Duran Duran: The Wild Boys Still Know How To Make The Girls Scream

My first Duran Duran concert was in 1984 when the band was riding a huge wave of success here in the US. The boys were touring on their third album, 7 and the Ragged Tiger, and the arena that night was packed full of thousands of screaming teenage girls. I was definitely in the minority that night being a teenage boy caught up in all that hysteria. The guys put on a great show and even back then, they proved that they were a bunch of talented guys, but they were always dismissed as being a sort of “boy band” for that era.

Fast forward to 2012 and to the Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham, NC. There was a sense of déjà vu in the air as the majority of the crowd on this particular night was female. It seems those teenage girls have all grown up and ventured out on this evening to recapture their youth. Would Simon LeBon sing to them? Would a droplet of sweat from John Taylor make its way to their shirt? I say all of this jokingly, but there is some truth there. Yes, there were plenty of guys there also; actually more than I expected!

The show started with a ten minute film. It was an artsy type of film that did not include the band at all and was scored with classical music. It was actually quite funny listening to the crowd try to clap along to it. For me, it was an odd way to start the show. The film ended and the boys went straight into “Before the Rain” from their latest studio album All You Need Is Now. After that, they started to crank out the hits as “Planet Earth” and “A View to a Kill” followed.

The band did feature several songs off of their latest studio album, four of them actually. They included the opener, plus “Girl Panic”, “Blame the Machines” and the title track. I’m not sure if it was just the section that I was in, but these newer songs gave most of those people the opportunity to sit down. It seemed to be a crowd more interested in the classic songs than the new ones. I must say in defense of the new songs that they sounded pretty amazing.

There were a couple of serious and emotional moments amongst all this hysteria. “Save a Prayer” was dedicated to Sandy Ahrens, a longtime Duranie from that area who had passed away earlier in the year. Also, Simon’s introduction of “Ordinary World” spoke of how the song had taken on a life of its own and meant so many things to so many people.

Yes, there were still plenty more hits throughout the night including “Union of the Snake”, “Wild Boys” and of course, “Hungry Like the Wolf”. I was really surprised at how amazing their version of “White Lines”, made famous by Grandmaster Flash, was. It’s been in their set for years, but it was as if it was on steroids on this night. The encore saw the boys come back out to perform “Girls on Film” and “Rio”.

I have seen many Duran Duran shows throughout the years, but I have never heard the boys sound tighter than they did on this evening. Keyboardist Nick Rhodes and John’s Taylor’s thumping, and highly underrated, bass playing are a huge part of the band’s signature sound and they were spot on. Drummer Roger Taylor’s drumming didn’t miss a beat, no pun intended and Simon’s vocals were stellar and showed no signs of his ailment that caused them to cancel many shows last year. Lastly, guitarist Dom Brown has been an un-official member of the band since Andy Taylor’s second departure in 2006 and has proven himself to be a very important member of the family and sounded great.

What I saw up on that stage during their two hour performance was a band who did not look or act as if they had been doing this for 30 years. Yes, I know not all members have been a part of this for 30 years, but you know what I mean. These guys were not “going through the motions”, they were having genuine fun up there. Plus, on that stage were very skilled musicians. John Taylor is one of the most underrated bass players ever. Duran Duran have been proving on this tour that they were much more than just a bunch of cute guys who dressed nice and had cool hair. They are the real deal and deserving of respect from an industry that dismissed them many years ago.

Over 30,000 Rock All Day Long At The 2012 Carolina Rebellion

The 2^nd annual Carolina Rebellion moved its stomping grounds to the Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina this year and the masses showed up to rock. It may have only been May the 5^th, but it felt like it was in the middle of July on the day of the show. Over 30,000 people showed up in the blistering heat and humidity and they were treated to a day of rock that they will long remember.

The gates opened at 9:00am and the people started rolling in by the carload to claim their spot in front of the three stages used. The smaller stage which was sponsored by Jagermeister showcased a lot of the newer bands on the bill including Ghosts of August who kicked off the day at 11:00am , New Medicine, Red, Redlight King and P.O.D., who are poised for a big comeback with a new album due out this summer.

The two bigger stages included the Carolina Stage and the Rebellion Stage, bet you would have never guessed that. These stages were sponsored by Monster Energy Drink. The crowds in front of stage went back further than the human eye could see. As the masses rocked out all day, they managed to stir up a small dust storm that slowly covered everyone who was there. Let’s not fail to mention the huge amount of crowd surfing that went on too. Those security guards definitely got a workout that day.

Weaving the Fate kicked off the bigger stages as they performed second on the bill, but it wasn’t until later when Halestorm took the stage that the crowd truly got fired up. Lzzy Hale and her boys kicked off their set with their #1 song “Love Bites (So Do I)”. Their set was heavy on new songs off of their new album The Strange Case Of. The only complaint being heard was that their set was too short.

I would have to say that Five Finger Death Punch got the award for lighting a fire underneath the crowd. The crowd erupted in a fury of energy when they hit the stage and lead singer Ivan Moody fed off of that energy. Their set saw the crowd surfing increase at least 100%. What an energetic and over the top set these guys put on.

Recently inducted Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Slash brought his right hand man Myles Kennedy with him to perform. He performed some of his solo material, but the biggest crowd reactions and sing-along’s came when he broke out the Guns and Roses classics such as “Sweet Child O’ Mine”. Myles has such a powerful voice and sounded amazing. He had many asking “Axl who?” As the sun went down, Evanescence took to the stage. Amy Lee has been somewhat of a stranger to North Carolina since the band’s debut album came out in 2003. Amy sounded great and treated the fans to a hit filled set.

Korn took the stage as the air began to cool, but they turned up the heat on-stage and delivered one of the best sets of the day. The mixed new songs with older classics such as “Falling Away From Me” as well as their cover of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall”. A surprise treat was when Brian “Head” Welch took the stage with the band for the first time in seven years and performed the classic track “Blind”.

The night ended with a stellar set from the band Shinedown. Brent Smith and the band took the stage and delivered in a big way to the crowd. “Sound of Madness”, “If You Only Knew” and “45” were just some songs from their hit heavy set. Newer songs from their latest album included the title track “Amaryllis”, “Unity” and the hit “Bully”. A powerful acoustic version was performed when Smith took center stage with guitarist Zach Myers. They closed with their smash “Second Chance”.

Several bands did meet and greets where the purchase of their CD was required to meet them. FYE had a tent set up to help out with this aspect of the day. Monster Energy Drink also had a tent set up and a few of the bands did a meet and greet where the band signed a promo 8x10 photo for the fans. It was a rare treat for many to get up close to some of the people that they adore and idolize.

Overall, it was a great show! The people who put the show together listened to the complaints from last year’s show and tried to remedy all of them. There was a lot more room for the fans to move around, there were plenty of water and plenty of food vendors. There was even a hint that it may move to a two day show next year, plus the Friday night campground show. This year’s show seems to be regarded as a success and the expansion to another day next year just seems inevitable.

Over 30,000 Rock At The 2012 Carolina Rebellion

The 2^nd annual Carolina Rebellion moved its stomping grounds to the Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina this year and the masses showed up to rock. It may have only been May the 5^th, but it felt like it was in the middle of July on the day of the show. Over 30,000 people showed up in the blistering heat and humidity and they were treated to a day of rock that they will long remember.

The gates opened at 9:00am and the people started rolling in by the carload to claim their spot in front of the three stages used. The smaller stage which was sponsored by Jagermeister showcased a lot of the newer bands on the bill including Ghosts of August who kicked off the day at 11:00am , New Medicine, Red, Redlight King and P.O.D., who are poised for a big comeback with a new album due out this summer.

The two bigger stages included the Carolina Stage and the Rebellion Stage, bet you would have never guessed that. These stages were sponsored by Monster Energy Drink. The crowds in front of stage went back further than the human eye could see. As the masses rocked out all day, they managed to stir up a small dust storm that slowly covered everyone who was there. Let’s not fail to mention the huge amount of crowd surfing that went on too. Those security guards definitely got a workout that day.

Weaving the Fate kicked off the bigger stages as they performed second on the bill, but it wasn’t until later when Halestorm took the stage that the crowd truly got fired up. Lzzy Hale and her boys kicked off their set with their #1 song “Love Bites (So Do I)”. Their set was heavy on new songs off of their new album The Strange Case Of. The only complaint being heard was that their set was too short.

I would have to say that Five Finger Death Punch got the award for lighting a fire underneath the crowd. The crowd erupted in a fury of energy when they hit the stage and lead singer Ivan Moody fed off of that energy. Their set saw the crowd surfing increase at least 100%. What an energetic and over the top set these guys put on.

Recently inducted Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Slash brought his right hand man Myles Kennedy with him to perform. He performed some of his solo material, but the biggest crowd reactions and sing-along’s came when he broke out the Guns and Roses classics such as “Sweet Child O’ Mine”. Myles has such a powerful voice and sounded amazing. He had many asking “Axl who?” As the sun went down, Evanescence took to the stage. Amy Lee has been somewhat of a stranger to North Carolina since the band’s debut album came out in 2003. Amy sounded great and treated the fans to a hit filled set.

Korn took the stage as the air began to cool, but they turned up the heat on-stage and delivered one of the best sets of the day. The mixed new songs with older classics such as “Falling Away From Me” as well as their cover of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall”. A surprise treat was when Brian “Head” Welch took the stage with the band for the first time in seven years and performed the classic track “Blind”.

The night ended with a stellar set from the band Shinedown. Brent Smith and the band took the stage and delivered in a big way to the crowd. “Sound of Madness”, “If You Only Knew” and “45” were just some songs from their hit heavy set. Newer songs from their latest album included the title track “Amaryllis”, “Unity” and the hit “Bully”. A powerful acoustic version was performed when Smith took center stage with guitarist Zach Myers. They closed with their smash “Second Chance”.

Several bands did meet and greets where the purchase of their CD was required to meet them. FYE had a tent set up to help out with this aspect of the day. Monster Energy Drink also had a tent set up and a few of the bands did a meet and greet where the band signed a promo 8x10 photo for the fans. It was a rare treat for many to get up close to some of the people that they adore and idolize.

Overall, it was a great show! The people who put the show together listened to the complaints from last year’s show and tried to remedy all of them. There was a lot more room for the fans to move around, there were plenty of water and plenty of food vendors. There was even a hint that it may move to a two day show next year, plus the Friday night campground show. This year’s show seems to be regarded as a success and the expansion to another day next year just seems inevitable.

Sebastian Bach Still Commands The Stage

Webster dictionary defines swagger as “to walk with an air of overbearing self-confidence”. In the world of rock and roll, it is commonly referred to as “swaggah”. There have been some front men throughout the history of music who truly are the epitome of that word. Every generation has their own who exemplify the word. Elvis had it. David Lee Roth had it. Sebastian Bach had it. Just a side note, Roth and Bach still have it.

Sebastian Bach and his tour bus rolled into Winston Salem, NC to Ziggy’s on February 1. It was a warm afternoon, but it was about to get much, much hotter inside the club. Bach is touring in support of his album Kicking and Screaming and judging by the fact that the show sold out, it would be safe to say that there were quite a few who wanted to see if he still had it.

After an opening act that almost put the audience to sleep, Bach and his band came rolling out to the stage and shot the crowd full of adrenaline. The show started with a blistering version of Skid Row’s “Slave to the Grind”. Bach looked like he was in great shape and his voice was seemed just as strong as back in the 80s. The band was tight and sounded amazing.

Bach is the master of ceremonies when he is on stage. The show is his vehicle and he is the driver. He asks for audience participation and he keeps the show interesting, even when no songs are being played. His banter in between songs was comical as he made fun of how skinny his guitar player is by asking if anyone could buy him a cheeseburger. He even held up a DVD of the Gilmour Girls and commented on it. For those not in the know, Bach made several guest appearances on that show.

What was surprising during this show was so great his new material sounding when meshing against the older, 80s stuff. “Kicking and Screaming”, “Tunnelvision” and “Dirty Power”, which are all off of his new album, were played and sounded pretty amazing. The crowd’s reaction to the newer material was very favorable too.

The show at Ziggy’s marked the first show for new bassist Jason Christopher who had played for fellow rockers Stone Sour before joining Bach. He seemed to just fall right into place with the band and sounded right at home. Bach’s guitarist Nick Sterling, who wasn’t even born when Skid Row started out, was simply brilliant as Bach’s right hand man. His solos were tight and he definitely has some mad skills.

Bach made sure to cover all the old Skid Row songs. All of the classics were there including “Monkey Business”, “Big Guns”, “Piece of Me”, “Monkey Business” and “18 and Life”. The crowd erupted when “I Remember You”, one of THE best power ballads from the 80s, was played. I’m not going to say Bach’s vocals were dead-on during this song, but they were pretty darn close. He closed the show with the song that he made an anthem for a generation back in the day, “Youth Gone Wild”. He even pulled a little rocker kid up on stage during the song. The kid looked to be maybe 5 years old and had on a leather jacket and was throwing horns during the entire song.

The show ended much like a wild night of sex. The audience was hot and sweaty and exhausted, but smiling at the same time. There were even quite a few who made a dash for the exit door to have a cigarette! Although, I think that had more to do with the no-smoking policy in the venue. After watching Bach command that stage, one thing was crystal clear; that “swaggah” that he possesses is sorely missing in rock today. Maybe when all is said and done and Bach decides to hang up the microphone, he can do infomercials that teach “swaggah” to wannabe rock stars.

A Light Divided

Every band has to start somewhere. I didn't use to be much on seeing local bands perform because all I was seeing was the same old song and dance. Well, that recently changed when I went to the Somewhere Else Tavern in Greensboro, NC to check out A Light Divided. They were at a show in Danville,VA that I attended at Plan B and I only caught two songs and it had me a little intrigued. I actually checked them out on MySpace and I really liked what I heard. I contacted the band and made arrangements to see them the following Saturday.

The band had been together for about a year and was actually members from three bands that combined into one. The show that i was attending that night was actually the first show for new bassist Mike Underwood and guitarist Eric Humiston. I talked to the band before the show to get a little insight into what they were made of. I asked guitarist James Lewis about where the name originated from. "Well, I actually came up with the name. It was the third thing that I had written down. Actually, nobody liked it at first, but we had to have a name that day. It's actually grown on everyone since then."

I asked lead singer Jaycee Clark how she met up with the band. " I was actually driving down from Jersey where I was staying and rehearsing and playing with these guys and then driving back home 3 and 4 times a week and finally moved here."

I was also curious as to the limitations or obstacles of having a female fronted band. Drummer Adam Smith said," There are lot of bands that we know who use it as a gimmick. I mean it has its advantages, but a gimmick can only last for so long. We play what we play because it's what we'd wanna hear if we were in the crowd. It's really hard to define our sound. Sometimes when you do so, you limit yourself as to who you can play with."

"I believe that we would play with just about anyone as long as they believe in us," responded bassist Mike Underwood.

The band's influences include a slew of artists ranging from the Deftones to Killswitch Engage to Atreyu. Those artists plus similar bands including Coheed and Cambria, Kill Hannah, Secret Lives, gaslight Anthem and Trivium are among there artists of choice when it comes to personal listening tastes.

Who would the band love to share the stage with one day? Jaycee was quick to respond with the Deftones! Other responses ranged from Sevendust to Killswitch Engage to Severe Your Ties. During the entire interview, Jaycee was constantly "abused" by her band mates. "Do you see how they treat me? It's tough being the only female in the only female in the band, but I can stand my own against them. They are constantly running around the stage, so I have to be on my guard or I will get run over."

Adam then told me that the band usually takes the month of December off and would be entering the studios hopefully in February of 2009 to start recording the followup to their first CD "Before The Fall" which came out in April of 2008. I did ask them my traditional question of being stuck on a desert island with only one store bought CD, what would it be? Jaycee's choice would be Green Day "Dookie", to which I found out we went to the same show at the Cricket Arena and saw them on the American Idiot tour. Adam's choice would be the Smashing Pumpkins "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" CD. James' choice was GWAR's "13 Ways To Bleed Onstage" CD.

We then went inside as the guys started setting up their equipment. The band went on stage with a furry and quickly grabbed the crowds attention. Jaycee has great vocals that translate very well on the live stage. She is a very attractive woman who gets your attention visually, but she really does have the chops to back it up. I also have to say that James' personality on stage really gets the crowd involved. He can be a bit of a comic, but he really does lay down some mean riffs on the guitar. James is also in charge of "screams" . Adam worked up a fury on the drums as he was drenched in sweat by the end of the first song.

Adam told me that they like to keep their set short so that it leaves the audience wanting more. "There's nothing like being in the crowd and watching a band who drags out their set too long. You lose your audience's attention and they get bored. We don't wanna do that."

The band did hang around both before and after the show to pose for pictures and sign autographs. They had a merchandise booth with a tshirt and their CD and stickers available. I was lucky enough to see them again about 2 weeks later and the show was really hot. The new members definitely seem to have fit in really well. The second show that I saw was alot tighter and the band was really on their game that night.

You should go to their MySpace page and check them out. You can hear a few songs from their first CD there. If you like rock with an edge, you need to check them out. Having a female lead singer is not a gimmick for them, it's a element that works very well. I have to admit that my favorite tracks on the CD are "Just Like You " and "If You Don't Succeed", but their is not a bad track on the CD. I bought it at the first show I went to and it did not leave my CD player for days.

How would I describe their sound? Good question, I can hear different influences in their music. James does a little of the screamo stuff like on some early Hawthorne Heights.....R.I.P. Casey. I think they have a unique sound, it is kinda metal pop, but they can get a little hardcore if they wanna. They play all around North Carolina and you can catch dates on their MySpace. It is well worth the drive and money to catch these guys. I personally think that they are something special just waiting to break free. There is alot of potential there and they seem hungry. Only time and hard work will tell.