Riot Fest @ Humboldt Park, Chicago, IL

We are staying in downtown as I couldn't find any accommodations near Humboldt Park.  Once we worked out it was only a $20 cab ride, and a taxi stand was staged for our return we were even happier with the hotel.  The get home however as a different story - which I'll mention later.  We got to the venue not long after the gates opened and wandered around the wet grounds to get a feel for how to get between the stages (7 in all - but we are only interested in 4).

Our first band (as the rain began) was GWAR on 1 of the 2 smaller stages.  I had always wanted to see them, and thought with Oderus' death, I may have missed my opportunity.  Fortunately this is no the case.  And I don't have to be the guy that compares them pre-and-post Oderus.  The music itself is not for me, but lyrically and theatrically this act is hilarious.  Even with the continuous rain throughout the day, you could tell who was up the front for GWAR.  Covered in "blood" and with a permanent smile on their faces.

We walked around to the main stages and watched Failure.  Sorry, but there was nothing impressive about this band.  No stage presence, no audience connection and no good songs.

It was a matter of turning around to the other stage to see NoFX.  By now the temperature had dropped blow 40 and the drizzle to light rain had settled in but NoFX were on fire.  Everyone seemed to be in Fat Mikes cross hairs, whether it be Failure, Henry Rollins or the crowd - everyone got a serve with some funny between song banter.  NoFX were one of 10 bands scheduled to play one of their albums from start to finish, but in typical NoFX fashion "Punk In Drublic" was not played in order.  I thought Leave It Alone and Don't Call Me White were excellent, and this show rivaled their Punk Rock Bowling performance of 2012.  Unfortunately they decided to finish with the epic The Decline but were cut short due to time constraints - maybe a little less Fat Mike abuse would've fit it in.

As NoFX continued talking into the now turned off microphone, Gogol Bordello sauntered on stage and, in their unique gypsy-punk way, tore Humboldt Park apart.  This band's energy knows no bounds, which is great, because you can only have fun at a Gogol show.  The only song I knew the name of was Start Wearing Purple and it definitely was a crowd favorite.  Darkness had fallen by the end of the set and you had forgotten it as cold and wet because Humboldt Park was literally steaming as Gogol Bordello finished.  This was my first conflict of bands for the festival.  Mastodon were also playing at the same time on another stage.  Fortunately whatever the choice I was going to win, Ultimately I went for the convenience of location - and happily so.

Turning around again for some nostalgia.  The Offspring playing the 20 year old (gulp!) Smash in its entirety.  I remember seeing them in January 95 at Selina's in Coogee.  It still ranks as one of the 10 best shows I've ever seen.  Today it seems like - well - we're all 20 years older.  Songs seem a little slower, some notes can't quite be made and the bands energy (given this is an outdoor venue and the Coogee Bay was a 1200 person barn) is not as high tempo.  That said it was great to hear some old faves.  Come Out & Play, Self Esteem and Gotta Get Away all bought back some good memories.

Next conflict: Jane's Addiction playing Nothing's Shocking or Slayer doing Reign In Blood?  I went with Slayer, having never seen them before.  Erik stayed for Jane's and I walked over to the smaller stages and got a really good spot.  Even surrounded by Slayer fans but I still couldn't get into that much.  Sound was muddy and swirling (no pun intended considering the weather).  Maybe I was just done for the day.  It was so cold by the end I couldn't get money out of my wallet to buy a t-shirt.  

Overall a great 1st day...until we attempted to get home.  While we were pretty high up on the cab line, there was not a cab to be found.  After half an hour we gave up and started walking back to the city, until something came along.  About an hour into it a bus come past saying it was headed to Navy Pier.  Close enough to the hotel for me.  Ended up being an easy, inexpensive ride which will be our savior the next 2 days.

The Crap Facts:
This is my 379th concert.
Humboldt Park is the 105th venue I've seen a concert in.
Chicago is the 45th city I've seen a concert in.
Illinois is the 12th state I've seen a concert in.
This is my 187th concert in the USA.
Gwar are the 443rd band I've seen.
Failure are the 444th band I've seen.
This is my 3rd NoFX show.
This is my 3rd Gogol Bordello concert.
This is my 5th Offspring concert.
Slayer are the 445th band I've seen.

Chicago, IL

Meeting up with Erik in Chicago for a weekend of rock and I couldn't be happier. Every time I go to a festival I declare it to be my last - and then Riot Fest comes along and makes The Cure the headliner and all bets are off. Thanks to some old friends at Lake Las Vegas, I managed to get a good rate (considering it was NASCAR weekend in Chicago) at the W Lakeshore. We met on the Thursday night and I had to eat at the local institute of the Chicago Chophouse. For 2 carnivores married to vegetarians this was heaven. Big steaks, couple of beers and within a mile of the hotel (thankfully as the weather was a lot cooler than the 84 degrees I'd left in Charlotte).

Isle Of Palms, SC

On August 23 we made the family's trek to the beach for our end of summer week.  We returned to Wild Dunes as it was a case of better the devil you know.  We had a different apartment this year (about a mile north of where we were last year).  Great spot again, right on the beach.  I was however concerned with the amount of erosion happening on the beach.   A lot of work was being done to the complex next door, but our building was getting closer to the water daily (and that was because water was coming under a man-made break wall).  Not a lot to report as we only ever went to the beach or to a pool.  Over all it was nice to be at the beach again.  While the boys weren't 100% well, the delight they get from the beach and pool is fantastic.

View from our condo

B&L

Annual Family Bike Ride

Nine Inch Nails & Soundgarden @ PNC Pavilion

Great line up, but I still am not completely cured of my dislike of seeing shows in a big venue.  This outdoor amphitheater north of Charlotte would be a test.

Unfortunately Mike and I arrived too late to see Dillinger Escape Plan - which is a shame because their angular rock would have been a great compliment to the 2 headliners.  We could hear Searching With My Good Eye Closed as we were entering the grounds and got to our seats halfway through Spoonman.  From there Soundgarden continued to pump out a ton of their classics.  My Wave was great.  The first notes of Jesus Christ Pose sent shivers up the spine and Rusty Cage was phenomenal.  Overall a fantastic set.  Nine Inch Nails would have there work cut out for them to outdo their opener.  The only downside was how far back we were.  My eyes kept wandering to the big screen instead of the stage.

 

Between sets, Mike and I went and got a beer and checked out the merchandise.  We were back in our seats 10 minutes before NIN were due on stage and nothing but a single keyboard was on the stage.  What was going on?  We were so far back that we didn't realize that the lone guy running towards the keyboard was Trent Reznor - I just thought the crowd were over-reacting to a roadie.  However he burst into Copy Of A and instantly the crowd came rushing back to their spots to see what was to be a spectacular set.  Band members were rolled around an elaborate pre-programmed light show as the group tore shreds off song after song.  March Of The Pigs, an all time fave, was colossal.  Closer was intense and the closing Head Like A Hole was amazing.  The 1 song encore was the haunting Hurt, which while mind-blowing, didn't quite fit the pace of the rest of the show.

A few years ago Nine Inch Nails opened for Jane's Addiction in Vegas during the NINJA tour.  NIN put on a great show that night and Jane's pulled out all the stops to equal them.  Tonight Soundgarden did the same thing.  After wondering how they could match Soundgarden, Nine Inch Nails blew them off the stage.  Easily one of the great shows of the year.

 

The Crap Facts:

This is my 378th concert.
PNC Pavilion is the 104th venue I've seen a concert.
This is my 28th concert in Charlotte.
This is my 30th concert in North Carolina.
This is my 186th concert in the USA.
This is my 5th Soundgarden show.
This is my 4th Nine Inch Nails show.
Nine Inch Nails is the 50th time I've seen a band in North Carolina.

Liverpool v AC Milan at Bank Of America Stadium

My beloved Liverpool....here....in Charlotte!  I can't believe this.  I had my ticket the minute the went on sale and couldn't be happier.  Well almost.  A lack of available babysitter meant that A could come with me, but Drew bought Erica and Vince instead.  So still a good crew.

We arrived early and, as usual for Bank Of America Stadium, there are a lot of people milling around before heading in.  I'm not sure what I expected but I would guess roughly 90% of the crowd had Liverpool gear on, a few AC Milan shirts could be seen, and then a spattering of other English Premier League team shirts.  I paid good money and was happy with our seats, about half way between the penalty box and the halfway line.  And high enough up, but not in the nosebleeds.  We walked to our seats, past one of the boxes to see Robbie Fowler and Ian Rush having a beer.  I'm 10 rows in from of God and a Liverpool great who was a hero when I started supporting them.  I wish Nicky Meyers was with me - I didn't have the balls to ask for an autograph.  So before kick off and I'm already on a high.

Bank Of America Stadium  -Liverpool v AC Milan

Liverpool looked really good from the outset and Joe Allen reacted quickly to slot a rebound off the post into net at 17 minutes.  Liverpool then continued to surge forward and won a penalty, which new boy Ricky Lambert took (a great penalty taker in years gone by).  He couldn't capitalize.  I hope this is not a sign of his season to come.

At half time I went and bought myself a scarf as a souvenir (a bit weird for the middle of summer) and the second half saw both teams make excessive changes as heat and pre-season fitness come into play.  The match became a little more back and forth and it wasn't until the last minute that Suso, right in front of us, secured the win from about 25 years out.  AC Milan don't have all the great names they used to and looked lost at times.  Having said that, Liverpool looked quite cohesive and attacking.  This result puts them up against Manchester United in the final on Monday.  I hope this is the start of a winning season.

Great to get some football in Charlotte.  Let's hope they bring it back here next year.  I'm pretty sure the 70,000 that showed up would be back.

Vince, Me, Erica & Drew

Liverpool 2 (Joe Allen 17, Suso 89) vs AC Milan 0

Attendance: 69,364

Liverpool: Simon Mignolet, Kolo Touré, Sebastián Coates, Martin Kelly, Jack Robinson, Jordan Henderson, Lucas, Joe Allen, Rickie Lambert, Raheem Sterling, Jordan Ibe

Subs: Brad Jones, Glen Johnson, José Enrique, Mamadou Sakho, Martin Skrtel, Steven Gerrard, Philippe Coutinho, Emre Can, Conor Coady, Suso, Kristoffer Peterson 

AC Milan: Christian Abbiati, Mattia De Sciglio, Adil Rami, Ignazio Abate, Daniele Bonera, Sulley Muntari, Riccardo Saponara, Michael Essien, Giampaolo Pazzini, M'baye Niang, Stephan El Shaarawy

Subs: Gabriel, Michael Agazzi, Philippe Mexes, Michelangelo Albertazzi, Cristián Zapata, Kevin Constant, Alex, Marco Pinato, Cristian Zaccardo, Keisuke Honda, Andrea Poli, Bryan Cristante, Mario Balotelli, Hachim Mastour

Nanna H

Nan & I - Boxing Day 1981

Nanna H - Xmas Day 2007

b 27 April 1927

d 1 August 2014
Aged 87

Preceded in death, in 1993, by husband of 42 years
Terry

Survived by her children

Graeme, Terese (d 1956), Wayne, Robert, Trish

her grandchildren

Shayne, Kelly, Kara, Jessica, Grant, Morris, Alexandra and Kathleen

and her great-grandchildren

Hailey, Lucy, Barrett, Leland, Nathaniel, Max, Cailin and Scarlette

Rest In Peace Nanna H

King Buzzo @ Visulite

It's as good as a Melvin's show, so I'll take King Buzzo on his solo acoustic tour coming to Charlotte.

Who knew what to expect here?  The Melvins have such a unique sound that I wonder if he is going to try and replicate it, or show us something completely new.  Turns out - a bit of both.  Buzzo has a solo record which he plays mostly off, but throws in some Melvins as well.  Lizzy was the favorite of the night (from Houdini).  Overall a captivating show without knowing many songs.  The normally quiet Osbourne was very chatty with this intimate crowd.  Told some great road stories about being with the Melvins, how different towns react, meeting and working with Mike Patton and generally some one on one with this small crowd.

My love of the uniqueness of the Melvins is well known.  This show just gives another aspect of their lead singer.  A musician, artist and, now, storyteller.  I'm glad I decided to go to this at the last minute.  I know a majority of music fans were at the PNC Pavillion tonight seeing Kiss, but I saw as good as (if not better) show here at the Visulite.

King Buzzo Setlist

The Crap Facts:
This is my 377th concert.
This is my 4th concert at Visulite.
This is my 27th concert in Charlotte.
This is my 29th concert in North Carolina.
This is my 185th concert in the USA.
King Buzzo is the 442nd band I've seen.

Beck & Ghost Of A Sabre Tooth Tiger @ Uptown Amphitheater

At the last minute Mike and I bought a ticket to this show and somehow it ended being in the 3rd row on the isle.  Awesome!

I Didn't know, until we were in the venue, that Ghost of A  Sabre Tooth Tiger is Sean Lennon's band.  I thought their 30 minute set was pretty good, but you gotta wonder how tough it is to be in a band when your dad was in the Beatles.  As good as he is, he must be sick of the questions about John, and the opportunity to just be himself.

Having seen Beck at the Pearl in Vegas a couple of years ago, this show was a no brainer.  And as with last time, Beck and his band put in a great performance.  Devil's Haircut is a perfect opener - everyone knows it and the crowd react accordingly.  Was great being part of the overwhelmingly loud crowd sing-a-long to the chorus of Loser.  After which a lot of the set was unfamiliar to me, but still entertaining.  Shout out goes to the Billie Jean snippet in the middle of Sissyneck.  By the time Beck finished his 2 hour show with Where It's At as the last of a 3 song encore, we left knowing we'd seen yet another great show, and in a perfect venue for him.  This warm evening, outside, with the Charlotte skyline in the background seemed like the perfect setting for this night.

 

The Crap Facts:

This is my 376th concert.

This is my 2nd concert at Uptown Amphitheater.

This is my 26th concert in Charlotte.

This is my 28th concert in North Carolina.

This is my 184th concert in the USA.

Ghost Of A Sabre Tooth Tiger are the 441st band I've seen.

This is my 2nd Beck concert.

Cage The Elephant & Bear Hands @ The Fillmore

Another Cage show.  This time in the full-to-capacity Fillmore.  Such a good venue to see them in (compared to last year's support of Muse at Time Warner Arena).  Mike and I got there early as I wanted to see Bear Hands - had been hearing good things about them.  Unfortunately they weren't my thing and I kind of wish we'd stayed outside and had a beer somewhere else.

When Cage The Elephant came on the Fillmore was at capacity and from the first note singer Matt Shultz was on fire.  He exploded with his passion for his own music, and this energy immediately bled into the audience.  By the end of In One Ear the Fillmore was uncomfortably warm and would only get hotter (with relief not coming until we left).  The set was really heavy with songs from their latest album, Melophobia, which while good, meant a lot of great songs (James Brown, Indy Kidz, False Skorpions, 2024 etc) were left out - maybe a longer playing time is needed (hint hint).  Having said that, at my age it would've been hard to survive that intensity and heat for much longer.

I hope for great things for Cage The Elephant, they are a powerful live band, in a time where rock is not as relevant as it used to be.  The show they put on can really only be matched by either The Hives or Gogol Bordello for energy.  I'd like to see them do a longer set and vary their setlist to me more inclusive of some older songs, but I could say that about a lot of bands I've seen lately.

 

The Crap Facts:

This is my 375th concert.
This is my 10th concert at The Fillmore.
This is my 25th concert in Charlotte.
This is my 27th concert in North Carolina.
This is my 183rd concert in the USA.
Bear Hands are the 440th band I've seen.
This is my 5th Cage The Elephant concert.

John Butler Trio @ The Fillmore

A Father's Day out!  A and I took our neighbors out to see a great Aussie band out tonight.  I had seen John Butler Trio years ago, open for G. Love and remember being blown away, especially considering I wasn't a huge fan of his albums.  Knowing that Mark is a guitar player, I hoped he'd like this show.  I was not to be disappointed.

We missed the opening act as we had stopped at a place to get some appetizers.  We walked in to a pretty full Fillmore, but amazingly were able to get a great spot close to the front.  I do like it when an Aussie band does well in my adopted country and tonight I understand why John Butler Trio deserve all the success owing to them.

A lot of new stuff that I wasn't familiar with, not until Better Man half way through the set did anything known happen.  Oceans, the 10 plus minutes instrumental, was absolutely awe-inspiring.  There wasn't a person without their jaw on the floor after this great song.  It also took the vibe of the show to another level after that.  Loved Don't Wanna See Your Face No More, and Zebra was a rousing finish to the 2 hour set.  Not to be left short - an amazing 3 song encore left everyone buzzing as they left the Fillmore.

A great night was had by all, and we converted 2 new John Butler Trio fans.  Happy Father's Day.

 

The Crap Facts:

This is my 374th concert.
This is my 9th concert at The Fillmore.
This is my 24th concert in Charlotte.
This is my 26th concert in North Carolina.
This is my 182nd concert in the USA.
This is my 2nd John Butler Trio concert.

Primus @ Thomas Wolfe Auditorium

Road Trip!

So the closest Primus played to Charlotte was Asheville, so I took the night to drive the 2.5 hours and stay the night in town.

Kind of poorly organised.  I walked into the theater with no one checking security or scanning my ticket.  Then the seated auditorium was first come first serve on the seats.  While I was too late to stand up front with a small crowd, I did get a 5th row seat on an isle.

As advertised, Primus walked out right at 8pm to start a 2 hour show.  Broken into 2 sets, I was surprised to see that they were using the same astronaut back drop the had when I last saw them in Vegas in 2010.  However this did not take away from the music.

As usual, it was hard to take my eyes away from Les Claypool.  He just makes bass playing look so easy.  Having said that, it does take away from the other 2 who are incredible musicians in their own right.  From the Those Damn Blue Collar Tweekers opener, it was a great 1st set with Southbound Pachyderm and (especially) My Name Is Mud being the outstanding songs.  But mention must be made to the South Park Theme in the middle of Over The Falls - just to make sure the crowd were still with them.

After a quick break, we got not just an encore but a whole other set.  While all I wanted was my 2 favorites (Mr Krinkle - who in 6 shows they've never played - and Tommy The Cat), Wynona's Big Brown Beaver near the end of the set had the two-thirds full venue jumping.

I always watch the musician side of Primus in awe.  The are great at what they do and tight as a unit.  I am no musician, but you can't not be blown away that the universe has put these 3 gentlemen together to create unique rock, incomparable to any band I've ever heard.  Looking forward to the next time I see them - with some Mr Krinkle.

The Crap Facts:

This is my 373rd concert.

Thomas Wolfe Auditorium is the 103rd venue I've seen a concert.

Asheville is the 44th city I've seen a concert

This is my 25th concert in North Carolina.

This is my 181st concert in the USA.

This is my 6th Primus concert.

Gaslight Anthem & Cory Branan @ The Fillmore

I was surprised to walk into the Fillmore to see the place not even half full and areas curtained off.  It was only 14 months ago Gaslight Anthem played here and filled the place.  Regardless, I walked in right at the beginning of Cory Branan's set and he was on fire.  Not your typical singer-songwriter, Branan's off beat / odd tempo acoustic performance was outstanding.  He said he was playing a new guitar and was having difficulty adjusting, yet besides restarting one song, I thought he was great.  Stand out songs were Prettiest Waitress In Memphis and A Girl Named Go.

I was stoked when Gaslight Anthem came out and started off with 59 Sound, but the song sounded tired, like they were going through the motions.  This is a shame cause this is a top 25 favorite of mine.  Given the set did pick up after that with High Lonesome being the highlight until the encore.  In the encore, back to back songs, Great Expectations and a fantastic cover of House Of The Rising Sun, were great.  This was probably the least energetic of the 5 Gaslight shows I've seen, but still a great one all the same.  I'd be happy to go and see them again if they came through Charlotte again.

The Crap Facts
This is my 372nd concert.
This is my 8th concert at The Fillmore.
This is my 23rd concert in Charlotte.
This is my 24th concert in North Carolina.
This is my 180th concert in the USA.
Cory Branan is the 439th band I've seen.
This is my 5th Gaslight Anthem concert.

Gaslight Anthem are the 850th time I've seen a band.

Grandad F

Granddad & I 1974

A & I with Granddad & Nanna Xmas 2007

b 29 August 1922

d 24 April 2014
Aged 91

Survived by his wife of 66 years

Irene

his children

Garry (deceased), Sue, Lindsay, Marg

his grandchildren

Joanne, Michael, Shayne, Grant, Luke, Kelly, Holly

and his great-grandchildren

Erin, Brooke, Hayley, Daniel, Kody, Dylan, Ethan, Riley, Leila, Indiana, Lucy, Jayden, Barrett, Leland and Max.

ANZAC Day will always be my day with you.  I wish you met my boys on more than Skype.  

Rest In Peace Granddad.

Weezer @ The Fillmore

This is really out of the blue.  No album to promote (yet) but here is Weezer...in Charlotte.  Not that I'm complaining.

A & I decided we'd take a rare night out together to see if Weezer can still put on a good show.  And yes they can.  No opening act and not a lot of people - we unaggressively had a spot close to the stage on the side.  But the band were in form, if not interactive, from the get go.

It was one great song after another with only the new Back To The Shack the only song I didn't know in the 1st half, though it could easily be a pick off the Blue Album.  Once again (something I've said before at Weezer shows) a relatively short set, which finished on a short high of Blur's Song 2.

Buddy Holly, Hash Pipe & The Good Life (My favorite Weezer song) were my highlights and the band stated they were finishing up a new album and would be back in town in September to premiere some of those songs.  Hope I get to see it.

The Crap Facts:

This is my 371st concert.

This is my 7th concert at The Fillmore.

This is my 22nd concert in Charlotte.

This is my 23rd concert in North Carolina.

This is my 179th concert in the USA.

This is my 4th Weezer concert.

Amigo & Roseland @ Snug Harbor

This night didn't quite go as planned.  We showed up for the Amigo record launch to support A's cousin, Slade.  Unfortunately we just didn't have the stamina to see out the whole show.

We got to Snug Harbor just on 9pm to find an empty venue (and we were ready to sneak home and go to bed).  We waited around as Roseland played their set.  These countryish harmonies are kind of what I think I would hear at an Avett Brothers show.  And nothing against them, but just not my cup of tea.

While we did get to spend a small amount of time with family between bands, by the time Amigo came on, A was ready to leave and the thought of the boys being awake within the next 6 hours was daunting.  Snug Harbor had filled with a lot of great support as Amigo started into their set.  I watched as Slade greeted so many friends and family who were there to share his moment.  And the band, using a lot of guest/friend musicians looked like they were just getting into the swing of things as we headed out.  I know Slade puts a lot of effort into Amigo and I sincerely hope that it pays off for him.

The Crap Facts:
This is my 370th concert.
Snug Harbor is the 102nd venue I've seen a concert
This is my 21st concert in Charlotte.
This is my 22nd concert in North Carolina.
This is my 178th concert in the USA.
Roseland are the 438th band I've seen.
This is my 2nd Amigo concert.