Earplugs and Overpriced T-Shirts: Concerts!

[ratscabies]

In Columbus at the Newport (formerly the Columbus Agora).

MissP made me bring her to see Jukebox the Ghost. Came in totally blind. They’re fekkin’ great. Actually worth the $100 this trip has cost so far.

The opener was a group called Wildermiss, and THEY were so good I bought both their CDs. Singer was hanging in the back after their set, so I told her how much my jaded old ass enjoyed their set, and she hugged me.

[Deleted]

Glasto from my armchair time! Woohoo!

And in a sentence I never thought I’d write
Rick Ashley on drums covering AC/DC!

And The Smiths
link!

Rick RickRocking….

Edit
Lewis Capaldi struggling with his Tourette’s ( he took a break to ready for Glasto) and the crowd just carries him along in a wave of love.
Really lovely moment.
Someone you loved

Edit
Dave Grohl drumming with The Pretenders and now playing guitar with Guns n Roses.
Foos did a surprise set of there too.

I’m all for Dave Grohl and Rick Astley random appearances with everyone at Glasto and yeah that’s another sentence I never imagined…

Edit
Sunday
Cat Stevens
And ELTON!
(not the one set but 2 separate brilliant ones)

Edit 2
On reflection
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN MR ELTON FUCKING JOHN!

Glastonbury from my armchair you have been special see you again next year!

[ratscabies]

In what should have been an utterly predictable turn of events, Kiss is doing one last leg of The End of the Road Tour, which stops today in Cleveland.

Some of you may recall, back during the first leg of the tour, I dragged MissP to the show with me, where she claimed her “throat was closing up” after some dude fired up a fattie a few rows in front of us, and paternal instinct caused me to cave, and bring her home.

You may also recall I sent a sternly worded email to the Cavs front office, complaining they moved my seats (for the SECOND time), and after a very pleasant phone call with the guy in charge of such things, I got a full refund, including fees and parking, AND a very generous offer of free tix to, IIRC, Kelly Clarkson’s (?) show, which I would have loved to see, but had a gig with the band that night.

Well, tonight, I am going alone! I have wrapped my head around Eric and Tommy wearing Peter and Ace’s makeup (I tour with the #1 Beatles tribute band-hypocrisy much?), and that Paul is using tracks (he wasn’t yet the last time, and, well, it was…not great).

Also, nepotism! Paul’s son Evan is in the opening act this leg. Reports are they are pretty good, so I am actually looking forward to the opener! Not since Wendy O Williams opened the Lick It Up tour have I been excited about the opener at a Kiss show!

Wish me luck!

ETA: Review

Nepotism: Evan’s band, Amber Wild, was pretty dang good. The other singer may need to broaden his influences beyond Layne Staley, but he isn’t bad, and slings a guitar pretty well. The drummer was a busy cross of Tommy Lee and Taylor Hawkins. In a Bret Michaels bandanna.

Retiring Old Guys: Fuck if they didn’t suck me back in! The show was over the top, even for Kiss, and honestly, if Paul was using tracks, it was judicious and well done. That is to say, there were enough weak spots that I believe he was actually doing it. Taking a page from McCartney, he let the drummer cover the higher stuff, and he made US sing the damn do do dos for I Was Made For Loving You.

Short version: it was great, but it IS time to stop. Gene still has his voice, but mostly lumbers around the stage; you can tell the outfit is weighing him down. Paul can change the melodies to suit him, but the between songs banter is just a hollow shell of what he is trying to do.

They were clearly emotional about it being the end. Paul even said, “I can’t believe this is the last time I get to say CLEVELAND!”

[ratscabies]

I am double posting, because it has been since OCTOBER, and this has nothing to do with Kiss.

Last night we played the Lincoln Amphitheater in southwest Indiana. It is a beautiful venue, tucked into the woods of the Lincoln State Park.

Our drummer is dropping me at Indy airport on his way home to Michigan, so I can rent a car.

Tonight, I venture solo into Chicago to see the Damned. But not just the Damned: the Damned I love but have never seen in 40ish years of seeing them. This will be the first time I see Captain Sensible AND my namesake Rat Scabies together. Even Paul Grey is back on bass. The Black Album/Strawberries lineup.

Bonus opening act: the Dictators. No Handsome Dick Manitoba, but apparently Albert Bouchard of Blue Oyster Cult is in the band now.

This will be a memorial service of sorts. My high school bestie that turned me on to Damned in 1982 and was my concert buddy for decades died suddenly just before K**m*a of 2022. At the time, he was in possession of tickets to see the Damned in London for their reunion shows. So I feel compelled to attend tonight on his behalf.

Will report back after the show!

ETA, as promised:

Pat would have loved this show!

The Dictators were great, and in a nod to Bouchard’s lineage, did a blistering version of BOC’s Dominance and Submission.

The Damned were glorious. Riotous, even a bit sloppy perhaps, and plagued by a horrendous mix that must have extended to their monitors, they touched on everything we as fans wanted.

Staying mostly with Black Album and Strawberries material, but all the obligatory earlier stuff, and one from their latest, they played about 2 hours.

Sensible and Scabies may be gray, but Vanian looks like he might actually BE a vampire. He hasn’t aged a bit. Scabies played like he was still a kid.

As the Captain told the crowd in Brisbane: they’re old, but they still rock!