In 2000 between Pinkerton and the green album (must have been right around the recording of the green album) a group of students at UGA got Weezer to play a super small show in Athens and I missed it. Still kicking myself for not joining the Weezer club.
Similar thing happened to me when I was in college. Jane’s Addiction were in town (1989, I think) playing at a small theater, and I had an exam in my evening class that night and didn’t go. I saw them later on the Lallapalooza tour, but that just isn’t the same.
Summer concert tickets have been going on sale. On the slate so far for the family are Weezer & The Pixies, Poison & Cheap Trick and Steely Dan & the Doobie Brothers. Hopefully more to come.
I'm on the fence about seeing Slayer with some friends. Tickets are already in hand, just not a huge Slayer fan.
I saw Cheap Trick open for Robert Plant years and years ago, and they’re really fun live. They could do better than Poison. And I'd love to see the Weezer/Pixies show, but Steely Dan without Walter Becker?
Cheap Trick is opening for Poison, let that sink in. I can easily see people walking out when Robin and the guys are done. Poison is nothing to write home about but they put on fun shows and Brett Michaels is very engaging with the fans.
I've been trying very hard to catch Steely Dan live over the last few years but it never worked out. When the news broke of Walter's passing I was genuinely crushed.
In 2000 between Pinkerton and the green album (must have been right around the recording of the green album) a group of students at UGA got Weezer to play a super small show in Athens and I missed it. Still kicking myself for not joining the Weezer club.
Similar thing happened to me when I was in college. Jane’s Addiction were in town (1989, I think) playing at a small theater, and I had an exam in my evening class that night and didn’t go. I saw them later on the Lallapalooza tour, but that just isn’t the same.
I missed seeing Fugazi, when my 3 freshman year roommates went. This was in 1995/6.
In 2000 between Pinkerton and the green album (must have been right around the recording of the green album) a group of students at UGA got Weezer to play a super small show in Athens and I missed it. Still kicking myself for not joining the Weezer club.
Similar thing happened to me when I was in college. Jane’s Addiction were in town (1989, I think) playing at a small theater, and I had an exam in my evening class that night and didn’t go. I saw them later on the Lallapalooza tour, but that just isn’t the same.
I missed seeing Fugazi, when my 3 freshman year roommates went. This was in 1995/6.
Okay, you win. Fugazi rarely came through town. While I was in college, they came twice during final exam week, and once during spring break, so I never saw them. Post-college they've come through twice, but I was working nights at the time.
John Mayer at the GA Theater in Athens the night he filmed Why Georgia Why video. John Mayer was just about to be huge, everyone in town had the indie copy of no room for squares, he was at the Theater, and he was known to have great shows (career started in ATL).
Why was I glad I missed the show and my chance to be on MTV? He had to play that 6 times stopping and starting for the video. and he did another show at the Theater I right around this time that I did see.
The video shoot I wish I had been at right around the same time? Bubba Spraxxx Ugly in the old Walmart parking lot. I would have had my MTV and BET minute, and I heard that was a crazy party.
However I am ultimately glad I didn't go because a guy got stab towards the end of it.
The video shoot I wish I had been at right around the same time? Bubba Spraxxx Ugly in the old Walmart parking lot. I would have had my MTV and BET minute, and I heard that was a crazy party.
However I am ultimately glad I didn't go because a guy got stab towards the end of it.
I've never been in the audience at a video shoot, but at the first arena concert I went to, Bachman-Turner Overdrive was opening for Van Halen and they were recording for a live album, Live!-Live!-Live!. I have no idea if any of that recording made the album or not.
It was an odd time. ATL/Athens creates lots of music acts, and Athens has always been a great place for young acts to pass through. But there was lull of music for a minute in the ATL/Athens scene for local acts that went big. Then Ludacris hit and John Mayer, and outkast really blew up with stankonia, and bubba Spraxxx, and TI (before federal prison), and Lil Jon. It was a crazy fun time to be in college in Athens. UGA's welcome back concert for students my second year was Ludacris it was awesome.
Edit: Forgot, around this time usher reblew up. And guys we thought might be dead (Jermaine Dupree and Babyface) turned out to be alive and somehow Peachtree Road became one of the studios to go to.
Cheap Trick is opening for Poison, let that sink in.
Sadly, I'm not surprised to hear that. That said, I'd hate to be Rick Nielsen’s guitar tech. He changes guitars after every song.
I think with Trick the deal is if you meet their price, they will play your gig, and have no qualms about opening for "lesser" acts. Because of this, I think it's safe to say I've seen Cheap Trick more than any other band I love (and I *LOVE* Trick!). Half those shows were opening for bands that are either no longer here or haven't been around nearly as long.
Yes, I have a plan if I ever hit the lottery to have Cheap Trick play my barbeque at my house. :)
I've seen Poison a few times and as long as you like their music (which I do) they're a good show. That said, when guitarist C.C. Deville begins his guitar solo? That's when you go get your beer. I've never seen a guitarist who does so well playing on the songs consistently do such a wretched solo bit.
I've seen Poison a few times and as long as you like their music (which I do) they're a good show. That said, when guitarist C.C. Deville begins his guitar solo? That's when you go get your beer. I've never seen a guitarist who does so well playing on the songs consistently do such a wretched solo bit.
There are a few schlock rock bands I can get behind, but Poison is not one of them. The guy for Faster Pussycat, who I saw when they opened for Badlands at some crappy nightclub, was a pretty awful soloist too.
Man I miss Badlands. Ray Gillen and Jake E. Lee were an unbeatable combination. Three great albums and then Ray died after they broke up. Really underappreciated band.
Listening to the Miami Vice (movie) soundtrack. What a great snapshot of music at that moment. Too bad most of that music wasn't great. The Linkin Park/JayZ mix is really good
Man I miss Badlands. Ray Gillen and Jake E. Lee were an unbeatable combination. Three great albums and then Ray died after they broke up. Really underappreciated band.
I never liked them enough to buy any of their albums. I went because one of my friends really wanted to go, and the tickets were cheap. They were decent live, but not as good as I was hoping.
Around the same time I went to a Blue Murder show at another dive. Their opening band (I forget who they were) was only slightly better than Faster Pussycat, but Blue Murder put on a really good set, especially considering how small the stage was. They were wedged into a corner of the room—really odd set-up to the place.
Daxx Nielsen (from Cheap trick) was on rock talk with Mitch lafon episode 02/05/18 (last week) in case anyone wants to listen. I would have posted it up last week, but I'm an episode behind.
Daxx Nielsen (from Cheap trick) was on rock talk with Mitch lafon episode 02/05/18 (last week) in case anyone wants to listen. I would have posted it up last week, but I'm an episode behind.
I'd be interested to hear that one, as he's Rick's (the guitarist) kid and replaced Bun E. Carlos as the drummer for the past few albums.
I miss Bun E. I took a friend to see them and he was commenting on how the drummer didn't have enough drums out there (One kick, a snare, a tom, maybe two cymbals and a hi-hat). I said "Pay attention. Their drummer is going to say more with that small kit than Neal Peart does with his entire setup." Bun E. didn't let me down and the show came away with another fan converted. :)
Er...watched the Tommy movie from 1975 on a whim. Thought it was one of the most bonkers things I've ever seen. Weirdly compelling though.
Haven’t watched that in years. Decades really. If you can get past the somewhat silly concept, there are some really good performances in the film. Ann-Margeret is really good, and I like Tina Turner in the movie quite a bit too.
This is likely only of interest to me, but who knows?
Todd Rundgren has re-formed his side project Utopia (Kasim Sulton, Willie Wilcox, and while Roger Powell declined due to hearing loss they brought back the keyboardist who was in the group before him) for the "World's Longest Hiatus" tour.
Utopia was a big favorite of mine during my formative music years. I lovingly referred to them as "Nerd Rock" - any band that crafts a tune based around Greek Comedic Theater isn't exactly going to be opening for AC/DC anytime soon - and while they had brushes with pop music success ("Crybaby", "Hammer in My Heart") I think they were probably considered "too weird" for mainstream and "not weird enough" for the New Wave movement of the time.
Either way, I loved 'em, and I never thought I'd get the chance to see them live, so I'm really looking forward to seeing them.
This is likely only of interest to me, but who knows?
Todd Rundgren has re-formed his side project Utopia (Kasim Sulton, Willie Wilcox, and while Roger Powell declined due to hearing loss they brought back the keyboardist who was in the group before him) for the "World's Longest Hiatus" tour.
Utopia was a big favorite of mine during my formative music years. I lovingly referred to them as "Nerd Rock" - any band that crafts a tune based around Greek Comedic Theater isn't exactly going to be opening for AC/DC anytime soon - and while they had brushes with pop music success ("Crybaby", "Hammer in My Heart") I think they were probably considered "too weird" for mainstream and "not weird enough" for the New Wave movement of the time.
Either way, I loved 'em, and I never thought I'd get the chance to see them live, so I'm really looking forward to seeing them.
I think the only thing that Utopia did that I've heard is Hiroshima. I had to go back and verify it was the same band as "nerd rock" and pop music didn't feel like appropriate descriptors. I have to assume that means that Hiroshima is not representative.
Lyrics for reference:
Under the rising sun dirty yellow children play And in the red pagoda mamasan is praying Blood wasted saving face, ancestors are looking on As they wave their silver samurai underneath the big gun
Hiroshima, no one could imagine Not the victors nor the victims Pitiful survivors nor the pawn of a man Who had the button under his hand No one would believe it
God, god is on our side, he placed the power in our hands To teach the yellow peril, this is christian mercy Harry, harry give 'em hell, give 'em hell one more time again We'll show those axis powers how to make an oven [fry them]
Hiroshima, no one could imagine Not the victors nor the victims Pitiful survivors nor the pawn of a man Who had the button under his hand No one would believe it
Hiroshima, nagasaki Don't you ever forget Hiroshima, nagasaki Don't you ever forget, don't you ever fuckin' forget
[radio announcer voice] This is the official voice of the united states of america addressing the Peoples of the islands of japan. tomorrow morning, on august 15th, 1945 at Exactly 8:15 am, we will bomb your cities of nagasaki and hiroshima with a Blast that will level these cities. this is the only alert you will receive.
I think the only thing that Utopia did that I've heard is Hiroshima. I had to go back and verify it was the same band as "nerd rock" and pop music didn't feel like appropriate descriptors. I have to assume that means that Hiroshima is not representative.
I'd say it's representative. Like Rundgren, Utopia was notorious for taking a look at the previous album's work and going 180 degrees away from it. So they'd follow up "Hiroshima" with "You Make Me Crazy" (total pop boy-meets-girl) which they'd then turn around and follow up with an entire concept album based on Orwell's 1984.
Given Rundgren's politics, it wouldn't surprise me to see Hiroshima show up in the setlist.
I think the only thing that Utopia did that I've heard is Hiroshima. I had to go back and verify it was the same band as "nerd rock" and pop music didn't feel like appropriate descriptors. I have to assume that means that Hiroshima is not representative.
I'd say it's representative. Like Rundgren, Utopia was notorious for taking a look at the previous album's work and going 180 degrees away from it. So they'd follow up "Hiroshima" with "You Make Me Crazy" (total pop boy-meets-girl) which they'd then turn around and follow up with an entire concept album based on Orwell's 1984.
Given Rundgren's politics, it wouldn't surprise me to see Hiroshima show up in the setlist.
I was completely unaware of the other thematic and style changes and was thinking more Kirby Krackle as nerd rock. Hiroshima ain’t that.
This is likely only of interest to me, but who knows?
Todd Rundgren has re-formed his side project Utopia (Kasim Sulton, Willie Wilcox, and while Roger Powell declined due to hearing loss they brought back the keyboardist who was in the group before him) for the "World's Longest Hiatus" tour.
Utopia was a big favorite of mine during my formative music years. I lovingly referred to them as "Nerd Rock" - any band that crafts a tune based around Greek Comedic Theater isn't exactly going to be opening for AC/DC anytime soon - and while they had brushes with pop music success ("Crybaby", "Hammer in My Heart") I think they were probably considered "too weird" for mainstream and "not weird enough" for the New Wave movement of the time.
Either way, I loved 'em, and I never thought I'd get the chance to see them live, so I'm really looking forward to seeing them.
I'm only a casual Todd Rundgren fan and I'd never heard of Utopia before. I just checked out their first album and it is definitely up my alley. I love weird, obscure 70's groups. Thanks for sharing this. I'm not sure if I'll be able to catch them live but I'm certainly planning on buying some of their albums.
I'm only a casual Todd Rundgren fan and I'd never heard of Utopia before. I just checked out their first album and it is definitely up my alley. I love weird, obscure 70's groups. Thanks for sharing this. I'm not sure if I'll be able to catch them live but I'm certainly planning on buying some of their albums.
They just released a boxed set of all their albums minus the last three (or it's coming soon to tie in with the tour). If you're into vinyl you can probably find everything they ever did on the cheap at a used record store (they're one of those "You love them or you hate them" type bands so much of their catalog gets recycled by that latter group). Personal recommendations:
Ra - has the aforementioned "Hiroshima" on it. More prog than anything.
Adventures in Utopia - big favorite among their fanbase, mainly for "Caravan", "You Make Me Crazy" and (personal favorite) "The Very Last Time". They start to move away from trying to out King Crimson King Crimson and more toward the whole "nerd rock" thing.
Deface the Music - the last Beatles album. Seriously...the band aped various stages of the Fab Four but using their own tunes and it's scary how close they come. If you're a Beatles fan this album will either gall you or you'll see it as the greatest homage in history.
Swing to the Right - has my favorite track by them - Lysistrata - because you can't get enough references to Aristophanes in your music, am I right?
The last three albums they did are all-out attempts to create great pop music - sometimes successful, sometimes not - the album "Oblivion" for example is a concept album all about George Orwell's 1984 but has their biggest hit "Crybaby" on it.
The beauty of the band was that they never really made the same album twice. So it's difficult to say "If you liked xxx album by them you'll like xxxx by them."
Record Store Day was Saturday, did anyone find anything fun?
Didn't even know it was a thing, and I was too busy anyway. I did recently find out a used record shop opened up recently one town over. I haven't had a chance to visit, but my wife says it’s a tiny hole in the wall filled with records and a small bar (no seating).
Comments
I've been trying very hard to catch Steely Dan live over the last few years but it never worked out. When the news broke of Walter's passing I was genuinely crushed.
John Mayer at the GA Theater in Athens the night he filmed Why Georgia Why video. John Mayer was just about to be huge, everyone in town had the indie copy of no room for squares, he was at the Theater, and he was known to have great shows (career started in ATL).
Why was I glad I missed the show and my chance to be on MTV? He had to play that 6 times stopping and starting for the video. and he did another show at the Theater I right around this time that I did see.
I would have had my MTV and BET minute, and I heard that was a crazy party.
However I am ultimately glad I didn't go because a guy got stab towards the end of it.
Edit: Forgot, around this time usher reblew up. And guys we thought might be dead (Jermaine Dupree and Babyface) turned out to be alive and somehow Peachtree Road became one of the studios to go to.
Yes, I have a plan if I ever hit the lottery to have Cheap Trick play my barbeque at my house. :)
I've seen Poison a few times and as long as you like their music (which I do) they're a good show. That said, when guitarist C.C. Deville begins his guitar solo? That's when you go get your beer. I've never seen a guitarist who does so well playing on the songs consistently do such a wretched solo bit.
Ozzy with Stone Sour was announced yesterday and will hopefully be happening for us.
The Linkin Park/JayZ mix is really good
Around the same time I went to a Blue Murder show at another dive. Their opening band (I forget who they were) was only slightly better than Faster Pussycat, but Blue Murder put on a really good set, especially considering how small the stage was. They were wedged into a corner of the room—really odd set-up to the place.
I would have posted it up last week, but I'm an episode behind.
I miss Bun E. I took a friend to see them and he was commenting on how the drummer didn't have enough drums out there (One kick, a snare, a tom, maybe two cymbals and a hi-hat). I said "Pay attention. Their drummer is going to say more with that small kit than Neal Peart does with his entire setup." Bun E. didn't let me down and the show came away with another fan converted. :)
Todd Rundgren has re-formed his side project Utopia (Kasim Sulton, Willie Wilcox, and while Roger Powell declined due to hearing loss they brought back the keyboardist who was in the group before him) for the "World's Longest Hiatus" tour.
Utopia was a big favorite of mine during my formative music years. I lovingly referred to them as "Nerd Rock" - any band that crafts a tune based around Greek Comedic Theater isn't exactly going to be opening for AC/DC anytime soon - and while they had brushes with pop music success ("Crybaby", "Hammer in My Heart") I think they were probably considered "too weird" for mainstream and "not weird enough" for the New Wave movement of the time.
Either way, I loved 'em, and I never thought I'd get the chance to see them live, so I'm really looking forward to seeing them.
Lyrics for reference:
Under the rising sun dirty yellow children play
And in the red pagoda mamasan is praying
Blood wasted saving face, ancestors are looking on
As they wave their silver samurai underneath the big gun
Hiroshima, no one could imagine
Not the victors nor the victims
Pitiful survivors nor the pawn of a man
Who had the button under his hand
No one would believe it
God, god is on our side, he placed the power in our hands
To teach the yellow peril, this is christian mercy
Harry, harry give 'em hell, give 'em hell one more time again
We'll show those axis powers how to make an oven [fry them]
Hiroshima, no one could imagine
Not the victors nor the victims
Pitiful survivors nor the pawn of a man
Who had the button under his hand
No one would believe it
Hiroshima, nagasaki
Don't you ever forget
Hiroshima, nagasaki
Don't you ever forget, don't you ever fuckin' forget
[radio announcer voice]
This is the official voice of the united states of america addressing the
Peoples of the islands of japan. tomorrow morning, on august 15th, 1945 at
Exactly 8:15 am, we will bomb your cities of nagasaki and hiroshima with a
Blast that will level these cities. this is the only alert you will receive.
Given Rundgren's politics, it wouldn't surprise me to see Hiroshima show up in the setlist.
Ra - has the aforementioned "Hiroshima" on it. More prog than anything.
Adventures in Utopia - big favorite among their fanbase, mainly for "Caravan", "You Make Me Crazy" and (personal favorite) "The Very Last Time". They start to move away from trying to out King Crimson King Crimson and more toward the whole "nerd rock" thing.
Deface the Music - the last Beatles album. Seriously...the band aped various stages of the Fab Four but using their own tunes and it's scary how close they come. If you're a Beatles fan this album will either gall you or you'll see it as the greatest homage in history.
Swing to the Right - has my favorite track by them - Lysistrata - because you can't get enough references to Aristophanes in your music, am I right?
The last three albums they did are all-out attempts to create great pop music - sometimes successful, sometimes not - the album "Oblivion" for example is a concept album all about George Orwell's 1984 but has their biggest hit "Crybaby" on it.
The beauty of the band was that they never really made the same album twice. So it's difficult to say "If you liked xxx album by them you'll like xxxx by them."
He had one hit, but man "Flava in Your Ear" is still a fantastic song. He was 46, that keeps sounding younger and younger.