Kiss @ Jiffy Lube Live - 7/20/2012

Went to see Motley Crue and KISS this past week for the first stop on their tour! (Note that is is not counting the performance they gave for veterans the day before at the same venue) Met up w/ Tony and his cousin and his girlfriend there. Tickets were about $34 a piece after fees and the lawn 4 pack (billed as $20 a piece...a deal!... plus fees X__X). Overall not bad for "THE TOUR" of the year (or so Gene would say).

The Journey: it was raining like a mofo as I got about 20 minutes from the venue. I had a trench so I wold be fine...standing in the lawn. Friday, plus rain, plus very popular bands = Sweet Jesus traffic and weather and so so many people. I eventually  reached the parking lot and was designated to park in ...lot B6. I called Tony and he's in lot F...on the other side of the parking lot. So I begin the trek. There was only some drizzle during Crue, thankfully. I was fearing a downpour for most of the set.

The People: a bit of the leathery legions spotted, but it was getting dark, rainy, and I was a bit more occupied with Tony and co. to do too much scouting. There were several people in KISS makeup, with varying degrees of professionalism. Parents with kids, old timers, younger people, people of all ages were attending. Mostly white, but there def were Hispanic, Asian, and black people that I saw too. There was also a group of kinda beefy young men...in not long jorts, high socks, and boots. So I am not sure if they know that Paul Stanley is (mostly) straight ;3 

After another 20 minutes of walking/waiting/cursing that I didn't have a red solo cup we met up and got in line behind some little girls in KISS facepaint. However, before that, some dude came up to me and started ranting about the government, enforcement of tailgating policies, black people, and weed. So yeah, off to a ridiculous start.

I heard a bit of the Treatment as I was walking to the gate. I swear one song sounded like "All the Young Dudes," but according to setlist.fm they totally didn't play that. Whatever. I don't think we missed anything important

We finally get in after another 10 minutes in line and its about 8PM now, when Crue is supposed to be on. I'm getting a bit agitated cause I've zero beers and Motley is supposed to be on and we have to climb a long set of stairs to get on the massive lawn. Thankfully they go on around 8:10 and we have some cold ones, satiated the restroom daemons, and have secured a place on the lawn. Crue comes out like Rammstein, marching at the front of the stage, carrying some sort of flags. Very odd, like they ripped the Teutonic Terrors off straight up. Anyways, they were about as good as last time- Vince half singing and the rest of the band being pretty solid. They coulda been louder, played longer, and had more chicks (I mean they already had those gymnastic type people [like you see at the Renn Faire] flipping upside down, dancers, etc.).  Apart from that, pretty much what I expected. Tommy's Drum solo had him riding the circular track behind him (like a roller coaster) to be upside down while some dubstep played over the PA.And he hit the cymbals a few times.

Kiss went on after a bit longer (they went on close to 10 I think), and had a huge ovation. KISS had fireworks, pyro, steam, smoke, hydraulics, people being lifted into the air, fire breathing, blood spitting, and lights (which sounds lame after everything else). They sounded great, and I was entertained for the most part, apart from dreading they may play 'Beth' (thankfully they did NOT). We were getting pretty rowdy, but the damp weather kinda put a little kink in the fuller enjoyment. As the encore came up, Tony and I decided to hit the can, as I was sure they'd play a few more songs. HOWEVER, to our dismay as we were about at the restroom, we heard strains of "Rock N' Roll All Nite".... meaning that was the end of the set. I checked my clock and I was sure KISS would play til about 11:30... It was about 11:05. So I was pretty disappointed that we didn't get to hear "Strutter" or "Deuce" at least.

Predictably it was a nightmare getting out of there. Thrown off by the early end of set, we tarried for a bit inside the venue, sitting in some lawn chairs. We then were herded off by the staff, and we chatted for a bit near the gate, slowly making our way to our respective vehicles.I just looked at the line of red lights and hung out in my car for about 20 minutes before I even thought about starting it up to get in line. Eventually  headed out for the long drive in the rain. X_X;

Overall a fun show, but damn I still really dislike Jiffy Lube Live/Nissan Pavilion/whatever- the exit process may have been even worse than last time... KISS sounded great and Crue was entertaining. I woulda preferred longer setlists, but for whatever reason they seemed to be cutting it short. I'd go see KISS again, even if it is giving Paul and Gene even more money while ACE gets probably not much...

Photos:
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/29096798327/kiss-and-motley-crue-at-jiffy-lube-live-7-20-2012
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/29096877698/kiss-and-motley-crue-at-jiffy-lube-live-7-20-2012

Setlists:


Motley Crue

Saints of Los Angeles
Wild Side
Shout at the Devil
Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.)
Looks That Kill
Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
Sex (Live debut)
Drum Solo
Home Sweet Home
Primal Scream
Dr. Feelgood
Girls, Girls, Girls
Kickstart My Heart


KISS

Detroit Rock City
Shout It Out Loud
I Love It Loud
Love Gun (Paul flies out)
Firehouse (Gene breathes fire)
War Machine
Shock Me (with Tommy and Eric jam/mini solos)
Hell or Hallelujah
Bass Solo (Gene spits blood and flies)
God of Thunder
Lick It Up
Black Diamond
Rock and Roll All Nite

Scorpions @Merriweather - 7/12/2012

Went with Milla and met up with Tony to see German Metal legends The Scorpions (with Night Ranger opening for them) at Merriweather Post Pavillion.

For the last show on their US tour (allegedly ever, but ....yeah right) in...Columbia, MD... it seemed a bit subdued/not like a real last show (perhaps should have been at a more...prolific...venue. The hype didn't seem enough. The attendance, compared to Def Leppard a couple days before (which I went to as well) was way better- So I really think it was all a publicity thing and that they'll be back.

 There were a couple t shirt scalpers as we were... hanging out... in the parking lot. We almost got em down to $5 for a shirt (I think even I would have caved to that price). I don't recall seeing any scalpers however. I wonder if I had grabbed a ticket from someone else from Tuesday if I could have gotten Milla a cheap ticket too lol.


Saw a few people there that were at Def Leppard- Cartwheeling girl and her dude, my buddy and me, some creepy old man asking for extra tickets, and the 2 Mexican  metalheads. At one point they came over and we briefly chatted. Seemed like cool guys. Def saw them at like the 1349 or Deicide show.

Night Ranger came on as we were purchasing tix, and they sounded about the same as at M3- way better live than on the album. They changed their setlist a little, but it was mostly the same (Ozzy talk and Crazy Train cover, tho- maybe to appeal to the more metal Scorpions... who have their own share of ballads lol). I wanted to hear "Rumours in the Air," but other than that they had a good set (tho it was not that long since we saw them last...) and a solid opener. Woulda been more enjoyable if we hand't just seen then like 2 months ago!

The Scorpions rolled out exactly at 9pm (or was that Def Leppard?) with their new song and some slowerish songs. I woulda picked some more rockin tunes to start with, but whatever the case, Klaus and the boys sounded GREAT. No complains sonically. At all- it was amazing how great Klaus's voice sounds close to the records. Rudolf and Matthias were shredding and smiling the whole time! I couldn't/didn't really see the screens behind them

The Scorpions  pulled out 'In Trance' and  maybe another song they hadn't played the last time. So that was a treat, but I don't think a lot of people are into older Scorpions here in the US.  OH WELL. At least Klaus called us COLUMBIA instead of DC (*ahem* Bruce *ahem*). I coulda done without the "Kottak attack" (drum solo), as always. But even that begrudingly sounded good. 2 solos ("Coast to Coast", "6 String Sting") seemed a bit...much- I woulda prefered to hear...almost any other song. 'Pictured Life?' 'DYNAMITE?' Anything, guys!

Scorpions coulda picked a more comprehensive setlist, or at least change the order of some songs. A lot of the set list (and even order) was the same as the previous M3 performance they headlined here in the US. Overall a really great show, perhaps a bit bittersweet as well. I felt like I had seen most of this show before (at this year's M3 and a previous M3), due to the setlists... but it still was totally worth it. I had a great time, and The Scorpions sounded better than last time!


Photos: (meh)
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/27775577324/the-scorpions-merriweather-7-12-2012-some

Setlists

Night Ranger

Lay It On Me
Sing Me Away
Touch of Madness
Crazy Train(Ozzy Osbourne cover)
Eddie's Comin' Out Tonight
High Enough (Damn Yankees cover)
Four in the Morning
When You Close Your Eyes
Don't Tell Me You Love Me
Sister Christian
(You Can Still) Rock in Americ

Scorpions

Sting in the Tail
Make It Real
Is There Anybody There?
The Zoo
Coast to Coast
Loving You Sunday Morning
Rhythm of Love
In Trance
Wind of Change
Holiday
Raised on Rock
Tease Me Please Me
Hit Between the Eyes
Kottak Attack
Blackout
Six String Sting
Big City Nights
Still Loving You
No One Like You
Rock You Like a Hurricane

Def Leppard @Merriweather- 7/10/2012

Left work early and met my buddy Tony at Merriweather for Def Leppard. It got a bit cooler out, but it was still a might bit sweaty. He was getting there late, so I opted to go in and hear/see Lita Ford (he got there about as Posion started).

There were a LOT of people there, in the seats and especially on the lawn. People seemed to fill up a bit more a little bit before Poison went on. A very well attended show. I saw  a couple scalpers ($40 lawn. $45 regular price). I opted to make it a metal week and get Scorpions tix too ($15 off each \m/), so not bad overall. Shirts were expensive ($40), nothing really stood out to me merch wise.

Crowd was an interesting mix of the leathery legions (old timers), bikers,  normal looking people, the kids of all the above, and a surprising number of lesbians (cause of Lita Ford?). As I was strolling the lawn I noticed a pair of Mexican metalheads, who in head to toe black and long hair and death metal (or black metal) shirts were the most metal people there (besides me). I'm pretty sure I saw them at 1349 or some other Jaxx/Empire shows too. More about them in the Scorpions write-up!
 
Lita sounded pretty good technically, and her voice held up. But there was something lacking in her performance/stage presence. I couldn't tell exactly what it was, perhaps something about the combination of lackluster songs, ballady songs being her 'hits', and perhaps getting acclimated to the weather gave me an overall 'meh' feeling.

Poison went on to a much better ovation than Lita. I'm not a big Poison fan (They're alright), but they are def pretty good live. My buddy, a huge Poison fan, mentioned that their setlist is pretty much the same as he has seen then since....what 10 years back. They shoulda thrown in a deep cut or something. 2 covers also was a bad choice, IMO. Their backing vocals sounded horrible, like Tony and I were drunkenly shouting the choruses. Otherwise, Bret and co sounded very good. Kinda underwhelming, but pretty much what I expected (minus backing vox). Also the drum and guitar solos were totally unnecessary. Bret, if you need a break, just have CC sing 'Every Bone in your Body But Mine.'

Def Leppard went on after dark to a pretty damn loud crowd. As soon as they came on I remembered why these guys have sold millions upon millions of albums worldwide (OK, well after their first song, which was a new one. I mean it sounded good but I didn't know it so how pumped could I get?). These guys are consummate professionals- the sound, the show, the attitudes.Totally worth every penny to see just them alone! Admittedly, Joe had some effects on his mic to try to help him reach the high notes which seemed a bit... expected... but I didn't think it detracted from the performance that much. Vivian seemed to still phone in a bit of his solos just like last time. The guy who shredded with Dio... well I guess those days are long gone...

REGARDLESS, Def Leppard sounded great, looked strong, and I loved hearing 'Gods of War.' Of course I'd want some more deep cuts, but hearing those great Hysteria songs live again just floored me. So they really jammed, man. If you like Def Leppard, you gotta see 'em in concert.


Photos (pretty sorry selection):
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/27294843534/def-leppard-7-10-2012-i-here-are-some-pretty-meh
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/27294946984/def-leppard-7-10-2012-ii-merch-table-nothing


Lita Ford

The Bitch is Back
Hungry
Gotta Let Go
Living Like a Runaway
Kiss Me Deadly
Close My Eyes Forever 

Posion

 Look What the Cat Dragged In
Ride the Wind
We're An American Band
Your Mama Don't Dance
Guitar Solo
Fallen Angel
Unskinny Bop
Drum Solo
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Talk Dirty To Me
Nothin' But a Good Time

Def Leppard

Undefeated
Rocket
Let It Go
Foolin'
Animal
Love Bites
It's All About Believin'
Let's Get Rocked
Gods of War
Full Band Acoustic Medley/Snippets
(Where Does Love Go When It Dies
Now
When Love and Hate Collide
Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad
Two Steps Behind)
Women
Bringin' on the Heartbreak
Switch 625
Hysteria
Armageddon It
Photograph
Pour Some Sugar on Me
Rock of Ages