I'm going to see That Arena Rock Show tonight at a concert venue near my house. The show is a 70s and 80s music tribute and it looks like a lot of fun. The ad promises AC/DC, Van Halen and Def Leppard tunes, so what's not to love?
I get a kick out of these cheesy concerts - great for summer fun! The show is cheap and the weather is great here today, so it seems like the best way to kick off the weekend. TGIF!
Some news from the Steelheart camp: apparently singer Miljenko Matijević suffered a heart issue (Patent Foramen Ovale) and is now recovering. That means upcoming Steelheart shows are on hold. This seems like some scary stuff so I wish Miljenko well. Also, I wonder if this will impact the Tesla/Steelheart show I'm seeing August.
I know touring costs are consistently going up and bands are canceling shows because hitting the road just isn't feasible right now... but holy smokes. Dave Mustaine says it costs $45k a day for Megadeth to just "be" when on the road. Of course, that price is passed right on to us as ticket buyers.
Now compare that cost to a really huge band - say Metallica's current 72 Seasons tour. What is the nut on that bad boy every day? Or heck, the current and never-ending Motley Crue / Def Leppard world tour? Or Aerosmith's upcoming farewell harrah? Nirvana ain't cheap and I'm thinking there's a lot of bloat in the day to day costs for huge bands that like to travel in a certain style. Still, when even smaller bands that hit the road in a van and play clubs can't afford to gig anymore, we've got a problem. What happens when only massive acts like Taylor Swift can afford to tour? What happens to live rock n' roll? Just something to consider on this hump day.
The Cruel Intentions just released a video for their song "White Line Denied." The track is on the 2022 Japanese version of the album Venomous Anonymous.
Some of the video was shot during the Monsters of Rock Cruise and The Ultimate Rockfest in Sweden. You might remember that lead singer of The Cruel Intentions is Lizzy DeVine, originally from Vains of Jenna. He looks and sounds the same!
A few weeks ago, I reviewed the Netflix three-part documentary Trainwreck: Woodstock ‘99. Since I just got MAX (HBO) to watch the final season of Barry, I went ahead and watched the HBO documentary on the music festival as well.
Woodstock 99: Peace, Love and Rage debuted in 2021. Unlike the Netflix documentary, the HBO version is a standalone movie. It is about two hours long.
My first impression is that the Netflix documentary is better. I will say that the Peace, Love and Rage delves more into the “why” of the festival going off the rails. The Netflix version looks more into the actual destruction and human interactions. The HBO version talks more about the cultural mindset of the 90s, especially among early 20s white males. This, coupled with the choice of bands and location and time of year of Woodstock 99 all equaled a giant mess.
How is it possible that promoter John Scher comes off even worse in Peace, Love and Rage than he does in the Netflix doc? Dude literally brushes off the sexual assault claims, says women should not have been topless and squares the blame on Fred Durst for being “a moron.” Ok, but to blame the entire Woodstock 99 catastrophe on Durst is inane. The riots and fires did not start until Sunday night and Durst and the rest of Limp Bizkit performed Saturday.
This documentary features interviews with different musicians, including Moby. His commentary is pretty insightful, especially when he discusses “venue mood,” – a skill he honed over decades as a performer. Moby says that pulling into the venue he knew the vibe was off. Other artists made similar comments, saying things like “That was weird” or “Get me out of here” after their performances.
Original Woodstock visionary Michael Lang again produced the ill-fated 99 event. He also made some clueless and flippant remarks in the HBO documentary. Just not quite as insane as Scher. That’s not saying much.
A place where the HBO documentary trumps the Netflix version is with the following of one group of friends who just happen to be the party that included David DeRosia, the man who died of hypothermia and heat stroke during Metallica’s set. DeRosia’s entire goal of the fest was to be in the pit for Metallica. He got there, but the intense heat, crush of bodies and lack of water eventually killed him. After being treated by medics on scene and transported to a local hospital, DeRosia died a few days later.
In addition to his friend’s recollections of the festival, the documentary also features passages from the journal DeRosia kept of the event.
The Woodstock 99 debacle has always fascinated me on different levels, including as a music fan and explorer of the human condition. I’m a writer and I like to stand back and observe folks. These documentaries have been eye-opening for me. A good way to use a couple of hours inside the A/C if you are hiding out from the heat this summer.
I knew I was going to love Def Leppard's Drastic Symphonies as soon as it was announced. The collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was released May 19. I pre-ordered the vinyl as soon as it was announced.
The vinyl is a gatefold package comprised of two records. The package is currently selling for around $35 on Amazon.
I love symphonic renditions of classic rock so this is right up my alley. My favorite tracks are "Animal" and "When Love and Hate Collide." Other standouts are "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad" and "Paper Sun." Slang happens to be one of my favorite Def Leppard albums so the addition of "Turn To Dust" on Drastic Symphonies is a big plus in my mind.
For the naysayers, it seems Def Leppard has yet another hit on their hands with this album because it has already reached number one on the Billboard classical crossover chart.
Drastic Symphonies hasn't left my turntable in a week, meaning so many other new records are still sitting in their cellophane wrappers. It makes me happy and that is all that matters.
Extreme will release Six on June 9. That new album features the track "Other Side of the Rainbow" and the band just released a video to support the song. Interestingly, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt directed and edited the video below as well.
Check out the harmonies here, folks! If you click the picture of the vinyl, you can pre-order Six in all formats.
Friday, June 9, 2023 at 12:34PM 
I knew I was going to love Def Leppard's Drastic Symphonies as soon as it was announced. The collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was released May 19. I pre-ordered the vinyl as soon as it was announced.
Extreme will release Six on June 9. That new album features the track "Other Side of the Rainbow" and the band just released a video to support the song. Interestingly, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt directed and edited the video below as well.