Paul Wall & Chamillionaire "In Love With My Money Tour"

When Paul Wall and Chamillionaire were announced to be playing a show at the House of Blues, I got quite excited. I have seen some hip-hop and freestyle shows before, but never a rap concert; I did not know what to expect. While in line to get my tickets, my friend noticed Paul Wall was just hanging out in front of the venue, signing autographs and taking pictures with fans. I must admit, I got a few butterflies. We talked with him for a minute, he signed our tickets, showed his grill and took a picture with us!
The venue was lightly crowded, their DJ was spinning and everyone was already having a good time. The announcer came out, introduced Paul Wall and Chamillionaire, but after a few minutes of an empty stage, apologized that it was going to be another 15 minutes or so. Paul Wall was still outside meeting with fans; I give mad props to any artist that makes themselves so accessible to their fans, even if it makes their show late.
Paul Wall and Chamillionaire came out together and did a non-stop 90+ minute set. Both rappers did their individual songs, songs together, old, new, mixtape and remix tracks. They were both tight, on-beat, and didn’t miss a line. Chamillionaire often stopped and talked to the audience, getting everyone to throw their hands in the air, jump up and down, or do whatever he tells them to; “I’m not afraid to stop the show.” He really kept the crowd moving, grooving, and bumping though every track. They flowed through songs with no effort: Won’t Let You Down, Chunk Up the Deuce, Hip Hop Police Frontin, Get Money Stay True, Break ‘Em Off, Good Morning, Body Rock, Fly as the Sky, Busy Body Do it for H Town, I’m Throwed, and Patron.
Midway through their show, they chose three people from the crowd to come on stage and rap for 16 bars. First chosen, went by the name Coldblooded, totally murdered it with a sick rhyme; had the whole audience shouting “Ohhh!” After the overwhelming response, Coldblooded handed Chamillionaire his demo tape, and Chamillionaire just laughed, “I can’t believe this guy just handed me his demo tape.” The show was filled with great moments like that; both Paul Wall and Chamillionaire had the audience waving goodbye to haters, doing the parrot dance, showing their grillz, and shaking their money-makers all evening. The DJ didn’t skip a beat, and just like freestyle events, every song ended with a sampled explosion sound. They continued their set with Know What I’m Talking About, Fly, remix of Party Like a Rockstar, King Kong, One Blood, Main Event, Drive Slow, Creepin (Solo), In Love Wit’ My Money, They Don’t Know, Sittin Sidewayz, Picture Perfect, Ridin,Grillz, They Don’t Know, and closed with another Mike Jones classic, Still Tippin’.
I may never understand the mind or interests of a rapper, candy cars, blinged out grillz, hoes and haters, but I do know Paul Wall and Chamillionaire are both great rappers who put on a great show. Both rappers made themselves available for more pictures and autographs with fans after the show. It was awesome meeting Paul Wall, amazing to see his grill shine from 30 yards, and great just shaking my booty for two hours. All in all, the show was even better than I expected, and we left the venue riding a high for sure.

New Found Glory with Saves the Day and Hellogoodbye

This Friday’s show was a pop punk line-up, New Found Glory with Saves The Day, Hellogoodbye, and Fireworks. I’ll be the first to admit melodic poppy punk is not my thing, but I have respect for all musicians and any band that has stuck together for a decade. I went in with an open-mind, ready to see a show and have a good time.

I arrived shortly after Hellogoodbye had taken the stage. I too quickly dismissed them as a Panic! / Vampire Weekend sound-alike, but after a few songs, I began to really get into the jazz pop retro sound they had going. It was deeper than pop, influenced by classic pop rock, songs were driven by jumping piano riffs, jazz drum and bass, rock guitars, and classic pop formatting. I was impressed; the audience however, was not. The crowd was still quite sparse and they hardly acknowledged Hellogoodbye’s performance.
Saves the Day came onstage to a slightly larger audience, but did not impress them any better. I would like to say I gave their music a fair chance, but their sound and levels were the worst I have ever heard at the House of Blues, making it impossible for me to even listen to their music. Even the girl standing next to me asked if the sound is always this bad. The vocals were so low they could barely be heard, the only thing you could hear behind the screeching guitar was a jumble of bass and drums. Saves the Day changed their instruments every few songs, but the sound never improved. During their last song, the singer of New Found Glory came out and sang along. Only then did the audience finally acknowledged the musicians onstage and the energy picked up.
This tour is dedicated to the 10 year anniversary of the release of their first album, New Found Glory. The entire stage set was made to look like their debut album; original pictures, logo, and they played their entire first album front to back. By the time New Found Glory took the stage, the House was full with anxious young fans. From the start of the first note, the crowd’s energy just exploded and by the looks of it, everyone in the House of Blues was a New Found Glory superfan. The fans hung on every word, sang along to every song, kept the beat going with hand claps, jumping up and down for nearly every song. Frontman, Jordan Pundik stopped a few times to talk about the creation of the album when they were in high school, and reflected on how far they have come. He thanked the fans for all their years of support, apologized for not stopping in Las Vegas on their last tour, then proceeded to play Vegas and Boy Crazy.
At about 9:30, the curtains went down, and when they opened a few minutes later, fans were treated to a newly designed set. From this point of the show onward, New Found Glory played their newer music. I found it quite ironic, considering the new stage was more punk-rock, (all black and red, with a large stenciled grenade) but their new music was less punk and more pop. I hung around for another 40 minutes or so, and decided to leave after All Downhill from Here. Although I am not a fan of NFG, even after seeing them live, I will give them credit for having one of the most dedicated and energetic fan base I have ever seen. I left with the impression that New Found Glory filled the gap left by AFI when they changed their music from punk to emo. They have a place in music, they have dedicated fans, and they have been at it for 10 years; curious to see where NFG, or the genre itself, will be 10 years from now.

Sevendust with Drowning Pool and Digital Summer

Friday night’s show was Sevendust with special guests Drowning Pool and Digital Summer. The first time I saw Sevendust, at the Huntridge I believe, I didn’t even have a driver license! I spent the day of the show, ripping my original late 90s Sevendust CDs (skips and all) to my computer, and reminisced on how much their music was a part of my life. A 6:30 show is difficult to make with a day job, so unfortunately I missed Digital Summer. Too bad though, I kept overhearing great reviews from chatter in the crowd; I will keep my eye out for them in the future.

When I opened the doors to the House of Blues, I was taken aback by the incredible volume of Drowning Pool; they had it cranked up! You could feel the thrashing guitars and bass through your shoes. The floor was packed end to end and there was a nice mosh circle going. Drowning Pool put on a great show, and closed with their unforgettable Bodies. I got to give it up to Drowning Pool, for moving past the loss of their signer in 2002, and another lost vocalist in 2005.
While the tired sweaty fans cleared the floor, I took the opportunity to get as close as I could. Glad I did because soon the lights flashed red and white, Sevendust ran up the stage and opened with Black. They opened heavy, fast, and strong. The volume, heavy guitars, and Lajon’s voice rattled through everyone. Sevendust’s setlist was filed with great tracks including: Praise, Face to Face, Denial, Home, Bitch, Enemy, Driven, and their latest single, Ugly. The energy was solid throughout. Sevendust not only kept the crowd head banging and slamming all evening, but they also shined through with a few special moments. About an hour into the show, Sevendust brought out a few stools, and played X-mas Day and Angel’s Son acoustic. They sounded great and the fans were much appreciative. After picking up the pace once again, they grooved from one of their songs right into Metallica’s Seek & Destroy. Just when I thought I couldn’t love it more, Seek & Destroy was blended into Pantera’s Walk. Two of the best old-school metal songs in my book; this was the antithesis of the show and a great concert moment for me.
Sevendust put on an ass-kicking show; they always have and they always will. They out did themselves once again; it was even better than the three I've caught over the last decade. It had been a while since I had seen an all out hardrock/metal show and I truly enjoyed it. As the smelly and sweaty crowd cleared the venue, we all knew our faces had been rocked off.

Twiztid with special guests Potluck and Drainage X

Ah Twiztid, every juggalo and juggalette’s favorite horrorcore face-painted duo. Although I am not a fan, I figured they deserved a chance and it may be a great show. So I loosened up and had a few drinks before heading over to the House of Blues box office. No ropes, no merch, no nothing… I quickly realized the show had been cancelled.

Twiztid updated their twitter (tweetmesohard) at 7 am, "We sincerlely apologize for this cancellation and please rest assured that we are doing our absolute best to resehedule this event." Somehow that information did not get translated over the House of Blues or any other event calendar. As of 4pm, the last time I checked, the show was still on.

Although I wasn’t terribly broken hearted, like so many of the painted up juggalos around me, the lack of notice or reason is truly shameful. I am a fan, I understand how crushing it is when a band cancels a show you have been anxiously awaiting, but without good reason or prompt remedy, I cannot respect or support that. Thus ends my open-mind toward Twiztid. Fail!

George Thorogood and The Destroyers

George Thorogood is a name I have been familiar with my entire life. I remember singing Bad to the Bone in the backseat of my Dad’s Cadillac at the young age of 6. The Destroyers have been on my concerts to attend list for as long as I can remember. They seem to be constantly on tour, regularly stopping in Las Vegas, but unfortunately I did not meet the 21 and over age requirement for most of their shows. None of this matters now because the day has come; I finally get the pleasure of seeing George Thorogood and the Destroyers live!

Surf Asylum opened for The Destroyers. I had not heard of them previously, but found myself rather impressed. Their niche seems to be instrumental blues rock and roll, heavy with fierce surf guitars. They played familiar classics like, White Wedding, Smoke on the Water, and closed with Misirlou. Although Surf Asylum is technically a cover band, I think they breathe a new life into these songs by extracting the rhythm and embellishing it with fuller and more vigorous sounds. As it reads on their myspace page, “Their music has been described as “Clint Eastwood on acid at a beach in Mexico.” I couldn’t agree more! myspace

Around 9, the stage lights came on, the Destroyers logo came up on all three screens, a booming announcer voice echoed through the house, “Please welcome, the always on tour sensation, George Thorogood & the Destroyers!” George strutted out on stage, cool as a cat, wearing a black bandana and silver aviators, began the show with Tail Dragger. They continued with Who Do you Love?, Rockin’ My Life Away, Treat her Right, and Night Time without missing a beat. A pair of fans in front of us, toasted their beers, exclaimed “This is excellent!” and it certainly was!
It was obvious George Thorogood and The Destroyers, 30+ year veterans of the rock and roll scene, had their performance down to a science. Moving up and back on stage, dipping and diving, in perfect synchrony through most of the songs, it was a pleasure to watch. George continued to drive the ladies wild with his hip shaking, strutting, and gravelly voiced comments. They proceeded to play the fan favorites: Drink Alone, One Bourbon One Scotch One Beer, Treat her Right , Get a Haircut, Bad to the Bone, and Move it on Over. The crowd sang along, raising their glasses to the drinking songs, and it was apparent that both the band and the fans alike were having a great time. George thanked his band and the crowd and walked off stage.
Due to the overwhelming response from the audience, George returned to the stage stating, “Foreplay is over; Time to get down to business.” For the first encore they played, You Talk too Much and 20 Dollar Gig. They returned one more time to close with Cocaine Blues and Madison Blues. This hour and a half with George Thorogood and The Destroyers was well worth the wait; they put on a fantastic live show. The most notable experiences of their live show is part overpowering live saxophone, part freestyle blues rhythms, and of course the rock-n-roll bad boy moves and attitude that George is known for. Other than wanting to hear a few B-sides I hold dear, I couldn’t have asked for more from The Destroyers. This was a amazing show and I hope to not miss another George Thorogood and The Destroyers show again! Official Site

Sound Tribe Sector 9 [STS9]

I had not heard of Sound Tribe Sector 9 before their show was announced at the House of Blues. The name intrigued me, so I did a little research. I was surprised to find that STS9 has been around for over 10 years, originated in Santa Cruz, CA, has a strong underground following, and are an instrumental band that blends trance beats with jazz rhythm and funk basslines. With that impressive of a history, I became quite eager to see their show.

I began this Friday evening at the Tuff-N-Uff: The Future Stars of MMA fights, and due to a broken arm ending one of the last fights, the fight went a little late. Unfortunately, I did not arrive until after STS9 had already taken the stage. Emancipator was the opening band, they are a bit more mellow, but has a similar style to STS9, and they are on STS9’s record label, 1320 records. When I arrived, I was informed STS9 had just taken the stage at 10:30pm.

As I wandered through the crowd towards the bar, I started taking notice of the fans in attendance, and instantly had to wonder if I was in LA. A large portion of STS9 fans are the free spirit drifters you often find near the beach, anywhere along the west coast. I was amazed at how large of an underground following STS9 had, not to the same magnitude of Phish, but certainly very similar. I always enjoy spending an evening dancing and drinking with these free personalities and instantly felt relaxed and in the groove.
I also took instant notice of the stunningly brilliant light show. Their setup was simple, spread out across the entire stage, all black, with huge LED light panels as the backdrop. The display was mostly vivid colors and shapes twisting and rotating along with the beat. It was so powerful and well done, you could breathe the colors as they consumed the fog filled air. For the first 30 minutes or so, I stood back from the stage, just soaking in the sound and colors, it was wonderful. They played long 7-10+ minute songs/groove sessions, and before I knew it, quickly I found myself in a trance.

STS9 thanked all their fans that traveled to see their show, and took a short 15 minute break. I took this opportunity to get close to the stage and in the middle of the dance floor. When STS9 returned, their immense and full sound echoed through our bodies, we each smiled and grooved to the music, and the crowd danced as one body. Similar to the first time I saw Ratatat, the sound was so powerful, rich, and natural you became entranced and could feel the music travel through you. The was STS9 blended simple drums, several keyboards and laptops, most songs had a funky bass and a classic wailing guitar, similar to that of Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour.
Sound Tribe Sector 9 continued the groves through 1am with two encores. The time just seemed to disappear, carried off by their drifting tunes. I was thankful I had the opportunity to see this band, dance with their fans, and was overall impressed by the performance they had given. It was a peaceful, immersive environment filled with sights and sounds that you could feel, even after the show was over. STS9 was interesting musically, visually, and so is their background and contributions to society; they are definitely worth a read and listen. STS9 or myspace

Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime

Badfish is a favorite of mine. I have seen Badfish three times now, and they have never let me down. Badfish must share the same love for Las Vegas, since they are always booked at the House of Blues Super Bowl weekend. If you have never seen Badfish, be sure to check them out next February!

Due to the massive influx of tourists, the Mandalay Bay parking garage was full, so I missed any opening bands. Typically Badfish will open as their own band, Scotty Don't, and often with other similar styles of cover bands, like Sound System, (tribute to Rancid/Op Ivy) who joined them in 2009. The feel of 90's ska/punk/west-coast styling is apparent through Scotty Don't and the mood of the evening is sure to be a skankably great time!

Badfish filled the House of Blues. I do not know if the show was sold out, but it certainly appeared that way. The floor was so crowded, I decided to stay near the bar and enjoy a view of the stage. Badfish came on shortly after 8 and began with Garden Grove. The bassline rattled through the venue and everyone started grooving. Badfish murdered every note, the pit was constantly spinning, the crowd was constantly singing and dancing. "And if God's good word goes unspoken, the music goes all night"

Badfish treated the audience to a full two hours filled with a wonderful selection of tracks. They flowed between reggae, punk, and acoustic songs with ease. The energy was non-stop. The track list (as best as my memory serves me) included: Ebin, Don't Push, Saw Red, Wrong Way, Badfish, Doin' Time, New Thrash, Seed, Waiting for My Ruca, Scarlet Begonias, Chica Me Tipo, 5446 That's My Number, Smoke 2 Joints, 40 oz. to Freedom, Paddle-Out, April 26, 1992, Rivers of Babylon, What I Got, Date Rape, and closing with Santeria.

When they returned for an encore, the baseline hit, and they jammed through a 6+ minute freestyle version of Pawn Shop. Badfish wrapped up the evening with the all-time punk classic, Bro hymn by Pennywise. They seem to have an unnatural ability to channel the energy and talent of Sublime; that is what makes them truly amazing. Instead of just playing the hits, or trying too hard to sound like Sublime, they play as if they are Sublime. Their setlist is bursting with extra long grove sessions, B-side fan favorites, vocal styling, and they constantly feed off the audience's energy. Badfish feels real, and they truly bring Sublime and that Long Beach rhythm back to life. It's as good as it gets for any Sublime fan. Badfish does not disappoint! Be sure to check them out http://www.badfish.com/