Member Review: Metallica

JGrunge wrote to us:

I remember the day that I read about the Metallica passes on your blog. I went nuts. Two months later, there I am backstage and out of my mind.

The show opens with “Broken, Beat & Scarred.” Hetfield screams “This song is about you, and it’s about Metallica”.

“Show your scars,” .......................everyone is up and yelling “We die hard!"

The Mighty Met flowed seamlessly from Death Magnetic’s “The End of the Line” to Kill ‘Em All’s “The Four Horsemen” and played for a solid two hours without a break before a three-song encore. And when it seemed like they couldn’t possibly top the power of “The Day That Never Comes,” Hetfield rose from his knees slowly and smashed into the opening chords of “Master of Puppets,” the first part of a brutal two-front aural assault that featured “Battery” at the back end.

The setlist was heavy on material from Death Magnetic — six out of the ten total tracks from the album were played, and each one of them went over better than the previous one. It was obvious the boys took great pride in playing the new album. Alot of St. Anger and Load and Reload was AWOL, surely by design.

Hetfield's guitar was as crisp and devastating as ever, and Kirk Hammet’s notoriously sloppy soloing was unusually tight. Rob Trujillo’s thundering low-end bass and Lars Ulrich’s righteous double-bass drums drove the signature groove that sets Metallica apart from the overblown metal acts that have tried so hard to follow in their footsteps. The boys called up the house lights and turned the focus to the raucous crowd for a revelatory rendition of “Seek and Destroy” to finish the show. Black beach balls emblazoned with the iconic “MetallicA” logo rained from the ceiling as the veterans revived their thrash glory days. Two and a half hours later, their sound still echoed. Louder, faster, and harder than ever.

Do they belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Dumb question!

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Staind IS Extreme Metal

If you're into extremes of molten metal, you haven't heard heavy until you've heard Staind. But leave yer mom at home.

This dark and dynamic band emerged from the 1990's underground in Springfield, Massachusetts. Consisting of vocalist Aaron Lewis, guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist Johnny April, and drummer Jon Wysocki, the group developed a unique sound that got them a lot of attention and enthusiastic appreciation from fans who really know the metal genre. Controversial from the first, Staind went multi-platinum with a series of important albums: "Tormented" (1996), "Dysfunction" (1999), "Break the Cycle" (2001), "14 Shades of Grey," and "Chapter V" (2005) and blew audiences away with such hits as "It's Been a While," "Fade," "For You," and "Epiphany."

Initially, some critics were troubled by what they perceived as Satanic images in Staind's album-cover art and by their bleak and hard-edged lyrics. But the band was admired by such groups as Limp Bizkit and Alice in Chains, as well as legions of fans who were blown away by their explosive live performances. In recent years, the quartet has cultivated a less aggressive, more emotional style, offering sensitive, soul-baring insights into a number of current issues including abortion and parent-child relationships. This is truly a group that is progressing, to the extent that alternative metal seems to be a better label for them now.

Seneca Niagara Casino
Niagara Falls, NY
May 1, 2009

Sunset Station Hotel
Las Vegas, NV
May 15, 2009

Peppermill Concert Hall
West Wendover, NV
May 16, 2009

Spotlight 29 Casino
Coachella, CA
May 23, 2009

Everybody who has heard Staind in concert says that their music sounds even better live than it does on CD. Find out for yourself. Passes for this limited engagement will go quickly; don't miss out. Request your backstage passes now at BackstagePassDirect.com

Members Review: Billy Joel

BPD members "Ralphie and Alice" wrote:

Billy Joel and his eight-man band showed up in full force. The 59-year-old didn’t show his age for a moment during the lively 22-song concert, which started with “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway),” followed by “The Entertainer.”

He sprinkled in some light banter and a few anecdotes here and there, but the night was all about high-energy, up-tempo hits like “Keeping the Faith,” “Movin' Out (Anthony's Song),” “The River of Dreams,” “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and “Only the Good Die Young.” He also threw in a couple more obscure songs for good measure: “Zanzibar” and “Stiletto” (“We haven’t done this in a while, but, if we screw up, at least we’ll have a bond,” BJ said). While gyrating across the stage, twirling the mic stand and throwing it in the air, it was pretty obvious that this entertainer loves his job more than ever.

Thanks to his rotating piano, BJ never had his back to one half of the crowd for too long. And, although he was always center stage, BJ generously shared the spotlight with band members for solos, like saxophonist Mark Rivera; flugelhornist Carl Fisher; and even a roadie named Chainsaw who sang AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.”

He wrapped up the show with perhaps his greatest hit of all, “Piano Man,” which turned the 5,500-seat arena into an intimate piano bar, with strangers swaying in unison, cell phones and lighters glowing in the darkness and everyone singing along. BJ didn’t contribute at all to the last chorus—and the audience compensated well.

He exited with this reminder to the audience before leaving the stage. “Don’t take any shit from anybody.” You said it, Billy!

Backstage, we were allowed to watch the final soundcheck and then were introduced, one by one, to the band. Finally, BJ himself appeared and graciously shot the shit with us for about 15 minutes. He was friendly and easy to be around, not like some other jerks we've had the "pleasure" to meet in the past.

This was not the first time that we've seen a show from the back, but it's always something very special.

Great job, BPD; you've delivered the goods.

Join BackstagePassDirect today and experience what so many other satisfied members like Ralphie and Alice experience.

Neil Young Still Rockin'

Neil Young is one of rock and roll’s greatest songwriters and performers. In a career that extends back to his mid-Sixties roots as a coffeehouse folkie in his native Canada, this principled and unpredictable maverick has pursued an often winding course across the rock and roll landscape. He’s been a cult hero, a chart-topping rock star, and all things in-between, remaining true to his restless muse all the while. At various times, Young has delved into folk, country, garage-rock and grunge. His biggest album, Harvest (1972) , apotheosized the laid-back singer/songwriter genre he helped invent. By contrast, Rust Never Sleeps (1979), Young’s second-best seller, was a loud, brawling masterpiece whose title track, an homage to Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols, contained the oft-quoted line “Better to burn out than it is to rust.”

Several of his more modest-selling titles - for example, Tonight’s the Night, Comes a Time and Trans - contain some of his most trenchant performances. It is typical of Young that he followed his most polished and popular album, Harvest, with one of his most raw and uncommercial, Time Fades Away. While he’s avoided sticking to one style for very long, the unifying factors throughout Young’s peripatetic musical journey have been his unmistakable voice, his raw and expressive guitar playing, and his consummate songwriting skill.

Passes are still available to members for these shows:

Sun 12/07/08 Auburn Hills, MI The Palace at Auburn Hills
Tue 12/09/08 Rosemont, IL Allstate Arena
Fri 12/12/08 Philadelphia, PA The Wachovia Spectrum
Sat 12/13/08 Worcester, MA DCU Center
Mon 12/15/08 New York, NY Madison Square Garden Arena
Tue 12/16/08 New York, NY Madison Square Garden Arena

Don't forget, all passes are first-come, first-served. So don't delay. Order yours today and get up close and personal with a true legend. Visit BackstagePassDirect.

We're Baaaack!!

Wow!! Is the summer really over? Is it really snowing today in parts of the U.S.?

What a great summer concert season we had. To name just a few, our members got to go backstage and hang out with:

1. Kenny Chesney
2. Return to Forever
3. Coldplay
4. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
5. Foo Fighters
6. Radiohead
7. Nine Inch Nails
8. The Jonas Brothers
9. Santana and
10. Bruce Springsteen

Also, some of our crazed crew got to go All Access at the:

1. American Idols Live! Tour
2. Crue Fest
3. Vans Warped Tour

In the days and weeks ahead, we'll be providing first hand accounts from members of their awesome experiences.

So, don't go away. The ride is far from over.

Important Notice

In order to ensure that all of our energies are directed at providing our members with the best in Customer Service during the busy Spring/Summer concert season, we'll be suspending our blog entries until the Fall.

Then, we'll return to keep you posted on all the latest happenings in the world of music.