Aerosmith & Sammy Hagar- Palace 8/31/10

Before heading off to the Palace, a little pre-Sammy partying was completely necessary. Scott, Jamie and the Dogg were soon in fine fettle for the nights festivities. Tonight was a night shared with friends Ed and Maureen, Ralph and Christine, and the ever present Scott & Jamie. Of course the lovely BLT and your trusted Dogg were ready as ever.

Too bad this was being held indoors! We don't get enough summer, so why not do this at Pine Knob? For the first time likely in Detroit history, Aerosmith did not come close to a sell out. At least 8 sections of the upper deck were curtained off. My guess is around 14,000 fans, or just about enough to fill Pine Knob. Sammy or Aerosmith has always been a guaranteed sell out at Pine Knob. You'd think the two together could sell out Comerica.

Sammy Hagar & the Waboritas opened the show at 7:40 to at best a half full arena. Our seats were 3 sections from the stage, 10 rows up, yet nearly devoid of life when the show started. Too bad traffic, work, and other lame excuses made way too many people miss a strong performance by The Red Rocker! We heard the early stuff; Montrose, the early Sammy stuff, the Van Halan stuff, a Chickenfoot song, and finished with Mas Tequila. When Sammy flew into "Bad Motor Scooter", asses finally left their seats and air guitars were flailling around everywhere. A strong 70 minute set was played and was well received by the somewhat flaccid crowd. Onto more JaeggerBombs and then Aerosmith!

Aerosmith learned early in their careers, the need to place a supreme emphasis on dazzling audiences while onstage, and have been doing since their inception in the early 1970s. The band hasn’t lost that enviable skill; Detroit fans who were treated to a two-hour rockshow at the 2/3 sold-out Palace were rocking from the first note until the last.

Off to a rousing start at around 9 p.m., the band kicked things off by dipping into their early catalog for the opening songs. One great thing about Aerosmith is their strong album sales and radio play. This gave their set an instant air of familiarity and inspired the entire audience to stand and rock out. And rock they did … for the entire night! There were no instances when the rowdy crowd felt the need to take their seats. Hell, the majority of the house was still on foot during drummer Joey Kramer’s solo. Typical Detroit Rock Doggs!!!! And the band gladly obliged the loyal throng. Mixing up their setlist and touching on all stages of their recorded output, it was clear that they intended on pleasing everyone in the house from the old-timers to the teens who discovered the band via their more recent ballads.

Aerosmith bounced through their repertoire and didn’t bat an eye when following up an FM radio rocker like 1976’s “Last Child” with 1993’s pop chart topper “Cryin’.” And no one seemed to notice. The band that came to prominence in the early 1970’s by combining the pomp and rocket fuel of Led Zeppelin and the naughty precociousness of The Rolling Stones has benefited from a long list of hit singles in the latter half of their existence. Old time Aerosmith fans will always bitch about missing the harder, earlier songs such as "Seasons of Wither". But the truth is, in terms of sales and success, Aerosmith’s post -1986 catalog has proved to be much more of a marketable and profitable venture, so it’s natural they’d focus on that era of their career. But not completely … the band never forgets the old faithfuls and always manages to please the diehards. Early gems like “Toys In The Attic,” “One Way Street” and “Walkin’ The Dog” nudged their way through the slew of 1990’s hit singles that were played. A great game plan for keeping both parents and the kids who they attended this show with content and satisfied.

Tyler, donning skintight white, black shirt, and a long tailed sequin jacket that seemed to shimmer in the lights like a Lake Michigan sunset, traditional painted nails and oodles of jewelry looked totally stoked and into his surroundings as he ran, pouted, posed and danced all over the huge stage. Vocally, he sounded strong and spot on. He was able to his reach his trademark yelps and screeches and sounded dynamic doing so. Perry took his well-known quiet but powerful stance as he let his guitar do the talking for the duration of the show. He took lead vocals on a rendition of “Stop Messin’ Around” that found Tyler wailing away at a harmonica while seated on the side of the stage. Perry looked particularly cool dressed in purple and black and donning a cropped hairstyle.

Regardless of the bashing and criticism the band has taken throughout their 40-year tenure, Aerosmith’s impact and influence is undeniable. Their mark has been left on scads of bands through imitation of clothing style, guitar riffs and attitude. Although the singer/guitarist dynamic of Steven Tyler and Joe Perry has often been likened to that of Stones duo Jagger and Richards, the difference is that the camaraderie between Tyler and Perry still seems active and healthy. Sure, they’ve traded barbs in the press lately: reports of Tyler threatening to pursue other avenues and his bouts with rehab and injuries has prompted Perry to voice his opinion. But the fact is, when both are onstage, doing what they do best, they are dynamic together and they seem to be right at home. A little more ragged and road-worn, the pair looked and sounded great.

Overall, this was a most excellent night of entertainment. The crowd was great for Aerosmith, my family and friends truly loved every moment. what more can a Dogg ask for? Sammy played with fire and passion. Aerosmith just did it all! Strong aural and visual grandeur. This makes about 5 great shows in a row.



August 31, 2010 songs in no particular order and shooting from memory:

Train Kept A Rollin’
Love In An Elevator
Falling In Love
Livin’ On The Edge
What It Takes
Pink
Last Child
Cryin’
drum solo
Come Together
guitar solo
Stop Messin’ Around
I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing
Sweet Emotion
Draw The Line
Dream On
Walk This Way


Weather B
Crowd B
Atmosphere B+
Sound A
Lighting A+
Staging A
Line up A+
Setlists A

Overall an A event.

This show was the show we really wanted to see this year. For over 15 years, BLT & The Dogg have been Green Day fans. However, fate, scheduling, etc. always screwed up our plans to see the. Well tonight is the night. GREEN DAY!!!

The Knob was packed to the brim with kids from 4-20 yrs. mixing well with the elders in the crowd (of which we were two) and overall, extremely festive mood permeated the entire place. Except the VIP area, which was real slow and only 1/2 full. Cool for us to chow and drink prior to showtime.

“Detroit Motherf**kers! F**k California I’m stayin’ here!” – Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong yelled at Pine Knob to open their 3 hour long, exausting set. After about 1 minute, Billie Jow halted the band and ordered the kids from the hill to rush the stage and party like they have never partied before! The overwhellmed ushers let another 1,500 or so to pack the aisle front to back. When the "blue shirts" tried to push them back, Billie Joe yelled "hey you in the blue fuckin shirt, let them alone"! The party was on BIG TIME!!!!

My feet hurt. My mouth was desperately in need of some beer. My body was ready for a five hour deep tissue massage. But the Detroit Rock Dogg sucked it up for this show.

These were three complaints I had coming out of a Green Day concert that we got to witness at Pine Knob on Monday. But other than those three, you would be hard pressed to find any more for us, at least relating back to the concert that we had just witnessed. When Billie Joe, Mike Dirnt, Tre Cool and co. took the stage, I knew we were in for a great time. What I didn’t know was that I would be watching one of the best concerts we've ever been to. It definitely had the potential going in we thought, but we didn’t know it would happen.

I will note that this has been my first time seeing Green Day. An amazing band, who continue to thrill and wow audiences with their live performances. You can ask anyone who has seen Green Day; they give a show that is out of this world.

Following AFI, the traditional Green Day bunny hit the stage, drinking beers, goofing off, and having fun. At 8:00 p.m., the lights dimmed, the crowd erupted, and “Song of the Century” played, leading into “21st Century Breakdown.” The band then continued with tracks from their current album, “Know Your Enemy” and one of my personal favorites, “East Jesus Nowhere.”

At this point in time Billie Joe asks for a child from the audience to be “saved.” He pulled up one that made absolute sense; the child’s shirt read “Save Me.”

The band then blasted out “Holiday, ¡Viva la Gloria!, Give me Novocaine, Letterbomb (so glad they played this, another one of my personal favorites), Are we the Waiting, St. Jimmy, and Boulevard of Broken Dreams.”


Then Mr. Armstrong began the “old school” Green Day part of the set list. You could tell because not only did he announce it, but Billie Joe pulled out “Blue,” his signature guitar. Starting with “Burnout (the first track off “Dookie”) made my jaw drop; it was unexpected to say the least. They then broke out with “Nice Guys Finish Last” and “Who Wrote Holden Caulfield (at this point AFI lead singer Davey Havok came out to sing)?”

Hearing Billie Joe yell Michigan or Detroit whenever he could, singing “Living on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi, and “I’m On Fire” by Bruce Springsteen all added to the overall fun, and also the band did a medley of songs featuring “Iron Man, Highway to Hell, You’ve Really Got Me, Ain’t Talking About Love, Sweet Child of Mine,” sending the crowd into an uproar. In addition during the course of the evening the frontman invited a mass amount of people up on the stage with him, which was just awesome.

The boys then continued to blow the roof off Pine Knob with “2000 Light Years Away, Paper Lanterns, When I Come Around, and Brain Stew/Jaded (Tre Cool and Billie Joe squirted the audience with water gun while the two songs were transitioning).” When the band played “Longview” following that, they normally call people up to sing a verse of the song. What happened during “Longview” on this night, however, was something extraordinary. For this song, Billie asked a young chick in the 4th row if she really knew all the lyrics to the song. Once confirmed, she took the stage and did all proud with her stage antics, however her voice was beyond horrible. At the end of the song, Billie Joe proudly handed her his guitar saying she wanted her to have it, after telling the her that she was amazing.

Then the band proceeded on with “Basket Case, She,” the show stopping “King for a Day/Shout cover,” then a brief part from “Extraordinary Girl,” leading into “21 Guns,” and ending with their “hold that note” political anthem (Billie Joe belts out a musical note of a hard-to-estimate time, and asks the audience to do the same during this song) “Minority.”

The set list that Green Day just provided for us would’ve been enough; at that point we already realized we had just witnessed something amazing. But no, as Billie Joe said, he would play all night long, and while he didn’t really follow his own words, the band did continue for a two piece encore (to start), blasting “American Idiot” and the 9 minute epic “Jesus of Suburbia” out into the center. Then it was solo Billie Joe, armed only with an acoustic guitar, singing “When It’s Time,” a number from the American Idiot musical. He followed that up with “When September Ends,” getting joined again by his band mates as the crowd erupted for their re entry. When the song ended, the all of the band except for one promptly left, leaving Mr. Billie Joe Armstrong to end it all with the classic conclusion piece, “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life).”

At this point I checked my cell phone for the time and just couldn’t believe it; it was 11:04, which means Green Day was THREE MINUTES over playing a THREE HOUR CONCERT. When Billie Joe said during the night’s events that the band was going to give the audience the best show they’ve ever been to, he meant it in sincerity. For the money we paid for this concert, we honestly would state that we got a bargain.

Weather A+
Atmosphere A+
Lighting A++
Staging A++
Crowd A+++
Sound A
Set List A+

Overall, shit I must give an A+! A new concert of the year! This has truly been an amazing summer season for the Dogg & The ever lovely, BLT

J. Geils/The Rockets 8/21/10 Pine Knob

The Detroit Rock Dogg and his entourage from the burbs of Detroit, are among the biggest fans of J. Geils and The Rockets in all of America. This was the 21st Geils show for the Dogg and likely the 20th Rockets show. My expectations were set high for Geils, but low for the Rockets, due to the replacement of frontman Dave Gilbert and the many years removed from major venue performance.

Last weeks Kid Rock extravaganza's set a nearly impossible standard of concert excellence for J. Geils to try to match or beat. How did they do? Well.... it depends on who you ask.

Saturday looked bleak all afternoon; overcast and light rain. With the Dogg Pound consisting of over 30 friends on this night, I was glued to the weather channel all day. The Dogg told all the sun would shine on the Rockets and Geils, and once again the Dogg was spot on. When we started tailgating at 4:30, the skies were blue, the crowd pumped up, and Geils and Rocket tunes were blaring all around us. This Dogg is ready to howl.

The newly reconstituted Rockets, with singer Jim Edwards joining veterans Jimmy McCarty (guitar) and Johnny Bee Badanjak (drums) from the original outfit, was the perfect opening band, each song a hit, executed perfectly and without an ounce of excess. As an old friend of Dave Gilbert's, and a long time original fan of the Rockets, my boy's exceeded all of my expectations. Jim Edwards and I spoke in the VIP and out on the concourse a couple of times after they completed their set. Jim said "I was channeling Dave all night and hope I did him proud". My new friend, not only did you do Dave and your new band proud, but I'm sure Dave was smiling down on all of us this night. I hope Dave's widow, Dee and the kids were on hand to see this show.

The audience clearly enjoyed seeing McCarty and Badanjak on the big DTE stage, where such iconic players belong, and Edwards sings their Mitch Ryder songs ("Rock and Roll") as well as the Rockets' own catalog with ease. "Oh Well" brought the house down and brought back memories of 1980 at Pine Knob and 2 sold out Rockets shows.

In "Detroit City" we work hard and party even harder. J. Geils is the working man's band of all time. From its first shows at the Eastown, Cinderella Ballroom and Grande Ballroom, to later shows at Cobo, Pine Knob and even the Silverdome, Detroiter's embrace the J. Geils band as one of our own. The band has always felt the same way. All 3 of their live albums, "Full House", Blow Your Face Out and Showtime" were recorded in Detroit!

The Geils band brought its house party to Pine Knob Saturday night. The only other show it did this year was last week at Fenway Park in Boston (opening for Aerosmith, who were blown off the stage, by all accounts, by their crosstown rivals).

All night long middle-aged fans vaulted over seats,politely, without hurting anybody -- to get closer to the front of the stage. Everybody seemed to be either reliving their youth, or drunk enough to think they were.

The Geils band's method of concert excellence has always been in understanding pace and dynamics, setting up a concert like an old-fashioned rythem & blues revue,with everything one could want, audio, visual, visceral planned for maximum entertainment value.

The band hit he stage running with "First I Look at the Purse," with Wolf entering at maximum velocity from stage right, executing his familiar jittery steps.

When Geils is in true form, the visual aspects are the band, not pyro, great lighting, and other special effects are rendered moot when J. Geils Band is on stage; the dance moves of Peter Wolf; Magic Dick moving rhythmically about the stage as he plays; Seth Justman pounding on his keyboards or J. Geils laying down bluesy guitar licks, and male backup singer and two female singers, the latter dubbed the "Geilettes" by Wolf.

The Uptown Horns added a tight and funky roar of horns to the mix, at one point treating the crowd to a rendering of the Blues Brothers classic intro when Wolf asked them to belt out a solo. As always, their musianship added to the mix immeasurably.

Wolf went crowd surfing during "Musta Got Lost," creating near hystweria as he walked his way down Aisle 4 from the stage, then vaulted over laps and legs in Row M, and then trotted down Aisle 3 to the stage. The Dogg, BLT Jeff, Jennifer, Danny D. and Timmy B. had aisle seats in the 8th row. aisle 3. We were able to reach out and slap hands with the Rock Legend!

A J. Geils Band show has to grab the best show tunes from its extensive catalog of party jams. After a quick paced 22 song blast, featuring: First I Look at the Purse, Homework, Hard Drivin Man, Sanctuary, Nightime, Cruisin for Love, So Sharp, Detroit Breakdown, Give it to Me, Musta Got Lost, Love Stinks and many more, the band left for a quick encore break. Let me tell you all now: THIS WAS THE LOUDEST CROWD IN YEARS! There was no way this show was going to end then. At one point as the crowd was howling in appreciation, Jeff turned to me (he was a Geils virgin) and said "one more song and its over". Being the Geils veteran that I am, I retorted "5 more songs, dude"! Well I was wrong. They came back for a 5 song encore of: Centerfold, Where Did our Love Go, Freeze Frame, Just Can't Wait, and Start All over Again. As the band did its final bows and the magic witching hour was fast approaching, Peter Wolf gathered his band mates and talked for a quick minute and then jammed to Peach Tree Street and LoveItis. Pine Knob -- er, DTE -- has a strict 11 p.m. curfew, and it was clear after several encores that Wolf and the band were not anxious to leave. At the end, the singer hung back and kept up his breakneck chatter to the crowd, rattling off the names of his favorite Detroit bands and concert halls.

There even was a brief technical glitch when Magic Dick's microphone crashed just as he was gathering momentum on "Whammer Jammer," but Wolf ran over to offer his mic, and the show went on. It's amazing how tight the band is, with so few gigs played in the last 12 years. From all accounts, this was a show for the ages and no one went home disappointed.

Weather A+
Crowd A+
Atmospher A++
Lineup A++
Staging C
Lighting C
Sound A+
Set List A+

Overall A++. One of the top three shows of the year

Kid Rock 8/14/10 Pine Knob

Saturday night was to be a different sort of night at Pine Knob for the Dogg and his usual posse of friends and family. In the past, I've never liked to entertain clients at shows like this due to the chance of me acting the fool, saying the wrong thing, or in other words, just being me. With this in mind, the lovely BLT and I entertained 5 accounts (all sitting in different areas) and in our minds, Kid Rock worked his magic on them. The Dogg even was on his best behavior for this night.

The weather was very iffy going into the show, overcast, threatening rain, and hot & humid. Our group arrived at 5:30, not knowing there were two warm up acts. I must throw mad props to our usual server in the VIP, the best employee in the Knob, Rebecca. When we arrived, they had us set up with a reserved table for 14, but not in the correct spot, not with Rebecca, yet as soon as she saw us, they rearranged tables, and put us where we were supposed to be. Rebecca worked tirelessly and efficiently to keep our group (which by now had swelled to about 22) well plied in food and alcohol. To share with you all how good she is, at the shows conclusion, we went back to the VIP and she had tables arranged and reserved for my troops and was standing guard over it until we arrived. Rebecca, we love you and appreciate you! Our $1,500.00 + bill in the VIP alone proves we were there to party. More mad props to Jeff & Jennifer P. The best boss and friends a person could ever ask for! They were tailgating from about 4:00 until our arrival. You and Jen are truly "Rock Dogg's" in our minds.

The crowd was larger than any of us have ever seen at Pine Knob. I heard they sold over 17,000 tickets for a venue that only seats 15,300. This made the VIP Starlight choked and well over its capacity. The concourses were a 30 minute "cattle chute" from the VIP to the pavilion! But who cares, it's Kid "Motherfuckin" Rock!

Certainly Pine Knob and its 15,000 capacity is a significantly smaller proposition than last years 2 Comerica Park gigs,however, Rock and his Twisted Brown Trucker band will play to just as many fans in total there as they did during just one of the Comerica shows. But that didn’t at all limit the group’s intention's for the show, a 2 1/2 hour display of Kid Rock’s genre-blending attack that on Saturday had everyone on their feet and pumping fists from start to finish. 23 songs played at a blisstering pace, strong rapour with the crowd, fireworks above the pavilion all night long, and the band was at its finest!

While he’s kept his forthcoming new album, “Born Free,” due in November, under wraps, Kid rock did debut some of the fresh material for the home town fans. There was “Slow My Roll,” Rolling Stones-flavored rocker. “Rock On” was a kinda laid back and a little lame, while “Feels Good To Me,” which was a spirited if slight country tinged song. The Detroit spun “Times Like These,” premiered as a work-in-progress last year at Comerica, has been finished and, played acoustically by Rock and guitarist Marlon Young, still stirred home town sentiment with its chorus of “I heard them say they’re shutting Detroit down/But I don’t believe it ’cause this is my home town” and accompanying video of iconic Michigan images.

Best of all was “Born Free’s” title track and slated first single, a patriotic, flag waving anthem that was inspired by Rock’s trips abroad to play for U.S. troops. Closing Saturday's show were fireworks exploding above the pavilion roof, it official started the clock on the wait for an album that — at least as far as fans of Kid Rock are concerned — can’t come too soon.

The new songs also affirmed Rock’s continuing move away from his rap-rock past and towards more carefully crafted fare. Crowd pleasers such as “Cocky,” “American Bad Ass,” “Devil Without a Cause,” “Cowboy,” “Three Sheets to the Wind” and, of course, the show-closing “Bawitdaba” were still reliable methods of getting the crowd whipped into a frenzy. Kid Rock’s real creative appetite is clearly on a different path — evidenced by his inclusion Saturday of the soulful “When You Love Someone,” a deep cut from 2007’s triple-platinum “Rock N Roll Jesus.” Even adding Shannon Curfman, a blues-rock solo artist who displayed vocal and guitar chops and even taking the solo during “Picture.”

Saturday was a bona fide, pyrotechnic Detroit throwdown for an exuberant crowd that was standing from start to finish. “Son of Detroit,” “Lowlife (Living the High Life),” “All Summer Long,” “Rock N Roll Pain Train” and a screaming “So Hott” had DTE rocking, while covers of Sly & the Family Stone’s “Everyday People” and Uncle Kracker’s “Good to Be Me” fit comfortably into the mix. And a bit of theatrics, with the entire band changing into white outfits for “Rock N Roll Jesus,” was delivered swiftly enough to avoid being a speed bump.

Weather C+
Crowd A++
Atmosphere A++
Sound A++
Staging A
Sound quality A++
Effects/pyro A++
Line up B

Overall A++, the best show of the year so far.

Carnival of Madness- Pine Kob 8/7/10

What a night for a concert. The humidity has finally broken and the skies are clear. The lovely BLT and her ever present Dogg were anxious for the show to begin.

Kinda strange pulling into the Knob at 4:30 and seeing the parking lots 2/3 full already! The Carnival of Madness starts at 5:00 PM sharp. This first year event promises to be an aural assault on those unfamiliar with the sheer ferocity of this years line up. Five bands in six hours sounds like a great time to us!

First up is a band we are unfamiliar with, Ten Years. At 5:00 PM they take the stage to a 1/4 full pavillion and 1/2 full hill. With a sound that is a cross between Three Days Grace and Nine Inch Nails, the crowd was very receptive to their 6song set, lasting 35 minutes. The Dogg likes this band!

Next up at 6:00 is Sevendust. We are quite surprized that they are not further up the bill. People either love or hate Sevendust. I think they are a true powerhouse of sound and energy. Their 7 song set had the crowd on their feet from beginning to end. BLT and I loved some of the older patrons look of disgust and shock at the lyrics and crowd. Fuck em I say! Great people watching, non-stop head bob and fist pumping makes this Dogg a happy Dogg!

At 7:55, Puddle of Mudd takes over and immediatly those older folks perk up and finally look happy. I guess all it takes is some radio friendly music and a little name recognition to get them grooving. Typical Puddle of Mudd show; strong vocals, good harmony, amazing rythem section and good guitars. One rather lame part was their cover of AC/DC, Dirty Deeds. Come on guys, the School of Rock did it better and they are teenagers. Overall a strong 50 minute performance.

Around 8:15 Chevelle comes on to a nearly full house. We've never been fans of Chevelle and they did little to convert us during this performance. as far as I'm concerned they were the 5th band and should have led off. However, I got to admit the crowd loved them! What surprized me was how strong the rythem section is. Its like every beat of the drum and strum of the bass were coregraphed to perfection. A++ on this end. Where the let down has always come for me is the timbre of the singers voice. Not a strong rock voice at all. He'd be OK at a kareoke bar, but not at the Knob. BLT and i headed to the VIP to get liquered up for Shinedown!

At 9:30 Shinedown takes the stage to a sell out crowd and man are they fired up! Strong stage presence, good lighting and backdrops, ripping guitars, a truly magical rythem section, and the near perfect Rock Dogg vocals made for a real strong set. From the opening notes of "Sound of Madness, to .45, Heroes, Left Out, etc. the crowd was on their feet jamming like madmen. The 14 song set then had the added bonus of a 3 song encore, including an excellent cover of Skynrds "Simple Man", Fly Inside and the set closing Second Chance (my personal favorite). Awesome show gentleman.

Weather A
Crowd A
Atmosphere A
Sound B+
Lighting B
Staging B
Line Up B

Overall B++ a great night with 4-5 bands worthy of the show.