Train – 2010 – Save Me, San Francisco
By Eric | July 17, 2015 6:00 pm
Artist: Train
Title: Save Me, San Francisco
Label: Columbia
Released: Nov 2, 2010
Packaging: Jewel Case
Pack-in DVD?
Release Type: Golden Gate Edition
Autographed?
Tracklist:
#Save Me, San Francisco
#Hey, Soul Sister
#I Got You
#Parachute
#This Ain’t Goodbye
#If It’s Love
#You Already Know
#Words
#Brick By Brick
#Breakfast In Bed
#Marry Me
#Shake Up Christmas
#Half Moon Bay
#The Finish Line
#Umbrella
#Parachute (Alternate Version)
#Marry Me (First Dance Mix)
Review:
Topics: CD Collection | Comments Off on Train – 2010 – Save Me, San Francisco
Tags: 2010, Columbia, Golden Gate Edition, Jewel Case, Train
Train – 2012 – California 37
By Eric | July 17, 2015 6:00 pm
Artist: Train
Title: California 37
Label: Columbia
Released: Apr 17, 2012
Packaging: Jewel Case
Pack-in DVD?
Release Type: Standard
Autographed?
Tracklist:
#This’ll Be My Year
#Drive By
#Feels Good at First
#Bruises
#50 Ways to Say Goodbye
#You Can Finally Meet My Mom
#Sing Together
#Mermaid
#California 37
#We Were Made for This
#When the Fog Rolls In
Review:
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Tags: 2012, Columbia, Jewel Case, Standard, Train
Train – 2014 – Bulletproof Picasso
By Eric | July 17, 2015 6:00 pm
Artist: Train
Title: Bulletproof Picasso
Label: Columbia
Released: Sep 16, 2014
Packaging: Jewel Case
Pack-in DVD?
Release Type: Standard
Autographed?
Tracklist:
#Cadillac, Cadillac
#Bulletproof Picasso
#Angel in Blue Jeans
#Give It All
#Wonder What You’re Doing for the Rest of Your Life
#Son of a Prison Guard
#Just a Memory
#I’m Drinkin’ Tonight
#I Will Remember
#The Bridge
#Baby, Happy Birthday
#Don’t Grow Up So Fast
Review:
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Tags: 2014, Columbia, Jewel Case, Standard, Train
07/07/2015 Powerman 5000, SOiL, Without Regret (Rochester, NY @ Montage Music Hall)
By Eric | July 8, 2015 3:43 pm
As an unabashed nu-metal kid, one would think a show like this would be a must-see for me, but truthfully neither SOiL nor Powerman were ever super-high on my list. I liked the singles well enough, but that was about it. However, when the show is practically in your backyard, and there’s nothing else doing on a Tuesday night after the toddler goes to bed, its like “why not”??
I walked in just as Without Regret were finishing up. so I didn’t see much of them at all. Seemed like a solid heavy band though from what little I heard.
Dave showed up with his friend Christina just as SOiL was about to go on. He knew a couple more of the tunes than I did, but he too wasn’t really a fan. Their half-hour was pretty entertaining though, and a good number of the 100 or so people in the house did indeed know the songs and were fairly into it. For the closer (and only song I really knew), Halo, lead singer Ryan McCombs came out and sang in the middle of the floor amongst the crowd, which was kinda neat. Judging from other setlists, they’d been closing with a Black Betty cover, but we didn’t get to see that for whatever reason.
So after the usual BS’ing and set change, the lights went dim, the fog machines started, and out comes Spider One and the rest of PM5K… with outfits out of a budget sci-fi movie, and lasers mounted to the headstocks of the guitars! Okay, laser pointers, but whatever! It was campy, but the whole get-up worked. They launched (pun intended!) into the first song, and I don’t think Spider stopped jumping up and down the entire night. Seriously. I also don’t think the smile left my face (or Dave’s for that matter) all night either! These guys were a riot to watch, Spider was pretty witty in-between songs (remarking how he couldn’t find anything to eat in Rochester), and they sounded really good too. I only knew three songs or so, but it didn’t matter, I had a great time. They sent everyone home happy, closing with When Worlds Collide. I’d seen PM5K once way back (Edgefest 2003 in Buffalo) and wasn’t impressed then, but they were tons of fun this time around. As I told Dave, they reminded me of Orgy, but way more fun, and also of what Static-X had on Wisconsin Death Trip and then were chasing forever after that. I’ve overused the word “fun” in this review, but it definitely was!
[Soil setlist]
Loaded Gun
Breaking Me Down
The Hate Song
My Own
Pride
Redefine
Unreal
Halo
[PM5K Setlist]
Invade, Destroy, Repeat
Nobody’s Real
Hey, That’s Right!
How to Be a Human
You’re Gonna Love It, If You Like It or Not
Horror Show
I Can’t Fucking Hear You
Bombshell
We Want It All
Supernova Goes Pop
When Worlds Collide
PM5K intro
Topics: Concerts | 3 Comments »
Tags: 2015, Montage Music Hall, Powerman 5000, rochester, SOiL
07/04/2015 The Tragically Hip (Canandaigua, NY @ CMAC)
By Eric | July 6, 2015 9:56 pm
Hip show number 10! Not sure whose idea it was to book the quintessential Canadian band in the US on 4th of July (and a 4th on a Saturday no less), but there we were. “We” being about a half-of-capacity CMAC, so it was pretty much all die-hards. The Buffalo-Fort Erie Friendship Festival this certainly wasn’t. I met Tom, Nikki, and Brendan in the parking lot, and we hung out and waited until just about showtime to shuffle in and find a place on the lawn.
This tour was billed as “Fully and Completely”, which obviously alluded to the fact that the band was playing said album in its entirety, along with what turned out to be two smaller greatest hits sets before and after the album. They opened with Grace, Too, and Gord sounded a little off rhythm. Perhaps it was for artistic and dramatic reasons, but it wasn’t the best rendition I’d ever heard. He got into the swing of things as the beginning set wore on. I joked to Tom that it really wouldn’t be a Hip show for me if I didn’t hear New Orleans is Sinking, and as if on cue, the band hit the opening riff, maintaining my 10-for-10 streak of hearing it at every show.
I was especially excited to hear Fully Completely all the way through for a couple of reasons: A) It’s my favorite Hip album, B) I love the idea of these “album” shows (the OLP and Killswitch Engage shows were great!), and C) there were a good number of tracks I’d never seen live. Chief among these was (incredibly) Fifty-Mission Cap and The Wherewithal, so those two were a real treat. Even hearing my other 10-for-10 song, At The Hundredth Meridian, made for a good time.
By the time they’d finished Eldorado (another first-timer!) and took a little break, the ushers had abandoned their posts and a good number of us filtered down into the half-empty seats. We got into the 200 level for the five-song “encore” for a closer look at the one Now For Plan A song, “At Transformation”. The last four were the biggest of the biggest, with Poets, Bobcaygeon, Nautical, and Blow at High Dough as the grand finale. The Hip are always a good time, even better hanging with good friends, and hey, why not celebrate our country’s independence with some of our neighbors across the lake?!
Grace, Too
My Music at Work
In View
Ahead by a Century
New Orleans Is Sinking
Courage
Looking for a Place to Happen
At the Hundredth Meridian
Pigeon Camera
Lionized
Locked in the Trunk of a Car
We’ll Go Too
Fully Completely
Fifty-Mission Cap
Wheat Kings
The Wherewithal
Eldorado
At Transformation
Poets
Bobcaygeon
Nautical Disaster
Blow at High Dough
Grace, Too
New Orleans Is Sinking
Pigeon Camera
Bobcaygeon
Topics: Concerts | 1 Comment »
Tags: 2015, Canandaigua, CMAC, The Tragically Hip
Breaking Benjamin – 2015 – Dark Before Dawn
By Eric | June 27, 2015 6:00 pm
Artist: Breaking Benjamin
Title: Dark Before Dawn
Label: Hollywood
Released: Jun 23, 2015
Packaging: Jewel Case
Pack-in DVD?
Release Type: Standard
Autographed?
Tracklist:
#Dark
#Failure
#Angels Fall
#Breaking The Silence
#Hollow
#Close to Heaven
#Bury Me Alive
#Never Again
#The Great Divide
#Ashes of Eden
#Defeated
#Dawn
Review:
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Tags: 2015, Breaking Benjamin, Hollywood, Jewel Case, Standard
Tremonti – 2015 – Cauterize
By Eric | June 21, 2015 6:00 pm
Artist: Tremonti
Title: Cauterize
Label: FRET12
Released: Jun 9, 2015
Packaging: Digipack
Pack-in DVD?
Release Type: Standard
Autographed?
Tracklist:
#Radical Change
#Flying Monkeys
#Cauterize
#Arm Yourself
#Dark Trip
#Another Heart
#Fall Again
#Tie The Noose
#Sympathy
#Providence
Review:
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Tags: 2015, Digipack, FRET12, Standard, Tremonti
06/05/2015 Will Hoge, Ashton Hollow (Buffalo, NY @ Buffalo Iron Works)
By Eric | June 6, 2015 3:44 pm
It had been seven long years since Tiffany and I had seen Will Hoge last, so it goes without saying that both of us were excited for this show. While I’d been to Buffalo Iron Works a couple of times just to hang out, I’d never been there for a proper show (seeing a Pearl Jam cover band after the PJ show notwithstanding!). It turned out to be a fantastic small venue. Tiff and I managed to get a “front row” table in the small balcony they have directly above the soundboard. It was a good thing we did, because we were able to sit from the time we arrived at 8:30, all the way through the openers set from 9-10, and through most of Will’s set also.
The openers were Ashton Hollow, and they were what I’d call the prototypical modern country band. A hint of rock, a lot of twang, and every song mentioning whiskey at least twice. They sounded fine, but their hour was way more than enough for our tastes. During set change we found out we were surrounded in the balcony by fellow Will Hoge die-hards, and Rochester natives at that!
The wait was well worth it, however, as Will Hoge came on and proceeded to rock and roll us through a nearly two hour, 23 song set filled with equal parts new songs, old favorites, and some deep cuts spanning his entire catalog. This was our fourth time seeing Will together (Tiff’s 5th), and the first we’d seen him headline, so we couldn’t have been more pleased with the lengthy set, and the song selection alike. A shocking 4 songs from Carousel (including the title track), combined with some of our favorites (Dirty Little War, Goddamn California) curried favor with the die-hards in attendance, and of the 100-125 people in the crowd, there were more than a few of us to be sure. Will’s voice was on point all night long, and his band sounded great. They literally saved the best for last, however, as the encore started out with Last Thing I Needed, followed by a fan request for Sex, Lies & Money. For the final song though, Will and the band brought out acoustic guitars and a single drum into the crowd, directly in the middle of the floor, and sang The Highway’s Home amongst the people, tacking on a bit of Hank William’s “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” at the end. It was an amazing end to an amazing set, and the whole show was well worth the time and effort for us to get there, let alone the bargain $12 ticket price!
Setlist:
Growing Up Around Here
Better Off Now (That You’re Gone)
Guitar or a Gun
She Don’t Care
Carousel
This Time Around
Little Bitty Dreams
Desperate Times
Your Fool
Wait ‘Til Your Daddy Gets Home
Goddamn California
Still Got You on My Mind
Dirty Little War
Strong
Hey Tonight
Better Than You
Bad Old Days
Even If It Breaks Your Heart
Middle Of America
Til I Do It Again
Encore:
The Last Thing I Needed
Sex, Lies and Money
The Highway’s Home / I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry (acoustic)
She Don’t Care
This Time Around
Goddamn California
Dirty Little War
Strong
Topics: Concerts | Comments Off on 06/05/2015 Will Hoge, Ashton Hollow (Buffalo, NY @ Buffalo Iron Works)
Tags: 2015, Buffalo, Will Hoge
06/02/2015 Flaw, Seasons After, Oblivious Signal, Setiva (Rochester, NY @ Montage Music Hall)
By Eric | June 3, 2015 9:16 am
If the Tantric show a couple of days prior was sort-of a blast from the past, this show was a full on nostalgia trip. Back in the nu-metal heyday, Flaw’s “Through The Eyes” was a staple in my CD player, and I’d actually seen them twice on that album cycle, first with Cold, and then with Sevendust. They’d flirted with coming to Montage a couple of years ago, but that leg of the tour ended up getting cancelled for whatever reason, and they hadn’t been around since. Needless to say, I was pretty excited to finally see Flaw again, some fourteen years later.
Setiva had just started when I walked in, and they put on an entertaining half-hour of metal. A very energetic set, dreads flying everywhere. Oblivious Signal reminded me of a grown up Bad Seed Rising, with a female lead singer and some rockin tunes. I spent a lot of their set chatting with Dave, however, so I didn’t pay 100% attention. We did pay attention to Seasons After, and they were pretty impressive, especially the singer. As Dave pointed out, he could hit the high screams, the low screams, and the clean singing was good too. Like Jamey Jasta always says, no clams! The rest of the band sounded on point as well, the songs were interesting, including their closer, a cover of the Gerard McMann song from The Lost Boys, “Cry Little Sister”. I’d classify them as “radio metal”, stuff that wouldn’t be out of place on Octane.
Finally it was time for Flaw, and a whole lot of fun. They played a bunch of stuff from Through the Eyes, including Only The Strong, but acoustically! I’ve always loved Amendment, so I was glad that got played, and they also sprinkled in Medicate off of Endangered Species, plus a new song called Bleed Red. Naturally, everyone went berserk when they played Payback at the end, and the one song encore, after a bit of a false start, was Whole. While they had a new drummer, the front three of the band (singer Chris Volz, guitarist Jason Daunt, and bassist Ryan Juhrs) are the original members, so the songs sounded great, Chris can still hit the notes, and they looked to be pretty appreciative of everyone that came out. Chris mentioned at one point, “Our first record came out fourteen years ago, and you know what, that makes all of you out there OLD.” He wasn’t wrong! Of the 125 people or so that came out, just about everyone *was* older (certainly no teenagers), and unsurprisingly virtually everyone knew all the words. It was really cool to get to hear these songs again, and I think everyone that was there was in agreement.
Flaw setlist:
Reliance
Medicate
Amendment
Scheme
My Letter
Bleed Red
Only The Strong (acoustic)
Get Up Again
Payback
Encore:
Whole
Topics: Concerts | Comments Off on 06/02/2015 Flaw, Seasons After, Oblivious Signal, Setiva (Rochester, NY @ Montage Music Hall)
Tags: 2015, Flaw, Montage Music Hall, Oblivious Signal, rochester, Seasons After, Setiva
05/29/2015 Tantric, While She Waits, Aggressive Betty, Seeking Monte (Rochester, NY @ Montage Music Hall)
By Eric | May 30, 2015 9:13 am
I wasn’t sure what kind of crowd to expect for this show. Tantric had a couple of modern rock radio staples, but nothing in the last couple of years that’s made an impact. There turned out not to be much of a crowd at all. If the place topped out at 75 people (including the other bands) that was a lot. By the time I got there, I only saw part of the last song of Seeking Monte’s set, so other than the fact that I saw they had a female lead singer who sounded pretty good, I can’t say much. Aggressive Betty did their usual metal thing next, and truthfully I was more pre-occupied watching the Lightning and Rangers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals on my phone (Go Bolts!). The direct support was a self-proclaimed “redneck” rock band from Arizona called While She Waits. They certainly had stage presence, they didn’t sound half bad, but nothing particularly stood out about them either.
Tantric came out, and despite the small crowd, played as if they were in front of packed house. Lead singer Hugo Ferreira has turned over the entire band between the first album and now, which is kinda interesting considering he was essentially a replacement lead singer for the rest of Days of the New. Regardless, Hugo and the band gave it their all, and gave us a good spread over the bands now six albums, hitting all the singles in addition to some newer cuts. I thought they sounded great, Hugo sounded good and his top-ranked “yarl” was in fine form. The show was a fun way to spend a Friday night, and it was cool to see a band I’d only seen once before, seven years ago.
Tantric setlist:
Hey Now
Live Your Life
Astounded
Frequency
You Got What You Wanted
Mind Control
Fall to the Ground
Breakdown
Mosquita
(Drum Solo)
Fall Down
Down and Out
Mourning
Topics: Concerts | Comments Off on 05/29/2015 Tantric, While She Waits, Aggressive Betty, Seeking Monte (Rochester, NY @ Montage Music Hall)
Tags: 2015, aggressive betty, Montage Music Hall, rochester, Seeking Monte, Tantric, While She Waits