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Rush @ NY State Fair Syracuse, NY September 2, 2010
Written by Thom Jennings Tuesday, 07 September 2010 16:18
Rush's "Time Machine" tour arrived in Syracuse, NY, Thursday night for a concert at the New York State Fair's grandstand. Rush treated the packed house to a spectacle of light and sound in a way only the Canadian rockers could do, with prowess. The two-hour plus, two-set performance included the "Moving Pictures" album in its entirety, performed as if it were recorded yesterday, not thirty years ago.
The show began with what has become a tradition at Rush shows, a short movie featuring all of the members of the band. I would hate to spoil the hilarious surprises in the three short movies (there was also one played before the second set and at the end of the show), but I will say they were an added treat to a great evening of music.
The first set opened with what has always been Rush's best opening song, if not one of the best arena rock opening songs of all time, "The Spirit of Radio." It set the pace for a power-packed first set of songs from Rush's lengthy catalogue. The set featured some old classics, as well as a new song from their forthcoming album, "Clockwork Angels."
On the way home from the show I stopped at a Tim Horton's on the New York State Thruway and wound up at the end of a long line of concertgoers. I heard one guy
arguing that after seeing Rush thirty-six times, the first set was "the lamest he had ever seen." I could only think that either Rush fans were spoiled or this guy was delusional, because I thought the first set was absolutely brilliant.
The second set was the real treat. Having seen Rush on the original "Moving Pictures" tour in 1981, it was just great to be able to relive all these great songs in concert, especially "The Camera Eye." Much has been written about Geddy Lee's ability to hit the screeching high notes, and "Moving Pictures" was the album on which the band moved away from the piercing high screeches popular in the 1970’s, and Lee's voice came into its own. Thus, "Moving Pictures" was a great choice for the band to perform, and Lee's vocals were just great.
Photos by Gus Griesinger
We would like to thank Kelly McWilliam from Atlantic Records for allowing Backstageaxxess in covering the show.
Ozzfest @ First Niagara Pavilion Burgettstown, PA August 19, 2010
Last Updated on Sunday, 29 August 2010 15:11 Written by Allan Robertson Thursday, 26 August 2010 01:59
After a one year hiatus, Ozzfest returns for six shows in the US this year, this being the third stop. The main stage line-up consisted of Ozzy Osbourne (9:15pm), Motley Crue (7:45pm), Halford (6:40pm), DevilDriver (5:45pm) and Nonpoint (5:05pm). The Monster Energy 2nd stage featured Black Label Society (4:20pm), Drowning Pool (3:35pm), Kingdom Of Sorrow (2:50pm), Katakylsm (2:15pm), Skeletonwitch (1:45pm), Saviours (1:15pm) and Goat Whore (12:45pm). Drowning Pool did a cover of Pantera's "Cowboys From Hell." They put on a great energetic set and one of my favorite performances of the day. Black Label Society went on late, at 5:35pm, to close the second stage. Zakk had to rely on lyrics taped to the stage, especially during "Overload." It did get fun when B.L.S. beach balls were thrown into the crowd near the end of the set. Nonpoint apparently went on early and a lot people only caught half of their set after leaving the side stage. I thought they, along with DevilDriver, really didn't put on a good performance and probably shouldn't have been on the main stage.
Rob Halford performed a 50min set focusing mostly on his two Halford releases. He was all dressed up in black leather and studs, and his voice sounded great. Halford in white lettering was displayed on an LED screen as a backdrop. During "Made Of Metal," his new single, a graphic with a futuristic car was displayed. He did throw in one fight tune "Nailed To The Gun" and two rare Judas Priest songs "Heart Of A Lion" and "Never Satisfied." When Motley Crue hit the stage, the crowd finally came alive and it felt like a rock show. They had a new backdrop and stage show which featured skyscrapers towering from the amp stacks. The 75-min set featured all the pyro, flames, fireworks and concussion bombs you would expect from a Motley show. Vince had a "Tres Rios Tequila" guitar that he used for "Don't Go Away Mad." Tommy came out to chat before jumping on the piano for "Home Sweet Home." It was refreshing to see that song changed from being the encore for the past few years. Just before "Primal Scream" Nikki stated the band hasn't played with Ozzy since the infamous 1984 tour. Mick Mars shredded on guitar as per usual.
Ozzy had a new video intro which featured skits from Avatar, Jersey Shore and a hilarious cameo in Lady Gaga's "Telephone" video amongst others. Ozzy was all in black with silver crucifixes and angel wings on his shirt. He was constantly working the stage during the 100-min set, using buckets of water and a fire hose to soak the fans up front. Pyro was used throughout the show and during "Mr. Crowley" a neon Ozzy sign was lowered down from above. There were two big video screens on either side which were only used for his set. His band featured Rob "Blasko" Nicholson on bass, Adam Wakeman on keyboards (and back-up guitar) along with newcomers Tommy Clufetos on drums and Gus G. on guitar. Adam played additional guitar on all the Black Sabbath songs. Ozzy always finds the best guitar players and Gus G. is no exception, he was phenomenal. During "Crazy Train," Yuto Miyazawa, a 10 year old Japanese music prodigy, was brought out on stage to play along with his own Rhoads polk-a-dot Gibson flying V. Ozzy even put him on his shoulders. It was a sight to see! For the encore, only one song was performed, being the Sabbath classic "Paranoid." Ozzy definitely put on a great show and capped off the festival on a high. It was a good line-up for the most part and the set turnovers were quick. The only real downside was the price of food and beverages. I'm looking forward to seeing what Ozzfest 2011 serves up.
Set Lists:
Ozzy Osbourne:
Bark at the Moon
Let Me Hear You Scream
Mr. Crowley
I Don't Know
Fairies Wear Boots (Black Sabbath)
Suicide Solution
Road To Nowhere
Into The Void (Black Sabbath)
Shot in the Dark
Rat Salad (Black Sabbath, featuring Guitar and Drum solos)
Iron Man (Black Sabbath)
Fire in the Sky
I Don't Want to Change the World
Crazy Train (featuring Yuto Miyazawa)
Encore:
Paranoid (Black Sabbath)
Motley Crue:
Kickstart My Heart
Wild Side
Shout At The Devil
Saints Of Los Angeles
Looks That Kill
Live Wire
Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.)
Home Sweet Home
Mutherfucker of the Year
Ten Seconds to Love
Primal Scream
Dr. Feelgood
Girls, Girls, Girls
Halford:
Resurrection
Made In Hell
Locked and Loaded
Nailed To The Gun (Fight)
Golgotha
Crystal
Drop Out
Made Of Metal
Cyberworld
Heart Of A Lion (Judas Priest)
Never Satisfied (Judas Priest)
All photos by Gus Griesinger except Ozzy by Jane D.
We would like to thank Meg McLean from MSOPR and a special thanks to Jen Farhood from Chipster Entertainment for allowing Backstageaxxess in covering the show.
Scott Stapp of Creed Interview
Last Updated on Saturday, 21 August 2010 02:35 Written by Gus Griesinger Thursday, 19 August 2010 02:58
We at Backstageaxxess.com were privileged to get to sit down for a rare interview with Creed lead singer Scott Stapp. This took place before he took the stage at Darien Lake a while back. Scott was very pleasant as we chatted about how the Creed reunion came back into being. We also talked about his involvement in the next Carlos Santana album and his own future solo plans. Scott couldn’t have been more gracious and with his “Arms Wide Open,” Mr. Scott Stapp!
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We would like to thank Michael Tremonti, Steve Wood, and Mike Amato for their help setting up the interview. For more information on Creed, you can go to: http://www.creed.com/. For more information on Scott himself, you can go to: http://www.scottstapp.com/.
Mark Tremonti of Creed and Alter Bridge Interview
Last Updated on Wednesday, 18 August 2010 10:59 Written by Gus Griesinger Wednesday, 18 August 2010 10:51
One of the few guitarists who received any accolades and earned respect from his peers from the post grunge era was Creed’s Mark Tremonti. Mark is currently on tour with Creed in support of the bands 2009 release ‘Full Circle.’ Not only did we talk about Creed, but we talked about his other highly successful band Alter Bridge as well. Mark is one of the hardest working musicians out there and we were glad that he took the time to talk to us before the bands show at Darien Lake. Let’s rip this one open to see what is currently going on with Mark…
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We would like to thank Michael Tremonti, Steve Wood, and Mike Amato for their help setting up the interview. For more information on Creed, you can go to: http://www.creed.com/. For more information on Alter Bridge, you can go to: http://www.alterbridge.com/.
Derek St. Holmes Interview
Last Updated on Thursday, 19 August 2010 02:56 Written by Tracey Lukasik Monday, 16 August 2010 02:33
The beautiful grounds of the Willow Creek Winery in Upstate NY recently welcomed the “Rockers of Radio Tour,” an all-star jam that features three great vocal talents; Fran Cosmo (Boston), Derek St. Holmes (Ted Nugent ) and Jimi Jamison (Survivor). Backstageaxxess.com caught up with both Derek and Jimi just before show time to discuss the tour and details of each of their past and current musical endeavors. Both provided an impressive resume of accomplishments. After briefly discussing his current projects, Derek St. Holmes shared a host of other things with us, from his experiences in working with the tenacious Ted Nugent to an unlikely request for services from the Courtney Love camp that will peak your interest! At any rate, both gentlemen were a pleasure to chat with and the wine was pretty damn good too! Here is our part with Derrick. Enjoy!
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We would like to thank Back to Back Entertainment for setting up the interview, Willow Creek Winery for their hospitality, and Derek St. Holmes for his time.
