I am sure it is safe to say that there was a lot of ringing going on in the ears of many fans who attended the Mastodon show at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, OH. Of the hundreds of shows I have attended in my time, this was by far one of the loudest. The show was sold out, and had been for months, so needless to say there were a lot of excited folk in the house.
When I first heard that Atlanta heavy metal / prog rock artists Mastodon were going to be playing at the Beachland Ballroom with special guests Intronaut and Kylesa, I knew it would sell out quickly because of the smaller capacity venue. Sadly I was not able to get a ticket in time and I really thought that I was going to miss this show. As luck would have it someone reached out to me with an extra ticket. Matt, you are my hero.
Before I even continue I need to make it clear that I am “one of those fans” meaning that I am not a long time Mastodon fan. I have heard of them since they started and checked out their material but it was not until Crack The Skye that I really started to appreciate them. Since the release I have collected the band’s entire catalog and realized what I had been missing. Call me what you want, Crack The Skye is still my personal favorite album by the band so one could imagine my excitement to witness the entire album being played start to finish with no interruptions.
My two friends Shannon and Josh from West Virginia had mentioned they were making the 4+ hour drive to see Mastodon and that they had purchased tickets earlier. We decided to meet up and attend the show together. After many hours of showing them around Cleveland (My Mind’s Eye was a fav stop for them) we finally arrived to the Beachland Ballroom three hours prior to showtime. We arrived early to meet up with Matt and also check out Music Saves as well as other shops on Waterloo.
Brann & Shannon
As luck would have it members of Mastodon, more specifically Brann Dailor the drummer, and guitarist Bill Kelliher were checking out Waterloo Ave, mostly looking for some food. Shannon spotted Brann while we were shopping inside Music Saves, and being the huge fan she is she took off out the store and was able to get the ultimate concert souviner, a photograph of her and Brann. Brann was more than kind to pose with her and even thanked her for having the picture taken with him. Shannon’s day was complete and the show hadn’t even started.
Metal fans young and old filled up the Beachland Ballroom at a quick rate and Intronaut began the show to cheering fans. Having never heard their material before I got a kick out of how they would throw in almost jazzy sounding instrumental breaks in between their brutal heavy metal playing. Sadly they only knocked out a couple of songs and left the stage leaving some of the fans wanting much more.
Kylesa was up next and having never heard them either I was not sure what to expect. While the band set up Josh noted that there were two drum sets on stage and in no time the sludge metal act were hammering out songs impressing me and my out of town concert buddies. I loved how the singing duties revolved around the stage while the duel drummers almost seemed to out drum one another. I’ll be checking this Georgia act out some more soon.
The crowd in the venue seemed to double just before Mastodon took stage. Just prior to them doing so I was able to exit the Beachland Ballroom and hand off a ticket to Adam who had to work late but managed to meet us there just in time. We all found a spot just in front of the soundboard and planted out feet for what was to come.
It seemed that Mastodon came to Cleveland to do their job and then leave. They never said hello, they just picked up their instruments and began playing “Oblivion”, the first song off of Crack The Skye. The stage was clear of distractions with the exception of a giant screen hung behind them. During the performance, strange visuals were propped up on the screen showing black and white images that reminded me of something H. P. Lovecraft might have written a story about with helmeted warriors, wizards, and fair maidens as well as a cosmic atmosphere.
The band members some bearded and messy haired, minus drummer Brann Dailor who is more of a clean cut chap, were not there to entertain, they were there to perform. The band collectively kept concentrated while executing their latest masterpiece to the fans and did so very well. The band continued playing until the album was covered start to finish and then left the stage for a break. Hearing the entire album played live was just incredible.
While on their short break a great Mastodon album cover morph animation displayed on the screen that kept repeating itself almost hypnotizing the fans making them scream louder and louder for the metal band of the night to continue their performance.
The band returned to stage and offered a selection of tracks from their past albums Blood Mountain, Leviathan, and Remission. The songs were much faster and, to some, were songs fans came to see. Even if I am “one of those fans”, I enjoyed what I heard and a couple of the tracks were familiar to my ears. I was enjoying every eardrum destroying moment and felt cheated when the band finished their final song and exited stage. I was selfish and I wanted more.
Considering the band will be touring with Metallica this summer I think it is safe to say this is the last time Mastodon will play smaller venues. I am glad to have been a part of a more intimate show that evening as were everyone else surrounding me. It was a top notch performance by an up and coming metal band I have the feeling will be going places in the music world.
Here’s a video a fellow concert goer took of Mastodon opening the show with “Oblivion”. Not the greatest quality but it should give you a taste of what I experienced that amazing evening:
Not too many bands out there would make fun of the struggling music industry by naming their latest release after what CDs are almost becoming, but NOFX had no problem doing so. After just celebrating their 25th anniversary as a self-regulating punk-rock foursome, the band has just released a new album entitled Coaster on CD (as well as the limited edition Frisbee on vinyl).
This is the band’s eleventh studio release under front man Fat Mike’s self created label Fat Wreck Chords. The CD is almost like a career journey with taking some sounds of their younger years with a harder rough feel but also incorporating their current more mature style making for a well rounded listen.
In the beginning NOFX was more of a hardcore, skate-punk, disorder band of the eighties. Throughout the years they added elements of punk rock, pop punk, and even ska into their musical style, almost creating a unique genre of their own. With methods of trying everything once and asking questions later, the band has changed their style on more than one occasion including adding their personal views on America and the government but never leaving out their incredible sense of humor.
Getting wasted and popping pills were things the band never thought twice about nor was what ever spilled out of their mouths. Speaking their mind about religion and government were just a couple topics the band was not afraid of singing about and something the fans looked up to. It appears that this time though, perhaps now that GWB isn’t office anymore, the band has decided to focus on the less obvious on at least a couple of the tracks. It might also be that most of the band are now family men who may be still young at heart but getting up there in age.
With just a brief interaction with MTV in the past, the band has always been quick to show their middle finger to corporate marketing and do things themselves. They built their own success without the help of others. Their hard work and dedication paid off over the years as they still remain one of the most important punk rock acts out there.
Recently the band toyed with going commercial as their FUSE hit rockumentary series was released on DVD entitled NOFX: Backstage Passport. The series was a huge hit with many fans old and young as it featured NOFX on one of the craziest world tours in areas most bands would never set foot at. Not even a month later now Coaster has been released. NOFX fans all over the world are shaking with excitement.
The CD started off just like any other NOFX CD enticing the listener immediately with the pop punk powerful “We Called It America”. Next up was “Quitter” which basically nailed all the folk out there who have given up on codependency. At only two songs in NOFX seemed to have not lost their touch at all.
The very personal, and almost tear jerking, “My Orphan Year” talked about the loss of Fat Mike’s parents in 2006 with the death of a non-existent father and the passing of an angel of a mother. The line alone “I bet if you had been there, there wouldn’t be this song” really shows a more emotional side to the band that usually is all about slapstick.
Hands down the funniest song on the CD was “Creeping Out Sara” speaking of Canadian sisters Tegan and Sara. The lesbian punk rock song almost sounds like an actual conversation but the truth remains to be told. Continuing the fun was “Eddie, Bruce and Paul” a fast fun punk rock song with a sick guitar solo and hammering bass. The song has nothing to do in the aspect of “Liza and Louise” as some might suspect due to the three dude title, but is more of an ode to Iron Maiden with a NOFX twist.
“Best God In Show” pokes fun at over exaggerated religious shout outs with a more ska punk feel backing it up. The song seemed to be aimed at the punk rockers who are growing up and still laughing at the way things are. “I AM An Alcoholic” pretty much sums up the type of song you would expect to hear with a title about addiction. “One Million Coasters” ended the CD strongly with an array of music playing including an bass clarinet. The song slowly faded out ending this first-rate crack of a release.
For anyone worried that Coaster might not be all that, there is nothing to worry about. This CD is really a great listen and NOFX proves that it does not matter how old you are, just how you do it. Even if the band has been around for 25 years they still have it and show no signs of slowing down. They will be doing all that they can to entertain their fans and themselves with every release issued for hopefully years to come. Look for the band this summer as they return to stage at the Van’s Warped Tour once again.
In April NOFX announced a contest of sorts asking fans to create a DIY video for “Creeping out Sara” after the band found this fan made video on YouTube:
The contest has already ended and NOFX is to pick a winner shortly.
This is the last review I thought I would ever be typing out, but here I am ready to post about what I experienced last night when I traveled to Columbus to see a different type of circus, featuring Britney Spears.
Before I even begin telling you of all my adventures last night, I might as well give some history on to how a ticket came into my hands for a show like this. As most of you may know I tend to keep with the punk rock and metal shows but I never will pass up the opportunity for a good time, even if it is an almost sold out show with thousands of screaming tweens. I wrote a short blog about it with more details but in a nutshell an old friend found himself with an extra ticket and invited me. There was no way I was going to pass this up.
The drive to Columbus was fine until I drove past Grandpa’s Cheese Barn in Ashland, OH and then it just started pouring. From there it was limited visibility and a-hole drivers all around me almost causing multiple accidents. I finally made it to downtown Columbus where my pal was staying at a nice hotel and after getting lost in the hotel parking garage decided to venture down High Street and see what record stores were still around before heading to the show. After a nice meal at Skully’s and some success at finding some good records it was time to head to the Value City Arena, also commonly referred to as The Schottenstein Center.
Having never been to the Value City Arena I had no idea where to park and we wasted time stuck in traffic and pulling illegal u-turns all over the premises finally finding a legal place to park. I was pissed that it took so long to find a parking space that I originally drove past the first time but for $3 I was not complaining.
Mass crowds of folk, mostly female, were flocking to the arena so we jumped in the mad dash to get there and found our seats in no time. Sitting in our seats we laughed that we were actually about to see a pop show and laughed even harder at the people who sat near us just stared at us perhaps asking themselves if we were lost.
The stage was located in the center of the arena and people who paid the big bucks got to sit in what looked like giant chairs while others crowded in a general admission area. We were lucky enough to sit in the front row of section 218 where there were no real distractions in front of us.
A large curtain hid the center stage and soon arose featuring pop girl group the Pussycat Dolls who were all situated on a steel staircase of sorts. I lost my hearing for a short second from the welcoming applause and screams. Not familiar with their material at all the only song I picked out was the ever popular “Don’t Cha”. Along their 45 minute set they also played “Jai Ho!”, a song originally written for the hit movie Slumdog Millionaire that later was rerecorded by The Pussycat Dolls with English lyrics. The five beautiful clad women danced all over the stage to an adoring crowd. Their dance moves were suggestive, their outfits were small, and the crowd loved them.
After the Pussycat Dolls finished their set stagehands quickly worked and dismantled the steel stair case of sorts and removed it from the stage. The giant curtain dropped again where a 360 degree monitor soon emerged that would be a focal point for all types of visuals for the evening. The theme for the evening was a circus inspired performance so seeing the three section stage was appropriate for what was about to come.
Before the main event, the Big Apple Circus took the stage with various entertaining performances including a muscleman who twirled what looked like a section of fence around and around and tossed it about like it was metal pizza dough. That same performer then grabbed a giant cube made out of steel bars and balanced it on his palm and spun it to the crowds enjoyment. I was not as thrilled and of course made a joke to my pal about how all the guy ever wanted to do in life was spin a giant cube in front of thousands and how today was his day.
Other performers included a very flexible girl who was more of a human pretzel, clowns, hula hoops, people being thrown in the air, and martial artists who wooed the crown with their shiny weapons. I have to admit it was pretty entertaining.
Once everyone cleared the stage the lights dimmed and a very interesting video played on the 360 degree monitor with a cross dressing queen providing a rather disturbing introduction for the rest of the evening. The crowd erupted in excitement through the intro and not too far after the sexy ringmaster, Britney Spears, was lowered down from the 360 degree monitor as her performers met her on stage. It was at that moment it struck me that I was actually at this show.
At the beginning of their performance I found myself more interested in the stage set up itself over the performance. There were elevator like trap doors that would allow access to the stage without any of the performers leaving the center of the venue. It was a show in itself just watching how everyone worked together to make the stage work.
Again I am not a pop music fan so I did not know a lot of the songs that were being performed but I did know that there was a ton of choreographing going on for the two plus hours that the show went on. There was a lot of hard work going on during the set.
One point during the evening had me scratching my head at was when the 360 degree monitor was lowered and Marilyn Manson‘s version of “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of These)” started playing as videos of Britney Spears footage was displayed. It was clear that the video was being played so everyone could take a breather. I still could not believe that a Marilyn Manson song, even if it was an Euythmics track, was playing at high levels to the crowd.
The show started to get a little more entertaining, performance wise, after the quick break with darker skits and more daring stunts and dances, but soon ventured back to sexy cop Britney Spears and a whole slew of different types of dancing. At one time gangster looking dudes rode in on low rider bicycles and surrounded the star of the night. Once again I could not help but to comment to my comrade how I felt I was witnessing an Eminem ice capades.
As far as song titles go, I really did not recognize a lot of them. “Womanizer” was one song I recognized towards the end of the night as well as a remixed version of “Baby One More Time”. Other then that if you were to pay me for each song I could tell you that was played that night I would not be earning much money.
It was clear that the night was all about lip-singing, but I did not let that bother me at all, after all I did attend a Britney Spears concert. The 360 degree monitor that showed all of the strange footage over the performance as well as ads for Virgin Mobile and Candies makeup never once showed live shots from the evening. I felt bad for the people who sat all the way in the higher section of the arena seeing how I was in the middle section and had a hard time seeing the show myself. These tickets were not cheap by any means and you would think that they would at least cater to the nose bleed sections.
The dancing was mostly handled by Britney Spears’ entourage of performers and to me it looked like most of the time Britney Spears was either being pushed around on various carts, being picked up by hanging men, or resting on furniture props as she moved her lips to the music. I expected more on her behalf. Still, it was a performance I was looking for when I agreed to go and not a full fetched music showdown. I was not even phased towards the end of the show when two guys pretended to play guitars as women showered them with sparks from what looked like metal sanders. It was a performance, a show, nothing to be taken seriously.
Britney Spears was not much of a crowd participation person except for a quick thank you to the crowd who spent way too much money on tickets to see her and even more money on merchendise. I think she spoke to the crowd once, but that one time was good enough for the packed house of fans.
My ears still ring from the loudness of the show, mostly from the screaming fans. It was clear that the fans who showed up that night were excited to be there and had a great time dancing and singing about. Then there was me…
Honestly, I did have a great time though and I never in my life thought I would say that I went to a Britney Spears concert, and I had fun. Stranger things have happened…
Here are some quality photos taken with my trusty iPhone. You can not see anything…
The finale was a shower of sparks that burned everyone on stage to a crisp. Human s'mores.That red mess above is the 360 degree monitor. Notice the hanging people? Britney is in the right sided circle pointing at a way out.If you look hard enough you might be able to see the metal stairs I was talking about. This was taken right when the Pussycat Dolls broke into a sweet version of "Freebird".
Californian punkers Strung Out have recently released a b-side and rarities CD full of material that spans their 18-year career as a hardworking, independent punk rock band. The CD, titled Prototypes and Painkillers, is full of songs that are unreleased, not found on studio albums, or were previously out of print, making for a nice find for any Strung Out fan. This is actually the band’s second compilation; the first was titled The Skinny Years… Before We Got Fat.
Released by Fat Wreck Chords, the new CD, according to drummer Jordan Burns, is “for the fans.” The cardboard foldout includes short descriptions of each song, and the band shares when they recorded each song and what album, if any, it was left off of. The band also mentions that “over the last 18 years or so” they “recorded over 120 songs, many of which never saw a proper release.” I guess it is safe to say this is now the proper release that these amazing songs belong on; now true fans of Strung Out need not search endlessly on the internet for these gems.
The songs are in no chronological order. “Don’t Look Back” starts off the CD. The song was a limited edition 2001 recording that was included in the first 10,000 copies of An American Paradox, the band’s fourth release. The song is sick, in a good way, with trademark Strung Out technical guitar work.
The original recording of “Novacain” sounds to me better than the version found on the Fat Wreck Chords comp Live Fat, Die Young. Catchy as hell, it is a good track many fans may not have heard before. The song was actually supposed to be on the band’s 2000 EP The Element of Sonic Defiance but was instead contributed to Fat Wreck Chords, as they had asked for an exclusive track for their compilation.
The cover of the Descendants’ “I’m Not A Loser” is a great rendition. I had had no doubts that Strung Out could not hammer this classic punk song out. Previously only available on iTunes, “Novella” was a track that I feel should not have been left off the band’s recent release Blackhawks Over Los Angeles. The song is a little heavier and a whole lot catchier than some other tracks on the CD. The band mentions in the notes that it was a tough call keeping the track off the CD.
“This is definitely the most popular song we’ve never had on an album” they say in the notes for “Lost Motel.” The studio version may never had made it onto An American Paradox but it was released on the members only Fat Club 7”. Having only the live version on the Live In a Dive CD, I can see why so many fans request it at the band’s shows. Without a doubt this track is one of my favorites on the entire CD.
Speaking of favorites, the cover of “Bark At The Moon”, an Ozzy Osbourne classic, blew me away. Strung Out adds their own style and nails the song that appeared on the Punk Goes Metal compilation. I always tell people how I have heard a lot of bad covers, but this in no way will ever fall into that category. If there is one track on this CD you need to listen to first, here it is.
You can tell how long ago “Sinner Or Coward” was recorded from the moment you start listening to it. A bit of trivia about this song is that Rob Ramos played all the original instruments, including drums. Jim Cherry, one-time bassist for Strung Out, also contributed a guitar solo.
Another track that was recorded for a Fat Wreck Chords compilation, “Your Worst Mistake,” appeared on Uncontrollable Fatulance. Full of great guitar licks and solos, this is a killer track, with Jason Cruz singing his heart out. The bonus track “More Than Words,” originally on Blackhawks Over Los Angeles, sounds a lot more punk-poppy than the other tracks. It caught my ear in a good way and has endless singalong possibilities.
Strung Out says in their notes on “Wrong Side Of The Tracks” that Josh Freese (The Vandals, NIN, A Perfect Circle) charged the band a 12-pack of beer to fill in for an injured Jordan Burns on drums. The song was recorded for a Fearless Records 7” and the band had no time to waste, hence they had asked Freese for help. The drumming on this track is a lot more technical throughout, and the notes mention that Freese was actually stumped while trying to learning the opening drum beat. Just by listening to it I can understand why.
The acoustic version of “Velvet Alley” that was re-recorded for Punk Goes Acoustic is another track I really got into. I have heard this version as well as the original found on An American Paradox, and while both versions are amazing, the acoustic take stands out more.
Closing the disc is a demo from 1992, a few of which are included. The first song entirely written by guitarist Jake Kiley, “Forever Is Today” is a track full of young punk rock ambition and sounds. This track was, according to the band, never re-recorded or released until now. As a Strung Out fan, I found it very satisfying to hear this track and see how far this band has come along.
The band, having wanted to create this rarities CD for quite some time, is actually in the process of recording its eighth studio album, following their 2007 release Blackhawks Over Los Angeles. Full of material I had forgotten about or simply not had the opportunity to hear until now, I have no complaints about this CD and think it is the perfect collection. Prototypes and Painkillers should tide over any fan, old or new, until the next studio album. It is filled with exceptional covers, alternative takes on prior hit tracks, and of course the material that never made it to a CD until now.
For the first time ever the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was opened to the public. The second I had found out about this amazing opportunity I just had to go. Thanks to Matt at Addicted To Vinyl, he helped make that happen. Last night was amazing to say the least.
Before heading to the event, Matt and I met up with Clevelandrockandroll.com‘s Bear and his son. We met up at the Great Lakes Brewing Company for some eats, drinks, and great conversation. Bear is a great guy and had plenty of awesome concert stories from the past to share at the table. It was really cool meeting him and I will be checking his site out frequently for sure.
Towards the seven o’clock hour we all headed to the famed Public Hall for the event. The traffic was lighter than expected and as we rounded the corner on to St. Clair it was obvious that something big was going on. Media vans, limos, mobile satellites…and this was at the rear of the venue.
As luck would have it Bear and his son followed us to the event so we all took a small hike around the building that once hosted memorable concerts such as the Beatles and Janis Joplin and made our way into the sardine cramped hallways of the Public Hall once we bypassed the red carpet. This was the first time the induction ceremony had been in Cleveland since 1997 and this was the first time that people like me could attend without spending outrageous amounts of money.
None of us dressed formally. We dressed rock causal. After all we were going to a concert right?. I sported jeans, my Adidas (Run-DMC love), a CBGB’s shirt, and a Sage Francis hoodie because that is how I roll. You would not believe how many tuxedo wearing people complimented me on that shirt. I was asked if I had even been then and regretfully I said I had not. Luckily others in attendance wore equal amounts of street clothes so that we did not stick out too much.
Now I’m going to break this post down into a couple of sections just for the heck of it. First I will talk about all the positive aspects of the night, mostly the performances, followed by a few things that really made the night not so enjoyable. Nothing can ever be perfect can it? Well the good news is that the bad things that did happen did not ruin my fun too much and all in all I would say this was one of the coolest things I have ever been to in my life.
Matt and I sat in section 19 row H which is on the left side of the hall to the back rear. We sat in the row that butted up against the rails and walkway so the plus was that there were no people behind us. Of course the rest of our night would be spent shifting our bodies to ease the aches on our necks from looking left, but it was a small price to pay for a great evening.
The place seemed to fill up slowly in regards to public seating. The high rollers who spent one of my car payments for a table seat in the VIP area were engaged in dinner already and were finishing up. Looking around I could see cameras and all sorts of lighting and of course the giant crane like camera in the center that towered over the VIPs.
Mayor Frank Jackson, I’m sorry… Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, had some nice words to say about the ceremony returning to town. I joked with Matt and Said “Cleveland has a mayor?” and got some laughs by the others seated around us. He spoke about the excitement for the induction ceremony as well as hopes to see it return every three years. Next up were some Rock Hall higher ups who had more positive things to say about the night’s event, but seriously I was not there to see high paid people with dream jobs speak, I wanted some music.
Section 19 Row H
At about this time the music was about to begin I took a quick photo (seen right) with my handy iPhone just so I could share it here on the site. Soon the night’s first inductees took the stage, Anthony & The Imperials. The Brooklyn doo-wop turned soul revivalists blew me away with their three song performance including “Tears On My Pillow” and “Shout”. Smokey Robinson soon inducted the act into the Rock Hall once they completed their performance.
I laughed when Little Anthony told the crowd that Little Anthony & The Imperials had never won a Grammy but announced the band did have a new release and hoped that would change.
After a fun collection of Wanda Jackson footage appeared on screen Rosanne Cash took the podium to induct once of the first females to play rock and roll. Rosanne Cash spoke about her father, Johnny Cash, and Elvis and of course the lady in the spotlight Wanda Jackson who soon came out and gave some words of her own. She then waltzed to the main stage grabbed her guitar and proved that age is nothing but a number while playing “Mean Mean Man” and “Let’s Have A Party”.
Paul Schaffer introduced Spooner Oldham and some classic tunes were played like “When A Man Loves A Woman” and “Natural Women”. Sadly the crowd did not seem to be in to this fun little performance.
Classic footage of Bobby Womack from Soul Train appeared on the big screen with some really awesome footage. Once completed The Rolling Stones’ Ron Wood inducted Cleveland’s Bobby Womack (who actually wrote “It’s All Over Now” for the Stones). Ron Wood had a nice touching speech and actually looked like he had some tears in his eyes while introducing Bobby Womack to the stage. It was nice to see a hometown musician make his worthy way into the Rock Hall. Never in my life did I ever think I would see a Bobby Womack performance live but that all changed as he began his set with acoustic guitar in had seated on a stool for everyone to hear. He jammed to “Wait Until Tonight” and then with a full horn section “It’s All Over Now” took down the house with Ron Wood ripping up a guitar solo. Amazing.
Detroit hip hop artist Eminem had the privilege and honor of inducting RUN-DMC into the Rock Hall. His introduction speech was very personal talking about the act that “turned Marchal Mathers into Eminem”. Controversial concerns earlier were omitted as everyone in the house cheered for RUN-DMC as they were accepted into the Rock Hall. They were the first rap band to appear on MTV, to go platinum, to tour the world, to infuse rock into their rap, and now are the first to be inducted.
Each member gave their acceptance speech and Jam Master Jay’s mother spoke on behalf of the fallen DJ. I laughed when she stated that Jam Master Jay broke every turntable of hers. She also stated that she never hesitiated buying a new turntable though. Hearing Rev Run and DMC speak of how they got their start was really interesting. I did find it a little annoying however to see the entire group with multiple family members on stage together. It was a little too MTV Music Awards for me. Sadly the act did not perform at the awards. I was not aware that they were not and was actually kind of bummed. I know it would have been amazing to see them play out live but they chose not to.
Here is Eminem’s speech:
Bass guitarist of the E Street Band Gary Tallent as well as celebrity drummer Max Weinberg collectively inducted drummer D.J. Fontana and the late bassist Bill Black both of who played with Elvis Presley. I am curious to see the FUSE version of the awards as Max Weinberg had a very long speech eventually thanking D.J. Fontana who joined them at the podium.
Legendary Jimmy Page inducted his friend Jeff Beck into the Rock Hall. After some kind words the former Yardbird hit the podium with some choice words and first middle finger of the evening. The two then took the stage and did this:
Seriously that was once of the cooler things I have seen in my time.
It was pretty apparent that most of the public came to see heavy metal rockers Metallica. The rock casual attire seen worn by everyone included a lot of Metallica t-shirts, some brand new, and some from years ago when I feel the band was at their strongest. Some chose to wear sport jackets over the shirts making for an interesting choice in attire.
It was no surprise to hear the loudest cheers of the evening when Metallica’s name appeared on the big screen followed by a brief film of the band. By this time many of the people in the public sections were heavily sauced. I’ll get into that more later.
Who better than to induct Metallica than the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s bassist Flea. Sporting a blue hairdo, Flea gave one of the best speeches of the night. He spoke, and swore, about how much the band influenced him as a troubled youth and how they helped him get to where he is today.
Flea said it best when he stated:
“This music comes on the radio, and I couldn’t believe that it fucking existed. It was like I had been living in this normal world, where I knew what everything was that came on the radio, and all of a sudden my mind was being blown by this beautiful, violent thing that was unlike anything I had ever heard before in my life.”
Metallica, including Jason Newsted and Cliff Burton’s father who rightfully so gave the first acceptance speech, all took a few moments each to speak. As a long time fan of Metallica, especially in my youth, I listened to every word each of them had to say about how it came about that a heavy metal band got where they are today. Cliff Burton’s dad I could tell was so proud of his son’s accomplishments of the late musician and as a fan it meant a lot to me to see someone from his family to be there.
Robert Trujillo, who spoke after Jason Newsted, rightfully gave thanks to Mike Muir of Suicidal Tendencies and the second he did I had a big ol’ smile on my face.
Lars Ulrich did not have a speech written up at all. He huddle over the microphone and gave thanks to family, friends, and fans. While pompous sometimes he actually said something I wanted share:
“I think rock and roll is about possibilities and about dreams. The fact that the six of us can be up on the stage tonight, snot-nosed kids, outcasts, loners who grew up in very different parts of the world, in very different situations and make it here tonight, to this wonderful night in front of all these people down here … Rock and roll truly is about possibilities. Look at us. Metallica’s in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!”
It was true, the band has been through a lot and seeing them all on stage really proved they fought their battles and proved their way into the Rock Hall. At this moment I really was happy to be a part of that night witnessing only the second metal band to ever be inducted into the Rock Hall.
Seeing Metallica get inducted really got me thinking about future inductees. Will bands like Iron Maiden, Motorhead, or even Social Distortion ever have their day? Only time will tell I guess.
I was not sure what was going to happen next as the band exited the stage. I was hoping for Jason Newsted to at least play one song with them and much to my surprise Metallica and Jason Newsted took the stage and pumped out “Master Of Puppets” with two bassists. Yes…two bassists. It was incredible.
They may have formed in 1981 and show signs of aging but good lord these guys sounded just as awesome as every time I have ever seen them live. I do want to add that the above video does not include the entire public singing along and cheering their hearts out and the sound live was much better than what is heard. The video also omitted the VIP section sitting there motionlessly and looking scared. The band also played the commercially overplayed “Enter Sandman” and even though I really do not care for that track anymore it still caught my ear and I sang along…
I really hope that their performance at the ceremony leads Jason Newsted back to the band some how. Metallica with two bassists would be pretty sick. I know they had their disagreements and fights amongst one another but Jason Newsted looked so happy to be on stage with his former crew. Maybe it was just because of an awesome weekend they all had reconnecting, or maybe it is more. We shall see.
Once Metallica finished up many folk started leaving and that was a huge mistake as they missed out on the two finales.
First up Anthony & The Imperials, Wanda Jackson, D.J. Fontana (who was inducted earlier in the evening), Jeff Beck, Bobby Womank, and Rosanne Cash all took the stage and performed “Jail House Rock”. It was a pretty insane cover of a track that helped pave rock and roll to where it stands now.
After their performance I only knew it was going to get better, and it did. Metallica, Jason Newsted, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Flea and Joe Perry all took stage and played the Yardbird’s “Train Kept A Rolling”. Talk about guitar overload! There was so much going on at once I did not know who to look at.
My night was complete after that.
And so ended the 2009 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony…and I was a part of it. How sweet is that? Hoping to be invited to an after party or notified of a secret show, which did not happen, Matt and I squeezed out way out of Public Hall and called it a night.
That was the good, now time to me to bring up some of the events that really had me wanting to swing my fists…
First off I have a top 10 of drunks I would like to punch in the throat that were seated around us. Yes it is a concert, and yes it was being filmed for television, but seriously did you really need to drink to the point where you are most likely going to forget the entire evening? There were people around me that had no idea what was going on and would try and leave to take a piss every ten minutes.
With that said during some segments of the night the sweet ushers (more on that in a second) would shut the doors not to allow anyone back to their seats until a commercial break. This made the drunks unhappy and loud. Luckily Matt and I were seated directly in front of a door way into the concession area so all of the jackasses who went to get drinks had to finish them in the halls and created a ton of noise. So much I might add that I was not even able to hear DJ Fontana’s acceptance speech. That was about the time I turned around and screamed “Shut the eff up!”
People were yelling at the ushers when they were denied to be seated such as one princess saying “Do you know how much money I spent to get here?” – Yes lady I do know how much because it is the exact amount I spent to go there too and I sure as hell did not spend that money to hear your tramp ass complain.
Another finely dressed douche bag had no idea where he left his seat due to one too many and when the ushers told him he was a row off he yelled at them for wasting his time. Idiot. Drunk idiot.
Oh I almost forgot about the dad who asked me if “Evil Knievel jumped over the Public Hall in the 60’s”. Do I look that old? He almost ate it a few times down the steps too and I was secretly hoping he would have…
Honestly I could not believe the number of people that were just out of control wasted. If it were a Metallica concert I could understand but this was a serious ceremony of sorts that meant a lot to the artists involved.
Then there was the lady five rows in front of us screaming and wooing while failing to throw the devil horns. Seriously, I am not kidding. This drunk bimbo looked like she was having seizures at times because she was so blasted. She would throw her hand out, make a peace sign followed by what looked like the “shocker” and once even the “Live Long and Prosper” Spock Star Trek sign. She eventually used her other overly tan hand to mold her fingers into the most pathetic devil horns I have ever seen. If I did not love my iPhone so much I would have surly chucked it at her head.
Took this right when Mr. Awesome Security guard tapped me in the back of the head...
Oh yea, my iPhone. I was trying to take a picture of the Jimmy Page / Jeff Beck performance and a security tapped me on the back of the head and yelled I am not allowed to take video making for a blurring picture. I told him I was taking a picture with my phone and he said it was taking me too long as I was holding the phone like a video player. I pointed to the crane sized camera and told him I was waiting for it to move. Ass.
Are you tired of my ramblings yet?
I have a couple more.
The ushers when we got there were friendly and showed us to our seats but as soon as the ceremony started they started talking behind us and their walkie talkies were going off.
I understand having contol at a show and hiring outside help to maintain, but the guys behind us did not respect the paying crowd and kept laighing and talking. I was getting so frustrated and I know I was not the only one.
One usher in particular had that face and smile that just read “punch me” and he pretty much annoyed me all night. During the Jeff Beck performance he danced like a fool mocking the legend. I know he had no idea what was going on and was only there to make his $7 an hour.
The same usher made the comment “Enter Sandman” made Metallica. Instantly I envisioned myself jumping over the rail behind me, grabbing the kid by the head, and knocking him out. It is one thing to be dumb but another thing to be musically dumb.
Finally there were the fans that just had to yell things out during the speeches in hopes that their voices would be heard on national television. A shout out or two can be humorous but some of these people were tying to out shout one another. Someone would scream “I love Metallica” and a moment later “I love Metallica more” could be heard. It was sad really. Any respectful fan would have allowed any of the inductees give their acceptance speech without drunk interuption and saved the shout outs for the live shows.
I am happy to say I kept my cool and did not get myself thrown out of the event. I wanted to so badly, but did not. There is a chance I upset the father sitting next to me when I dropped the F-bomb but I was pissed and it just came out. I think if I would have flipped out and punched people in their throats it would have made for a better read here but I did not want to miss a thing that night.
So there. There were some of my complaints. I am sure Matt could add a few more. Other than the drunks and the ushers it was a swell time for sure.
I really hope that in three years the ceremony comes back to Cleveland and if it does I will be there. There is something about being a part of rock history that is all so appealing. Sure I am not a rock star nor did I walk down the red carpet to the VIP area and eat cake but I did get to witness the same thing high rollers have been doing for years and that felt pretty damn awesome.
This music blog could have a driver's license by now…
I am sure it is safe to say that there was a lot of ringing going on in the ears of many fans who attended the Mastodon show at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, OH. Of the hundreds of shows I have attended in my time, this was by far one of the loudest. The show was sold out, and had been for months, so needless to say there were a lot of excited folk in the house.
