Archive for the “Portfolio” Category

PROG /POWER IX

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FIRST DAY: PRE PARTY WITH ECPLIPSED BY SANITY,MIDNIGHT, AND CIRCLE 2 CIRCLE.

Ever since my buddy Taylor turned me onto the Prog/Power fest a couple of years ago, I am a total fan of this yearly show/party/reunion! It is all about the Progressive/Power/Melodic Metal movement that has been somewhat underground in the USA for some time. It is pretty much unknown here in America,but for a few lucky obsessed prog-snobs that grace the Center Stage theater every year for 9 years now, its all about this music and the people who love it! Glenn Harveston puts on this show once a year in Atlanta, Georgia with his loyal crew of stagehands/music lovers and he is sold out every year! Next year at Prog/Power X is one of his best line-ups to date, but I dont want to get ahead of myself. The show starts with the pre party up in the Loft at the Center Stage and then ends with a drunken Metal Kareoke down in the Vinyl Bar, where you can sometimes see some major singer from some killer band kicking peoples asses to some classic rock!
First of all on wedsday, we have to get to our hotel rooms and get ready for the first night. Its going to be a long and crazy four days, so you got to get prepared for some craziness and fun! I get to stay on my first nite with Bear, one of my good buddies from San Fransisco and Eric who also promote Bay Area Rock Fest.

Bear and me getting ready for the first big nite!!

Bear and me getting ready for the first big nite!!

The absolute first thing we do is get the hotel driver to take us to get beer(A P.P. Staple!) and go to eat at Gladys Nights Chicken and Waffles, which was so amazing!!! We can barely walk after that meal and we take the Marta (Train) back to the hotel and get ready for our first nite of metal!
We head over to the PP center of metal madness and party’s, the Grenada, which is walking distance, and meet up with our fellow metal-heads at the pre-party,pre party, Happy Hour! Thats where you get your $2 beers and get ready for the first show. We meet up with a bunch of people, mostly well seasoned PP vetrans, and start the nite off good with a few beers and metal chat. We are all excited for another killer PP fest and are anxiously awaiting the first nite!

The crew at the Grenada!!

The crew at the Grenada!!

 

Zak, Me, and Mitch from C2C!!!

Zak, Me, and Mitch from C2C!!!

First There is a killer young metal band from Atlanta called Eclipsed By Sanity with Patrick “Hoyt” Parris on vocals that put on a kick ass show! Pat’s dad, Hoyt, from Pathfinder Productions asked me to come check them out and I am glad I did. Eclipsed By Sanity is a balanced blend of Progressive Power and Thrash metal including a fair share of melody, harmonization, and in your face guitar work.(Taken from their Myspace page…) This band really can go far if they keep up what they are doing! Pat is a cool frontman and has the look to bring in the ladies!

Pat Hoyt Parris!!

Pat Hoyt Parris!!

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Then after a few libations and some chatting with Zak, Mitch, and Bill from C2C we settle in for something that we cannot explain later. A set from Midnight of Crimson Glory fame with John “Spock” Zahner, and Matt LaPorte backing him up. I never got into CG, but I hear from my friends that they were incredible, but looking at the small fraile man onstage I was like this guy was a killer lead singer back in the day??

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He was doing some weird spoken word stuff and looked like he was completely lost at one point. It looked In my opinion to be a train wreck. Everyone at the show was completely confused as to what they just saw so we just shrugged it off, had another beer and moved on to wait for Circle 2 Circle…

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The night was saved by Circle 2 Circle who jumped onstage and gave the crowd a burst of energy that we needed after that! After more beers and more killer metal I was feeling great! C2C was so fucking kick-ass that I had to stop shooting for a bit and just enjoy the metal onslaught and bang my head for a few tunes like, Fatal Warning amd Soulbreaker, and Chase the Lies! This band is truely one of my faves for the sheer melodies and great vocals of Zak Stevens. Zak Stevens throwin some metal!

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The addtion of Bill Hudson on guitars really jump started this band and gave them an extra added energy. It seemed like he had been with them from the start as good as he was meshing with the band.

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Mitch was having a blast on keys and bass and just cutting up for the crowd

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I love this band and hope they go far with their brand of US Metal! They deserve it!!
After the show we hang with the C2C guys and go down to Vinyl for the metal Kareoke show. We meet some great new metal-heads and some old friends there and some really cool guys from Saint Deamon were hangin with us.

Nobby, Jan, from Saint Deamon and Sascha from Helloween and Frode Johnsrud, Pagans Mind Manger!!

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Nobby the bass player and Jan Thore, their singer, had many beers with us and we partied til we were kicked out. I got to see Jan sing some Zep songs and see how amazing his voice was before they kicked our asses on sat nite! Now I was really excited to see this new band of Nor-Swedes play! Nobby and Jan thore!!! Our drinking buddies the whole weekend!

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Even Kai Hansen from Gamma Ray was hanging out late into the night!!

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And even get to chat with amazing vocalist Lance King!!

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We had a total blast and got a ride back to our hotel by the sweet bartender Whitney. Me and Bear and Eric laugh our asses off til God knows what time when we finally pass out….. PP day one over…

Myspace pages:

http://www.myspace.com/circleiicircle

http://www.myspace.com/eclipsedbysanity

http://www.myspace.com/t42midnight

 

2 comments:

no1trekman2002 said…

Great Vocals, Great Music. And one beautiful Metal Lovin Babe!! What more could you ask for. Love it.Since you enjoy CIIC, I bet you would love Savatage too. 😉

February 1, 2009 at 5:11 AM

Leah Burlington said…

Hahaha! Never was a HUGE fan but still dig them…JOP was killer!!
February 14, 2009 at 3:43 AM
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Leah @ The Hard Rock Hotel

indexA LIFELONG DREAM REALIZED

Leah was recently honored with having one of her photos framed for permanent display inside of the Corey Taylor (of Slipknot) case inside of the Hard Rock Hotel .

If you are at the Hardrock, stop by and see the case!

rock.over.america-02Read Leah’s review of the induction on RockOverAmerica’s website!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

coreyshotBGCOREY TAYLOR OF SLIPKNOT TO UNVEIL DISPLAY AT HARD ROCK HOTEL

 This Saturday night the 17th, they will be unveiling a new Corey Taylor case at The Hard Rock Hotel, and the man behind the mask will be there to commerate the occasion. One of my photos from the Halloween show at The Pearl was chosen to be used in the case. It will be a huge poster sized photo along with some of his costumes and masks from previous tours with other mementos.

This info was taken from the Sliknot website:
The Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas will be unveiling a special new Corey Taylor case on July 17th at 8:00pm! The case will feature masks and uniforms that Corey has worn on stage with Slipknot as well as some of his plaques, photographs and some other special memorabilia. To celebrate this special honor Corey will be performing two solo shows at the Hard Rock. The first will be Poolside on July 16th at 9:00pm with his Junk Beer Kidnap Band. The second will be a solo acoustic show at Wasted Space in the Hard Rock on July 17th at 11:30pm.
Come see the case with this photo this Saturday night!!

http://www.slipknot1.com

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Corey and two of my photos from last tour…..he was really friendly and appreciative of the whole thing!! Thanks man!! \m/\m/

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JORN LANDE & GLENN HUGHS PERFORM AT HIGH VOLTAGE FEST: FOOTAGE HERE!

At the High Voltage Festival in the UK, Jorn Lande and Glenn Hugh performed Heaven and Hell with the band Heaven and Hell as a tribute to our sadly departed Ronnie James Dio. I am excited to see if there will be more videos posted and how many other songs they may have sang. One fan was insightful and took video of this so fans that couldnt be there got to see it the next day!! Thanks man!! Hope a DVD will be made of this…

 

Jorn Releases Statement About the Song For Ronnie

Message from Jorn.

I am overwhelmed by all the positive response regarding “Song for Ronnie James”, and all the warm comments I have recieved from all around the world.

It means a lot to me that you have embraced this song as something coming from the heart, and I’m truly grateful.

In just a few days more than 100.000 people have viewed the video on the internet, and the number is still rising…

Many people are too busy trying to reinvent the wheel, forgetting the talent, quality and originality of the people that paved the way, like Ronnie James Dio.

jorn_and_dioMy intentions for writing ”Song for Ronnie James” was to bow down and pay respect to one of the greatest, most influential and unique artists the world has ever known.

When Ronnie passed away so sudden, I wasn¨’t sure whether or not the release of the song should be postponed for a while, but we decided to proceed with the release of the song as planned.

“Song for Ronnie James” was written before Ronnie got sick last year, and it makes me sad to know that he never got to hear it.

Without Ronnie’s presence, I would not have become the artist I am today.

It’s hard holding back the tears when reading all your wonderful comments, and once again I thank all of you for your support and recognition.

Ronnie James Dio lost his battle against cancer, but we must continue to fight this disease. Medical researchers are doing progress every day, and they need our help.

You can help World Cancer Research Fund International by following the link below.

I urge you all to contribute in any way you can, your help will make a difference.

http://www.wcrf.org/

Sincerley yours,

Jorn

Jorn & Dio at the House Of


Blues, Orlando in 2000

Jorn’s Website: http://jornlande.com/mainsite/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

 

KAMELOT & EDGUY: TWO SHOWS IN TWO DAYS!

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EDGUY

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( I went to this show last year and finally am getting the review up…sorry it took so long!!)

OCT 25TH San Fransisco & OCT 26th Hollywood 2008

One thing that I will never understand is why we dont get any killer Prog/Power Metal bands in Vegas. It sucks that I have to travel to another state to see some of the most incredible and extremely talented Prog and Power Metal bands from all over the world! Every time there is a tour they pass Vegas by. They hit Phoenix, LA or SF and then,whoa, what happened to Vegas?? We were lucky one time and got Iced Earth. They sold 300 tix at the HOB, but I tell ya they were the most rabid metal fans you could ever see! And we actually got Nightwish last year to a count of like 900 in attendance. Not bad for Vegas!!

So when I saw that two of my fave Prog/Power bands, Edguy and Kamelot were going to be doing a tour together, I was ablazed with enthusiasm!! But then I saw what I was afraid of, no Vegas date…great, again I would have to take time off work and fly to LA or SF to go see two of my heroic bands. So guess what? I said fuck it and managed to get three days off, a round trip ticket from Vegas to Frisco and Frisco to LA and had two great friends to stay with in both towns. I was like, “I might as well see them twice!!”It was an ingenious plan!! It wasnt too expensive and so I booked my flights!!

My first stop was in Frisco to stay with my friend Bear who promoted BAR-Fest last year and go to SLIM’s to see these two amazing bands! SLIM’s is a small club that holds maybe 6-800 people and it is a bitch to see any bands unless you are right up front. I saw Symphony X and Epica there earlier last year and was lucky enough to be in the tiny photo-pit so that I could watch the show without getting crushed. It was amazing having Russell Allen sweating above me and making faces at me all nite!! Lol!!

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Bear and I in Frisco!!

So we get there to a packed house and its already totally fucked to get up front but me and Squeak(The other killer Photog in ‘da house) manage. Dirk from EDGUY totally hooked me up with a photo pass so I was stoked to be shooting off the cuff!

Danger Dirk!!

Danger Dirk!!

I have never seen either of these bands and I am so excited I can barely see straight! So we get into position in the tiny pit and out come the always enthusiastic and bombastic EDGUY!!! I hear a lot of shit about these guys and I am telling you, they have so much unbridled energy that it permeates from their pores! They live this shit!! They Breath it!! They ROCK IT!! They brought it on and in a big way!!! They started with one of my all time fave rockers “Mysteria” and everyone was bouncing with glee but when we thought it couldnt get any better, they busted out “Sacrifice” which is also another tune that I always turn people onto when I tell them about EDGUY! Its just shreds and is a roller-coaster ride of a song!!! They kick out the crazy “Lavatory Love Machine” and I just crack up! We have to get out of the pit after the third song and right away we are crushed… now we gotta try and find a spot to stand where we can see because we are two short-ass photo girls and we cant see shite!Tobias Sammet is the always silly and adorable front-man that is a seriously talented singer and songwriter! (check out Avantasia!!) He gets the crowd all riled up and crazy and even gets people heckling him, but the ever grinning front-man isnt fazed and just keeps on joking and cutting up like a stand up comedian…”German’s arnt suppsosed to be funny” Tobi tells me in a short interview at WOA in Germany in 07, but this dude is really funny!! He just cant seem to help it!

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Tobias Sammet!!

After a sweet rendition of “Mandrake” he shows his vocal talents in the song “Superheros”. This is really a cool song, I dont care what you say! They do an older song called “Vain Glory Opera” from the CD of the same name and show how talented they truely are and how they used to be a total power metal band!! Tobi plays with the audience more and then ends the set with”King of Fools”. I really enjoyed the set and was sad that they were over but then remembered that I would see them again the next nite!

Jens!

Jens!

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After a short break the lights get all low and red and there is a ton of smoke and we were in for a real treat of metal godliness… Kamelot was about to hit the stage and bring the fury that is true a Prog/Power/Symphonic Metal band!!!! The intro of ” Rule the World” comes on and out come the talented musicians themselves. Roy is all regailed in a black robe with buckles and belts and looks dark and ominous!

Roy "freakin" Khan!!!!

Roy “freakin” Khan!!!!

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These guys are the more serious of the two and show how to put on a seriously beautiful spectacle!!! Thomas Youngblood was all over the stage and flaunting his prowess on the guitar and of course Casey Grillo was a master on the drums and you had to wonder how the hell he playes so fast and tastefully!!

Thomas Youngblood rockin the six string!!!

Thomas Youngblood rockin the six string!!!

This band is one of the best out there in their genre and I am so happy and blessed to be shooting the show again in the tiny pit. I am blown away by the way Roy Khan takes control of his audience and the man has such a stage presence that brings you into his world of wonderous songs. He has an amazing voice and I know that he had a cold or something due to a quote he said later about being sorry about sneezing onto a fan up front…lol! If he was sick and not at his best, he could have fooled me and did, because he was mind blowing to me. They put on a show that was intense and there was an energy in the air that was felt by all. It was Oct and we were all sweating in this small club as Kamelot rocked our asses off with songs like,”When the Lights are Down”, “Soul Society”, “The Pendulous Fall”,”Center of the Universe”, and then my all time fave song “Abandoned”. That song always makes me want to weep. When Oliver Palotai started the intro to that on the keys I almost fell down. It was heavenly!

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Oliver rippin’ up the keys!!

They then played out the rest of the set with, “Descent of the Archangel” “The Human Stain”, a duet with their female singer who’s name I dont know, with ” The Haunting”After that it was “Edenecho” and “Forever”. They go off the stage as we all cry NO! and then come out to pummel us with encores , “Ghost Opera”,”Epilogue”,”Karma” and then the always ominous and creepy “March of Mephisto” to end the set! I was spent, I was satisfied, I was happy! What a fuckin’ great show!!!!

The next day I get on a plane to Hollywood and do it all over again…I gotta tell ya the show was exactly the same the next nite except for the venue was the famous Key Club in Hollywood and it was a lot bigger and the stage was better and so was the crowd! We ate at the Rainbow Bar and Grill before and had the famous pizza they have there and met up with some old friends. We hit the club and I get another photo pass thanks to Taz the TM. I didnt it need though, there wasnt a photo pit and I already had killer photos from SF anyway. I just enjoyed the show and the company I was with. EDGUYwas a blast again and kicked so much ass and I was able to jump around and go a bit crazier this time. Then Kamelot was on fire again and Roy seemed
to be feeling better. The energy was palapable and we just felt it in the air. It was another hot and sweaty show and everyone was having the time of their lives,including me! They both put on fantastic sets and I was again satiated but totally exhausted.

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Hangin with EDGUY after the show….Dirk,Jens and Felix!!

 

Bill Hudson,Casey Grillo, me and Dirk at the Rainbow....

Bill Hudson,Casey Grillo, me and Dirk at the Rainbow….

Eggi with a cup on his head...lol!!!

Eggi with a cup on his head…lol!!!

Rockin the horns up with Lemmy at the Rainbow after the show!

Rockin the horns up with Lemmy at the Rainbow after the show!

I am so glad I hit both shows because both bands are just so amazing and they are great guys that deserve so much more fame and recognition!! I had a killer time and would totally do that again if they come through my area. Maybe one day Vegas will wake up and listen to something new and fresh and finally realize there is more out there then Hair Metal……

I would give these show the coveted \m/\m/\m/\m/\m/ way up!!

MYSPACE: http://www.myspace.com/edguy
WEBSITE:www.edguy.net

NEW EDGUY VIDEO!!

MINISTRY OF SAINTS:

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HELLISH ROCK TOUR FEAT-HELLOWEEN,GAMMA-RAY, AND MANTICORA

PROG/POWER SEPT 25TH 2008 PRE-SHOW,SHOWCASE:

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WITH HELLOWEEN:

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GAMMA-RAY:

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MANTICORA:

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I was in Atlanta Georgia for Prog/Power 9 and made sure to get my ticket to the Hellish Rock Tour show that was the pre-show showcase for the actual two day fest at the center Stage theater.

I never really heard much of any of these bands and I was so kicking myself for not knowing anything about two of the most killer power metal bands that have been rockin’ around Germany and the world, for like 25 or so years.
Both Helloween and Gamma- Ray have a history of trading out band members and having some of the greatest vocalists in power metal. Helloween started in 84 with Kai Hansen getting together with Michael Weikath when they both decided to quit their bands of the day and form Helloween. Kai was the singer then but decided that it was too difficult to sing and play guitar and they recruited then 18 year old singer Michael Kiske to be in the band. They produced the critically acclaimed “Keeper of the Seven Keys” part one and two and after that in 88 Kai leaves and ( now Masterplans) Roland Grapow joins the fold. In the meantime Kai Hansen forms Gamma-Ray with wicked singer Ralf Sheepers of (Primal Fear fame now and who alomst got the gig with Priest after Halford left)A few live and complilation albums later, Helloween have issues with their record lable and drop off the planet for a while.
In late 1993 Andi Deris, former Pink Cream 69 singer, joins the band along with former Holy Moses and Gamma Ray Drummer Uli Kusch, a new lineup for Helloween is born. The band signs to Castle records in 1994. Their next album “Master of the Rings” was released and became what many people called a great comeback album!
Helloween went back into the studio and released “The Time Of The Oath” in 1996, which was hailed by the press as their best album since the Keeper era.
On October 31st 2005 the band releases a follow-up to their legendary Keeper albums entitled “Keeper of The Seven Keys – The Legacy”. The album brought more critical acclaim to the band 2007_08a5862196and was received well throughout the world.
Jump ahead to 2007, and several line-up changes later, the band released their newest album “Gambling With the Devil“!!

I love this cd guys!!! Its is fucking heavy power metal at its finest!! Its soars with melodic hooks,anthemic chorus’s,screaming guitars by both Michael Michael Weikath and Sascha Gerstner who joined up in 2003. Andi Deris’ vocals are killer and unique. Every song rocks and rollicks and makes you want to sing and headbang!! I mean this cd just rules!! I would say that this cd was one of the best of 07 (Too bad I JUST got it…)

GAMMA-RAYYYYY!!!

IMG_1888Ok, on with the concert review!! I get to the venue and I missed Manticora( sorry guys) but I get there just in time for a stunning perfromance of a Kai Hansen fronted Gamma-Ray!!

These guys were spectacular and I love Kai’s voice that is differnt from most singers out there, but then again IS kind of close to Andi’s. I heard that it was awesome to the fans of both these bands, that they are touring together because of their history,but it looked that both bands had an incredible time. I am sure it was also due to they both havn’t been on American soil IMG_1936in years.

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They put on a stellar perfromance and I was in awe of Kai as he is an amazing frontman and sick ass guitarist! Where the hell have I been not to have heard these guys before?? Their newest cd is called “Land of the Free 11” which was released in 07 also. Its a killer cd guys!!

HELLOWEEEEEENNNN!!!!

After that wicked ass set it was time for the extremely unbelievable sonic shredding of HELLOWEEN!! If I was blown away by Gamma-Ray, I swear I wasnt ready for this set of godliness that was before me! They blew my mind beginning with the first song which was ” Halloween” and they continued to rock my ass off for the whole entire set.

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Andi Deris with punkins!!( I got one!!)

 

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Andi rockin the top hat!

I was buzzed with music and beer and I remember at one time weeping with joy because these guys were so right up my alley and were perfection! I was so excited to have two new bands to get to know and tons of new/old music to find and listen to!

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At about the end of Helloween’s set they brought out Kai for a medly of “Future World” and ” I Want Out“…ok I knew these songs and everyone else did too as they were screaming like holy hell through both songs! It was cool as hell to see Kai and Andi up there together singing these older songs and looking to be having the time of their lives!

(Michael is a shredder from hell and Markus Großkopf has played bass on projects like Avantasia!!)

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helloweensetlistIt was amazing!! It was exciting!! It was so METAL!!! I have to say that was the best time for me all weekend besides seeing Iced Earth on sat nite. I am such a power metal fan and now I got to see two of the best and FIRST bands that came out from this genre. It was an incredible nite of METAL!! I loved it!
Here is the set -list from Helloween!!

SOME VIDEOS YOU PROBABLY HAVNT SEEN!!!
HELLOWEEN: PAINT A NEW WORLD!! (THIS IS SICK!!!)

 

 

MONSTER CIRCUS IN VEGAS!! 12/09/08

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I was totally excited and had no idea what this show was all about but I did know who was going to be performing and I had to be there to see what the buzz was about!! All I knew was that there was a free show happening at the Hilton with some of our old pals from a bunch of ass kicking bands jamming togther for a Showcase. It was featuring Bruce Kulick, Rudy Sarzo, John Corabi, Tony Montana and Bobby Rock, with special guest Dee Snider!!
BRUCE& RUDY!!

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I had no idea what to expect, but when I got there ,there was a huge buzz going on in the crowd….what was going to happen??? Then Boom out go the lights and out come the rockers and they started playing Motley’s “Live Wire” and then Kiss’ “Shout it out Loud“. They were rocking like hell and there were semi naked women, a firebreather(Antonio) and acrobatics and a light-show that KISS would have been envious of! They are all tight as a band and then after “Dream On” and “You Got Another Thing Comin” with John Corabi on vocals,
JOHN CORABI

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Dee “fuckin” Snider comes out and they do “We’re Not Goinna Take It” to a crowd of screaming fans!!
DEE SNIDER!!!

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It was crazy!! The energy was intense!! Everyone was on their feet!!! Then they all came out to do “Highway To Hell” and the crowd went mad!!!

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There was a devil onstage(which was Antonio from Bite!!) and all kinds of stuff going on with firepots and fireworks!
RUDY AND TONY AND CIRQUE CHICKS!!

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ANTONIO FROM BITE AND EXCALIBURS TOURNAMANT OF KINGS!

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They rocked “Hot For Teacher” and “Paradise City” and ended with Rudy doin the infamous bass line of “Metal Health“,which they dedicated to the late Kevin DuBrow, and the place went ballistic!!
RUDY SARZO!!!

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There was more fireworks and fire and confetti shot all over the theater! I was weak in the knee’s trying to get those perfect shots as all this was happening before me, and it was hard to keep the camera steady!
JOHN CORABI!!

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I was blown away and totally excited that I was there to see the spectacle that was Las Vegas’s own Monster Circus!!! I dont know all the details yet but the rumor is that they are going to try and get a show here like this like every week or once a month?? I dont know we will just have to wait and see…Its the brain Child of Tony Montana and I hope his vision of the Rock Pack comes alive in our sin city!!!
TONY MONTANA

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Here is the post from Bruce Kulicks website:http://www.kulick.net/
Well the big day with MONSTER CIRCUS came and went fast, and it was simply amazing. No one really knew what to expect (including me) but the idea of having great players rocking on stage backed by a totally cool Vegas style experience was pulled off without a glitch at the HILTON in Las Vegas on December 9th.
BRUC KULICK

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Monster Circus was formed by Tony Montana (who played bass in Great White but is also a fantastic singer and lead guitarist), Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy, Whitesnake, Quiet Riot and many more) and John Corabi, who needs no introduction for my fans. These three asked Bobby Rock (Nelson, Slaughter, Vinnie Vincent Invasion) to play drums and myself to join them on stage, with Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) and Dave Kushner (Velvet Revolver) as the special guests to play 9 classic hits along with a great show that included fire breathers, pyro, dancers and tight rope style performances in a totally Vegas over-the-top manner.
ANTONIO FROM BITE!!

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The Hilton stage, home to Barry Manilow of late but most famous for ELVIS PRESLEY from his VEGAS years, was simply put an amazing place to perform. Using Elvis’s dressing room and getting a tour of some of the private rooms built for Elvis for his famous performances was quite a thrill. The band rehearsed in LA for a week and then it was off to Vegas for a day and a half of rehearsal with the dancers etc. It was a miracle how quickly it all came together.
Rudy & Dee Snider

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Admission to the show was free for agents, fans and press alike, all were definitely impressed, and I was very proud of everyone involved. Dee Snider is a great performer, and I was very proud of John and the band for being tight and exciting. The way MONSTER CIRCUS is set up the band can have different members rotate in and out depending on the indivisual players’ schedules, and I look forward to a chance to do the show again when possible.
So let’s hope it gets picked up in Vegas, as it is was a great night and I got to have some fun in a place where Elvis made history. Keep your eyes out for more MONSTER CIRCUS, and I would like to thank everyone involved again for making this a very rewarding experience. Thanks for the invite!All the best,
Bruce Kulick
http://www.kulick.net/

2 comments:

no1trekman2002 said…

Wow, Wow, WOW! A great bunch of artists & musicians. From your report I know the show Kicked Ass!! You should check out Corabi’s covers CD. It rocks! Thanks Leah.

Leah Burlington said…

Glad you liked it!! They are coming back and playing more gigs soon!! Whoohoo!!

JORN LANDE EURO TOUR: LEAH & CAROLA’S BIG JORN-ADVENTURE!!

Nov 18th Ludwigsburg, Germany & Prattlen, Switzerland Nov 19th:
WELCOME TO MY JORN-IVERSE!!
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My Jorn Lande obsession started when a good friend of mine about 4 years ago burned me a cd with 16 of Jorn’s best from his solo stuff to Masterplan and Millenium. He tells me that this guy Jorn Lande, is one of the most amazing singers out there and his music is just incredible!! I take a listen and from the first notes of “Crystal Night”, I am just hooked…then I hear The “Voice”!! He sounds like a cross between Coverdale and Dio that exhibits passion and soul like not many singers have these days. I was completely blown away!Every song ,one after another unfolded and was more intense then the last. I had no idea these were differnt songs from differnt bands that he has been in.I thought it was all just his solo stuff. As I became more familar with Jorn I started to collect his cds everywhere I could and became obsessed with finding them all. He has been in many band incarnations including the biggest, Masterplan,Beyond Twilight,Millenium,Yngwie Malmsteen, ARK, Vagabond,Mundanus Imperium,The Snakes,his solo band that he has 5 cds with now and then he has done stuff with Russell Allen from Symphony X called Allen/Lande. There are 2 cds with that project and one more is to come that I know of. Then there was the last Avantasia Cd called The Scarecrow with Tobias Sammet from Edguy that was followed up with an acclaimed tour and a show at Wacken this year. He also sang on the new Ayreon cd this last year. Jorn is a busy man and he keeps us fans in new music all the time. Jorn has toured America only a few times with Ark at PP 2 and anYngwie tour and then at PP 7 he headlined the fest and kicked everyones ass in the process! That show spawned a live cd and now a new DVD that is coming out as I write this. I got to preview the DVD and its killer!
The story of my trip to Europe to see this incredible singer started with my good friend in Germany ,Carola, telling me that Jorn and Pagans Mind was going to be Playing within a day of each other like a few hours from her home close to Frankfurt. I was so stoked and thought on it a week and took the time off and bought me a round trip ticket to Germany for a whole 3 days. It would be two days of travel, 22 hours and 9 hours of driving to see two shows. Everyone I know thought I was crazy to fly to Europe to see two bands in two days but who the fuck cares, right???
I traveled a whole day and got to Germany to see my smiling bestest girlfriend awaiting me at the airport! Carola looked good being as she just went through some serious health issues not long before. I was just so happy to see her again!! We get to her house and Bernt, her hubby has some cold ass beir awaiting my consumption and it was dark so we went to the Aldi and got some cristal( a lighter beir)…woot! He is such a sweet man! We go have some great German dinner and I have my fave Spatzle and Snitzle and another wonderous Bier. It was so good to be back!!
We get up early and I couldnt sleep for shite and Tore calls us and tells us they are in the venue called the Rofrabrik ( Rock Factory) and he is anxiously waiting our arrival. I am getting really excited at this point and we get on the Audobahn and zip on down to Ludwigsburg and get there about 5pm. I havnt seen my best friend Tore in a year and a half and am missing him terribly and cant wait to see his grinning face once again! He spent some time hanging with me in Vegas after seeing my message on Jorn’s MS page. He told me he was coming here and he would like to meet up with me…that spurrned a long and wonderful friendship between Jorn’s guitarist and I that will last a lifetime.
We get to the Rock Factory and we walk up to the bar and there was Tore grinnin like a maniac at me from ear to ear! If you know Tore,this is a sight to behold. He has a smile that lights up a room and the charisma of a true rock star without the “ego”. I have never met anyone like him because he is so unique. Then I see Jorn out of the corner of my eye, and I just bury my face in Tore’s Chest during our long hug and whisper” I just cant…I am going to cry” Tore was like”Just go over and say hi!” So I peel myself off Tore and walk over to this smiling Nordic man and as he reached out his hand and said ” Nice to finally meet you, I have heard all about you”, and then there was this huge hug from this man that I have been crazy about for a few years.

Me gettin my first Jorn hug as Tore looks on..

Me gettin my first Jorn hug as Tore looks on..

I say with glee, damn you smell good”, and to my amusement, he sez” It’s my bamboo shampoo!”I about burst out in tears, but I remained dignified and we just started chatting. It was like two old friends meeting again. The smile and the hug was so worth the flight!! I was the happiest I think I have ever been and it just kept getting better and better!! There was meeting the other band members Tor,Nic, and Wild Willy.

Willy, Tore and Tor!!

Willy, Tore and Tor!!

They were all just so nice and happy to see me! I got all my stuff and friends stuff autographed, got to hang for soundcheck, got lots of photos and got to just laugh and drink beer and chat with all the guys.

My fave photo ever!!!

My fave photo ever!!!

We also watched some crazy tour videos!! I about died laughing at some of these!
We hung at the bar for it seemed like hours then went onto the double decker tourbus and got all cozy on the huge couch and settled in with some beers to do my interview. All present were Tore, Carola,Bernt,Jorn and Alex Kueher the famous photog!! Jorn says he has the DVD that is almost done from PP 7 and if we would like to see it?Me and Carola looked at each other and were like “YES!” This thing was outstanding!!!

Proof that there is an actual DVD!!! Woot!

Proof that there is an actual DVD!!! Woot!

We both felt so priveledged to see this long awaited DVD. We were like ,”We are sitting on the tourbus with Jorn watching Jorn on the TV…Screammmmm!!” Lol! So we get to the interview and its like over an hour that we are talking about life and music and the world. Tore told me that Jorn doesnt usually open up to people so easily, so I am feeling pretty amazing about now. Its the coolest interview for me ever!

The three amigos on the bus!!

The three amigos on the bus!!

 

My most wonderful friends from Germany, Carola and Bernt!!!

My most wonderful friends from Germany, Carola and Bernt!!!

After all of this we get to see the magic happen finally when Jorn hits the stage and we get to see him LIVE!! The club is small but loaded with people, me and Carola have our cameras and Video cameras in tow, and we get right up to the front and when the music to ” Soul of the Wind” starts, I get chills! I am actually finally getting to see the “Voice” live and in your face…I mean he was right in our faces the whole night, singing to us and pointing at us and just posing for all the best photos ever!

The classic Jorn Point!!!

The classic Jorn Point!!!

 

Nic and Tore tearing it up!!!

Nic and Tore tearing it up!!!

 

Tor and Jorn just rockin it and Jorn givin me the "look"....ok what did I do man??? LOL!

Tor and Jorn just rockin it and Jorn givin me the “look”….ok what did I do man??? LOL!

 

The Voice of the gods!!!

The Voice of the gods!!!

The band sounded awesome and tight as hell! You wouldnt have believed that Tor hasnt been in the band very long because he was kicking so much ass.

TOR wailing!!

TOR wailing!!

It was also great to see Tore in his element being the true rock star that I know he is!

Tore Moren, rock god!!

Tore Moren, rock god!!

 

Italian rocker Nic!!!

Italian rocker Nic!!!

I am getting drunk on music and german bier and thinking ” I have died and landed smack into rock n roll Heaven!!” The set list included Shadow People, We brought the Angels Down,Stormcrow,Man of the Dark,The Inner Road,Tungur Knivur,Blacksong,Are U Ready,Duke of Love,one of my faves of all time, Out to Every Nation,Strormbringer and it ended with War of the World. This was in insane set because it was mostly his stuff and not many covers! I was floored and so was Carola!! After they were done Jorn came over to the front of the stage where we were and gave both of us sweaty hugs!! Lol! We didnt mind a bit!!!

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We get to hang for a while longer with the guys and they are all telling us to come see them at a bigger gig in Switzerland!! Even Jorn was telling us to come and see him again. I was like Carola needs to make the decision because she is doing all the driving and I was supposed to see Pagans Mind the next night. We head home and get there at 5 am in time for her to send the kids off to school in a few hours so she got like no sleep. When she does crawl outta bed at 1pm I ask her…..what do you want to do tonight…Jorn or Pagans Mind?…and she sez all exhausted…” I want to see Jorn again”…decision made. It is a three hour drive to Switzerland but I guess thats where we were going. On to see Jorn again!! Woot! I felt really bad about missing Pagans Mind, but I know I will see them again next year!! Who knows when I will get to see Jorn again. ( Unless I get them to America!!)
So off we go again onto the Audobahn for a three hour journey to see my fave singer again. By 7:30 we arrive across the Swiss border in Prattlen and find this dark warehouse and realise we are there!! Tore is on the bus awaiting our return and we watch the video that Carola filmed the night before.

On the bus again watching Carola's video!

On the bus again watching Carola’s video!

He and Tor agree that is it an ass kicker and we should show Jorn. He is busy and may be getting a bit of a cold( I am sure due to doing my station ID’s in the cold and sleet before we left last nite) so we go in and check out Trio-Sphere and they are cool but I want to see My Jorn! Tore and I have some strong Swiss Beir and watch this killer female fronted band that does a wicked WASP medley. He loves these guys and their guitar player come running out into the crowd and finds Tore and jams to him with his guitar!! It is a total Metal Moment and we enjoyed it very much!! Whoohoo!!

Mark from TriosSphere rockin with Tore!!

Mark from TriosSphere rockin with Tore!!

Then it is time for Tore to get ready to go onstage and he hooks me up with getting in the photo pit the entire show and Carola gets to plug her video camera into the soundboard and film the ENTIRE Jorn show!! That is a bootleggers dream I tell ya,but it will be for just us and the band.
The band comes out to a much larger crowd, has some sweet ass lighting for me(Woot!) and sounds just explosive! You can tell the band is having a blast and so is the crowd!! It was a better show but with the same setlist, and I am just in awe of this singer that has inspired me for so long now! He just has presence…or should I say he is Presence!! A Voice to behold all voices!!!

The other classic Jorn pose!!! Love it!

The other classic Jorn pose!!! Love it!

And another sweet shot!!!

And another sweet shot!!!

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Jorn is just wicked cool!!!

I had to stop shooting a few times and just take in the moment! This was a special moment for me and I felt so absolutely satisfied and happy! It was a fantastic show!!

My fave pic of Tore and Jorn!!!

My fave pic of Tore and Jorn!!!

After the show me and Carola are feeing the effects of hours me flying and her driving for hours and hours. We wait a bit to see Jorn again and he comes over to look at some of my photos on the camera and loves what he sees. He said he wanted shots for his new and improved website and I told him I would be honored! We have some laughs and say our goodbyes with hugs and kisses from my two fave men, and I look into this mans eyes and realise he is just a human being doing the best that he can to bring his message to the world. The message of love and hope and kindness and peace. He is an amazing person and I feel love for the guy and am sad we have to leave him and Tore behind. This man’s music speaks to my heart and soul and now I can call him a friend…how cool is that?? I am happy and sad all at once trying not to show my emotion when we say our goodbyes. Tore walks us to the car and we hug like forever and I am in tears. I will miss this man so much because there is a bond between us that will never be broken. I at least have the wonderful memories of that last two crazy days. As we leave I get really a deep lonliness inside and realise that Lonely Are The brave and that I must be brave.

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My lovely Carola drives us home for three hours again and I wake up near the end and we get entirley too silly and laugh til we are in tears the rest of the way to her home. We almost had to pull over a few times as she was crying through the laughter and that just made it funnier and funnier!!Its was Jorn this and Jorn that and it was one of the most hilarious moments of my life! It was so good to laugh togther like that because we would have to part ways again for God knows how long. She is such a wonderful friend that has done so much for me. But we had the time of our lives!!!!
I have been home a few days now and I feel loney and sad and miss my friends but I live in the memories and think of my Carola and Jorn and Tore often and that makes me smile. I havnt slept much in over a week due to all the excitement but I am sure I will relax sometime next year! Lol!

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I am truley blessed and I think often…now that I realised my biggest dream…what next?? How does it get any better than this??? I dont know but I am ready to find out…..

I WOULD GIVE THIS WHOLE EXPERIENCE A COVETED \M/\M/\M/\M/\M/ HORNS WAAAAY UP!!

YOU CAN FIND MORE ON JORN AT:
http://www.myspace.com/realjorn
http://www.jornlande.comhttp//www.jornlande

GREAT CZECH FAN-SITE WITH JORN’S WHOLE BIO!!!

http://www.jornlande-fansite.wz.cz/eng/main_eng.html

 

3 comments:

Neil said…

Kick Ass report Leah and killer that you got to meet and hang with Jorn and Tore for 2 whole days. Love the pics as well, your a fantastic photog! :)P.C Can NOT wait for the Live dvd to be released.
November 26, 2008 at 5:45 AM

Leah Burlington said…

Thanks for reading!!! Glad you like everything! YOu get your package yet??
November 26, 2008 at 1:09 PM

Neil said…

Not yet and i checked my mailbox twice today for it. DAMM postal service. If i didn’t work for em i would curse em,lol. Probably arrive friday i hope.
November 26, 2008 at 4:28 PM

 

 

 

 

9/07/08 ALICE COOPER AT THE ORLEANS IN VEGAS!

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DEAD BABIES!

If it wasnt for Alice Cooper, there would be no shock rockers that we have had access to for all these years. There would be no KISS because they saw Alice and then decided to put on makeup. Then we wouldnt have a Manson or Zombie either. Alice has been shocking audiences since 1971 when the Alice Cooper Group put out their first record Love It To Death, with their first Smash Monster hit “I’m Eighteen”, put out several records before he went solo in 1975 with Welcome To My Nightmare and has been scaring small children ever since. His new release, Along Came a Spider, is a concept album that is about challenging reality by Alice Cooper inhabiting the identity of a serial killer who imagines himself a spider. As he has in the past, Alice chronicles a classic battle between good and evil, with inevitable results. He has Slash doing a searing guitar solo on Vengence Is Mine and the album is co-produced by Danny Saber. This new cd is Alice’s 25th release during his solo career and there is no stopping this jaggurnaut of shock rock!
He has a nightly radio show going on here at http://nightswithalicecooper.com/ and he has his resturaunt in Phoenix Az, called Cooperstown across from the Diamond Back Stadium that I have been to twice and it has great food and all the wait staff wears Alice eye makeup. He has so many things going on and is an avid golfer that has won Fairway to Heaven and is one of the best out there.

Alice Cooper made a three day stop in Vegas in Sept, from the 5th-the 7th and I got to catch the sunday show thanks to Mark Lewis from Rock Over America webzine. He performed at the Orleans Theater which usually holds about 2000 people and houses old acts like the Smothers Bros and the Beach Boys. This weeked was Alice’s weekend of horrors instead of happy tunes and comedy, as it was the Pycho Drama Tour with Alice as the Maestro of the macabre! The show wasnt sold out and it was a seated theater,which I hate, but a nice guard let me slip on down to the front to be closer to the stage. We got no press but were told to shoot anyway, so I did and I was close!!! As you can see by the shot above!
The show was as his shows always are and have been for over 35+ years, a spectacle!! I had just seen him at Rock The Bayou but this up close and personal show was of much better sound quality and it was just more personal. His band is amazing with Kerri Kelli on guitar, Jason Hook on guitar,Eric Singer son drums, and Chuck Garric on bass and Calico Cooper being Alice’s bloody tortured soul as she always is….

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ALICE AND KERRI KELLY!

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COOP AND CALICO!

His band just rocked the roof off this ordinarilly quiet theater! He played all his greatest hits and some new ones off the new cd,Along Came a Spider. He used all his usual props except for the Gullitine that he traded out for being hung by an executioner.

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN KILL ME???

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN KILL ME???

 

STRING HIM UP!!

STRING HIM UP!!

He had dead babies, a cold ethel doll,some knives and swords, a top hat, of course and Obama and MaCain duking it out then hugging during elected! That was classic.

I WANNA BE ELECTED!!!

I WANNA BE ELECTED!!!

 

MACAINE AND OBAMA GETTING CLOSE!!

MACAINE AND OBAMA GETTING CLOSE!!

He tosseed out the huge ballons with confetti and the sword with Alice Cash on it for Billion Dollar Babies. All the normal stuff you expect during a Cooper show. Ya know it never gets old!!!
It was a killer show and I was glad I got to see it again!!! Keep it coming ALICE!!!
( These two photos are from Rock the Bayou!)

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COLD ETHEL!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOOK INTO MY EYES!!

LOOK INTO MY EYES!!

After the show I met the lovely Calico Cooper and she was so sweet! I saw her perform at Rock the Bayou at the after show party as she sang with Enuff’s Enuff. She has a killer voice…like father like Daughter!

CALICO AND ME...

CALICO AND ME…

The Set list for Vegas:
It’s Hot Tonight
No More Mr. Nice Guy
Under My Wheels
I’m Eighteen
Is It My Body
Woman of Mass Distraction
Lost In America
Feed My Frankenstein
Be My Lover
Dirty Diamonds
Muscle of Love
Vengence is Mine
Keri Kelli Spanish acoustic guitar solo
Desperado
Halo of Flies
Bass & drums jam
Drum solo
Jam
Welcome To My Nightmare
Cold Ethyl
Only Women Bleed
Steven
Dead Babies
The Ballad of Dwight Frye
I Love The Dead
School’s Out

New video for Along Came a Spider:


All that is Alice is here:
http://www.myspace.com/officialalicecooper
http://www.alicecooper.com/

I WOULD GIVE THIS SPECTACULAR SHOW THE COVETED \M/\M/\M/\M/\M/ HORNS UP!!!!
Posted by Leah Burlington at 3:54 PM
2 comments:

area5150 said…

Hey Leah, good review, but I have couple of corrections There were 7 albums prior to Welcome to my Nightmare:

Pretties for You (1969)
Easy Action (1970)
Love It to Death (1971)
Killer (1971)
School’s Out (1972)
Billion Dollar Babies (1973)
Muscle of Love (1973)
(credit alicecooper.com and my vast knowledge)

also if you include the greatest hits and live albums Along came a Spider is his thirty-first release.

Keep up the good work.
October 19, 2008 at 4:25 PM
Leah Burlington said…

Hey, thanks for the corrections…I took that from Alicecooper.com…hehe. I will fix what I can…you rock!!!
October 28, 2008 at 5:40 PM

Aug 29-Sept 1st ROCK THE BAYOU in Houston Texas!

flyer4e_medI found out about Rock The Bayou from my staff friends of KWTF, the internet radio station that I work out of. Mostly from Texas Beth who lives in Houston that helped promote this fest on her Myspace, on their forum and on KWTF. This woman was tireless getting the word out and playing all kinds of unsigned and local acts from the Texas area. I didnt even really know about it until she was telling me how fun it would be and who all the bands were. Then I thought it might be a fun show to go to even if only for two days. That was all I could get out of at work and Priest was on Monday nite and I had to get back for that!! I decided I would go down there and shoot the show and help out where I could doing interviews and what have ya. Beth got me all hooked up with a media badge and Robert (our fearless leader) got me a free room at the Ramada. He even was going to pick me up at the airport and drive my happy ass around!! Killer deal so I booked the flight to Houston Texas…somewhere I have never been and probably will never go to again…at least at that time of year..I will get to that later!

MY FIRST DAY AT RTB AND THE SECOND FEST DAY!!!!

I get to the fest area after checking into my hotel and I am feeling the heat and the humidity like right away. Robert gets me to the fest and we meet up with Beth who is in the press tent with our computers all set up and we are “live” streaming. The press tent has a bunch of media peeps in it and we are the ONLY internet radio station thats allowed in there…That is killer!! So I get there and the Bullet Boys are on and being as I have seen them not too long ago I am just scoping the place out instead…..the press area, the backstage area, the beer tent. (that I never got to enjoy.) There was an interview schedule to get ready for and lots of bands playing. I realised my friends band Cockpit is going on right away..but it way across the field. I call Linda Lou and she sez to get my ass over there…I walked it seemed like a mile (there were 4 stages in a huge grassy field) grabbed me some nachos and went to see the all girl band from LA,Cockpit!! It was broad daylight and hot as hades but these chicks were rocking!!! It was cool to see them since its been ages since I have.

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Cockpit RAWKIN!!!!

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The beautiful and talented Linda Lou!!!

IMG_8932My first interview was with the Cockpit girls and they gave me their demo cd that is out now called “Mission to Rock!!!!!!!!!!” Interview schedule!!!
Believe me we didnt get half of these bands…it was too fucking crazy!  When I got back from my trek, there was John Corabi just hangin about by the tent. He was nice enough to pose for a pic and and I got him with Cockpit too!!

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John Corabi!!

I finally saw Christian or as we call him Savadude, and we got togther with Texas beth for a KWTF pic!We had a cooler of free new alcoholic ice packs called Iguanas that were like margarita’s that all the bands were getting bribed to come visit us with by Beth…nothing like something that is FREE!!! Lol!

Bands were just hanging around so I could get all kinds of shots of them…it was a blast!!

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Marc Torien of the BULLET BOYS!!

 

 

 

 

 

The KWTFWorldwide Staff in the Press/Media Tent

The KWTFWorldwide Staff in the Press/Media Tent

 

Donni V of Enuff's Enuff snagging our Iguana's!!

Donni V of Enuff’s Enuff snagging our Iguana’s!!

 

Marc Torien and Alicia Blu of Cockpit!!

Marc Torien and Alicia Blu of Cockpit!!

 

COCKPIT and JOHN CORABI!!

COCKPIT and JOHN CORABI!!

 

GREAT WHITE: LIVE!! They ROCKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GREAT WHITE: LIVE!! They ROCKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JACK RUSSELL OF GREAT WHITE!!

JACK RUSSELL OF GREAT WHITE!!

TEXAS BETH AND NASTY PISTOLERO OF THE GYPSY PISTOLEROS!!! He is so adorable!!!

TEXAS BETH AND NASTY PISTOLERO OF THE GYPSY PISTOLEROS!!! He is so adorable!!!

 

 

DONNIE V OF ENUFF'S ENUFF...LIVE!!

DONNIE V OF ENUFF’S ENUFF…LIVE!!

I got the pleasure of chatting with Great White for a bit and it was great that Michael Lardie remembered me from waaay back in the day when he used to come to a casino I worked at and play on my slot machines…it was funny!!

ME AND GREAT WHITE IN THE MEDIA TENT!!

ME AND GREAT WHITE IN THE MEDIA TENT!!

This band Outworld is sick as hell…they arnt togther anymore which is sad but the music they did spoke for itself!!!

SHAWN AND BOBBY OF OUTWORLD FAME!!

SHAWN AND BOBBY OF OUTWORLD FAME!!

DON DOKKEN: LIVE...or at least sort of live...hehe.

DON DOKKEN: LIVE…or at least sort of live…hehe.

 

Dokken was just Don with a new band I never have seen and he looked bored as usual..he never looks like he is enjoying singing anymore…bums me out.

This guy Fi Fi was on Gene Simmons Family Jewels. It was the episode when all Genes memoribilla got wet from a flood in the house and Shannon and her sis had to go to fans homes and buy stuff to replace it…this guy was one of the fans…he was like I would give you the whole collection if you could get my band to open for KISS!!! LOL!!That was CLASSIC!!!

A new crazy band..FI FI LA RUE!!!

A new crazy band..FI FI LA RUE!!!

 

LITA FREAKIN FORD: LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LITA FREAKIN FORD: LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

LITA FORD'S WARLOCK WAITING FOR HER....

LITA FORD’S WARLOCK WAITING FOR HER….

 

LITA JAMMIN WITH MIKE T. ROSS!!!

LITA JAMMIN WITH MIKE T. ROSS!!!

LITA IN THE MEDIA TENT SAYIN' TA DAH!!!

LITA IN THE MEDIA TENT SAYIN’ TA DAH!!!

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SAMMY ‘THE RED ROCKER” HAGAR!!!

What can you say about Sammy??? The guy RAWKS…he always does and always will…I always love his high energy show and have got him to sign stuff I have put onstage three times!!! Thats how cool he is..didnt meet him though…again!!

MAS TEQUILA~~~

MAS TEQUILA~~~

By the end of the day I was feeling very sick…headachy and naseous. I was not having much fun because of that reason. The humidity in the press tent was worse then outside, but outside was just brutally hot and bright. We were out there for hours of course and I drank water all freakin day and found a purpous for the Iguana’s..ice packs for my neck..thank GAWD for that!! Nothing helped though. So after the show was the After Party at the Meridian, a rock club about 20 minutes away. Me and Robert waited in line then got in and hung out for a bit. I thought it would be nice to feel good at that point and had two cocktails…..and unfortunatley they didnt stay with me long so I was ready to bail within an hour I suppose. Cockpit played again (they said they played a total of 5 times that weekend!!!) and so did John Corabi…an acoustic set. It was time to get some rest. We got back to the hotel by 4 am and I had to at least get some sleep because wake up was 10 am because I didnt want to miss Black N Blue,who of course was to go on FIRST at 11:30 am…fuck!!!! : P
THIRD DAY AUG 31ST…MY SICK DAY…. : p
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So I got up at 10 am feeling pretty good and like I could be fine for the second day of the fest. We get there and within a few mins Black n Blue went on…it was already hot as the devil and I was up front of the stage rockin out to one of my fave bands of the 80’s that I havent seen in 20 freakin years!!! I saw that Patrick the bass player was looking like he was going to pass out…that wasnt good. He made it though and they played a KILLER set with all my faves including, Heat it up Burn it out, hold on to 18, and Live it Up!!! I was so stoked and got great shots so I was happy for the moment…FIRST BAND AT 11:30Aam…..

BLACK N BLUE!!!!!! JAIME ST. JAMES!!!

BLACK N BLUE!!!!!! JAIME ST. JAMES!!!

 

BLACK N BLUE LIVE!!!

BLACK N BLUE LIVE!!!

After their set I went back to the Press tent to a surprise that Jaime St. James was there and I was getting an interview (Thanks Roberto!!!) So he comes over and we reminisce because we have met a few times before and partied in Portland Ore, their hometown and Vegas. He was really sweet and answered all my questions wonderfully! He told me they will have a new cd out soon called..Hell Yeah!! I said hell yeah…finally!!! It was so great to see them rocking again!

JAIME AND I AFTER OUR INTERVIEW!!

JAIME AND I AFTER OUR INTERVIEW!!

 

Only original member left in Lillian Axe.... STEVE BLAZE OF LILLIAN AXE!!!

Only original member left in Lillian Axe….
STEVE BLAZE OF LILLIAN AXE!!!

 

BETH INTERVIEWING ROCKETS TO RUIN!!

BETH INTERVIEWING ROCKETS TO RUIN!!

 

Holy shit man the TOYs were sick as hell!!! I forgot how kick ass this band was back in the day!! I even saw them in Vegas a few times and they always rocked!!!! DANGEROUS TOYS!!!!!!!!

Holy shit man the TOYs were sick as hell!!! I forgot how kick ass this band was back in the day!! I even saw them in Vegas a few times and they always rocked!!!!
DANGEROUS TOYS!!!!!!!!

After the Toys I got really sick…I was about to pass out and got Robert to take me to get some food away from the fest because the concessions were awful. We went to the Crab Shack and I just got so sick I was like take me back to the hotel…pleeeese. I never felt so awful. So the heat and the humidity got me bad and I had to rest up at the hotel for a few hours and after I finally was able to eat, I got Robert to come back and take me back in time for Alice Cooper.
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AFTER A FOUR HOUR BREAK…ALICE COOPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I get back there and everyone is booted from the press tent. Alice’s people are kicking everyone out and no-one can get in the photo pit without a Alice Pass…I was so pissed at that I was like what did I come back for? But I got my camera and went in the VIP area just like everyone else with cameras and shot the enire show…fuck it!!! There were cameras everywhere!! So at least I got my coveted Coop shots and got to see the show up close. And it was a really twisted show!!!
Instead of them using the Gullitine he was hung. He did all the classics and was phenomanal…so was his killer band!!!

SUNDAY NITES AFTER-PARTY AT THE MERIDIAN=CRAZY!! I actually made it!!

COCKPIT PLAYED SATURDAY AFTER PARTY!!

COCKPIT PLAYED SATURDAY AFTER PARTY!!

 

COCKPIT PLAYED SATURDAY AFTER PARTY!!

COCKPIT PLAYED SATURDAY AFTER PARTY!!

One of the highlights was hearing and seeing Calico Cooper singing with the Enuff’s Enuff guys and she was serioulsy rocking!!!!

CALICO COOPER: LIKE FATHER LIKE DAUGHTER!!!

CALICO COOPER: LIKE FATHER LIKE DAUGHTER!!!

CALICO COOPER AND DONNIE V SINGING IT UP!!

CALICO COOPER AND DONNIE V SINGING IT UP!!

 

SHAWN,BETH And HER FRIEND RACHEL!

SHAWN,BETH And HER FRIEND RACHEL!

 

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES

TERRY FROM STAGGERCRAWL AND TOMMI

TERRY FROM STAGGERCRAWL AND TOMMI

 

THE SINGER FOR LIT AND BETH!!

THE SINGER FOR LIT AND BETH!!

This band was the highlight for me of the after party!!!! I love their originality and energy!!! They are fun guys with all kinds of spunk and silliness!!!Loved the live show and the tunes that are like metal/glam/sleaze/flamenco….it makes no sense but then it does when you see them!!

THE GYPSY PISTOLEROS LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!

THE GYPSY PISTOLEROS LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!

 

NASTY PISTOLERO!!!

NASTY PISTOLERO!!!

 

NEW FRIENDS AT THE PARTY!!

NEW FRIENDS AT THE PARTY!!

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LUCHO FROM MAGISTRAL AND SHAWN FROM OUTWORLD!!

 

 LUCHO ME AND MARC PATTISON FROM FUTURES END

LUCHO ME AND MARC PATTISON FROM FUTURES END

 

MARTY NEW SINGER FOR LA GUNS(TRACII VERSION) AND ROCKSTAR INXS FAME!!

MARTY NEW SINGER FOR LA GUNS(TRACII VERSION) AND ROCKSTAR INXS FAME!!

The after party was at least cooler and fun to be at since all thise great bands were jammin out and I am so glad I got to see the Pistoleros since I missed them on a side stage. They kick some ass people!! The nite was long though and it was time to bail at about 4 am again because the plane ride would be early in the morn to get home in time for Priest!!!
I would say that if you want to survive a fest like this in Houston or Rocklahoma…get lots of water in you…stay away from alcohol during the day and drink water along with the beer at nite….the dehydration factor is strong and you have to stay hydrated. Get 50 spf sunblock, bring a hat and if you can, your own food.. the food is nasty out there. I wouldnt trust it..that may have been a contrbuting factor of me being so sick…spicy red beans and rice and sausages not good when its so hot outside. It made me sweat even more : P…all I remember is being just sweaty all day…ewwww! Thank God Vegas is a dry heat…its so much easier to deal with!!
It was a good time and the bands were great…there were too many because I couldnt even get to the side stages but once…too far to walk in that heat..but thats just me. I dont know how other fared in that heat.
I appreciate the media and the access, so thanks to Ryan and Beth for that and Robert for driving my miserable ass around and putting up with me whining…hehe. (It was bad!!)
I would have to say: a better time of year if they want to do it in Houston again…and we were a week away from hurricane Ike too!!! Thank God it was a week later…would have been a mess!!
Thanks to all and keep ROCKING!!!!
See ya at Prog/Power 9 in Atlanta!!!!
http://www.rockthebayou.com/