Crue Fest 8/20/08 Blossom Center - Cleveland

To say I was excited about this show is an understatement. If you haven't figured it out by now, Motley Crue is my all time, most favorite band ever. As much as I love them, I am also overly critical of them. And since all of them have disappointed me at one point in time, either separately or collectively, I was praying to the powers that be that they wouldn't disappointment me during this show.

Trapt got the evening started...slowly. I'll admit, I'm not a Trapt fan, so I wasn't really expecting much from them, and they certainly didn't deliver much. Sure, they sounded good and looked good, but the crowd didn't seem into them at all. Maybe it was because they went on so early? They only had a half hour to fill, so maybe it's just hard to get the crowd pumped in such a short amount of time. Their performance didn't capture me or keep my attention at all.

Next up was Sixx AM. I am a huge Sixx AM fan, so I was super excited to finally get to see them live. For a band who hasn't really been together all that long, they performed really well together and sounded great. They opened the set with Pray for Me, which finally got the audience off their asses and rockin'. During the second song, James Michael's mic cut out and you couldn't hear him for at least a good minute. The problem was fixed quickly, and there were no other problems for the rest of the set. James' voice sounded great, although he did sing some parts lower, and DJ Ashba really worked the crowd. The drummer, Tony,who also plays for Papa Roach, is phenomenal. I could have sat there all night and watched him work those drums, but I had bigger and better people to watch...specifically Nikki Sixx, who looked smokin' hot. He wasn't as active as I was hoping and mostly just stayed on his side of the stage (which sucked for me because my seats weren't on his side), but I suppose he was probably just saving up his energy for the Crue set. Did I mention how amazingly f-ing hot Nikki Sixx is? Geezus! After their set, James Michael and DJ Ashba actually went out and faced the crowds. They talked, signed autographs and took pictures with just about everyone. Lucky for us, my friend Dee and I decided to take a potty brake at the same time and were able to squeeze our way through the crowd for some face time with these two gentleman.

Papa Roach was third in line. I've never been a super huge fan of Papa Roach. I dig some of their songs, but I don't own any of their albums. However, once I saw them live, I was hooked. I know I've said it in a previous post, but these guys put on one hell of a live show. Jacoby is full throttle throughout the entire set, and has been for every Papa Roach show I've ever seen. It makes me respect them that much more because I've seen them when they first started out up until now, and they've never slowed down. Papa Roach is a huge crowd favorite, and I totally understand why: they're f-ing great.

After watching Papa Roach, Buckcherry had some pretty big shoes to fill. This was my first experience seeing Buckcherry live, and I was definitely excited about the opportunity. Although I thought the overall sound was questionable at times, Buckcherry themselves put on a good f-ing show. Like Papa Roach, they were 110% throughout their entire performance and really got the crowd going. The only real problem I had, if you could call it that, was being distracted by how low Josh Todd's pants were hanging on him. Dear god! He's smokin' hot as it is, and then he wears some super low rider pants...swoon. At times, it made it difficult to concentrate on the music. Sorry folks, I'm a girl and hot, tattooed rock stars turn me on. Did I happen to tell you that Nikki Sixx is f-ing beautiful?

Finally...Motley Crue stormed the stage. My heart was racing because I was so freaking happy to finally see them again. They started the show off with Kickstart My Heart, and from his very first note, Vince Neil sounded like complete horse shit. There was lots of mumbling and skipping of words, but I didn't let it get me down. The rest of the band sounded great, so I just tried to stay positive. There were lots of lights and pyro, and the Los Angeles backdrop was a nice touch. The video screens showed random shots of the band performing...and some random porn. It's certainly not a kid friendly show, but when has a Motley Crue show ever been kid friendly?

One of the first things to catch my eye, aside from the hotness that is Nikki Sixx, was Tommy Lee's enormous...drums. I suppose that man doesn't have anything that's small, does he?

I was happy to see that Mick Mars was actually moving around a little bit. When I saw him on the Carnival of Sins tour, I was convinced that he was attached to strings and being moved by a puppeteer. Not the case last night. Although he's restricted to movement for obvious reasons, he did still manage to rock like the Mick Mars I know and love. However, I did hear one mistake during Dr. Feelgood. When I heard it, I was wondering if it was just me, but after the show, it was confirmed that Mick did indeed mess up.

My hopes began to falter when Motley Crue started Shout at the Devil. Of course when I heard the opening chords, I went ape shit...until Vince started singing. He was so bad, I honestly began to wonder if they were actually playing Shout at the Devil at all. Then the chorus came in, and I was reassured that they were indeed playing Shout at the Devil. Let me tell you, it was a frightening couple of minutes of self doubt. Then I just looked at Nikki Sixx and a calm fell over me. Nikki also did a lot more running around on the stage, which made this girl very happy.

There were a couple of parts of the show that I honestly could have done without. First is the angel who comes out to give Vince his guitar before they play Don't Go Away Mad. Is it really necessary for her to make out with Vince when she gives him his guitar? Yeah, she was hot and the crowd went crazy, and I suppose that's why they did it, but for me it was a little much. The second part that I could do without is Tommy's infamous titty cam. Yeah, I know. Men love titties, and what's a Motley Crue show without titties? But I guess I'm just over it. My friend Amy made a good point about the titty cam: In the time that Tommy wastes with the titty cam, they could have played one or two more songs. I'll take a couple extra Crue songs over some saggy titties any day.

They played 13 songs during their hour and a half set, but it just wasn't enough for me. I can never get enough of them. But with Vince's stamina becoming shittier and shittier and Mick Mars not being able to tolerate much more than an hour and a half of standing and moving, I really can't complain. I will complain that they only played one song for their encore: Home Sweet Home. Now, this is one of my all time favorite songs of ever and hearing it live last night gave me chills and watery eyes, but I would have liked to have heard at least one more song for the encore.

This Motley Crue performance was definitely 200% better than the last time I saw them with Aerosmith, but for me it wasn't their best performance. So far, nothing has been able to top the Carnival of Sins tour. It was fantastic to see my boys live though. They did rock my ass off, and I had a freaking blast. There is nothing better than a Motley Crue show. For me, it brings back SO many memories and really makes me feel like a kid again. It's a great feeling, and Motley Crue is one of the very few bands that can do that for me.

NOTE: Thanks to my friends Dee & Sarge. After the show, we were hanging out with everyone by the buses, and I did actually see Nikki Sixx walk off his tour bus. Seriously, I have some of the best Nikki Sixx radar in the world. I spotted him almost immediately, and the whole world stopped around me. People were talking to me, and I wasn't even paying attention because I was so zoned in on Nikki. It was pretty funny. Anyway, if it wasn't for Dee, I would have had to go to the show by myself. And if it wasn't for Sarge, I wouldn't have been backstage at all. Thanks! :)

PS - Nikki Sixx is the finest specimen of a human being to ever exist.

Ratt & Roll: August 6th - Columbus, OH

It's no surprise that no one would go see Ratt and Great White with me. My friend Charlene would have gone, but she went to Tesla with me on Sunday and had to stay home yesterday to take care of her daughter (the world's cutest baby). My friend Susan chose to see the Supersuckers over this show. My friend Dee couldn't go because she lives in Michigan. None of my other friends had any interest in going, and my fiance certainly didn't have any interest in going, so I was left to attend the show by myself. No biggie. I'm not ashamed. I'm not going to miss a good show because I have no one to go with me (I went to Tesla by myself 4 or 5yrs ago). Lucky for me, my lovely friend Amy works at the venue, so she was able to hang out with me for a little bit here and there (and her wonderful step daughter kept me company too).

First up for the night were the Naked Beggars. I'd never seen the band (or heard them for that matter), but I knew Eric Brittingham of Cinderella was in the band. I looked long and hard and couldn't find him. I even had to ask Amy, "Which guy from Cinderella is in this band?" She reassured me it was Eric. After about 15min, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Eric Brittingham lost the long, blonde locks and is now rocking a short, black hairdo. Wow. I felt like an idiot for not figuring it out sooner. The band sounded good. They didn't blow me away or anything, but they were pretty decent. Their lead singer, Inga Brittingham (Eric's better half), has a fantastic rock voice on her.

Next on stage was Great White. I wasn't really sure what to expect from them. I never had the pleasure of seeing them live and I always considered them to be one of best bands of the era, so I was pretty excited to see them. I didn't jump out of my seat for them, but I did really enjoy listening to them. I thought there were some sound issues during their set, but I could be wrong. I couldn't tell if it was the fault of a bad sound man, or if it was the band just messing up.

Regardless, the mistakes were few and far between. Jack Russell's voice sounded pretty good, a lot better than I thought it would, but certainly not as great as it was. He did make a funny comment during the show, "I bet you're all wondering how I look so good after all these years. Lots of plastic surgery." Well, he should have stuck with mother nature instead of going under the knife. I prefer my aging rockers to age gracefully...but to each his own. Looks don't matter anyway, right? As long as he rocks, that's all that matters. Great White certainly rocked. They put on a really great show.

My friend Amy was able to get me into the Great White meet & greet (she's the best thing in the whole world. Seriously). All the guys were very nice and very accomodating for everyone.

Unfortunately, since I was busy meeting Great White, I missed Ratt. I know, I know! Shame! Shame! Shame! I should've known better! No worries. I was able to watch part of Ratt's set from one of the venue's office windows. From what I could see and hear, they were great! I can't say that Stephen Pearcy's voice was up to par, but it was good; there were definitely a couple shaky moments for him though. The crowd was really going crazy for them, as well they should have been.

Once again, Amy came through like the rock super hero that she is and got me back into the Ratt meet & greet. At first, Stephen Pearcy was the only one out signing autographs. Then I saw this guy walk by me and once I realized who it was, I almost had an accident in my pants: it was John Corabi. Warren DeMartini came out for a little while, but not long enough for me to get a picture taken with him unfortunately.

Then Amy dragged me back to Ratt's dressing room to see if we could get a picture with Eric Brittingham. While I was standing in that dressing room, I almost had a heart attack. NEVER in a million years, in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be in a room surrounded by these 80's rock stars. Eric Brittingham was in front of me talking to Bobby Blotzer. Stephen Pearcy and Audie Desbrow were to the right of me (Audie was flat ironing his hair). I think Robbie Crane was in there somewhere too...and the guitarist from Danger Danger was sitting in a chair behind me (he's the new guitarist, Rob Marcello). It was fucking surreal. I just kept turning my head and looking and freaking out in my mind. I just kept thinking, "Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god..." I kept my cool though. I wasn't able to get my picture taken with Eric, but I wasn't disappointed. Just standing in that room with all those people was enough for me.

After we left, I saw John Corabi just sitting with some girl. Amy of course took the initiative to introduce herself, and he was nice enough to take some pictures. I was a little giggly, being the idiot that I am, and John totally giggled at me...not with me. I apologized for being an idiot, and he reassured me that I was not. Yeah, right. You know what the really surprising thing was? NO ONE paid any attention to John Corabi. It's like they didn't even know who he was. I was stunned. He was just sitting off to the side talking to some girl, while all the lemmings threw themselves at Stephen Pearcy. It was crazy.

It was truly one of the most memorable evenings I've had in a really long time. It's funny to think back to when I was in 2nd or 3rd grade and wrote Ratt all over my notebooks and had posters of these people up on my wall...and there I was last night, like 20yrs later, meeting all of them. Amazing. Simply amazing.

A BIG thank you to Amy because she fucking rocks!

Tesla: August 3rd - Columbus, OH

It was a long, busy weekend for me. Setting up for a wedding, drinking at the rehearsal dinner, being in a wedding, drinking at the reception, going out after the wedding...it was exhausting. My prize for working so hard: Going to see Tesla.

Opening the show for Tesla was Columbus local band, Snowblynd. Years ago, my best friend Charlene described Snowblynd's sound as a good mix between Tesla and the Black Crowes, so who better to open for Tesla? Now I have to be honest here...I'm a little partial to this band since I am going to be marrying the guitarist, but I'll try to be as fair and open minded as possible. They kicked ass! Seriously, I've seen these boys play a million times, and this was by far their best performance to date. There's no doubt that the crowd, the venue, and the opportunity to open for Tesla got them really in the groove, and groove they did. Snowblynd really pumped up the crowd with their genuine, outlaw country infused rock 'n roll, and the crowd seemed very responsive to them. It was a great start to a great evening.

I've seen Tesla live three times. Not once have they ever sucked. Last night was no exception.

It always amazes me how well Jeff Keith's voice has held up after all these years. He certainly has one of the more distintive voices from the 80's and has taken good care of those pipes of his because he still sounds like he did back then.

This was my first introduction to Tesla's new guitarist, Dave Rude. Although I have to say that I do miss Tommy Skeoch, Dave fit in with the band very nicely. He complimented Frank Hannon very well and can certainly hold his own on the guitar.

The set started off with Comin' Atcha Live, which was no real surprise, as this is the usual protocol for a Tesla show. The boys played for almost 2hrs, running through all of the songs you expected to hear (Signs & Love Song) to songs that I was pleasantly surprised to hear (Goodbye Paradise). Every song was fantastic, and Jeff Keith was super friendly and enaging with the crowd.

Age hasn't slowed these boys down one bit (not like some other rock stars I've seen recently...not mentioning any names, but he sings for a band that rhymes with Rokken...). They kept the momentum rolling throughout the entire set. Even though I was tired as hell and my feet were killing me from standing for so long, I didn't care because I was too busy rocking out to some of the greatest songs from back in the day (and coming up with a million dollar idea with my friend Charlene, but that's a different story for another blog...). It was just one great song after another. I always forget how many freaking great songs Tesla has.

My only complaint for the night was that they didn't play What You Give. Other than that...and the vomit behind me and the lady who vomited to the left of me and the lady who thought it'd be a great idea to bring her baby and stand in the front row, the show was f-ing fantastic.

PS - Thanks to my BFF Amy, I was able to get into the Tesla meet and greet. All of the guys were incredibly nice and friendly.

Please Make It Stop

Right after my high from the Poison concert, I read a press release that totally ruined my buzz: Rock of Love 3...on a tour bus.

You know, after the first Rock of Love, I thought he was a douche. Sure, he came off a little better than I thought he would, but the whole show was ridiculous. Then he had to come back and make it worse with Rock of Love 2. After that season, I was truly convinced that he was a total douchebag.


Then I saw Bret at his finest, on stage with Poison, and all seemed right with the world. I began to think to myself, "Maybe he's not that big of a douchebag..." He just had to prove me wrong, didn't he?

Apparently, he and Ambre didn't work out. Big surprise. Having a relationship while touring was just too freaking difficult, so they ended it.

From that break up came the birth of Rock of Love Bus. All those girls and Bret will be touring the country on a tour bus. Someone shoot me now.

Will I watch it? Of course. Although it gets harder to watch with every new season, I will just suck it up and force myself to stay tuned. Do I think he's out of his mind and getting greedy? Absolutely.

I can't take anymore of his douchebaggery!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please stop Bret Michaels. Please.

Poison, Sebastian Bach, and...Dokken?

The annual summer party concert of the year arrived yesterday night in Columbus. Normally, Poison rocks out at our local outdoor venue, but this year they stepped it up and moved into a huge ass arena. Was it nescessary? No. The entire top section of the arena was closed because they didn't sell enough seats. Perhaps that had something to do with the $200 -$500 seats Poison was trying to sell. Doesn't look like that went over too well. I digress...

Sebastian Bach stormed onto the stage and took the audiance by the balls. After seeing him on Super Group and listening to his voice fall flat, I was really worried that his voice wasn't going to be up to par. Boy, did he prove me wrong. His voice floored me. He sounded like he did back in the Skid Row days. He hit all the high notes and didn't even seem to struggle. His energy was sky high, and he reminded everyone that he is one of the greatest rock singers ever. Like my friend Charlene said after he belted out I Remember You, "He has the voice of an angel." He did a nice mixture of solo tunes and Skid Row tunes, and everyone went crazy for him. From the moment he stepped out on stage until the time he walked off, he made me feel like I was a teenager again. His performance was the one I was really excited to see, and he didn't disappoint.

I wish I could say the same about Dokken...or should I say Don Dokken. Please don't promote that Dokken will be performing when Don Dokken is the only original member in the band. I suppose I should stay more up to date on my band gossip, and then maybe I would have known that George Lynch, Jeff Pilson, and Mick Brown (or if it was Mick Brown, it sure as hell didn't look like him) weren't going to be in attendance. So the show started out disappointing because I was expecting the original line up and didn't get them. Unfortunately, it didn't get much better after that. Don Dokken was just a big lug on stage. He walked around slowly and totally brought the energy level down. I understand that he's much older now, but he should still be able to keep the crowd going. It probably didn't help that a majority of the crowd didn't recognize a lot the Dokken songs he performed. His voice sounded good, but he didn't hit any of the high notes; he left that responsibility to the bass guitarist and drummer.

And finally there was Poison. They never disappoint. As much of a douchebag as Bret Michaels is these days, I cannot, and never will, deny the fact that he is an amazing entertainer. He was running all over the place and getting the crowd pumped. They played all their great hits from Cry Tough to Ride the Wind, and they sounded fantastic.

A couple of songs in, they let CC have the stage to do his guitar solo. Can I tell you how much I miss guitar solos? Damn...someone seriously needs to bring those back. CC did a damn fine job. Although I never thought of him as one of the greatest guitarists from that era, he certainly doesn't suck, and he proved that last night. This has nothing to do with guitar solos, but...CC had a mirror on the side of the stage, and in between songs, he would run back and check out and fix his hair. It was pretty funny.

The newly exonerated Rikki Rockett had his own solo during the show. He had a moving drum kit a la Tommy Lee. It raised him up and then back down and then out towards the front of the stage. Then he got off his kit, and started banging away on some bongo like drums (sorry I don't know the technical term for these) that were set up on the front of the stage. It was pretty entertaining and a nice change of pace from the normal drum solo.

One of the highlights of the show was when some random fan actually made it up on stage. He ran up there and no one knew it. He just danced around on stage for about 15 seconds until one of the roadies ran after to him from one side, and Big John ran after him from the other side. Bret told the boys to take it easy on him because he was just trying to party. Who knows if they listened.

At the end of the show, Bret brought out three Ohio State football players. The only one I remember is AJ Hawk. Now, this may not be a big deal for you guys, but here in Columbus, OH...it's a HUGE deal. OSU football rules this city. The crowd went nuts and Rikki came back out wearing an OSU jersey. Although this wasn't exciting for me at all because I hate sports, the crowed went crazy.

The tour as a whole was a freaking blast. My friend and I danced our asses off and sang every word to every song like our lives depended on it (I recorded I Remember You, but all you can hear is us singing...not very well either). I'll always see Poison when they come to town because they always put on such a great show.

Editor's Note:

Here is the other highlight of my evening. This drunk idiot was sitting in front of us and dancing with his shirt off. Of course everyone around us kept egging him on, so he kept dancing and flexing his muscles. It was freaking hysterical. Not so hysterical was when this guy started throwing the "Hail Hitler" out with his arm. Not cool, so not cool.

I'm A Giggly Girl

Steve West actually read my blog.

Not that any of you care, but that's a big deal for me. I didn't think anyone read this blog, let alone him.

He sent me a myspace message telling me that I made him blush. Heehee... :) That makes me feel like a giggly school girl.

Read my original post about Danger Danger here.

Fascination Street

My man and I were spending a quiet evening at home, and we happened to catch ABC's Primetime. We do love to watch these shows that document all kinds of stuff from murders to undercover investigations on how people act to watching teenagers fighting. Whatever it is, we usually watch it. On this fine evening, the show was about Central Ohio Amish teens facing the temptation of the real world. It showcased several teens who were testing the waters of freedom and trying to make a decision on whether or not to stay with the faith or live in a society full of technology and temptation.


There were a couple of teens who really stood out: Danny the 18 year old who ran away from the faith and started drinking and smoking and ended up in jail for burning a buggy (and who's Amish accent was SO thick it was hard to understand him...and made me wonder if he had a learning disability) and there was Nelson.

Nelson, my friends, may be the coolest, most bad ass Amish kid on the face of the earth. Lucky for him, his family actually let him have some of the luxuries of the real world without having to hide it from them. So what do you think Nelson did with these privileges? He pimped out his buggy. Hell yeah! He loaded it up with a stereo system, sub woofers, and an iPod charger. He was rolling down the road (slowly...) blaring AC/DC out of his buggy. Seriously, I would have crashed my car if I would have passed his buggy in person. Bad ass, Nelson, bad ass. Not only are you bad ass, but you also have kick ass taste in music. Because of you, I will never doubt the Amish again.

You know what's really sad? An Amish kid is rolling around with an iPod in his buggy, and I don't even own one of those damn things. I need to get with the times.

On to the next thing that fascinates me....this picture of Nikki Sixx. It may be one of the greatest, hottest pictures of my dream man and you can't even see his f-ing face! God bless you Nikki Sixx for being so hot that even a picture of your hand can turn me on.

I'm not much for God talk, but after all this Amish-ness and all the awesomely awesome hottness that is Nikki Sixx, I'm forced to believe that there must be a superior being or higher conciousness that creates such perfection. God damn it! He's beautiful!

I love this picture so much, I want it on me, like tattooed on me for life. For the truth. It's amazing.