Brad Paisley @ Jiffy Lube Live- 08/25/2012

Went with Andrew and Bret to see my first country show- Brad Paisley (With the Band Perry, Easton Corbin, and some others). We left pretty early, to begin tailgating and to try to beat traffic. However, the ridiculous rain put a dent in that plan. We still arrived around 4, with plenty of time to tailgate.
There were a TON of people there, so many white people. There were several Asians, some Hispanics and some black people. and 3 Indian people! The rain let up by the time we parked and set up for tailgating, thankfully.

Jiffy Lube Live's tailgating policy is a bit like don't ask don't tell, with a little bit of inquiry into underage drinking. We def saw some people get checked for IDs... But in either case there was a ton of drinking. There were so many cute girls (shorts n boots!), and a bit of the southern Maryland syndrome- pretty girls w/ tore up guys. I told John and Andrew that we'd be as kings down there.  A couple butterfaces, and I am pretty sure we saw the same guys in jorts n boots that were at the KISS show. And of course the guy with  overall shorts w/ no shirt or shoes and his buddy with jorts n boots. And the troupe of people carrying flags- American, Stars n Bars, and a pole with red solo cups dangling off of it (fastened to a string?).

Steel Panther @ Fillmore- 08/18/2012

Went with John and Kate (birthday Present for John) to see the Steel Panther band at The Fillmore, Silver Spring, MD. Tickets were pretty cheap ($20), they had some shirts and bandanas ($35 for a shirt I think, the shirts weren't very interesting IMO). I did not get anything. There was a pretty good crowd, the balcony was kinda sparse, but the floor was probably a bit more crowded than Ted Nugent. There was an opener, but we didn't care to see them and we got about as they were coming off (oops, too soon).  We stood around the back to the left, facing the stage.

Steel Panther came on after 10, about 10:10 (about 10 minutes late). This would throw off later plans and we left early (ish). We had seen Steel Panther before, so it wasn't too bad to miss the encore. They sounded great, and had a pretty receptive crowd. They were hilarious, like last time. Some of the same type of jokes, but different banter. No complaints sonically, and the setlist was pretty good as well. Actually, looking at it, they played just about the same setlist (I think an encore song may have been different and there were no covers) this time as they had in May. Well, it was still a good show.

Of course one must go into a Steel Panther show knowing that there will be all manner of homophobic/misogynistic/racist/sexist/hilarious/non PC/crude and generally crass dialogue and lyrics. All in a joking manner, if you've ever heard one of their songs. So if you go in with an open mind you'll be fine.

There was a guy dressed as Tiger Woods because of their song about him. They actually pulled him up on stage during that song. It was pretty ridiculous. Of course there were the various sketchy/cute/hot/trainwreck/tore up girls on stage for a couple songs (around Party All Day I think). One girl apparently was flashing the band at regular intervals throughout the show. She was kind of one of the latter girls IMO. We did not see any boobs this time, FYI. There were a ton of bandanas, older 80s ladies, animal print, wigs, and def some hipsters.

Satchel's guitar solo featured snippets/riffs of Flight of the Bumblebee, Deep Purple (Smoke on the Water), Scorpions (Rock You Like a Hurricane), Judas Priest (Breakin' the Law), Iron Maiden (The Trooper),  Metallica (Master of Puppets), Guns N Roses (Sweet Child O Mine), Black Sabbath (Iron Man and Paranoid),  that song from Pulp Fiction, and finishing with the Sound of Music song.
I swore I heard Van Halen (eruption) and Yngwie in there too. Not bad at all

 Anyways, I think the first show was better, but I think that's because we didn't know what to expect, had less drinks, and were a bit paranoid about time (for later events that evening). We left at 11:30PM, but Steel Panther had a couple more songs after that (encore, I didn't list em, but I imagine they were the same as in NJ a recent night). So that kind of hindered the enjoyment. But def worth the $20 bones. I had a great time.



Photos:
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/29776109686/steel-panther-the-fillmore-silver-spring
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/29776192206/steel-panther-the-fillmore-silver-spring
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/29776278296/steel-panther-the-fillmore-silver-spring
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/29776492090/steel-panther-the-fillmore-silver-spring


Setlist:

• In the Future
• Supersonic Sex Machine
• Tomorrow Night
• Fat Girl (Thar She Blows)
• Asian Hooker
• Just Like Tiger Woods
• Gold-Digging Whore
• Guitar Solo
• Turn Out the Lights
• Community Property
• Eyes of a Panther
• Weenie Ride
• Party All Day (Fuck All Night)
• It Won't Suck Itself
• Death to All but Metal

Aerosmith @ Jiffy Lube Live - 8/12/2012

Went to see Aerosmith with my buddy Tony, after some delicious Tippy's Tacos. We hung out in the parking lot for a bit and then secured out spots at Cheap Trick's second song. I hadn't seen Aerosmith before, 2nd time seeing Cheap Trick. There were a lot of people there, mostly white people. For a Sunday night, not a bad crowd at all for one of the biggest bands in the world. Tickets were $40.

Cheap Trick sounded alright, but over half of their set I was not familiar with (thank you Setlist.fm) and were just..OK. The crowd seemed to agree with me, in that they were pretty motionless until 'The Flame." They ended strong, but they really didn't get me pumped up like they should have.

Aerosmith came finally came on after dark, and were pretty loud. They started with an older song (yessss), and sounded very good. Pretty good time, and then the bluesy guitar solo rolled in... and around that time of the setlist the whole blusey songs...kinda killed the mood/momentum. Picked back up with What It Takes, then crushed by that (IMO) horrible Beatles song.

We decided to leave at Walk this Way to beat the traffic. We heard a bit of Dream On as we rolled out. I woulda liked to hear Train... but I think it was a better choice to head home and get some sleep.

Overall, it was good and I'm glad I went. However, I was a bit disappointed with the 'Blues Odyssey' they decided to do. StevenTyler's backup singers were a bit too high in the mix as well. Coulda done without the drum solo. Cheap Trick was a bit less great than last time. 


Photos:
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/29525446248/aerosmith-jiffy-lube-live-8-12-2012-one-shot

Setlists:

Cheap Trick

• Hello There
• Big Eyes
• California Man(The Move cover)
• On Top of the World
• Ain't That a Shame (Brad Whitford guest guitar)
• I Know What I Want
• Need Your Love
• Stop This Game
• Sick Man of Europe
• The Flame
• I Want You to Want Me
• Dream Police
• Surrender

Aerosmith

• Draw the Line
• Love in an Elevator
• Same Old Song and Dance
• Livin' on the Edge
• Oh Yeah
• Last Child
• Drum Solo
• Rag Doll
• The Peter Gunn Theme (guitar solo)
  (Henry Mancini cover)
• Boogie Man
• Combination
• Stop Messin' Around
  (Fleetwood Mac cover)
• What It Takes
• Legendary Child
• Come Together
  (The Beatles cover)
• Rats In The Cellar
• Sweet Emotion
• Walk This Way
• Dream On
• Train Kept A-Rollin' 
  

Iron Cross Band 8/11/2012 @ Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center

Went to see the Iron Cross Band (from Burma) at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center (CSPAC) at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMDCP). Tickets were a bit expensive ($50 for the cheap seats!), but when else are you going to get to see a BURMESE rock band? Milla got a box seat (secret stories) gratis.  And at CSPAC, which I'm sure had no idea what they were in for, as I don't think I've EVER heard of a rock group performing there. Ever. I got a balcony seat.

So we get there and I notice a ton of Asian people in the parking lot and at CSPAC. We eventually count 4.5 white people there. Rest are Asian (mostly/all Burmese)- which was not surprising. From what I understand, this is like THE rock band of Burma. No students(unless they were Burmese?) (who'd get greatly reduced tickets as well).

I noticed 3 police officers and about 4 extra security guards, positioned like at a rock concert, near the stage. I was thinking, they have no idea what they're in for LOLz.

They came on around 6:45 and didn't stop until like 10:13 when they turned the lights on. They allegedly woulda played until 10:45, but there apparently was a lot of rowdiness and maybe even an arrest or 2. The band started with some instrumentals and then finally the *first* singer (and crowd) came out. They crowd was very enthusiastic and loud! The crowd sang along LOUDLY, jumped up and down frantically, danced, and took a TON of photos. During the guitar solo and some of the more popular ballads or rock songs, the crowd surged forward. more than once, a police officer came in to herd the crowd back to their seats. People were controlled rowdy- standing on the armrests on the seats, smuggling in drinks (no food or drinks in the theatre), jumpin between rows, etc.

Musically they sounded great, the acoustics and sound system at CSPAC were great. The musicianship was fabulous too- drums, guitar, and keys all got solos (no bass solo tho!). However, everything was in Burmese, so I understood nothing. I did, however, recognize 3 or 4 songs. Out of all things an Yngwie Malmsteen cover (Vengeance), a Gary Moore cover (Wild Frontier), Wipeout, and I'm pretty sure I heard Blue Suede Shoes and maybe an AC/DC ish song. Everything else was pretty much had no idea.

I was not sure what to expect besides it was a rock band from Burma and they were pretty famous. I tried to take some detailed notes as much as I could. The girl singer (D Lun), I thought, completely halted the momentum. At times, not knowing the songs and IMO too many ballads did make things kind of drag, but I had no idea how long they were supposed to be playing. Overall a fun time, woulda liked to have a cheaper ticket, and maybe have a better idea of the set time and songs. A lot of positive energy from the fans, and that really gave a good vibe throughout the whole place.


They played like 40 songs!

Photos:
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/29523604853/iron-cross-band-cspac-8-11-2012-i-iron-cross
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/29523775375/iron-cross-band-cspac-8-11-2012-ii-the-show-is
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/29523910520/iron-cross-band-cspac-8-11-2012-iii-more
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/29524015083/iron-cross-band-cspac-8-11-2012-iv-probably
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/29524094559/iron-cross-band-cspac-8-11-2012-v-the-finale

Touring website Photos:
http://www.queenbeeentertainment.com/queenbeeentertainment.com/wordpress/?gallery=maryland

Note I also found someone else's writeup
and their Yubtub videos too!

Setlist
singer Myo Gyi is singing first

• ? (rock song)
• Vengeance (Yngwie Malmsteen cover) (Complete with Yngwie Malmsteen guitar spin around himself!)
• ? (bass heavy funky jam)
• ? (ballad w/ arm waving)
• Keyboardist talks and Y Wine comes out
• ? (happy sounding song w/ horns)
• ? (country sounding song)
• Pengyoumen rang women ganbei (Epic/cheesy synth intro to acoustic to HUGE sing along and a guitar hootenanny at the end!)
• ? (another ballad with a sweet guitar intro)
• Ah Nge comes out
• ? (Heavy song sounds like a cross between Too High TO Fly and Its My Life)
• ? (Ballad)
• Wild Frontier (Gary Moore cover!)
• ? (familiar sounding ballad)
• Lay Phyu comes out (HUGE applause)
• ? (rock song that sounds kinda like the Theme from Friends with better guitar. Yngwie Guitar throw on this one too)
• ? (Big Ballad)
• ? (rocker, mid tempo with a lot of jumping)
• D Lun comes out
• ? (rock song, with a surf/retro vibe to it. The guy in front of me seriously started watusiing)
• ? (Ballad w/ video about the beach)
• ? (Ballad)
• ? (Piano intro to ballad- huge sing along)
• Wipeout and drum solo (can't escape this, even overseas )
• ? (Happy sounding song)
• ? (another ballad)
• ? (heavy sounding song...into a ballad with a good solo)
• 2nd singer out again
• ? (B52s or swing sounding song)
• ? (Ballad...keytar strapped on, with big sing along)
• Keytar solo to a keyboard solo
• First Singer out again
• ? ( ballad, huge applause and great sounding singing by the dude)
• ? (rocking song, people dancing in the aisles, sounds kinda AC/DC like)
• Nge singer out
• ? (starts out hard, slower tempo to mid tempo)
• ? (slow ballad)
• Guitar solo(w/ Flight of the Bumblebee and maybe Burmese anthem or something) (w/ behind the back playing and BACKWARDS [holding the bottom of the guitar!], and then a double guitar! and then playing 2 guitars at once!)
•  Famous singer back out
• ? (Harmonica song with huge reaction)
• ? (Slow ballad huge sing along, acoustic, other singers come out as it is going on)
• Blue Suede Shoes(?)
• ? (Rock song "just like that?")
• ? (Rock, everything jumping!!)
• ? (ballad, acoustic w/ famous singer)
• ?(another ballad w/ first singer)
• ?(slow ballad)

Ted Nugent @ The Fillmore- 8/3/2012

Went last night to see Uncle Teddy in Silver Spring at the Fillmore ($30). I was not sure of the crowd he'd draw here in this state, and it was my first time seeing him. I didn't look up his opener and opted to hang out with some friends and imbibe (GROG) before the show. SO I rolled up around 8:50 (Ted was on at 9PM). Regardless of your thoughts on his thoughts on politics, you gotta love his music

I get in and it is pretty crowded. Not as many people as the CULT band had, but still pretty well attended. I was able to get kinda close, whereas during the Cult we were stuck at the back. There were (predictably) a lot of white people in attendance. I did see like 2 black people who attended (not working there), one with a Rush (the band not the man or Mega Man character) shirt.

Ted, Derek St Holmes, 'wild' Mick Brown, and some guy who played bass came on just about at 9 to a thunderous applause and they went right to it. They played pretty much nonstop until "Stormtroopin,'"after which there was a bit of talking and a little ranting. At this point the set list deviated from other dates on this tour. There was way less ranting than I had expected, and I kind of wanted more (but glad that he didn't cause I really just wanted more songs instead). He made some comments about sending jerky to the military, supporting the military, "criminals in the White House," hunting, voting, American made guitars, soul music, and first amendment. Agree or disagree, I'll leave that up to you, because I have no public comment, I'm just here for the music, man.

Ted and co. sounded GREAT. 64 years (or so he says), and still going strong. They had a lot of energy and excitement, which was being traded back and forth with the crowd. I saw a bit more excited people and situated myself around them. I was about a Jaxx distance from the stage (40 ft?), but like at the back of the Jaxx floor. Apparently "Wild" Mick Brown from the Dokken group was with him on this tour- I didn't know that. Ted's not the best guitarist, but he certainly gave it his all and his enjoyment was evident. No complaints in the sonic avenue.

Ted's stage set included a huge American flag back drop, a bunch of guitars, some AR-15s on guitar stands, and a couple AR-15s w/ Drum mags (Beta-C) on top of speakers. As my buddy said when I told him, "sounds about right." There were some shirts for about $35-40. I didn't get any merch. Ted had a camo cowboy hat, cut off western shirt, jeans, that silly Britney Spears mic, and a wild grin.

I did not like that it was a short set (He started at 9pm, at 10:20pm the house lights came on). I was expecting/hoping for "Great White Buffalo" and/or "Fred Bear." So needless to say I was left wanting more, just like the recent KISS show. Overall it was a very good show and I'd def go again, that man knows how to play some jammin' Rock music.





Photos:
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/29097117494/ted-nugent-the-fillmore-silver-spring-i-the

http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/29097304063/ted-nugent-the-fillmore-silver-spring-ii-uncle

Setlist:
(I got the cover song name from setlist.fm, I had no clue what it was other than it wasn't Hendrix)

Ted Nugent

• Gonzo
• Just What The Doctor Ordered
• Wango Tango
• Turn It Up
• Free For All
• Stormtroopin' (talking followed)
• Wang Dang Sweet Poontang
• I Can't Quit You Baby (cover) (talking)
• Need You Bad
• Live It Up
• Hey Baby
• Cat Scratch Fever
• Stranglehold