Concert Review -KISS: Alive & United (Chicago November 6, 2009)

KISS: Alive & United
November 6, 2009
Chicago, IL-United Center
By Anthony Kuzminski
{Pics courtesy of Heather Marin}

Over the last decade, many fans have made a sport out of dogging KISS. After a magnificent “Farewell” tour in 2000, KISS did everything but take a final bow. While everyone likes to chastise them for not retiring, the truth is, the 2000 tour proved to be the final time fans would see Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss together on stage, performing in their classic make-up. Since then, KISS has been on a roller coaster ride. While the KISS brand has flourished, their artistic merit has floundered. Dozens of compilations have been issued in that time frame while no original music had been created by the band since their much debated 1998 record Psycho Circus record, until now. KISS had a huge up-hill battle ahead of them. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley are once again left as being the sole original members. Paul Stanley took charge and led the group back into the studio as he once again took control of producing duties. For most of the 1980’s and 1990’s, KISS was paired with producers who couldn’t see the KISS vision. This is why Stanley is back in the producer’s chair. The resulting album, Sonic Boom heralds a sonic architecture that feels more in line with the Lick It Up and Animalize period of KISS, yet it feels as if KISS is embodying their inner strengths. The same could be said of the tour in support of Sonic Boom, the continuation of their Alive 35 tour which started a few years ago overseas.

Arriving in Chicago for their first show in a half decade, and the band’s first performance at the United Center, it was like a entering a time machine back to the 1970’s where KISS ruled arenas. Some of the one-off performances in recent years I witnessed by KISS left me in the cold. I felt disengaged and the performances were distant reminders of what I felt this band was capable of. However, as ironic as it sounds, there is warmth to an arena versus festivals and sheds. KISS looked more at ease, more in control and more ready to fight for their legacy than at any time since the first reunion tour completed in 1997. For over two hours, KISS brought out every trick imaginable. From Gene’s blood spitting and flying on “I Love It Loud” to Paul flying to the back of the arena during “Love Gun”, to Thayer’s gun slinging guitar solo to Singer’s svelte spinning drum solo, one can never deny that the band gives their all to entertain.
I won’t lie, I wrote KISS off years ago, but about fifteen minutes into their recent Chicago show, I felt like a kid again. As the immense KISS drape dropped, the band surged into “Deuce” and “Stutter” which spiraled masterfully into a set high on nostalgia and performances rooted in their past glories. The band roamed and ruled the stage like it was 1977 and while Ace and Peter were missing, their replacements, guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer embodied their spirits and in many ways, outperformed their predecessors. They prove to be the back bone of the current incarnation of KISS and push Stanley and Simmons to up their game. The truth is Thayer and Singer may be the two best overall musicians to ever grace the face paint. By adding them to the KISS chemistry, the songs have grown stronger and become more potent. KISS played to their strengths. While it is unlikely they swayed anyone who wasn’t a fan previously, they may have converted a few doubters back into their corner. Their raging two hour concert was high on adrenaline and pizzazz. Maybe it was nothing more than a nostalgia ride, but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t exhilarating.

It’s hard to balance one’s legacy with keeping your feet planted in the future. These days, the amount of money fans fork over for tickets is staggering and if acts want the money, they need to deliver. The current KISS show in many ways is similar to the current tour Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Both rose to fame in the 1970’s and were heralded and known for their live shows while their record sales were solid yet not through the roof. While KISS was about excess, Springsteen was about personal intimacy. However, as far apart as these two acts appear to be musically, in the end, they both believed in delivering a show so killing and gripping, it would never leave your memory bank. Record sales paled compared to the magic and the myth of their live performances. In 2009, both KISS and Springsteen are playing to their strengths with set lists heavy on previous glories. Yet what differentiates the two is their need to not just win over an audience, but leave them wanting more. Simmons, Stanley and Springsteen are as fluid and free on the concert stage as they have ever been in their entire careers. Whenever they perform, they wrangle with their own legacy. Amazingly, KISS appears to have found the fountain of youth. Both acts bow at the altar of their fans because they keep them in business. The brilliance of the make-up is that one would never know that KISS has been doing this for nearly four decades. Like an old friend you had a falling out with, you reconnect with years later almost as if no time has passed. In many instances, you often wonder why you lost touch in the first place. They enlarge their own myth by delivering note for note recreations than in many instances, surpass the ones we fell in love with. Does this make it better than the original? No, but it makes for a unique viewpoint and alternate history.

The evening was full of memorable ringers; “Calling Dr. Love”, “(Let Me Go) Rock & Roll”, “Rock and Roll All Nite”, “Shout It Out Loud”, “Cold Gin” and even one new song, “Modern Day Delilah”. Every performance was cut from the same fabric of the vintage KISS with some minor improvements. The only questionable performance was that of “Shock Me” with Tommy Thayer on lead vocals. It was like watching your best friend date your first love and while I’m not sure I am entirely comfortable watching it go down, it delivered the desired effect. This was the only song I wrestled with, as KISS found a way to triumph over adversity. “Hotter Than Hell” was boisterous as it was brash, while the opening riff to “Parasite” was forceful and fierce in a fist-pumping progressiveness. KISS has never been one to preach impending doom to its audience, yet the brazenly bracing grandiosity of their live shows embodies the true spirit of rock n’ roll. As my eyes veered to the upper regions of the arena, I couldn’t help but notice the absolute liveliness of the sold-out crowd. Beneath everything one can write about music and its guiding light in our lives or its growth, in the end it really all boils down to a bond, and KISS has it with their audience. Dollar for dollar, guitar pick for guitar pick, pyrotechnic for pyrotechnic, the KISS Alive 35 show is one of the best on the road and provides the audience with a profound bang for their buck. While some tickets were as high as $129, the band also reserved a significant amount of tickets for $18 (and less in other markets). Only Green Day and Metallica are currently offering better deals for a first tier concert production.

Anyone who has ever dismissed KISS for a lack of vision, purpose or mere musical ability would have eaten crow after this performance, specifically the incendiary rendition of “Lick It Up”, which proved to be spellbinding as the band demonstrated mastery of their instruments and a need for a nostalgic eruption. As Thayer and Stanley assaulted their six-string guitars, they stripped away the excess as they broke the song down to the basic primordial chords of the Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” before a cathedral collapsing reprise of “Lick It Up”. In an alternate universe where sci-fi meets sex, KISS is to 1970’s rock n’ roll as the Who is to the 1960’s. While both groups are missing half of their original members, it’s hard to deny their interminable vehemence of wanting to battle with their past nightly. While one can never recapture the same chemical compounds that the original four transport, you can genetically alter them to produce a more lean sound that in some ways is more precise and spot-on than the originals. In the case of KISS, I walked away longing for the original incarnation but defending the new incarnation because of the passion and purpose with which they delivered their catalog.

Beneath the surplus of gadgetry KISS preposterously exceeded all expectations. They unleashed the riotous spirit of rock n’ roll while simultaneously paying homage to their legacy by delivering show stopping anthems as KISS pledges allegiance to the very core values of rock n’ roll. It may not have invigorated your mind or dispatched poetic prose, but it did provide a demonic jolt of merriment. In the end, while I greatly admire the perceptive singer-songwriters who have made me look upon the world in a different light, in the end, above all, it should be infused with pleasure. KISS may not have all of their original members and this may be an impasse some will never be able to see through, yet the Alive 35 tour is about as much fun as anyone could have with their clothes on and sometimes, that’s all rock n’ roll needs to live up to. KISS has proven to be larger than any one member and as they confirmed over two turbocharged hours in Chicago, on any given night, you’ll see a band that is every bit as good as they have ever been, and that is not just their lasting legacy, but their sweetest revenge as well.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.

Album Review & Reflection: Pearl Jam – ‘Vs.’

Pearl Jam – ‘Vs.’
Album Review & Reflection (5-Stars)
By Anthony Kuzminski
The time between Pearl Jam’s first ever gig (October 22, 1990) and the release of their debut record Ten (August 27, 1991) was a mere ten months. Despite the eclectic and seriousness of their first record, it was recorded and released in such a whirlwind that the songs in essence came before Pearl Jam were really a band. Between the release of Ten and their second record Vs. in October 1993, their world changed more than any of them could have ever imagined. Almost overnight they became a band who was deemed the voice of their generation, the ones people looked to for answers and a money making juggernaut for promoters, radio programmers, their record company and MTV. Everyone wanted a piece of them. These types of strains are what break up bands. Pearl Jam could have suffocated under this weight, but they did the opposite. They held the power, they knew it and they flexed it. They refused to make music videos, gave scattered interviews, didn’t play into the hands of corporate behemoths and somehow amidst all of this chaos, made their masterpiece with Vs..

Originally titled Five Against One, Vs. is a collection where the five members indeed reverberate like a band ready to take on the world. While the songs are still intimate and personal, their scope went from full screen to widescreen with a rage reserved for the darkest of metal bands. Because of the way the Ten album, the live performances on the Lollapalooza tour and the “Jeremy” video took off, everyone was in the band’s ear offering advice. The band wanted none of it. The polished studio essence on Ten was absent replaced with a much more potent and acerbic sonic force. If Ten was a heavy weight boxing match, Vs. was Fight Club on speed. On the previous record, the music felt almost classical in its composition, on Vs. it felt like the Ramones meet the Clash meet U2 (circa 1983). The band was taking no prisoners and when I tuned into the MTV VMA’s in 1993 and heard the band tear through “Animal”, I knew changes would be abound on the newest record. Their ire flew off that stage in a way I’m not sure if I have ever seen before or since. Some felt it was an act, I knew it was anything but. The stakes were higher, the rules had changed and more importantly, Pearl Jam was a band. With two years of gigs underneath their belts the band was more brazen and brash in their follow-up to Ten. Rare is an artist who can sell as many records as Pearl Jam did and then to create a record that isn’t just as good but in many ways, superior to Ten.

Right from the prayer-like opening punch of “Go”, the band proves to be unyielding in its need to leave their previous album in the dust. The classic rock stimulus of Ten was pushed to the side with the band embracing more of a punk rock mind-set as featured on “Animal”, “Blood” and “Leash”. The tribal ecstasy of “W.M.A.” makes up for what some see as one-dimensional lyrics and yet it’s impossible to deny the way the song seeps into your psyche because of the zeal with which they were executed. The band took to the recording studio ready for a fight and with bloody knuckles fought their way through twelve compositions ranging from simple storytelling to rage to a heightened understanding of the world around them. They didn’t merely compose about divisive topics, they let their rage vent up from within them shouted it from the top of their lungs and instruments. “Glorified G” has a beat and enlivening riff made for the radio, but it’s a stinging declaration against guns. “Daughter” and “Leash” give voice to the misunderstood hearkening back to “Jeremy” and “Why Go” from the debut. "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" is a perfect mid-tempo ballad of a woman trapped in a small town who comes eye to eye with an old flame who doesn’t even remember her. It’s the misfortune and ache that I could relate to when I heard the record. It’s dressed up for FM dials and evokes a sing-a-long every night in concert, yet beneath the picturesque melody is pain. These universal themes are ever so simplistic, but it’s not the songwriting that made this record a source of salvation for me, but the fever within it.

Pearl Jam was writing at a higher level of consciousness with Vs. and when you’re lost and in need of direction, a compilation of songs that feel as if they were written to resuscitate your life prove to be not just fortifying and invigorating, but resurrecting for your soul as well. No song better epitomizes the emancipation than “Rearviewmirror”. Delivered in a breakneck speed, the song takes the listener on a fervent getaway and may be one of the utmost driving songs ever laid to tape. Hitting the road, leaving your past in the dust and seeing the future with a clear head is something too many of us fail to do, but if anything the song inspires. I learned that sometimes it’s best to confront my demons and at other times, to look away from situations that couldn’t be resolved and to never look back. There’s middle ground between reconciling your past with your present and leaving a bad situation in the dust. Pearl Jam may have been on top of the musical heap at this moment in their career, but they were equally protective of what they had built. They weren’t looking for an easy buck or unnecessary celebrity and even if they had recorded these same songs with a tenth of the passion, it wouldn’t hold up today. Fortunately for us, the music reigned supreme and Pearl Jam proved their worth with Vs..

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.

Album Review & Reflection: Pearl Jam-‘Ten’

Pearl Jam-‘Ten’
Album Review & Reflection (4.5 Stars)
By Anthony Kuzminski

Nirvana’s 1991 release of Nevermind is often credited with providing a tantalizing tremor to the world of music in ways that few others artists/albums/songs ever have. Almost overnight, well crafted radio-ready singles became passé and very, very, very uncool. Nirvana started a revolution and is often credited as such. I doubt anyone wouldnot agree with this, but I have always held the argument that if Nirvana had never existed, that revolution would still have come to pass. Everyone wanted a change it’s just that no one realized it until they heard “Smell Like Teen Spirit”. However, if the song or band never existed, the world’s “Come To Jesus” moment would have been when they fully digested the debut album by Pearl Jam, Ten. Regardless of Nevermind’s success, Ten would have sprouted from obscurity to the masses without a question. People were fatigued of eating the same meal seven days a week and Pearl Jam’s uncompromising, unrefined and wicked truthfulness was the recipe for revolution. Over time Ten has outsold Nevermind thanks in no part to songs that are cut in a classic-rock vein. More importantly, I suppose more people understood lead singer Eddie Vedder’s lyrics (even if at times I wonder what precisely is being said). From the opening instrumental that precedes “Once” to the parallel coda of “Release”, Ten was a fatiguing psychological event that sheltered you, fucked with you, confronted you and ultimately released you like the greatest records do. The potency of Ten is in its songs which are laced with melodies amidst an avalanche of sledgehammer chords appealing to the non-nonsense attitudes of the alternative world but was melodious enough for those who grew up on pop and hard rock to devour.

I bought Ten without hearing a track on the record; a rarity for me. However, I strongly recall Rip Magazine doing coverage on the band, having full page ads and because I never ventured out to hear or buy Mother Love Bone, I felt obligated to buy this one. What I heard crushed me. At the time, I saw Pearl Jam as a member of the hard rock family who was writing from a higher conscious level not seen since U2. On the album’s opener “Once” Vedder empathizes in a way where he doesn’t sing so much as bark at you making the listener an integral part of the experience. I barely understood the lyrics, but he was pissed off and so was I. This wasn’t music that was being sung to me, but felt as if it was coming from me. I love it when people condemn the grunge movement as the nail in the coffin of hard rock, but the truth is that many of the acts had either self imploded recently or they were creating music that their fans could not relate to. So when the brutal directness of Ten invaded your speakers, it was as if seeing light after an intolerable darkness. When the riff to “Even Flow” lashed across my headphones, I immediately thought, “what the hell is this and why it isn’t on the radio”. It was an all encompassing anthem for the masses. This wasn’t made to be played in clubs, but arenas and stadiums. “Even Flow” to this day is the one staple that appears at every Pearl Jam show no matter what. While I’d give anything for them to retire it for one tour, it’s difficult to deny its power. Ament’s bass grooves like a biker on a highway, weaving in and out of lanes when necessary but always with his focus on the road ahead. However, especially on the new remixed edition of Ten, Aments’ bass curls around your ribs reverberating itself. Stone Gossard’s finger flexing cements the songs vigorous stomps. In 1991, it had been a while to find sonic and lyrical candor this authentic, alluring and palatable.

Over the course of eleven near perfect songs, the band takes the listener on an emotional roller coaster comforting, scaring and redefining what an album could do. One of the reasons this record sold north of eight figures (thirteen-million in the US to date) is because of the bevy of top-tier songs. People discovered that this was a record that contained more than MTV hits, but a multitude of cuts that serenaded not just one’s ears but their inner psyche as well. From the misunderstood and misdiagnosed narrator of “Why Go”, to the existential anthem “Alive”, to the harrowing heartbreak of “Black” to the outward aggression of “Porch”, there was no holding back of emotions and for a short time, wearing your emotions on your sleeve were more than just a passing fad but proved to be a release needed by much of the world. One has to wonder if there is a higher power playing chess allowing certain lives to intersect and weave together for a band like Pearl Jam to stay together. Even if Ten was not a landmark record, it would still be a wildly important one because of the impact it gave and its everlasting legacy. Every tour I see by Pearl Jam features a significantly younger audience that was not at the previous tour. There’s something universal about the battles we face in life and how Pearl Jam found a way to triumph through the sheer will of the fight. struggles and despair evoked out of these songs. Even when my love and admiration fell to the wayside a few years later, I would return to this record time and time again always discovering something about myself in the process. There was an unspoken instinctive trust between band and fan. These songs weren’t just songs on the radio but the listener felt as if they were reading out of someone’s diary and as a result, it was all that more real to them. It wasn’t a sound or image that took the wind out of the sails of polished music, it was the sincerity. Ten<>Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.

Kelly Clarkson-Our Lives Would Suck Without Her (Chicago Live Review 10-27-09)

Kelly Clarkson-Our Lives Would Suck Without Her
Rosemont Theatre-Rosemont, IL
October 27, 2009
By Anthony Kuzminski
{Photo Credits}
“Lies, lies, lies, ohh lies”…these are the words that escape delicately from Kelly Clarkson amidst a dimly lit stage with only a guitarist and piano. This is a long way from in-your-face pop stardom, but it’s where Clarkson is most at home. The Black Keys song (“Lies”) is pouring out of Clarkson like a tear-inducing confessional as she is ripping out a piece of her soul and sharing it with the audience. Her voice swells like a fifty piece orchestra as she seems to bring the emotions of the song to the forefront for everyone to connect to. One can’t help but be struck by what an unlikely pop star Kelly Clarkson truly is. For over ninety-minutes at the Rosemont Theatre (just outside of Chicago), Clarkson with her dreamlike voice evoked epic emotions. If you think you know who Kelly Clarkson is from television and what you hear on the radio, you are seeing a mere fraction of her essence. On her latest concert tour, her sprawling talents are on full display as she shifts between her pop hits, forgotten hymns and some choice cover versions that leave you in astonishment. Besides having one of the greatest singing voices ever to grace popular music, she has an acute admiration for music in general. Covering songs by artists as eclectic as Patsy Cline, the Black Keys and the Kings of Leon, Clarkson attempted shine a light on lesser known artists who deserve their moment in the spotlight. The tip of the hat she gave these acts was more than mere exuberance, she took each of these songs to heights the originators may not have been even aware they could reach, proving that a song doesn’t need to be on the radio to be great. Clarkson has been blessed with a gift so compelling, she could part a sea with it. She is a remarkable talent and like Sinatra, when she sings a song, whether she wrote it or not, she completely and utterly owns it.

Opening the concert with “All I Ever Wanted”, the title-track from her latest LP, it was followed immediately by “Miss Independent” from her debut record. What I initially thought would be merely an evening of fun, turned into something much more profound. Clarkson’s crowd welcomed her with open arms and when the band launched into “I Do Not Hook Up”, the crowd vociferously reacted and sung at the top of their lungs. Supporting her was an eclectic eleven-piece band that was succinct and precise but never icy. The band congealed into a wall of sound. More than mere hired musicians, there appeared to be an unspoken bond between them, a rarity for a group of musicians supporting a solo artist. The entire set list was meticulously paced sprinkled with new songs (“If I Can’t Have You”), covers (an acoustic rendering of Patsy Cline’s “Walking After Midnight”) and megahits (“Because of You”). The Alanis Morissette/Kings of Leon mash-up “That I Would Be Good/ Use Somebody” was serendipitous as it was ingenious. The combination of these two songs clicked in a way that only Clarkson could make possible. It was a signal of the deep veneration Clarkson has for all styles of music. She doesn’t want her audience to live in a sheltered world of radio hits; she encourages them to look beyond the radio dial. “Breakaway” soared as she wrapped the audience around her finger in the process. As she sung “I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky”, you feel a sense of warmth overtake you and fill you with purpose. As I watched her luminous and radiant face sing “Breakaway”, I felt I was watching something more than a routine, but someone sharing a deep conversation with me. There was a level of intimacy to the evening that is rare these days. Clarkson has been graced by God above with a talent so staggering that it’s mouth gaping. Listening to her voice is enough to make you feel as if the clouds have dissipated and the sun is gleaming down on you.

Every song was performed by Clarkson as if it was a part of her own journey and was completely at home on the concert stage, even forgoing shoes as she pranced across the stage barefoot. She did more than show up and sing her songs; she created a bond between herself and the audience by oozing sincerity. As she chatted with the audience in-between songs, she came off as someone you have known your whole life and not someone who is unapproachable. Most of the world fell in love with her on American Idol in 2002 and while I was aware of her, I didn’t pay attention to the show or even her career. However, as time has progressed, she continued to astound me. Seven years and four albums later, Clarkson has established a rapport with her audience and they’re not going anywhere any time soon based on the fervent reactions of the Chicago crowd.

Kelly Clarkson comes off as an artist who is restless, takes chances and will not force feed her audience. She could play it easy and appease the suits at her record company, but she is motivating not just herself but her audience as well with every performance. She opens her audience to new (and possibly difficult) music and most importantly, she challenges everyone who comes to see her to seek out other artists and music. “Behind Those Hazel Eyes”, a tear down the walls rocker was done acoustically bringing the intimacy of the lyric to the forefront signifying her songs don’t need layers of sheen, because her voice compliments the songs in even the starkest arrangements. “Never Again”, began with a Euro synch beat before the band tore through it like a bat out of hell .While watching Clarkson, I knew that she was not a pop star, but an artists with layers of complexity beneath her. “I Want You”, from her latest record All I Ever Wanted has a Phil Spector quality to it. It’s pure bubblegum pop while being simultaneously auspicious. “Already Gone”, her latest single, was delivered in a laid back arrangement without the studio flash and pizzazz. She turns the song on its head, not something most people would be willing to do with their current single. If that wasn’t enough, “Walk Away” featured her horn section up front and center. Even on her most celebrated hits, Clarkson was rearranging and presenting them in novel, innovative and enlivening arrangements that are every bit as endearing as the ones we fell in love with.

The end of the show provided a potent jolt of turbocharged harmony. “Since You Been Gone” shook the theater like a classic AC/DC anthem. It’s as thunderous as any stadium anthem, demonstrated best by the Chicago newspaper reporter two seats down from me who threw her notebook and pen on the ground and threw her arms to the air as her hair covered her face from the quake of the crowd while screaming the lyrics on the top of her lungs. Opening the encore was the impassioned soul-styled testimonial, “Sober”. An argument can be made this is her greatest accomplishment as a songwriter. The pained ballad brought a windfall of perseverance. This song should have been something more than a lost track, but her record company didn’t give it the push it deserved. Requested by a fan at a meet and greet earlier in the day, Clarkson dusted this one off and based on the intensity with which she delivered this pining ballad, it should be a nightly staple. Just when you feel as if there couldn’t be any further revelations, the band ripped into “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes. In a full-band rave up, the song exploded off the stage as all eleven members of the band breathed life into this unanticipated cover. Highlighting the song was a three-piece horn section giving the song righteous sonic weight that would make even Jack White smile with glee. If that wasn’t enough, the evening’s finale, “My Life Would Suck Without You” proved to be potently irresistible in its superbly unsubtle delivery. Flexing a range of musical styles and perfect pacing, Kelly Clarkson did everything right. She is someone who through her enthusiasm and fortitude has become more than a television star, but someone who is without question, a truly significant artist. Her name elicits a barrage of misconceptions, but in the end, Kelly Clarkson will have the last laugh at her critics, as she will undoubtedly have a career while those who try and derail her will be on the sidelines watching. This is a young woman whose true beauty is unleashed every time a harmonious note escapes from her lips. It’s as if she’s sharing a piece of her soul with us and purging a demon simultaneously every time she sings. There are performers who do this for celebrity and ego, Kelly Clarkson does it because she has no other choice. That is what differentiates artists from celebrities. If Clarkson wasn’t singing to sold-out crowds, she would be somewhere in Texas singing her ass off because it soothes her soul. In Clarkson’s incandescent voice, we see the past, the present and most importantly the future. Music puts a time stamp on our emotions and the stakes are high, because we invest ourselves in these songs and the artists who create this music. Clarkson’s music is far more than mere product or distraction but something we all attach ourselves to and invest in; a penicillin for our troubles if you will. Music isn’t a vehicle for fame and fortune for Kelly Clarkson, it’s a lifeline for her to express herself and hopefully in the process she shares something with those willing to listen. If you haven’t been listening up to now, it’s time you start, you’ll be surprised at what you discover.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.

How Bon Jovi Plans To Pad First Week Sales of 'The Circle'

This is the type of stuff that just frosts me. First and foremost, it's common knowledge that pre-sales offer some of the worse tickets possible. Hell, regular on-sales are for the birds as well (although people do occasionally get lucky).

I received the following from the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. Notice the fine print:

*Beginning Thursday, Nov 5 at 10 AM through Sunday, Nov 8 at 10 PM consumers that pre-order Bon Jovi's new album, The Circle, through Ticketmaster can purchase up to 8 tickets in Stadiums or 4 tickets in Arenas. If you purchase tickets during this time frame, one digital album will be added to your ticket order for a price of $10.84 (includes applicable sales tax). You will receive an email from Ticketmaster with instructions on how to redeem the new album. Redeem your digital download code for "The Circle" by 11/15 11:59 PM PST you'll receive 3 previously unreleased bonus tracks recorded live at Madison Square Garden and an exclusive audio interview with Jon Bon Jovi himself! This offer is only available to U.S. residents and does not apply to VIP tickets.

OK, so it's not bad enough that these pre-sale tickets will most likely be among the poorest available and now to be blessed with the opportunity to buy lousy pre-sale seats, it's going to cause you $10.84 for a digital copy of this record. Even worse, the tally will be reported to Billboard as a album sale. Because they have the option to wait until the regular pre-sale, it gets counted, because there's an option. Through iTunes it will cost you $9.99 and I'm guessing the physical copy in stores next week will be $10 and under as well.

People are tired of being screwed. By their companies, their governments and now their rock stars. If you're blessed enough to have fans willing to pay up for lousy seats, don't insult them by forcing them to buy your new record.

Bon Jovi Unveils DVD Cover & Tracklist For 'Live At Madison Square Garden' DVD

It looks like the Bon Jovi "Live At Madison Square Garden" has a tracklist and international release dates. I'm assuming the dvd will be released with the When We Were Beautiful documentary DVD release next year in the US.

Japanese DVD pre-order at this link.

'Lost Highway'
'Born To Be My Baby'
'Blaze Of Glory'
'It's My Life'
'Keep The Faith'
'Raise Your Hands'
'Living In Sin/Chapel Of Love'
'Always'
'Whole Lot Of Lovin''
'In These Arms'
'We Got It Going On'
'I'll Be There For You'
'(You Want To) Make A Memory'
'Blood On Blood'
'Dry County'
'Have A Nice Day'
'Who Says You Can’t Go Home'
'Hallelujah'
'Wanted Dead Or Alive'
'Livin’ On A Prayer'

Bonus Songs:

'You Give Love A Bad Name'
'Runaway'
'Bed Of Roses'

Album Review: Bon Jovi - 'The Circle'

Bon Jovi- ‘The Circle’
Album Review
*** (3-Stars)
By Anthony KuzminskiAlso check out:

• When We Were Beautiful Book Review
• Album Review & Reflection on These Days, Part I and Part II
  

Bon Jovi’s eleventh studio record, The Circle is an enticing enigma. Playing to their strengths with a sound ready-made for arena bombast, it’s immediately alluring and entrancing, but is this a positive or a negative is the question at the tip of everyone’s tongue? Let’s be frank, shall we? Bon Jovi, for all that has written about them, is a band who could write a hit single in their sleep. Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora have been graced by God above with the inherent talent of melody. Some people on this planet make a living doctoring songs and making them more accessible, but Bon Jovi doesn’t need to do that as their song templates immediately grab you and welcome you with open arms. Bon Jovi records entrance and pull one in immediately, infusing one with impulse buying. This past decade has found certain songs evolving beyond that initial listen, while many fall from grace and a year later songs like “Save The World”, “Everybody’s Broken” and “Joey” leave one with the feeling the morning after a one-night stand, where you wish you erase the experience from your memory bank. That being said, The Circle is an aural joyride as Bon Jovi digs into the psyche of the world, one at its collapse, and guide the listener to see the silver lining in the sky. The band has crafted a collection of twelve songs steeped in optimism and an overriding sense of reaching for the stars, escape and eternal hope. It’s a brilliant move by them, because it’s a bullet-proof theme that one can’t really criticize. If you do, you come across as a cynical and jaded. The question we all have to ask ourselves when listening to the record is this; does it work?

I’ve always been a believer that people should do what they do best and never be chided for it. For Bon Jovi, writing pop-rock songs riddled with clichés about the struggles of life is their calling. However, how often can they write the same song with the similar themes without being accused of plagiarizing themselves? The really great artists of our time find inspiration from within and find a way to channel their pain into a song and hopefully we latch on, because we need to redemption. Whenever I speak to an artist about the trials and tribulations of creating a record and they ask me for my advice, I always answer the same; “as long as it comes from the heart, no one can criticize you”. My problem with The Circle is that notwithstanding all its grandiose declarations, I’m not sure if it’s concocted or truly legitimate. Is this earnest or merely a sales-pitch for their next world tour? I can’t say as only they know for sure. But one listen to “Work for the Working Man” gives the implication that Bon Jovi is out-of-touch with the real world. How can a band who is on top of the world associate themselves to the struggles of Middle America? People who have lost their pensions, their jobs, their homes and in the wreckage there is nothing left but broken dreams? Can a group of guys who have been standing on top of the world for two decades truly comprehend the ache, anguish and fears of a group of people a million tax brackets away? I’d like to say “yes”, but I just can’t swallow it. “Live Before You Die” features an earnest lyric that features sagging vocals from Bon Jovi amidst orchestral instrumentation that while possibly challenging, feels instantly dated. The sentimental story doesn’t grab hold of you and lacks direction and it a prime example of the band trying too hard to manipulate emotions. What differentiates the Bon Jovi of the 1990’s versus the 2000’s are life experiences. During the previous decade, the band continually branched out and sought new experiences whether it was acting, solo projects or producing other artists. Since 2000, the band has been on a write/record/promote/tour train that has never subsided, therefore thwarting the writing talents of Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. The one true year they had off this decade (2004) still found the release of a box set and the writing and recording of the Have A Nice Day record. While they always manage to create a handful of songs on every record that endure, one can’t help that they would make better top-to-bottom records if they took more time with them or went on hiatus only to came back recharged with a fresh stance of the world and their lives.

Fortunately, The Circle has its fair share of high points and as of this writing, I can safely say, it will receive a passing grade, but not without some debate. I can’t help but think that many of these same topics and themes on The Circle were approached (rather inadequately) on their 2002 record Bounce. The song selection for Bounce is a topic of much debate with songs such as “Still Standing”, “Alive”, “No Regrets”, “We Can Dance” and “Another Reason To Believe” all surpassing many of the songs ultimately included. Here we are seven-years later and The Circle shares many of the same themes. Sadly, one of the negative aspects of The Circle (and Bounce as well) is the production. Producer John Shanks doesn’t embellish the Bon Jovi sound and in many ways, diminishes their power as a group. The argument that these songs will play better in concert doesn’t fly, because this is the final product. If Bon Jovi released live concert recordings on a regular basis, I might change my mind, but they don’t even release live b-sides anymore. Saying that the songs are largely spectacular while dismissing the dense production is akin to telling a woman that she looked gorgeous on her wedding day, if not for her dress. The songs and production goes hand in hand. If one falls short, then it hurts the overall product. Shanks production bleeds together making the individual instruments indecipherable. As I have recently listened to the latest Beatles remasters, I was struck by the warmth of the upgraded sound and not just hearing Paul McCartney’s bass and Ringo’s nuanced drum fills, but feeling them. None of that feeling is present here allowing for a foolhardy and infuriating listening experience. I can’t tell if these were studio musicians brought in or the actual band. The engineer work and mixing done by Bob Rock from Slippery through Keep the Faith has never received its due, but the instruments jumped out at you and captured your imagination (think of the opening of “Lay Your Hands On Me” or the spiraling opener “I Believe” from KTF). The nuances that make their previous records indelible are largely missing and it’s a blemish that hinders The Circle.

Bon Jovi’s music is meant to be heard blazing down the highway of life where the windows are down, the wind blowing through your hair and you are have a smile imprinted on your face. It’s the ultimate escape music and tugs at your heart strings with its over-the-top sentimentality and stadium-ready choruses. Their music is like an anti-depressant that lifts you when you most need it. You can’t fault Bon Jovi for this. They do it better than anyone. It would be akin to chiding Paul McCartney for writing an ear fetching melody. The Circle does have some reach-for-the sky anthems, notably “Superman Tonight” which despite its unfortunate title features a driving combustion of sonic muscle paired with boy-meets-girl proclamations (“Who’s going to save you when the stars fall from the sky?”). Bon Jovi lyrics on paper always come across as unadorned, but their enthusiasm is irrefutable and their ability to hook the audience is confounding. “Breathe in, breathe out” lyrics that are clichéd as they are mundane, but Bon Jovi finds a way to make them work on stratospheric “Brokenpromiseland”. Sambora’s vocal embellishments here (and on most of the record) provide one with a nostalgic sense of what has made Bon Jovi one of the most endearing acts of the last few decades. “Fast Cars” features a build-up that never quite delivers amidst a sold arrangement that could have used some strapping touch-ups. “Bullet” features some punching riffs by Sambora, “Thorn In My Side” features a biting lyric delivered with a nuanced vocal performance by Bon Jovi, one of the album’s more dynamic cuts. “Love’s The Only Rule” is pure magic set against a burning drum beat that drives the song (with a little lifting from the Kings of Leon’s “woo-ooo-ooo” chorus of “Be Somebody”). Lacking originality or not, this song is an illustration of Bon Jovi at their best. Their ability to send your emotions soaring and to console your pain is unquestionable.

Despite all my qualms with the production, lyrics and sincerity of The Circle, I drop to my knees when I hear “When We Were Beautiful” and the album’s closer, “Learn To Love”. “Learn To Love” is a study in lightness and darkness where they “leave it all on the table”. Contemplating the life cycle we all endure, it was one of the few occurrences on this record that I felt Sambora and Bon Jovi were looking ahead, facing their mortality and writing about something truly from within them. Grasping hold of our dreams, desires and our life, we control our openness to love and all too often turn away from love because it’s easier to fold your cards and walk away rather than taking a chance. “Learn To Love” has a lamenting opening before a liberating sing-a-long chorus encompasses the song which will shake the foundations of stadiums in 2010 and bring back to Bic lighter with a vengeance. “When We Were Beautiful” is an audacious step forward for the band with its chiming musical progression. Not a ballad, and not a rocker, this song better defines Bon Jovi in 2009 than most of The Circle. As the band delivers the lyrics “The world is cracked, the sky is torn/ So much less meant so much more”, you can discern the a sensation of solace overcome you the way a answered prayer might. Done by any other artist of merit, “When We Were Beautiful” would unquestionably be heralded as a poignant masterpiece of the state of the world. While the band proved to over-reach in their need to connect on The Circle, these two songs jolt out at you, enthrall your psyche and tug at your heartstrings. The band sound like a tsunami of emotion in their inconspicuous performances finding a perfect balance between innocence and comprehension. “When We Were Beautiful” isn’t ostentatious but it echoes stronger than anything else on this record. The “sha-la-la” chorus is melancholic yet it feels triumphant as it seeps its way into not just your mind or body, but your soul. The irony is the declaration of “When We Were Beautiful” could have been more exultant if parallel themes weren’t explored tediously elsewhere on the record. These two songs elevate The Circle and illustrate that Bon Jovi is a remarkable band, when they want to be, capable of making illustrious music.

The Circle will be a record that will warrant a deeper dissection further down the road, but my aggravation comes from the fact that it could have been so much more. One senses that in the hands of a more accomplished producer along the lines of Rick Rubin, Bob Rock or Peter Collins, they would have had the band refine the lyrics and in some cases, re-write the songs so that they came across as more than mere demos. I would rather hear an artist that tackles difficult subjects and reconciles internal demons rather than one who conforms to appealing to the widest audience possible. It’s venerable, but the greatest music comes from within when artists bleed and their only way of fighting the pain is to create and not to conform. If I had a chance to interview the band, I would ask them what’s more important; creating music that is timely or crafting songs and records that are timeless?

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com

Book Review: ‘Bon Jovi: When We Were Beautiful’ (Rock Reads)

‘Bon Jovi: When We Were Beautiful’
Book Review
Publisher: Collins Design (Hardcover 192-pages)
By Anthony Kuzminski
{Buy the book at this link}
Picture books these days are a dime a dozen, everyone seems to have one. Their worth is determined by the care put into compiling the book. Recent books by the likes of U2 and Metallica (authorized and unauthorized) have been among the best. When paging through them, you want to be transported to the past while simultaneously seeing a story unwoven over the pages and pages of pictures. The world is witnessing an influx of Bon Jovi material at the moment; a new album, documentary, live DVD and a photo book. The picture book When We Were Beautiful was the one I was looking least forward to and at this time because I figured it would be more of a souvenir rather than an important document of the band’s career; it’s my favorite of all the recent releases. The nearly two-hundred page hardcover book isn’t a biography, a definitive photo history or even a companion piece to the film When We Were Beautiful. It’s a standalone entity and while it shares its name with the title of a new song and their documentary, it’s more or less a collection of pictures and stories celebrating the band’s quarter of a century together.

Over the last twenty-five years, I am not sure if there is any musician who has given more interviews than Jon Bon Jovi. Love him or hate him, the man is the hardest working man in show business. While other rock stars view doing morning radio shows as beneath them, Jon sets the alarm early and is willing to show up, smile, shake hands and kiss babies. This is a blessing and a curse. I’ve followed his career so long that I find him to repeat himself over and over again in there interviews, yet while reading the WWWB book, I could separate myself from the hundreds (if not thousands) of interviews he’s given over the years. If anything, his quotes come off more sincere and congratulatory in print, than in person. I walked away with a better appreciation of the physical and emotional demands that he endures taking his rock n’ roll circus on the road. Make no mistake, it’s very hard to sympathize with multi-millionaire rock stars who live very good lives, but through some intimate and revealing photographs, one can see and feel the exhaustion and challenges that one endures being in a rock band regardless of size or success.
Many of the quotes and stories can be heard in the documentary, but the book houses dozens of stories and quotes not found in the film. We get some interesting anecdotes from Jon about how he keeps his voice in shape, some minor reflections on the These Days record and individual reflections from all four main members of Bon Jovi. While there are no earth shattering revelations in the book, but there is enough here to hold one’s interest amidst the stunning photo’s. After all, this is a photo book more than anything else. In the last few years, there have been some really exceptional picture books on Motley Crue, Metallica and U2, but most of them were either tied to very specific time periods or were all-encompassing; the Bon Jovi book is neither. Even though it has a few childhood pictures and some pictures from the very early days, including a show on Jon from the first time they played Madison Square Garden in 1983 (opening for ZZ Top). In short, at just shy of two-hundred pages and with a list price of $30 (less than $20 at most online retailers), this book is a bargain and it’s simplistic and succinct length makes the book alluring. This very easily could have been a glorified tour program, but it’s so much more. Considering that programs from the Lost Highway tour were $40, this book is a steal at its price, and especially considering it is a hard cover. I’ll admit I wish there was more. Alec John Such is barely seen, as is his replacement, Hugh McDonald and that’s a shame as both are integral members to the band, their history and their live show, even if they are standing in the shadows. Violinist Lorenza Ponce and guitarist Bobby Bandiera (who play with Jon at fundraisers and both who were on the 2008 tour) are only seen in glimpses. It would have been nice to hear them give their insight about performing with one of the biggest bands on the planet. There are no pictures from Anton Corbijn (who shot the Keep the Faith album pics) or Ross Halfin (who took many of the rawest concert shots of the band during the 1990’s). While these are a few letdowns, there are dozens of pictures from Mark Weiss. Weiss shot the infamous banned (and released) covers for Slippery When Wet and was an integral part of capturing the image and spirit of the band during their first commercial heyday. Weiss managed to seize the band at their most youthful and exuberant before and amidst international fame. These were five kids living out their dreams at a time of innocence before taking pictures was a laborious task. His images inside When We Were Beautiful are reason enough to own this book. They’re such a trip down memory lane that it makes me yearn for a full-blown book of pictures from him devoted to Bon Jovi. Bill Hale recently released a book on Metallica’s early club years and while I wasn’t old enough to witness the magic of Metallica, his pictures made me feel like I was there. I wish Weiss would do the same with Bon Jovi, as these are more than pictures, but a time capsule to the past.

Not every project by an artist should needs to be an all-encompassing look back. Whether it’s a book, video collection or even a box set, the first rule is that it should be first-rate regardless of the time frame involved. While When We Were Beautiful houses mostly pictures by Phil Griffin from the band’s 2008 Lost Highway tour, there is enough here from the band’s past to sink your teeth into and be thankful that they made a decision to encompass their entire career. This isn’t the definitive book on Bon Jovi, but it’s an eye-catching chapter in their ongoing career and that’s enough to make it highly recommended.

Book Grade: B+

By the way, on page 183, in the lower right corner, it has one of the best pictures from the book. It is of Jon and Richie holding a guitar and on it is inscribed:

"To Jon- “Keep Livin’ On A Prayer”
Happy Birthday ‘08
-Bob Dylan"

Priceless.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.

The Week In Review: Will Hoge, Bruce Springsteen, Lucero & Kelly Clarkson

Look for full fledged reviews of all these shows in the next week.

I caught Will Hoge here in Chicago last week. He's down to a four piece band, but that didn't matter as the bourbon and blues-rock template was as good as its ever been. The show was short for his standards (100-minutes), but tough to argue with. His latest record, THE WRECKAGE, is damn good, but not on par with his last two records (IMO), but still good. That being said, it did take me about 4-5 listens to fully appreciate. I was mad I missed MIlwaukee the next night as the show proved to be epic with a staggering 11 song encore...alas...

...I was at the Bottom Lounge catching LUCERO {antiMusic link}. Damn these guys are great. I had never heard them until two days before, but I'll be damned. These guys just rule the stage and what I love about them is their drive to exhaust the audience. Well worth the $$$ if they come to your town. The horns sounded great on this night.
http://www.antimusic.com/reviews/09/Lucero_Live.shtml

Bruce Springsteen in St Louis the next night. In short, a disappointment. If you had never seen him before, it would have been splendid, but considering how phenomenal the show was the previous year, this one fell flat on all accounts. The biggest issue was the holdover of the same songs from last year, not performed as well. Seeing BTR again was great, but the songs leading up to it and after it never gelled.

Was sent to review Kelly Clarkson two nights later. I despise American Idol, but I'm not sure if I can despise anything that brought a talent like this to the forefront. She did a slew of covers and even melded a Alanis Morissette and Kings of Leon song together. Her rendition of "Lies" by the Black Keys was jaw dropping. It literally sent shivers down my spine. She also made sure her
audience knew it was the Black Keys. She did a Patsy Cline song acoustic and in the encore, did a full on band version of "Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes with horns and all.

Say what you want, but beneath the pop exterior is a artist screaming to get out. Many of her biggest hits were done differently (acoustic, with horns, etc). One of the best surprises I have had in recent memory as far as shows go. Let's hope some of her fans seek out those artists she covered. Also, she got bonus points for bad mouthing her record label as "A**holes" not once, but twice. After she did "Lies" she mentioned how she wants to do more bluesy numbers, but
"The A-holes I work for won't let me".

For prices between $20 and $50, a definite bargain...

xT

A Look Inside Bon Jovi's 'When We Were Beautiful' Book

The good folks over at Harper Collins sent me a copy of the new Bon Jovi book, When We Were Beautiful, before its release next week. I honestly had no desire to really even look at the book, because I figured it would be nothing more than a glorified tour program. While it's not a definitive history on the band nor does it shed light on anything a fan doesn't already know, I have to say the book is far better than I could have anticipated.

To see a full blown preview, check out the official site.

First off, the pictures in the book are great. Say what you want about Phil Griffin's direction of the documentary, but his black and white shots are vivid and potent reminders of the poetic glories that can be captured on film. While I was under the impression that the book would house only newer pictures, I'm happy to say the book traces the entire history of the band, including some childhood pictures and vintage shots of the band. Mark Weiss' photo's are a time machine back a few decades. While Weiss never received the praise the likes of Anton Corbijn, his pictures are priceless. I'm a big believer that artists let their guard down when they have a close personal relationship with someone. Whether it be an author, video director or a photographer, they usually pull something more from them, capture them at being more vulnerable or even gets a shot or quote the average person couldn't. The pictures Weiss captured during the bands heyday (1986-1990) make the book worth its weight in gold.



I wouldn't compare it to U2's superb U2 by U2, but this is a different type of book. It's not meant to be a definitive history of the band or a full-blown picture book. It's merely a stop-gap book showcasing the band's history over the last few decades. While I could nitpick about what is not here (pics from Ross Halfin, in-depth reviews of each album, etc), for a mere $17, this is one of the best bargains for a coffee table book in recent memory. While I wish it was longer, I was surprised to see it so full of life.

I included some brief pics of the book below. It hits stores on November 3rd. I'll do a full blown review on antiMusic next week. Check back here for a link.

You can pre-order the book for $17 right here.

Bon Jovi's 2010-11 "The Circle Tour" Itinerary & Press Release (w/ some ticket prices)

See below for the official tour announcement. Per Ticketmaster, the prices for the New Jersey stadium shows will be between US $36.50 - US $150.00.

North American Tour Announced at Bon Jovi`s Exclusive New Meadowlands Stadium
Performance

Bon Jovi to be the First Band to Play New Meadowlands Stadium
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.--(Business Wire)--

With New Jersey`s New Meadowlands Stadium as their backdrop, GRAMMY
Award-winning hometown heroes Bon Jovi performed at a concert and media event
today that announced "The Circle World Tour." The band is preparing to spend
nearly two years spanning the globe, including the kickoff event of New
Meadowlands Stadium, scheduled for May 26th and 27th, 2010.

The New Meadowlands concerts will go on sale beginning at 10am on Saturday,
October 31st, while additional tour dates go on sale November 9th and 16th. Fans
should continue to log on to www.bonjovi.com for the most up to date concert and
ticket on-sale information.

The band`s Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, David Bryan and Tico Torres performed
an exclusive set for a select group of 5,000 lucky contest winners, fan club
members, and on-site construction workers currently at work building the New
Meadowlands Stadium. Bon Jovi was also joined by New York Jets Chairman & CEO
Woody Johnson, New York Giants President & CEO, John Mara, as well asPresident
&CEO of the New Meadowlands Stadium Company, Mark Lamping. New York`s powerhouse
radio station WPLJ DJ, Race Taylor, served as emcee. Live footage of the event
is available at www.BonJovi.com. An embeddable player is available at
http://www.iclips.net/widgets/jbj/jbj_embed.html.

Beginning with the band`s North American tour launch on February 19th, 2010 in
Seattle, WA, Bon Jovi will spend much of the next two years on the road,
performing 135 shows in 30 countries. Following in the footsteps of their hugely
successful "Lost Highway Tour, Bon Jovi will draw fans around the world into
TheCircle, with a residency at London`s O2 Arena in June 2010 before returning
to America in the fall for an additional nationwide leg, and further dates well
into 2011.

"It is often said that the third time is a charm, and in the case of the Bon
Jovi/AEG Live relationship, this axiom certainly holds," said Randy Phillips,
President and CEO of AEG Live. "AEG Live has been honored to serve as the band's
worldwide tour promoters, from the 2005 'Have A Nice Day' tour to the highest
grossing tour of 2008, 'Lost Highway,' to the upcoming 'The Circle World Tour'
in 2010. Bon Jovi is one of the most prolific and exciting live rock bands in
the world."

Having sold more than 120 million albums and performed more than 2,600 concerts
in over 50 countries for more than 34 million fans, Bon Jovi is at their best
when they`re on the move, and that`s truer now than ever before. The November
10th, 2009 release of Bon Jovi`s new album, The Circle, and the band`s
subsequent world tour, provides a powerful reassertion of Bon Jovi`s commitment
to the hard-hitting rock & roll that has been the band`s indelible signature
since it began more than 26 years ago.

Bon Jovi`s 2010 "The Circle World Tour" North American Itinerary

February 19 Seattle, WA KeyArena
February 22 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion
February 24 Phoenix, AZ Jobing.com Arena
February 26 Anaheim, CA Honda Center
March 2 Sacramento, CA ARCO Arena
March 4 Los Angeles, CA STAPLES Center
March 6 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
March 8 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
March 9 Omaha, NE Qwest Center
March 11 Wichita, KS INTRUST Bank Arena
March 13 Fargo, ND Fargodome
March 15 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
March 17 Detroit, MI The Palace of Auburn Hills
March 19 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
March 20 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
March 23 Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center
March 24 Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center
March 29 Washington, D.C. Verizon Center
April 7 St. Paul, MN Xcel Center
April 10 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
April 13 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
April 15 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
April 17 Tampa, FL St. Pete Times Forum
April 18 Ft. Lauderdale, FL BankAtlantic Center
April 21 Nashville, TN Sommet Center
April 22 Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Arena
May 26 East Rutherford, NJ New Meadowlands Stadium
May 27 East Rutherford, NJ New Meadowlands Stadium
July 15 Edmonton, AB Commonwealth Stadium
July 17 Winnipeg, MB Canad Inns Stadium
July 20 Toronto, ON Rogers Centre
July 24 Foxboro, MA Gillette Stadium
July 28 Regina, SK Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field
July 30 Chicago, IL Soldier Field


*Advanced tickets to the New Meadowlands Stadium go on sale to American Express
Cardmembers beginning at 10am on Monday, October 26th.

*For more information on BON JOVI`s North American tour, visit www.BonJovi.com

About AEG Live

AEG Live, the live-entertainment division of Los Angeles-based AEG, is dedicated
to all aspects of live contemporary music performance. AEG Live is comprised of
touring, festival, exhibition, broadcast, merchandise and special event
divisions, fifteen regional offices, and thirty state-of-the-art venues. The
company is currently producing tours and productions including Bette Midler "The
Showgirl Must Go On" and Cher at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas,
The Color Purple and The Pee Wee Herman Show. The concert tour roster includes
artists such as Taylor Swift, Leonard Cohen, Bon Jovi, Celine Dion, Miley Cyrus,
Britney Spears, Kenny Chesney, P!nk, Paul McCartney, KISS and American Idols
Live. AEG Live is the largest producer of music festivals in North America from
the critically acclaimed Coachella Music & Arts Festival to Stagecoach and New
Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. For more information, go to
www.aeglive.comhttp://www.aeglive.com/.

Album Review: Michael McDermott-‘Hey La Hey’

Michael McDermott-‘Hey La Hey’
Album Review
***1/2 (3.5 Stars)
By Anthony Kuzminski
{Buy the album at this link}

I remember a friend giving me a copy of Michael McDermott’s Last Chance Lounge {link} and how engrossed I was by his surging voice. “Getting Off the Dime”, “Unemployed” and “Murder On Her Lips” were as soul-searching as music gets. Taking a page from the rock era’s great singer-songwriters, McDermott has a penchant for making you believe that he’s in the throes of war in each of his songs as he exerts himself to the point where your speakers will tower over from the avalanche of emotions. I re-discovered many of his earlier albums, including one with liner notes by Stephen King where he declared “Michael McDermott is a great artist”. However, something happened along the way…I lost sight of McDermott’s career path and trajectory, until now. His PR person, Matt Michaelis, reached out to me about my in-depth album review of Bon Jovi’s These Days record from a few months back which appeared on antiMusic. He asked if I was interested in possibly reviewing the record. I could make no promises, but he persisted and sent me a review copy a few days later. As I sat and listened to Hey La Hey on my ear phones a few days later, I felt a tidal wave of sensations overcome me. That same voice that absorbed me with a series of songs almost a decade back was reintroducing himself to me. Amidst spare yet inviting arrangements, I felt myself in these songs, I saw people I knew and like all great music, it unearthed emotions you sometimes forget you have. McDermott has made a career of writing about bewildered souls besieged by the complexities of life. Hey La Hey features characters full of fury, but for the first time in his life, an overwhelming sense of tenacity infects the entire album. His previous records featured rich, thick and layered textures providing some of his songs in a dazzling larger than life presentation. On Hey La Hey all the cosmetic embellishments are removed and what we’re left with are ten brutally truthful, poetic and solemn songs where the lyrics fly in your face like a irrefutable life force forcing reflection.

Youthful innocence fades to black and is replaced with the truth on the opener, “So Am I”. The dual tracked vocal adds to the warmth of the hymn-like confessional, evoking Lennon/McCartney in a “Two of Us” style. Two lovers here serenade one another with confessions most ponder but don’t dare speak (“You say your frightened well baby so am I”). McDermott’s wife, Heather Horton, provides backing vocals of restraint giving the songs an emotional center that a singular voice couldn’t match. Most writers speak of the things they think but do not say, where McDermott puts it all on the line right at the beginning of Hey La Hey. How many relationships sour because of a lack of communication? Beneath the shattered heart is realization where instead of running from the chaos of the world, two people, confess to one another that they’re ready to end their dirty little wars. Everyone searches for true love in one form or another and they feel that when they find it, it will be wine and roses, but the truth is real love is when you find someone who allows you to reveal your inner securities. The truths continue on “Hard To Break”, a song whose lead vocal is sung by Kate York with surreal authenticity. The vocals hold you like the embrace of a loved one who doesn’t want to let go. The melody is beneath the surface (as are McDermott’s vocals), amid lush instrumentation, including minimal percussion and an airy piano allowing the lyrics to come into focus.

“I Wanna Know Why” has an upbeat chorus songs asks questions of the heart in the midst of an urgent performance. “The Great American Novel” paints a picture of frustration with lyrics rich in detail with some fancy name-dropping with a jaunty arrangement evoking Bob Dylan at his best. “Dream Come True” is a revitalizing tale where love appears to solve all issues as McDermott pulls from his own experiences to bring light to the forefront. The acoustic laden “Room 411” is one filled with longing where McDermott’s whispered vocal adds to the song’s eeriness and spellbinding conclusion. Every single song on this record brings sensibility to the forefront. Rock N’ Roll is often deemed an art form of rebellion, yet McDermott is revolting by placing his characters in indisputable situations. It’s easy to write a love song, it’s tricky to write a love song that reflects real life. We all love the dreamy romance Hollywood conjures up, but none of it is plausible. McDermott has found his voice by pulling from his own life, punctuating his own emotions and in the process has made the preeminent record of his career and one of 2009’s finest as well.

The album’s proper closer, “Carry Your Cross” is a plaintive piano ballad features a tender vocal that is iridescently beautiful. The unadorned accompaniment compliments his brooding vocal that is so compelling and titanic it will strain your tear ducts. Given to a producer with radio in mind, they would have embellished the tune until it soared like a 747 into the sky and the heart of the song would have vanished. McDermott’s syncopated vocal on “I’d take your doubt and fear when trouble’s looming near” may be one of the greatest declarations of resolve and awakening in all of popular music. “Carry Your Cross” finds McDermott laying his life on the line with weighty depth. Few artists can excel with arrangements this subtle and make them so utterly believable. Years from now, even if McDermott falls off my radar again, this song will haunt me and its sudden conclusion will forever overwhelm and render me speechless.

Hey La Hey houses a sense of love and wonderment in its songs. One route to the new found happiness would have been to write over-the-top love ballads with titles as heroic as the instrumentation. McDermott twisted the idea of love, loss and yearning on its head with delicate and supple arrangements that may not find their way to life-FM radio stations, but stick to your insides because they are drenched with enthralling emotion. Characters discuss “If I knew now what I knew then” scenarios evoking reconciliation with their past. You hear the ache, pain and love where life experiences drip out of these songs wetting the listener in a fashion where answers slowly appear. And to think I almost never heard this record? If someone had not reached out to me, I wouldn’t know that this album exists and I definitely would not have sought it out. Chalk it up to luck, chance or whatever else, but I feel blessed to have this record in my possession, because Hey La Hey is brimming with fiery emotions that are so undeniable they burn themselves into your mind. There’s an overriding sense of responsibility and redemption on these songs. Instead of merely longing for a lost love, these characters take actions towards emancipation. True love is the ultimate prescription for failed dreams. As long as we have someone to bestow momentary glimpses of indisputable truth and beauty, the rest of life’s turbulences are far less devastating. When there’s no inhibition or shame, then one is truly free.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.

Bon Jovi 'The Circle' sound snippets online

A few of the international Amazon sites are playing sound snippets from the new Bon Jovi album The Circle. You can hear them via the embedded video below.

My thoughts? I'll plead the fifth until I have a full copy of the album in my hands.

Album Review: Lovehammers – ‘Heavy Crown’

Lovehammers – ‘Heavy Crown’ {Buy the record here}
Album Review
*** (3-Stars)
By Anthony Kuzminski
What can be said about Marty Casey and the Lovehammers? After being together for well over a decade, Casey tried out for Rockstar television show in 2005 featuring INXS and while he didn’t win, it allowed him enough exposure to finally take his band to new heights after three independent full-length records. Their self-titled major label debut (Marty Casey & Lovehammers ) was a rock-solid record with the genuinely phenomenal single “Trees”. Despite an assortment of side gigs, including one in Tracii Guns version of LA Guns, Casey has returned to the Lovehammers and together, they have created a record that to my astonishment is a colossal step forward. The band flexes their musical muscle proving they’re more than a fly-by-night success story. The trials and tribulations of being thrust into the spotlight, not to mention his many side projects has given Casey a refined outlook on life and his songwriting shows it. At their core, the Lovehammers are a united band of brothers whose friendship and history go back over two decades. Their shared history can be heard on their latest disc, Heavy Crown through burning performances that prove to be rather irrefutable.

Melding influences from the last few decades, you hear a bit of pop, grunge and even hair metal thrown in here making for a varied listen with the amps turned up. “Your Time, My Time” is a solid bit of sugary pop, while “Find Your Way” invades you with a chorus that encompasses you like a gust of wind on a perfect day. “Honest I’ll Wait” features a soul searching lyric and a finely tuned vocal that may turn some off, but the zeal pulls you in never wanting to let go even when the song begins its fade out. “Oh My Baby” is a mid-tempo number performed with a hushed ambiance amidst some soaring melodies provided by the ringing guitar. “Driving Blind” evokes overriding optimism with a band shooting for the highest heights while “Neverfall” could very well find a home as their main set closer in concert as it pumps the adrenaline with persuasive energy.

Not all of Heavy Crown works for me. “Loaded” has its verses sung through a distortion echo box of sorts and while it’s inspired, it falls flat. “Black Angel” ventures into Nickelback territory a bit too much for my liking. However, as I listened to “That’s Life”, I was impressed with its minimalism and its directness. The song has no musical theatrics, but it’s a reminder that sometimes the best rock n’ roll is the most simplistic. The title track is a towering ballad featuring a beseeching vocal from Casey (his best on the record) with the band carefully inducing a sense of earnestness from their collective efforts. Ballads live and die depending on how well you can sell it. Aerosmith’s “Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” works because even though they didn’t write it, they dug deep and established empathy. On “Heavy Crown” Casey’s vocals and the band’s orchestral surging here are feel as good as the sun beaming onto your face on a perfect summer day. When the Lovehammers converge and transport songs like this, they take the listener away from their everyday troubles and in the end; can you fault anyone for that?

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.

Europe –‘Last Look At Eden’ Album Review

Europe –‘Last Look At Eden’
Album Review
*** ½ (3.5 Stars)
By Anthony Kuzminski
{Buy the record here}

• Read about Europe's 2005 live gig in Chicago here
  

The Swedish rock band Europe will forever be known for the infectious keyboard synch that dominates their single “The Final Countdown”. Used at virtually every timed sporting event for over two decades, it’s loathed as much as it is loved and like anything larger than life, it flat out divides people. Sadly many people only know of Europe from the hits from the The Final Countdown record, which is a misfortune because there’s more to them than meets the eye. I know what you’re thinking, but stay with me. There is far more depth to the band than anyone ever gave them credit for. By the time “The Final Countdown” crept into the Top-Ten in America, the band had been writing, recording and performing for almost seven years, something that is often unnoticed. They were a band long before the hard rock genre began flooding the marketplace with gold and platinum records. Following The Final Countdown the band released two records, 1988’s Out of This World and 1991’s Prisoners In Paradise. Both of these albums found the band broadening their creative muscles creating tunes dripping in melody, impeccable guitar and wailing keyboards. In truth, while neither yielded a hit on the same level as “The Final Countdown”, top to bottom, both were superior works to Countdown. While most other bands within the hard rock genre were writing about decadence and debauchery, Europe were writing songs that weren’t far from the classic rock staples they knew growing up from the likes of Thin Lizzy, UFO and Led Zeppelin. “Superstitious”, “Sign of the Times”, “Halfway To Heaven”, “All or Nothing” and “Talk To Me” all have a timeless quality full of contagious choruses and rave-up riffs. Both records were ignored by US audiences for a lack of promotional support. Aside from a six-week opening stint for Def Leppard in the summer of 1988 (done before the release of OOTW) the band went over seventeen years without touring the US. Prisoners In Paradise was released on September 24, 1991, one week after Nirvana’s Nevermind had been released and with minute promotional activity on US shores, the album and the band fell completely off the radar of everyone in the US. When Europe’s brand of music fell out of popularity, they decided to take a step back and take some time off and begin living their lives.

After a decade-long break, the band reconvened gather the same line-up that recorded The Final Countdown. Aside from an all too brief reunion on New Year’s Eve in 1999, the band remained dormant until sometime in 2003 when they decided to reunite for some concerts. The concerts progressed into their first studio album in thirteen years; Start from the Dark a staggering record, recorded with Countdown producer Kevin Elson, reaffirming that Europe was anything but a fluke. Seriously. Managing to incorporate the easy on the ear melodies that defined their success along with augmenting more mature lyric writing, this wasn’t an album full of nostalgia but a brave step forward forcing people to give the band a second look. Europe found themselves in an unusual predicament for 80’s rockers; they made a record that confirmed not just progression but it paid tribute to their legacy with modern panache. Ever since then the band has reached far, wide and high for heights that most would say is unattainable. Europe is one of the very few bands from the 1980’s who has surpassed their 80’s glory days creatively. Don’t let airplay and song recognition fool you, this is a band defying expectations making the best music of their career. The reaffirming Start proved to be lightning rod of inspiration that continued with 2006’s Secret Society and now with Last Look At Eden (released through earMusic) an album which may be their most accomplished to date.

Opening with an instrumental prelude followed by the title track, it finds the band well grounded and storming through the Y2K version of Europe with militaristic unwavering conviction. John Norum’s distortion-symphonic guitars provide the intrinsic melodies while Joey Tempest’s vocals command your attention unlike anything the band has attempted previously. The song isn’t subjugated by guitars or piano chords but by their bracing lyrics. (“This could be our moment, Time that we own it“) As the song reaches its exultant ending, they invite us in by growling “Come with me!” before the riveting climax pulling us in, completely readying us for the rest of the journey. “Gonna Get Ready” blastoffs amidst a rhythmic and supercharged guitar heavy performance reminiscent of their glory days. “New Love In Town” features an alluring chorus without veering into sentimental territory. The chorus of “The Beast” flies in your face amidst an effervescent performance where the band flexes their brute force as a unit. “Run With the Angels” has a jolt of buzzing guitars that hearken back to the band’s commercial prime but this time with bite. “Mojito Girl” is drenched in bluesy-metal reverb; John Norum’s guitars evokes the sounds of a bastard child of Jimmy Page & Jimi Hendrix. “Gonna Get Ready” stands as a proclamation from a band that is proving their greatest music is ahead of them and not behind. They wholly and outright are capturing the spirit of what made them break through to the mainstream without sounding passé. “In My Time” is the closest they get to a ballad on this record, but Norum’s blues guitar fills the song with a yearning desire and a heart rendering need that proves to be much more than you could envision. The album’s most illuminating and audacious track “No Stone Unturned” features back-to-back solos, one on guitar and one on organ. The arrangement is ambitious and has a larger-than-life quality to it that ventures into an avant-garde metal sound. This is the sound of a band stepping into the world of modern prog-rock while still keeping a toe in the pond of melodic rock with a dash of orchestral grooves that assault your senses leaving your mouth agape in bewilderment at the band’s command of their sound.

The twelve songs that encompass Last Look At Edenfeature more than virtuosic talents, but a band whose shared history is used adroitly to further their sonic template. This isn’t a throwback record or an album so far off their musical lineage that it would alienate their core fans. Europe appears to have found middle ground between channeling their past while feeding the fire of five distinctive musical talents that incessantly cultivate with every record. Most hard rock bands from the late 1980’s have had been incapable to evoke the magnetism that inspired their best-selling records. The key to Europe’s ongoing progression is that the band consists of the core line-up that wrote and recorded The Final Countdown. Guitarist John Norum left the group midway through the tour for that record and by reconnecting with him this past decade, they are picking up where they left off. To Norum’s credit, while his guitar is clearly up front in the mix on Eden it doesn’t engulf the songs. Instead of embracing the pop-metal sound that made the band famous, they are tackling an abundance of musical styles from classic rock to metal to progressive rock to produce an authentic sound that doesn’t feel forced. John Norum’s guitar solos are sprawling as they are bluesy and smoky-sweet while the rhythm section of John Levén and Ian Hauglan are bonded with purpose, creating a riveting backbeat that feels more like a legion of rhythm guitars instead of bass and drums. Keyboardist Mic Michaeli’s role may not be as prominent as it was at their commercial peak, but he adds ingenious flourishes never over-dominating yet fleshing out the sonic textures when needed helping create a indomitable sound. Europe’s shared history has allowed them to not just stay alive but become more than a nostalgia act, but an ongoing and ever evolving band that matters.

Laced with lyrics of resolve and songs that jump out at you amidst modern arrangements, Last Look At Eden is evidence that Europe’s initial success was no happenstance. Their accomplishments are a result of their ability to follow their own muse rather than trends. Whether you enjoy the brand of music Europe creates or not, you must respect them. On Europe’s last three records you will find a band amidst a creative revival. They are one of the few groups from the 80’s who hasn’t just survived but has grown in ways no one deemed possible and with each subsequent record as demonstrated by Last Look At Eden, Europe is a band that continues to astound. This is their moment, they own it.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.

Europe: Staring All Over Again (Archive Live Review Chicago 4/26/05)

Europe: Staring All Over Again
Chicago, IL The House of Blues
April 26, 2005
By Anthony Kuzminski

• Read the album review of Europe's latest album, 'Last Look At Eden' here.
  

Writer's Note: I've been listening to Europe's latest album, Last Look At Eden when it struck me that I had seen them in 2005 and was pleasantly surprised at how vital and alive they were in concert. If anything, they had gotten better with age. I dug up the review and it reads better than I expected. I wanted to re-write it but fought against my better judgement and am putting it up here warts and all. Enjoy and look for my review of their new album within the next day or two.

Something has changed since I've been away
-“Gotta Have Faith”

In 2005 alone I have seen concerts by Motley Crue, Enuff Z Nuff, White Lion, Tesla and just recently, Europe. One may to wonder if I have traveled in a time machine back to 1989. Here we are in the year 2005 and while I find my musical tastes have altered drastically since 1989, I’ll proudly confess that these bands have a place within my heart as they are the architects of my rock n’ roll initiation that later made me discover ranges of bands extremely wide and vast. When I heard Swedish rock band Europe would be making their first US tour in 17 years, I knew I had to be there because I was only eleven-years old they last time they toured the United States.

The last time Europe played Chicago was 1988. Well, than again, it wasn’t Chicago but Alpine Valley in East Troy, WI (opening for Def Leppard) in July of ’88, playing to a total of 70,000 fans. Let’s put things in perspective of how long ago that really was; Ronald Reagan was still president, gas was a little over a $1 a gallon, Def Leppard was at #2 on the Hot 100 with “Pour Some Sugar On Me”, the grunge explosion was three-plus years away and Metallica had yet to receive a single platinum album. What was most alarming to me was that 1988’s Out of This World album went platinum based on the airplay of the band’s videos on MTV alone. If the band had properly toured behind the album it would probably have sold three times as many copies. The band took their time writing their next album, the vastly underrated “Prisoners In Paradise”, released stateside on September 24, 1991. Two other major releases were planned for the same day; Bryan Adams return to form album Waking Up The Neighbors-produced by Mutt Lange, which contained the monstrous Robin Hood ballad and a little album called Nevermind, by a up and coming band from Seattle called Nirvana. Right there and there the tide turned. Prisoners In Paradise barely cracked Billboard Top 200 album chart even though it showcased the band’s finest work to date. Due to the tepid reaction of the album, the band opted to support it in well-established areas around the Globe and passed over America completely. When that campaign came to an end, the band went on indefinite hiatus, which lasted well over a decade.

In 2002, rumblings were being made that the band would reunite. Those rumors became reality in 2004. The band released two albums overseas; the first was a 2 disc compilation Rock The Night: The Very Best of Europe culling songs, rarities and b-sides from the first decade of their career. The second release was a new album-their first in thirteen years, Start From The Dark. Start From The Dark begins a new chapter for Europe, it incorporates a new sound for them, however, while it challenges it’s audience it does so with classic hooks and sounds that helped Europe sell close to twenty million records worldwide. Surprisingly, instead of over analyzing their music, Europe simply went ahead, did what felt right and made a extraordinary album. I was cynical because so many other bands from the same era have fallen flat on their faces trying to make new music. Even the new Motley Crue songs on their new “Best of” release leave a lot to be desired. So when Start From The Dark came to me in a Fed Ex package, so I would be familiar with the songs when I went to review the show, I was taken aback by the quality of the songs and how strongly they resonated. Start From The Dark is an album of unflinching compromise where the band knew the stakes were high and somehow they reached up and seized the moment with their life-affirming lyrics and self-introspective songs. This is what differentiates it from dozens of other releases I have heard over the last decade from their 80’s counterparts. And trust me; some of these bands have made truly repulsive music. Can anyone even tell me one song on the last few Warrant albums? Winger anyone? Even extraordinarily gifted bands like Cinderella have gone over a decade without any new material. Its one thing to be able to shine live and another to make innovative music without having it sound dated. Europe followed their hearts and their gut instincts during the writing process. They knew better than to try to be something they are not. Instead of conforming to what is fashionable, they stayed true to themselves and in turn made a first rate album.

There is no going back, this is what we know
We come to entertain, asking you to follow
-“Flames”

The House of Blues was not filled to capacity but there was a much larger crowd there than I figured there would be. The band did not have the album in stores and there had been no promotion whatsoever for the House of Blues gig. At 10:45 the lights dimmed and the announcement heralding the “Biggest rock band to ever emerge from Scandinavia” was made as Joey Tempest, John Norum, John Levin, Ian Haugland and Mic Michaeli emerged onto a stage in Chicago for the first time in seventeen years. “Got To Have Faith” opened the show and the band made their proclamation of faith and renewal, as they were out to reclaim the crowd and show those in attendance that they are more than a one-hit wonder. As Joey Tempest put on a Les Paul around his neck, the band led into “Ready or Not” from their 1988 album, Out of This World. What was surprising to me was the reaction from the crowd, as they clearly knew the deep cut from an underappreciated album nearly two decades old. The slow mood of the keyboard was up next before the words “Keep on walking that road and I’ll follow…” led into “Superstitious” one of four Top-40 hits the band had here in America. Joey Tempest gave his famous twirl of the mic stand a few times throughout the song led the crowd along to a forgotten classic which had been improved upon vastly from its studio counterpart.

For 100-minutes Europe performed a flawlessly paced set showcasing the old and new and never once losing the crowd. This was where my trepidation lied, I knew the majority would be unfamiliar with Start From The Dark, yet the songs are so fiery they were able to perform a bulk of the album and still receive eager reactions from the crowd. “America” is a scorching rocker which showcased some excellent axe work from John Norum and great backing vocals from keyboard player Mic Michelli. The rhythm section, bassist John Levin and drummer Ian Haugland, stayed in the background but kept the lashing beat with assurance and reserved stage presence letting Tempest and Norum share the limelight. Newer material including “Flames” and “Start From The Dark” were both presented with intensity and conviction as the thunderous licks of both tunes made them stand aside classic rock tracks as the band proclaimed “We’ve come to entertain, asking you to follow”…and that is just what the House of Blues crowd did.

“Wake Up Call” is one of the edgier new songs, with a driving beat from the drums and a monster riff supplied by John Norum. I’ve seen Norum over the years fill in for other acts like Dokken, but he appears to finally be back at home in Europe (he left in late 1986 over the direction of the band). The band’s conveyance of the tune was on fire as Tempest and Norum gleamed with eagerness and buoyancy usually reserved for stadium veterans. The gaze on their faces and the delivery of the new material illustrated to me just how much they believe in the songs off of Start From The Dark. Whether there are 80,000 or 800 people listening, they were giving it their all, not taking anything for granted. As the song ended there were hollers of appreciation from the crowd. This is the type of fervent reaction held in reserve for classic rock tunes you have heard for decades, not songs that are being listened to for the first time.

The preeminent track on the new album is “Hero” as it bridges the gap between a midtempo song and ballad. It’s a tribute to Thin Lizzy, as they motivated Europe to pick up their instruments and become a band. “You threw us all a line, when our days slipped away”. Yes, it’s a cliché-ridden tune, which is unpretentious and yet exceedingly reflective. Besides, whether or not the song is hip or current, all which really matters is that I was moved, and I was. It’s not hip to say that about a band mostly known for “The Final Countdown” but “Hero” reveals a band that has grown tenfold as musicians and songwriters over the last two decades. Instead of trying to be something they are not, they are doing what they do best, writing life-affirming songs, which in the end hopefully move those who listen to them. With proper promotion and solid touring, “Hero” should be anthem for stadiums, with lighters ablaze, across the world.

While the band slayed through the songs off of Start From The Dark with ease, they also filled in the gaps with classic tunes not heard on these shores for close to two decades. “Wings of Tomorrow”, from the album of the same name from 1984, was the oldest track the band performed. “Let The Good Times Rock”, which to me always sounded like a rehash of “Rock The Night” sounded salubrious and invigorating as the live track was edgier, yet still faithful to the original version. During the latter part of the main set, the band paced the stage like seasoned veterans and even went deep into their catalog for “Girl From Lebanon” (sadly the only track performed from Prisoners In Paradise) and a rare b-side, “Yesterday’s News”, which to my shock, was acknowledged by yells of praise from the audience. Mic Michaeli provided a keyboard solo that led into the intro “Sign of the Times” one of my favorite album cuts from the band and apparently from the sound of the crowd, one of theirs as well. The intro to the song, performed on piano is an remarkable piece of music as it leads into a deafening riff. Call me crazy but it was during this number that I knew I had to write what will arguably the most poetic piece of prose to from pen to paper about what the stage announcer referred to as “the biggest band to ever emerge from Scandinavia”. The foremost revelation to me during their performance at the House of Blues was the chemistry these five members had and the history they brought with them. Despite whatever name you place on their genre of music, Europe is first and foremost a rock band, and a damn good one at that.

I've been knocked down - come back around
It put some soul in this heart of mine
-“Gotta Have Faith”

Now the question I know you are all speculating is if the band even bothered to play material off of The Final Countdown. Yes, they did play it and what a reaction it received. The band’s number one-hit, in America, “Carrie” was performed by Joey Tempest alone and acoustic, but with the help of the audience made it into a sing-along. “Rock The Night” ended the main set as the band executed the tune to aptness eliciting a monstrous response from the audience. The retort was larger than any Poison song I saw Bret Michaels perform solo a few months earlier. “Cherokee” was performed in the encore and the crowd sang along with the Dial MTV favorite, word for word, fists flying in the air. The song does not really work from a lyrical standpoint, but it’s not so much what the song is about or whether or not it makes sense, but how it makes you feel and Europe delivered on this one. As the band finished the song, the lights dimmed and an intro from the keyboard could be heard. And then…that riff, you know which one I am talking about…that riff you hear in the final ten seconds of every championship game for the last two-decades, that riff that has stood the test of time and that riff whether you love it or hate it, is one of the most recognizable songs of the last twenty years, “The Final Countdown”. As the keyboard intro wound down and the drums, bass, and guitars kicked in I felt the floor below me quaking as the House of Blues, security and all, were hurdling into the air in an infatuated trance as the band transported the audience to another level and another time. This is what even the cynical came to see. Yes, it’s a pop tune that some love and some hate, but no matter what you say, let me say this, the last time the House of Blues floor shook the way it did was nearly five years to the date when Bon Jovi opened a rare club show with “Livin’ On A Prayer”. Europe exceeded all of my expectations with their live performance and new album. The only thing I would recommend to them is to play a longer set and to not ignore the Prisoners In Paradise album. Another five or six songs would have taken the evening to mind boggling proportions.

I see dozens of shows every year and at least once or twice, I go to a nostalgic show just so I can see certain bands I grew up with in the live environment. Some are great and others disappoint. Europe propelled my expectations to another stratosphere with a thriving live performance backed by an album which may wind up on my ten-best of the year. They have proven the pessimists wrong by believing in themselves and their music. I for one hope its not another seventeen years before they return to America. Till then, I guess I just “gotta have faith”.

Well I had enough
Gonna stand up straight
Rebuild my life
Well you gotta have faith
-“Gotta Have Faith”

Read about their live DVD, Live from the Dark here and buy it here.