Tagged: Van Halen
Steel Panther, Van Halen, Priest and whatever else comes along
Finally got in touch with the Steel Panther-camp. Their US promo-guy and then their label in Copenhagen, Denmark. Better late than never. :-)
Both have been very courteous, so even if it should turn out that the interview for whatever reason doesn’t happen, it’s nice with easygoing people. I appreciate that.
I admit I was a bit doutful about Steel Panther a few months ago when we went to Manchester to see them with Motley Crue and Def Leppard. But it only took them a few minutes to win me over 100%.
And now – I love sitting on the train between Malmo and Copenhagen watching their interviews on Youtube, it’s just cracking me up! I love their exaggerated vulgar parody…thing. Once you get it, it will keep you giggling for hours! :)I so hope I can get an interview with these crazy mothertruckers, just for the sake of for once not having to ask the same type of questions, but just be totally on their level, asking about howspandex works in cold Danish weather and shit like that. ;)
I’m keeping my fingers crossed!
Other than that – after a very slow period of almost no travel or gigs, it’s coming together bit by bit.
Steel Panther playing in Denmark on Thursday, got my ticket to Tampa, Florida in mid-April to see VAN HALEN, can’t WAIT for that! A week after that – Judas Priest playing in Sweden.
Then two weeks of vacation on Croatia in May, hopefully meeting up with the singer I had the pleasure of talking music with an afternoon last year, and then when I get home – OZZY & FRIENDS in Stockholm and Malmo.
Much like last year, that’s where it all begins, because then it’s time for Sweden Rock Festivaland Graspop and even a Firewind-gig or two in August…. Maybe Billy Idol in the fall, that’s what Steve Stevens mentioned in NYC, so I’m hoping that happens.
Just tons of stuff happening in the near future, I doubt it’s going to be as hectic as last year, but you never know. It all depends wh goes on tour and who doesn’t. :-)
It’s been way too quiet lately, I’m bored out of my mind. Something needs to happen. Oh yeah,Nasty Idols new CD should be out soon. But trying to get singer Andy to remember to get back to me has always been a challenge. Sometimes you really need patience when you’re dealing with musicians! :) Luckily I know him pretty well, enough to know he’s not dissing me, he just forgets stuff as quickly as any bassplayer..! ;)
But for now…. just the thought of a party-evening with Steel Panther live in Copenhagen next week is enough to put a smile on my face!
Van Halen ticket-hell!
So…. the Van Halen presale-tickets went on sale today. My GOD…. I didn’t realize what a MESS it is to get hold of tickets to the big arena-shows in the US. Oh, boy.
Here in Europe, or in Sweden at least, it’s plain and simple. A release date is announced. On that day and that time, it’s the law of the jungle that applies – whoever comes first grabs the best tickets.
And when it’s sold out – it¨s sold out. But you can, of course, always buy them unbelievably overpriced somewhere online at any time before the show. Even on the day of the show. So – you never have to panic. It’s all cool and it’s fair.
In the US it’s a freaking nightmare trying to figure out who gets what.
You get all these different “exclusive pre-sales”, all of them starting on different dates, different time zones, you need passwords and special links. Then of course, to make things even more confusing, there are the various VIP-packages and whatever else…..
It stressed me out so much I almost lost it. I REALLY – and I mean R-E-A-L-L-Y wanted a GOOD ticket to one of the Van Halen-shows (in this case the Madison Square Garden-show).
If I’m going to get on a plane and travel across the Atlantic, I really don’t feel like sitting in the nosebleed-section, thank you very much.
When the first tickets went on sale today, it turned out it was just for American Express-holders. I didn’t realize that. I can’t recall seeing that information anywhere before – cause if I had known, I would have asked around to see if anyone HAD an American Express that I could use for this.
I made a test just to see what kind of seats I would get, and got one on the floor, 5th row… that I couldn’t buy..!. My temper got the best of me at that point.
A few hours later, Live Nation finally revealed the password for THEIR presale (sigh…) So, I went back to Ticketmaster, ready to purchase one of THOSE tix…. Nope. Presale on Friday – when I’ll be on a PLANE all day on my way to ATHENS, Greece for the Firewind-show! Gah!!
And then, the day after THAT – tickets for “the general public”…..
Seriously, what’s the deal?? Why not just get those tickets on sale and get it over with! Thousands of anxious fans out there are DYING to get their hands on those tickets, why all these meaningless “VIP” this and VIP-that -games?!
You know that even the so called “VIP”-seats are going to suck, because the REAL good seats are already reserved for the “important” people. I’ve never been front row at any arena-show in the USA except for the VH1 Rock Honors show in Las Vegas in 2006 – because I was “TV-audience”, chosen by VH1.
I’ll never forget my very first concert-experience in the States (big arena-show). It was AC/DC playing at the Knickerbocker Arena in Albany, NY (I think it’s called the Pepsi arena nowadays). I was looking forward to standing in front of Angus jumping and screaming my guts out. You know, the way it’s supposed to be at a rock concert.
When I walked into the arena that night, I thought it was a joke. There were CHAIRS on the floor, in front of the stage….. WTF?! I wasn’t there to see the London Philharmonic Orchestra, I was there to see a ROCK BAND.
Over here, there are no chairs in front of the stage at rock-shows. I guess it’s a matter of reserving the “Best seats in the house” for celebrities, girlfriends, friends, radio stations, journalists, whoever. As a FAN you never get a chance at those really good seats – forget it. You’re lucky if you end up on the 5th row – and of course you’ll have to pay two months worth of rent for the ticket.
Very frustrating for someone like me who’s used to getting good tickets simply by being prepared: Logged in, links and everything else that I need, my credit card and all that in my hand…. That’s how I got a ticket for the Golden Circle for the Black Sabbath concert in Malmo this summer (if it happens, now with the shocking news we heard yesterday…. who cares about the show, I hope Tony gets well). I got the best spot in the house all over Europe all summer to see Ozzy for instance!
And then you get all this crap as soon as you want to see a band you love in the US.
American Express, Live Nation, passwords, codes, special links, different sales-dates, Facebook-pages (“Like”, “RSVP”, share to get a presale code…!) VIP-packages blah blah – and in the end, you’ll end up with nothing. A seat somewhere way UP or way in the BACK. Take a pick.Am I pissed off? You bet I am. I think the system blows. It would be a lot easier for everybody if we all could go to a great show under the same circumstances.
But maybe that’s just me…
David Lee Roth: “There’s the Swedish girl! Give her a pass”
So today has been a bit nerve-wracking.
Today is when Van Halen is supposed to announce their tour dates for 2012, and I for one can’t wait to get my hands on a ticket – AND a plane ticket to wherever I need to go to see them.
VH is one of the last classic rock bands that I haven’t seen. So there’s no question about it, just tell me where and when and I’ll be there.
I’ve seen David Lee Roth as a solo-artist though. It’s been a while and I don’t remember all the details anymore, but I believe it was 1999, he played Sweden Rock Festival. I was hanging at the hotel all day meeting other bands, and for a split second I saw Dave just whoosh by through the lobby, never had a chance to catch him. Dammit – I really wanted to meet him.
[David Lee Roth – performing at Sweden Rock Festival 1999]
Later that evening, I ended up talking to two nice guys in the hotel-bar, who had travelled everywhere, had interesting stories to tell and were basically just really good company.
As it turned out, one of them was David’s body guard…
He promised me he’d get Dave to stop for a few minutes the next day to sign something for me “He doesn’t go anywhere without me, so don’t worry, we’ll take care of this for you“.
He did. And I’ve got a horrible photo to prove it, lol! ;-)
[David Lee and me in the hotel lobby at Karlshamn Hotel, June 12, 1999]
Later that year, my friend Bianca and me went to Washington to visit my aunt, and decided to go see David once again. He played the MCI Center June 24, 1999, opening for Bad Company. He blew them off the stage, if you ask me!
But anyway… We had no plans for that day. It was a hot and sunny, and we were just out sightseeing in Washington D.C most of the day.
Tired from all the walking, we found this big concrete….something (like a big stair or something, not sure what to call it) where we sat down and leaned our backs against the wall – just relaxing in the sun.
Suddenly, we saw this big limo with black windows approaching. It disappeared down in an underground garage that was right next to us. I figured it had to be either David Lee Roth or Bad Company.
I didn’t think more of it, we went to the arena entrance cause it was almost time for the doors to open. Once again we found a little window ledge to sit on, when…. The sun was blocked by a shadow. Somebody was standing there. I looked up, and there was that guy again – David’s assistant/body guard whatever.
He was holding two backstage passes in his hand. “David told me to go find you and give you these. You’re welcome backstage after the show”.
Uh… WHAT…??
I couldn’t believe what he just said. DAVID LEE ROTH sent his assistant to FIND me and hand me backstage passes?? How exactly does something like that happen just out of the blue??
– He saw you when we pulled up in the limo. He just said: “There’s that Swedish girl. Find her. Give her passes.”
That shit just doesn’t happen. Or it happens to somebody else. Or in this case, it happened to us. To this day, I can’t believe it. But there’s the laminate to prove it. :-)
The backstage area was crammed, strippers and groupies and all the usual sort of people you’d expect to see backstage with Kiss, or David Lee Roth. I wondered what the hell we were doing there.
I helped myself from the buffet, had a bottle of beer, eventhough I don’t even drink beer – but the beer was cold and I was thirsty. I remember talking to his drummer Ray Luzier and his girlfriend, really nice people both of them. I’ve got a bunch of photos from the backstage area somewhere, I’ll post them on the Facebook-page once I find them. :-)
David disappeared into another room with the boobie-queens, I’m sure they were just talking politics somewhere. :) When he came back, I thanked him so much for inviting me. He just smiled and said that he immediately recognized me when they drove to the venue. Guess that sometimes you just need to be at the right place at the right time!
So…. Now when he’s out with Van Halen again, I’m one of the first to go – trust me! :-)
LATEST NEWS FROM VH – UPDATED ONLY A FEW MINUTES AGO!
Does integrity exist in rock’n’roll?
AC/DC and Walmart…. A match made in heaven? I think not.
AC/DC and wallets, backpacks, t-shirts, mugs, baseball-caps, stickers and so on – better? Maybe not, but somehow more accepted because it’s still kept “within the family” so to speak.
I guess in the word integrity in rock’n’roll means “staying away from whatever is mainstream”.
Fans upset signature song used in Walmart commercial
We all know how pissed off fans get whenever their favorite metal band decides to experiement with something new.Van Halen doing “Jump” in 1984 caused a MAJOR protests. Oh-my-god. Blasphemy! KEYBOARDS in metal? What the f***. People back then could maybe stretch their tolerance to hammond-organs but no way in hell synthesizers had any business in metal.
When Judas Priest attempted it two years later with Turbo, they got the same reception. To this day, people feel like their heroes let them down.
Both bands were accused of being sellouts – because they were trying to cater to a wider audience. So they were treated like traitors. Being a metalhead means “keeping it in the family”.
I guess that’s why “real” rockers generally don’t like anything that has to do with stepping outside that frame.
Ozzy doing a reality-show, Judas Priest performing with James Durbin on American Idol, AC/DC selling their music to WALMART?!?! Where does it end, how much can metalheads accept?
We all know that it’s tough to be a musician these days. Nobody buys records anymore. Oh come on – honestly. When was the last time YOU actually BOUGHT a record? Possibly a collector’s item, but mostly, we all download or send mp3’s back and forth via e-mails or chats…. Artists can’t live on pure love and air only. :-) They need to survive.
I guess that’s why we’re seeing more of this now. KISS has always been a money machine. Funny enough, most of us have been perfectly okay with assisting them with that, by buying all kinds of “fun stuff” with the KISS-logo on it. But we did NOT like it when they did “I Was Made For Loving You“, because THAT was a HIT that NON-METALHEADS bought and liked. God forbid! Sellouts!
I guess that’s also why “real” rockers dislike bands like Bon Jovi, Def Leppard or Europe – because those bands actually appealed to everything and anything from kids to teenage girlies to actual music lovers. The reason why people think that Motörhead is a REAL metal band, is because generally, non-metalheads don’t like them.
You won’t see Lemmy in a reality show, he wouldn’t be caught dead doing anything like that. I guess out of most musicians today, he would be the ONLY musician I would say has true integrity that is solid as a rock. He is cool that way, I admire his attitude. It’s brave. I mean, alright, he let “Ace Of Spades” be used for a beer commercial, but that is somehow still rock’n’roll and very Lemmy. Its not WalMart!
Most bands nowadays are acting like whores. They would do anything for money.
One of the worst ways of moneymaking, is the “VIP packages” that are so big in America. Where they CHARGE fans to meet their idols. That is one of those things that I just have a hard time accepting.
What the fuck – I bought the records and the merch, I “liked” them on Facebook and added them on MySpace and Twitter, I’m wearing their freaking t-shirts and I’ve been crushed in the front row at their shows. And they can’t meet their fans for FREE? What’s wrong with that picture?
I realize that you can’t meet everybody, but usually, there are only a few people hanging around before and after the shows. Would it hurt inviting them in to listen to the sound check or have a beer on the bus? Providing they seem fairly normal of course…. I would never, EVER degrade myself to the point where I had to PAY a band to say hello to me, like some beggar. Fuck that.
I remember a girl from New Zealand who was a HUGE Billy Idol-fan that we met in Copenhagen years ago. She was traveling all around the world to see him. God knows how much she spent on tickets, hotels and all that. I should know – I did the same this year going everywhere to see guitar-hero Gus G play with Ozzy and Firewind. It’s not exactly cheap. But you do it for the love of rock’n’roll.
She had bought the most expensive “VIP-package” in several cities, Copenhagen being one of those cities,
I couldn’t believe it when she said how much she had paid, but I forget now the exact amount… Well – they let her in – ten minutes later she was out in the cold again! They “let” her take a photo with Billy and she wasn’t even allowed to use her OWN camera, she got an autograph and a poster and some other junk and after ten minutes it was BYE BYE BABY BYE BYE………..
I’ll never forget that. A die-hard fan like that should be invited in for FREE, get the red carpet for supporting Billy in every possible way. Not be treated like crap – because that was really shitty. I don’t blame Billy for that, he was super cool after the show.
“His people” told fans that Billy would not sign anything because he would risk getting a cold if he stayed outdoors. Billy didn’t give a fuck, he talked to everybody and signed anything people put in front of him.
The VIP-shit is some management’s idea – I would assume…..
But fans generally don’t complain about the “VIP”-bullshit. Cause it’s still “in the family”…
So I guess it’s cool to make money as long as you make sure it’s for the right people. Making money is okay when you’re a rocker, you just need to make sure you do it the right way. Cause integrity for metal-fans is about staying true to yourself, keeping it METAL.
Many people have taken on the heavy metal lifestyle because it’s always been an alternative to whatever is normal and mainstream. It’s a form of escapism, a full-time escapism where you just refuse to be a part of whatever society tries to sell as normal.
So I guess AC/DC stepped WAY out of line in that respect. But as integrity isn’t a big deal in today’s world in general. I guess they are laughing all the way to the bank (and Walmart…)….
IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR 