The last post we welcomed the kickoff to the Summer and of course a staple of that is the all-day music festival. I’ve been fortunate enough to attend most of the major multi-day fests here in the States and few abroad. But what about those regional, radio station sponsored all day shindigs? Ever been to one of those before? In Texas…..in June?
KEGL 97.1 The Eagle’s Big Freaking Deal w/ The Pretty Reckless, Steel Panther & more – June 1st – Gexa Energy Pavillion – Dallas, TX
Rock radio stations are becoming a rare breed these days, & finding a good one is even harder. Dallas’ The Eagle is pretty dreadful & identical to any Clear-Channel owned station forced to program whatever water-downed version of pro-tools rock that will attract advertisers. A typical two-hour block will tell you all that you need to know – you will hear mostly stuff from the 90’s Grunge era, & the copy-cats that followed & still turning out garbage – lots of Creed, Nickelback & the occasional new song from a band that’s on the-shirt wall at Hot Topic that week with a dumber name than the last one & then its quickly back to lots of Stone Temple Pilots.
This being Texas, the fans that attend this type of affair are a dedicated, blue-collar, patriotic, hard drinking bunch looking for a day in the sun.
They don’t seem to mind (or notice) the monotony.
Let’s get to the music:
Tom Keifer
“…Welcome to June…” Tom Keifer said at one point in his set, as the ever-growing crowd tolerated the sweltering ninety plus degree heat. His new (and debut) solo album The Way Life Goes was represented this day in the form of Not Enough and Solid Ground (the latter made wonderful use of his wife Savannah and fellow female vocalist Kendra Chantelle harmonizing for some backing vocals), though naturally it was the Cinderella stuff that got most of the attention.
After all the vitriol I spewed earlier you might think I’m a glutton for punishment (or a hypocrite) to get here early to see the first band, but I will always have a soft spot for Tom Keifer & Cinderella. At the age of 12 & in my first week of Jr. High no less Cinderella (opening for David Lee Roth) was my first concert & the first professional band I ever saw perform. The impression that night had on me is immeasurable & sure I was there to see my hero DLR for the next year I had a Cinderella poster hanging right next to my Van Halen one.
I was hoping to hear anything off that first LP and he freaking started with the title track Night Songs.
Even 28 years after it was released it still packs a wicked punch. Another great moment came when he introduced his wife as the two made Don’t Know What You Got Til it’s Gone into a gorgeous acoustic duet.
Setlist –
Night Songs
It’s Not Enough
Somebody Save Me
Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)
Nobody’s Fool
Solid Ground
Shelter Me
With a Little Help from My Friends (The Beatles cover)
Gypsy Road
Good set, and great way to start the day. Was glad to see Keifer – after a long hiatus I’ve been fortunate to have seen Cinderella a few times the last couple of years & they still got it legit.
The Pretty Reckless
Ok, so as much as I enjoyed Tom Keifer, now we are on to the real reason we are here and what got us here so early – Taylor Momsen & the Pretty Reckless.
If you have ever read this blog or met me for 10 minutes you probably know that I’m an outspoken, monstrously huge fan of hers & the band.
Proof of this is that besides Steel Panther their isn’t another band on this roster left that I could give two shits about. In fact, most of what was left I actually despise.
So much so that if Taylor wasn’t playing today I most likely would have skipped this event altogether. But if you have ever seen her perform, you know that missing it wasn’t an option.
The erotic moaning sounds that are heard on the recording of Follow Me Down played through the speakers, before the four-piece rock outfit ripped into the song, Momsen using a gravely growl on much of that track. She did an impressive backbend during the bridge, her hands only leaving the mic stand to….accentuate things.
Sweet Things was another killer track with a blistering pace and some seductiveness thrown in, like when Momsen kneeled down in front of the mic stand, then gradually climbed up it. Let’s not forget guitarist Ben Phillips, either, who sings a few lines on that one, making it all the more haunting.
Powering through their way-too-short 30-minute long set, so happy that it was them that filled the “New Band” slot even though she’s been at this for almost six years. Complete with sing-along moments, thanks to their latest single Heaven Knows that is finally getting the band some overdue airtime ,& Taylor’s voice (which is truly impressive) and powerful persona
Setlist –
Follow Me Down
Since You’re Gone
Sweet Things
Heaven Knows
Going to Hell
Fucked Up World
Six songs came and went pretty fast and so now for my sins we had about 4 hours of 100 + degree heat & the worst modern rock has to offer to go.
Still worth it to see Taylor, so what do we do to pass the time before Steel Panther? Go to the Pretty Reckless meet & greet and take pics for fans.
Taylor looked & seemed absolutely THRILLED to be there ? She’s a little too cool for school but she’s really young and it’s a part of her schtick.
Drummer Jaime was sporting his Clutch shirt once again and we had fun talk as I told him some old Clutch stories.
We managed to catch a few songs of each of the turds that came on before the panther of steel came on – Each one with a dumber name and less original sound than the one before it.
Pop Evil
I take that back, this may be the dumbest band name ever.
So tragically average, these guys think their shit don’t stink since they’re getting a little traction. Their manager is a real asshole and no one will care about or even remember this band next year.
Killswitch Engage
Horrible name and again one of those t-shirt bands that no one actually listens to – however given what was to come, these guys actually weren’t too bad.
Then again it could have been the heat, for which I could have been watching Black Sabbath and would still felt a need to seek shade.
HellYeah
Ok, so if you don’t already know this is the post Pantera/Damage Plan project from drummer Vinnie Paul. This being his hometown and ground zero for the Pantera faithful I wish I could tell you good things, but sadly it’s pretty much all bad.
In fact, they maybe the biggest offenders of that clueless over-40 rawk thing whose handlers have put them through what feels like central casting.
They’ve got that horrible Metal version of Ed Hardy fashion sense a la brought to you by Jagermeister while the singer, who’s pose is of the earnest/anthemic nature is still screaming at you through a bull-horn trying to look “shocking”.
The songs are as contrived as the appearance and bear no resemblance to the utter brilliance that Pantera’s footprint still holds in this town and in the global metal community.
Theory of a Deadman
Ok, so now we have a winner – this was the worst band we saw all day & maybe one of the worst ever. Their name isn’t as laugh-out-loud as today’s headliner but its close and even more innocuous. So offensively average and mediocre it reminded me of Nickelback and then someone told me that the singer is related to Nickelback dude – This suprises me in no way, shape or form.
They played their one minor radio hit and I went “Oh yeah, this song” as I didn’t know who sang it – the one about the “bad, bad, girlfriend” (aren’t they all?)
Easily one of the worst songs you have to reguarly endure as a listener of today’s radio station hosts.
Steel Panther
Mercifully, Steel Panther finally took stage – Their just wasn’t enough water/tits to keep me from heatstroke/boredom so they came on just in the nick of time.
I had anticipated the real boob parade to begin with their arrival as the shows of theirs I’ve seen in Hollywood are like wet t-shirt contests (without the t-shirts) but amazingly this crowd with the underdog/rebellious mentality & an insatiable, lustful appetite for violence actually proved to be too conservative for the harmless dick & fart jokes of Steel Panther.
I’m not really one for this type of humor either but these guys are so irresistable & such a blast you gotta give it up for them.
Now in the defense of the fans, they did come at the end of a very long, hot day – for the majority that just wanted to see the headliners and make it to the finish line, so going on right before them wasn’t prime real estate in terms of time slots.
Also, I think the real problem is that the crowd didn’t know what to make of them – They had probably heard that they were merely a “joke band” and the band did only manage to get through 7 songs in an hour – that’s 20 mins of music and 40 mins of schtick, not a good balance for an outdoor festival in this heat.
But here’s the other thing, this kinda crowd doesn’t have the same nostalgia for the era that Steel Panther is lampooning – in fact, their seemed to be a hard & fast rule here that “Hair Metal bands are pussies” by means of comparison. Lastly, I actually think since SP are such great players, this crowd not normally known for their sense of humor just didn’t get the joke. Shame too because their new LP All You Can Eat is fucking glorious and Jess & I were laughing & rawking the whole time they were on, and people were looking at us, like we were the odd ones.
Setlist –
Eyes of a Panther
Party Like Tomorrow Is the End of the World
Gangbang at the Old Folks Home
Gloryhole
17 Girls in a Row
Community Property
Death to All but Metal
After they finished, something truly insane happened. You would think I would have had enough, but being the glutton for punishment I am, I thought it funny to go down to the front and grab two of the quickly emptying seats & stick around for just one song of the headliner – Here’s what happened:
Five Finger Death Punch
Ok, so we get down to one of the first couple of rows and the lights are on during the set change & revealed something akin to what are referred to as “ugly lights” in strip club culture, where the lights come on at the end of the night and instantly seems what they just were.
Everyone around us are bonding over complaining about Steel Panther – “Did YOU like it”, “What the fuck was that?” & have reached maximum saturation in terms of heat & alcohol (& it shows) – The older & severely obese couple to our left is no longer giving a fuck and the female half is flirting with getting naked.
This gets the attention (similar to a car crash) of a few, namely the 30-ish dirtbag couple in front of us – when something remarkable goes down.
Male half of the Dirtbags negotiates with male half of the Obese that he will deliver his girls’ tits, if he will do the same.
A deal is struck – two pairs of tits that you can’t unsee are exposed – said flashers begin to bond over shared insecurities.
The dishing of their parallel dysfunctional pasts only stops when it’s interrupted by the the opening sounds of the headliner – Five Finger Death Punch
Their arrival is punctuated with the singer’s opening salvo of “What the fuck Dallas??!!” – Not in a “what is wrong with you?” sorta way but as a sweeping salutation of the douchiest of kinds. The worst band name ever, & their pose so thin they appear more as a parody than Steel Panther.
They played this thing last year & I wrote something much more at length about the sins this band commits. The joke that we have now seen them twice is still funny however.
Photos –
Roy Turner
James Villa
