This was a crazy & busy month that completely threw my normal schedule into a tailspin. I was crisscrossing all over the country, mainly between NYC and Los Angeles and stopping in Dallas for weeks at a time for various personal reasons, such as Mother’s Day, my sister’s birthday, and unfortunately, Jury Duty.
At The Drive-In – April 10th – Trees – Dallas, TX
The last time At the Drive-In graced played Trees, they looked like a band falling apart. Vocalist Cedric Bixler and guitarist Omar Rodriguez stayed on stage right, bouncing off each other while the other guys kept things tight on stage left. The songs sounded sloppy; the chaotic side of the band overpowered the melodic side.
Tonight they were doing something pretty cool where on their way to Coachella for the real reunion show, they were doing a series of warm-up shows in clubs. Only announce the day before and sometimes the day of and tickets obviously selling out instantly. Given this was a Tuesday night and the show was just announced yesterday is a testament to the band’s legacy in their absence.
It really reminded me of the Pixies, a band criminally unappreciated the first time around and they reform to play stadiums for people who finally got the message over all the years the band had been apart.
Even their pre-Coachella strategy is almost identical as though it appeared to the rest of the world that the Pixies first show back was at Coachella, they had done a week of dates in Canada at small clubs to get ready.
The legendary El Paso quintet unleashed ripper after ripper, starting with Arcarsenal.At various points, all of the members smiled and acted happy to be together again. Bixler twitched to the beat as he sang, and often used his microphone like a yo-yo. Rodriguez, usually a firecracker onstage, was reserved and restrained yet didn’t miss a single note.
As far as song choices, the audience didn’t mind if it was a rager or a slowdance. If you were on the floor during the 75-minute set, you walked away with a few bruises, as pushing and crowdsurfing were almost nonstop.
Not surprisingly, the band focused exclusively on material from In/Casino/Out and Relationship of Command, as well as the Vaya EP. Bixler and Ward sounded as good as they did when they toured on those releases in the late ’90s.
Microphone problems were a persistent issue: Both Bixler and Ward’s went out at various points in the set. Choosing to move forward with “One Armed Scissor” without Ward yelling, “Cut away,” the audience gladly took over that part.
For a reunion show, this certainly showed why the band is beloved. There was nothing phony about the emotional catharsis they brought, even back when five people watched them play a house show in the mid-’90s. Now back after 12 years, the band didn’t look or play like they were worn out or out of touch. They gave something that a long-timer and newcomer could appreciate.
I was extremely skeptical about ATDI reuniting. Rodriguez might not have been like Roger Waters in terms of talking about estranged bandmates, but years upon years of shit-talking made a reunion sound nearly impossible. So everything’s magically cool now?
Set list:
Arcarsenal
Pattern Against User
Chanbara
Lopsided
Sleepwalk Capsules
Napoleon Solo
Quarantined
Rascuache
198d
Enfilade
Metronome Arthritis
Pickpocket
Non-Zero Possibility
One Armed Scissor
Catacombs
Korn – April 23rd – The Palladium – Dallas, TX
If you read the last entry for April 2012 – you will wonder too (among other reasons) what the fuck I was doing here. Because if you look at the date you will see that this was a Monday and after having an 18 hr Record Store Day, staying up all night and then going to Edgefest a few hours on no sleep, what the fuck was I doing back in Dallas, the very next day, at a fucking Korn show no less?
Well the answer is that I was on assignment from a magazine to cover it and also I am fucking Superman (or maybe the Hulk?, tough but not very smart).
Believe it or not I have a small but tenured history with this band – they came on the scene right as I was getting out of High School. This was before their brand was cemented with NuMetal and trapped in their current and forever lame image. At the time they sounded like no one else and we didn’t even know what they looked like before we saw them in concert. They had such a crazy vibe I thought we were going to see something similar to the Cramps. They were first on the bill of a show that started at 6pm on a weekday with Sick of it All as the headliner. The only people that were their to see them were my friends and I.
Thanks to technology you can see this here (and see me get my face busted open at the 3:19 mark) –
I showed this video to them not long after it happened and between that & them seemingly in town every month I got to be friendly with their singer Jonathan Davis. I would get to the shows early and we would go get something to eat or goof off or just shoot the shit. Really cool guy.
By the time of their third album I was on to other things and so were they and those things didn’t really interest me much. They also got so big that even if I wanted to just hang with Davis that was no longer an option, so we kinds just went out separate ways.
So now its a million years later and now the thing they are onto now is Dubstep, the thing I might hate the most in the whole world at the moment. So again, what the fuck was I doing here? – Oh yeah, I was on assignment, and admittedly curious.
The new record The Path of Totality, released in December 2011, finds Korn collaborating with dubstep and drum-and-bass musicians, DJs and producers. The record takes the Korn sound – hard metal textured with grunge and hip-hop – and laces it with bassy electronics. I got there just a few minutes before they started.
I don’t know if the new stuff has turned people off or because it was a Monday but the place was less than half full. Now again I HATE that Dubstep shit, but I have to admit its a pretty bold move for a band to take on 20 years in. But at the same time, what would normally be seen as them lacking any originality and just doing what’s popular at the time (and their are valid examples of that – doing grunge in the early 90s, Numetal in the late 90s, doing Punk in the mid 2000s and so now naturally they are to Dubstep) – but I will say that it did seem a pretty seamless fit for them.
That doesn’t mean that I personally care for it, but it wasn’t the African Child it could have been. The sound however at the Palladium is always shit and the bass heavy stuff was at times unbearable plus I didn’t know the material. So after the first 4-5 songs I found myself out on the smoker’s porch talking to this incredibly cute girl Tabitha. It was a scenario where you are talking just out of proximity but know that you don’t have a chance in hell so don’t embarrass yourself, but surprisingly she was encouraging. Even after seconds after talking to her I dropped and spilled my full beer all over the place. Nice one dickhead –
So we go inside and she needs to find her friend and it really seemed like she wanted me to join her but I feared I was cramping her style so I went to go get a refill, kicking myself for not joining her.
The band finished up strong with songs that I did know that I hadn’t heard in a very long time and that was enjoyable.
Setlist –
Old and Rarities –
Divine
Predictable
No Place to Hide
Good God
New Album
Narcissistic Cannibal
Kill Mercy Within
Chaos Lives in Everything
My Wall
Get Up!
Way Too Far
Greatest Hits
Here to Stay
Freak on a Leash
Did My Time
Falling Away From Me
Another Brick in the Wall (Pink Floyd cover)
Encore:
Shoots and Ladders / One (Metallica cover)
Got the Life
Blind
The Melvins – May 7th – Trees – Dallas, TX
Super excited about tonight as not only would I be seeing the Melvins, one of my all time favorite bands but I was gonna be seeing it with two of my oldest friends, Duane and Tony. I told a story last year about how I was in town (the last time we were all together ironically) and we all went to see Melt Banana and this girl I brought kinda put a monkey wrench into the program.
So I had been planning this for weeks that I was hoping we could all get together for a rare night when we were all in the same city at the same time.
Just hours before the show I heard that the Hooters Swimsuit Pageant (which totally should have been the opening act) was happening tonight as well and almost decided to change my plans (I’m kidding, kinda).
The plan was I was gonna meet Tony and Melissa at their place for dinner and then we would all meet Duane at the show.
However my terminal tardiness and the isolation that their residence enjoys caused me to be quite late, so when I got to Tony’s we hurriedly ate and rushed to the show.
While parking behind the venue we could hear them taking the stage to orchestral gladiator music as if we weren’t pumped enough, and by now we are practically running to the venue. As we were in a short line to get in we hear them kick in hard with Dog Island.
Tony who had been cool all night about my tardiness then turned to me and smiled and said “Ok NOW I’m mad”.
Duane joined us about half way through the show just in time as they started Youth of Today as we looked at each other smiling as our collective jaws hit the floor.
As great as the tones of Osborne’s guitar and Warren’s bass were, they didn’t overpower the nuances of the double-drumming. With identical Tama kits placed next to each other, Crover and Willis beat every inch with marching band-sized drumsticks. And they wore matching gladiator garments to boot. The overall power never started to wane as the band finished with a neverending version of The Bit, but we stayed all the way to the end.Setlist:Dog Island
Hung Bunny
Roman Dog Bird
The Water Glass
Evil New War God
Manky
A History of Bad Men
Youth of America
A Growing Disgust
The War on Wisdom
We Are Doomed
Friends Before Larry
A Really Long Wait
National Hamster
The BitUnsane opened and I had no remorse for missing them until I had heard that with their regular drummer Vinnie Signorelli recuperating in a hospital, Willis and Crover filled in. A chance to see Dale Crover hit drums and cymbals like a punching bag and I missed it. Good times though and great seeing old friends. Tony and I stayed up late talking and I wanted to hang much later but I had the dreaded Jury Duty in the morning.Marilyn Manson/The Pretty Reckless – May 11th – The Palladium – Dallas, TXEven if you are just a casual browser of this blog, or even if you have just met me briefly, you know that I’m a huge fan of Taylor Momsen and her band the Pretty Reckless. Her face (and impossible body) have appeared many times on this blog and I’ve written many of story on her.
So when they came through town opening for Marilyn Manson, it was never a question of not going.
Originally I was going to cover it for that magazine that I have spoken of in the past – the one where the so called editor has actively tried to screw me out of tickets and opportunities only for them to blow up in his face by my handiwork. Well he was up to his old tricks again and I decided that this was the final straw. I had spoken to Taylor’s manager John a few weeks prior to give myself some insurance independently from the magazine.
It proved to do nothing as far as my luck was concerned as when I arrived to the venue. nothing was working out down to the tiniest detail
Here’s what happened:
I know it was a Friday night, but forgive me for underestimating Marilyn Manson’s relevancy but I had no idea he was still this popular as when I pull up to the Palladium expecting my usual parking spot one block over, it looks like everyone in Dallas is at this show. I ended up having to park about as far away from the venue as possible without having to take a cab there.
I get to Will Call to discover that of course my ticket is not there. Glad I trusted my instincts and not trust that kooky editor – but wait – I’m not on the Pretty Reckless’ list either. The people in the Will Call office here are normally very helpful but I didn’t recognize a single person in there and the guy I was speaking to was super rude and unhelpful. I asked him if he wouldn’t mind calling back to production to straighten things out and he seemed super put out and told me all he could do was sell me a ticket for $60 but oh wait now I can’t because we just sold the last one sorry.
I decide to take matters in my own hands and this is where things get cartoonish. I go around the side of the building where I know crew load-in is and I see every member of the Pretty Reckless (sans Taylor of course) hanging out and smoking, minutes from taking the stage. I see that the drummer is wearing a Clutch t-shirt, perfect. We start chatting and he’s a huge Clutch fan (they had just shared a festival bill in South Dakota that week) and we are having a good time swapping stories. I then see Sean, the Tour Manager whom I recognize from a conversation he and I had via Twitter a few weeks back.
With this tour coming to end soon he was looking to jump onto another one and I told him I might have something for him and we could talk about it when they got to Dallas.
I go up to him and introduce myself, let him know who I am, and we start talking about his qualifications and experiences. Basically it turns into an informal job interview. I tell him about the tour I had in mind and he seems interested and tells me he’s qualified and we exchange contact information. When that ends I tell him of the snafu at Will Call and he commiserates by telling me he’s not surprised by how forgetful Taylor’s manager is. He double checks his information and concurs that I’m not on there. He shakes his head as almost to apologize like the next thing he’s gonna say is “Don’t worry, I gotcha covered”.
If for nothing else to ensure a little advantage for him to get me to hire him for an upcoming tour.
We switch subjects for a second and then he has to get back to his Tour Managing duties- Ok cool, I can only assume that he does indeed got me covered.
Losing confidence by the second, I swallowed my pride and flat out asked him how he wanted to cover this.
Incredulously, he just says “Oh their’s nothing I can do sorry”, and continues to ask me about the job.
Stunned, I just say “Well you just wanna walk me in then?” – to which he replies “No, sorry I can’t” – and continues to press me about potentially hiring him.
Shocked but remaining dignified I said “No worries, have a good show” – and went back to the drummer for more Clutch talk.
He makes a call on his walkie talkie and like something out of a movie I realize that the call was to Taylor’s assistant as in the distance I see her helping Taylor (who I thought was already inside the venue) off the bus and walking toward us. Like the priestess has been summoned.
As Taylor and her assistant get closer and eventually reach hand-shaking proximity to me, I purposely removed myself to avoid any notion that I was any threat or seemingly waiting for her like some lovesick fan. I purposely looked away, and made no eye contact to enforce this.
In doing so, I saw enough to have several moments of pristine clarity which are the following:
1) When describing Taylor the word that you often hear or read is perfect – Like Mila Kunis is hot, or Meghan Fox is sexy, but with Taylor the talk always turn to the fact that physically she is seemingly the perfect specimen. She has as many (if not more) female fans than male for this very reason and I must tell you that being this close to her, I would be hard pressed to disagree with them.
2) However, by the same token I also had this overwhelming burst of maturity and clarity by in an instant the whole thing seemed ridiculous to me. Like what the fuck was I doing hanging by the back door like some old dog trying to get in to see this obnoxious, bony teenager that looked like she had been playing dressup in her older sisters’ stripper closet?
The odd thing was how civil and friendly the tour manager remained to me while he was corralling Taylor and the other members to take the stage by still talking to me and even introducing me to Taylor and her assistant who I learn who’s name is Alie.
If not for standing next to Taylor, all eyes would be on Alie as she is quite attractive herself.
Suddenly out of desperation I found courage and I waited a few mins and went for broke – I opened the backstage door like I belonged there and saw several people that recognized me from all the times I’ve been there managing my own artists.
Without a single credential, I walked in there like I owned the place and because, again of my previous knowledge of the venue I knew how to get out to general seating with a quickness and that’s just what I did.
I did it so quickly that Taylor hadn’t even taken the stage yet – Fuck the World
Now I was in and even had time to go get a beer. I needed one because my adrenaline was a little high from my little stunt and as I’m eying the never-ending beer line deciding if I wanna get in it, I hear someone calling my name loudly.
Its one of the bartenders whom I don’t recognize until I get right up to the bar and see that’s its an old buddy of mine. I don’t recognize him because he had shaved off his huge ZZ Top beard that he’s had since I’ve known him but his voice is unmistakable.
He high fives me, asks me what I’m drinking and hands it to me without even charging and says “Here dude, fuck that line”. Bless you old friend.
Things were looking up and in a hurry – literally 90 seconds ago I was a chump without a ticket in the rain and now I’m walking to the front of the stage with a free beer in my hand.Though they were the opening act, when Taylor entered last onstage, their was this collective gasp that’s hard to describe if you were not there.
Despite her slutty bad girl shtick, the girl can sing. Taylor immediately established her rock credibility with her signature throaty, growling vocals and it seems she’s finally hit a point where she knows how to own the stage. An improvement over the angsty teenager who was solely focused on trying to be a bad ass.
Speeding through each song, she carried the band and their musicianship was flawless, but clearly the audience was there to see her – and she delivered.
She urged the crowd to sing along, and they obliged at every offer as she listened and smiled, especially on fan favorites Just Tonight and Make Me Wanna Die. While some singers use audience participation as a cop out, Her voice never wavered.
Another standout was Cold Blooded, offering a haunting duet between her and the guitarist as they sang back and forth as though trading quips.
The set was short, but it was definitely what the fans came out for and a good display that they’re all a bit more seasoned as performers.
Setlist –
Hit Me Like A Man
Since You’re Gone
Zombie
Miss Nothing
Just Tonight
Goin’ Down
Cold Blooded
My Medicine
Make Me Wanna Die
Under the Water
Factory Girl
Ok now I needed a cigarette (not like that creep) as I was relieved to have seen the show after all. I almost forgot that I still had Marilyn Manson to go but that was immediately hard to ignore by all of the awesome people watching I was enjoying on the smoker’s porch. People watching doesn’t get any better than at a show like this. At this point I had got what I came for so everything else from here on out was academic. I waked back to the bar, skipping the line once again as my bartender hands me a refill and asking in his unmistakable voice “Who was that little slut?” – This is awesome.
Now it’s Manson’s turn and as the curtain dropped the presentation was as simple and stripped down as Manson has ever been.
Aside from a microphone that resembled a large butcher’s knife, the only indulgence was a hat rack, situated next to the drum riser, with a modest selection of headwear. He’d grab a hat, emote and grimace for the audience, then throw it on the stage for a crew member – his “hat tech”? – to fetch.
He appeared winded, a little wiped out. Even the act of leading the crowd on his trademark chant, “We hate love, we love hate,” felt perfunctory and passionless.
The last time I saw him perform was 8 years ago (sadly the night that Dimebag was killed) and on this night he just seemed fucked up and almost embarrassing.I’ve always admired Manson for being an outrageous reactionary, a provocateur whose ideas were more intelligent than most were willing to admit but it’s questionable whether the subtleties – yes, subtleties – of his statements necessarily translated well.
Musically, his band performs rudimentary Industrial Rock, that’s big and dumb and should be the foundation, not the focus, of the live show.I was hoping that Taylor was gonna come out and duet with him as they had done at the Revolver Awards to liven things up but that didn’t happen.
