Member Review: Beyonce

BPD member DivaLuva wrote:

Pop-R&B diva Beyonce lived up to her on-stage alter-ego -- Sasha Fierce -- last night, fer sure.

The 27-year-old singer, previously known for her work in Destiny's Child but now three albums into a successful solo career, including her most recent effort, I Am... Sasha Fierce, came to town packing big hair, big heels, big costumes -- courtesy of designer Thierry Mugler -- a big production, that included an impressive LED video screen and a staircase -- and a big band made up of 13 female musicians and singers and as many as nine dancers, both female and male.

Seemingly, it all went according to plan over the course of an hour and 40 minutes with nary a hair out of place on the beautiful Beyonce, despite a wind machine constantly blowing back her long mane which she liked to whip around while doing her trademark exaggerated dance moves.

Part supermodel, part drag queen, part showgirl, this girl loved her drama and the audience seemed to love her for it. Opening the show with Crazy In Love, Beyonce first appeared backlit while wearing a gold bathing suit-like costume with a big bow on her backside.

With her hands on her hips and her legs spread apart, the crowd went nuts before she even sang a note and by the time the tune had ended, white confetti rained down on the audience like it was the show finale instead of the beginning.

Now that she had gotten our attention, Beyonce segued into Naughty Girl with red lighting to emphasize the point.

At times, she came across as a sex kitten on songs like Freakem Dress, but other times, she seemed more innocent such as when she donned a full-length silver-beaded gown for the ballads At Last, the Etta James classic which she sang while portraying the singer in Cadillac Records, and Listen from Dreamgirls.

There was even a moment when she sang and danced opposite vintage footage of her former small self in a split screen during Radio. Mostly though, it all seemed to be about Beyonce with not a lot of soul behind the music itself.

When she offered up a snippet of Bootylicious from her Destiny's Child days, it was really the sample of Stevie Nicks' Edge of Seventeen guitar hook that everyone was going nuts for.

Visually, she had some interesting highlights like the crashing blue surf projected on to the LED screen behind her while she donned a white bathing suit and white cover up to sing Smash Into You, and Ave Maria, which included a bit of Sarah McLachlan's Angel. But Beyonce's best look was a black leather bustier, mini skirt and cuff, which she donned for If I Were A Boy, on to which she tagged Alanis Morissette's You Oughta Know.

The cheesiest moment came during a filmed video segment, shown while she was offstage making one of her numerous costume changes, when her face transformed into that of a leopard's during a snow storm. She then returned to the stage in a futuristic outfit that included lit-up private parts in the dark while her female dancers wore gold robot-like suits that recalled C-3PO from Star Wars.

The best video moment was a YouTube montage showing fans dancing to All The Single Ladies before Beyonce and her dancers performed the hit song much to the crowd's delight.

Another highlight was Irreplaceable as audience members sang the song's familiar refrain, "To the left, to the left," while waving their hands in the same direction. "That is so beautiful," Beyonce said.

Same to you darling.

BPD members get the best views to the best shows, You can too; join today.

Member Review: Green Day

Hey..............All4-1 here.

When lead singer/guitarist/rock preacher Billie Joe Armstrong told me backstage that their new shows were like revivals, I really wasn't sure I knew what the hell he meant. But as soon as they hit the stage, it became clear that Green Day has taken a cue from The Boss when it comes to playing arenas.

With Armstrong speaking about saving people - and placing his hand on a young boy's noggin onstage to drive that home during East Jesus Nowhere - the band's huge two-hour gig had plenty of Springsteeen-esque, revival-like moments.

But I doubt Springsteen and the E Street Band would let fans play guitar or take over lead vocals, something Armstrong, drummer Tre Cool and bassist Mike Dirnt (as well as three supporting musicians) were only too eager to do.

Touring behind 21st Century Breakdown, a big, beefy and challenging follow-up to 2004's equally pleasing American Idiot, Green Day opened the show with the title track off the new album, getting fans up and clapping. Following the strong, winding, Who-tinged opener, the band went into Know Your Enemy as Armstrong took a youngster from the crowd or "god's children" as he dubbed the concert goers.

After blowing a kiss to the audience loudly singing, Armstrong and crew delved into Holiday and the tight, polished new track The Static Age which shone. "It's been like half a f------ decade," Armstrong said of the band's break between albums and tours.

Yet the break has only resulted in Green Day's new material being a far stylistic cry over angst-riddled earlier numbers such as The Grouch. The gear-changing Before The Lobotomy was perfect example of this with its various twists and turns.

That's not to say that the group ignored the early stuff, basically breaking the show into sections of American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown efforts along with a run of nuggets off 1994's Dookie such as She and Basket Case. But the fan participation onstage and off was consistent, with a girl singing a portion of Are We The Waiting and two fans getting their chance during Longview.

The constant interaction between Armstrong and fans was over-the-top a few times, including him signing an autograph during Hitchin' A Ride as he belted parts of the tune from his knees.

With that special arena rock feel apparent, Green Day opted for a medley of sorts during the quirky King For A Day with snippets of Earth Angel and Shout as Armstrong got a bit cheeky in showing his ass. It came off okay despite saxophonist Jason Freese delivering a good solo dressed in a vintage Michael Jackson circa Beat It ensemble with the appropriate dance steps.

Green Day returned in the encore with American Idiot and Jesus Of Suburbia, the latter a difficult tune with lots of guitar work. Armstrong let a fan in the crowd do the work for him which he nailed quite well.

And while that could've capped off the night perfectly - a night where When I Come Around and Wake Me Up When September Ends were not even considered -- Green Day played one last track before bidding the audience good riddance, most of whom left having the time of their lives.

This is my second BPD show; you guys are just so for real. $150 to be backstage is really a gimme. Thanks again.

And to think that August and September haven't even arrived yet. It's not too late: join BackstagePassDirect today.

Aerosmith and ZZ Top Rock On

Aerosmith and ZZ Top continue to kick butt on their joint tour this summer, and it's not too late to request backstage passes.

Recently, Joe Perry told us that he is really pumped about touring with world’s most famously bearded band. “That’s just amazing to play with them because it’s such a kickass show". He added that Aerosmith has had to juice up their set lists to keep up with "those beards".

Here are the venues for August and September:

Sat 08/01/09 Englewood, CO Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre

Mon 08/17/09 Auburn, WA White River Amphitheatre

Wed 08/19/09 Concord, CA Sleep Train Pavilion At Concord

Fri 08/21/09 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center

Sun 08/23/09 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

Fri 08/28/09 Tinley Park, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre

Sun 08/30/09 Noblesville, IN Verizon Wireless Music Center

Tue 09/01/09 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center

Tue 09/08/09 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center

Thu 09/10/09 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center

Sat 09/12/09 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center

Mon 09/14/09 New York, NY Madison Square Garden Arena

Wed 09/16/09 Auburn Hills, MI The Palace Of Auburn Hills

Fri 09/18/09 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center

Sun 09/20/09 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena

A full year's membership in BackstagePassDirect is only $49.95. Don't hesitate; join today and rock your life away.

Member Review: Eric Clapton/Steve Winwood

Earlier this year, we were the first to announce Eric and Stevie's limited tour. BPD member SavannahSexDrive jumped right on it and ended up with a pair of passes. Here's what he had to say about their recent show:

Back in the 60s, "Clapton is God" would be written on the walls of London after Clapton concerts. Now I truly understand why. Add in another legend to the mix and that is where the real pantsdropping begins. Eric Clapton was a mad man on the guitar, ripping out solos with such amazing speed that I began to wonder how he could be doing that with just his two hands. I heard his live performances before on youtube and such, but being there was entirely different.

It also must be said both Clapton and Winwood worked extremely well together, as Winwood's wonderful vocals, piano playing, and guitar perfectly complimented Clapton's guitar. Eric was totally ON. Blistering fast up and down the neck. His Strat sounded crisp, warm and blazing. As for Stevie Winwood, how can he still sound that good?!?! I closed my eyes and it was if they were playing 40 years ago. And that band! Tight. All together, they made an unstoppable blues driven frenzy of guitar madness mixed with insane piano playing.

I was so happy that they played Voodoo Chile, which turned out to be one of the best covers I've heard. However I was a little let down by Layla as Clapton didn't really put too much power or soloing into it, as the solo was taken away by the piano. And don't get me wrong the piano playing was amazing and fit in the song perfectly, but I wanted to see Clapton let loose as he did on is Unplugged album. I also was a tad dissapointed that they didn't play a few other songs, such as Little Wing, Bell Bottom Blues, Sunshine of Your Love, or Badge.

However, it was still absolutely amazing. I've tried watching some of Claptons previous live performances on this tour, but I feel he just unleashed tonight. Simply put, it was a pants dropping mesmerizing crazy experience ... and I couldn't get enough of it.

About meeting Eric and Steve backstage, how to describe it? One Word - Unbelievable. I did not know what to expect and I was completely blown away. They were down to earth and, dare I say it(?), regular guys. Wow, who'da thunk it.

Set List:

01. Had To Cry Today
02. Low Down
03. After Midnight
04. Presence of The Lord
05. Sleeping in the Ground
06. Glad
07. Well Alright
08. Tough Luck Blues
09. Pearly Queen
10. There's A River
11. Forever Man
12. Georgia On My Mind - Steve Winwood solo
13. Driftin' - acoustic
14. How Long Blues
15. Layla - acoustic version
16. Can't Find My Way Home
17. Split Decision
18. Voodoo Chile

Encore:
19. Cocaine
20. Dear Mr. Fantasy

Band Lineup:
Eric Clapton - guitar, vocals
Steve Winwood - vocals, Hammond B3, piano, guitar
Chris Stainton - keyboards
Willie Weeks - bass
Abe Laboriel, Jr. - drums
Michelle John - backing vocals
Sharon White - backing vocals

Here's the only way I can sum it up: seeing Clapton and Winwood, healthy and in top form, reminds one that, as Albert Einstein once said in reference to Mahatma Gandhi, "Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this walked the earth in flesh and blood."

Thank you ever so much BackstagePassDirect for making this happen.

Who'da thunk it indeed!!

Member Review: The Eagles

BPD member BonzoGonzo writes:

The concert opened with "How Long" with the four current Eagles nicely dressed in dark suits playing acoustic guitars. The current featured Eagles members are Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit and the concert also included a horn section, a drummer, two pianists, and a guitarist.

The band sounded technically sharp, and looked just as good as they played a good portion of the hits fans came to hear. The band also "force-fed" the audience eight songs from its latest Grammy-nominated album The Long Road Out of Eden. Not that the music didn't sound good, but common thread of these songs is that they are very mellow and tended to lull the crowd into a calm sleepy mood and I for one was begging to hear something more upbeat and familiar. However, after over 36 years of playing "Take it Easy" to a live audience, I can't blame the band for wanting to play
something new. My only suggestion is to integrate these mellow songs in with the upbeat songs to keep the crowd's attention.

After the first song, vocalist Glenn Grey greeted the crowd by asking everyone to check their tickets. "We're the Eagles, and this is the 'assisted living' tour." The band then played three more songs from their new album; “Busy Being Fabulous”, “I Don’t Want to Hear Anymore”, and “Guilty of the Crime” before raising the roof with "Hotel California", perhaps their most popular song. There's a reason these guys have sold over 120 million albums, had five #1 singles, and six #1 albums... they have incredible chemistry and talent, and it showed tonight.

The audience was then treated to “Peaceful Easy Feeling”, “I Can’t Tell You Why”, and "Witchy Woman" before Frey introduced the next song "Lyin' Eyes", when he quipped "I am dedicating this song to my first wife... plaintiff." Next up was the Henley solo effort “Boys of Summer”, followed by “In the City”, and “The Long Run". Frey then announced the band would be taking a short break and promised that when they returned, they would "play for a long time."

A half hour later, the band returned on barstools each equipped with acoustic guitars and played three more new songs, “No More Walks in the Woods”, “Waiting in the Weeds”, and “No More Cloudy Days”. The show continued with a slightly more recognizable, yet still mellow "Love Will Keep Us Alive" and "Take it to the Limit", before performing the final 'Eden' album title track "Long Road out of Eden".

The Eagles stage was traditional for the most part, but it had a giant oval video screen that somewhat resembled the famed Hollywood Bowl made famous by the Beatles. After all of the shows that I've witnessed in my lifetime, I am stunned that I am commenting on how amazing the imagery that was displayed on this screen during the concert. I couldn't help but think of the time and expense needed to pull
this off. Images ranging from desert scenes, cornfields, and even footage from very early concerts. Truly amazing.

I was truly impressed with the versatility of Don Henley. This man, was not only the vocals of a vast majority of the most popular Eagles' songs, but during the concert the man also played the bongos, acoustic and electric guitars, but also played the drums most of the evening. Not the the drum portions were very complex, but you try doing that while singing the lead in a song. Equally as impressive was Joe Walsh.

Not only is he arguably one of the top guitarists in rock history, but he has a great singing voice, and provided lots of funny moments during the show. One which was prior to singing one of his most recognizable solo tunes "Life's Been Good." The 61-yeard-old Walsh, while donning a "hat-cam", apologized to the crowd for their parents playing this song during their childhood "over and over and over
and over again."

After nearly three hours, the show ended with “Heartache Tonight”, “Life in the Fast Lane”, and another Henley's solo effort “All She Wants To Do Is Dance.” The band then obliged the cheering fans with a two-song encore; “Take It Easy” and “Desperado.” All in all the show was worth every penny that I paid. Even after all of these years, and the storied break-ups, this show was absolutely incredible. It kind of
makes me wonder how many more hit songs we missed if only they could have just tolerated one another for the sake of music.

EAGLES SET LIST:
1. “How Long”
2. “Busy Being Fabulous”
3. “I Don’t Want to Hear Anymore”
4. “Guilty of the Crime”
5. “Hotel California”
6. “Peaceful Easy Feeling”
7. “I Can’t Tell You Why”
8. “Witchy Woman”
9. “Lyin’ Eyes”
10. “Boys of Summer”
11. “In the City”
12. “The Long Run”

Intermission

13. “No More Walks in the Woods”
14. “Waiting in the Weeds”
15. “No More Cloudy Days”
16. “Love Will Keep Us Alive”
17. “Take it to the Limit”
18. “Long Road out of Eden”
19. “Somebody”
20. “Walk Away”
21. “One of These Nights”
22. “Life’s Been Good”
23. “Dirty Laundry”
24. “Funk #49”
25. “Heartache Tonight”
26. “Life in the Fast Lane”
27. “Rocky Mountain Way”
28. “All She Wants To Do Is Dance”

encore
29. “Take It Easy”
30. “Desperado”

With BackstagePassDirect, you only pay for passes after they've been awarded to you. Membership for a full year, with unlimited requests, is only $49.

Why not join today?

Pearl Jam Adds Dates

Pearl Jam has announced another round of U.S. dates as part of the band’s first tour in over a year. The tour coincides with the release of the ninth studio album for Eddie Vedder and Co., Backspacer, in stores September 20th.

Ben Harper and Relentless7 are set to open all dates, except for the Philadelphia shows.

Here's the updated list of dates and venues for which backstage passes are still available:

08/23,24 Chicago, IL United Center

09/21,22 Seattle, WA KeyArena At Seattle Center

09/30 and 10/01,06,07 Universal City, CA Gibson Amph. At Univ. CityWalk

10/09 Alpine, CA DreamCatcher At Viejas

10/28,30 Philadelphia, PA The Wachovia Spectrum

Become a member of BackstagePassDirect and request your passes today.

Member Review: Warped Tour '09

This just in from member SweteSuz:

Warped Tour turned 15 this year, and to celebrate they’re going back to their roots. This year's lineup included veteran bands such as Bad Religion, Anti-Flag, Less Than Jake, and The Ataris.

Many of these groups mentioned the milestone anniversary onstage, while simultaneously making jokes about how a lot of the kids in attendance are barely the same age. Wayfarers of every make and color were the style, as well as neon-colored, skinny jeans for the multitude of kids.

Some of the Vans Warped Tour “experts” felt like they were coming back to old friends while on the 2009 tour. Peter “JR” Wasilewski, saxophone player for Less Than Jake, said, “The production people are the same, it’s kind of like coming back to your old high school to visit. My favorite thing is hanging out, being with bands that you wouldn’t normally be with. There aren’t as many bands that I used to know, or
bands that were on it when we started playing Warped Tour.”

Another vet of the punk scene, Anti-Flag, had an early set on the main stage. Normally there are two main stages side-by-side, but for an undisclosed reason there was only a single one this year. 3OH!3 was was a huge success. Since their single, “Don’t Trust Me,” has been played and re-played on the radio, they have shot to stardom. The crowds were unending during their set, and surprisingly violent. (I had to back out of the sea of people and opt for a spacious spot in the back). The best thing about the group is that the founding twosome, Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte, rapped to hip-hop beats while wearing cut-off denim shorts and '90s patterned tank tops.

The heavy metal, screamo fans got their fair share today. Thrice, Underoath, In This Moment, and The Devil Wears Prada made up the heavier part of the lineup. Circle mosh pits were at every show, threatening to take out an eye at any second. In This Moment surprised a lot of onlookers because of their female lead singer. Maria Brink screams strikingly strong through the entire show and really gets the crowd involved. Underoath took over the entire main stage area, showing their popularity with all age groups. There were moms and 15-year-old girls head banging in unison to the riotous guitar chords.

Romance was in the air at the Hurley.com stage (where the normal Superpages.com shows are held). As Big D and the Kids Table played their ska set, they called Chris onto the stage. As he brought his girlfriend out, it was obvious a marriage proposal was about to occur. Thankfully, she said yes and cheers erupted all around.

Less Than Jake played in the middle of the day. They blessed the crowd by shooting powerful water guns throughout their set. They gave an amusing show, as always, by making fun of how old they are and their onstage antics. It’s important to note that they are the only band on this years’ lineup with a brass section.

P.O.S. brought a different feel to the show at the Hurley.com stage. Stefon Alexander, aka P.O.S., is a hip-hop artist from Minneapolis who makes his own beats and could be his own band if needed. He plays the bass guitar, guitar and drums, and was in a band for six years prior to going solo. He feels that being out of the lineups’ norm is a good thing for him. “Being something totally different from what’s going on can only benefit me.” He got onto the ground during his set, creating a crowd all around and interacting with everyone.

Bad Religion was one of my final acts of the night; the sun and my aching feet got the best of me. Young and old alike came to watch the 29-year-old punk rock band show why they've been able to stick around for so long. “Generator” was sung by many of the crowd and helped finish their set. It’s great to see some of the classics show how it’s done.

So happy 15th birthday Vans Warped Tour. X L ent.

Props to BPD, I love ya.

Visit us to request backstage passes to see your favorite bands.

Limited Dates for Alice in Chains

One of the hardest working rock bands on the road has lined up a string of dates leading up to a new album.

Black Gives Way To Blue, the first Alice in Chains effort in 14 years, arrives in stores September 29. The 11-track album continues in the Alice in Chains tradition of tackling different styles and sounds, from the hard rock nature of "Dirt" to the acoustic-minded "Jar of Flies."

Black Gives Way To Blue is also the group's first effort with new singer-guitarist William DuVall. "It's nice to sound like yourself," Sean Kinney told us with a laugh. "It's not really that hard, actually. I know people are blown away that we really sound like ourselves, and I understand the apprehension, but it's not really that big a stretch to sound the way that you sound."

Don’t think Alice in Chains is resting easy until September. The band plays Detroit’s Comerica Park with Kid Rock on July 18 and a series of Euro dates with Metallica during August before appearing with Tool and Linkin Park for the first-ever Epicenter event in Pomona, Calif., Aug. 22.

Then, in September, it's:

09/04/09 Washington, DC 9:30 Club

09/05/09 Philadelphia, PA Theatre Of The Living Arts

09/07/09 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club

09/08/09 New York, NY Fillmore New York At Irving Plaza

09/15/09 Toronto, ON Opera House Concert Venue

09/16/09 Cleveland, OH House Of Blues

09/19/09 Chicago, IL House Of Blues

09/20/09 Milwaukee, WI The Rave Eagles Club

09/21/09 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue

09/26/09 Portland, OR Roseland Theater

09/28/09 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore

Singer-guitarist Jerry Cantrell says that the band is really anxious to reconnect with its fans. That should make for a very special backstage experience. Passes for this limited engagement schedule should go quickly. Request yours early.

If you're not yet a BPD member, visit our website today.