Pratap Sebastian

2014-08-07T21:11:00.000-04:00

KISS AND DEF LEPPARD

@ NIKON JONES BEACH THEATER , NY,

AUG 6, 2014

FLYING COLORS - Live in New York @ Best Buy Theater 09/06/2012

2012-10-07T18:04:00.000-04:00

"Flying Colors" - A quintet comprising of four virtuoso musicians and one pop rock singer songwriter. Mike Portnoy's one of numerous projects. This was their only gig in the USA before heading to Europe. A star studded cast which lived up to it's reputation, excelling in musicianship and keeping the audience engaged with their very contemporary sound.
They also performed songs from each of their other bands in addition to the songs from the Flying Colors debut album.

Here is the link to their story
http://flyingcolorsmusic.com/story/

"HER"ricane hits NEW YORK - Bigger and Badder!!

2012-07-15T13:45:00.000-04:00

"HER & Kings County" have been treading the subterranea of country music for sometime now, doing it the old fashioned way of relentless touring and in the process gathering up hordes fans. It's about time they surface and let the whole world experience the sound of "HER" and it's only a few magic sequence of chords and words away. I am sure Caleb is working on that breakaway song as I am writing this.

Tonight they were back at their home turf after about 18 months of non-stop touring and opening for some big names. Highline ballroom played host to tonight's headliners who were ably supported by an awesome sounding band "Newton" (Love a band with a Rolly Polly harmonica player..haha)

Monique on stage has this ability of shrinking the crowd and make it seems that she is singing to each one them and that is precisely what she did tonight, keeping the crowd engaged and grabbing all their attention in full. She belted out all the hits one after the other with great energy but she is capable of much more. The band as usual was in tandem with Monique, everyone doing their part like true rockers!

Though the set was a little short to my liking, I would have liked to see them sustain the energy for a longer period of time...Oh well..next time around...

Here are some pictures and a clip from the show:-

THEY STILL ROCK YOU LIKE A HURRICANE!

2012-07-08T21:36:00.000-04:00

SCORPIONS Live @ Jones Beach Theater, 7/7/2012

Metal up! Metal up! Mr. Meine is in town. Scorpions formed in 1965 and after 40 years still rocking.
A band which boasts of past alumni in the likes of Michael Schenker and Jon Uli Roth, Found a little fame with a hit single "In Trance" in 1975, then in the 80's found the winning formula of combining hardrockers with ballads as a result of which ended up selling records in the millions, Put out an album with the Berlin Symphonic Orchestra and also put out an all Acoustic version of their hits.

Looks like they have done it all in their illustrious career. At Jones Beach they were all set to rock the house......like a hurricane of course!. They opened their set with "Sting of the tail " from their latest offering and from there on it was one hit after the other.

Mr.Klaus Meine has the crowd engaged at all times making them sing to his tunes- literally, the man still has his vocal chords intact and delivered all the songs with great energy. The twin guitar attack of Mr. Rudolf Schenker and Mr. Matthias Jabs were at their shredding best with the latter going about business with his trade mark smile and the former running around the stage like a 12 yr old, at one point even spinning round and round with his guitar.

The fairly new rhythm section consisting of drummer James Kottack and bassist Pawel Maciwoda did an outstanding job is holding it all together. James was high energy, bashing the skins and going up and down the riser, had his moment with an awesome drum solo. They closed the night with a triple song encore ending with "Rock you like a hurricane". It was a great night of good clean metal

Set list and Pictures from the show:-

1. Sting in the Tail
2. Make It Real
3. Is There Anybody There?
4. The Zoo
5. Coast to Coast
6. Loving You Sunday Morning
7. Rhythm of Love
8. Wind of Change
9. Holiday
10. Raised on Rock
11. Tease Me Please Me
12. Hit Between the Eyes
13. Kottak Attack
14. Blackout
15. Six String Sting
16. Big City Nights
17. Encore:
18. Still Loving You
19. No One Like You
20. Rock You Like a Hurricane videos and Pictures from the show: -

THE SHOCK NEVER STOPS! - ALICE COOPER LIVE IN NEW YORK & NEW JERSEY 2012

2012-07-08T13:56:00.000-04:00

Alice Cooper - The Master of Shock Rock! was the opening act for Iron Maiden for their "Maiden England Tour 2012"which rolled into the NY, NJ areas. Both the shows were classic Alice Cooper sets, filled with blood, gore and the now famous guillotine act where he gets decapitated and not to forget zombies galore! accompanied by his numerous costume changes and other props that he uses for each of his songs.

All the hits were belted out one after the other much to the to the delight of the hardcore Alice fans present in the audience and the seasoned pro that he is, scorched through the set. His vocal chords remain intact and his current band was tight, notably Orianthi's guitar work (The Greek Guitar Goddess).

A classic Rock Theater performance, here is the set list and a few snap shots from both the shows!

1. The Black Widow

2. Brutal Planet

3. I'm Eighteen

4. No More Mr. Nice Guy

5. Hey Stoopid

6. Billion Dollar Babies

7. Feed My Frankenstein

8. Poison

9. Wicked Young Man

10. I Love the Dead

11. School's Out

Chickenfoot Live At The Beacon, NYC 5/21/12

2012-05-23T21:50:00.000-04:00

I have much respect to any band that goes on stage on time. I see it as a mark of respect to the fans. In that respect full marks to Chickenfoot, they took the stage on time and rocked the place.

Super group? "No! The guys just love playing music" says Sammy Hagar. The most fascinating thing is watching these veterans playing to the fans as if this was going to be their last show.

The band was tight as ever with Sammy at the helm belting out hits from their two albums, "Satch"man playing to the songs and brilliant as ever. Was Chad Smith missed? I did miss him but Kenny Aronoff did such a great job behind the drum kit, truly a professional and last but not least Michael Anthony with his pulsating bass lines and backing vocals.

The guys were also nice enough to sign every piece of item that was shoved towards them, after all

making the fans happy seemed to being the primary goal for the evening.

My Highlight of the show was "Rock Candy" a tribute to Ronnie Montrose.

Some Pictures from the Show:

Rodrigo Y Gabriela and C.U.B.A. Live at Radio City Hall ,NYC,4/20/12

2012-04-22T08:15:00.001-04:00

The last time I saw them was in 2009 when they played at this very venue supporting their, then newly released album 11:11. That, just two people were able to generate so music energy doing nothing more but strumming their acoustic guitars on stage baffled me. I loved their studio work but did not expect their live performance to be mind blowing.

This time around to relieve the monotony of just the two of them playing they went to Cuba and recorded their new album "Area 52" with an amazing band named C.U.B.A. Most of the songs in this album are reworked tunes from their previous albums.

One would wonder that the sounds of two acoustic guitar players would be drowned with the band playing along but the songs are so masterly arranged that no guitar note is lost and still maintaining the the Cuban feel.

"Rod and Gab" as their popularly know round the world are vegan, active animal rights activists and big Heavy Metal fans! They paid tribute to all their heavy metal idols from Tool to Testament in their tunes and their performance with the band tonight was nothing short of spectacular.

Some Pictures and video from the show tonight...

THE BIG 4 -(METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH & ANTHRAX)- YANKEE STADIUM, BRONX, NYC. 9/14/11

2011-09-17T15:45:00.003-04:00

The Metal Gods could not have a chosen a more perfect day in the Bronx for the metal juggernaut - "The Big 4" to roll in. The Juggernaut consists of ANTHRAX, MEGADETH, SLAYER and METALLICA, playing only their second show in the USA as part of the limited The Big 4 Tour. A near perfect day with mild temperatures, cloudy at times and a light breeze.

In fact September 14 was declared ANTHRAX day in the Bronx. A special gesture by the President of Bronx borough to the band who are New York based.

It seemed like a big metal fest in the Bronx, As I made my way out of the subway I could see a lot of police patrolling the streets surrounding the stadium, the bars in the vicinity had metal music blaring trying to entice the fans to come in and have a drink or two. Curious non-metallers were wondering what was going on. The atmosphere was definitely not of a Yankee baseball game.

Outside the Yankee Stadium the mood was euphoric. The fans in large numbers waiting to gain entry to witness this historic metal event. I had a strong feeling that this is going to be a very very special evening. It better be for I had purchased VIP tickets. The Price - $354/- ( $88 per band seemed to be very reasonable). As a VIP ticket holder I did not know I was entitled for more, which I got to know later on when I was told my entry into the venue was through THE LEGENDS SUITE at the Yankee Stadium.
WOW!!! I said to myself.

As I made my way through, a kind gentlemen greeted me and said my ticket was all inclusive and that I would only have to pay for the drinks. The words "All Inclusive" had a much bigger meaning, which I came to realize after I had a couple of beers.

The ticket not only allowed me access to the legends suite and some awesome food but it also
gave me access to the rest room in the suite. Boy! was it a godsend. Can you imagine waiting in line to use the restroom at the venue? On this day it was easily a 3 song wait if not more.
It was such a pleasure to be able to walk into the legends suite and use the restroom at will, which also made me gulp down more than my usual quota of beers.

New York's own ANTHRAX took the stage first, clad in Yankee pin stripes they rocked the crowed from the get go. Scott Ian, a big Yankee fan was visibly thrilled to be playing at the stadium the band played their heart out belting out their hits. Standouts were "Madhouse", "Anti social", "Caught In the Mosh" and my personal favorite "Indians". The band was tight, the music was fierce and they set up a perfect stage for what was to unfold later. They sure did warm up the crowd for they just went metal crazy! They closed the set with "I am the Law" with the entire stadium scream those four words in unison.

After the initial onslaught from ANTHRAX, the next to take the stage was the mighty MEGADETH and my favorite of the Big 4. The set changes were a bit long which helped me to get back to the suite for more beer and of course use the rest room. MEGADETH were at their best when I saw them last month at the Mayhem 2011 festival which was touted as a warm up gig to the Big 4 concert. I am now ready for MEGADAVE and his band to take the stage, the moment had finally arrived, the opening tribal like drum groove of 'Trust" started echoing around the stadium, one by one the members showed up on the stage to a warm reception but when "Dave Mustaine" showed up the stadium erupted. The man still has his charisma intact.

"Hangar 18" followed and so did one thrash gem after the other from the maestro who defined the sound of a "Thrash Metal Riff" (at least in my opinion). The set ended with "Peace Sells ...." and "Holy Wars". During the show I was lucky enough to witness the single most awesome metal moment of the entire show. look below.........

Photo courtesy Megadeth

another set change which meant another visit to the legends suite for more beer and restroom. There was also food being served. The buffet had an awesome spread with an additional sushi bar and a dessert counter. I attacked the food in true thrash metal style. I needed energy to last another 5 hrs. Though MEGADETH is my favorite the night belonged to the brutal SLAYER and what an assault it was. They had a longer set than the previous bands and more than half a dozen brutal thrash songs. It was my first ever SLAYER show and I was blown away. Tom, Kerry and Gary stepping in for Jeff !!! it was incredible the way they went about doing what they do best with so much energy and precision even to this day and what can I say about Dave, the drum demon!!! it really amazes me how he does it. SLAYER ended their set with 'Raining blood", "Black Magic" and "Angel of Death". The fans were truly SLAYED!!

it was already 6 hrs into the evening METALLICA was ready to take the stage much to the anticipation of the packed stadium. Finally the moment arrived, the strains of "Ecstasy of Gold" resonated around the stadium and the band took the stage and started off with "Creeping Death" and for the next two hours James and the band kept the crowd engaged, belting out song after song. The production included pryro, fireworks and a laser light show for "Blackened". The highlight for me was the rendition of "Orion" which was a tribute to Cliff Burton.

They started the the encore with a Big 4 jam of Motorhead's "overkill" a welcome departure for the Diamond Head's "Am I Evil" followed by "Battery" and "Seek and Destroy". It was one well played historic concert.

A point was further proved "HEAVY METAL RULES AND NEVER WILL DIE". proof?? look at the pictures below, the crowds, the energy was something to be witnessed to believe and I was there to witness this epic event.

DEEP PURPLE'S SHUTTLE CONNECTION

2011-06-25T18:50:00.000-04:00

The instrumental song "Contact Lost," the bittersweet finale of Deep Purple's album 'Bananas,' was inspired by the tragic loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia. It was written by guitarist Steve Morse.

Columbia broke up over Texas upon re-entry on February 1, 2003, after a successful 16-day scientific research mission. The accident claimed the lives of its seven crew members: commander Rick Husband, pilot Willie McCool, mission specialist Michael Anderson, mission specialist Dave Brown, mission specialist Laurel Clark, mission specialist Kalpana Chawla and payload specialist Ilan Ramon.

Morse, vocalist Ian Gillan, bass guitarist Roger Glover, drummer Ian Paice and keyboardist Don Airey were in the midst of recording 'Bananas' when the disaster occurred.
Chawla, a native of India where Deep Purple is extremely popular, loved the band. She traded e-mails with the band for several days while in space. Chawla took three CDs on board Columbia: Deep Purple's landmark 1972 album 'Machine Head' and 1996's 'Purpendicular' and Rainbow's 1978 album 'Down to Earth' (Glover and Airey were both members of Rainbow at the time).

While in space, Chawla liked to wake up to Deep Purple's "Space Truckin' " from 'Machine Head.'

The band members were horrified and deeply saddened by Columbia's fate, and Morse immediately channeled his emotions into composing "Contact Lost" within one hour of the accident. Morse is donating his "Contact Lost" songwriting royalties to the families of the astronauts.

The CD copies of 'Machine Head,' 'Purpendicular' and 'Down to Earth' were found among the Columbia debris. NASA used them as part of special commemorative plaques honoring the seven astronauts. Chawla's widower, Jean-Pierre Harrison, has kept in touch with Morse and he presented the three plaques to Deep Purple on stage at a concert on September 23, 2003, in Mexico City, Mexico. The plan is to donate the 'Machine Head' and 'Down to Earth' plaques to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum; the 'Purpendicular' plaque is being kept privately.

'Bananas' was released by Sanctuary Records on October 7, 2003.

source and credits - http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/031110/7.shtml/ guitar weekly #270,Nov 10, 2003

URIAH HEEP - STILL... VERY 'EAVY - VERY 'UMBLE.

2011-06-25T05:13:00.002-04:00

Live at BB King, New York, 6//22/2011

"If this group makes it I'll have to commit suicide. From the first note you know you don't want to hear any more"

- Rolling Stone magazine reviewer, Melissa Mills, 1970

It's been more than 40 years and the Heep is still rockin'. The first time I had a seen the Heep is when they toured India in 1983. I was in the 11th grade then and touring rock bands were a rarity at that time. I remember Wishbone Ash, Jethro Tull and Girls School touring my home town Madras (now Chennai).

In 1983 Uriah Heep announced that they were coming to town and playing at the Open Air Theater at the I.I.T, Madras and I was not going to miss that for the world. It was one night of pure rock. I still vaguely remember Mick Box's guitar solo and Lee Kerslake's drum solo. The sound that night reaching ear shattering decibels.

Fast forward to 2011, here I am going to experience my second Heep show after a long gap of 23yrs. I have been keeping up to date with their releases in the last decade and each one has been outstanding. Listen to "Sonic Origami, 1998 and "Wake up the Sleeper, 2008" and judge for yourself.

There was no way I was going to miss their show at BB King, New York. I like a band which goes on stage at the scheduled time, to me it proves that they are thorough professionals and also care for their fans. That is exactly what the Heep did. They opened their set with "I'm Ready" from their latest release 'Into the Wild".

As the show progressed the packed house got a good dose of the old classics, mixed with songs from the new album. The band was in top form. Bernie Shaw's vocals were spot on right from the get go, and was outstanding in delivering his own material and also from their 70's catalog.

Mick Box, rock's most underrated guitarist was at his best, sailing through all the solos and songs with his nimble and smooth fret work and in Trevor Bolder, Heep has one of the best rock bass guitarist. Bolder along with Russell Gilbrook on drums held the tight rhythm section together while Keyboardist Phil Lanzon took care of all the organ sounds in most of the old classics.

Uriah Heep maybe lost some of their progressive elements in recent years but they sure not have lost appetite to rock! For the encore and as is customary they invited some fans on stage to headbang with them to "Free n Easy" followed by a scorching rendition of "Bird of Prey" and the show's grand finale and one of my favorites "Easy Livin".

Uriah Heep performing "Stealin"

Fans joining the band on stage for "Free n Easy"

Uriah Heep - BBKing, 6/22/11 Set List

I'm Ready
Return to Fantasy
Stealin'
Rainbow Demon
Money Talk
Drum Solo
Nail on the Head
The Wizard
Into the Wild
Gypsy
Look At Yourself
Kiss of Freedom
July Morning
Lady In Black
Encore:
Free'N' Easy
Bird of Prey
Easy Livin'

DEEP PURPLE and THE ORCHESTRAL EXPERIENCE

2011-06-15T22:52:00.003-04:00

Live at BEACON, New York, June 14, 2011

For more than 40 years Deep Purple has been enthralling fans all over the world. Considered Rock Royalty by many, they proved than they still have it in them at The Beacon in New York on June 14, 2011. They play two shows in the city. The surprise! this time they are backed by a 30 piece Orchestra.

This isn't Deep Purple's first foray into fusing rock with orchestral music. Back in 1970, Deep Purple released "Concerto for Group and Orchestra" written by Jon Lord and performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

This night proved that the veterans of progressive hard rock still have it in them and can still put on a mean show. The renovated Beacon was packed with Purple fans who got more than they could have imagined.

After an opener, maybe a sort of warm from the Orchestra the band band launched straight into one of their most famous rocker "Highway Star". Accompanied by the Orchestra this song sounded really grand and set the tone for what was to unfold before the eyes of the delighted fans.

Guitarist Steve Morse's virtuoso guitar playing from the opening notes as the orchestra's string and horn sections added a nice punch to the classic rock radio staple nicely complemented by the tightest rhythm section in rock Ian Paice and Roger Clover.

Ian Gillan still has his golden voice intact and was hitting his trade mark high pitch notes with ease, only someone as experienced as he can manage and Don Airey on keyboards was dueling note for note with Steve Morse.

The addition of the orchestral texture lent a different character to each song, the strings and horns accompanied by the band seemed to transform and take the songs to a totally different level. Or it could have just been the embellishment to these time tested songs that made them sound so much more dramatic.

The night ended with a pulsating rendition of "Black Night" not before the fans were treated to short solos by each of the members of the band.

The highlight for me as always been Steve Morse's exquisite "Contact Lost". A piece he wrote in memory of the crew of the ill fated space shuttle Columbia. One can hear pin drop silence in the theater when he launches into that piece.

More Pictures from the Show........

Setlist at The Beacon, June 14, 2011
Highway Star
Hard Lovin' Man
Maybe I'm a Leo
Strange Kind of Woman
Rapture in the Deep
Woman from Tokyo
Contact Lost
When Blind Man Cries
The Well Dressed Guitar
Knocking at Your Back Door
Lazy
No One Came
Perfect Strangers
Space Truckin
Smoke on the Water
Encore:
Hush
Black Night.

VINYL RECORDS - THE SOUND OF SONIC PURITY

2011-06-09T21:24:00.004-04:00

"CD" the digital descendant of the vinyl record was all set to take on the world as the new hip way of listening to music. Technically speaking these shiny discs would deliver a series of numbers to be read by a laser. In other words there is actually no music on a CD and since then the CD has not been able to capture the sound quality of an LP.

Since I was young, the sounds of the vinyl records has been one of the most enjoyable moments of my life. Though I did not own a turntable, some of my older cousins did. Whenever I visited them I would insist they play vinyl for me.

Many a times I attempted to operate that fascinating machine by myself , only to be told to stay away as I was too young. I was also told that I would "scratch" the record since according to my older cousins I was incapable of aligning the needle to the start of those grooves filled with music.

It was Jim Reeves, Cliff Richard, ABBA, Donna Summers and some Beatles records at first and, as I grew older the sounds of guitars invaded my life, courtesy The Ventures and The Shadows. Then it happened, one fine day I visited my friend's house and happened to stumble upon his older brother's records.

As I was browsing I came across names like Deep Purple, Rainbow,Santana, Eric Clapton, Van Halen, Bread, Lindisfarne and Queen to name a few. Then my friend played this album below. I was blown away and that was the day I fell in love with Hard Rock and Heavy Metal.

As the LP was spinning I was staring at the needle, which goes on a calm rampage conquering each groove filled with analog information and delivering a sound that keeps you spellbound. I was also amazed by the way the needle arm retracted automatically back to its resting position once a side was over. A engineering marvel I thought.

As "side A" was over I see my friend pickup the record with his fingers, holding the record far apart on its circumference, he gently flips it and places it back on the turntable, picks up up the needle arm, aligns it to start of the vinyl and then pulls a small lever towards him. This makes the needle touch the record and the rest is sonic purity.

The surface sounds, the pops, the cracks and the songs themselves were pure divine hearing bliss. As you played them again and again you even got familiar with all the scratch sounds, needle jumps etc and there was always a story behind those scratches and pops.

Then there was the "SLEEVE". To me me it was work of Art, some sleeves were real work or art. You had the single, the double and sometimes even triple. The double records had some serious art work when you opened the fold. I have spent numerous hours just flipping records and opening sleeves, a pleasure still lacking in a CD.

Sadly, this is the age of the "Music file" you can download, upload and even email a song across the globe is no time. Growing up in India, you either owned the LP or you went a to record lending library and borrowed them for a fee.

When I moved to New York in 1999, there were a horde of Flea Markets where records were sold for $1 and $2, especially the flea markets on 6th ave between 30th and 14th streets. Nowadays these markets have succumbed to the real estate invasion and hence vanished. Thankfully there are a handful of stores who still sell records, but not at flea market prices. One such store is the awesome Bleecker Street Records. I did visit the store and took some pictures of their collection.

Bleecker Street Records in Manhattan


Of course! IRON MAIDEN at Bleecker Street Records

A wall of Records


Basement of Bleecker Street Records

Another Store I visited is Crunge Records located in a small town known for its glass Museum called Corning.

April 16, 2010 was the Record store day. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_Store_Day

To those of you who are still listening to LP's keep it going and to those who don't own one go and get one and plug it to your system.

Last week I visited my brother's house in Michigan. He has a nice collection of records and spent a day listening to some of my favorites. Here they are:

KISS "Alive" Inside Sleeve

KISS "Alive" front sleeve

APOCALYPTICA - Soundtrack to Judgement Day, Irving Plaza, NYC, 5/21/11

2011-05-22T21:36:00.002-04:00

Apocalyptica could not have chosen a more appropriate day to play in New York - "May 21, 2011 - The Judgement day". The day, according to one Harold Camping would be the coming of Hell and High Water.

Instead of a series of earthquakes hitting successive countries at 6PM local time and heralding The Rapture - in which the great Saving will take place - much to the dismay of the the fans of family radio planet Earth carried on.....

For fans of Apocalyptica, some of who were standing in line outside the venue, were thrilled when the world did not end and even more excited as they would now get to see this awesome band in a short while.

On the other hand if the world did end, It would have been awesome to go listening to them play that night. This in my third show seeing them, never have I seen three cellists infuse so much energy into the crowd and the sounds they produced did feel like the soundtrack to end of days. If you were seeing them for the first time it would be hard to believe the sounds you were hearing were the result of what you saw on stage, such was the intensity.

The Finnish Cello Thrash Metal purists, who shot to fame in the early 90's with cello versions of a few Metallica songs scorched through their set with a mix of songs from their new album "The Seventh Symphony", thrash Metal cello classics, the staple Metallica and Sepultura covers and a three song classical set which had both the metal heads and purists happy.

The highlight for me was the triple treat of "Beautiful", "Sacra" and "Nothing else Matters", even the drummer Mikko joined in with a Cello, which also saw them sitting down and playing in the classical posture.

These three renditions slowed the pace a little and set the stage for what was to unfold. More thrash metal at its brutal best followed much to the delight of the kids who started a huge mosh pit in the not so very big Irving Plaza.

Sepultura's Inquisition Symphony and Metallica's Seek and Destroy only further helped their moshing frenzy must to the dismay of some of the older fans who were not too happy with animated kids flying towards them. Finally they did reconcile to the fact that this was not a typical Cello recital at Carnegie hall.

Cries for Encore! brought the band back for a three more classics from their catalog, "At the gates of Manala", "I dont care" sung by their touring vocalist Tipe Johnson and "Hall of the Mountain King".

In the end it was one brutal exhibition of good thrash metal with progressive and classical strains brought out by three virtuoso cellists whose love for Heavy Metal music put them on this journey, and I only hope this journey continues with more new explorations of this kind.

More pics from the Show at Irving Plaza....

WHITESNAKE - LIve at Irving Plaza, NYC, 5/18/2011

2011-05-19T20:43:00.001-04:00

Another rainy day in New York city. I figured the best place to be on this rainy day was Irving Plaza.

Why? WHITE SNAKE was playing there, and if you were looking for some soul infused warmth tinted hard rocking music, no body can do it better than Mr. David Coverdale.

WHITE SNAKE version # 16 sure did turn up the heat. David has in the past partnered with many guitarists and this long standing partnership with Reb Beach and Dough Aldrich has been really successful. New recruits were Brian Tichy (Billy Idol, Foreignor, Lynch Mob) on drums, Michael Devin (Lynch Mob) on bass and Brian Ruedy on Keyboards.

The charming and cocky Coverdale who still has his "Pipes Of Heaven" intact rocked, charmed and crooned with the intimate New York audience. Still he can sing all those songs with the such energy hitting all the notes and deliver those screams ceases to amaze.

An Awesome acoustic version of their new song "One Of These Days"

The set list was a perfect mix of hard rockers from the past and present, crowd favorites and some for the ladies and there were quite a few of them, and visibly still in awe with Coverdale. Apart from the scorching songs there were nice solos from Reb Beach and Dough Aldrich followed by a monster drum solo by Brian Tichy who beat the hell out of those skins with both stick and hands.

The show ended with "Still of the Night" and what a night it was. WHITE SNAKE as usual leaves you wanting for more, but you walk out of the show with a smile knowing fully well that you really Rocked the night with the band.

A live staple "Here I Go Again"

The Set List:
Best Years
Give Me All Your Love
Love Ain't No Stranger
Is This Love
Steal Your Heart Away
Forevermore
Love Will Set You Free
Guitar Duel
My Evil Ways [with Drum Solo]
One Of These Days
Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City @Cover[Bobby "Blue" Bland]
Fool For Your Lovin'
Here I Go Again

Encore
Still Of The Night

UFO - 1968 - 2011 Rock Family Tree

2011-05-17T22:40:00.000-04:00

Inspired by Pete Frame, my attempt at a Rock family Tree for the band UFO.

web credits: Wikipedia, Beatsworking.tv (thanks for your picture family tree), official UFO band website.

UFO - Live at B.B. King , NYC, 5/13/2011

2011-05-17T22:26:00.002-04:00

UFO has been around from 1968, and have been the most underrated band for reasons unknown. The only reason I can think of - UFO is a musician's band. Every Hard Rock or Heavy Metal band loves UFO.

I have never seen UFO live and this was my first ever show. I have been listening to their music for a long long time now. I was referred to them by Steve Harris of Iron Maiden, who claims them to be one of his favorite bands and Pete Way his all time favorite bass guitarist. You can still see a bit of Pete Way in Steve Harris on stage, more apparent in the early Maiden years.

In Phil Mogg they have such an awesome song writer and a singer who has been around from the formative years, Andy Parker or Drums and Paul Raymond on keyboards and guitars were also the founding members.

The one big missing piece is Michael Schenker, he is now replaced by Vinnie Moore since 2003. Though I would not dare put Vinnie in the same category as Schenker but Vinnie is an amazing guitarist, this night both playing his songs and also Schenker's songs he scorched the set.

The Set list must have pleased any UFO fan:

The Wild the Willing and the Innocent

Mother Mary

Saving Me

Let It Roll

I'm a loser

Hell Driver

Venus

This Kids

Ain't No Baby

Only you can Rock Me

Try Me

Cherry

Too Hot to Handle

Love to Love

Lights Out

Doctor Doctor

Encore:

Rock Bottom

Phil Mogg though, can still deliver all those notes with such ease, his voice still sounds good.

The band was in tandem with him note for note. Vinnie and Pete were prancing around the small stage and even did some fancy stuff with their guitars.

I poorly attempted to catch the energy of that night with the following videos and picture, but it was so more better being in front of that stage and getting drowned in all those rockers, one after another, until you hit ROCK BOTTOM.

MINDFLOW - A Better Taste of Good Rock.

2011-05-17T22:13:00.003-04:00

A great sounding band from Brazil, they opened for UFO in their North American Tour. Some Pictures from their show at B.B.King on 5/13/2011. Check out this awesome video.

BLACK SABBATH - A Lesson on SINGLE MINDEDNESS ( The day they replaced JETHRO TULL)

2011-05-07T11:20:00.001-04:00

Craziness and Ozzy go hand in hand, but beyond the veil of craziness is an intelligent person and the same can be said of the other members of Black Sabbath. Proof! they pioneered and paved the way for Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Music.

How do you find success? first of all, be very sure of what you want. It's that simple. Once you have determined that, now just go about getting what you want.

The year is 1969, Ozzy, Tony, Bill and Geezer are doing local gigs as EARTH, eventually they would change their name BLACK SABBATH ( the change being prompted by a booking confusion with another band who also went by the name EARTH). Ozzy had just heard the new Led Zeppelin album and was blown by it. He could not get over the fact how heavy the record sounded.

In the van on their way back home from a gig he says to Tony "Did you hear how heavy that Led Zeppelin album sounded?"
Without missing a beat, Tony replied , "We'll be HEAVIER"...... and the rest is history.

Further proof of how single minded they were in the quest for Rock stardom is the following:

This may sound crazy and nearly impossible to accomplish today, mainly because I don't think this level of single minded focus is prevalent among the present generation of Rock bands and also with existing professionalism involved with how the concerts are put together.

Tony's idea - To find out if any big name band in coming to town, load up the van with all the gear and wait outside the venue hoping that the big name band might not show up and they might get a chance to play. CRAZY!!!. Can you imagine the odds of this happening?

And You Know what? it worked...................just Once..........and that's all they needed.

The big name band was JETHRO TULL.

They were scheduled to play in Birmingham or Stafford - but did not show up. Ozzy and the boys were waiting outside in their van ready to spring into action.

Tony went in to see the manager of the place and asked him if Jethro Tull is going to show up. The manager who was visibly pissed-off and angry thought Tony was one of the fans said to him to comeback tomorrow and collect the refund.

Tony mentions to the manger that he and his band were driving by the venue and they can fill in for the main act as they haven't show up. This is how it went with the manger

'Fill in?'
'Yeah.'
'For Jethro Tull?'
'Yeah.'
'What's the name of your band, son?'
'Earth.'
'Urf?'
'Earth.'
'Urph?'
'As in the planet'
'Oh, right . I think I might have actually heard of you guys. Crazy singer. Blues covers. Right?'
'Yeah. And a few originals'
'Where's your equipment?'
'In the van, Outside.'
'Are you a boy scout or something?'
'Eh?'
'You seem very well prepared'
'Oh, .....yeah.'

Once the deal was over Tony was walking towards the guys with his thumbs up. "We're on in fifteen minutes."

Ozzy " To this day, I have no idea what's this song is about, even though people tell me that I wrote the lyrics"

The guys performed and the gig was a big triumph for them. The best part- Ian Anderson finally did show up, and was at the back thoroughly enjoy the show being put up by this little known replacement band.

Ian Anderson, eventually would sign up Tony as the guitarist for Jethro Tull.

After a short stint with Jethro Tull, Tony quits and rejoins with the boys.

(The above is reproduced from Ozzy's book -" I am Ozzy". If you haven't read it yet, go and get it!)

ANTIGONE RISING - Live @ BEST BUY THEATER, NYC, 4/29/11

2011-05-01T10:03:00.000-04:00

ANTIGONE RISING seems to have been around for a long time though this was the first time I heard of them or their music. This time they opened for TWISTED SISTER in support of their charity show in NYC for THE PINK BURST FOUNDATION.

A New York based all girl band formed in 1993, they put on an impressive show to grab the attention of the crowd, more impressive since the crowd was all eager to see Twisted take on the stage.

Their country/folk rock tinged straight out in your face music gets to you faster than you think and in no time you are in front of your laptop checking out their catalog and possibly buying their tunes too.

Some Pictures from their show at Best Buy Theater on 4/29/11.

TWISTED SISTER @ Best Buy Theater NYC , April 29, 2011

2011-04-30T15:52:00.007-04:00

"Extreme Sonic Hangover"- A condition most prevalent among concert goers. When one has one too much of a certain kind of Sonic Cocktail, usually a mixture of "Buzz saw" lead guitars, "Heart pounding" drums, "Bombarding" bass guitar and "Thunderous" Vocals, he wakes up the next morning, with his head resonating with the after effects of that overdose of the Sonic Cocktail. That is one hangover you wish it would never go away.

That is exactly the condition I am in right now. The cocktails were served in heavy doses by the one and only TWISTED SISTER last night and Boy! did they serve it.

I know many of you have been fans of the Sister for long time and have seen them perform from their club days, for me it is only my 3rd show though I have been a fan of them since 1983 during my heavy metal formative years in India. Yes!!! INDIA.. we do listen to METAL out there.

This was a one of show before the band embarks on a big European Tour, also this was a charity show for THE PINK BURST PROJECT a charity supported by Jay Jay French for the research of an inflammatory eye condition which if unnoticed will lead to blindness, called "Uveitis" and is mostly prevalent among young girls. All the proceeds(100 %) of the shows will go to support the research of Uveitis. (www.Uveitis.org)

So what can a bunch of above 50 year old's teach? THEY CAN TEACH YOU HOW TO ROCK!!! and that's exactly what they did during the duration of their entire set, churning out one rocker after the other. They even served up some nostalgia for the S.M.F 's by playing the song "Tear it Loose" from the 1982.

Not so long ago, the lyrics from "Tear it Loose" was quoted when a Rabbi named Darby Jared Leigh graduated from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 2008. Watch this you tube video:

How awesome was that? Rabbi Darby has no power of speech and hearing, he solely relies on feeling the vibrations. Even more awesome Dee Snider invited Darby to sing with him on stage. They did the song " Price"

So how can he sing in sign and also be in sync?? beats me, but it was awesome to watch and I don't I will be watch something like that happen on stage anywhere again.

At some point in the show they decided they need a third guitar to add more sonic boom to "We're not gonna take it", and who did they invite on stage? Bernie Williams - Yankee super star and a trained classical guitarist.

After more Sonic Cocktails served it was time for the Encore, They ended the show with a tribute to all their FANS who have been supporting them from their club days, the S.M.F's. It was truly unbelievable to see the level at which these guys perform, leaves you spellbound and takes about a day to recover. I am sure the people who were there agree with me...

Before I forget, the opening act ANTIGONE RISING, an all girl band, kicked off the night with some straight up and clean rockers. I will definitely get their music

Twisted Sister Set List:
(courtesy Rich Andrews)

What You Don't Know (Sure Can Hurt You)
The Kids Are Back
Stay Hungry
Captain Howdy
Sin After Sin
You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll
The Fire Still Burns
We're Not Gonna Take it (with Bernie Williams)
The Price (with Rabbi Darby Leigh)
Burn in Hell

Encore:
Come Out And Play
Tear It Loose
S.M.F

and as the lyrics of the song "Tear it loose" goes

GONNA TEAR IT, GONNA TEAR IT LOOSE
GONNA SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOF
BLAST MY WAY INTO THE NIGHT
I'M GONNA LIVE MY DREAM
SHOUT AND SCREAM!
I'M GONNA
TEAR IT LOOSE

Pictures from the show, It's a lot of pictures..... hey! what the heck, enjoy scrolling..

SYMPHONY-X in Concert at Best Buy Theater, New York, USA, April 22, 201

2011-04-24T00:11:00.000-04:00

"Seems like forever that my eyes have been denied
Home - I'm dreaming of the home
I've been twenty years away from all I ever knew
to return would make my dream come true"

My hair stands up when Russell Allen sings the above lines. Strangely I can relate to each of the above lines. The lines are from the "The Odyssey" which is a musical interpretation of Homer's epic. I had to record this for posterity, here is it >

Right from the opening riffs of "Of Sins and Shadows" the band was in incredible form and seemed to lift the show up a notch with every song, fueled by the enthusiastic New York crowd who sang along with every song much to the delight of the band.

Russell Allen, In my opinion the best Prog. vocalist that there is delivered the songs in his flawless and inimitable style hitting all the notes to perfection. Michael Romeo on guitars was truly a sight to watch, his fingers sliding up and down the fret board effortlessly creating those awesome tones and sounds kept the audience spellbound with his virtuosity with the six strings.

The Rhythm section of Jason Rullo on Drums and Micheal Lepond on bass held everything like a glue. Jason is a class of his own.The keyboards and orchestration of Michael Pinnella was the final ingridient to this awesome line up and an even more awesome sound. His playing which matched note for note with Michael Romeo was such a great feast to the ears.

The band also gave a preview of a couple songs from their upcoming album "Iconoclast" which is going to be released this year. My favorites "Paradise Lost". "Set the World on Fire" and 'Domination" made the set to my delight.

Th fans were transfixed to the stage pumping their fists in the air and letting the band know how much their music is loved and it seemed like the band has them in a hypnotic state song after song and the whole show reached a crescendo when the band came back with "The Odyssey" for the encore.

It was a great exhibition from the Prog Metal pioneers. The Opening bands were "Black Guard" and "Power Glove". The latter impressed with me their "video game speed metal" they play metal versions of classic video game themes.

Symphony X Set List:

Of Sins And Shadows - from the 'Divine Wings of Tragedy" 1996

Domination - from "Paradise Lost" 2007

Serpent's Kiss - from "Paradise Lost" 2007

End Of Innocence - from "Iconoclast" 2011

Paradise Lost - from "Paradise Lost" 2007

Smoke of Mirrors - from "Twilight in Olympus" 1998

Eve of Seduction - from "Paradise Lost" 2007

Dehumanized - from "Iconoclast" 2011

Set the World On Fire - from "Paradise Lost" 2007

Encore:

The Odyssey - from "The Odyssey" 2002

Thin Lizzy Concert at Best Buy Theater, New York, March 25, 2011

2011-04-20T21:42:00.000-04:00

Growing up, Thin Lizzy was one of my favorite bands. "Jailbreak" was the first song I ever listened to and that set up me to be a long time Lizzy fan.

In the past I have seen a few shows of the John Sykes fronted Thin Lizzy. Those shows were mainly as an opening act for other bands and it was always the strength of the Songs that made those shows enjoyable and always seemed like the band led by Sykes just went through the motions. The Thin Lizzy magic was never there.

So, for the first time in a long time I heard that Thin Lizzy was touring as the headline act. I knew that they had loaned from Def leppard their guitarist Vivian Campbell, Brian Downey was back playing the drums, the renowned Marco Mendoza on bass, the original keyboardist Darren Wharton, the incredible Scott Gorham and a fella named Ricky Warwick on vocals.

Ricky Warwick? I wondered how in the hell he is going to fit into the big shoes of Phil Lynott. To his credit what he accomplished on stage that night was remarkable by any standards, it seemed that with his singing he carried on the spirit of Phil Lynott.

As Band they sounded so amazing and rich and each member was visibly enjoying himself on stage playing each of those awesome songs. Now Thin Lizzy will finally enjoy the legacy they deserve, not the one they almost lost during the Sykes's days

The show ended much to the disappointment to the crowd but not before the band came out to play two encores. Here is the set list from the show at Best Buy Theater in NYC and also pictures from the show. I know its late, but here it is ....

Set List

Are You Ready

Waiting For An Alibi

Jailbreak

Do Anything You Want To

Don't Believe a Word

Dancing in the Moonlight

Massacre

Angel of Death

Still in Love With You

Whiskey in the Jar

Emerald

Wild One

Sha la la/ Drum Solo

Cowboy Song

The Boys are Back in Town

Encore

Rosalie

Killer on the Loose

Encore 2

Gary Moore dedication - Black Rose

IRON MAIDEN - The Final Frontier World Tour 2011 - St. Pete Times Forum,Tampa, FL

2011-04-16T12:27:00.195-04:00

"It shall be done in 2011

as it was done in 2008"

-Unknown

Day2 - Show Time - St.Pete Times Forum, Tampa.

It was good to know that the hotel had a special to and from shuttle service, It is helpful when your are new to the place. The last time when I was in Fort Lauder dale I had stored all my lodging information in my phone, by the end of the show I was clicking so many pictures the battery died. Now, I did not know where I was staying, of course I knew it's the Marriott, but there are so many Marriott's around.

Finally the cab took to me the right Marriott but I had to shell out $100 for the night time tour of Ft. Lauder dale. The actual fare from hotel to venue $8. Now I always remember to keep my lodging details in my wallet. Lesson learned.

It was time to get ready for the show. I had to wear my Maiden concert uniform, this T-shirt was created the day when I went to visit my friend Kate in N. Carolina. She came to pick me up from the the airport and the moment she saw me she said " Sebs, I thought you would be wearing an Iron Maiden T-Shirt" . Here it is..

This shirt never fails to amuse the people who read it, In fact two fans from Minnesota even took a picture of it and one guy at the hotel refused to believe that I made the shirt myself.

The shuttle dropped me off at the venue, I was making my way through a sea of Iron maiden shirts and into the forum. There was a cover band outside the forum belting out 80's metal music to a few interested onlookers.

Fans outside the Forum

Fans watching the Cover Band

Standing in line to get in

That Cover Band

The Flag Bearer!

The buzz outside was the non-availability of the 'Florida" specific Maiden shirt. It was sold out in the merchandise booth outside but maybe available in the booths inside. Hoping to get one inside I stood in line to get an early entry even though I was about a hour and a half early for the show.

Finally I get inside and straight away make my way to the merchandise booth, I can already see the booth bustling with activity and my chances of getting that shirt looks grim, nevertheless I stand with my hopes high. When it was my turn I say "T-shirt #C is large please!", the girl at the counter politely replied "Sorry just 2XL available" a bit disappointed I picked out another one I liked along with the Tour book.

The Merchandise Booth with all the goodies.

As I was making my way to the seats something catches my attention, I see a couple walking in front of me and the back of their shirts say "Groom" and "Bride". I had to find out the reason for that, so I caught up to them and said "Hello!" and was surprised to see what the front of their shirts said.

A Maiden marriage with "Eddie" as the best man sure is a Marriage made in heaven. I wished them good luck in their married life and proceeded to my section.

Cast of the "A Marriage Maiden Heaven"

I came across another merchandise booth and decided to try my luck, but my hopes were low. This time when I requested the size the gentleman walks to the back of the booth and walks back with a step stool in his hand, places the stool in front of the shirt which is hanging on the display wall and gently unfastens it and brings it over to me. Boy! was I excited. Apparently it was the last shirt in the large size.

Florida shirt - Front

Florida shirt - Back

In an Iron Maiden Concert there are three very distinctive moments

1) The opening song "Doctor, Doctor" by UFO which set up the roar of anticipation.

2) The closing song after the show ends "Always look at the bright side of life" a Monty Python song.

3) The MAGIC that happens between the above two.

The moment I had been waiting for arrived. The opening notes of "Doctor, Doctor" could be heard, that in other words means "Get ready for the onslaught!!" and with a killer set list it was one hell of a show.

Set List :
Satellite 15 - The Final Frontier
El dorado
2 mins to Midnight
The Talisman
Coming Home
Dance Of Death
The Trooper
The Wicker Man
Blood Brothers
When The Wild Wind Blows
The Evil That Men Do
Fear Of The Dark
Iron Maiden

Encore
Number Of The Beast
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Running Free.

Some Pictures and Videos from the awesome show ............

Video of the crowd during "Doctor, Doctor"

Eddie playing guitar with the band

Day2 - Show day - Walking around Tampa

Woke up early to a bright and sunny Florida morning, 83 degrees and gorgeous. My plans for the day was to see as much of the local attractions, meet up with Vinni and Megan (Old colleagues) for Lunch and then head out to the Fan club party at Hooters and finally to the Concert.

So I started walking .....

Heavy Metal!! spotted on my exploration walk

Mirror Work on the wall of the Children's Museum. Unfortunately being a Sunday it was closed

University of Tampa, The Metal Minarets combined with bricks were awesome. On further research I found they were part of the Moorish Revival architecture where the architecture was incorporated with oriental ornamentation.

Water fountain by The River Walk

"The River Walk" - A four mile stretch where the locals walk, run ....

Was an awesome day for the kids. I found many playing the water fountains.

Vinni and Megan took me to this awesome Cuban restaurant called "Columbia". We had Chicken Empanadas, Fried Plantains for starters and Cuban sandwiches, Yellow Rice with the most awesome and tender chicken and a dessert to die for. It was a Cuban bread pudding served hot.

A combination of Wood, Ceramic and Marble Table Tops was the theme of the Interiors

How many times have you seen "Mojito" made right in front of you? Of course I need a whole pitcher!

Vinni and the camera shy Megan

More! More !

After Lunch we walked around the Channel side drive area, as you can see it was just a gorgeous day.

Spotted some Maiden fans

More Maiden fans from all over the world at Hooters

The Unofficial guest book where you can sign your name

More fans ! I met so many fans from other places Nashville, Minnesota, and a group of 12 from Winnipeg, Canada. all Blood Brothers in Metal!

Wooing Maiden fans

When Maiden fans gather its always an Intelligent conversation

A sign at Hooters for the Fans!!!

After a nice lunch and a great scenic walk I decided to go back the hotel for a little rest and then get ready for the Ultimate evening. Of course I am writing this after the show, still not recovered fully from the aftershock of the show..................

Day 1 - Saturday 4/16/2011..later in the day
It was one bumpy flight from New York to Charlotte. On the brighter side the skies looked blue and clear as we approached Charlotte. During the turbulence a little girl innocently asks her mom "Are we all going to die Moma?" which made everyone around her burst out laughing.


Taking off from New York

Mid Air

A view from the window

Just before Touch down

I land in Charlotte, NC only to be notified that the connecting flight to Tampa is delayed by an hour. I would take a delay any day to a canceled flight. Walked around the airport trying to find something to eat and also lay my hands on a alcoholic beverage.

Walked into 'Tequeria" order a Margarita and a plate of Lime Pulled Chicken Tacos.

A refresher

Tacos - Pulled Lime Chicken

Finally landed in Tampa after a two hour delay. Unfortunately a couple of my friends are still stuck in JFK, last I heard, their flight is leaving at 1.00 AM. Good luck to them. Nice to be greeted by some warm weather, took a taxi to the hotel. The cab driver was trying to make conversation but I was i no mood to talk after spending almost 9hrs in Planes and Airports.

As I make my way into the hotel I spot a lot of maiden fans sitting the bar but what caught my attention were these three in costumes, on questioning they are Lady Gaga fans. She is playing here in Tampa tonight.

At the hotel had a quick wash and headed down to the bar. Ordered me a Beer. "Nice shoes Duuude!" said a voice from behind, I turn back to look, "Hello" he says. I greeted him too and we started talking. He is from Minnesota, is seeing Maiden after 18 years and this is his second show ever.

I told him not to expect too many songs from the past. Though he said that he would love to hear the old songs he has been abreast with the newer songs. Interestingly he is in the Marines and the first ever Maiden song he heard was "Aces High".

At this point I was feeling hungry again and asked the bar tender if there was any place close by where I can get some more drinks and food. He suggested a place called "Fly" and showed me the direction by pointing his hands in the direction I need to walk. After a short walk I reached 'Fly".

A Neon Blinker


A wall graffiti

"Fly" a band playing some funky music.

A Painting on the Wall. Can you spot a building or a face?

I liked the decor and food

Another painting on the wall

After a couple more beers and a Hummus plate it was time to call it a night.

Day 1 - Saturday 4/16/2011
Sad state of affairs this morning for the people in in Alabama as vicious storms lashed the the area causing wide spread death and destruction. My heart goes out to the people there.

I am now sitting at LGA airport waiting for my flight to Tampa. I am flying out to catch the show at the St. Pete Times Forum. In 2008 I flew down to Ft. Lauder dale to catch their final show on the "Some Where Back in Time Tour"

Me, sitting in the airport waiting to board

My eyes are scanning to spot fellow iron maiden fans, none to be seen. I make a stop over at Charlotte on my way to Tampa. There is a storm warning in Charlotte this evening. Hoping the storm holds off until I take off to Tampa.

In Tampa I will be catching up with some old friends and also attend the Maiden forum party with some fellow "Troopers" who are also traveling from New York. The last forum party in 2008 in Ft. Lauder dale was a blast, met so many Maiden fans from all over the world.

Fans at the Bahama Breeze getting ready for a group photo

More Fans

...and more of them Maideners!

The pond in the picture had small alligators coming to the banks

Ed Force One 2008

Story so far.......
Ed Force One is back in the skies again. It will be transporting the band, crew and their entire stage production and EDDIE around the globe one again. The first stop was Moscow on February 11 and the final stop is Tampa, Florida on Sunday April 17.

Why Tampa? as Bruce says "Obviously to drop off Nicko McBrain"I. I am flying out from New York to Tampa to catch the show at the St. Pete Times Forum. In 2008 I flew down to Ft.Lauderdale to catch their final show on the "SomeWhere in Time Tour"

Ed Force One 2011. Photo by Phil Whalley

RUSH - TIme Machine Tour 2011- Madison Square Garden, NYC- 4/10/2011

2011-04-11T21:27:00.002-04:00

Set 1
Intro Video : Real History of Rush (Google it!)
The Spirit of Radio
Time Stands Still
Presto
Stick it Out
Working them Angels
Leave That Thing Alone
Faithless
BU2B
Freewill
Marathon
Subdivisions

Set 2
Tom Sawyer
Red Barchetta
YYZ
Limelight
The Camera Eye
Witch Hunt
Vital Signs
Caravan
"Pearts Piece" Drum Solo
Closer to the Heart
2112 Part I : Overture
2112 Part II : The Temples of Syrinx
Far Cry

Encore
la Villa Strangiato
Working Man
Closing video :"Slappin' the Bass" featuring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel from the movie "I love you Man"

What a Killer set list !! and what a show it was, 2.5hrs of pure Rush!!. One Striking feature of the show was the number kids and youngsters, happy to know that they are being educated well.

The Youngest Rush Fan !!!

Glimpse of the crowd before the show

"Madison Square Garden" sporting the Canadian flag for the biggest ambassadors from Canada.

A View from my seat

"The Doctor"

"Geddy Lee" picked up on the Big Screen

Doing that thing they do - Playing to the crowds.

"Alex" looking dapper in an All Black suit and in top form. Rock's most underrated guitarists.

Crowd under the different hues

Alex Lifeson

Geddy and Alex having some fun

Alex's Hughes & Kettner Steam Punk Rig ( http://www.guitarnoize.com/blog/comments/alex-lifeson-introduces-his-hughes-kettner-steam-punk-rig)

SET 2

Rock Dog will be in Tampa, FL on the weekend of the 16th and 17th April watching IRON MAIDEN.

\m/

Neil Peart in Motion - RUSH - Time Machine Tour 2011@ Madison Square Garden 4/10/2011

2011-04-11T21:15:00.005-04:00

"Drumming changes people's consciousness" (Redmond 1997)

It's been said that the spirit of drumming is a conduit to heightened awareness, clarity and awakening. One drummer that can take you to that state with his playing is Neil Peart. Drumming is just not about holding the beat or playing intricate patterns and showing off you virtuosity, it's about communicating.

The Ultimate form of communication is "Listening". If you are communicating well that means you are listening and when Neil plays you Listen. You listen until he takes you and places you in that level of heightened awareness. At that state every touch of the drum stick on the drum head is a sound of pure pleasure.

Though there is the guitarist and the singer doing their thing you can feel Neil having a personal conversation with you in his own non verbal language, the language of Rhythm.

Pictures and Videos from the Show last night. Neil Peart's Copper Plated Steam Punk Kit was out of this world. The highlight of the kit is the Steam Punk Cymbals, each Cymbal has a unique design and artwork on top of it, I stumbled upon this article from the Sabian page, it's an awesome read.

http://www.sabian.com/EN/newsevents/SteampunkCymbals.cfm

Pictures an Video by Pratap Sebastian