Sweden Rock Festival Review: Day 2

NOW we're talking! If day one of the Sweden Rock Festival was the lazy warm-up, day two really got the festival started. As always, there’s a problem with finding the time to see everything, so for me it was mainly about Steel Panther and Sebastian Bach.

First out was the press conference with Steel Panther. All of you who have ever seen an interview with Steel Panther know that it’s something beyond the ordinary. Yesterday was no exception. I honestly think they got two or maybe three questions, but somehow they managed to fill half an hour anyway. Among other things they said was that they are working on a new album, gave samples of new songs like ”It’s about pussy… so that’ll be something new for us,” burst into spontaneous singing of "Holy Diver" and got all the journalists to follow and so on. In other words, classic Panther.

Then there was time for their gig. And as always, it was good. I’ve seen them two times before, so I know what to expect out of a Steel Panther show. Although, yesterday wasn’t as good as I know they can be. It wasn’t the same atmosphere that it usually is. They seamed a bit… tired? On the other hand, it feels unfair to say that Steel Panther are "tired," because even when they are, they provide far more energy than most bands do. They’re running around, jumping, dancing, giving funny talks in between songs and all of that. I can’t really put my finger on the difference from yesterday between other shows, but there was something. At the same time, I got to hear my favourite song ”Girl From Oklahoma” live for the first time, and that pretty much made the show for me.

Sebastian Bach also had a press conference yesterday, and his guitarist Nick Sterling was with him. It’s funny seeing the two of them together. You may think that they should have sort of a father-son relationship since Nick is even younger than Sebastian’s son, but that’s not the case. Instead, Sebastian comes across as the child, with his loud voice and his naive exclamations: ”Yeah! Wow! Cool!” At the same time, Nick is sitting next to him, pretty silent and modest. I can’t really figure it out.

Anyway, later on it was time for Sebastian Bach to play. My expectations were set high, since I’ve never seen him before and I absolutely love Skid Row. And what a gig it was! Both Sebastian and the band were really giving it all (pardon the cliché) and also that little extra to really make it a great show. For example, Sebastian had learned a Swedish song called ”Small frogs.” It’s a song that we sing here in Sweden during a feast called Midsummer, and everyone knows the lyrics -- apparently even Sebastian Bach! So funny seeing the audience getting very confused before we figured out what was going on and everyone started singing along. ”Quack ack ack, quack ack ack, quack ack ack ack ah!” It really felt like they cared about being here, ”American Metalhead” was suddenly ”Sweden Metalhead” and so on.

Also, before the show started, we got an quick sight of Dee Snider sneaking around in the background of the stage. Could we hope for him as a guest? When the show was almost over and the hope was nearly gone, there was time to introduce ”A very special guest” and there they were: Sebastian Bach and Dee Snider on the same stage, performing ”Youth Gone Wild” as the last number. Do I even need to tell you it was a-w-e-s-o-m-e? Not only did it sound great, they had so much fun and the crowd of course went crazy. Bach also rounded up with climbing the rig, just to show he still is ”youth gone wild.” And yes, it looked a bit strained on the way down, but it was totally worth it.

So, day two fulfilled all my expectations and a bit more. Even though there’s two days and a lot of gigs left, including Mötley Crüe tomorrow and I am a die hard Crüe fan, I think it’s possible that I’ve already seen the best show during this fest: that’s how good Bach was!

Nickelback In Houston -- Live Review

At the tail end of my U.S. trip, I flew in to Houston to see Nickelback. I bought a VIP ticket, which meant early entry, so I could get to the barrier. When I posted on my Facebook about going to Rock on the Range, lots of people were positive. When I mentioned Nickelback, they said "Who are you, and what did you do with Christian?"  More on this later.

The opening band was My Darkest Days and they were pretty good. Second up was Skillet, perhaps the second worst live band I have seen (after Down).  Bush were OK, although I did not know their songs. 

Finally, it was time for Nickelback. Their stage show is immense. They have tons of pyro, moving walkways on the sides of the stage, and a big round stage that they go up in over the crowd for four songs, which rotates. They played for 90 minutes and although I have all their CDs, I was still surprised at how many songs I knew. Although I've been to a lot of shows, I can't think of one that had as many flames, screens, and other effects. I'm sure their detractors would say this is to hide the lack of substance, but I'd say it's in keeping with who they are, which is a really good arena rock band.

I was trying to work out why it is that people hate them so much. When challenged, a lot of the people on my Facebook page admitted they have never even heard them. In the show, some guy was even abusing singer Chad Kroeger from the seats. Why even go to a show you hate? Looking around me, I saw a lot more girls than I would expect to see near the barrier of a show. And then I realised:  Nickelback are the Poison of their age! They play good, fun arena rock. They are good at what they do.  They are very entertaining and certainly slick. Girls like them. Therefore, the guys hate them without even listening in. But, there's a twist. Poison continued to do well on summer tours until Bret Michaels  decided to run their integrity in to the ground with Rock of Love. I wonder if this bodes well for the future of Nickelback? Certainly, I would see them again in a heartbeat. They put on a great, fun show, and I had a great evening with them. And yes, I got right to the very front.

Sweden Rock Festival Review: Day 1

Special BBG! correspondent Kim Nordlund is a Sweden native and journalism student. Kim is a reader of BBG! and asked if she could cover the Sweden Rock Festival for us. Of course I said yes! Over the next few days, she'll provide her dispatches from all the fun. -- Allyson

The first day of the Sweden Rock Festival is done. Spontaneous feeling? Disappointment. At least when we’re talking music. Even if there were a few Glam bands, they didn’t impress. Both H.E.A.T. and Dynazty played yesterday. They’re both bands who have competed in the Swedish selection to "Eurovision Song Contest." Not that rock n’ roll. And even if I have a thing for H.E.A.T.’s new frontman, the Swedish Idol winner from 2009, Erik Grönwall, the music isn’t good enough. The sound during the show was bad as well. Not the band's fault, but it didn’t help.

Compared with last year’s first day, yesterday wasn’t great. Last year both Crashdïet and Hardcore Superstar played, and the Hardcore Superstar show was one of the greatest shows during the whole festival. Neither H.E.A.T. or Dynazty could compete with that. I missed the very short set from Pompei Nights, but I doubt they could have saved the whole day.

Instead, my expectations on day two are HUGE! Favorites like Steel Panther and Sebastian Bach are playing, and they’re both having press conferences as well. Seeing a Steel Panther press conference has been a dream since I first saw an interview with them, so I’m really excited. You’ll hear all about it tomorrow!

Just Because This Is Awesome: Cheap Trick and Bon Jovi, Live Together

Cheap Trick and Bon Jovi performed live together back in 1988. The songs are "Ain't That a Shame / Not Fade Away." This is quite possibly one of the Glamest things I've ever watched. Thanks to our own Metalboy! for sending along this great clip!

Want more? Here's Cheap Trick, Bon Jovi and Whitesnake performing a cover of ZZ Top's "Tush."

Here's Cheap Trick, Motley Crue and Bon Jovi doing a cover of the Elvis hit "Jailhouse Rock."

Bret Michaels, 'Get Your Rock On' -- New Video

Bret Michaels has a new video for his single "Get Your Rock On." The song is from the album of the same name. The song also features Phil Collen of Def Leppard and Sal Coz Costa of My Darkest Days.

I have to say, I don't quite get this video. Why does it look so cheap? I'm sure Bret has a decent video budget... but the production isn't great. Also, the face-cam sort of freaks me out. Anyway, have a look and let me know what you think.

Queensryche At Rocklahoma Shows Band Tensions

By now, you've probably seen the news reports online about Queensryche front man Geoff Tate telling the Rocklahoma crowd that they "suck."

I watched the Queensryche set live, as it happened, on HDNet. I wasn't watching for the music. Instead, I was watching for band interaction. Geoff's comments to the crowd were uncool... but even more uncool was just the dead emotion between band members. There just wasn't any excitement from the stage for the Rocklahoma crowd at all. Geoff is working on a solo album... and the rest of Queensryche recruited singer Todd La Torre to become Rising West. Does this all mean Queensryche is over? I doubt it. The band still has dates booked during the summer... and I don't think they will ever really break up. Still, the tensions are obviously clear and the band members definitely need a break from the Queensryche machine. And who wouldn't need a vacation? We all deserve a break from our day jobs, right? So I say, let Geoff do his solo thing! And good luck to the others in Rising West. I'd be interested in seeing them live.

Here's the full Rocklahoma performance.

Aerosmith Release Teaser of 'Legendary Child' Video

Aerosmith will release the video for "Legendary Child" in just a few days. The song is the first single from the new upcoming Aerosmith record Music From Another Dimension. Considering Aerosmith is known for producing some of the best videos in MTV history, the bar is high. I doubt the band will ever release anything as epic as the video trilogy featuring Alicia Silverstone from the Get A Grip days, but we can hope. Check out the "Legendary Child" teaser below.

Music From Another Dimension hits stores August 28.