Brad Paisley/ Justin Moore / Mickey G @ Jiffy Lube Live 9/26/2015

I went to see Brad Paisley with Bret ($15 lawn) at Jiffy Lube Live. Yes, the HMC does enjoy some (pop) country from time to time. And a new tour to promote Moonshine in the Trunk, his latest, brought him back around. Unfortunately there was a bit of rain this evening, and I ended the life of a straw hat for this summer.

Van Halen @ Jiffy Lube Live 8/29/2015

I went to see Van Halen ($20 good ol' groupon) with Ariel and Ilem. Saw Heathen and Jason, Marysol, her mum, and Marc there. I was on the lawn, but nevertheless had to see Van Halen on a Saturday. I went in expecting Eddie and the Van Halens to ROCK, and Dave.... well to be Dave.

Diamond Dave and Eddie

Slipknot / Lamb of God / Bullet For my Valentine @ Jiffy Lube Live 8/11/2015

I went to see Slipknot with Lamb of God and Bullet For my Valentine ($20 groupon!) at Jiffy Lube Live. Motionless in White also played, but I didn't see them again. As I just got a lawn seat, it was with the masses (or lack thereof until LoG) for me. I did see Scott, Jen P, Chris Crazy-Wolf, and Bridget there.

Slipknot's 1000 members

Rush @ Jiffy Lube Live 5/30/2015

I went with my buddy Andrew to see progressive Canadian power trio RUSH ($50.50 lawn) at Al Fin Del Mundo (aka Jiffy Lube Live). We met up with Ariel, James, Rod, Dwayne, Metal Chris and Catherine, Navid, and Nina there too! I'm not a huge Rush fan, and I hadn't seen them before, but I think it was good to finally see them, as they are not getting any younger and I believe I heard rumours that this may be their last big tour. I am glad my buddy decided he wanted to go! This was their R40 tour, celebrating Neil Peart's 40th year in Rush (wow).

It was hard to take pics in the Limelight of Rush

Mötley Crüe / Alice Cooper @ Jiffy Lube Live 8/22/2014

I went to see Mötley Crüe on their  alleged "Farewell Tour" (~$40 lawn). I met up with my buddy Tony and a few of his buddies (Nick, Joe, etc.).  I know several other people went (Mary, Ruby, Ariel, etc.), but this was one of those times I found no one instead of finding everyone (like at Mayhem).

Kiss/ Def Leppard @ Jiffy Lube Live 7/25/2014

Juliya and I went to see the hottest band in the land, KISS, with Def Leppard at Jiffy Lube Live ($36).  We met up with Gori and Omar before rolling in. Inside we saw Marysol (y su madre) y Mark. We had a nice little group!

Black Sabbath @ Jiffy Lube Live 8/2/3013

We went to see Black Sabbath at Jiffy Lube Live. I had never seen Black Sabbath (W/ Ozzy) or Ozzy live before. I had to go, even if it was just lawn seats (tho $47 at the gate after fees- Jesus!)

Mayhem Fest @ Jiffy Lube Live 7/24/2013 Part II

part II  (Part I here) of the Mayhem Festival. We traveled to the main stage at this point. See the part 1 for the list of friends (and enemies...John...) that we saw this day! There was not much break between Children of Bodom and another one of the bands we explicitly came to see- Amon Amarth!

Mayhem Fest @Jiffy Lube Live 7/24/2013 part I

We went to see Mayhem Fest  with Kate. It was a hella long day- noon to 11PM. We eventually met up with John, Shabba, and Michele. We saw SO MANY PEOPLE- Jessica and her friend, Iri and Julius, Ariel y su mujer y hija, Tom, Scott, Bridget, Pheobe n Matt, maybe even one more!

Zac Brown Band @ Jiffy Lube Live 10/12/2012

Went with Bret to one last huge concert of the summer- to see the Zac Brown Band! Andrew bailed on us (work), so it was a mandate, mostly. Ms Amanda ended up going too, so we met up with her! We got there around 5 and the parking lot was somewhat emptyish. And it was rather windy and chilly. It eventually filled up, as it seemed that the cold and the Friday date both contributed to the rather slow filling.

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?).

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' 
  

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

Iron Maiden @ Jiffy Lube Live 6/30/2012

Went to see Iron Maiden (w/ Alice Cooper) @ Jiffy Lube Live with John n my brother. This is on the heels of a huge storm  and massive power outages. Jiffy Lube Live reported that the power was ON and the show was good to go!

Got there around 6, stood in line. Thought doors were at 5:30!? Apparently not. maybe like 6:15 or so the doors opened and we rolled in. Sweating profusely throughout the day. We made our way to the pit an positioned ourselves about 30 feet from the stage (Jaxx/Empire distance) for Alice. We got pushed back for Maiden, of course.

On the way in, I encountered the guys (and gal) from A Sound of Thunder!

Alice sounded great, but he had a smaller stage show than last time I saw him (with Rob Zombie). He still had props and got executed. And he had an Eddie like huge Frankenstein's monster with Alice's face. That was pretty sweet. He had 3 guitarists for some reason, one of them being Orianthi (that blond girl guitarist who almost played with Michael Jackson). Alice sounded as good as ever, and his command on stage was as strong as ever. No real complaints, except I could always use a longer set from Alice.

After Alice's set, the crowd predictably oozed forward and we got a bit smushed and pushed back.  I balanced getting pushed back with getting breathing room and not fainting. Maiden came on at 9PM, sharp- after Doctor Doctor \m/, as is their want.

Bruce and co sounded a bit muddy at first, but maybe that was because we were close. Further back, things actually sounded a bit clearer. At one point we were on the left (near the end) and the sound was still great, too. Yes, the base was still mixed a bit too high, but that was to be expected. I think that Jannick still coulda been cut from the band, with all his prancing and lackadaisical playing.  Highlights for me were Phantom, the Prisoner, and 7th Son. Bruce kinda of can't sing Aces High that well (the high notes), but other than that he sounded strong.

I believe I took a piss/water break during The Clairvoyant. It's a good song, but I'd rather hear other ones. The crowd was packed in the pit and the seat seats. the lawn looked well attended, but not until after the sun went down (as it was hot as a mother that day).

We left at The Evil That Men Do, because I drove and didn't want to get stuck in the parking lot for like half an hour. So we listened to that and Running Free (w/ crowd participation) on the way out. It was probably the shortest that it took me to get out of Jiffy Lube Live ever.

Saw Dorothy, Sascha (from work), A Sound of Thunder, an maybe one more person there LOL.



Photos
(Iron Maiden)
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/26430065361/6-30-2012-iron-maiden-alice-cooper-xiv-aces-high
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/26429986543/6-30-2012-iron-maiden-alice-cooper-xiii-more
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/26429873335/6-30-2012-iron-maiden-alice-cooper-xii-iron
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/26429795469/6-30-2012-iron-maiden-alice-cooper-xi-iron
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/26429691085/6-30-2012-iron-maiden-alice-cooper-x-eddie-as
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/26429615332/6-30-2012-iron-maiden-alice-cooper-ix-rocking
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/26429504712/6-30-2012-iron-maiden-alice-cooper-viii-iron
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/26429439019/6-30-2012-iron-maiden-alice-cooper-vii-iron

(Alice)
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/26429265758/6-30-2012-iron-maiden-alice-cooper-vi-schools
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/26429102479/6-30-2012-iron-maiden-alice-cooper-v-with-the
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/26429036296/6-30-2012-iron-maiden-alice-cooper-iv-alice
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/26428964597/6-30-2012-iron-maiden-alice-cooper-iii
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/26428881606/6-30-2012-iron-maiden-alice-cooper-ii-alice
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/26426455004/6-30-2012-iron-maiden-alice-cooper-i-alice

(merch)
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/26430666329/stevesnack-6-30-2012-iron-maiden-alice-cooper

(A Sound of Thunder)
http://metalcowboy.tumblr.com/post/26430776683/6-30-2012-iron-maiden-alice-cooper-xvi-a-sound

Setlists

Alice Cooper

The Black Widow
Brutal Planet
I'm Eighteen
No More Mr. Nice Guy
Hey Stoopid
Guitar Solo
Billion Dollar Babies
Feed My Frankenstein
Poison
Wicked Young Man
I Love the Dead
School's Out


Iron Maiden
Moonchild
Can I Play With Madness
The Prisoner
2 Minutes to Midnight
Afraid to Shoot Strangers
The Trooper
The Number of the Beast
Phantom of the Opera
Run to the Hills
Wasted Years
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
The Clairvoyant
Fear of the Dark
Iron Maiden
--------------
Churchill's Speech
Aces High
The Evil That Men Do
Running Free