Trapt was first up and was incredibly average.  It’s always tough to go first & the crowd just wasn’t into them all that much.  It didn’t help that the band has only one real hit (’Headstrong’, which is really annoying to me) and didn’t have much presence on stage.

Next up was the much ballyhooed Sixx:A.M., who pulled in a much larger portion from the beer lines - and deservedly so.  Aside from Sixx, vocalist James Michael & Guitarist DJ Ashba are both Sunset Strip vets & their expertise is evident from the moment they hit the stage.  Songs included opener ‘Xmas in Hell’, ‘Tomorrow’, ‘Accidents Can Happen’, ‘Pray for Me’ & video phenom ’Life is Beautiful’.

Then came Papa Roach, probably the most energetic band all night.  To me, they don’t have as many recognizable songs but I did love hearing ‘Forever’ & ‘Last Resort’.    The rest was unfamiliar but ’almost’ moshpit heavy.  They were all dressed predominantly in black, with spikey hair, tats and thrashing about the stage like jet-fueled hooligans.  Pretty fun, even if I didn’t know what I was listening to.

Buckcherry was a disappointment & I know many will disagree with me.  They’re a perfect opener for Crue, don’t get me wrong, as their subject matter & delivery is very remniscent of old Aerosmith.  But y’know, two good songs won’t carry a set - especially when you drag ‘Crazy Bitch’ out to 18 minutes because of a pointless dialogue by singer Josh Todd where, among other things, he describes various sexual positions he enjoys etc. etc.  Look Josh, I’m sure the chicks will help you out AFTER the show but for now, can you just play!?  Really expected them to keep pace with Papa Roach but nope, too busy strutting & trying to urge enthusiasm out of an unimpressed crowd.  Like I said, I was expecting better.

After a brief shadow play on the stage curtains showing an angel walking over & then going down on a devil, the mighty Crue took the stage.  Easily one of the top 5 live acts in rock n’ roll, and out to prove it, the self-proclaimed ‘Saints of Los Angeles’ took CinciNASTY (as they called it) by storm.  There was pyro, fireworks, smoke, enough flashing lights to fritz out 100 epileptics, 4 video screens (which often showed blurry porn & S&M scenes) and a set with the words ‘Los Angeles’ (spelled backwards) sprawling like Stonehenge from end to end.  No strippers this time out, but we still got Tommy’s Tittycam, a smokin’ guitar solo by Mick Mars and just about every hit you would hope for (although no ‘Smokin’ in the Boys Room’, surprisingly).  Here’s the setlist;

• Kickstart My Heart
• Wildside
• Shout at the Devil
• Saints of Los Angeles (where they were joined by all four singers from the other bands)
• Guitar Solo (including Voodoo Chile)
• Live Wire
• Sick Love Song
• Motherfucker of the Year
• Don’t Go Away Mad, Just Go Away
• Same Ole’ Situation
• Primal Scream
• Looks That Kill
• Girls, Girls, Girls
• Doctor Feelgood
• Home Sweet Home [ENCORE]

I don’t believe there was anything else, but I did have to leave to make the 2 hour drive home at that point - so feel free to correct me if I missed anything.

It was a very strong performance, even this late into their two month tour - and I would heartily recommend catching the show if you get a chance.  I will definitely try to see Cruefest 2.

In fact, & to be honest, I spent most of the night thinking the Crue would’ve been an equally good first concert for my twins (instead of Iron Maiden), but after watching the smokin’ hot girls next to me dirty dance each other all night, and then the porn started on the big screens, and then Tommy’s Tittycam (he later handed a full bottle of jager into the crowd for his ”homies in the lawn”) etc etc.   well, let’s just say it might be better to keep some things to yourself after all.

Many area restaurants were gathered together, offering 2 wings of various sauces & styles for a buck, which allows you to sample a few different places’ all for a reasonable sum.  Then, you’re supposed to vote for your fave, or you can do what I did and forget entirely about it because you were drinking BEER and jamming to some blues.  Hey, I’m just bein’ honest.

Anyhow, this year’s event was headlined by REO Speedwagon, but also included two my of fav local Blues acts - The Willie Phoenix Band and Scotty Bratcher.  

Willie Phoenix’s set is one part 70’s rock, one part electrified blues - heavy on improvised solos and complete craziness as he gets into his show.  Never quite sure what he will play, what he will do, and neither is security (as they found when he jumped out into the crowd).  Good times!

Scotty Bratcher is also quickly becoming a must-see for me and this show was no exception.  I was starving but couldn’t pull myself away from his jammin’ set to go get any food (fortunately, the beer stand was close by or we could have had a code blue emergency).   Check out his Myspace page at the link, and take a listen if you’re interested.  I recommend ’Ready for Rain’.

Chris Duarte was next - a more jazz-centric Bluesman out of Texas.  Although his style doesn’t strike as much a chord with me as some of the other acts, he definitely has an enthusiastic fanbase that came out to see him. 

And then of course there was REO Speedwagon, who fortunately spaced out their 80’s ballads and infused some more upbeat rockers in between.  The crowd was almost capacity at this point, which surprised me - I’m not gonna lie.  But Kevin Cronin & co. have aged well and know what their fans wanna hear, so we got all the hits including ‘Back on the Road’ ,’Take it on the Run’ & ’Ridin’ the Storm Out’.  Yeah, and then those ballads of which we will not speak.  The wife was pleased. . .so let’s leave it at that, shall we?

It was a fun festival and I had a great time indeed.  Next up (yes, ANOTHER one!) I’m headed to Cincy for Cruefest tomorrow.  I’ll report in on Wednesday with all the . . . dirt.

What I’d forgotten about Arlo, it being a long time since I last watched the movie ‘Woodstock’, is how much of a storyteller he is.  He doesn’t just come out, mumble into the mike a few pleasantries and then plow through his set.  Arlo makes you feel like you’re watching him jam out in his living room - his REALLY large living room.  And he makes you wish he was your Uncle.  He’d be your cool uncle, you just know it.

His backup musicians consisted of son Abe on keyboards and his grandson Krishna on drums - ”Boys Night Out” Arlo quipped while introducing them.  No fancy stagings, just the three of them playing polished renditions of classics such as the mainstay “Alice’s Restaurant” (”Oh, a few of you have heard this one.  I know I sure have”) to other hits such as “Darkest Hour” & “St. James Infirmary” all the way to civil war era tunes.  Each song was played effortlessly, with craftsmanship only years on the road can hone, and with enough spirit & heart for everyone within earshot.  Still protesting - absolutely, but in the way he always has; by making you think & by making you listen.  Not shouting out his rhetoric, but instead spinning ideas into compositions, dreams into melodies.

I never really “got” the 60’s (heck, I was only 5 when they ended) but hearing Arlo made me understand the counter-culture just a little bit better.  And for the first time, it made me wish I’d been older when it was going on. 

(photo thanks to Dean Silver’s photostream on Flickr - Arlo at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival)

Next up was Great White, who played a fairly decent set combining old hits with the occasional newer release.  Jack Russell looks youthful enough, admittedly due in part to plastic surgery, and the band is pretty energetic for an aging act.

Believe it or not, someone stole my set listing late into the show, so I can only recall 9 of the 10 songs (and order is totally out the window).  They opened with ‘Call it Rock n’ Roll’ followed by ‘Face the Day’ (which is probably my all time fav of theirs).  Also in the set was ‘Back to the Rhythm’, ‘Rollin’ Stoned’, ‘Save Your Love’, ‘Desert Moon’, ‘Once Bitten’ (of course!), ‘Rock Me’ and ‘On Your Knees’.  Like I said, I know I’m missing a newer song but I can’t figure it out for the life of me.  They did NOT play ‘House of Broken Love’ or ‘Mista Bone’, surprisingly.  Oh, and thanks to Jason for helping me out with the list the first time - I’m sure whoever stole it sure appreciates his effort.

Last on the bill was Ratt, a band that I’ve never seen live but always wanted to.   They were even higher octane than Great White and it became obvious how awesome they probably were in their youth - although still very entertaining even now.  Many songs sounded a lot different than the recorded version and I don’t know whether that was by design, or they just can’t quite recreate the sound anymore.  ‘Wanted Man’ for example, was unrecognizable to me until almost halfway through, despite the fact that Stephen Pearcy’s voice is viritually unchanged after all these years (and presumably beers).

They left no hit unturned, treating us to ‘Round and Round’ (of course) plus ‘Morning After’, ‘You’re in Love’, ‘You Think You’re Tough’, ‘Wanted Man’, ‘Lack of Communication’, ‘Way Cool Junior’, ‘Body Talk’ (God, I hate that song!), ‘Dance’, ‘Lay it Down’ and ‘Back For More’.  I’m pretty sure I missed about 3 more songs in this list as well - damn set list thieves.

It was a good night’s worth of ‘classic’ metal and everyone in my group partied up like the good ole’ days.  Which made for a LOOOONNNGG day today, let me tell you.

I was only able to attend on Sunday but started out with a traditional Irish mass (Huh, what did that guy in the robe say?), a breakfast of bangers & mashed (plus a little beef stew I stole off the wife’s plate) and eventually several mugs of Killian’s and some Irish nachos. Avoided the haggis although it was available.

No hard rocks acts to speak of (naturally) but I can recommend a high energy Irish rock group called Scythian (try saying that one after a pint or two!) who literally blew away the audience with their blend of traditional Irish music, Country & Rock n’ Roll.

Also caught a small part of Celtic/Folk singer Beth Patterson’s act as well as Bad Haggis, which features pipe player extraordinaire Eric Rigler. You know him as the defining sound of the Braveheart & Titanic themes. Yeah, THAT guy.

My oldest daughter Jill took second place in the ‘reddest Hair’ competition (should’ve nailed ‘greenest eyes’ too but what can you do) and I spent the day snooping among the merch dealers, fighting the urge to buy a kilt. Have no fear, the $150 price tag scared me off - otherwise you KNOW what the picture would’ve been for this post! Consider yourself spared, at least for now.

Anyhow, had a great time and would highly recommend anyone in the area next year to pay it a visit.

Personally, I’m dying to see The Misfits open for them - would be an awesome match-up in my book.  Wouldn’t mind seeing Valient Thorr either.  Either way, I’m stoked at the possibility of hearing “Ace of Spades” and “Killed by Death” live again.

Musically, I was a bit disappointed in Blue Oyster Cult this time around.  They arrived almost an hour late to the stage, and their setlist was virtually identical to what they played in Columbus.  Thus, no ‘Black Blade’.  Ah well, they still rock and I can never hear ‘Godzilla’ or ‘Don’t Fear the Reaper’ enough times live.

Other big name bands of the weekend included a strong set by Molly Hatchet (highlighted in my mind by their cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Freebird’) and Creedance Clearwater Revisited.  CCR Lite as I call them since they have toured for years without John Fogarty, were surprisingly energetic and well received by the largest crowd of the weekend (on a Sunday night, no less).   I honestly thought CCR might be disappointing & couldn’t have been farther from the truth; their setlist was amazing (wow, does that band have a ton of hits) and singer John Tristao makes you forget that he wasn’t the original.  Seriously, they were that good.

Also was pleasantly surprised with the resurrected versions of both Sweet & Nazareth, each with younger new members that infused some passion into potentially worn material.  But guessing which version of each band you were seeing. . . well, it gets complicated.

Sweet still teeters between Glam (with feather boas), maybe even a little of the Hair band look, and good ole’ fashioned rock & roll.   They only have original bassist Steve Priest, and this is where it gets confusing because another version of the band exists with guitarist Andy Scott.  Regardless, THIS version of the band rocked out decently with hits like ‘Love is Like Oxygen’ and of course ‘Ballroom Blitz’.

On that same note (no pun) is Nazareth, also with only one original member - guitarist Manny Charleton.  There is another version over in Europe with original vocalist Dan McCafferty & bassist Pete Agnew.  You need a map to keep this all sorted out.  Anyhow, Manny & co. did the mandatory 2 hits (’Love Hurts’ & ‘Hair of the Dog’) & were pretty heavy - more than I thought they would be. 

Also at the festival was Savoy Brown, with their awesome bluesy rock but a LOT of excess talk between songs, and the Gregg Rolie band.  Gregg apparently doesn’t want you to remember he was not only a founding member of Santana but also Journey, because what he delivered was a 100% Santana-fied set.  Probably all the better as I didn’t need to see another Steve Perry imitator.

Lastly, I missed the Gin Blossoms due to my wife taking a header in the gravel, forcing an early retirement on Friday evening.  That might have been divine intervention, can’t really be sure.

All in all, it was a great weekend and I highly recommend this festival if you’re looking for classic rock & blues.  Plus the park itself has tons of stuff to do, you can check out their page HERE.

I’m most looking forward to seeing Nazareth, Sweet, Savoy Brown and Blue Oyster Cult again (C’mon guys - Black Blade.  For ME - play it!  I know it’s in your rotation this tour.  DO IT!  PLEASE!!!).  If I survive, I’ll give you a full report, as best I can recall.  Probably a short paragraph - LOL.

• Kids all pawned off somewhere else - Check.
• Camper loaded - Check.
• Coolers fully stocked - Check.
• Aspirin - Check.
• Life Insurance policy updated - Check. 
• Bail money - Check.

Let’s roll.

Cincinnati Blues guitarist Scotty Bratcher started the evening. I’ve been hearing about this guy for a while now and knew that he opened for Eric Clapton when Slowhand was last in town. So he must be pretty good, right? That would be a tremendous understatement - he proved himself to be a talented fret burner capable of emotional blues riffs as well as razor edge rock pyrotechnics, sometimes in a single song.  Very entertaining performer who I hope to see again soon (probably will, he’s playing a few more shows in town over the next few weeks).

BOC came out next and gave the admittedly older crowd exactly what they wanted; a healthy dose of the classic Cult sound.  Some surprises in the lineup to me, where original members Eric Bloom (Vocals/Keyboards/Guitars) & Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser (Guitars) were joined by guitarist/keyboardist Ritchie Castellano, drummer Jules Radino and legendary bass god Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot/Ozzy Osbourne/Whitesnake).  What a pleasant surprise!  At one point in the show, the band even fooled around with Sarzo’s history by playing a few seconds of ‘Metal Health’ and ‘Here I Go Again’ as a mock medley tribute.

With any band that’s been around as long as BOC, you’ll never hear every song you hope.  Such was the case this night as they didn’t play ‘Black Blade’ or ‘Joan Crawford has Risen From the Grave’.   Otherwise, we did get the staples of their show such as ‘Burnin’ for You’, ‘Don’t Fear the Reaper’ and of course, ‘Godzilla’.  Thanks to a great site called Hotrails to Hull, I can provide you with a complete setlist as follows;

• Summer of Love
• OD’d on Life Itself
• Before the Kiss (A Redcap)
• Burnin’ For You
• Me262
• Golden Age of Leather
• Shooting Shark
• Buck’s Boogie
• Cities on Flame
• Perfect Water
• Godzilla
• Don’t Fear the Reaper
• The Red & The Black

It was a fun & well played show, not some group of tired old men squeezing the life out of a legendary name.  I also appreciated Eric Bloom’s request to the crowd to contact the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame and demand that Alice Cooper be inducted.  I agree Eric. . . well said and kinda classy that you mentioned it.

After the show, the fireworks (and drunken tomfoolery) began, rounding out a great night.  But before leaving the LC Pavilion, you just know I had to pick up the COOLEST CONCERT T-SHIRT EVER (pictured)!  I pretty much wore it for the next two days straight (yes, there was a washing in there).  I’m even thinking of getting it tattooed onto my chest.   

Will most likely see BOC one more time this summer as I’m going again to the Rock N’ Resort Music Festival at Clay’s RV resort.  I may yet get to hear ‘Black Blade’.

The Columbus Community Festival (affectionately know as Comfest) is in the history books now, but I think it was one of the better festivals I’ve been to in a long time.  Many here locally in Columbus complained about the band selections, the rain etc. etc. but I was happy as a pig in poop.  Hey, they actually had METAL bands this year, so who was I to complain?

Saw only one band on Friday due to the ‘Type O/Hatebreed’ show (see earlier review) and spent the afternoon on Saturday working the beer tent . . .in the rain.  No better place to be during a storm than under a tent with access to alcohol.  Lightning, what lightning?

Sunday was full-on festival enjoyment mode, despite more of the wet stuff and mud being the predominent color of the park.  Here are the notable bands I saw/heard;

• Teeth of the Hydra: Sludgey Metal goodness at 2pm on a Friday afternoon?  Well it worked for me!  I’ve seen this band open for national acts & based on this show, I’m hoping to hear a lot more from them in the future.
• Willie Phoenix Band: I go see these guys whenever I can.  Had to work during their show but heard’em and they sounded great.  One of the blue legends in Columbus.  Yes, we have blues legends.
• Deadsea: more great metal riffage. had a very large crowd for a side tent (about 400 or so).  The guys played their hearts out and the crowd responded.  First time I’ve seen crowd surfing at Comfest.  Awesome!
• Los Caminos - Friends of mine so I also catch them every chance I get.  Alternating between country/folk and bluesy rock, the guys are getting better and better.  Definitely a crowd pleaser that play with a ton of heart.
• Willie Pooch - Another blues legend with a great backing band.  Lots of fun and went great with a cold one.  Not sure about that orange suit tho.
• Black 47 - Politically charged Irish-American Rock.  Strange as that may sound, I enjoyed these guys.  I probably wouldn’t agree with some of their lyrics but their show was a long way from Michael Flatley land.  Think U2 with a more traditional twist.

There were many, many more acts that I saw in part or while waiting in a food line somewhere.  The pic above was taken from the Jazz stage - which is NOT the main stage, to give you some idea of just how big this festival has become.  Click on the pic if you’d like to see the Flickr account of the photographer - he has other great shots from around my city.

I’m sad the festival has come and gone so quickly, but enjoyed the topless ladies, the kids with the improvised mud slip-n-slide, and the fair food.   And as always, the great tune-age & beer!