Kris Kristofferson In Concert 10/30/10

Last night Buzzard his friend Charlene and I made our way out to The Venue at River Cree Casino just outside of Edmonton for the Kris Kristofferson concert. My buddy Buzzard got me interested in Kris years ago when Kris,Willie,Waylon and Johnny had their group called The Highwaymen. All of them being country music outlaws, I quickly got into them. I was more a fan of the other three, but Buzzard said we really should see him as he is getting up there in years. Well for 74 years old, Kris put on one hell of a show.

Kris has never really been a great singer or guitar player, but is a great songwriter having wrote many a song made famous by other artists, for example Me And Bobby Mcgee made famous by Janis Joplin which Kris did play Saturday night to a sold out crowd, also Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down made famous by Johnny Cash in which he also played. I didn't know a whole lot of Kris' stuff, or so I thought. Well during his almost two hour show, he played some songs that I did recognize, songs like Billy Dee, Jody And The Kid and Lovin Her Was Easier. I have to say the show was much better then I had anticipated with just him and his guitar up there, no back up band or anything. He seemed to really appreciate the adulation he was getting from the audience. He mixed up a few songs here and there, forgetting the lyrics, but joked about at his age, you tend to start losing your memory. He had a great sense of humour through out the show, telling some good stories, I also found some of his songs to have some humour in the lyrics. All and all I really enjoyed the show and thank Buzzard for picking up a ticket for me. I would give this show a 7.5 out of 10.

KISS Collectible Of The Day Oct.31st

Still keeping on the Halloween theme, today's KISS collectible is the Official KISS Army Makeup Kit, the kit even comes with 6 fake blood capsules. This was put out in 1999 by The Paper Magic Group. This is something my parents had picked up for me at a liquidation sale of some sort.

Concert Shirts/Poster Of The Day Oct.31st (Metallica)

Today's t-shirts are from the time I saw Metallica on the ...And Justice For All tour in 1989. This was my third and fourth time seeing Metallica in concert. I did the back to back Edmonton and Calgary shows for this tour. The Edmonton show at Northlands Coliseum we had row 2 on the floor for. I went to this show with Nerraw,Eor,Hurl and A-Bomb. The Cult opened for the shows, and were touring for their Sonic Temple album which was a big album for them, but they didn't go over well at all with the Metallica audience. Lead singer Ian Astbury was trying to get a reaction from the crowd, all he was getting was the finger from the Metallica crowd. They didn't go over well at all. I have never been a fan of The Cult and have always found Ian Astbury to be a dick.

After the concert, my buddies and I were all hyped up after the show and decided to go down to Mill Creek Ravine and drink ourselves silly. We partied in the bushes til daylight, then made the decision that we had so much fun at the show that wer were going to go to Calgary and see it again. Which is what we did. Nerraw,A-Bomb and myself drove to Calgary that morning and got tickets at the door, shitty seats, but still another great time. An awesome weekend of Metallica. Good times!!!

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KISS Collectible Of The Day Oct.30th

Carrying on with the Halloween theme again for today's KISS collectible item, it's the Ace Frehley mask that came out in 1997, distributed by The Paper Magic Group.

Concert Poster Of The Day Oct.30th (Big Sugar)

Today's poster is from the first time I ever saw Big Sugar live. This show was at People's Pub in Edmonton in 1993. Gordie Johnson blew me away the first time I saw him play in concert, it was just him and a bass player and drummer, a wicked three piece band, that were raw and rocking. Big Sugar became a bigger band a few years later, but this show it was just a raw rocking blues based show, not as reggae as they became later. Ever since this show I have followed Gordie's career very close. I have seen him many times, and now his new band Grady is kind of getting back to his roots as a blues kick ass band. Having said that, there was nothing wrong with his Big Sugar days.



In concert news... According to Big Sugar's website, Gordie will be reuniting with Big Sugar for a show here in Edmonton as part of The Grey Cup Festivities on Saturday November 27th. I can't find any venue or ticket information yet, but keep your ear and eyes open for this announcement. As well, his band Grady will be playing in Edmonton at Union Hall on Wednesday November 24th.

In other Grady news... Grady is releasing a live CD/DVD called Calling My Demons recorded in Winnipeg on November 15th. Can't wait to see and hear this. Grady,like Big Sugar is best live.

KISS Collectible Of The Day Oct.29th

Well to start my new blog feature,KISS collectible of the day, I thought I would go with the Halloween theme for the weekend and start with the Peter Criss face mask I got back in 1997. If I remember correctly, my parents got both my brother and I a few of these. They were put out by The Paper Magic Group. This is one of many ridiculous KISS items I have collected over the years. As cheese as it gets and is, I can't help myself from picking up some of these items, and a lot of them I get from family and loved ones as gifts. You can never go wrong with a KISS item as a gift for me,lol. As Gene Simmons says "we are not only a band, but a brand" ya, the comment makes me sick, but truth be told, he summed it up. As you will see, I have collected quite a few KISS shit over the years, yet still, love all of it.

Lyrics Of The Day Oct.29th (Carpenter)

"You don’t care what I’ve got to say, cause baby you don’t feel that way....
I stumble in but out of sight, it’s just another Friday night....
You’ve seen it all before, me passed out at your front door....
I’m slurring words just trying to say...."

Lyrics by Carpenter from the song "Just Another Friday Night" from the albem Sea To Sky (2010)

Concert Shirt Of The Day Oct.29th (Aerosmith)

Today's t-shirt is from the Aerosmith and Skid Row on concert I saw at Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton in 1990. This was my second time seeing Aerosmith in concert and first time seeing Skid Row, this was actually a pretty decent double bill for the time. Aerosmith were touring for their PUMP album, which I thought was good at the time, until radio killed it, Skid Row were touring for their debut self titled album.

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Lyrics Of The Day Oct.28th (Blitzen Trapper)

"Here's to the lone and wayward sun,
For to love is to leave
For to run like a rolling stone
I fell in with men who were wicked in the end
As we roam by and by so these crimes multiply"

Lyrics by Blitzen Trapper from the title song of their latest album Destroyer Of The Void (2010)

Concert Poster Of The Day Oct.28th (Montreal Jazz Fest)

Today's poster is from my visit to Montreal in 2003 to see my brother. I had timed my visit with him while he was living there during the Montreal Jazz Festival. I saw a few concerts during the festival at a venue called The Metropolis, Ben Harper and Wilco on different nights. Not only did I see those two bands, they also had downtown Montreal cordoned off to traffic with stages set up outside for free shows every night. On the weekend, there were up to 100,000 people wandering the streets and checking out the music. Now Montreal knows how to put on a festival, unlike what they call fests out west here. You could actually walk around with a beer and check shit out. Beers stands everywhere, with everyone enjoying themselves, no big police presence. Not like here in Edmonton, where they round you up like cattle and make you drink in a fenced in beer garden. Even if your not a fan of jazz music, you can't help but have a good time at something like this. I highly recommend checking out the Montreal Jazz Fest if you ever have the chance. Good times!!!

The poster for 2003's festival is some cool too. I never really appreciated this poster til my buddy Eor pointed out the map of the globe melded in with all the people. It's so obvios to me now, but for weeks I never saw it. Damn cool.

New Post Ideas Coming

I have been thinking of starting a few new features on my blog. One of them are posts about shows that I haven't bought a t-shirt at or have a poster for. After all some shows, a guy just can't afford a t-shirt or the shirts are just plain ugly, ya I know, I already have a few of them. So I am going to show the advertisement and ticket stub for the concert and have a few words about said show.

Another idea I have is KISS collectible of the day. KISS is one of the first bands I ever got into as a kid (7 years old) and over the years I have accumulated quite a collection of KISS items. Between myself buying them and getting them as gifts from friends and family, I have now got a collection. I thought it might be fun to show them off.

Also, I will be starting a bootleg of the month article. I have been pulling out some old records and having a listen lately and am coming across some old bootlegs I have forgotten about. Years back, my brother and I sued to go to Sound Connection a few times a week, and when you have everything you can get by a certain band you are really into, sometimes you have no choice but to start buying bootleg albums. Some are hit and miss, actually most are miss, but have come across a few that are quite good. Or in the least interesting. So keep your eyes open for these new features coming soon.

Thank again for checking out my blog and hope you will continue to have a look.

Concert Shirt Of The Day Oct.27th (Jasper Folk Fest)

Today's t-shirt is from The Jasper Heritage Folk Festival I attended in 2001 in Jasper,Alberta of course. this festival was held over a two day period,Friday evening and all day Saturday. I went to this by myself and stayed and at a friends (Monique's) as she was working there at the time.

Some of the bands I saw that weekend were fiddler Ashley MacIsaac, The Rheostatics, Luther Wright and The Wrongs, Arrogant Worms and this amazing guitar player from New York by the name of Eric Bibb. He was the highlight of the weekend for me. I had never heard of him til this weekend, but quickly became a big fan of him.

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Concert Poster Of The Day Oct.26th (London Quireboys)

Today's poster is actually from The London Quireboys show in Calgary, when I got this poster I didn't realize it was for the Calgary and not the Edmonton show. I never did find a poster for the Edmonton show at Dinwoodie Lounge on the U of A campus here in Edmonton in 1993. Someone messed up and hung up posters here in Edmonton for the wrong show. My brother and I went to this show, but before the show. I had won tickets to an acoustic show by The London Quireboys on the roof of West Edmonton Mall on the afternoon before their evening concert. The opening band for the Dinwoodie show was Salvador Dream. You will notice that they dropped the London from their name at the time, they were touring for their second album Bitter Sweet & Twisted.

Lyrics Of The Day Oct.25th (William Elliot Whitmore)

"Without any proof they couldn't keep me there
So they let me out in the mornin'
And that cop said Son I don't know what you done
But just consider this a little warnin'

I said it must take a lot of nerve to protect and to serve
But I wonder what it would be like
If you didn't have that badge or that gun or that uniform
To hide behind"

Lyrics by William Elliot Whitmore from the song Johnny Law off the album Animals In The Dark (2009)

Concert Shirt/Poster Of The Day Oct.25th (Anthrax)

Today's t-shirt is from the time I saw Anthrax open for Iron Maiden in 1991 at The Agricom in Edmonton. Anthrax were touring for their Persistence Of Time album, which was their last album with the classic line up. Maiden were touring for their No Prayer For The Dying album. Maiden were on the downturn as they couldn't even fill up the Agricom never mind the Coliseum. I went to this show specifically to see Anthrax again as I thought their Persistence album was kick ass. I don't recall who I went to this show with, it may have been Eor and Nerraw. Whomever it was, we had row 2 on the floor for this show.

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Concert Poster Of The Day Oct.24th (The Watchmen)

Today's poster is from the triple bill of The Watchmen with Rymes With Orange and The Headstones concert I saw in 1995 at The Convention Centre in Edmonton. I won these tickets from See Magazine. I don't recall who I went to this show with.

Concert Shirts/Poster Of The Day Oct.23rd (Motley Crue/Whitesnake)

Today's t-shirts are from the double bill of Motley Crue with openers Whitesnake on the Girls,Girls,Girls tour of 1987. This was a pretty good double bill for the time, with both bands having put out decent albums in 87'. Good enough that my buddy Nerraw and I did the back to back shows here in Edmonton at Northlands Coliseum and then the following day going to Calgary and seeing them again at the Olympic Saddledome. This was my second and third time seeing the Crue in concert and was way better then the first time I saw them on the Theatre Of Pain tour.

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Concert Poster Of The Day Oct.22nd (Guns N' Roses)

Today's poster is from the third time seeing Guns N' Roses in concert on their Skin & Bones Tour. This show was in 1993 in Edmonton at Northlands Coliseum with The Brian May Band opening (guitar player from Queen). This was when GnR used to actually hit the stage before midnite. This is also when GnR were able to sell out a venue, as they played to a packed house. Not a bad concert. I went to this show with Buzzard's brother Mike.

Lyrics Of The Day Oct.21st (Tragically Hip)

"and tired of thinking about drinking
for thinking of drinking while thinking
about drinking and thinking about drinking"

Lyrics by The Tragically Hip from the song Eldorado on the album Fully Completely (1992)

Concert Shirt/Poster Of The Day Oct.21st (Pavement/ US Maple)

Today's t-shirt is from a band I saw open for Pavement when I saw them play in Vancouver at The Vogue Theatre in 1999. The band was called U.S. Maple, I had never heard of them before. I had never seen Pavement before either, so I was in for a treat, especially having gone to the show with Uncle Sid. Well, U.S. Maple hit the stage and were incredible, or so I thought at the time. They were a freak noise band with an amazing guitar player. I was so amazed, that I bought a t-shirt from the show, they had no Pavement merchandise. Days after seeing U.S. Maple, I found one of their album. Wow, not good at all, it really is just noise. That evening though, I thought they were one of the best live bands I had heard in years. I guess, Uncle Sid does make things seem better then they actually are. Pavement were really good too, they broke up not long after this concert.

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Concert Poster Of The Day Oct.20th (Danko Jones)

Today's poster is from the third time I saw Danko Jones in concert. This show was at a club called Suburbs in downtown Edmonton in 2002. I went to this show with A-Bomb, his brother Ryan and his friend Chicken. I left this show thinking Danko Jones is one cheesy musician, didn't like this show at all.

Lyrics Of The Day Oct.19th (Mike Plume)

"Raise my head let the music take me,
To a place where they can't make me,
Do the things that I don't want to,
But I do them anyway"

Lyrics by Mike Plume from the song "One Of Those Days" on the album Rock And Roll Recordings...Volume 1 (2004) Click here to hear the song.

In concert news... Mike Plume will be playing in Edmonton at The Haven Social Club Thursday November 18th. with The Switchmen and The Wheat Pool.

Concert Shirt Of The Day Oct.19th (Alice Cooper)

Today's t-shirt is from the Alice Cooper and Motorhead double bill my brother,Eor and I went to in Edmonton at Northlands Coliseum in 1988. This was my third time seeing Alice in concert and second time in a row having front row seats. The main reason I wanted to check this show out was the chance to see Motorhead for the first time, they were touring for their album Rock N' Roll. Motorhead didn't disappoint either, very loud and everything I expected, good stuff.

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