A Weekend of Covers, Tributes and Family Values
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Last Friday, my brother convinced me to go outside of the oven that is our house. He wanted to go watch a Guns N' Roses tribute band at a nearby club called Paladino's. He was the one that got me hooked on the band at the young age of eight so of course I went with him.
On the way there, he asks if I'm doing anything Sunday night. It was a long weekend, which meant I'd be trying to catch up on sleep. Half knowing the answer, he hands me a pair of tickets for the 2007 Family Values Tour. It was for the last stop at the Verizon Amphitheater in Irvine. Life IS peachy. I haven't followed Korn since I was teenager but I sure as hell wasn't going to turn down a chance to see them live.
When we arrived at Paladino's, I found out the place specialized at hosting tribute bands. They also showcase local talent and at times get surprise visits from bands like the Foo Fighters. The first group we saw onstage had a forgettable performance set except for their gimmick of two girls doing a pole dance routine. One of the girls in particular grabbed my attention. It had less to do with her stripping and shaking than the fact that she looked exactly like one of old co-workers from the Daily Nexus. I probably enjoyed it more than I should have.
Next up was Chinese Democracy, the GnR tribute band. I haven't seen many tribute bands live and a glimpse at the burly lead singer made me question how good their performance would be. My doubts went away the moment I heard the opening of "Welcome to the Jungle." What tribute bands lack in originality, they more than make up for with passion and commitment to the source material. Each band member easily matched the songs note for note. I loved how most of the set was from "Appetite for Destruction." It brought a lot of memories back. We didn't stay to watch the Kiss tribute band, but from their costumes I imagine they were pretty faithful to the songs as well.
So flash forward to Sunday night. We arrived at the Verizon Amphitheater at around sunset. We didn't get a chance to see Atreyu or Flyleaf but we were just in time for Evanescence. Aside from their singles, I'm not too into Evanescence. But watching Amy Lee head bang onstage made me realize that she's one of the few high profile female personalities left in the rock world. I can't even remember the last time bands like No Doubt, Garbage, Hole or the Distillers were still on the scene. Anyways, Amy did a rendition of "People are Strange" with piano, continuing the streak of cover performances I experienced that weekend.
Next up, was Korn. We were up in the lawn section of the amphitheater but that didn't diminish the enthusiasm of crowd. Bonfires erupted at four different locations on the lawn. Security initially kept trying to put them out but they would go up again the moment they left. The staff either ran out of fire retardant foam or realized no one was in any real danger and gave up on the fires. One fire got particularly large that Jonathan Davis noticed and asked, "who's roasting marshmallows over there?"
The band looked great. Jonathan seemed a bit slimmer in his kilt, Fieldy had his braids going and Munky looked like Jack Sparrow with his dreadlocks and eye makeup. David was still on hiatus and Head obviously wasn't there. Jonathan told the crowd that the night's set would be dedicated to all the OG Korn fans. Most of the songs were from their first three albums. Like all the other bands I saw that weekend, Korn did a cover as well. Their's was "Another Brick in the Wall." They closed with "Blind" and it worked out nicely since the song ended as the Moon was rising over the mountain range behind the stage. Great finish to a consistently high energy set. The only complaint I had, along with many in the crowd, was that they didn't perform "Got the Life." It wasn't a big deal since it's one of their overplayed songs. I could always watch it on Youtube. Just being out to see live bands made it an awesome long weekend. Now if I can only get tickets to KROQ's L.A. Invasion.
Europopular: Günther & the Sunshine Girls Make Mustaches, Mullets, and Manufactured Music Cool Again
Thursday, May 17, 2007
In our brave new digital age, almost anybody can achieve fame through the Internet. Yet, not many performers can rise to international stardom the way Günther has over the past couple of years. With his mullet, mustache and overtly sexual music, I couldn’t help but wonder, was this guy for real? It was that ambiguity that got me hooked. If Günther was a parody of Europop, he was shooting right on target. If he was serious, at least he was outrageous to the point of being awesome. So it was quite the shocker to hear that the Pleasureman would be coming to perform at our very own Storke Plaza. Forget Ozma, Sugarcult, the Moving Units or any of the other performers that have played at the venue. Günther & the Sunshine Girls would be the biggest thing to appear in the plaza since Storke Tower.
The concert-goers were relatively sparse at the start of DJ Rafael’s opening set, but it quickly became filled to the brim with a crowd anxiously chanting for Günther. DJ Rafael was able to momentarily placate the audience by getting everyone to sing alongside a dance mix of Nirvana’s “Lithium.”
As more time passed, some wondered if Günther would be a great live performer - their reservations vanished at the sound of Günther’s sensually deep voice. The crowd went nuts. I ended up a mere 30 feet away from the stage. Each step closer to the Pleasureman came at the cost of air and space, as no one was willing to budge from where they stood. Some took advantage of this by crowd-surfing. There were several moments when it felt like a portion of the audience was ready to fall over. Luckily, people kept their balance and no one was trampled, though the same can’t be said for injured feet. Standing by one of the plaza’s trees wasn’t any better. While some grabbed hold of a better view in the branches, anyone near the trunks got repeatedly rammed from several directions against the rough bark.
Günther ran through his set list from the Pleasureman album. This included hits like “Ding Dong Song,” “Teeny Weeny String Bikini,” and “Golddiggers.” Each successive song and gyration from the Sunshine Girls got the crowd more excited to dance, sing along and make out. The audience orgy nearly ended when a couple rowdy audience members began throwing hard objects at the performers. Luckily, Günther & the Sunshine Girls understood the rabid love foaming from the audience. The show went on. Günther topped it off with an encore performance of “Ding Dong Song” and a single from his upcoming album.
Much of the crowd quickly dispersed after the concert. However, some persistent fans, which included a few of my fellow Nexites, were able to hang around and get some photos and autographs with Günther & the Sunshine Girls. Günther’s performance perfectly reflected the party atmosphere of Isla Vista; everyone went their separate ways that night to spread Günther’s message of love through champagne, glamour, sex and respect.
Adventure in Old Ventura
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Last week my roommate suggested that we catch the Bloodhound Gang concert over in Ventura. He said the live show he went to in Iowa was the best damn show he’d ever seen. While not one to take any Iowan at face value, let alone one that ran in last year’s A.S. presidential race, I’m a casual fan of the Gang and felt it would be worthwhile to validate this hyperbole. On Sunday night we grabbed our balding friend and his newly-dyed clone to make the trek to Ventura. We even tried to kidnap a CSO but he jumped out of the moving vehicle. If still not evidently clear, this was going to be a night of hilarity. Walking into the Ventura Theater with its quasi-classy dŽcor and seeing the banner with “Bloodhound Gang” written on top of a crossed out “Metallica” served as a warning for those without a Bam Margera-esque sense of humor. Say what you will about the juvenile and politically incorrect lyrics found in songs like “I Wish I Was Queer So I Could Get Chicks,” but the Bloodhound Gang definitely knows how to have a good time. The concert was meant to promote their new album Hefty Fine but the Gang quickly dropped their set list to let the audience pick which songs they wanted to hear. The songs spanned from the rocking “Magna Cum Nada” to the electronic “Uhn Tiss Uhn Tiss Uhn Tiss.” Out of the blue they even incorporated some Franz Ferdinand and Jay-Z into their songs. I was surprised when the band took a break for five minutes only to come out wearing helmets with drums attached to them. Drummer Willie the New Guy then played on the bands’ heads for “You’re Pretty When I’m Drunk.”
Listening to their live music wouldn’t have been as much fun without the band’s onstage antics. Lead singer Jimmy Pop shook his ass in front of super-masculine bassist Evil Jared, which kicked off a spitting contest between the two. This was a challenge as to who could spit the nastiest loogie at the other person during the most inopportune moment. They even asked the audience to get involved. Not one to quench his thirst from a deluge of saliva, Evil Jared later grabbed a beer bong full of Jagermeister and downed it in a mere couple of seconds. One of the band’s common routines is to offer an audience member a hundred dollars to pull off a dare. This time it was to strip naked and dance at the back of the theater. One burly volunteer stepped up to the dare and was immediately taken away by security. The moment things started to mellow, the roadies would proceed to slingshot merchandise or kick dozens of beach balls at the audience. There was never a lull in energy at any point of the show.
The Ventura show was less of a concert as it was an four-hour long party. I may have started as a casual fan but now I listen to the Bloodhound Gang’s songs everyday. The best shows are the ones where the band isn’t trying to take themselves too seriously.
