Notes From The Rush Show

The Boston Globe printed an interesting article about the Rush show that took place at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts a few nights ago. Among the things I found most interesting were:

Rush seemed to put more emphasis on their old stuff rather then pushing the material from their new album too hard. I guess when you think about it, a lot of Rush fans are — like me — older folks who remember when Hemispheres or Permanent Waves first came out and love hearing some of the older stuff.

Among some of the older tunes the trio performed: Dreamline, Mission (now that one I find surprising), Between the Wheels and Witch Hunt, which is one I would like to see, since I have my own ideas about how that would would be presented live and in person.

In the trivia department, it appears the clothes dryers spinning on stage have been replaced by chickens roasting on rotisseries, complete with “chef” on staff that appeared on stage to baste the birds during the show. I can’t wait to hear about the symbolism regarding that one.

The Globe writer did not seemed particularly impressed with the way the band performed every song just as it can he heard on the album. I, for one, would really appreciate that.

I guess for a lot of folks attending a concert are there for the whole “showmanship” aspect of it. Flashing lights, video screens and maybe even some lasers and well-controlled pyrotechnics to boot.

Maybe I am just an old fart — and have been an old fart long before my gray hairs betrayed that truth — but if I am at a concert I am there for the music, and since I can get pretty damn good sound here at home, I rarely venture out to live shows any more. I’m just not as tolerant of the screaming, packed-in-like-sardines crowd scene as I once was.

To expand a bit more on the issue of live performances that mirror the original recording, I have yet to see a live show where a lot of improvisation has added much value to a well-worn favorite song. I’m just happier hearing it the way it is “supposed to” sound.

At the same time, I realize that everyone at a concert maybe there for slightly different reasons beyond the affinity for a particular band and as the old saying goes: “You can please some of the people all of the time, and you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.”

Led Zeppelin Reunion Rumors Unfounded?

When it comes to a good rumor, I guess the music biz can compete with just about any industry. The rumors swirling around recently about a Led Zeppelin reunion show and a world tour have apparently been shot down by none other than Robert Plant.

Hinting that the boys may be a bit too advanced it years, Plant joked that there would not be enough doctors to support such and endeavor.

It’s not looking to good for this rumor at the moment, but stranger things have happened, so who knows what the future holds.

Brian May Loves Aerosmith

Wow. If I were one of the guys in Aerosmith, I’d be feeling pretty proud these days. Brian May caught their act at Hyde Park (in the U.K.) and from all appearances, May was blown away.

He writes about it on his web site under a section he calls “Bri’s Soapbox,” and he does not hold back when it comes to sharing his feelings about Aerosmith.

Among other things, May writes: “I loved every second.  The most joyous thing about them is that they did NOT become SHOW-BIZ - they did NOT lose their roots.” He also says: “There will never be a rock group more all-round great than Aerosmith IMHO.“

Coming from a fine musician like May says a lot about Aerosmith. To be out there after all these years and still getting the job done right is admirable. How easy it must be to take the low road and use some of the shortcuts that are being used these days. And still collect the same paycheck! Kudos to Aerosmith for doing it the old fashioned way and doing it right.

Queen And Paul Rodgers Working On New Album

The new Queen, fronted by Paul Rodgers must be feeling the love from fans as a result of their successful live performances and is planning to work on an album of new material.

Rodgers says that the group has already completed 9 songs and is not rushing the development of the new material and is said to be allowing it to develop naturally in the studio.

He goes on to say that fans can expect plenty of Queen’s trademark harmonies that will be combined with his own blues influences.

To read more, check out this article at 411mania.com.

Rush Dusting Off Some Older Tunes For Current Tour

The boys from Rush have decided to freshen up their current tour by including some older songs that they have never performed live. Geddy Lee had a few words with the Boston Herald recently during a sound check at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts where the band will be performing tonight.

Although Geddy was a bit tight-lipped about what older tracks are included in the set for the current tour, he did let it slip that one of the tunes is Circumstances from the Hemispheres album that was released in 1978. A personal favorite of mine.

He also talks a little about their policy of doing a 100% “live” show and not relying on any type of performance from anyone but the band members themselves. Any special effects or recordings that are using during the show are all triggered by someone in the band, whether they have to use a free hand, foot or whatever to get it done.

Geddy also mentions the philosophy behind the latest album, Snakes And Arrows, and how much of it was inspired by some of the experiences had by drummer/lyricist Neil Peart as he traveled around North America and observed various forms of religious beliefs and people’s behavior in association with those beliefs.

I have to confess that I am in the same camp as the guys in Rush when it comes to that stuff and that just adds to my enjoyment when I listen to the new album.

Like many of the other classic rock acts, there are always rumors that this will be the last tour. Geddy won’t commit to that or to touring again some day and says he has given up on predicting what the band’s future holds. Smart move on his part, I think!

I think the crowd at the Tweeter Center will enjoy a hell of a show tonight.

More Led Zeppelin Reunion News

Talk of a Led Zeppelin reunion world tour is starting to spread around the Internet and is starting to sound more serious. I have seen recent stories on both GigWise and TicketNews.

The tour is rumored to begin with a London concert performance in honor of Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun who passed away in December. Joining the remaining three original members would be John Bonham’s son Jason.

There are not dates to report yet, but I’ll be keeping my ear to the ground for any breaking news regarding dates and cities.  For now, the speculation is that this will take place sometime next year.

If the earlier reports were true about the band being reluctant to reunite due to a desire to leave Bonham on record as the one-and-only drummer for Led Zeppelin, having his son take his place in the group may ease their concerns. It’s hard to imagine any father not being proud of his son following in his footsteps like that.

Who could deny that a Zeppelin reunion would be pretty damn cool? Classic rock is far from finished and I strongly suspect a concert tour would be successful beyond anyone’s expectations. If it happens it will be very big.

Vintage Supertramp Videos

These guys aren’t together any more, so you don’t hear about them as much as you might compared to some of the classic rock acts that still are, but I still hear their tunes once in a while on commercials, TV shows or movies.

I love Supertramp. They are one of my top classic rock favorites and I still listen to their music all the time.

I went to one of their concerts years ago — probably in the early 80’s. It was in Boston at one of the smaller concert halls — probably the Music Hall or the Orphium and I can honestly say it was the best concert I have ever attended and that was for one very important reason.

The sound was spectacular! I could not believe I was hearing a live band and kept wondering it they were just playing one of their records and pulling an Ashlee Simpson on all of us.

I’ll never forget that concert for that reason. Hell, I can’t even remember much more about the event other than the wonderful sound they somehow produced in that place.

Anyway, I stumbled onto this YouTube video of Supertramp performing Breakfast In America from who-knows-when and I thought I’d post it here. If you click on it while it is playing, you will be taken to the YouTube page where it and some other Supertramp videos can be found.

With all the classic rock reunions we hear about these days, I sure wish these guys would do it. I’d make it a point to make it to one of their concerts and that’s saying a lot since it takes a hell of an event to coax this old classic rock fan out of his lair.

Sammy Hagar To Kick Off 60-Stop Year Long U.S. Tour

The tour will start on Hagar’s birthday at the site of his annual Cabo Wabo birthday bash in Mexico and finish up next summer on July 12 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Not exactly the most punishing tour schedule I have ever heard of but what the heck, he’s not a young guy any more. More power to him!

Sammy is also set to release a new single called Open, which will be released on July 2 to radio stations and also be available for download on iTunes.

The tour will feature an opening performance by Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony who will do some early Van Halen material and be followed by Los Tres Gusanos which will do some early Sammy Hagar stuff and then wrap up with Anthony joining Hagar to belt out some Van Halen numbers from the days when Sammy was fronting the band.

For my money, some of the best stuff that came from Van Halen was during the Hagar days. I still like most of the stuff from the band’s very first album a lot, but I was never a big David Lee Roth fan to begin with, and I think Hagar sings just as well and had the added benefit of adding another guitar to the mix, which made things a bit more interesting and freed Eddie Van Halen up to do more keyboard work.

For more information on Sammy’s tour plans, check out the article on ModernGuitars.com.

Scorpions Paris Video Interview

An interview conducted by two members of Scorpions in Paris, France has recently surfaced and was posted on YouTube.

The interview lasts for about 10 minutes and features Klaus Meine and Rudolf Schenker answering questions about their new album, Humanity: Hour 1.

Meine, who seems to do most of the talking, explains some of the concepts behind the new album and how the band wanted to create something a little more mature and has a message about the current state of the planet.

I wish he had given Schenker more of a chance to say something, but maybe he’s just not the kind of guy that likes to do interviews. Meine sure didn’t seem to have any problem coming up with an impromptu speech, which sure limited the number of questions from whomever it was that was sitting in front of them.

The clip ends before the interview is complete so maybe things evened out a bit later on and perhpas Rudolf was given the opportunity to say a bit more.

All-Girl Led Zeppelin Tribute Band Riding Wave of Popularity

They call themselves “Lez Zeppelin,” but they fall somewhere short of forthcoming when questions are raised about the possible meaning behind the selection of such a name. I suppose that adds nicely to their mystique, which no doubt fuels more than a few fantasies in the minds of their male fans.

I don’t usually talk about tribute bands, but I have been seeing a lot of press coverage for this group lately and they must be pretty good since they earned themselves a European tour.

Personally, I would love to hear this band play. Having been a fan of Zeppelin for more years than I’d care to admit to, it would be great to see a live group play some of the legendary band’s music, and perform it well, as they seem to be doing.

I poked around on their web site, hoping to find some sound clips or video or something, but was not able to locate any. And then I realized that if I was going to find anything like that anywhere, it would be were else but YouTube.

Sure enough, there were a number of videos on YouTube of the band’s live performance (one you see linked here), and despite the lousy sound quality that you would expect from someone in a rock concert audience with a handycam, I could hear enough to determine that these gals can play.

I don’t feel qualified to comment on much other than the drummer, since that was my instrument of choice, although the guitar and bass work sounded respectable to me.

I would have to say I was impressed with the drummer’s performance and she seemed quite true to Bonham’s original performances, which is what I expect from a tribute band. I mean if you are going to do Zeppelin, do Zeppelin, and they do.

Overall, I’d say this band is worth checking out if you are a Led Zeppelin fan. It’s probably some of the best live Zeppelin music you are likely to see these days.

The bands official web site can be found here (gotta love those sexy graphic images!).