Kid Rock with Ty Stone opening Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN 11/23/11

To say this was a one off show is being humble. First off Kid Rock rarely plays a tour that doesn't involve something the size of 10,000+ seats. Kid Rock is currently taking Ty Stone on a trek of smaller venues and donating to local charities of the said city he is in. That and he does do a yearly swanky cruise for those who have deep enough pockets that can go....


To those who have never been to Ryman Auditorium all i can say is you are missing out. When you get to the city inside the holler do check it out. IT is worth your time and effort. This is the 3rd show i have seen there. There is no room for pyro and all the other added stuff that larger venues can add but sometimes that really isn't necessary now is it?

I got in town about 4pm...I chilled and tried to get a taxi to the venue and i gotta tell ya some taxi services just aren't worth the hassle of waiting. I got the it will be 5-10 minutes line twice and a half hour later i was still sitting there. So i said to hell with it. I got a car, license, gps, what am i waiting for? I am sure i was one of the few that wasn't half drunk that night but hey, being sober has certain advantages...


I got to the Ryman and got parked and headed down to blocked off Tootsie's block. Tootsie's was having their 51st anniversary for those who are educated to the fact. Dinner at Jack's was cool, but I guess i should have ventured across the street to Rippy's. That was Kid's hangout for before and after the show at the stage for Tootsie's. I kept thinking the view from that balcony blows. Oh well, what the hell do i know anyways?

Anyway back to the matter at hand..The confusion in the line to get in the Ryman was interesting. People waiting in a line to show ids to pick up tickets to end the scalping which i guess it helps but it will never end it. There are other ways to avoid that, but my tricks are for me to keep to myself and you can find your own. No matter it was great having a hard ticket i already got in the mail so i didn't have to deal with all that anyway. It just got me closer and in the next line. One thing i can tell ya is with a Kid Rock show there are always lines.

The doors opened at 6:30 p.m. As always the Ryman staff is pretty well courteous. I know my way around and really don't need assistance at this point finding my seat. After a time or two there you pretty much do. The merchandise lines are always a nightmare. If i didn't care to see the show they might not be, but why even be there if i am not watching the show? It is pointless...I had a balcony seat about 2/3 of the way up seat. I guess i should count myself lucky to even be there. But you know what, i wish i had had better.

Ty Stone opened and played 5-6 songs. I like him pretty well and was interested to see how he would be live. For some reason i thought he would have at least a small backing band with him on the road to thicken up his sound. He has a great set of pipes and can play acoustic guitar well enough. In my opinion he needs a bass player and drums to round out his sound. So Ty if you happen to read this you are a good artist, get you a small backing band it will round out your sound. I love seeing great potential and where it can go is all i am gonna say about Ty Stone.

They say waiting is the hardest part. I guess it is....Kid Rock came on at about 9 p.m. He had the Twisted Brown Trucker Band backing him as always. Seems the band has shifted around over the years but one constant has remained they back him well in all his music. Whether it be the opening song Devil, the middle of the show with God Bless Saturday Night or ending it with Born Free. The audibles were pretty good this time around as well. Kid picks the show out from start to finish and from my guess he works it all out in his head. He does certain moves at certain points of the show as well as certain parts of the show i don't think he would get by without doing it for the fans. As i have learned over this past year many of his fans are repeat offenders. Some travel from great distances and see several shows over the tour year. It is a good show and you will have a good time at it. The intimacy is a nice thing on this tour...and a rarity i do like. He is a show man. It leaves little to surprise though.


The Care tour last through part of December. Here is a list of the tour dates that are left from  his website.

Dec 1, 2011-Filmore Auditorium- Denver, CO
Dec 3, 2011-The Great Saltair-Magna, UT
Dec 4, 2011-Knitting Factory-Boise, ID

Dec 6, 2011-Knitting Factory-Spokane,WA
Dec 9. 2011-Fantasy Springs Special Event Center Indio,CA


I also here tell that old Kid Rock is working on a new album and material for that. I will be pleased to hear it when it comes out. The album Born Free was such an artists album. It was similar but truly an about face in style and substance from all those that came before it. He has said in other interviews he plans to do his next more in the Cocky style. Which yeah i liked Cocky but we will have to see is all i can say...Good luck to ya Kid Rock.

Tootsie's block party was a good time after the concert. Kid Rock came and did a couple of songs and had his son who most refer to as Junior on stage helping him sing part of All Summer Long. Junior has a higher voice more in the vein of Jackson 5 to my ears. I guess if he is going to follow in dads footsteps i don't think it will be quite the same footsteps he leaves behind. Had i got to town earlier i heard Junior was performing his own show with his own band...But i just didn't make it there.

All in all it was a good night in Nashville. One i will remember for a long time. Will i see Kid Rock in concert again? Sure, but i honestly  think it won't be a for a bit...A new album, more free time for me, and a bit to miss him live is what i need.....

Here is the set list direct from the upper balcony soundboard:

Chickenfoot Live @ The Pageant in St. Louis, MO 11/04/11

     Wow, what a fun show. I have never seen the Pageant that crowded that early. I got there at a little before 5 pm and the line was already snaking from the bar back to the corner and back around. Sammy fans, and Chickenfoot fans alike piled in to see the SOLD OUT show. There were no tickets to be had except the odd scalper or two hanging out at the venue and through places like Stubhub who all wanted to swindle fans out of more then face value.

     The Ponderosa opened the show. They played about 5 songs. They were pretty good, nothing great. The vocalist had a good set of pipes and with the right songs they could go somewhere. The glitch with them was i could see a stage guy off to the side playing guitar and the harmonica was piped in as no one on stage was playing harmonica that i could see. I think the band said they were from Atlanta, Georgia or somewhere in Georgia.

      Chickenfoot came on stage a bit before 9pm and opened up with Lighten Up. Next up was Alright. The whole band was working the stage and hard to photograph the whole show. Being it is St. Louis all kinds of shirts, banners, and joints were thrown on stage. There were some really nice looking Cardinals shirts thrown up and some custom made banners by the crowd. The band except for Michael Anthony all wore sunglasses. The new guy Kenny Aronoff filling in for Chad Smith on drummers held a tight groove for Mike to keep in pocket with. Chad Smith is currently with the Red Hot Chili Peppers who recently completed an album of their own. I don't follow RHCP that close but know the new album is called "I'm With You" and they played Dublin, Ireland this same night. So one man can't be in two places at one time.

     There is nothing like a Sammy/Chickenfoot crowd. They are all ages, professions, sizes, and morals. All i can say is they are enthusiastic. Which i can count myself as one. The new album "Chickenfoot III"  dispels all the myths that the first one left. There are several singles on that album and a few were played live: Bigfoot, Come Closer, Alright, and Something  Going Wrong. I think the one they are missing that has true hit single ballad potential is " Different Devil". It was interesting to hear that Joe Satriani wrote the lyrics to Come Closer. I was curious when i heard it. Trying to decide myself if Sammy wrote it or not. So i guess Joe can write a song as well with lyrics as with just guitar.

     If you are one of the lucky people to get to see this tour go for it. Here are the tour dates as follows:

Nov. 2 Warfield Theatre in San Francisco
Nov. 3 The Avalon in Los Angeles, CA
Nov. 4 The Pageant in St. Louis, MO
Nov. 5 The Metro in Chicago, IL
Nov. 8 Webster Hall in New York, NY

Europe
Jan. 12 Academy in Manchester, UK
Jan. 14 Academy in Brixton, UK
Jan. 16 Olympia in Paris, FR
Jan. 17 O13 in Tilburg, NL
Jan. 19 Electric Hall in Dusseldorf, DE


     The set list is as follows. I took a pic of a fans set list but i think a page was missing. So it is what it is!

Lighten Up
Alright
Bigfoot
Sexy Little Thing
Soap on a Rope
Up Next
My Kind of Girl
Down the Drain
Come Closer
3 1/2 Letters
Something Going Wrong
Drum & Bass intro
Turning Left
Future is in the Past
Oh Yeah
Foxy Lady

     I took a few nice pics and here are a few of those...Enjoy!

Goo Goo Dolls Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN 10/17/11

     The trip to Nashvegas is always rather long for me. Takes about three and half hours. For ordinary people it takes four hours. Truth, i got a heavy foot when i got a long haul. I guess it was worth it though. All except the final prize of meeting the band, getting autographs, and taking pics for my special online album with musicians i get the pleasure of meeting.

     Nashvegas is Nashvegas for a reason. There is a surplus of talent as John Rzeznik remarked in his show that there were many who could out do him on guitar. The question is can anyone write that next big hit? The one that sells a million plus? That is the eternal question. Anyway, enough with my rambling.

     Ryman Auditorium is a great small venue holds  2,362. I would guess there was about 2,000 there for the Goo Goo Dolls and Ryan Star. Normally i see the opener. I could hear him from where i was sitting anyways. I busied myself looking around the Ryman. The place is rich in history. From Minnie Pearl's hat to Patsy Cline's hat. Which oddly enough i realized Patsy Cline  resembled my own mother more then just a little bit. I was eying a signed set list but  I wasn't paying $20 to buy it just for the review.... Sorry John love the Goo Goo Dolls but i honestly think you guys made your money in merchandise anyways. I saw the line be constantly full, then when it almost was nothing it would start up again.

     The show started "Still Your Song". Then onto one of my faves "Slide". I have been a fan of GGD for many years since their first single on radio but this is my first live experience. Honestly, i am glad i didn't see them all glitzy. I would have probably blew them off and not listened to anything after that.

      This was just a bare bones show. All songs no shit. All guts no glitz. That is the way i like it. It being my first time i was definitely pleased with that. Leave the solos, speeches, breaks for other times. The way they played it John got a break from vocals when Robby did his songs he leads on. Worked out great as far as i am concerned.

     The touring band consists of : John Rzeznik (guitarist, lead and backing vocalist, songwriter), Robby Takac (lead and backing vocals, bass), Mike Malinin (drums, percussion), Brad Fernquist (rhythm guitars, mandolin), and Korel Tunador (keyboards, guitars,saxophone,  backing vocals). Oddly enough the two founding members seem to be the constant, but others have joined and stayed on. In it for the long haul is John Rzeznik and Robby Takac...

     I guess honestly there were many highlights for me. I heard so many songs i know and love that it made it worth sitting in the car to get there. Shame they were playing Ithaca, NY the following night and couldn't stick around for a bit. With Tootsie's, Cadillac Ranch and 20 other bars and such just around the corner.

     I guess what was missing was an opening band i actually wanted to see and meeting the band. That is about it. But if they fulfilled all would there be a reason to go see them again? Probably not. They are a good band to see live for the ticket price is the truth of it....


The set list as follows:

Still Your Song
Slide
Here is Gone
Big Machine
Dizzy
Smash
January
Home
Black Balloon
Can't Let Go
Name
Now I Hear
Tucked Away
We'll Be Here
Become
Let Love In
Stay With You
Better Days
As I Am
Iris
Broadway
Naked

     So all in all a 22 song set is pretty good all things considered. I can't complain about the length of the show by any means. They covered just about every song i and most everyone else wanted to hear. I was quite sure they weren't going to play "Don't Beat My Ass With a Baseball Bat" for some odd reason.

     Anyway, was a good show put on by the Goo Goo Dolls. I can honestly say i have been gooed now. I look forward to their next tour. And have several good live pics to post up, so check'em out....And John there is no way back to the garage man....


     Who my next concert will be who knows? Who my last concert will be only god knows...stay tuned and find out!