Category: CONCERTS

December 26, 2012

MY YEAR IN ROCK – retrospect 2012 (Part 1)

Every year when I look back on what I’ve been doing, it seems like it’s been longer than just a year. 2012 was no exception.

Even just the Firewind-tours were enough to fill a lot of space and bring back great memories – you’ll find those in this separate blog: http://firewindtour.posterous.com/firewind-tours-of-2012-recap

But there have been plenty of other highlights that I thought I’d take a look back on, now when there are only a few more days left of this year…:-)

TONY IOMMI DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER – AND OZZY & FRIENDS….

The year started with bad news that shook the whole heavy metal community – one of the godfathers of metal, Tony Iommi, had been diagnosed with cancer. The Black Sabbath reunion with Ozzy that had been announced and that had been so highly anticipated, was off. However, not to disappoint the fans too much, Ozzy decided to do the scheduled dates as “Ozzy & Friends“, bringing Slash, Zakk Wylde and Geezer Butler on tour. And of course his own band, which made a lot of people happy – myself included, as “the new kid on the block”, Gus G, was with Oz on those dates. Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t have bothered.

FIREWIND IN ATHENS

Speaking of Gus, my first concert trip of 2012 took me to Athens, Greece where they kicked off their year at the Fuzz club, and also recorded a video for the single “Wall of Sound” that was released later in the spring.

I remember Athens as easy to navigate with the metro going all through town. I was guided through some must-see’s, such as the Akropolis, by Jon, a good friend of Jon Oliva’s Pain (they were the ones who recommended him when I was looking for a contact in Athens – just in case). He’s also a singer in the band Need and we had lots to talk about, so it was a great guide! :) Always nice to get to know new people.

Jon:

As for the Firewind-show (which was on January 14th, by the way), it was one of the best or worst, depending on how you look at it – their Greek crowd is absolutely freaking NUTS! I must have lost ten pounds at least getting crushed against the barricades before and during the show. My god. But – as always – worth it, ten times over! :)

STEVE STEVENS & SEBASTIAN BACH AT THE IRIDIUM JAZZ-CLUB IN NEW YORK CITY

At the end of January, on the 27th, I left for New York City. This time it wasn’t a major arena-gig, quite the opposite. Steve Stevens, one of the coolest guitarists alive (known from Billy Idol, Michael Jackson, Vince Neil etc…) and Sebastian Bach were performing together at this small jazz-club somewhere on Broadway.

The whole idea seemed so bizarre that I had to see it. I had also scheduled an interview with Steve through his wife Josie. Josie rocks! People look at her and judge her by the way she looks, it’s way too easy to think she’s just some bimbo, but I loved that girl. She was very professional but at the same time also very friendly and open. She had never even met us, but greeted us with a hug and made sure that we felt welcome. I wish all interviews could be planned through people like Josie.

Josie Stevens:

I got a great interview with Steve after the two sets at the Iridium (with a seated audience). My friend (and photographer) Beatrice and I were lucky to get absolute front row seats – right at the stage. I remember when Sebastian walked out on stage, he dropped his jaw and started doing sign language and grimacing kind of to ask “Did you fly over just for this?”
He shouldn’t be surprised, after 23 years he should be used to seeing me anywhere in the world, so why not a jazz club in New York?

Anyway, the backstage story, the review, the interview, photos and all from that can be found here:

BLOG: http://lita77777.posterous.com/first-day-in-new-york-tomorrow-steve-stevens

REVIEW: http://lita77777.posterous.com/steve-sebastian-the-iridium-nyc

PHOTOS: http://lita77777.posterous.com/steve-stevens-sebastian-bach-photos-by-beatri

INTERVIEW: http://lita77777.posterous.com/the-guitar-sleeps-with-me-in-the-bed-steve-st

WHITNEY HOUSTON PASSED

After the Stevens/Bach show at the Iridium, I took it easy during February. The music world was hit by more bad news, not specifically metal, but one of the great voices in modern music, had passed – Whitney Houston. It shocked a lot of people, including a lot of rockers. Whether or not you were into her music, I think most of us would agree that Whitney’s voice was one of a kind and it was a tragic fate. This was on February 11, 2012. R.I.P Whitney.

STEEL PANTHER INTERVIEW IN COPENHAGEN

Next on the schedule of 2012 was Steel Panther. I heard that they were coming to Copenhagen, and I actually hesitated whether or not I would request an interview with them. They are funny, but that’s exactly the thing – how do you interview a band like that?! It would certainly be…different.

It was actually my friend Kevin, from JOP, who talked me into it. “What’s the worst that could happen? If you don’t like the result of the interview, don’t post it!” True enough. So, I contacted Universal in Copenhagen and set up an interview with these crazy guys.

It was a pleasant surprise. They were absolutely “normal” before the cameras went on, and especially Michael Starr who we met down in the lobby 30 minutes before the interview. But the minute the cameras were rolling, they became the out of control Steel Panther that we all know and love.

I had it all figured out, or so I thought. However, they wouldn’t let me finish a sentence, so they missed some of the jokes that I was hoping they would pick up on. But, I realized that the best way to deal with these dudes, was to just shut up and let them do the talking! :))

The interview has passed 24 300 views, that’s crazy. :))

BLOG: http://lita77777.posterous.com/getting-together-with-steel-panther-in-copenh

INTERVIEW…..

PART TWO OF MY YEAR IN ROCK COMING UP………..!

November 28, 2012

DYNAZTY and Sabaton were in town last night….

DYNAZTY’s album “Sultans Of Sin” became my favorite album of 2012, and I wanted to get a chat with these guys a few months ago. However, they were “hot stuff” at the time after being on TV all the time, the press loved “the heaviest boy-band in Sweden”…
The timing wasn’t right back then – but it was perfect now.

The “boy-band” finally dragged their asses back to Malmö with the tour package Dynazty/Raubtier/Sabaton last night.

SABATON – KB Malmö 2012-11-27:

Arranged the interview with guitarist “Rob” Love Magnusson through Facebook (well, the crap is good for something every now and then..!) and so – it was time for another video interview for The Rearview Mirror.

I arrived to KB 20 minutes too early, went there straight after work – DEAF on one ear (!) which is a pain in the ass. I hate trying to talk to people when I can barely hear them. Terrible timing.

Texted Love the minute we got there and he let us in.

– Our dressing room is upstairs, second door on the left….I THINK... I’m just gonna grab something to eat, I’ll be right with you guys, he said and ran off to get some dinner.

Went upstairs to the dressing rooms. Been up there like a million times before it seems… Hanoi Rocks, Judas Priest, HIM, Motorhead, Dio…. Countless names, lots of memories. I know the place well.

It wasn’t the second door on the left. It was the THIRD – and the reason I learned THAT really quickly is because the first thing I saw through the half-open door, was a pant-less singer, Nils, putting his pants on (probably oblivious to the fact that there were guests on their way up…).

– You MIGHT not want to walk in there right now, I told Henrik and Mari who came right after me.

No big deal to me, been in slightly more awkward situations before. :) Like the JOP tour when one of the guys in the support act forgot to lock the door to the shower and I accidentally walked straight in. He was a lot more embarrassed than I was, lol. ;)

Anyway, when they were all fully dressed, Henrik started arranging his cameras all over the bands’ dressing room.

The guys were super nice. As usual, drummers always have a story or two to tell while you’re waiting. George mentioned rolling out of his top-bunk in his sleep, landing flat on his face without as much as waking up! He only realized what had happened when he woke up with an aching nose on the cold bus-floor in the morning. Ah – the joys of touring! ;)

You’ll get to see the whole conversation soon enough. It’s in the hands of The Camera-guy, who decides when it’s good enough to go public. :)

After the interview, I went downstairs to secure a good spot in front of the stage before the doors opened. It was SOLD OUT!! Jesus Christ, KB hasn’t been sold out in YEARS as far as I recall. Not even W.A.S.P, who ALWAYS draws large crowds,

But Sabaton is THE shit here right now. People are nuts about them. I heard from fellow rock-fan Pekka before the show, that the guys in Sabaton were all sick as dogs. That was verified by singer Joakim later that evening when he apologized to the fans for not making it to the signing-session, as he had to be rushed off to the doctor instead. One can only admire a true artist for getting onstage anyway, the rock’n’roll way – the show must go on. Always.

Dynazty took the stage right on time, and did one hell of a job. I wasn’t as impressed at Sweden Rock Festival, but it might have been because my expectations were way too high. This time they were more comfortable, I think that an indoor gig suits them better – they communicate much better with the crowd in that setting.

I loved their set, great songs, good performance – and great vocals. They are all skilled at what they do, but I love when a band has a really good singer. Nils has a strong, crystal clear yet rough voice, impressive as hell.

I suspect that the guy behind me who tapped me on my shoulder to ask me which songs the band had been playing, was there to review the show but didn’t know much about Dynazty. :) I let him write down the songs from the set list I got right before the show to be able to plan my filming (helped a lot-thanks guys!)

Following Dynazty – Swedish “Rammstein” – Raubtier. Metal in Swedish. Not even that, in a northern dialect, “norrländska” that fit their music surprisingly well.

I had never heard them before so it was a nice new aquaintance. A great live-band that got the crowd warmed up.

When it was finally time for SABATON, the place was PACKED – it was boiling hot! Once the band made their grand entrance on stage, people went crazy! The kings, the heroes, had arrived!

Wow, the energy and the atmosphere in there was indescribable. You don’t see or experience that too often. Not in that way. There’s something about Sabaton that people can’t resist and they get through to people very well. They genuinely love what they do, there is no doubt about that. You can see the spark in Joakim’s eyes even through his pilot-style shades! And definitely in the rest of the band’s whole body language and facial expressions, it’s a party from beginning to end!

I left early though. Long story, I was hungry, tired and had to take the bus home for once so… didn’t see the whole show. But I saw Sabaton several times this summer as they were on the bill of almost every festival I ended up at :)

From the BANG YOUR HEAD FESTIVAL IN GERMANY in July…. I was caught in this crazy crowd and manage to catch this much of Sabaton’s energetic show!

I basically had a great evening last night, meeting old and new friends and also getting together with the talented guys of Dynazty for an interview. Video interview soon!

Check out the photo album on Facebook HERE.

November 11, 2012

Community Asian Fat Tiger Woods (or something…) VIDEOS

A video says more than a thousand words – or something like that. ;)

Feast your eyes on THIS – from last night’s STEEL PANTHER party at O2 (Apollo) in Manchester, UK!

(review/blog here: http://lita77777.posterous.com/you-wanted-the-best-you-got-steel-panther)

More to come…. :)

November 11, 2012

You wanted the best – you got STEEL PANTHER!

I had an absolutely perfect day here in Manchester, UK, yesterday. Arrived around 10 in the morning and had the whole day to enjoy the sunshine and the many happenings, markets and fairs down in the city center.

There was music everywhere, everything from karaoke (a little girl was singing, I remember her having a wonderful voice – hopefully a future star!) acrobats, dancers, street art and walking soda cups. Anything you could imagine. There was BBQ’ing and it smelled so good, food from everywhere, cajun, indian, traditional… And home made cupcakes. Too bad I’m on a low carb diet, or I would have tried a few of those, they looked delicious.

My feet and my back were killing me after the hours of walking, I just went back to the hotel for 10 minutes to get some rest, then walked off to O2, Apollo. There was already a line, 3,5 hours before doors even opened.

What I don’t like about O2 though, is that so called “priority guests”-line. People who BUY their way in, they get in before everybody else and can choose their spots. So all the other people who have been standing there all day freezing their asses off, getting tired just as much as anyone else, gets to stare at somebody’s back instead.

I ended up behind two teenage girls who were giggling and talking the WHOLE time, except for when they were updating their Facebook-statuses of course, or texting…

Anyway, the hours spent out there in the cold were still worth it. At least as soon as the opening act Falling Red got off the stage. The difference between Steel Panther and bands like Falling Red is that at least Steel Panther is doing it as a JOKE, as a parody of what the glam and sleaze era was all about.

Falling Red IS the kind of band that they are joking about. When they started shouting about who in the audience was a sex addict or a drug/alcohol addict, as if it was something cool to scream a “yes” to that bullshit, I just thought “please get off the fucking stage you beehived Motley Crue wannabe losers”…

If they meant it as a joke as well, it just wasn’t made the right way, come on, it’s not the 80’s anymore.

But if I erase those 30 minutes of the show out of my head (believe me, it won’t take long) and move on to the Steel Panther show…

Steel Panther is – hands down – the BEST live band there is, anywhere, right now. They take ALL the elements that makes a great show, mix them all together and put a label on it that says STEEL PANTHER. Absolutely fucking AMAZING.

You get great music, played by extremely talented musicians (a fact that tends to be overlooked because of the parody label) you get four guys who are working their asses off on stage with their poses and their moves, oh, and they’re hot too.

There’s the 80’s outfits, the smoke, lasers, confetti…! It’s like Christmas and New Year’s all on one. And on top of all that, the icing on the cake – the jokes. You get to laugh too. There is no better entertainment package anywhere right now. They are doing this so right, and they’re leading their crowd into a mass psychosis pretty much.. :))

Chicks go to their shows, PLANNING to show their tits. One of them had painted something on her boobs last night, and tried everything to get noticed by the “titty cam” – and was the happiest girl in the world when she got up on stage and could lift up her home-made shirt “look everyone, I’ve got boobies!”. Well it’s just bizarre sometimes to watch the whole spectacle.

The only downside is that when you’ve seen Steel Panther a few times, some of the jokes tend to get a bit…old. :) That’s just because you’ve heard them before so it’s more like “yeah yeah, Michael is 65 years old and had a hip replacement and takes Viagra – gotcha”.

Other than that – I love this band. I will definitely travel again to see them, because it’s the one band where you simply can’t go wrong – you’re guaranteed to have a great time!

Thanks – again – Steel Panther!

[Photos here: www.facebook.com/intherearviewmirror]

[More VIDEOS here: http://lita77777.posterous.com/community-asian-fat-tiger-woods-or-something ]

July 1, 2012

GRASPOP METAL MEETING 2012 – MEGADETH memories and reviews (Part 3)

So…. I love Megadeth. Both Vera and Rob were giggling a bit at my teenage-happy face. I was really looking forward to the show and yeah I admit that I was almost terrified at the thought of bumping into Dave Mustaine somewhere back there. After all this time working in the music biz, I’m not easily impressed by “rock stars” anymore, and most bands are on a totally different level nowadays.

Very few still make me feel like a nervous, stoked teenager…!
Megadeth and Whitesnake (what a combo by the way…lol!) are two bands that I still have a lot of respect for.

[From WAY back when I was hanging with Megadeth because former guitarist Marty Friedman was a super-great guy who also happened to be friends with Anders Johansson (former Yngwie-drummer) who in turn happened to be a friend of mine also….:-) So he would get me passes and stuff, very kind person. Maybe I’ll write about those “old” Megadeth-memories some other time! :-)

(Hanging around Megadeth’s stage hours before they showed up)

People around us were working, so the breaks inbetween bands were slightly boring at times. While I was sitting there, overlooking Megadeth’s drumset – somebody got up there and started playing. First I thought it was a roadie or something – but when I took a closer look, it was Shawn Drover himself. He smiled and left. A few minutes later, I bump into Chris Broderick who’s also smiling, warming up right behind the Megadeth backdrop.

(Chris warming up minutes before they hit the stage)

I asked Ellefson’s tech where I could stand so that I wouldn’t be in anyone’s way, cause I saw that people had been told not to stand here or there because the sound-guy needed to see what was going on on stage. I just wanted to enjoy the show without being told to move. “If you stand over there you’ll be good”, he said and pointed at a spot right behind the sound-guy.

Just as I was adjusting my camera – Dave Mustaine suddenly walks right out on stage. I’m glad the camera was on so I didn’t miss anything…!

And the show was….? Well, for me it was freaking great, but it’s the last time I’m ON the stage during a Megadeth concert. There’s something about being in a crazy crowd that’s going insane – that feels right when it comes to Megadeth. Standing there, civilized without as much as sweating, felt kind of snobby and not-so-rock’n’roll.

As much as I realize the privilege of being so close to the band up on stage, it’s still not the way a show is supposed to be experienced.

I love everything about Megadeth – they sound brilliant, and the angry Mustaine-vocals make every syllable believable. I kept hearing from people what a “dick” he supposedly is and that’s something I’ve heard as long as I can remember. There’s always been people disliking him. Not saying that they’re wrong, I don’t know him personally to state otherwise, but if he hadn’t been arrogant, his music wouldn’t have been what it is. It’s the anger and the arrogance that does it.

And maybe I simply LIKE people with an attitude problem. :-)
Back in 1999 I went to Vegas to see Megadeth at The Joint (Hard Rock Hotel). and some chick tried to impress Dave by flashing her boobs. Dave just looked at her, being anything BUT impressed, and said: “You know… if you water them, they might grow.” OUCH! :-)) See, I likethat kind of sarcasm, call me crazy. ;)

The guy doesn’t give a rats ass about anything, I think that most people secretly admire people like that.

So anyway – “the new” Megadeth is better than ever. I used to think they were boring live, but that has changed in the past few years. I don’t know what happened, maybe it’s the chemistry between the current band members, cause it works really well.

But again, watching Megadeth from the side of the stage might be a privilege and I know that – but it’s not the ideal place to actually experience a gig. You’re supposed to be in the mosh pit with a few thousand other maniacs, getting all your aggressions out, getting your ass kicked, sweating and jumping and – all that.

Last year I took the day off to go see Megadeth in Aarhus, Denmark. It was amazing – there was all that aggression in the music that got your adrenaline pumping – it gave you strength and it was like some sort of mental cleansing.

Even at Graspop I was filled with that feeling, but in a less physical sort of way. Any band that can bring out emotions like that, is worth following.

After the show, I met Vera behind the backdrop – and she started laughing. “My god, Daniela, you look like a happy child!” I guess I must have had that “holy shiit they rule!“-face and yes I was definitely happy. Can’t wait to see them again.

MEGADETH photo album on the FB-page: www.facebook.com/intherearviewmirror

A few of the highlights:

Ooooh – myyy – goood! :)))

One of my absolute favorite Megadeth-songs, great lyrics. The filming is terrible but I was trying to actually watch the band without the camera being in the way – and record at the same time. Didn’t work out so well :-D