Year in Review

They say that music is the soundtrack to your life. That fact is none the more apparent than as I am looking back over all the concerts I've attended this year. With rock concerts declining in the Memphis area, its definitely been much more about quality rather than quantity. And oh what quality I've seen in 2011.

Here's a few of my "Best Of..." picks from the year. What are yours?

Best Live Concert Photo (or my favorite of the year anyway): Ivan Moody of Five Finger Death Punch during their show in Little Rock, AR

Best Album: American Capitalist by Five Finger Death Punch

Best New Artist: Art of Dying

Best Concert: Guns N' Roses (at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN)

Best Concert Moment: Celebrating with MIGGS drummer Walker Adams when he realized that Candlebox frontman Kevin Martin was sporting a MIGGS tshirt during the band's Memphis concert.

Best Guest Appearance: Zach Myers joining in on guitar with Nonpoint for their hit "Bullet with a Name" during their Memphis stop.

Rockin' on the Midway with 3 Doors Down

October 15, 2011
Jackson, Mississippi
Mississippi State Coliseum
3 Doors Down, Theory of a Deadman, Pop Evil


3 Doors Down on the Jackson, MS stop of their "Time of My Life" Tour

       Fall is finally upon us here in the South, which made for a scenic trip down I-55 as I traveled for yet another concert out of town. I headed three hours south of Memphis to Jackson, Mississippi where the Mississippi State Fair was taking place and boasting quite the entertainment lineup. Amid other state fair staples like the smell of barnyard critters, questionable thrill rides and fried… well fried everything, was the next stop on 3 Doors Down’s “Time of My Life Tour.”

Conquering Cali & the Epicenter Festival- Part II

September 24, 2011
Irvine, California
Epicenter Festival, Part II: Redlight King, Asking Alexandria, P.O.D.

(Be sure to check out Part I of this review for Drive A, Crossfade and Middle Class Rut)

Continuing on with my experience at the 2011 Epicenter Festival…
The fourth band on the Monster Energy Drink stage brought about much more than just the halfway point. Redlight King, the only Canadian band on the bill, was one of the bands I most anticipated. Prior to the concert, I’d only heard two of their songs. “Old Man” is a slower paced tune that samples Neil Young’s classic of the same name. It’s become a staple on alt rock stations around the country. On the flip side, “Bullet in my Hand” showcases a heavier beat and gritty chorus, landing the single solidly on modern rock channels. So I was curious where the band would end up during their live performance. Alternative? Hard rock? Or somewhere neatly in between?

Growing Old and Rocking Out to Candlebox

September 30, 2011
New Daisy Theater
Memphis, Tennessee
Candlebox with Cowboy Mouth

Kevin Martin fronts Candlebox at the New Daisy Theater in Memphis, TN.

Kevin Martin smiles onstage. A lot. Maybe he took his happy pills. Maybe he believes everything’s alright. But one thing’s for sure. You couldn’t douse that Colgate spokesperson smile with 10,000 horses.

Alright, alright. That’s enough corniness for one blog (maybe.) But I can’t help it. This is what Candlebox does to me. Listening to their music evokes a carefree feeling, taking me back to when the worst of my worries was turning in my US Government paper on time and finding a ride home from high school in a car deemed “socially acceptable” (a rarity indeed.) One of the first times I ever saw the Candlebox live was during high school (sometime around 1997) as the headliner on the final night of the MidSouth Fair.

Conquering Cali and the Epicenter Festival - Part I

September 24, 2011
Irvine, California
Epicenter Festival - Part I: Drive A, Crossfade, Middle Class Rut

      

Last week, I headed to Irvine to catch my first ever California rock experience at the Epicenter Festival for its second year. From the moment I touched down at LAX, it was apparent that I wasn’t the only rocker in town for the show. Fans galore, decked out in their finest band apparel and cameras in hand, lined the same baggage claim as me. It was my first indication that, while many of the fans to fill the 20,000 seat Verizon Wireless Amphitheater were from Cali, many others were “just visiting.” I even met one guy who flew over from France! 

Loud music and high-flying stunts during the Outbreak Tour

March 2, 2011
Huntsville, AL
Monster Energy Drink Outbreak Tour: Rev Theory, Pop Evil, The Black Cloud Collective and Aranda

Pop Evil's Leigh Kakaty gets a few helping hands from the crowd during the Monster Energy Drink Outbreak Tour stop in Huntsville, Alabama.

They say desperate times call for desperate measures. Though there have been some great local band shows in Memphis lately, the number of national acts rolling through is severely dwindling. So I once again hit the road, on a weeknight nonetheless, to catch the Monster Energy Drink Outbreak Tour on its closest stop to me. The locale - a mere three hours away in Huntsville, Alabama.

For Those Women About to Rock

Lzzy Hale at Rock on the Range 2010

This week brought us the centenary celebration of International Women’s Day, so I thought I’d take a look at some of the women currently turning the rock world on its ear. Unlike their pop counterparts of recent years, these women are more than just a pretty face and hot body (though they’re pretty smokin’ too.) For each, its never a case of either/or. They can sing AND scream, write AND play. They can do it all. And with their “anything you can do, I can do better” attitudes, they’re showing the boys who’s boss.

Nonpoint Brings Out Memphis’ Finest

Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Newby’s –Memphis, TN
Nonpoint with Dirge Within, Red Line Chemistry, Inner 61, and Surrender the Fall

Nonpoint's Elias Soriano works the crowd during the Memphis stop of their tour.

Midweek shows are usually the bane of my existence. They don’t mix well with those like me who have to commute to work for an 8:00 am start the next day. And, as my luck would have it, they’re lately associated with concerts I’m dying to see but too far away to drive over and back on a “school night.” But the stars aligned when my hometown bar Newby’s announced a mid-week show featuring Nonpoint. And I wasn’t the only one to come out for the occasion.

My Thoughts on Winning New Fans & Hustling

Looking back at all the shows I attended in 2010 (and even the few I've been to in 2011,) it’s amazing all the little “side stories” that I remember from each event. They don’t all make it in the final concert reviews I post to my blog, but there are quite a few still floating around in my brain that really stick out to me. Considering how slow my concert schedule is right now, I figured this would be a good time to highlight one of these miscellaneous tales.

A Nightmare in Kentucky

Friday, January 28, 2010
Rupp Arena – Lexington, KY
Nightmare After Christmas Tour: Avenged Sevenfold, Stone Sour, Hollywood Undead and New Medicine

Fans rocking out during the Nightmare After Christmas Tour in Lexington, Kentucky.

It’s been a slow start to the year, as far as hometown shows go. So I decided to take matters into my own hands and drive the six hours north to Lexington, Kentucky for a stop on the Nightmare After Christmas Tour. I was still pumped from seeing the Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival in Atlanta last year where I caught several of these bands. Add in another band that’s been that’s been on my “List” for some time now, and my RSVP for this event was an emphatic YES!

Experienced Rockers in the Big Easy

Thursday, January 6, 2011
House of Blues – New Orleans, LA
Styx

(L-R) Tommy Shaw, original bassist Chuck Panozzo and Ricky Phillips of Styx at the House of Blues New Orleans.

It’s a New Year and time to restart my yearly concert calendar. It’s always an exciting time for me, wondering what the year holds and who I’ll see next. And it’s just as exciting to know that I’ll kick it all off with an “old friend” of sorts. Yes, folks, we’re starting 2011 with a tried and true favorite of mine… Styx.  I guess it’s ironic that the last concert review I posted was from a Styx show. Ironic, but not surprising.

A blog, a fan and slapstick videos

Well, folks. It’s a new year and I have a new pet project. After spending a few weeks getting the hang of Blogger and backlogging some of my concert experiences from 2010, I’m “officially” launching my rock blog. Many of you know it was a long time coming, so I’m proud to finally put it out there. It’s your average fan’s perspective on things such as concerts, album releases and rock news. Plus, there’s a whole load of my own random thoughts mixed in. Which is where we begin today…

Final Classic Rock Show of the Year

Friday, November 12, 2010
Hard Rock Casino and Hotel – Biloxi, MS
Styx

(L-R) Tommy Shaw, James "JY" Young and Ricky Phillips of Styx.

I know. This is typically a blog about hard rock music. I guess everyone has their vices and Styx just happens to be mine. I can think of worse things.

So before I start with this entry, let's get a few things straight. Don't bother asking how I got into their music. That's a story for another time. Don't ask how many shows I've been to. I lost count after 30. Don't comment just to tell me that you think Styx sucks without Dennis DeYoung. I really don't care. And don't ask me for tickets or backstage passes. Just because I've been to a crap-load of shows does not, in fact, mean that I actually know the band. Now on to the show...