Zilla's Concert Experiences: RBO Edition

[Zilla2112]

Styx
with Potters Field

Artpark
August 19, 2014

The Grand Illusion
Too Much Time on My Hands
Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)
Lady
Light Up
Man in the Wilderness
Miss America
Crystal Ball
I Am the Walrus
Suite Madame Blue
Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)
You Can't Always Get What You Want / Live and Let Die / Bohemian Rhapsody
Come Sail Away
Rockin' the Paradise
Renegade













To close the Artpark summer concert series, I had the awesome opportunity to see Styx! Funnily enough, Dennis DeYoung played the local Niagara River Rocks series the weekend before, meaning that one could see the full Styx experience by going to both shows. Of course, having seen Dennis DeYoung already, my dad and I decided to stick with Styx instead, as DeYoung was guaranteed to play the cheesier songs. I traveled and hiked to Artpark with my dad, and my buddy Zac also attended the show.

Since I'm writing this about a year after the concert happened, I completely forgot the opening band. I assume they couldn't have been bad, but they were not that great, considering how I forgot them. After waiting around for a bit, Styx took the stage, opening with "The Grand Illusion". Every song was expertly performed, with all the epic guitar solos and vocal harmonies present. Their setlist was a nearly perfect representation of the classic Styx period. "Too Much Time on My Hands" and "Rockin' the Paradise" were the most recent songs on the set. There were even a few covers thrown in, including the cover medley and their rendition of "I Am the Walrus".

Of the classic Styx members, only Tommy Shaw and James Young were present at this concert. Seeing these two was incredible, trading off guitar solos and playing harmonic guitar lines. Tommy Shaw in particular sounded amazing on his solos, and his voice has held up very well after all these years, especially on the amazing "Crystal Ball," and underrated Styx classic. The Panozzo brothers were replaced by Todd Sucherman on drums and Ricky Phillips on bass, who both gave stellar performances. It is good to know that Chuck Panozzo approves of Ricky filling his place, as Chuck is still a member but cannot tour as he is living with HIV.

The most exciting member of the band was Lawrence Gowan, the replacement for keyboardist and vocalist Dennis DeYoung. His performance was incredible! Out of all of the members of the band, Gowan had the highest energy level, moving about the stage and moving his keyboard back and forth. He sang the DeYoung vocal parts very well, probably better than DeYoung himself could sing them today. Gowan's versatility was further displayed by the cover medley, which saw great snippets from the Rolling Stones, Wings, and Queen.

Styx concluded their main set with "Come Sail Away," which is always the perfect sing-along moment in the entire show. Compared to the Dennis DeYoung version, I can say that both performances were amazing and memorable. For their encore, Styx were "Rockin' the Paradise" and concluded with the amazing "Renegade." Unlike Dennis DeYoung's show, which was mostly good but had a few weaker points, all of Styx's songs were amazing. No weird masks accompanying the cheese fest of "Mr. Roboto," just the more rocking tunes and great theatrics and performances. This summer of concerts was certainly varied and amazing, and closing my summer with Styx was absolutely perfect. I hope to see Styx return someday!

[Zilla2112]

The Australian Pink Floyd Show

UB Center for the Performing Arts
October 15, 2014

Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V)
Learning to Fly
What Do You Want from Me
Coming Back to Life
Time
Breathe (Reprise)
The Great Gig in the Sky
Money
The Happiest Days of Our Lives
Another Brick in the Wall Part 2
Pigs (Three Different Ones)
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun
Young Lust
High Hopes
Hey You
Wish You Were Here
One of These Days
Comfortably Numb
Run Like Hell

My final show of 2014 was an amazing performance from the Australian Pink Floyd show. Having seen both The Machine and Roger Waters live on separate occasions, I wondered how different this tribute show would be from the one I witnessed three years earlier. As it turned out, this performance was much better than that I saw of The Machine. Perhaps some of this stems from the fact that I appreciate Pink Floyd more now than I did when I first saw The Machine, but there were many significant improvements that made this show a much more memorable one. The venue, the UB Center for the Performing Arts, was the perfect venue for this show, as all the seats were great and the setting was much more intimate than that of Artpark or the First Niagara Center. I attended this concert with my step-dad, Lee, and we thankfully were able to find some good parking and did not receive a ticket afterwards.

Notable differences from The Machine include the inclusion of a saxophone player and three female vocalists. The saxophone was beautifully played, making songs like "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" and "Money" truly shine and sound like the original versions. The female vocalists were all fantastic singers, and each was able to have moments in the spotlight during "The Great Gig in the Sky". The other performers on stage did an amazing job recreating the brilliant atmospheres of Pink Floyd, with just enough subtle differences to make it worth attending in person. I could certainly feel the presence of David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason, and the late Richard Wright on stage.

The lighting and stage show was absolutely amazing, and much more comparable to actual Pink Floyd performances. Behind the band was a giant circular screen, similar to (and perhaps may have been one of) those used by Pink Floyd on their later tours. Fitting imagery played during each song, and occasionally, humorous references to Australia would be made. For example, the prism on The Dark Side of the Moon was in the shape of Australia, while the Wish You Were Here logo looked like a kangaroo. Another funny tidbit occurred during "Wish You Were Here", where the introductory radio broadcasts were from Australia and even featured AC/DC! In addition to the screen, the show featured a gigantic inflatable teacher from The Wall, similar to the one I saw at the Roger Waters show. Though these cannot compare to the technical (and expensive) spectacle of Roger Waters performing The Wall, these elements certainly added more flavor and excitement than simply a light show can provide.

The setlist was very excellent and covered songs from much of Pink Floyd's history. Most of Pink Floyd's most popular songs were included, along with some deeper cuts. I appreciated hearing "One of These Days" and "Pigs", while "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" was definitely unique, as I assume that not a lot of Pink Floyd cover bands play the Syd Barrett lead material. I could have done without some of the Momentary Lapse of Reason and Division Bell songs, though. I suppose hearing "Learning to Fly" is almost inevitable since it was a big hit, but I definitely could have done without the cheesy "Coming Back to Life". In addition, "Us and Them" was notably missing: had "Coming Back to Life" been cut and "Us and Them" added after "Money", it would have been a nearly perfect setlist.

Despite these minor nitpicks, I had a blast at this concert. Luckily, I will have the opportunity to see them again, as they replaced The Machine as the Pink Floyd tribute band at Artpark for 2015. I'm sure these elements will translate well to a large venue like Artpark. Perhaps their setlist could change too: The Endless River was released soon after this show, meaning that any of its tracks could be fair game for their next tour.

[Zilla2112]

Zappa Plays Zappa

UB Center for the Performing Arts
March 31, 2015

Inca Roads
Can't Afford No Shoes
Sofa
Po-Jama People
Florentine Pogen
Evelyn, a Modified Dog
San Ber'dino
Andy
Sofa No. 2
Status Back Baby
Big Leg Emma
The Grand Wazoo
Baby Snakes
I'm So Cute
Society Pages
Magic Fingers
Son of Suzy Creamcheese
Who Needs the Peace Corps?
What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body?
My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama
Sinister Footwear
Cosmik Debris
Dancin' Fool
Carolina Hard-Core Ecstasy




After a five month hiatus between concerts, I returned to the UB Center for the Performing Arts with my step-dad, Lee, to see Zappa Plays Zappa, and what an amazing show it was! This was the band's first stop on their One Size Fits All 40th Anniversary tour, in which they played the album in its entirety. The band also played a second set of various Frank Zappa songs. Since I was on campus all day, I literally stayed at the school until Lee showed up. We had great seats in the front left section of the venue.

In order to cover such zany and complicated material, the band had a number of unique instruments that were all utilized during the show. The most notable performer, other than Dweezil Zappa himself, was Scheila Gonzalez. She played saxophone, flute, harmonica, keyboards, and sang backing vocals while bringing tons of energy to the show! Ben Thomas was great too, handling Frank Zappa's bass vocal parts, trumpet, trombone, and rhythm guitar. Dweezil was front and center during the entire show, and he played his father's solos with such skill and emotion. The rest of the band was brilliant as well, with stellar percussion from Ryan Brown, crazy keyboards from Chris Norton, and funky bass from Kurt Morgan.

The band began with a performance of the One Size Fits All album, which is one of Zappa's best. Prior to getting tickets for this show, I had not been exposed to this fantastic album, and hearing it live was a wonderful experience. From the technical complexity of "Inca Roads" to the beautiful "Sofa", Dweezil's band nailed every moment. Following this first set was an assortment of Zappa songs spanning much of his career. Even though I had listened to about a dozen Frank Zappa albums before the show, I only knew about half the songs the band played from this set. I really enjoyed hearing "Who Needs the Peace Corps?" and "Concentration Moon", having studied these songs for my Rock Music class the year prior.

Zappa Plays Zappa closed with the brilliant "Cosmik Debris", the silly disco parody "Dancin' Fool", and "Carolina Hard-Core Ecstasy", a piece I was not familiar with. Though I was happy to hear these obscure Zappa pieces, and the band performed them perfectly, I only wished that the band covered material from Joe's Garage and Hot Rats. I can understand that the Joe's Garage material might be difficult to cover and may not fit well alongside other songs, but the standard "Peaches en Regalia" was notably absent. Regardless, I had a great time watching Zappa play Zappa! If they come back to Western New York, I will definitely watch them again, especially since their song list will surely be completely different.

[Zilla2112]

Falling in Reverse
with Ghost Town

Town Ballroom
May 16, 2015

Falling in Reverse:

The Webs We Weave
There's No Sympathy for the Dead
Reverse This Curse
Cellar Door
My Apocalypse
The Guillotine
Not Good Enough for Truth In Cliché
Situations
The Day I Left the Womb

Chemical Prisoner
God, If You Are Above...
Sexy Drug
Rolling Stone
Guillotine IV (The Final Chapter)
Tragic Magic
Raised By Wolves
Bad Girls Club
The Bitter End
I'm Not a Vampire
Alone
The Drug In Me Is You
Just Like You

Ghost Town:

Spark
Trick Or Treat
I'm Weird
Tentacles
Dracula
Mean Kids
Drum Solo
Monster
Out Alive
That's Unusual (Jump)
Under Wraps
Carnival
You're So Creepy











Of all the shows I've been to, this was one of the most interesting. I have never been a big Ronnie Radke fan, and his recent material has been pretty horrible. The first Escape the Fate album was pretty solid, though, so when it was announced that he would be playing the album in its entirety, I was at least looking forward to hearing those songs. My girlfriend, Alexis, suggested that we go to this show together, so I definitely made it happen! Especially since the concert was at the Town Ballroom, my favorite Buffalo music venue. We arrived pretty early, so we were able to get a really good spot on the floor to the left of the stage.

After waiting a bit, the opening band (and first ring of the "circus") started, Ghost Town. Having listened to a few songs before the show, I was not very fond of this band. Their fusion of metalcore with dubstep and synthesizers was way too cheesy for me. Luckily, those elements were not as noticeable live. However, the mixing was really bad, as the bass frequencies were so overpowering that you couldn't make out the higher end. Perhaps this was a blessing, as the band's vocalist wasn't very good. They did have a lot of energy and interacted a lot with the audience, though, which I can definitely appreciate.

Following Ghost Town was the second ring of "circus", Falling in Reverse's cover of the entire Dying is Your Latest Fashion album. I was most looking forward to this part, and for the most part, Falling in Reverse delivered. I start with the only major negative: the band did not play the entire album, as was advertised. Both "When I Go Out, I Want to Go Out on a Chariot of Fire" and "Friends an Alibis" were skipped, and with the exception of "The Webs We Weave" and "The Day I Left the Womb" the rest of songs were completely out of order. Regardless, this part of the set was very solid. Instead of going for some major light or stage show, Falling in Reverse let the music do the talking and simply performed these songs. The band's performances were all top notch, sounding almost identical to the record. Guitarist Jacky Vincent played Monte Money's difficult guitar parts with ease. Ronnie Radke's vocal performance was very solid as well, doing justice to his original vocal performances with Escape the Fate.

After taking a break, Falling in Reverse concluded this show with their own set of original material, and it was definitely a funny experience! Much in theme with the circus, curtains were covering the stage as the Falling in Reverse logo was projected onto them. Oddly enough, a serious motivational speech, backed an orchestral version of "Chemical Prisoner", was playing just before the band went on the stage. This was in complete contrast to the rest of the show, which wasn't serious at all. The band opened this set with the first three tracks on their newest album, 'Just Like You', and continued to play material from their three albums. Some of the most hilarious moments included the "cum, cum, complete" lyric in "Sexy Drug", the rap section in "Rolling Stone" and the entire performances of "Bad Girls Club", "Alone", and "Just Like You", where Ronnie calls himself and everyone else an asshole. The build-up to "Bad Girls Club" was fantastic: Ronnie hyped the song up by stating it was the band's heaviest song and telling people to throw their babies into the mosh pit, only for the pure, colorful cheese to fill the room. It's like he knows that the song is terrible! For the cringeworthy "Alone", Ronnie brought up a hype guy on stage, as if he was there to legitimize Ronnie's terrible excuse for rapping. During the encore of "Just Like You", someone threw Ronnie a bra and he wore it like a hat. While some of these songs may be absolutely atrocious and Ronnie is definitely a narcissist, he definitely knows how to put on an entertaining show.

Once the show ended, Alexis and I went to get some merch and we happened to run into guitarist Jacky Vincent, who was setting up. As the most talented member of Falling in Reverse, I was very glad to meet him and get pictures taken with him. Alexis got an autographed poster as well! This show was setting itself up for a trainwreck: the opening band was cheesy, Falling in Reverse didn't even play the entirety of 'Dying is Your Latest Fashion', and some of their original material is absolutely atrocious. Yet, this concert was one of the most fun I had ever been to! If they play another show at the Ballroom, I will definitely be happy to see them again with Alexis!

[SMAP]

It's fitting that the opening act was Ghost Town because that's what this forum is

[Zilla2112]

Oct 1, 2015 18:33:17 GMT -5 SMAP said:

It's fitting that the opening act was Ghost Town because that's what this forum is

OH SMAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a beautiful post. Thank you.

[Zilla2112]

Damn, this site is lonely. I'm gonna post some more content on this thread. I don't know who will read it, but it's mostly for my personal recollection. Ballin'!

[Zilla2112]

Escape the Fate
with literally 90 other bands

SeaPort Marina Hotel in Long Beach, CA
May 30, 2015

Ungrateful
You're Insane
10 Miles Wide
The Flood
Issues
Gorgeous Nightmare
Until We Die
One for the Money
Situations
This War Is Ours (The Guillotine II)







Just after seeing Ronnie Radke and Falling in Reverse perform, it's a funny coincidence that the next band I saw was Escape the Fate again! This time, I got to see the band perform in sunny Long Beach, California as part of the Holdin' it Down for the Underground festival. I attended with my girlfriend (now fiancee) Alexis and her sister, Grace, who had never been to a metal show before. This also makes this event the first rock/metal festival that I ever attended, and boy, there were a ton of bands. The venue, the SeaPort Marina Hotel, reserved both its bar room and its ballroom for the event, with the ballroom being split into two separate rooms. Each room had two stages in it, meaning that any time a band finished its set, another band would start playing almost immediately after, resulting in non-stop live music. If one band wasn't keeping us interested, there were at least two other bands playing simultaneously that we could see. In addition, there was an outdoor section with merchandise booths and a taco truck where we had both lunch and dinner.

Due to the sheer number of bands that performed at this event, I cannot list them all, let alone remember all the bands I saw. Most of the bands could be placed in the metalcore/post-hardcore subgenres and would fit perfectly at a Vans Warped Tour. Breakdowns and moshing were almost always going on! We wandered a lot to start with, but as the evening went on, we found a spot directly in front of the stage where Escape the Fate was going to perform. We stayed at this spot for hours, meaning that we saw a number of bands close-up and other far away. Though none of the songs really stuck with me, most bands were quite energetic and directly engaged with their audiences.

Finally, after hours of heavy music, Escape the Fate finally took the stage. Their set was quite similar to their other sets, playing songs I was extremely familiar with. This was before their Hate Me album, so they didn't play any songs from it. The band was quite fun to watch, engaging in silly behavior as they played through their songs. Though it was cool that we were very close to the band, this had the negative consequence of crowd-surfers being constantly over our heads, being an overall distraction from the show. Luckily, security was directly in front of us, meaning that we had some warning as to when a crowd-surfer was about to fly over us. Listening to the concert back, you can definitely tell that Craig Mabbitt wasn't at his best, as he was flat most of the time, but at the event, I barely noticed this with all the chaos going on. The rest of the band was great as always, playing each song similar to their respective versions.

Once ETF finished, all three of us were incredibly exhausted. Another band started playing immediately after ETF concluded, but we were too tired to stay there for more. Alexis's family was there to pick us up shortly after ETF finished their set. We all received a ton of free merchandise, including free guitar picks, CDs, and the like. I had a really excellent experience at this festival, and while it was quite crazy and exhausting, I hope to go to bigger festivals like this in the future.

[SMAP]

Jun 24, 2016 14:31:18 GMT -5 Zilla2112 said:

Damn, this site is lonely. I'm gonna post some more content on this thread. I don't know who will read it, but it's mostly for my personal recollection. Ballin'!

Zilla you're still alive!!! Thank you for not making me feel bad on checking up on this place once a month

[Takuto]

Jun 28, 2016 20:59:45 GMT -5 SMAP said:

Jun 24, 2016 14:31:18 GMT -5 Zilla2112 said:

Damn, this site is lonely. I'm gonna post some more content on this thread. I don't know who will read it, but it's mostly for my personal recollection. Ballin'!

Zilla you're still alive!!! Thank you for not making me feel bad on checking up on this place once a month

Is it bad that I do the same thing?

[Zilla2112]

SMAP and Takuto, my ballas! Yes, I am still alive and doing well. I just graduated from undergrad and I will be attending law school in the fall. College has sure kept me busy! I luckily have had the opportunity to attend a lot of concerts this summer. In the past two weeks, I've seen Whitesnake and Ben Folds, and both concerts were a lot of fun! I'll be seeing Disturbed and Breaking Benjamin next at Darien Lake, my local amusement park. I probably wouldn't have gone on my own, but the tickets were free from the Ticketmaster lawsuit, so it all works out. I've got a lot of writing and catching up to do with these journals, but I'll get there... eventually. Hopefully you'll hear about the Disturbed concert by the end of 2016, lol.

[Zilla2112]

Cheap Trick and Peter Frampton

Artpark
June 23, 2015

Cheap Trick:

Hello There
Come On, Come On
Big Eyes
Lookout
Downed
Anytime
On Top of the World
Voices
Magical Mystery Tour
The Ballad of T.V. Violence (I'm Not the Only Boy)
Baby Loves to Rock
I'm Waiting for the Man
The Flame
I Want You to Want Me
Dream Police
Ain't That a Shame
Surrender
Goodnight

Peter Frampton:

Something's Happening
Doobie Wah
Show Me the Way
Lines on My Face
Lying
Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours
(I'll Give You) Money
Baby I Love Your Way
Black Hole Sun
Do You Feel Like We Do
Off the Hook




After returning from a wonderful trip to California, I attended a number of concerts during the summer of 2015 with my dad, including this awesome double-header! Other than my first ever concert, which featured both Elvis Costello and the Police, this was the best combination of two major artists I have seen in one night. Unlike some of the more hastily assembled double-headers, including the uneven show where Blue Oyster Cult outshadowed .38 Special, both Cheap Trick and Peter Frampton held their own and provided an excellent evening of entertainment.

First to take the stage was Cheap Trick, and boy, they started off the show with a bang! "Hello There" is such a fast, rocking opening that always gets the crowd going, and the band played it with such raw energy. Though they've been rocking since 1973, the band sounds as great as ever. Robin Zander's vocals have held up incredibly well too! The only change in lineup from the classic days is the addition of Rick Nielsen's son, Daxx, on drums in place of Bun E. Carlos, identical to what Van Halen did with Wolfgang. He too played the parts exceptionally well!

One of the most notable parts of the concert was Rick Nielsen. His playing was great, but what really kept the concert exciting was his choice of guitars! Among the most notable guitars was a checkered Gibson Explorer decorated with Cheap Trick logos and imagery. Another guitar he used was an awesome Beatles guitar, a custom Hamer guitar with portraits of the Beatles from their Sgt. Pepper's days. This guitar was fittingly used for Cheap Trick's cover of "Magical Mystery Tour." Of course, it wouldn't be a Cheap Trick concert without the legendary 5-neck guitar, and Rick Nielsen certainly delivered, playing it towards the end of the show!

Cheap Trick's setlist was stellar as well. Most of the excellent Cheap Trick hits were there, as the whole crowd was thrilled to hear "I Want You to Want Me", "Dream Police", and "Surrender". Fans of Cheap Trick's In Color (and by extension, Cheap Trick at Budokan) were in for a treat, as the band played a total of six songs from the album! The band also played a few deeper cuts, most notably "The Ballad of T.V. Violence" from their classic self-titled album. The band also played a few covers, including an excellent rendition of The Beatles' "Magical Mystery Tour," a cool version of the Velvet Underground classic "I'm Waiting for the Man," and their rocking version of Fats Domino's "Ain't That a Shame" featured on the brilliant Cheap Trick at Budokan album.

Following Cheap Trick was Peter Frampton, who also delivered an excellent set. His touring band is full of stellar musicians, but most notably, bassist Stanley Sheldon continues to tour with Frampton after his appearances on Frampton Comes Alive and subsequent studio albums. Frampton's voice has remained solid over the years, but his guitar playing was out of this world! It wouldn't be a Peter Frampton show without the iconic talkbox, and he was sure to use it on "Show Me the Way" and the epic solo of "Do You Feel Like We Do." Contrasting Rick Nielsen's extravagant guitars, Frampton stuck to classic Gibsons, including a Les Paul and an ES-335.

Peter Frampton mostly stuck to the classics featured on Frampton Comes Alive, which was definitely the right thing to do, as it showcased his best material at the time and is most recognizable by his fans. The show started just as Frampton Comes Alive did, with the opening of "Something's Happening", "Doobie Wah", and "Show Me the Way". Frampton also played two covers, the first being a version of Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" that was featured on I'm in You, and most notably, a unique version of Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun"! It is definitely unusual to see a classic rock artist like Frampton playing such a dark song from the grunge era, but he certainly pulled it off, adding his own twist by heavily incorporating the talkbox for the vocal lines. I'm glad to hear that it's a concert staple!

Frampton closed his regular set with "Do You Feel Like We Do", his signature song, but it was weird to see him play an obscure instrumental, "Off the Hook", as an encore. On the positive side, it did give my dad and I the opportunity to beat some of the traffic on the way out. Unfortunately, absent from Frampton's set was his rendition of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", a recent concert staple that he must have ran out of time to play. Still, the set that he did perform was excellent and covered almost everything people would want to hear at a Peter Frampton concert.

Overall, this concert was a great success and an incredibly enjoyable time! I do think I preferred Cheap Trick's half of the show, but Peter Frampton certainly held his own and delivered a satisfying concert. I would love to see both bands again, and I almost had the opportunity to see Frampton a year after this event. Unfortunately, the subsequent concert was in Canada and I did not have my enhanced driver's license by that point, meaning that I couldn't see Frampton a second time. This double-header will certainly go down as one of the best concerts I have seen at Artpark, if not one of the most fun concerts I have attended.

[Zilla2112]

Deep Purple
with Mick Hayes

Artpark
July 14, 2015

Highway Star
Après Vous
Hard Lovin' Man
Strange Kind of Woman
Vincent Price
Contact Lost
Guitar Solo
Uncommon Man
The Well-Dressed Guitar
The Mule
Lazy
Hell to Pay
Keyboard Solo
Perfect Strangers
Space Truckin'
Smoke on the Water
Hush
Bass Solo
Black Night








After seeing Cheap Trick and Peter Frampton, I felt like I saw the best concert Artpark had for this summer. However, if there were to be any band to top them, it would be Deep Purple. Like most of the other Artpark shows, I attended with my dad as we went into the standing section to the right of the stage. On our way to our spot, however, my dad ran into opening act Mick Hayes and chatted with him before the show. Mick Hayes was recording some music with my dad at Mark Studios, and I would also get to see him perform again at the Mark Studios picnic.

Mick Hayes had opened for a number of Artpark shows in the past, including Peter Framtpon a few years back. This time, Mick Hayes kept it simple, jamming on some blues tunes in a guitar-bass-drums trio. he bassist and drummer, who I also got to meet at the picnic, were incredibly solid and allowed Mick Hays to shine. He is not only a very talented blues guitarist, as demonstrated by his tasty solos, but also he has a great singing voice that perfectly suits his blues rock stylings. The tunes were quite standard for blues rock, but they were mostly originals. The energy was high, whether Mick Hayes was shredding an awesome solo or singing about dating women who drink way too much!

After Mick Hayes concluded and a bit of waiting, Deep Purple took the stage to the ominous masterpiece Mars, the Bringer of War from Gustav Holst. They kicked off the show with a bang, starting with the fast-paced, hard rocking Highway Star! Despite how long Deep Purple has been around for, the performance Deep Purple gave tonight was just as energetic as the studio recording. Mark II members Ian Paice, Ian Gillan, and Roger Glover were joined by Dixie Dregs guitar virtuoso Steve Morse and renowned keyboardist Don Airey, resulting in a fantastic line-up of musicians. As a drummer, Ian Paice stole the show for me. He is truly an underrated drumming legend who has not aged a second from his hey-day. His fills were fast, his grooves were stellar, and he even played his famous drum solo during "The Mule." Paice and Glover make for an incredible hard rock rhythm section.

Though Ritchie Blackmore has retired and Jon Lord has passed away, Steve Morese and Don Airey filled their roles perfectly. Steve Morse's playing was impeccable and is arguably better than that of Blackmore's. He had many opportunities to display his technical ability, including a lengthy guitar solo in the middle of the show. Don Airey was hand-selected by Jon Lord before his retirement over a decade ago, and it certainly showed! He played Lord's parts perfectly as well, and also payed a tribute to the keyboard legend. The weakest part of the band was probably Ian Gillan, simply due to the effects of aging on his voice. He definitely can't wail like he used to, but he still gave an energetic performance. On a related note, it was a breath of fresh air to hear all of the classic songs in their original, standard tunings, especially considering that so many bands downtune their older material.

Deep Purple's set was a solid mix of more recent material and classic hits. Though the classic songs were certainly the best moments of the concert, the newer Deep Purple songs, mostly from their Now What?! album, were also entertaining to hear. I could always hear more of Deep Purple's Machine Head, hearing them play half of the album was excellent. The highlight of the show was the set closing of "Space Truckin'" and the iconic "Smoke on the Water." Deep Purple's encore consisted of "Hush" and "Black Night," great songs, though they didn't reach the highs of the set closers. My dad and I ended up beating the rush by heading out during "Black Night".

In conclusion, this Deep Purple concert was absolutely amazing and I am so grateful that I had this opportunity to see such a legendary band! Even though I missed out on a number of concerts from retiring rock legends, including the Rolling Stones and Black Sabbath, often due to pricing and ticket availability, I am glad I was able to see Deep Purple at such a less expensive rate and more intimate venue than an arena. Two more Artpark concerts followed this summer: Australian Pink Floyd and the Doobie Brothers. Yet, the first two Artpark shows I attended this summer were certainly the best!

[Zilla2112]

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[Zilla2112]

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