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Concert Review: Kenny Wayne Shepherd

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July 18, 2011

You pay a price. A big price. But there is absolutely nothing in the world like being up front at a rock concert. Or in this case, a rock/blues show.

Saturday night I was fortunate enough to get in the second row of the sold-out concert by Kenny Wayne Shepherd at Thunder Mountain Amphitheater in Loveland, Colorado.

Oh my God.

I know I probably sound like a giddy teenager, but that’s what great music does to me. It transports me. Turns me into a pool of pure, animal instinct and puts me in touch with that part of me that I usually keep well-guarded because it’s vulnerable and real—my soul.

Anyway, it’s a whole different experience being up front. You can’t hear as well, and you don’t get that balanced, more expansive sound—the entire band as it’s really meant to be heard. But you get to experience the energy firsthand—freshly blasting from the performers. And it is intense.

Despite the fact that I was squished, stepped on, bumped, sweat on by strangers all around me, and subjected to enthusiastic fans screaming into my ear so loudly that it was painful, it was all worth it. Because when the large man in front of me moved to the side for a brief moment and Kenny came over, put his foot on the amp in front of me and made his guitar sing, I think I stopped breathing. The energy spewing from him was like a volcano exploding into my chest. A volcano of sheer blues power.

With killer-voice singer Noah Hunt by his side, and joined by veteran performers Tony Franklin on bass, Chris Layton on drums, and “The Reverend” Riley Osborne on keyboards, Kenny tore up the night, grinning and grimacing, his entire body ricocheting off the notes coming from his axe as he became the sound with everything in him.

Noah’s voice, as always, was like a bullet to the soul—deep, thick, and hard—the epitome of male sexuality. So when he sang “I’m a King Bee”, with it’s blatant sexual lyrics, and combined with Kenny’s phenomenal guitar work, I was so into the music, if I could have crawled right into it, I would have.

“I’m a king bee, baby, buzzing around your hive. I can make you honey, baby, just let me come inside . . . I can buzz you better when your other man is gone,” he taunted. I was gone at that point.

I wish they’d do more songs like that!

Another highlight of the evening was the hit “Blue on Black” —where the audience all joined in and sang along, and a strictly-blues portion, where Noah walked offstage, leaving Kenny and the boys to dig deep into the blues. Oh. Yeah.

The show ended with “Voodoo Child,” a frenzied and fantastic rendition of the classic Hendrix tune.

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Kenny has had an ear for the blues all his life. He explained that at the ripe old age of three, he attended a concert by Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker, and that was all it took. Completely self-taught on guitar, Kenny gave credit to some of the other blues greats who influenced him: Buddy Guy, B. B. King, Albert Collins, Albert King, Robert Johnson, and Bessie Smith, among others. You can hear it in his music. Stated Kenny, “The blues is the foundation for everything we play.”

And although he’s only 34, his music has the richness and depth of a person twice that age. Some people just “get” the blues. Kenny does. And if you want it, Shepherd delivers—mixed in with a little bit of rock to create his signature sound.

The show was so hot that it started pouring rain the instant the band left the stage. I guess there needed to be some sort of means to put out the fire!

Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s next album, How I Go is due for release August 2.

Setlist:

Somehow, Somewhere, Someway
Everything is Broken
Never Mind
Last Goodbye
Losin’ Kind
Come On Over
I’m Leaving You
Shame
Never Lookin’ Back
King’s Highway
True Lies
Blue On Black
Shotgun Blues
I’m A King Bee
Oh Well
Voodoo Child

Concert Review: Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe

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Vince Neil

September 4, 2011

Lately I’ve been stepping beyond the constraints of the type of music I know and love to gain some new perspective. Broadening one’s horizons is never a bad thing, right? Not usually anyway. A little over a month ago, I went to a country concert—something I never do. And I had a really great time. Last weekend I went to see Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe at Thunder Mountain Amphitheater in Loveland, Colorado. Hey, I read Mötley Crüe’s autobiography The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band,and I only recommend reading that if you have an affinity for Mötley Crüe, a strong stomach, or an extremely open mind. But after reading The Dirt, I figured I was ready for Vince. Well, maybe.

Vince Neil and Dana Strum

Neil had such badass stage presence that I just couldn’t help but love it. It was heavy-hitting, rock-to-the-gut music with a swift kick in the face that you did see coming and chose not to get out of the way on purpose.

Covered in tattoos and dressed in black leather pants and smiling a beautiful smile while spilling arrogance galore, Neil bounded onstage like a hundred Harleys roaring through a long tunnel. His vocals sounded a bit rough though, and he explained that he’d lost his voice a few days earlier, but I guess that’s not a bad thing if you’re a heavy metal, hard rock singer. It seemed like they had his mic turned down pretty low because it was difficult to hear him most of the time. Or maybe it was simply due to my vantage point. The speakers are generally aimed outward toward the audience. I like to be up front. I thought I could handle the energy emitted by Vince Neil, one of rock ‘n’ roll’s consummate bad-boys. And I did, but it felt like he sucked more from me than he gave back. No accident on his part, I’m sure.

In any case, the packed-in crowd adored him. Halfway through the show, a woman on the opposite side of the stage from where I was standing, handed Vince a pair of hot pink panties, which he proceeded to wear around his neck.

Dana Strum & Jeff Blando

And his band was amazing. They tore it up, tore your flesh from the bone and you loved every minute of it. Jeff Blando (from Slaughter) on lead guitar was phenomenal, as was Dana Strum on bass (also from Slaughter). Besides keeping the night rocking, the two of them (along with Zoltan Chaney on drums—I’ll get to him in a minute) cranked out several Led Zeppelin tunes as Vince left the stage for a bit. Blando even used a bow to play “Whole Lotta Love.” I usually cringe when bands do remakes of Zeppelin songs, but this was fantastic—full of testosterone-fueled emotion and rife with the same energy that made Zeppelin great. Although he is no Robert Plant (who is?) Blando also did a great job on vocals. But these guys are not just a backup band, they are stars in their own right—heavy hitting players who would cut you in half with their axes then strut across the stage to let you know in no uncertain terms that they just got the best of you. Vince too, as if to say, “Take that, sucker! Now what you gonna do about it?”

Zoltan Chaney

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zoltan Chaney has to be the most entertaining drummer I have ever seen. He was a show all by himself. He stood up, spun around, threw drumsticks in the air and caught them again, kicked cymbals with his feet, balanced drumsticks on his head and never missed a beat. And that was only part of it. Look him up on Youtube. You won’t believe it.

Vince Neil’s concert was a mix of raw energy, lots of flowing, throwing hair, “don’t f—k with me” attitude, and LOUD, LOUD, LOUD kick ass rock. I felt as if I’d been used and abused and then expected not to take any of it personally. I loved it. I gotta broaden my horizons more often.

Some of the songs performed were:

Tattoos & Tequila
Girls, Girls, Girls
Wild Side
Dr. Feelgood
Kickstart My Heart
He’s a Whore
Same ol’ Situation

How Do You Like Me Now? Toby Keith Concert Review

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Toby Keith

 July 30, 2011

I thought rock concerts were loud. About a month ago, I went to see Toby Keith live in concert and my ears buzzed for days afterward. I must confess that country music is not something I normally listen to, but I’ve seen Toby do guest appearances at several other people’s shows in the past, and he does have that—how do you say? –je ne sais quoi. In other words, he’s sexy, he can sing, and he’s very good-looking.

 But it was the “he can sing” part that made me want to go most of all. I’m glad I did. It was another lesson in stepping outside my comfort zone. You never know where something new may take you—and last month, it took me to Cheyenne, WY where Toby surprised me.

With exploding pyrotechnics and sometimes streamers that were shot out over the packed-in crowd, Toby delighted the entire audience and had them dancing, two-stepping (as much as possible in their confined areas), and singing their lungs out right along with him. It was a huge venue—Cheyenne Frontier Days’ main arena, where they also hold rodeos. We had to tramp through the dust and “horse apples” to get to the arena for our standing-room-only section. But every seat in the stands was taken as well.

Toby is proud to be an American and he isn’t afraid to show it. He toasted the USA, the flag, and our military forces with a lot of patriotic songs and words of praise.

He also did a rendition of Ted Nugent’s “Stranglehold”, which was fun and refreshing to me, being first a rock fan. And he did it so well, I didn’t even miss “Uncle Ted’s” version!

At one point, Toby did a “duet” with Willie Nelson, with Willie’s likeness playing on a video on an enormous screen behind the performers onstage. “I’ll Never Smoke Weed with Willie Again” gave us a sneak peek at Toby’s sense of humor beneath that serious face, and then there was the song “Get Out of My Car,” which he introduced with a grin, saying, “You’ll never hear this song played on the radio!” “As Good As I Once Was,” touched my heart, maybe because it reminded me of my late father, who was also a veteran, but it also made me feel glad to be the person I am right now, because in spite of the fact that I am no longer as young as I used to be, I’m not finished yet!

“How Do You Like Me Now?” was the song that surprised me the most. I’ve heard this one before, but nothing beats seeing a performer sing a song live. It had a bit of a rock and roll flavor and this song too, was like saying, “Take it or leave it, baby—this is me and I’m proud to be me!” I’m going to have to add “How Do You Like Me Now?” to my list of all-time top favorite songs.

“Should’ve Been a Cowboy” also reminded me of my dad. He loved country music, being out in nature, and sitting around the campfire telling stories while tossing down a beer or two. Great song. Great memories.

Some of the other songs Toby played were:

American Ride
Whiskey Girl
Under the Rodeo Moon
Who’s Your Daddy?
I Love This Bar
Beer for My Horses
Get Drunk and Be Somebody
I Wanna Talk About Me
Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue

 

There was a song I wasn’t familiar with, but it was about boots. And as Toby sang, many of the audience members removed one boot and held it in the air. I’d never been in a crowd of dusty cowboy and cowgirl boots before and this moved me—a connection between audience and performer and back again. That’s what great music is all about.

Toby’s voice sounded awesome, he had his swagger and his little boy smile down to a tee, his interaction with the audience was fun, and his band was killer. I had a really great time.

If you have the chance, go see Toby, even if you don’t care for country music. He’s rugged and cute and sometimes naughty. And he puts on a great show.