Vancouver Critic Not Impressed With Chickenfoot Show

The new supergroup Chickenfoot has hit the road to showcase material from their forthcoming CD, and at least one music critic was not at all impressed with the show at Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom. Steve Newton, writing for Straight.com, was particularly disappointed with Sammy Hagar’s performance, and was not particularly impressed with former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony either.

I don’t normally headline a music critic’s opinion here, since the whole professional critic thing is of questionable value if you ask me. “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” an old adage that holds true for just about everything. While one rock fan may think the Rolling Stones are the greatest rock band in the world, another may think they suck. We all have our own opinions and they are neither right or wrong. The same rule applies to critics – music or otherwise.

What made this review interesting is that it was the first one I have seen for Chickenfoot. In addition, there were a few readers who came to the group’s defense without holding too much back. Overall, it appears that the Chickenfoot defenders outnumbered those who agreed with Newton.

Newton’s main problems with Chickenfoot seem centered around Sammy Hagar’s vocals, suggesting that Hagar “grab himself a bottle of that premium tequila he so proudly promotes and head off into the Cabo sunset.”

Newton says he was a Hagar fan during his time with Montrose and even liked some of the material he did with Van Halen, but apparently feels it is time for the 61-year-old to put down the microphone for good.

There was high praise for guitarist Joe Satriani, who, in this case is considered too accomplished to be on stage with the aging Hagar and the “lowly” Michael Anthony. Certainly something that dedicated old school Van Halen fans may take issue with. Newton predicts that Satriani will tire of wasting his talent on Chickenfoot and leave the group so he can “go back to being an adventurous axeman of the highest order…”

There’s been a good bit of hype surrounding the birth of this new group, and people are not forgetting Hagar’s comments a while back about rivaling Led Zeppelin, although he did back away from that statement later, saying he had been tipping the bottle before making that statement and admitting it was “stupid” thing to say.

As Chickenfoot continues on their tour, we will surely be hearing from other critics, and it will be interesting to see how their take on the new group compares to Newton’s.

You can read Steve Newton’s review at Straight.com.

Tags: Chickenfoot, Commodore, Critic, Live, Review, Vancouver

Classic Rock Briefs For November 5, 2008

Vancouver Plans Special Welcome For AC/DC

I guess the fact that the mayor of Vancouver, B.C. is a former member of a band called Spinal Chord has something to do with the official proclamation that declares November 28 as “AC/DC Day.” The name of the mayor’s former band, Spinal Chord, has more meaning than one might expect. Mayor Sam Sullivan was injured in a skiing accident at the age of 19 and has been a quadriplegic ever since. That has not stopped him from racking up some impressive achievements, however.

The announcement of the proclamation honoring AC/DC came as a surprise to listeners who were tuned into the Jeff O’Neil Show on 99.3 The FOX (CFOX-FM) yesterday when the mayor, who was co-hosting the show delivered the news. I’m sure the boys from AC/DC will appreciate the gesture. Full Story.

Original Members of Queen Believe Freddie Mercury Would Have Approved of Paul Rodgers

I suspect that more than a few dedicated Queen fans do not approve of the group’s continuation without original frontman Freddie Mercury, but according to drummer Roger Taylor, Mercury would have been happy with their decision to choose Paul Rodgers as their new frontman.

“Freddie was a huge Paul Rodgers fan. Absolutely adored his voice. He was a different animal, but he would have loved to be able to sing like that,” Taylor said.

The group’s first album since bringing Rodgers into the fold has met with mixed reviews, and since it was released in the U.S. only about a week ago, it’s hard to gauge its success. The Cosmos Rocks  appears to be occupying the number 59 slot on the Billboard European Top 100 albums at the moment. Full Story.

Gene Simmons To Play For Charity on Fox Game Show ‘Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?’

He seems to be one of those guys that people either love or hate. Gene Simmons, bass player for rock legends KISS is scheduled to showcase his knowledge of various elementary subjects on the Fox game show Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?

Simmons will be playing for charity, in this case, the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatrics AIDS Foundation, which will benefit from the cash that he will be able to rack up by answering questions culled from elementary school curricula.

The episode featuring Simmons will air on the Fox Network on Friday, November 7 at 8:00 PM, but check your local listings to be sure.  Full Story.

Tags: AC/DC, Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader, freddie mercury, Gene Simmons, KISS, Mayor, Paul Rodgers, Queen, Vancouver

AC/DC In Vancouver To Begin Recording?

There’s a new report from BW&BK that claims AC/DC arrived in Vancouver, British Columbia last night to begin work on their new album.

BW&BK is reporting this information via one of their sources and also makes reference to another report on their site that talks about some information from AC/DC’s record label, Albert Music, about building excitement with regard to a new album from the Aussie rockers.

As some AC/DC fans may recall, a bogus e-mail was circulating a few months back that was claiming to be from Sony Music and talked about the possibility of a new AC/DC album.

Looks like there could actually be something cooking this time and perhaps AC/DC fans can look forward to a new album. The groups last album, Stiff Upper Lip, was released in 2000.

Tags: AC/DC, Album, Rumor, Vancouver