Ska Against Racism

Styles P definitely gave us a GREAT show. His energy was crazy and it lasted the entire show.

Some of us have waited almost 30 years to see Madness live again. This show at Club Nokia made it worth the wait. Although a little older, 6 of the original 7 members took the stage and put on a 90 minute show that left everyone on the dancefloor tired and out of breath. Dressed in dapper, 3-button suits, Suggs, Chaz, Chris, Woody, Lee and Mike put on an incredible show consisting of almost every fan favorite. When Chaz took the mic and began the show with his trademark yell, "Hey You, don't watch that, watch this....." you knew his order had to be heeded. The show ended as energetic as it began, the band played "Night Boat to Cairo" while a dozen young ladies invaded the stage and danced. Earlier in the show, Suggs made light of their age and longevity by saying, "For those of you that just wandered into the wrong part of the casino, we're Madness." In support of their 2 shows at the Coachella Festival, the band played several shows on the West Coast; including Vegas, San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles. Hopefully they realize they still have a lot of fans out there and come back soon.

Anthrax was amazing. But it was obvious that Lemmy is not Lemmy following his heart attack. I suspect that if Motorhead didn't have a new CD coming out that they would not be on tour. Motorhead's guitar player was obviously covering for Lemmy and not only talked over him but stood in front of him while playing some of his guitar solos. Speaking of guitar solos this "just over an hour show" featured a guitar AND drum solo. I have been waiting for 35 years to see this band and in the end I did not see the real Motorhead at all. I'm still happy that I went but I would never recommend this tour.

Friday night's show was probably the best show I've been to; the venue was perfect, the band my favorite, and the opener, The London Souls, was fantastic. State Radio played a great show with all of my favorites including Fall of the American Empire, Gang of Theives, Doctor Ron, and The Waitress. They even inreoduced two new songs. By the end of the concert one of my friends had Chuck Fay's setlist, another friend had a drumstick from Mad Dog.

This event did not disappoint. Friends and I drove from Maine to this show and the hours of driving and sitting in traffic definitely paid off. A friend that came had never heard any of their songs and absolutely loved the show. The Spill Canvas was amazing, as usual. Their shows never disappoint, no matter if they are the opener or the headliner. After the show TSC came out to greet the fans and I got an opportunity to meet them. :) The opening band 'Starting Over' had great energy. Thriving Ivory were amazing performers, as well. I will go to their future shows in the New England region. Amazing concert overall.

Webster Hall is proving to be one of the best venues for shows of this size and artists of this caliber. The crowd filled the space nicely, with enough room to get from place-to-place. Nearer to the stage, it's easy to have the "personal" music experience without feeling suffocated by those around you. CYHSY put on a charged and vibrant show with a set that drew the audience in and tapped into a bit of primal rage. A few songs got the crowd moving and thrashing, but swaying and head-bobbing were the popular moves for the night. Despite the pricey drinks at the bar, it's easy to enjoy a $5 beer if you find the guys wandering the crowd.

Six of us met for dinner at Kosar's, and then went to see Pete George. He was SO entertaining! From the moment he stepped on the stage, he had great energy, funny observations of life, and is a great guitarist! I see why he is The Rock Star of Comedy!! Loved all of the audience participation too! Be prepared to laugh until you cry with this guy!! We have already told all of our other friends, and plan on a larger group for next time too!!!

So going into the event my expectations were very high, after all I was going to see I Am The Avalanche (One of my favorite bands). I however didn't know it was going to be as awesome as it was. The crowd was rather small (I believe due to a block party happening out side of the Masquerade), but that did nothing but make it better. Vinnie (Lead Singer) and the band showed how awesome they were by cracking jokes, allowing a lot of crowd participation, and rocking everyone's freaking faces off! Nothing was left out of the checklist for a punk rock concert. There was mosh pits, a plethora of Stage dives (One of which was preformed by the drummer of Somos.), and an enthusiastic crowd. The opening bands Somas and Rust Belt Lights did an outstanding job as well putting themselves on my radar. Overall this night made for the best concert experience I ever had.

It is unfortunate that Edgar did not explain to the newbies what to expect before the show. I was glad to see the "kids" that Edgar added to the line-up. They were able to add animation to the show and like Edgar has said he can play with one finger what would have taken 5 hands some 40 years ago. Tangerine Dream used to stretch the limits of technology to achieve their sound. Today any kid with a computer can achieve their sound. So instead today's concert is an audio visual experience. It was delightful not to have to suffer through some mindless opening act and still the music was the star. One reviewer some 40 years ago asked if Tangerine Dream would be the end of rock music and unfortunately we have lived long enough to find out that the answer has been no. Today we seem to focus on personalities. I always went to a show for the music. Today's shows are long on personalities and short on the music. I suppose I sound like a jaded concert goer but I expect the music to take me somewhere. Normally I now expect to spend more time being shuffled around (and don't get me started on the so called "security"). So if you attended the concert to experience the music and the visuals - then no doubt you were suitably impressed. The concert was all about music - continuous music that was bridged from tune to tune - you had to be careful to applaud because no one signaled the end of a melody and seldom even made contact with the audience. So I had a wonderful time getting lost in the event and not wasting my time looking for queues or - heaven forbid - sing along opportunities. it has been slightly over 40 years since I interviewed David Gilmour. I was delighted there was a meet and great after today's show - I was equally impressed with Edgar's musings about the music (since Pink Floyd was a big influence on Tangerine Dream in their formative years). Anyway you need to see Tangerine Dream before you die. If you go to concerts for the music you will be delighted. The biggest surprise for me was the lack of people (not that I was particularly bothered). I am surprised that more folks didn't attend. This will go in my memory as one of the most unforgettable concerts I have ever been to (and I have been to a lot of concerts in my lifetime)

My wife and I were in Montreal for La Nuit Blanche, and I booked tickets to ECB's concert after listening to some of her songs on the net. In concert she was even better. Her arrangements of music from all over the shop - classic rock, standards, jazz and blues classics - were terrific, and the musical unity between her and her spectacular quartet of instrumentalists as wonderful to see and hear. We bought several of her CDs after the concert, and I would recommend catching her live work to anyone with the opportunity.