[Southern California] Rockboy had vague poor memories of this band – I’d never heard of them. The lead singer started the set by informing the audience that, yes, their sound was different, but that difference is what punk rock is. A fine sentiment, but, unfortunately, difference doesn’t always translate to quality. They were just boring – more hard rock than punk. They had a song about a mean guy in high school. As a rule, I hate songs about high school, but this was more pathetic than usual. The lead singer reminded the crowd that punk is about making life and the world better, which was so California of him, I got a little nostalgic for my favorite state. They ended with the hit from The Proclaimers – what? I kept waiting for the punchline, but, no, they genuinely thought this was a suitable ending. I even looked the stupid song (which is fine as a pop hit) up to see if it has a more complicated history than I realize –no. Their set wasn’t helped by the unpunkness of the venue. As mentioned before, it was a clubby set-up – but when a guy with a mop appeared to clean up a spilled beer in the middle of the mosh pit, we knew for certain this wasn’t Emos. Their moments of ska-ness were their best, but nothing to write home about. Luckily, the beautiful people kept me entertained. I feel conflicted about all-ages shows – an uncomfortable mix of annoying and entertaining. The group of high school age nihilists/punkers in front of us were full of exploits. We sat next to the two guys in the lounge between sets, and one very painfully took a call from his mother. It took all of my self composure to pretend not to notice. The fierce girl in the “DrinkSmokeFightFuck” left her pack of high school male buddies to slink up to the lead singer of The Nekromantix, who was loitering near the stage and probably 20-30 years her senior. She maintained her cool, until she got back to her boys, and screamed liked a girly girl, because she’d talked to him. Because the Houston music scene is that small, the extremely tall woman was there. Best of all, the boys who were falling out from drunkenness collected in the dark corner behind us. One of them, was trying to walk around a little metal gate, somehow got attached to it and impaled upon it. It was a sad sight. Another, who had made it clear earlier in the evening that he was a very gay boy, finally rallied, heaved himself up, and pirouetted into the mosh pit. It was a beautiful thing.

This band goes back to the 80s and were described as being a mix of the Stooges, Cheap Trick, and every other great band out there. Not so much. It was just dull hard rock – particularly didn’t like the lead singer’s voice. Their music didn’t really vary and had an indescribable flatness. Our group was in agreement that they were the worst band of the night.

[Tokyo, Japan] and right after their earthquake… it was three youngish guys and one older minuscule woman in bell-bottoms – they started off with what I’ve come to expect from hard Japanese bands: tight and explosive – it was mostly fast and furious but, with some 60s keyboard, they strayed into some psychy wailing (almost Doors-like) and even a little bit of dance rock – the lead singer was fantastically dynamic: flailing, fixing his broken guitar string mid-song, mouthing the microphone – I didn’t like the keyboard/psych stuff too much but enjoyed that they ended their one-long-song of a set with a guitar wail and a group bow

[Austin, TX] three old guys, each a certain sort, and none the same sort as the other – one had a bandana around his head, one had a lot of tattoos and a squirrel tail hanging from his guitar like a big old hipster, and the other was like a former hardcore guy (based on bumper stickers) – there’s no denying they could play (they mentioned a 20 year history as a band) – one guy sang for the songs that were bluesy hard rock – the other guy sang for the songs that were vaguely 70s pop post-punk (Buzzcocks, Vibrators) – they were good and I really can’t put my finger on why I couldn’t quite get into them – maybe it’s ageism, and they had the longest outro ever

[Nashville, TN] we saw them last year and liked them enough to see them again – ghoulish wailing swamp punk – they were a little messy but I think that’s the point

[Austin, TX] this was an intentional sighting of a local band because they are always so professional and good – a blend of guitar rock, 60s soul, and moderate jam band – 2 horn guys, 2 guitars, and 2 drums, and they’re all enthused – they pulled out what looked like a cigarette for the last song which seemed perfectly fitting, but I think it was actually a blunt and a little NORML message

[Seattle, WA] I found them eh until they grew on me a little – they were so painfully white middle class – they had some Trail of Dead as well as power pop

[Atlanta, GA] Bruce Springsteen if he had Irish roots – they weren’t Irish but they had that pick up spirit – some 60s rock too – singer for the Barreracudas played guitar for them

[New York, NY] the sound and the people per square foot were awful – seemed to be a good band – cacophony shoegaze but melodic – some harder moments – Rockboy heard Verve but I think they were harder

[Queensland, Australia] they were exciting right from the start with their 3 excruciatingly pretty boys (guitars and drum), 1 gothic-looking two-dimensional female fiddler, and 1 three-dimensional Hawaiian-looking female vocalist with a pom pom on her shoulder – the vocalist ruled the stage as did her bad-ass fiddler pal – she fiddled like the she was trying not to make a deal with the devil – they were some crazy mix of indie rock and dance music – they made me think of The Gossip and The Eurythmics – they’re kind of 80s synth pop too – I’m definitely not one to dance but this band made me wish I was in a room alone with a gay boyfriend – ThinLizzyLover is mad for them

I’d been hearing about this band as long as I’ve lived in Austin (a pretty long time now) and had never seen them so I was excited – they did not disappoint – I would like to credit DetroitRockGirl for her 50% success rate: Grand Champeen – yay!, Centro-Matic – nay… they were electric and I’m not talking about their guitars – they took to the stage and were immediately in sync and in animation – it was organized chaos and joyful pogo-rock power pop – plus they all seemed like guys you’d want to hang out with: genuine, smart, and nice – I think the Soul Asylum comparisons are because of the main vocalist – when the bassist sang (also a very nice bartender at the Hole in the Wall), I was taken back to 90s indie rock with that atonal falling-down feeling – both singers were good and the diversity was nice – there was also notes of country rock and maybe some Weezer for a second there – we also happened to stand next to their #1 fan, who was completely beside himself at finally getting to see the “#1 live band in Austin” after a long hiatus of no shows – he was also completely sober and spent many minutes discussing why I should love this band – we’re both hoping they keep having shows

As the first few notes of ‘Nightmare’ started to play, the tension was building higher and higher. As soon as the guitars kicked in the pyrotechnics started and the crowd went wild. M. Shadows has such an amazing stage presence that you cannot help but to have your eyes glued to him. They then played ‘Critical Acclaim’, which the lighting and pyrotechnics were even more impressive than for the opening.

The set was also amazing; the album cover for ‘Nightmare’ (with the bigger ‘rev’ in ‘forever’ on the gravestone for the late James Sullivan) and cemetery gates around the stage where fire came out. Before ‘Welcome to the Family’ M. Shadows asked who hadn’t seen Avenged Sevenfold before, heard many screams then replied with “Where the fuck have you guys been our whole lives? Welcome to the fucking family!” As this is many people’s favourite song from the album, the mosh-pits were insane. Well, thousands of people who had been waiting for so long to see Avenged Sevenfold, what do you expect other than complete craziness?

They then played the classic ‘Beast and the Harlot’ then ‘Buried Alive’. The set then changed to a beautiful picture of M.Shadows and The Rev and M. Shadows went into a heart-felt speech about The Rev and thanked the crowd for keeping Avenged Sevenfold strong and welcoming The Rev’s favourite drummer (Mike Portnoy – ex-Dream Theater) and went on to play ‘So Far Away’ as a tribute to The Rev. It was a beautiful moment and the raw emotion in the lyrics and M.Shadow’s voice was enough to bring the strongest of people to tears. Near the end of the song M.Shadows asked everyone to raise their lighters and mobiles to the sky to show The Rev; it was incredible.

They then played ‘Afterlife’, and the set went back to the album cover, then M.Shadows asked who in the crowd was religious. He then said that the next song was the most religious song he’d ever written; it was ‘God Hates Us’. M.Shadow’s screaming was actually very good, however it was not as heavy as it sounded on the album version. ‘Unholy Confessions’ was then played and as the circle pit was crazy, M.Shadow’s said that the audience could pick between ‘Almost Easy’ and ‘Bat Country’; it was a resounding vote for ‘Bat Country’ and it was an amazing song to finish their set with.

Last night I went to go and watch Hellyeah, Avenged Sevenfold and Stone Sour at the Birmingham N.I.A. It was an incredible gig, although it was a rather strange line-up. As much as I love Avenged Sevenfold and Stone Sour, I would have never imagined them playing a gig together a musically they are not that similar. However, I am glad that they did as the atmosphere was incredible. As it was a co-headline tour, Avenged Sevenfold and Stone Sour took it in turns to play last at each gig; tonight was Stone Sour’s turn.

The doors opened at 5.30pm, which is extremely early as doors usually open around 7.00pm. As they opened so early, anticipation seemed to build up very quickly amongst the crowd of thousands (I think I remember M. Shadows saying there were 13,000 people attending). After what seemed like years of waiting, Hellyeah arrived on stage at around 7.30pm, greeted by many screaming fans. They opened with ‘Hellyeah’ which was so catchy that even people in the crowd that didn’t know who they were found themselves singing along. They then interacted with the crowd, then played ‘Matter of Time’ and ‘Cowboy Way’. They informed the audience that they loved to drink before playing ‘Hell of a Time’, ‘You Wouldn’t Know’ and ‘Stampede’.

They then paid tribute to the late Dimebag Darrell and played ‘Alcohaulin’ Ass’, inviting the crowd to sing along with them if they knew the words. As a couple of the members of Hellyeah were in bands with Dimebag Darrell, you could hear the pure emotion in Chad Gray’s voice as he paid tribute to the legend. As Chad is also the lead singer Mudvayne, it was amazing to hear how versatile his voice is and to see a different side to him than what is portrayed of him in Mudvayne (don’t get me wrong, I love Mudvayne, but I love singers who are versatile and can have completely different personas). All in all, they were an exciting live band and who sound a thousand times better live than on CD. Since seeing them live, I have become a big fan.

After Hellyeah finished their set, the vibe in the crowd was extremely tense. You could tell what everyone was thinking; what would Avenged Sevenfold be like without The Rev? As the first few notes of ‘Nightmare’ started to play, the tension was building higher and higher. As soon as the guitars kicked in the pyrotechnics started and the crowd went wild. M. Shadows has such an amazing stage presence that you cannot help but to have your eyes glued to him. They then played ‘Critical Acclaim’, which the lighting and pyrotechnics were even more impressive than for the opening.

The set was also amazing; the album cover for ‘Nightmare’ (with the bigger ‘rev’ in ‘forever’ on the gravestone for the late James Sullivan) and cemetery gates around the stage where fire came out. Before ‘Welcome to the Family’ M. Shadows asked who hadn’t seen Avenged Sevenfold before, heard many screams then replied with “Where the fuck have you guys been our whole lives? Welcome to the fucking family!” As this is many people’s favourite song from the album, the mosh-pits were insane. Well, thousands of people who had been waiting for so long to see Avenged Sevenfold, what do you expect other than complete craziness?

They then played the classic ‘Beast and the Harlot’ then ‘Buried Alive’. The set then changed to a beautiful picture of M.Shadows and The Rev and M. Shadows went into a heart-felt speech about The Rev and thanked the crowd for keeping Avenged Sevenfold strong and welcoming The Rev’s favourite drummer (Mike Portnoy – ex-Dream Theater) and went on to play ‘So Far Away’ as a tribute to The Rev. It was a beautiful moment and the raw emotion in the lyrics and M.Shadow’s voice was enough to bring the strongest of people to tears. Near the end of the song M.Shadows asked everyone to raise their lighters and mobiles to the sky to show The Rev; it was incredible.

They then played ‘Afterlife’, and the set went back to the album cover, then M.Shadows asked who in the crowd was religious. He then said that the next song was the most religious song he’d ever written; it was ‘God Hates Us’. M.Shadow’s screaming was actually very good, however it was not as heavy as it sounded on the album version. ‘Unholy Confessions’ was then played and as the circle pit was crazy, M.Shadow’s said that the audience could pick between ‘Almost Easy’ and ‘Bat Country’; it was a resounding vote for ‘Bat Country’ and it was an amazing song to finish their set with.

After another half an hour wait, the lights dimmed and an unexpected song played before Stone Sour came on; I think it was a song from Star Wars, however I’m not completely sure about that. Stone Sour then came on an opened with ‘Mission Statement’. Corey then interacted with the crowd before playing ‘Reborn’. He then asked the crowd to go crazy for the next song; ‘Made of Scars’, which sounded very heavy and started many mosh-pits. Then, much to the joy of many screaming girls, Stone Sour played their beautiful recent single; ‘Say You’ll Haunt Me’. They then continued the mix of old and new songs with ‘Get Inside’, ‘Unfinished’ and ‘Your God’. The rest of the band then left the stage whilst Corey stayed on to play the incredibly emotional song ‘Bother’ (which was written for his father as he only met him for the first time a few years ago). He also stayed alone on stage to play the most popular Stone Sour track; ‘Through the Glass’. Although this song is overplayed on many music channels it was extremely passionate and beautiful live. The rest of the band then rejoined Corey back on stage to play ‘The Bitter End’. Corey then announced that he was going to play the next future single; ‘Digital (Did You Tell)’, which you could tell from the crowd’s reaction that it was going to be a very popular single and it should hopefully make Stone Sour make a high entry in the charts. They then played ‘Hell and Consequences’ and they finally finished with ’30/30-150′. At the end of their set, lots of confetti came out of huge cannons on either side of the stage and Corey promised that Stone Sour would be back to Birmingham soon.

All in all, it was an incredible concert and although the acts seemed unlikely to tour together, it actually worked really well and I did not see or speak to one disappointed person with any of the acts.

That was the first gig review that I’ve actually had the courage to put on the Internet, so I hope you enjoyed reading it and that it wasn’t too bad.

[Nashville, TN] these girls went and broke my heart. I had a hard enough time adapting to their new meaner attitudes the last time I saw them but I accepted that they had to grow up and that it was the result of being surrounded by all sorts of temptation, AND their music still had some resemblance to what it used to sound like – at this show, they were a totally different band: in sound, attitude, and fun – they’ve taken their rowdy bad-girl honky tonk and turned it into hard cool Runaways rock – BORING – they didn’t look like they were having fun and I certainly wasn’t – there was no band-audience connection and their genuine spunk was gone – we assume some evil manager has convinced them they have to go electric in order to make it as a band – I couldn’t watch more than a few songs, it was that sad

[Austin, TX] Blackholicus had everything Faceblaster had lacked: creative interesting loops and variations in timing WITH hard complex guitar work – incredibly un-boring – very Iron Maiden – the bald fellow with the tufts of hair was very familiar to me but I couldn’t place him – the lead singer was a short solid woman with hipster-hippie stylings, with a piece-y haircut and big feathery earrings – she came out in knee-length black shorts and a cherry colored tank top – I appreciated her seeming statement that you don’t have to look the part to feel it, but mostly I felt bad for all the metalheads in the audience who were forced to hear a very high quality version of their music coming out of a person like her – it would have been decent of her to put on a little black, look a little less clean – ironically, a short solid woman looking very much like her joined me in the elevator the next day at work – I tapped her on the shoulder and asked if she was in a band and she sneered, “Nobody ever recognizes me, at least not here.” – even if she’s snotty, I definitely recommend this band

an energetic Motorhead cover band from San Antonio – could be just what you’re looking for if you’re looking for that sort of thing

[Seattle, WA] so most of the bands tonight ended up being former members of the audience, easily identifiable since the audience started out pretty sparse – this band ended up being the guy next to me who had the shirt I was crushing on (“No Trends”) and the guy in the “NoTV” shirt – as you might expect, people who don’t believe in trends aren’t necessarily a lot of fun – the music was a distinct departure from everything else, no feedback and no distortion, just clanging slapping-your-face guitar, bass and drums – they intentionally chose notes that didn’t quite fit together and weren’t exactly rhythmic or melodic – more of a marching discordant sound – NoTV was the mid-40s bald-headed singer, and he sang spoken voice a la Henry Rollins – NoTrends was the bassist, proficient, but the theological ringleader from my perspective at least – the band was a cross between Primus and Cake but that\”s making them sound better than they were – they were abrasive and unpleasant – so I was all prepared to give this band one of the worst reviews (at least for a group of good musicians) that I have in a long time, until they suddenly changed face and started playing faster and harder and were fantastic – so I conclude that they’re your average intently nihilistic hardcore band, who having aged, can’t turn to country or to writing ballads, so turn to slowed down hardcore that sounds like crap

[Nashville, TN] a skinny boy flouncing around in the audience kept catching my eye because he was wearing ridiculously short retro (80s) basketball shorts with the upcut thigh and an old-school sports tank top – by the time he made it on stage there was a foxtail attached to his shorts – silly boy – so they started their set with silly boy on the ground playing guitar and enthusiastic Bruce-Springsteen-drummer on stage (thrashed his head in time with the drumming throughout the WHOLE of their set) – of course, the crowd was moved by this novel approach but their sound kept the crowd in their grip – it was kind of incredible – so intense and full, it seemed impossible that two people were making it – they were channeling the spirit of Tia Carrera (local psych metal band) but were far more upright and composed – they were, in essence, a garage jam band, but the one you wish you\”d been – there was a lot of Black Sabbath riffing but, in the end, I\”d classify them as a dark Cheap Trick – I predict that punk-power-pop is the wave of the future

[Austin, TX] two skinny guys on guitars and a girl on drums – I enjoyed them but don\”t have a lot to say about them – I guess they were garage punk but with shoegaze or noise rock overtones – music was minorly intense but felt simple – the bassist did go into nice groovy finger-intensive leads – what defines them to me is the intensity of their lead singer (on guitar) – he spent 10 minutes telling the sound man to turn up the monitors on the vocals and then harped on it in between songs too – amusingly, intense guy kept turning to the drummer girl to start songs with a 4-3-2-1 whatever and she (supposedly suffering from strep throat) messed it up like three times

[Nashville, TN] I liked this band, partly because I am a sucker for female bands (there was one guy (on bass?)) – so I kept thinking that they were a mix between riot girrrl music (Babes in Toyland) and retro-garage stuff like the Donnas but finally came to the conclusion that they were basically a total ripoff of The Runaways – the girls, very young, were in high-waisted shorts and ugly 80s ankle-boots – take note, little hipsters

[San Antonio, TX] this was honestly the one show I felt “dragged to” by Rockboy but it ended up being a top show – I am officially in love with the gorgeous Latina tattooed lead singer – I figured this out because she referenced him, but I think her voice is totally influenced by Jeff Buckley, both edgy power vocalists with lots of emotion – they’re an indescribable girl rock band – there’s pop punk in there, latin rock, and just plain hard rock – the bands you adore but can’t sum up quickly are bands that are going to endure- upon further research, the drummer is the lead singer’s sister and the guitarist is the drummer’s lover – because they’ve got the musical talent, the stage presence, the creativity, and the street cred that makes you wonder about them, they’ve opened for a lot and lot of verifiably huge bands – she referenced Jefferson High in a song and I fantasized that it was a poor inner city school but it\”s a fine arts magnet school, which.. is.. fine.. – lastly, a woman whose name was indistinguishable to us at first, came up to accompany them on The Runaways “Cherry Bomb” – come to find out, it was a former member of The Runaways, Cherie Currie, which was exciting

[Japan] top show – these girls, as go the Japanese, rocked hard and loud, but with verve and style and depth – the music would stop and shift up or down and then left or right – the vocals went from romantic gothic wailing to screamo screaming – dead ringers for Babes in Toyland which is a beautiful thing – amusing part was that they rocked smart and hard in little mono-colored t-shirts and crisp bobs – I adore this band

[Toronto, Canada] hardest garage band I\”ve ever heard and I\”m sure they\”d take that as a compliment – so loud it was painful but they\”d probably take that as a compliment too – thought the sound system was causing the feedback and fuzz but they sound about the same on MySpace – two men and a woman – they\”re good but earplugs required

[Austin, TX] we first saw them at a little record store, I love their recorded music and seeing them all big fancy band was exciting – I know the lead singer was posturing in his dark sunglasses but he deserves to with his big sexy voice – they do dark shimmering psychedelic blues rock that reminded me of a much slicker Brian Jonestown this time – they\”re gorgeous

[Nashville, TN] hard tight punk “n” roll with a swampy influence – great

[Los Angeles, CA] I found them through internet radio stations (“Action” and “The Split”) and was pretty excited to see their show – it was immediately apparent that the five guys milling around in long lean black jeans and black pointed boots and black shirts were “The Lords” – their dress code was simultaneously hilariously and effective – as was their music sleazy fast garage punk with big-drama vocals love them – Rockboy heard the Fuzztones in them and it was (sketchily) confirmed that there is a former member of both The Fuzztones and MC5 amongst The Lords – and, the sullen girl on the sideline with long black hair and long black boots and a long black coat jumping to stay warm transformed into a jumping go-go dancer with tremendous breasts only restrained by a black bikini once The Lords got on stage

[Dublin, Ireland] big sound pop rock that sounds fiercer live – I really liked their tight performance but Rockboy thought they were boring

[Los Angeles, CA] I wanted to see this band because the homecoming (prom?) king of my 5000-person high school is in it but Rockboy had actually listed them as someone he wanted to see through his SXSW research – hard blues rock with garage swagger – vocals and lyrics are genuinely blues inspired – something like The Black Keys, which is a very good thing as far as I\”m concerned

There really is no other musician who has mattered more than Jay Reatard in the last couple of years. I realize I may say this more often than I should, but for Jay Reatard, it\”s the truth. He reins in diverse aspects of rock into a sound that is all his own, a sound that encapsulates the fury and angst of frustrated youth. I envision him as a troubled prodigy who can\”t start enough bands to keep himself sated. His Lost Sounds material is what changed my world, but this night he played his solo material which is similar but less synthy and gothic. A barrage of raw garage punk. Unceasingly intense. Which could have been a boring annoying wall of sound, except that his material is also finely crafted and well executed. The sound was not what you would call crisp or tight, but it didn\”t displease me. The show ended with two audience members jumping on stage and attacking him. Rather than an amusing band antic, it was disturbing and upsetting. Rockboy maintains it was staged, but I maintain that PMS and Jay Reatard being attacked do not go well together.

WomanInCharge, true to form, didn’t invite me to this show (Dirty Projectors) but told me I was going… this band was darling darling darling – smiles washed over the crowd – had the stage presence of Matt & Kim: happy clean jumping dancepunk – the little girl with the long hair in a barrette and the green eyelashes painted under her right eye was fierce and inflamed with a voice that reminded me of Grand Ole Party and maybe CocoRosie – her compatriot guitarist with the 70s fluffed hair matched her energy – lots of drums, a keyboard, a whaw pedal, occasional trumpet, sometimes a saxophone – a synthy disco rock inferno – maintained hyped up stage presence until it was certain that the audience had been saved – they almost outshone the headiners

a motley crue for sure and Austin no-names but I thought they were great – a happy-dad keyboardist, a stringy haired lurching ex-hippie lead singer, a punk kid on bass guitar and a slick-guy drummer (smelled like a “session drummer” to Rockboy) – their music reflected these disparate influences – some blend of a garagey, punky, post-punky rock – lots of energy too

this is a band that I have never liked – his dramatic voice grates on me – I particularly hate their hit and the song I am most familiar with: “She Sells Sanctuary” – the ticket to this show was bought for me and I underwent two evening sessions of training in the catalogue of The Cult by a long-time devotee of the band, Rockboy – I enjoyed my training – I am now qualified to tell you that while I respect the band-integrity (pre-Rick-Rubin producing) of the earliest albums of The Cult, such as Dreamtime and Love, it is exactly the music that I don’t like from them: wishy-washy romantic dramatic unrock rock – the albums that followed were a surprise to me (such as Electric and Sonic Temple) as I had no idea that The Cult had such music – while I see the transformation intro crunchy AC/DC metal as Rubin-homogenizing-evil and as The Cult becoming very un-Cult, I cannot deny that I quite enjoy those albums more than the early frilly-shirt soaring-sob albums – and so the concert went – they did the Love album in entirety and it was perfect – it was as if we were in the studio but for the dirt under our feet, the sweat and heat, and the most annoying drunk mish-mash packed-in crowd I have ever been in (I was nearly knocked down twice by 2 near-fights between the same 2 ignorant middle-aged obliterated-drunk men) – and then the second set was a selection of hits from their proper metal albums and the crowd went even more wild although it didn’t seem it was possible – Ian Astbury’s voice is undeniably distinctive and high-quality – in the end, the show was tremendous, this band is still not for me, and I felt inexplicably drawn to Ian Astbury – he was round and shaggy-haired and wearing a hoodie with little white insignias on it – he looked all cuddly and accessible – he banged his tambourine and shimmied forward and backward like’s he done this as long as he’s done this – I liked his aura of knowingness and the sort of self-confidence that underlies not having to dress to impress