Dennis DeYoung & Symphony Orchestra 8/28/09

An unseasonable, cold, damp August night acted like a wet blanket over the crowd at Pine Knob on Friday night Just like last nights show, a much larger crowd would have attended had the weather been more cooperative. No one wants to sit on the hill in the rain and 55 degrees! With this in mind, the crowd may have hit 3,500 tops. Only 3 people seen sitting on the hill after intermission.

As many of you have seen on PBS this month, Dennis DeYoung with a symphony is quite a magical listening experience. With this in mind, we asked momma Dogg & Poppa Dogg, Jamin Jamie Lee, the Amazing Scott, Volupsoous Virgie and Jammin Jamie Sr., to attend the show with us. Great seats in row ten eliminated the rain and coolness from the equation.

Dennis DeYoung proved himself to be a comsumate entertainer and showman! At 7:45 the band took the stage to Rockin in Paradise. At times the sympony seemed to be overwhellmed by the electric band, but overall they added to the experience. In quick succession they played Light Up, Desert Moon, and Grand Illusion. These were played and performed flawlessly. Throughout, Dennis traded quips and banter with the audience and band. After a meddley of a few more new songs, the first intermission closed with Castle Walls. The Dogg has never heard this most excellent song played by Styx or Dennis DeYoung before. It has long been a favorite of the Dogg & Jammin Jamie Sr., who unfortunately was on a beer run when it played.

The second intermission started where the first left off. Great singing, great arrangements, and an excellent band made for a super show. Suite Madam Blue, Babe, Fooling Yourself, , Show me the Way, Mr. Roboto, Best of Times, with a show stopping Come Sail Away completing the show.

Despite the weather, the crowd was enthusiastic and into the show from start to finish. We all rated this an excellent performance and a must see for any Styx fans.

Weather D-
Crowd B small but strong
Atmosphere C
Staging C
Sound A
Band A
Lighting C+

Overall a strong A_ show!

Creed- 8/24/09 Pine Knob

When Creed first burst on the scene almost a decade ago, Scott Staph’s distinctive vocal sty lings and the bands powerful chops, led to mulit-platinum sales of their first 3 CD’s. In the early 2000’s, you could not listen to WRIF or WCSX for more than an hour, without hearing a Creed song. With this in mind, BLT and the Dogg were really looking forward to this show.

We were welcomed to a perfect weather night and a ¾ full house upon our arrival. Start the night with dinner and drinks with friends Paul & Jane in the Starlight. Note to Tom Wilson: please change the food on the buffet menu every couple of weeks. Either the men in the Chef’s hats are posers or there is a lack of imagination in menu planning. I don’t think the menu has changed in 5 years! For $20.00 we deserve some new and refreshing choices. Hire a Chef from one of the casinos and he’ll show you how to do a buffet. Dinner was fine and the drinks even better. Kudos’ to our server, Kelli. She was a perfect hostess for the night.

The 2 warm acts were no names and of no consequence. Listened to them both from the VIP lounge. Very weak and not a good way to set the tone for a great concert. Made to our seats about 8:50 and Creed came on around 9:00. You would think a band that has a new CD coming out Tuesday would likely play most of the new material. Creed did this and managed to fit in all the hits. In a fast paced hour and fifty minute show, we found the band to be tight and in good sound. We only wish we could say the same for Staph’s vocal prowess. Perhaps he was a bit under the weather, or maybe his recorded voice doesn’t translate as well live. In any event, the vocals were the weak link tonight. Overall the show was a sing along and the crowd in high spirits. A whole lot of fun for all. A great night, good show and good crowd makes the Dogg a happy, howlin Dogg.

Weather A
Atmosphere B
Crowd B
Staging B
Sound A-
Lighting B
Bands C
Set List B-

Overall strong B

Peter Frampton 8/23/09

Due to the Dogg selling our tickets to Blink 182, Fall Out Boy, and Panic at the Disco, the Townesman was left to rot on the couch watching the Lions & Tigers lose. I was bummed all night thinking about what I was missing.

The lovely BLT, with best bud "Dancin" Debbie in tow, took forth to the Peter Frampton show at Meadowbrook, for a well deserved ladies night out. Despite an unseasonably cool August night, the ladies were surprized to see a near sell out crowd when they took their 2oth row , center seats. As usual, Frampton did not disappoint his fans. A set crammed with all his hits like Show Me the Way, Baby I love Your Way, I give you Money, Lines on my Face, and of course, Do you Feel Like we Do was played flawlessly, with great crowd response. A special treat was an accoustical set during the middle of the show. A cove of "Black Hole Sun" brought the house down! Throw in a couple of new songs, one of wich both gals described as a "yawner" about Winston Churchill.

At the end of the show, BLT & Deb both agreed they saw a very enjoyable night of classic rock. Both wished for the Frampton of 1976, with the long flowing locks of hair. But agreed he looks damn good for a 62 year old dude.

Weather C
Crowd B+
Atmosphere B+
Staging C
Lighting C+
Sound A
Bands B

Overall a strong B performance.

Ticket sales practices

The Dogg has grown fed up with the method of ticket sales to events over the past 5 years. Local fans are getting shut out of a legitimate chance for great seats, due to massive phone banks and computer banks buying tickets in bulk out of town, for resale by ticket brokers. The bands, promoters, and sponsers do not make any money off the resale of these tickets, so why do they stand by and do nothing? Are they too busy chasing the college student that freeloads of Limewire? This crap needs to stop! Here is what I propose.

1. Limit phone or computer ticket sales to zip codes within 100 miles of the venue for the first 24 hours of ticket sales.

2. Permit out-state and interstate sale after 24 hours of local sales.

3. Require all brokers pay 50% royalty of upcharges to the bands, management, and sponsers.

Perhaps these type of possible solutions might work. We local fans deserve to see our bands without resorting to third party piracy.

Today I was logged into both Ticketmaster and Live Nation with everything input (and am a memeber of both) at 9:59 AM for Bruce tickets at the Palace. Imagine, at 10:00 and 21 seconds I made contact and best available were near the back of the arena! Absolute bullshit I say!

What do you think can be done or should be done? Please add comments by clicking on the comment button below the post.

Crue Fest 8/15/09

Well as a long time fan of the Cru, I had high expectations for Crue Fest 2. There was plenty of good, some bad, and some just OK. Lets start off with the weather, IT WAS FUCKING INCDREDIBLY HOT & HUMID!!!! Sure its no ones fault, but 95 degrees and 80 percent humidity for an 8 hour festival was tough on this Dogg.

The show started on a bad note upon our arrival at the VIP entrance. 2/3 of our party had hill tickets and they were not permitting blankets or lawn chairs. Then we find out no cameras and heaven forbid if a woman was wearing a necklace with a large pendant. Believe it or not, they made numerous ladies take their jewelry back to the cars (you know many people are killed by necklaces these days). Of course security blames it on the Crue and turns out they were right. Security was real tight with pat downs on all entering the venue. They even opened my cigarette pack and smelled inside for any pre-rolled!

The main stage featured Drowning Pool, Theory of a Deadman, Godsmack, and the Crue. A second smaller stage was in the parking lot with Shram, Cavo, Rev Theory and a couple of others. Here are some of the second stage highlights:

When Shram was playing "Vinnie D" from Sponge joined them onstage and played Molly for an enthusiastic crowd of about 1,000. Rev Theory played a great rendition of NIN, Head like a Hole. Cavo rocked the house and was a true awakening for me. At one point the drummer had on an Obama mask while playing. He had to have been hot as hell. Thats it for the second stage highlights.

Main stage:Charm City Devils (did not see), Drowning Pool played an awesome set with plenty of energy. The lead singer even hopped into the pavillion during "Bodies". They may have been the best act I saw this night. Theory of a Deadman rocked it out. One of mine and BLT favorite new bands did not disappoint us. At one point Mick Mars brought Tyler Connolly a bottled water while he was singing. We did hear many complaints of poor sound on the hill, but from our 26th row dogghouse it sounded just fine. TOD was a great show. I've never liked Godsmack too much and they did nothing to improve their standing with the Dogg. Talented yes, artistic, well.... sometimes, showmanship, not much. Overamplified Bass.... hell yes and too much of it. This old Dogg had to retreat to the hill in order to keep my heart in my chest. They played all their best known stuff, like: Awake, Voodoo, Whatever, Keep Away. An excellent drum solo saved the day! You heard echoes of Tom Sawyer, Back in Black and War Pigs interwoven into the riffs.

Then onto Motley Crue. They fuckin sucked big time! Never heard or saw them play worse. Missed notes by Vince Niel, forgotten or incorrect lirics on a couple of obscure tracks from Dr. Feelgood (an over rated album if there ever was one). No Tommy Lee on drums? Seems he burned his left hand a couple of weeks ago playing with sparkelers. What a douche!!!! At least he came out and passed a couple of bottles of Jaegger around the pavillion. The Crue played the entire Dr. Feelgod album in its entirety. Made for a long set and many songs just did not work live in this Dogg's opinion. When they finished Dr. Feelgood album, the band broke for a long set change that had the crowd streaming for the exits. During my post show discussions, we did not hear one complimentary thing about tonights show! After about 25 minutes, the band returned to play Wild Side, Saints of LA, Shout at the Devil. The highlight of the set was Home sweet Home and Girls, Girls, Girls as the 2 encores.

As far as the Crue goes, they may be well past their prime and disappointed many in the crowd. Mick Mars looked like a corpse, Nikki Sixx looked like he was back on the needle, Vince Neil, well he just can't sing well anymore. The fill in drummer did his best, but the rythem section seemed off all night.

Weather D
Crowd B
Bands B
Staging B
Lighting B
Sound B
Atmosphere A

Overall C+ or B-. I think my review says it all.

Jimmy Buffet 8/13/09

Through the years many of the Dogg's friends have tried to get us to a Buffet show. The one thing that kept me from going is "I hate Jimmy Buffet's music"! Well.... since we have season tickets and the lovely BLT has always wanted to see him, maybe I should check it out. Virtually everyone that has told me about the shows, raved about the pre-party. Take it from this Dogg, Parrotheads know how to throw a party. We got there 4 hours before showtime to find the parking lot absolutely full of tents, canopys, campers and party buses. Elaborate set ups and props were the days order. Drinking in the open was not going on, but encouraged by Pine Knob Red shirts. I must admit, these were the nicest damn people we've ever partied with! Next year we are there by noon, and we will be better prepared. Oh yeah, there wwas a concert too.

The staging was a carryover from the parking lot, Key West North. Hell the weather fit too, 90 degrees and humid. Huge vidio screens on either side of the stage and an even larger one behind, depict various scenes from paradise known as Key West, as well as the band. The set list was predictable, but after a dozen Land Shark lagers, I found it more than tolerable. A super high energy crowd, that truly love all things Buffet made this a true sing along concert. After a short intermission, the band wrapped up with 6 more songs and an encore. No surprises in the set. Well played, well staged, and well received.

Weather B
Atmosphere A++
Pre party AAAA++++
Staging A
Sound A
Lighting C+
Band B
Set List B

Overall B for the concert and totally off the charts for the pre-party. Even if you can't get a ticket to the show, go and pre-party. You won't be disappointed.

Nickelback, Hinder & Papa Roach 8/12/09

Here was a show all in the Dogg pound were wating to see. Wednesday turned out to be the perfect weather day for a 4 band festival. Clear skies and about 82 at show time. Our partt consisted of the Dogg, BLT, Jamin Jamie, Amazing Scott, the Hawg and Rockin Marissa. Due to partying in the VIP, we missed Saving Abel, not too much of a loss, since we saw them warm up Nickelback this winter.

At about 6:45, Papa Roach threw down a furious set, full of energy and four letter expletives. Frontman Jacoby Shaddix had it going on and had some serious interplay with the crowd. I was amazed that throughout their set, the entire pavillion and hill were on their feet. After a fast paced 45 minute set, it was back to the VIP for more cocktails.

At just past 8:00, Hinder took the stage and just throughly kicked ass. Strong sound, great guitar work, a steady rythem section, and the perfect rock vocals of Austin Winkler, kept things pumping all set. Excellent staging and lighting for a warm up act. The crowd embraced all the songs and rocked out for 1 hour. A truly must see band!

At 9:15 Nickelback took the stage and the crowd was in a frenzy! Pine Knob was rockin like only a sold out, outdoor venue can. After 3 crashing blasts of pyro, the show is on! Chad Kroeger may have talked a little too much, but the 17 song set kept the pacing moving on. All the hits, a few rather obscure tracks, and a cover of Highway to Hell (sang by Hinders Austin Winkler and Papa Roach's Jacoby Shaddix flawlessly) was the highlight for the Dogg. The lighting was incredible, the pyro, fantastic, and the energy of the band was high octane all set. The sound was spot on. One funny scene was when the t-shirt slingshot team misfired and shot the holder right in the ass. By 11:00, we were a crowd that was drained and ready for more still. The final song concluded at 11:10. A perfect night with a perfect show. It gets no better than this! Next up Jimmy Buffet tomorrow.

Crowd A+
Atmosphere A+
Bands A+
Sound A
Lighting A+
Effects A
Staging A+
Weather A+

Overall an A+ concert experience. If you've never seen Nickelback live, you must put them on your short list.

Moody Blues 8/9/09

When I last saw the Moody Blues perform it was probably in the mid 90's, and those guys were "old" then. Circa 2009, these fine musicians are like a wine that has matured to its fullest flavor and aged near perfect. With 3 of 4 original members + an excellent female flutist, acoustic guitar, harmonica, and keyboard player, along with 2-3 extra keyboardist/percussionists. Put 8 excellent musicians on one stage with today's technological innovations in sound/lighting/mixing, and you have near recorded quality sound. If only we had shut our eyes so we didn't know they were pushing 70 years old. This was confirmed when John Lodge told the crowd that he first played with his mates 50 years ago Sunday!

After a few drinks in the VIP and a light dinner, the Dogg & BLT proceeded to our seats to watch the show. Sunday was a very hot, muggy Michigan day, with temps around 94 at show time. As expected, the crowd was primarily 40-70 years old, the pavilion was full and the hill 2/3rds full. I loved watching all the fine dressed ladies of Oakland County attend their first show in years, only to find out their cheap ass husbands bought $5.00 dollar lawn tickets. These babes just spent money on getting their hair done, make up painted on, and were dressed accordingly. Well...right after we took our seats, the skies erupted with all of God's power! Rain fell so hard that the hill had rivers flowing within 15 minutes. The wind blew so hard, we got wet 20 rows into the pavilion! What a hoot! All these finer older ladies soaking wet, make up running down their cheeks, and the high heels sinking with every step! The Dogg loved every minute of it. Who needs a warm up act when you have this side show to watch. Hell of an impromptu "wet- T- shirt" contest.

Oh yeah, there was a concert too. It was overall an enjoyable 2 hour show. The music was excellent sounding, the lights OK, but something was lacking. I know what it was, it was the ability to move around and connect with the crowd. It is the lack of current relevance that was missing. It was spontaneity of action. What I'm saying is, the band seemed to just go through the motions. No excitement (other than the weather), no interplay with the crowd, nothing new to report musically. They played all the hits, Nights in White Satin, Tuesday Afternoon, I'm Just a Singer in a Rock & Roll Band, etc. Played them well, but once again, something was missing!

Crowd B
Atmosphere B-
Sound A
Lighting B
Staging C
Weather E (but fun to watch)
Bands B

Overall performance C+

The Dogg's top ten concerts so far this year!

I was sitting back this weekend having a cold adult beverage with some of my favorite young people. The Amazing Scott, Jammin Jamie, rappers Cam & Chris, and the ever present, Kristin and I were discussing the Detroit area music scene, now and from 20 years ago. This discussion covered various venues, both open and closed, national artists and local bands. In inevitably, the question came up: "What were the best shows you've seen this year"? A few came right to mind, but a little thought and searching the somewhat fuzzy memory banks. Here are the Detroit Rock Dogg's top ten picks through August1, 2009.

1. J Geils Band at the Fillmore. Never thought I'd see them play live again. Never thought they could come close to the energy they used to play with. I was wrong! Not only did they play 2 sold out nights in their adopted home town, but the sound and energy were equal to the heyday of Geils.

2. Coldplay at Pine Knob. As stated in one of my postings, I've never been a fan of Coldplay. The lovely BLT has been after me for years to go to "her kind of shows too". Well.... after the Dogg saw Coldplay in person, my opinion has totally changed. A truly awesome show.

3. Nickelback at Joe Louis. We got last minute floor seats to the Saturday show and were very excited since we'd never seen Nickelback before. Rocked out 50' from the stage and saw a true great live show.

4. Elton John & Billy Joel at the Palace. BLT and I traded 2 seats in our suite for Aerosmith to our friends Lou and Carla for 2 great seats to this sold out show. Both performers were in rare form and no concert goer left without hearing what they wanted. Another truly great show!

5. Styx, REO, .38 Special at Pine Knob. If only Styx had won the coin flip to headline, this would have been a top 4 show. As it was (and as written in my Blog), this was as fine a triple header as one could want. Throw in perfect weather and it sure doesn't get much better!

6. Led Zeppelin Symphony at Pine Knob. In a huge surprise to me, I can find no fault in this show. Part of the ranking was the group of people we were with (16), another part the weather (perfect), and lastly (and for those who have never seen this show) the band, show and lighting are absolutely great. If you love Zeppelin then you'll love this show!!!

7. Kid Rock & Lynrd Skynrd at Comerica Park. The weather was not good, the sound was spotty, the sight lines sucked, yet this show makes the top ten? Yessir, the thing about stadium shows is the spectacle. This one did not disappoint. Where we sat, the sound was acceptable and the pyro awesome! The set list was varied and great.

8. Dave Matthews Band at Pine Knob. Another great crowd, the weather turned out to be pretty decent, the band rocked and the staging was excellent. Another great show to see.

9. Bad Company & Doobie Bros. at Pine Knob. How can you go wrong when 2 of the biggest and best selling acts of the 70's and 80's team up. Bad Company reunites for a 14 show tour (first in over 10 years) and absolutely rocks the house. Doobies were their usual splendid musician and vocal masters. We left totally fulfilled.

10. Incubus at Pine Knob. This show left us gasping for air. Great sound, super high energy crowd, great weather and most of all a band that plays as if they love it still. Could have been a top 5 show had they had a better light show and staging.

There you have it, the top ten shows we've seen so far in 09. I may have missed one or two, but this mind isn't what it used to be.

Dave Matthews Band

The concert season is getting bigger and better with each passing day. Another night at the Knob for the Dogg & BLT. Another assholes to elbows sellout. The weather looks frightful to start the night (its a Dave Matthews tradition to get soaked at the Knob), but the temp is good and the crowd is partying hard in the parking lot. From car to car, all one hears is the sound of Matthews CD's blaring, young people playing frisbee or hacki-sack, and overall high spirits. This is some great atmosphere!

The warm up act, "Old Crow Medicine Show" is very talented, but better suited for Nashville, not Detroit. 2 Banjo players, a stand up bass, a fiddle, and a piano is all there is to this act. Made me feel like an extra from Deliverance! Not bad, but who wants to squeal like a pig? They play before a sparse crowd of maybe 4,000. Other than 3-4 couples dancing in the pavilion, no one seemed to care. After all we are here to see DAVE!!!

At approx 8:30, Dave Matthews takes the stage and the power and crowd are amped up exponentially. The stage contains vertical, 30' tall LCD screens on either side of the band, with approx. 800 pot lights overhead and behind the band. A visual extravaganza only matched by near perfect sound. After the bands plays a couple of tracks from the latest album, its on to old favorites like Satellite, Stay, Crush, So Much to Say, Crash Into Me, Too, much, etc. The highlight for me was when they ripped into the Talking Heads "Burning Down the House"! They PLAYED IT AS WELL OR BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL!!!! The band plays on to nearly 11:00 PM. The end to a perfect night comes at the Starlight, dancing with 150 fans while waiting for traffic to clear.

Atmosphere A
Staging A
Weather C+
Crowd A+
Bands C+
Lighting B
Staging B

Overall B+. An excellent show that left us all pretty darn happy.