Hank 3 Concert Review Toledo OH

Seeing Hank 3 in concert is like going to a schizophrenic One-Man Music Festival without any downtime between set changes.

In my humble opinion, that's considered a compliment of the highest degree.
His unique take on entertaining a crowd makes him a Genius in Stoner's Clothing.

Last night in Toledo, Shelton Hank Williams powered his way through a 3 and a half hour set as his current midwest tour snakes through Michigan, Kentucky and back to Tennessee. I was there and let me tell you, I don't know how he does it. I am exhausted just thinking about it.

The concert, at Headliner's, kicked off promptly at 9:00PM with a rousing "country music" set featuring his stellar six piece band, complete with banjo, slide guitar, fiddle, and stand up Doghouse bass.
This first section of the show had the crowd jumping and jigging from the start with 'Nighttime Ramblin' Man' and personal highlights like 'Six Pack of Beer' and the great new song from 2011's Ghost to A Ghost album, 'Troopers Hollar.'

In a nod to his lineage, he broke out his grandfather's last hit song, 'I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive' and thanked all of us with a genuine and heart-felt message:
"To all of you coming out on a weeknight making it feel like a Friday night...
Thanks for spending your hard earned money on us!"

In tours past, Hank has plugged in his guitar and delved deep into what he lovingly refers to as "Hellbilly" music.  Tonight, unfortunately, that part of the show lasted only around 15 minutes before a 5 minute break cleared the stage.

The next hour of the show was, to put it in a simple word, brutal.  His lights down, hair down, stripped down "Doom Rock" was unescapable and unfortunately wiped out most of the crowd.  The plodding guitar and drum combo of 'A.D.D'. brought a slow, methodical, and perhaps deliberate death to the crowd leaving only a 100 or so people left gathered and dazed under the green light of the stage.

Then, almost without warning, 11:56PM arrived with masks, bandanas, breast plates and cowboy hats and gave us another transformation into the band '3 Bar Ranch'.

This incarnation is a punk rock two-guitar onslaught with cowbells and an audio backing track of Cattle Auctioneers.



If it's possible for your brain to work like mine...think Slipknot meets RFDTV.
This wicked rocking combination was awesome, and I absolutely loved it.

Then, as the clock struck 12:36 AM, Hank jumped off the front of the stage, pulled a Sharpie pen from his pocket and began to shake hands and take pictures to reward his loyal survivors and thank them "for makin' it thru."

"The guy is unbelievable," said his tour manager. "After signing as many autographs as it takes, he'll personally help with the load out. He's like a Great White Shark!"

Thanks to Zack, the Adrenaline PR team, the crew at Headliner's, and of course Hank and his band members.
What a night!

As Hank3 himself sings... "Not everybody likes us, but we drive some folks wild!"
It's a crying shame that last night so many of those folks chose to drive home early.

Happy Mother's Day or, Does My Mom Still Even Read My Blog?

When I started this Blog, I was hesitant to expose my writings to my parents and close friends.

Fear of Ridicule?  Perhaps.
Fear of Rejection?  Possibly.
Fear of Criticism?  Conceivably.
Fear of Apathy and Indifference?  Absolutely.

Over time, with sporadic moments of courage, I slowly introduced friends and family to the magic link and let it "out there."  One of the first relatives to champion my efforts was my Mom.
Of course, right?
She loved everything that I wrote, even if she couldn't always find my site on the Internet.  But in the last few months, the supportive comments and praises for my postings have been few and far between.

Well, today is Mother's Day and I planned on writing some wonderfully poetic prose extolling the virtues of my love for Mom.
But the more I thought about it, a nagging feeling rose to the surface of my brain...

Does my Mom still even read my blog???

Well, let's find out...

Hey Mom,
I love you.  I have always loved you, but haven't always said it out loud.
Nowadays, with my inner clarity and incredible kids of my own, saying 'I Love You' out loud is one of my favorite things to do.

Thank you for sitting at the kitchen counter with me during every late night dinner, no matter what time it was when I got home from practice.

Thank you for driving me to every swim meet for 9 years straight, near or far.  I really have no idea how you did it without ever complaining.

Thank you for teaching me to do so many every day things, like cleaning my room and ironing my own clothes.
Sincere thanks go out to you for teaching me how NOT to do the laundry!  I never really liked those shirts anyway.

Thank you for showing me how to recognize and love the spectacular beauty in this world.

Thank you for always loving me.  Even during my 20's and 30's.

Thank you for loving Dad and setting the greatest example for the strength and commitment of a true marriage.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

If you don't read this right away, or ever, I totally understand.
That's why I called you on the telephone.

Dad Law #15: Give Your Kid A Box

Kids love to play in empty cardboard boxes. 
Nothing beats an old box for some wonderful imaginary fun. 
The bigger the better.  If you can barely fit it into your car to get it home, then it's sure to be a hit with the young ones.

In fact, it's my Dad Law #15: Give Your Kid A Box.

When my dudes were little, I used to bring home empty boxes all the time.  They would make great Forts and Castles and Clubhouses out of them in the living room.  On a nice day, the 'Rocket Ship' or the 'Race Car' or whatever the box happened to be that afternoon would get dragged out into the driveway for some special times.  Much to the sheer delight of our neighbors, I'm sure!

Well, time marches on, kids grow older, and the "Box" kind of loses it's favor. 
I had really kind of put it into the memory banks until the other day...

Just as I was about to break down a box at work and head for the dumpster with it, I changed my mind and loaded it into the back of my car.  Later that night, I gifted this very beauty to my youngest son even though he's almost 10 years old.
The first thing he did was to climb inside of it, hide out, and scare his sister when she opened it up to look inside.  The resulting screams and genuine laughter were priceless.

A peak into our conversation on Friday evening:

"Thanks Dad!  Is this really just for ME?" - Youngest

"Why can't I have a box? It's not really just for him, is it? 
That's totally not fair, Dad." - Middle

"How come HE gets a box?  Why don't I ever get boxes anymore?
You NEVER bring me boxes." - Oldest

I love being a Dad.

Jack White Detroit Matinee Tickets On Sale

Jack White is coming home to Detroit and playing two shows at The Masonic Temple on May 24th.

The first show, scheduled for 7:30 pm, sold out in 13 minutes.  Since it falls on my daughter's birthday, I didn't even attempt to buy tickets.  Now, in an old school throwback-kind of way, comes a Matinee 2:00pm performance on the same day.

Tickets went on sale at noon today, but not online. 
In person only, either at Street Corner Music in Oak Park or UHF Music in Royal Oak.
Limit 2 per person and they actually sold REAL stock tickets with graphics/photos and everything.

I haven't waited outside of a record store in line to buy concerts tickets since 1994, but this afternoon I did and it brought back vivid memories. 

Harmony House, Record Outlet in West Bloomfield, and Wherehouse Records in L.A. all hold a place near and dear to my heart and my backside.
 
Ahhhh, the cold concrete sidewalks would absolutely come alive during big on-sale mornings in those days, with diehards like me showing up before sunrise to score some sweet seats for The J. Geils Band or The Rolling Stones.

Back in the early eighties, if you could successfully fight off the scalpers outdoors and get to the front of the line then you had a good chance at getting seats in about the 10th row, but usually not any better.
It was quite disheartening to watch the owner of the store show up, unlock the door to let himself in, smirk at us, and then relock the door behind him. 

We would watch thru the cracks of the rock posters plastered all over the windows as the old machine would chug away, printing off a cascade of tickets that would run over the counter and on to the floor.  The fat old dude would decide that enough was enough and rip the line of tickets from the printer and safely deliver them to the "back room."  Then he'd waddle to the front door and unlock it with a grin, welcoming us in from the cold and asking something degrading like..."So, what's on sale this morning?"

What a racket.

Thankfully Jack White had a beautiful system in place today. 
Cash Only, Photo ID, guest list, and limit of two per person.  Nice!

Here's another cool thing...about 11:30 am, a guy started handing out Hot Chocolate and Pastries with this announcement:

"Jack White wants to thank you for waiting to buy tickets to his show. 

This hot chocolate and these pastries, from Luna's Bakery in Detroit, are courtesy of him as his way of saying...'Thanks.'"









You're Welcome, Jack!
Thanks for the pastry, it was delicious.
You are one classy dude and I can't wait for the show!

Happy Birthday Iggy Pop

Iggy Pop, the #3 Greatest Rock Frontman of All Time,
celebrates a birthday today April 21st.

Iggy smashed onto the scene in the late 1960's fronting The Stooges out of Ann Arbor MI and changed the face of rock music forever. 

Living in Detroit has distinct advantages when it comes to music.  Nowhere else in the country can a town claim such an abundance of legendary concert performances as Detroit Rock City.

I first saw Iggy live in 1981 when he was unceremoniously bombarded with trash during his opening set  for The Rolling Stones at the Pontiac Silverdome.  Next came a solo outing at the Royal Oak Theatre in the early nineties, but nothing could prepare me for the reunion shows of The Stooges.



2003 brought The Stooges to Pine Knob in a triumphant return to the stage.  The show was captured on DVD by Creem Magazine, and if you can find it-get it!  The crowd was insane from the moment the show began and when Iggy ordered the audience to join him onstage, onstage I went!

Look closely on the clip, and you'll see me smiling, bopping, and dancing along to 'No Fun'.  Let me tell you...IT WAS FUN!




Because life is so sweet and mine, in particular, is charmed, I've been on stage with Iggy and The Stooges FOUR times now since then. 
Yes, really.  FOUR TIMES!
DTE, the fabulous Fox Theatre, Meadowbrook, and Ann Arbor's Michigan Theatre.

At the Meadowbrook show, I sidled my way right up next to the man himself.  He looked over, threw his arm around my shoulder, smiled and handed me the microphone. 
In what must have been perfect pitch and timing, I sang "No fun... my babe. No fun." 
Still searching Youtube for that one...

Happy Birthday Iggy!
May your timeless and ageless frame continue to support your unique and extraordinary talent.

Raw Power, Indeed!

Guns N' Roses Rock Hall Reunion - Slash Takes Back The Band

Attention Axl Rose: Slash just took Guns N' Roses back. Last night in Cleveland Ohio at the Rock Hall Induction Ceremony, the power struggle in the Rock world shifted, perhaps permanently, in Slash's favor.

Without the presence of Axl, Slash rocked his lineup through 3 blistering versions of 'Mr. Brownstone', 'Sweet Child O'Mine', and 'Paradise City'.

Myles Kennedy played the part of Axl, with Gilby Clarke on guitars, Matt Sorum relinquishing the kit to Steven Adler after 'Brownstone' banging the tambourine, with Duff McKagan laying down the powerful groove on Bass.

Slash let the music do the talking and definitely proved to the world that he is the better man.

The Rock and Roll inducted the infamous Gn'R lineup with Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day emceeing the proceedings.







A video montage reminded the screaming crowd of the power and importance of the past.

Armstrong said it best, in a seemingly direct message to Axl: It's wonderful to move on and celebrate the future, but one must always look back to remember and respect the past.
Despite pleas from the podium, the crowd responded with boos, jeers and catcalls admonishing Rose for his intentional no-show.

Accepting the award were Duff McKagan, original Bassist, Steven Adler, original drummer, Slash, original Guitarist, and Matt Sorum, second generation Drummer.

Slash thanked the fans and especially his wife, Perla, who he said convinced him to show up and stand up for the fans.
Duff reminded everyone that it truly is about the songs. The songs are what brought in the fans.
Steven just beamed and seemed thrilled to be honored.
Sorum joked about receiving the phone call at his mother's house from "Slush" to come and join the band.

And then they plugged in...

The Pubic Hall crowd, a mix of rock luminaries, industry types, and 6,000 real live audience members went insane for the lineup.
The building erupted and never quite recovered after the band left the stage.
I actually felt sorry for the Chili Peppers having to follow that firestorm.

Axl Rose made a colossally bad decision to skip this event.
The opportunity to pay back some love to the world was lost.
He will pay dearly for it.

                        photo courtesy of Michael Loccisano, Getty Images