Ticket Stress

Scoring concert tickets can be very serious business - especially considering the outrageous prices, fees and usually (illegal) seating system.

This morning, I will attempt to buy presale seats for George Michael's first North American tour in 17 years. I predict hysteria when I log on to Ticketmaster. Sadly, my dear George isn't coming anywhere near Ohio - and when he does make his one Midwestern stop to Chicago I'll be en-route to Rocklahoma. This means planning an entire trip around a concert with tickets already priced in the hundreds of dollars.

Glam fans I am stressed. I think it sucks that seeing George is going to cost me an arm and a leg. It's bad enough paying for a plane ticket these days. The concert itself will break me. Still, I don't want to miss the opportunity to see George Michael perform "Freedom" live. You see, George has always been on my list of artists to see before I (they) die. I figure every die hard music fan has such a list. Other artists on my list include SIXX:AM and Eric Clapton. I recently crossed Van Halen with David Lee Roth off my list - and I'll be seeing them for the second time next month right here in Ohio.

So back to George and this trip planning. The fan club onsale is in a few hours. I still don't know which city I am going to, nor do I have a flight or hotel selected after I get the tickets. I'm appalled at how much everything costs these days. I mean, a can of soup is nearly two dollars! Milk and gas are nearly four dollars a gallon respectively. It's all becoming too much. I've complained about high ticket prices before - but something has to give. Festivals like Rocklahoma and South Texas are cheap compared to single act "big draw" shows. If you think about it - I'm getting four days of entertainment at Rocklahoma for the same price as spending two hours with George Michael! 

I suppose I can preach all day long. Ticket prices won't drop and I'll still go to shows and buy merchandise because I support artists.

I apologize for the rant but I am plain exhausted and a little stressed on this Monday morning. Please, share with me your "must-see in concert" list.

Update on Monday, March 31, 2008 at 12:49PM by Allyson B. Crawford

Here's an update: I got my tickets! I'll be seeing George Michael from the 5th row in Philadelphia. I may need to sell a kidney to pay for this once in a lifetime experience...but whatever. You only live once.

Oh yes: the fan club presale sold out in just minutes. I count myself very lucky.  

Heavy MTL

Well, there's another rock festival taking shape - and it sounds like it's going to be plain awesome.

Heavy MTL is set for June 21 and 22 in Montreal, Canada. As the name would suggest, this is a festival celebrating heavier bands. Apparently, Iron Maiden is a headliner and other bands rumored on the bill are Overkill and Symphony X.

Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles magazine (BW&BK) is sponsoring the event.

There isn't much information yet about this potential mega-event. You can click here to sign-up for more information. My assumption is ticket prices will be on par with Rocklahoma and South Texas Rock Fest - just remember Heavy MTL is only two days.

Rising Force?

Are you a fan of Yngwie Malmsteen? His guitar playing is unmatched - but I've always been on the fence about his music. Again, I appreciate his talent - but I've never really been drawn to any of his songs.

Actually, I find many of them quite boring.

It's possible I'll be seeing Malmsteen live - he and his band are rumored for the final day of Rocklahoma. Tim "Ripper" Owens is apparently signing for Malmsteen these days. I guess if this happens, I'll be excited. At least it would be a chance to see someone different - because I'm pretty sure I'd never deliberately buy a ticket to see Malmsteen live.

Is it me? Am I missing something? Remember: I am a huge fan of guitar heavy albums. I love just about everything from Van Halen to Avenged Sevenfold when it comes to complex riffs. With Malmsteen - I turn my nose.

Here are some videos featuring Malmsteen and his Rising Force. Maybe I'll learn to love it. Do you?

Here is "Heaven Tonight."

Here is "You Don't Remember."

I feel like I've just revealed a dirty secret: I don't really like Yngwie Malmsteen. Scandal!

Giant: Underrated Band

Do you remember the band Giant? Their most successful album is Last of the Runaways. I was listening to the single "I'm a Believer" last night while driving home.

Giant was a great band of true musicians. In fact, I wish they were still together today. When I say "true" musicians - I am not exaggerating. The quartet was not your average band of long-haired dreamers. No, these were seasoned session men. Most played with very famous bands. It's natural they wanted their share of the limelight.

Dann Huff sang and played guitar while Mike Brigadello played bass and David Huff played drums. Like any good AOR band, the group had a keyboard player. That person was Alan Pasqua. Giant landed a deal with A&M and then recorded Last of the Runaways in 1989.

I think the band got back together not so long ago - but that didn't last too long. Still, I think it would be cool to hear Dann Huff perform live. That man can sing!

Here is the video for "I'm a Believer."

Now, watch this clip of "Innocent Days."

Tell me: were you lucky enough to see Giant perform live? If so, where and when?

Rikki Rockett Rape Allegation?

Say it isn't so! One of my favorite drummers...busted on a strong arm rape charge out of Mississippi? According to my west coast mole Gerry Gittelson...the bust went down yesterday at LAX (Los Angeles International Airport).

The report is already on some other websites. Apparently my dear Rikki Rockett (Poison) was booked into Los Angeles County Jail - it seems he might already be out of the clink.

I hope he still has some of the Flesh & Blood money to hire a good attorney.  Remember - it's innocent until proven guilty in this country.  We'll see how these rape allegations pan out. Sigh.

Read the booking info here.

Rockets to Ruin

Listen up, Glam fans: I have a new favorite band: Rockets to Ruin from Atlanta, Georgia. Their album Love, Drugs, Rebellion owns you. People, this is down n' dirty sleaze rock at its finest.

Rockets to Ruin are:

Cleveland Willis – Vocals

Mike Grimmett – Guitar

Chris Taylor – Bass

Rob Hammersmith - Drums

Now, the great part about Love, Drugs, Rebellion is that it is raw.  Rachel Bolan of Skid Row produced the disc, so you know it has Glam cred. Plus, I love how the bass has a unique tone on most of the tracks. I don't exactly know how to explain the tone except that it is sharp - but far from hollow.

Here's the track listing:

We Are The Drugs
Take A Ride With Me (Straight To Hell)
Devil Girl
Screamin' At Me
Burnin'
1 More Fix
Helpless
Gotta Go, Gotta Roll
Revolution
Nowhere To Go (No Time To Care)

Now, my favorite tracks are "We Are the Drugs,"  " Take A Ride With Me (Straight To Hell)" and "Gotta Go, Gotta Roll."

Rockets to Ruin remind me of Buckcherry - except I like them a lot better. This doesn't mean I'm turning my back on my promise to support all things Buckcherry - just that I think Rockets to Ruin deserve some damn respect.

Get these Southern boys to Rocklahoma - and shove them on the main stage. Watch them blow the competition out of the water!

Speaking of stages, Rockets to Ruin has a few live gigs coming up with bands like Hookers and Blow and Jetboy. Visit here for more info.  The cool news is that Love, Drugs, Rebellion is on iTunes - easy as pie.

Listen to this video clip, then download. Ladies, did I mention these boys have looks and talent?

Take Me to the Top

The other day I posted the lost video supporting the RATT track "Givin' Yourself Away." Today: the lost video for Motley Crue's "Take Me to the Top."

Before I get into the discussion I have a warning: the quality on this clip is terrible. You need to watch close and pay attention. Since this is "lost" footage, the scenes are really dark.

You'll notice straight away that the Crue are wearing the exact same clothes used during the "Live Wire" video. That's because both clips were filmed on the same sound stage, the same day. Since the clip for "Take Me to the Top" has "not for air" burned on the footage, my guess the director used this take as a sort of warm-up before the "Live Wire" shoot. After you watch the clip I think you'll agree the coolest part is Mick Mars' guitar solo - I mean, he does flash the devil horns for the camera.

I never considered "Take Me to the Top" the best of Too Fast for Love. I've always been partial to the title track, "Live Wire" and "Merry Go-Round." Still, seeing the video for "Take Me to the Top" is way cool for someone who loves Motley and enjoys music history.

So, what do you think of this lost video?