel that the drummer is the heartbeat of a band and the drummer can make or break a band. I've also written about how I feel the lead singer is the voice, the face of a band, especially if that lead singer has an iconic voice. Layne Staley had an iconic voice that was a signature print to the sound of Alice in Chains. When he died in 2002, I know I felt that Alice in Chains would never return. When they returned, they surprised me. They found a singer in Will DuVall that had some of those same vocal characteristics. He's not Layne Staley, but Will DuVall has a very distinct sound in his vocals that really works with Alice in Chains. If this band comes to a city near you, you need to see them!

Here are some pictures from the show.

Rock on!!

The great year for concerts continues

I've been fortunate to have seen some amazing concerts so far in 2013 and the year isn't even half way over. In January, I was 'Kicked in the Teeth' by Papa Roach and Stone Sour. February 1st brought Soundgarden to The Rave after nearly twenty years away. Killer! In March, I saw the Lovehammers, from Chicago, at a small bar (Club Garibaldi) here in Bay View, WI. April brought me a couple of different shows in The Joy Formidable and The Revival Tour, which was a collection of guys from different bands, including Chuck Ragan from Hot Water Music and Tim McIlrath from Rise Against, playing each others songs acoustically. Totally amazing! Last night, May 8th, I saw what will be the first of three concerts yet in May of 2013...Shinedown with Bush and Airbourne.

Airbourne is from Australia and they look like the were dropped right out of the 80's. It was like time stood still. You could definitely hear the AC/DC influences in their songs. In fact, on a few of the songs, I thought they were going to do covers. They ended up being background music. Not completely terrible, but I'm not buying a CD either.

Airbourne

After a short intermission, Bush takes the stage. This is the 4th time I've seen them since 2011 and every single time has been nothing short of a great show. Not only do they have great songs, but I enjoy the fact that they just come out and rock your face off. No theatrics. Just performing hit after hit after hit. It was really cool to see Gavin get off stage and get up to the balcony and mingle with the fans up there, something I'm not sure I've seen any other singer do at The Rave. It's obvious he enjoys getting close to the crowd.

Bush's Setlist

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Headlining the evening was none other than Shinedown. Third time I've seen them. Once at Summerfest 2009 and the other time was an unplugged, acoustic show at the Riverside Theater. The acoustic show was fantastic! Last night was amazing!  I can remember when I first heard Shinedown on MTV years ago. It was a video for their cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Simple Man. I remember thinking that this guy had such an amazingly, powerful voice. Watching them last night only made me believe that more. Brent Smith is up there as one of the best, most powerful, rock vocalists out there. With as much talent that is out there, that's saying something. Simply amazing! Shinedown powered through fourteen songs and every one of them was solid. I look forward to seeing them again.

Shinedown's Setlist

You are probably wondering where the pictures are?  Here they are.

I mentioned that this was one of three concerts in May. Coming up are Alice in Chains and Bullet For My Valentine with Halestorm and Young Guns.  All you music lovers out there who enjoy good, new rock bands should check out Young Guns. They are good.

Until next time...ROCK ON!!