Member Review: Toby Keith

BPD member 0077 wrote:

Ostensibly, Keith is still on the road with his so-called American Ride tour - named after this 2009 album of the same name - but he opened his 90-minute set with Bullets In the Gun, also the title of his new disc due on Oct. 5.

The opening song came after what amounted to a car commercial for Ford trucks - his tour sponsor - as Keith first appeared lying in the back of one while a sign saying "Ford: Built Tough" appeared behind him for the entire show.
   
Still, Keith, actually toned down his legendary patriotic persona deleting such songs as American Soldier and Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American) which have been wrapping up his shows.

Otherwise, it was pretty much party-hearty crowd-pleasing time all the time with light-hearted songs as Get Drunk And Be Somebody, Trailerhood, I Love This Bar (including a plug for his restaurant, Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill), Weed With Willie (exactly what you think it's about), Beer for My Horses (with Willie Nelson contributing his vocals via video), and How Do You Like Me Now?!

Even when he slowed things down for a ballad like You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This, he dedicated it to all "the ladies" in the audience for whom the first kiss is paramount.

"A five second kiss led to this three and a half minute song," explained Keith. "I don't mind if it's girl on girl," he encouraged two females near the front of the stage.

There was also lots of fireworks, explosions, confetti, and videos along with his ten-person band known as Easy Money.

It was 90-minutes of mindless fun I guess. I got the passes for my sister who thinks TK = God. I didn't even speak to him. But I did enjoy seeing the show from the back and watching how they made everything work.

The view from the back is something special, isn't it, 0077? It's a whole other show!

You can have it too. Join us at BackstagePassDirect today.

Attention All Gagaholics

Lady Gaga wraps up her 2010 US tour on October 2nd, appearing with Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band in L.A. Then, she's off to dazzle Europe for the better part of 5 months.

But don't despair. BackstagePassDirect can now confirm we'll have passes for a whole buncha early 2011 US dates for the she-devil.

Here goes:

Sat 02/19/11 Atlantic City, NJ Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall

Mon 02/21/11 New York, NY Madison Square Garden Arena

Tue 02/22/11 New York, NY Madison Square Garden Arena

Thu 02/24/11 Washington, DC Verizon Center

Sat 02/26/11 Pittsburgh, PA CONSOL Energy Center

Mon 02/28/11 Chicago, IL United Center

Tue 03/01/11 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena

Fri 03/04/11 Buffalo, NY HSBC Arena

Tue 03/08/11 Boston, MA TD Garden

Thu 03/10/11 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center

Sat 03/12/11 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center

Mon 03/14/11 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center

Tue 03/15/11 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center

Thu 03/17/11 Omaha, NE Qwest Center Omaha

Sat 03/19/11 Salt Lake City, UT EnergySolutions Arena

Tue 03/22/11 Oakland, CA Oracle Arena

Wed 03/23/11 Sacramento, CA ARCO Arena

Fri 03/25/11 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena

Mon 03/28/11 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center

Tue 03/29/11 San Diego, CA Viejas Arena

Thu 03/31/11 Anaheim, CA Honda Center

Wed 04/06/11 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center

Fri 04/08/11 Houston, TX Toyota Center

Sat 04/09/11 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena

Tue 04/12/11 Sunrise, FL BankAtlantic Center

Wed 04/13/11 Miami, FL AmericanAirlines Arena

Fri 04/15/11 Orlando, FL Amway Center

Sat 04/16/11 Tampa, FL St. Pete Times Forum

Mon 04/18/11 Duluth, GA The Arena At Gwinnett Center

Tue 04/19/11 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena

Fri 04/22/11 Newark, NJ Prudential Center

Sat 04/23/11 Uniondale, NY Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Wed 04/27/11 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena

Many members were disappointed that they missed out for the Fall. Here's another chance; if you wait, it'll be too late. Go to BackstagePassDirect and request'em now.

Sara Bareilles is Numero Uno!

Sara Bareilles claimed the number one spot on the  Billboard 200 as her second album, Kaleidoscope Heart, moved 90,000 copies in its debut week to grab the top spot. Bareilles' first major label album, 2007’s Little Voice, entered the charts at number 45, selling only 16,000 copies, but built to platinum status from there.

Backstage passes are going fast, but they are still available for the following US dates:

Tue 11/02/10         Minneapolis, MN     Pantages Theatre   
      
Wed 11/03/10         Chicago, IL     House Of Blues   

Fri 11/05/10         Milwaukee, WI     Pabst Theater   
      
Sat 11/06/10         Louisville, KY     Bomhard Theater   

Tue 11/09/10         Boston, MA     House Of Blues Boston Presented By Foxwoods Resort Casino   
            
Wed 11/10/10         New York, NY     Webster Hall   
  
Sun 11/14/10         Lawrence, KS     Liberty Hall   
 
Mon 11/15/10         Denver, CO     Ogden Theatre   
  
Wed 11/17/10         Salt Lake City, UT     The Avalon Theater   

Fri 11/19/10         Boise, ID     Knitting Factory Concert House   
   
Sat 11/20/10         Spokane, WA     Knitting Factory Concert House   
   
Wed 11/24/10         Reno, NV     Knitting Factory Concert House   
  
Fri 12/17/10         Arcata, CA     John Van Duzer Theatre

Make your request at BackstagePassDirect.com.

Member Review: Roger Waters/The Wall

BPD member Miasma files this report:

Welcome to the 30th Anniversary tour of The Wall, Pink Floyd's seminal 1979 double album which the British prog-rock act originally toured in 1980.


Certainly, Roger Waters, now 67, spared no expense in terms of theatrics and pyrotechnics which must have been mind-blowing for those in an altered state.


There was a large circular video screen, oversized inflatables representing the album's character "Pink," a school teacher, and others, and, of course, the large white brick wall on the stage and leading up into the stands on either side onto which words, images, video of the band, animation and graffiti were projected throughout two dazzling hours of music - basically The Wall's track listing from start to finish.


The wall also grew in size as the show progressed with workers adding small pieces of it like a puzzle all night long until the show's second half where it remained fully erect until, well, the very dramatic ending complete with red confetti.


A concept album/rock opera, The Wall was based on Waters' own childhood and early adulthood in England, losing his dad during WWII, abuse at the hands of his school teachers, an overprotective mother, and being deserted by his first wife.


Waters also showed pictures of people - soldiers, activists, and children - who had been killed in Iraq, along with firefighters who perished in 9-11. ("I would like to thank of all you have sent in your photos of your loves ones," said Waters in a printed statement that went up on the wall during a 20-minute intermission.)


NOW CHECK THIS OUT!! Before the concert began, Waters had me dress up as a homeless man wandering through the concert floor with a grocery cart carrying a placard that said, "No Thought Control," a line from Another Brick In The Wall as in "we don't need no thought control," as a police officer seemed to be ordering him off the premises.


To be a part of a production of The Wall was a highlight of my life. Nuff said.


After the intermission, during which a bagpipe version of Amazing Grace and other instrumental music was performed while more pictures of lost loved ones were projected, Waters and his musicians returned to perform the album's second disc in its entirety leading off with Hey You followed by Is There Anybody Out There?


But Waters only reappeared again during Nobody Home, on a living room set which sprang out of of the wall which saw him seated and watching TV while he sang.


The most political song of the night was Bring The Boys Back Home, during which images of war torn countries, starving children, and ravaged countryside were projected, while singer Wyckoff appeared perched on the top of the wall during Comfortably Numb, the stoner anthem from The Wall, which ended with more psychedelic visuals.


By the time the entire band - all dressed in black hoodies - finally came out from behind the wall for The Show Must Go On, In The Flesh and set highlight, Run Like Hell, there was so much fascist imagery, pictures of leaders like Adolf Hitler, Mao Tse-Tung and George Bush Jr., coupled with a remote-controlled black pig covered in slogans like “Trust Us,” and “Them Not Us,” floating over the audience, paranoia must have set in.


But not for me. I hadn't come down off of my cloud.


Thank you BPD. Watta night to remember.

Happy to make it happen for you, Miasma. That's what we do for members.

Want some? Join BackstagePassDirect today.

Into the Fall with DMB

A few months back, the Dave Matthews Band posted the following on their website:

"As we feel the excitement building for this summer, we wanted to let everyone know that after twenty years of consecutive touring, Dave Matthews Band will be taking 2011 off. We feel lucky that our tours are a part of so many people’s lives, and wanted to give everyone as much notice as possible. We’re excited to make this summer one of our best tours yet, and look forward to returning to the road in 2012.”

Well, that time is fast approaching. But rather than just biding their time, DMB has announced a round of fall U.S. dates, giving fans a few more chances to see the group live before they take the year off:

Tue 11/02/10             Buffalo, NY        HSBC Arena     

Wed 11/03/10         Uniondale, NY     Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum   

Fri 11/05/10         Albany, NY     Times Union Center   

Sat 11/06/10         Philadelphia, PA     Wells Fargo Center   

Tue 11/09/10         Boston, MA     TD Garden   

Wed 11/10/10         Boston, MA     TD Garden   

Fri 11/12/10         New York, NY     Madison Square Garden Arena   

Sat 11/13/10         New York, NY     Madison Square Garden Arena   

Tue 11/16/10         Atlanta, GA     Philips Arena   

Wed 11/17/10         North Charleston, SC     North Charleston Coliseum   

Fri 11/19/10         Charlottesville, VA     John Paul Jones Arena   

Sat 11/20/10         Charlottesville, VA     John Paul Jones Arena

BPD members have written to us to say what a treat it is to see Dave and the gang from the back. You can too. Make your requests early at BackstagePassDirect.

Member Review: Justin Beiber

BPD member Cheesesteak checks in:

Justin Bieber managed to be the center of attention and entirely superfluous all at the same time.


When he entered, in a man-sized metal gerbil ball, the mostly teenaged female crowd screamed.


When he sang, they screamed.


When he stopped, they screamed.


When he asked how everyone was doing, they screamed.


And on and on it went.


The fans had calmed somewhat by the time third track U Smile emerged from the enthusiastic cacophony, resulting in a surprisingly sweet singalong by fans who knew every word.


At the end of U Smile, a quiet coda stripped of the over-production that dogged most songs, Bieber proved he can still sing, delivering a pleasant straight-tone.


From a heart-shaped frame that eased out over the audience, he accompanied himself on acoustic guitar for Never Let You Go and Favourite Girl. He hit the most important notes in a slightly husky voice, far from the bubblegum boy-soprano on his studio albums. That touch of rawness bodes well for his maturing voice.


However, as a showman, he needs work.


He danced, moving more or less rhythmically to the music, but Michael Jackson he ain't.


Bieber foolishly covered Wanna Be Starting Something, but was shown up on the dance floor by his break-dancing back-up dancers and turned in his worst vocal performance of the night.


Earlier, he had looked awkward doing backflips on a harness in mid-air, after an admittedly super-cool vertical walk up a skyscraper prop.


His stage patter ("What's up everyone?") redefined banal. Time to replace the swagger coach with a staff writer.


The best piece of theatre came during One Less Lonely Girl, in which a dumbstruck teen was serenaded by Bieber on centre stage, then given a bouquet.


She was seated which was a good thing, because she likely would have keeled over, mouth still agape. When Bieber gave her a hug, she looked like she wouldn't let go.


But for tired traditionalists who believe concerts should be about performance, the show was abysmal. From both the back and the front, the sound system sucked. The bass was muddy, the vocals were mostly indistinguishable and the instruments little more than throbbing white noise.


JB knew this. When he came backstage, he was all pissy and nasty. I decided it was best to steer clear of him, rather than risk he might trun a mediocre night into Total Sh*t.


Thanks, BPD. I know you did your part. If only JB would have done his.

Sorry you're bummed, Cheesesteak.

 Lotsa great passes still available. Get yours from BackstagePassDirect today.

Member Review: Stone Temple Pilots

Our member SoSecretive e-mailed us:

You can say a lot of things about Stone Temple Pilots’ frontman Scott Weiland - drug addiction, domestic violence, drunk driving, jail time are among his lesser accomplishments - but being boring isn’t one of them.


Dressed to kill, decked out in a white hat accentuated by a black ribbon, a vest, and a red tie, quickly transitioned to charismatic performer as the post-grunge alt-rock vets kicked off their hour-and-45-minute set with Crackerman.


Weiland, fresh from launching his fashion line - Weiland for English Laundry earlier in the day at The Bay at Queen and John, which he described as “flamboyant” recalling his grandmother’s platforms (!!!!) according to blog reports, immediately started rotating with a megaphone in his hand and managed to not fall off the stage, like he did recently in Cincinnati during the first song.


By the second song, Wicked Garden, the 42-year-old Weiland had the crowd in the palm of his hand as they sang along.


Then curiously, he sang a little a capella before launching into one of the band’s biggest hits, Vasoline, maybe to dispel rumors that he’s lip-synching in concert ever since the stage fall due to his singing remaining uninterrupted on that fateful night.


Singing aside, the band - the Deleo brothers Robert on bass, and Dean on guitar, and drummer Eric Kretz - have been enjoying some good reviews for their latest and sixth self-titled studio album released earlier this year. It’s their first since 2001’s Shangri-La Dee Da after they reunited and started touring together again in 2008.
  
But STP could certainly use some video screens to help the audience see them better.


As it was, their stripped-down stage consisted only of a tall, LED-paneled curved screen onto which colors, video and words were projected, but no footage of the individual band members.


If ever there was a performer that we needed to see in closeup, it’s Weiland even if he seemed a little bit too relaxed.


Finally, a camera operated by Weiland at the end of his megaphone came to life during the encore song Dead and Bloated but the visuals were of the audience and not him.


Meanwhile, the DeLeo brothers and Kretz did a lot of strange noodling between songs as Weiland took his sweet time between songs.


“This song is really personal,” said Weiland, who spoke very slowly and deliberately between tunes before launching into the first new tune, Between The Lines, which saw him fling off his vest and get down on his knees at one point.


By the next new song, Hickory Dichotomy, the hat was gone too, and the tie was eventually undone by Down and taken off during Sex Type Thing, but a full striptease was not in the cards.


Dean finally made contact with Weiland towards the last third of the show, at the end of the new song, Huckleberry Crumble, putting his arm around his head and twirling the two of them around the stage. And Robert picked Weiland up and actually carried him as the band was saying their goodbyes. Backstage, the boys had asked me to have a few of their children run out on stage to join them on this cue. Does that make me part of the road show? LOL


One other new song was represented in the form of Cinnamon, which Weiland said was going to be their next single, but it was the older tunes like Big Empty, Plush, Interstate Love Song, Sex Type Thing, and Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart, which prompted major applause, singalongs and a major push and shove display between guys on the floor.


Not even a limp cover of Led Zeppelin’s Dancing Day could get the crowd really wound up and who could blame them?


There may be life in the old band yet but, as a whole, they need to inject a lot more life into their live shows to take it to the level of their ‘90s heyday again.


I would say 3 out of 5 stars


SET LIST


Crackerman


Wicked Garden


Vasoline


Heaven and Hot Rods


Between the Lines


Hickory Dichotomy


Still Remains


Cinnamon


Big Empty


Dancing Days (Led Zeppelin cover)


Pretty Penny


Silvergun Superman


Plush


Interstate Love Song


Huckleberry Crumble


Down


Sex Type Thing


ENCORE:


Dead and Bloated


Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart

Part of the crew, SoSecretive? You're so funny.


Fall's comin'.................loads of great passes still available. Don't drag your feet. Join BackstagePassDirect today.