Tue 17 Sep – The Winery Dogs

Considering their line-up and previous concerts on this leg, a great gig was as good as guaranteed.

The opening act, The Sixxis, were a big surprise. Their brand of prog metal made for the ideal warm up as they both had well written rock songs as well as the prog metal streak that has characterized many aspects of Mike Portnoy's career. Look them up, they may be big soon.

After a longer than usual set change, The Winery Dogs finally came on stage just after 9:30pm. Playing the tour set of their…

Sat 22 Jun – Beady Eye

Although I'd been lucky enough to get a ticket, I wasn't sure if I wanted to go considering the blandness of the new album. The first album was a kick in the balls, BE however just a walk in the park on a Sunday.
And sure enough, as Noddy foretold, the old songs were the best. It's not that the new songs hold no water, they're just sort "meh", tunes that Noel would never release as core album tracks.
Apart from that, Beady Eye delivered. Even Liam who was his usual half lad, half…

Sat 8 Jun – The Stone Roses, Public Image Ltd., Miles Kane, Johnny Marr

On night 2 as well, I went for the Stone Roses and was not disappointed. The band was in great shape, playing even more freely and vigorously than on Friday. What I saw was a band who wanted to do this and who enjoyed playing together, compared to, say, the cash in tour by The Police in 2007.
The crowd too seemed made up of bigger and more loyal fans. Ian Brown's voice was still in just as good shape, but it needn't've been, as most…

Fri 7 Jun – The Stone Roses, Dizzee Rascal, The Courteeners, Rudimental

In true fashion, I went onsite for what I wanted, the Stone Roses.

Their concert was a great opportunity to rekindle memories of the historic Heaton Park gigs last year. The only truly new thing this year may have been the setlist, but with the Stone Roses, that is secondary, as just being there is an event every time.

Being that so much was similar to last year (does SJM always use the same onsite construction approach?), it's hard to highlight much for me, but suffice to say…

Tue 4 Jun – Speaking Words Tour

Although I had never been to an event of this kind, I knew that Scott Ian had a talent for telling stories, so given his now 30 year career, there must be loads where the stories I'd seen in interviews came from.
And boy was it fun. If you like his style in interviews, these events will give you a full helping of that, about three hours worth!
As the tour isn't over yet, I don't wanna spoil the surprises he includes, but suffice to say while he is no comedian yet, Scott…

Mon 3 Jun – Megadeth

After finding out that the support band was of the growling non-musical variety, I skipped that part entirely and arrived in time for Megadeth.
What initially seemed normal, persisted throughout the gig: Terrible acoustics! That venue needs some serious upgrades as they made Megadeth sound 2nd rate! The engineers did what they could, so this one's on the venue!
The setlist was classic Megadeth, consisting of mandatory tunes (Peace Sells, Hangar 18, etc.), new ones (Kingmaker, Super Collider) and newer regular ones (Poison is the cure).
All the band were in shape and playing tight…

Fri 24 May – Rush

Unlike with other artists, watching the DVDs is definitely not enough in Rush's case, at least not from where I stood. To make my first Rush concert an experience, I got one of their packages, which got me into the heart of the show, within earshot of Neil.

Being close to the stage, I felt a part of the experience, bathed in light and sound and able to witness their unique chemistry up close. They may have been going for several decades, but Rush still endeavor to make each tour a new and unique experience.…

Wed 15 May – Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock & Love Drive Reunion Tour

Of all the venues available, the dipstick of a booking agent working for Michael Schenker decided to have the only Swiss date at a casino. While having a small venue is of course very nice, the hassle of getting into and around the Grand Casino was just too much. The Metro is unlike most other concert venues and comes off as a last resort option for agents who don't know any better. But enough moaning…

Opening band Absolva were more show than substance and will probably,…

Fri 29 Mar – Inspiral Carpets
It's not every day that you see legends in top form for only £20, yet that is what the Inspirals delivered. They may not have released new material in a long time, but this gig too was no mere reunion do, it was a full on celebration. As an out of towner, I felt privileged to bathe in that glorious atmosphere of ace tunes played to a northern crowd who were as usual lubricated and well up for it.
Although it may not have great acoustics, the Ritz does have a nicely elevated stage,…

Wed 27 Feb – Neal Morse, Flower Kings

I enjoyed this double header a lot. Not having a potentially inconsequential support band meant that there was a more adequate amount of time for both The Flower Kings and Neal Morse.
TFK are probably the first band I was only minimally familiar with who impressed me straight away. They flawlessly delivered a nice cross section of material from their career and definitely didn't disappoint.
Neal Morse and his band was who I'd come to see and owing to his recent live DVD, I knew roughly what to expect. With Neal though…