Sugarland: Healing Hearts (Indianapolis 10/28/11 Concert Review)

Sugarland: Healing Hearts
Indianapolis, IN – Conseco Fieldhouse
October 28, 2011
Concert Review
By Anthony Kuzminski
READ my review of Sugarland's Rockford, IL show HERE. 

Ten years ago this month, the world was reeling from the events of 9/11 and U2 kicked off their fall tour in the state of Indiana at the University of Notre Dame. For nearly two hours on that cold night in October, the band lifted the 8,000 fans in a performance that transcended words. Ten years later, it was Sugarland’s turn to lift hearts and minds. Moments before they were set to take the stage at the Indiana State Fair in August a storm came in destroying their stage, dozens were injured and seven people lost their lives. It’s one of those life events that change you. Having seen the Sugarland tour the night before in Rockford, IL, I couldn’t imagine how they have managed to perform for the last two months and how much courage it took for them to return and not just perform, but be a beacon of light for the Indianapolis community. Friday night at the Conseco Fieldhouse Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush took to the stage early in the evening to a nearly full house to address the events that occurred. Nettles went on to say “Obviously we are here in October we were supposed to do this show in August. Obviously, the stage is different, you are different and we are different. We are all changed by what happened then…but we are going to try to give you the best show that we can and to celebrate healing with you and to celebrate life and music with you here tonight.” With an emotionally driven set focused around The Incredible Machine facing the crowd early on was the right choice because it would permit them to center on the performance. And this is just what they did.

The stage I saw in August is no more. The carefree spirit of the show remains intact in certain parts, but heaviness attaches itself to material from The Incredible Machine and this is not a bad thing. I’ve always believed that great music is defined over time when it’s non-specific. This is why U2’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind is a better 9/11 album than anything that followed it. They weren’t inspired by a specific set of events, but they were in tune with themselves enough to color a landscape of colors to be embraced by those in search of something more. The same could be said of The Incredible Machine where Bush and Nettles painted immense strokes of color pulled deep from within. There are sunny melodies and bright choruses but more importantly the songs help you find your soul in the process. The Incredible Machine is an album of inspirational triumph and it’s needed now more than ever. Taking to the bare stage at 8:25, the lights dimmed and the fuzz feedback of “All We Are” could be heard before the band fired away as the house lights went on and off they went delivering a knock-out emotionally gut wrenching set over 90-minutes. Lyrics such as “Lift me up/ It’s not over” (as harmonized by Bush) had stronger resonance than ever. One of the reasons I find the songs on The Incredible Machine so endearing are the way they sound like arena rock but cut through loads of red tape and are ultimately compositions about the matters of the heart. The whole band, dressed in black performed a no frills show that pays tribute to the simplicities of life. Hearing these songs makes one remember our purpose in life; to love.

The set list was a ready-made to soothe the soul. “Settlin’” was a hymn of empowerment, “Tonight” was celestial in its yearning vocal for which one could see Nettles channeling from within on the performance. As her eyes were closed with a feverish intensity, her right arm was wrapped around her waist and her left hand was above her heart. This wasn’t showboating but an artist lost in the moment and this is what we live for when you witness something undeniably real. She did this unconsciously. The extended jam at the end of “The Incredible Machine” was a moment for the band to let the music take over. The give and take with the audience of “calling” was warm and ethereal. “Stuck Like You”, “It Happens”, “All I Want To Do” and an acoustic “Baby Girl” found Sugarland at the peak of their commercial powers with songs that reach to the upper stands of the Fieldhouse connecting band and fan. “Every Girl Like Me” was affecting yet featured a mischievous Nettles. Drummer Travis McNabb and bassist Annie Clements fasten the bounciness here for Nettles to deliver her sermon. As commanding as Bush and Nettles are as the focal point, credit must be given to the backing band that brings their vision into focus. Guitarist Scott Patton fires away on his guitars in the darkness while Thad Beaty fills in the blanks with mandolin, acoustic guitar and whatever else the band needs. Brandon Bush is another secret weapon whose organ exuded soul on certain numbers, specifically the heart wrenching “Stay”. Clements and McNabb add the supplementary thrusts to make the songs compelling and not mere studio reproductions.

During the encore, “The Incredible Machine (Interlude)” was sung by Kristian. In the background, a white flag is opened and Nettles throughout the tour spray painted the world “Love” on it but on this evening, she wrote “HEAL” and as a young fan took the flag throughout the arena, the band performed “Stand Up” and this was where it all came together. If none of the previous songs had found their way inside you, then this performance had to. As Nettles and Bush harmonized together on the final verse, their voices quivered and the 18,000 in attendance soaked up the lyrics;

When the walls fall all around you
When your hope has turned to dust
Let the sound of love surround you
Beat like a heart in each of us

There was a heightened awareness to these songs as a whole. You could see the message and meaning in their eyes as they performed these songs. This music adapts itself to your life no matter what you are going through. For some the music opens eye ducts for tears to flow and for others it allows life to come into focus in a moment of awakening. The evening’s most moving moment came during “Little Miss” where the pit in front of the stage was filled with signs one of which read “Lives Were Lost, Lives Were Changed”. These songs are tools for healing and hopefully those affected first hand can work their way through it. While it may prove difficult to listen to some of these songs straight away, in the long run, they’ll resonate and be reminders of our continued willpower to live. Ultimately the Indianapolis Sugarland concert was as carefree as a Friday night yet as somber as a Sunday mass; Sugarland melded these two worlds for an evening of indication with an eye on tomorrow. The last paragraph of my Rockford review from August was written after the tragedy and it sums up exactly why I feel Sugarland’s music is a source of healing and why it should be embraced and I feel compelled to end this review with it once again. When those who lived through this tragedy hears this music they’ll stand taller, feel more, love more and be more aware than they ever have before and anytime you make people more aware of the beauty life can encapsulate, that’s never a bad thing. Sometimes, we just need a little music to guide us down the path and at this moment in time for me, and I am assuming several others, Sugarland will be the sound of love that surrounds us.


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

'Pearl Jam Twenty' To Debut on PBS This Friday 10/21 (4 Clips Available)

This Friday PBS will air Cameron Crowe's PEARL JAM TWENTY in its entirety. Check local PBS listings for exact times here but it should be on around 8pm or 9pm local time Friday October 21st.

My review can be read HERE and over at antiMUSIC HERE.

Please note if you are searching for it on Tivo or DVR, search under the name of "American Masters: Pearl Jam Twenty"

If that isn't  enough, check out the exclusive clips below:

Eddie Vedder Stage Dives

Watch Eddie Vedder's Epic Stage Dives on PBS. See more from American Masters.

Chris Cornell on Temple of the Dog

Watch Chris Cornell on Temple of the Dog on PBS. See more from American Masters.

Interview with Cameron Crowe and Pearl Jam

Watch Interview with Pearl Jam and Director Cameron Crowe on PBS. See more from American Masters.

The Inspiration and Writing "Release"

Watch Writing "Release" on PBS. See more from American Masters.

Film Review: 'Pearl Jam Twenty'

‘Pearl Jam Twenty’
Film Review
***1/2 (3.5 Stars)
By Anthony Kuzminski

Most people who discovered Pearl Jam in the 1990’s had two distinctive periods with them. The first was of adoration for their overzealous passion for their music and their message. The second was of disdain for their overzealous passion for their music and their message. I was one of these people. Their music and unforgettable concerts left a mark on anyone open to hearing them. However, as the band became more outspoken something happened. I (and many others) turned away from the band. It was a mixture of not being able to see them live, music I couldn’t relate to and the perceived bitterness of fame they exuded. However, a number of years later, I caught them in concert and all that time washed away as they once again became a bad I didn’t just follow, but admired. The quirk of fate is that so much of what they railed against came to fruition a little more than a decade later. The $3.50 convenience charge became more than $20- the disparity between rich and poor has grown and we now have a generation of true disenfranchisement. And award shows, do they really matter at all?

Read my Pearl Jam 20 Festival Report from Alpine Valley HERE & HERE

In celebration of the band’s twentieth anniversary friend and filmmaker Cameron Crowe has created a festive, invigorating and highly affecting love letter to them entitled Pearl Jam Twenty. Make no mistake, this was done as a partnership between him and the band, however, it also houses several thorny moments in their career that other acts would choose to gloss over or refuse to even acknowledge exist. This is precisely why Pearl Jam Twenty is more than a run of the mill music documentary. It doesn’t merely tell you an A-Z story or even cover the writing and recording of every album, but it explores the band’s soul and how they managed to make it through two decades of inconceivable triumph and equally extreme trauma.

Watch Chris Cornell on Temple of the Dog on PBS. See more from American Masters.

The film opens with the history of Mother Love Bone, the band whose existence predates Pearl Jam. Bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard formed the band with singer Andy Wood. The charismatic and flamboyant front man was a star and sadly one who became a victim of his own demons and a heroin addiction which took his life shortly before he release of their debut album. Gossard and Ament retreated but came together a few months later with guitarist Mike McCready. They recorded instrumental demos in the search for a singer. The tape landed in the hands of a San Diego singer and surfer Eddie Vedder who proceeded to record his own lyrics over their music. From there on out, history was made. Some have been critical that Crowe skimmed over huge portions of Pearl Jam’s story and while he most likely did this to capture as much as he could in a 2-our film, I am happy to say many of the stories are gone into greater depth in the companion book (which will be reviewed here in the next week). The first half of the film covers the band’s beginnings and their unprecedented ascent to stardom, something they may have secretly wanted but were wholly unprepared for.

Watch Come Together: A Pearl Jam Twenty Preview on PBS. See more from American Masters.

Something never discussed is the almost serendipitous nature of Vedder and the other members finding each other. When Vedder joined the band, he did so as a shy kid who let himself go through the music, but something happened and there was a video camera to capture it for us. The turning point is captured in January 111, 1991 in Vancouver during the song “Breath”. Security was being overly aggressive with the fans in the audience and in that moment you see the solid lead singer break out of his shell bring out an intensity for which he would be defined throughout all of the 1990’s. He went from being a shy kid to the voice of his generation in this one moment and the footage is startling. What makes Pearl Jam Twenty so engrossing is this vintage footage. There are current day interviews which act as a counterpoint to this footage, but much of the story is told through these mostly home video (and professional) recordings. There’s footage of them writing “Daughter” on a tour bus from May 1992, video from club gigs in 1991 and 1992, Lollapalooza, rehearsals, Vedder’s second show with the band and even rare Temple of the Dog footage. The fact that these video recordings exist doesn’t make the film a grand slam, but it’s how Crowe carefully weaved and edited the film in such a fashion that it puts the viewer in the thick of it all making them feel the highs and lows. The film’s most potent performance is a series of shows edited together featuring “Porch” from 1991 and 1992 where Vedder would hang himself from the lighting rigs at festivals and clubs. If that wasn’t enough, he would let go and have the audience catch him. Moments like these can’t be recaptured or reconstructed and the extensive overhaul of all this video recordings is used masterfully throughout Pearl Jam Twenty.

Crowe met with each of the five current members of Pearl Jam for a wide-ranging set of interviews. No managers, producers or other outside people were interviewed honing the film’s focus in on the band. The sole exception for the current interviews was given to Chris Cornell of Soundgarden. Cornell wrote the Temple of the Dog record and was Andy Wood’s roommate. His interviews are integral to the film because he’s the one outsider who truly puts their history into perspective. None of the former drummers are talked to although McCready gives a short but tongue-in-cheek history of their Spinal Tap luck with the men behind the kit.

Watching Pearl Jam Twenty is a deeply psychologically gut wrenching experience. Crowe brilliantly tells their tale through a momentous amount of new interviews with the current five members, Chris Cornell and a slew of vintage footage which really heightens the emotional punch of the film. Stone Gossard who has taken a back seat to a lot of Pearl Jam’s press provides the most surprising sound bytes. I find him secluded yet enlivening all at the same time. He appears more comfortable with Crowe than he does even with a six-string around his neck. There’s a particularly funny moment when he takes Crowe to his basement and his finds his Grammy buried in the back of a room out of sight from everyone. Vedder’s interviews are almost reserved which stand in direct contrast to the overwhelming passion in the early footage. However when they dig into the Roskilde tragedy in 2000 (where nine fans were crushed at one of their concerts) Vedder doesn’t need to say anything, his eyes tell us everything. Above all else, the current day interviews find these five men at peace with not just their past but who they are today. They’ve aged but they have also matured. Their personal lives go largely untouched, which is the way it should be. Crowe was out to make more than a documentary but a larger piece of art like a painting where there’s a focal point in the center of it with different shades and hues around the corners and sides.

What differentiates Pearl Jam Twenty from other rock documentaries is that is delves into their controversies head-on. The Ticketmaster debacle is covered, Vedder’s off centered comments at the 1996 Grammy ceremony are shown and then there’s the MTV Singles party from 1992. The band didn’t want to do it this show but did it as a favor to Crowe where the movie studio told him they would only release Singles if Pearl Jam agreed to perform a MTV concert for the premiere. It was their only day off that particular week and as a result, they were inebriated when show time came around. This experience proved to be a lesson they would learn from in the future, sometimes it’s good to say no to things. It wasn’t that they didn’t want success but they so desperately wanted it on their terms and not anyone else’s.

Watch Writing "Release" on PBS. See more from American Masters.

No music documentary is worth anything if you forget about the music and in Pearl Jam Twenty Crowe does a breathtaking job of telling their story but weaving the music into it as well. Most rock documentaries these days choose one path or the other and very rarely find success in both but Crowe knows film and music as well as anyone. He is able to capture the essence of the music and have it provide the touching thwack it always have and always will. There’s a particularly moving sequence about the song “Release” whose lyrics Vedder came up with as a conversation with his dead father. There’s behind the scenes footage from the “Jeremy” video shoot and the lost gem “Thumbing My Way” serves as a soundtrack to the friendships in the band (notably Ament and Vedder’s relationship) is shown beautifully. The effortless acoustic number is somber yet showcases what Pearl Jam was doing so well during the years they hibernated outside of the mainstream. They may not have created stadium anthems but they till created more intimate songs that their legions of fans wrapped around themselves. Then towards the end, there’s a scene from Madison Square Garden where Vedder plays the opening riff to “Better Man” and allows the crowd to take it away. Moments like these remind one of the healing power of music and how this band better defines the light and darkness within us than just about any act from the last twenty years. To those who never understood Pearl Jam, Cameron Crowe has taken everything great about the band and brought it to the viewer from rare demos, to interviews to enlivening live performances that will send you back to the music. Pearl Jam Twenty is a sprawling document of the band, their music and was made for the fans by a fan.

These songs meant the world to a whole generation of music fans twenty years ago and now they mean even more. As you see Pearl Jam perform “Alive” from a recent show it reminds us of the intoxicating strength music has and its ability to heal us in ways no modern medicine ever could. Their anger, aggression, passion, talent, longevity and commitment to their art are perfectly encapsulated in this one performance. Towards the end of the live performance, Eddie Vedder raises his hand and changes a tiny lyric as he sings “We’re all still alive”! It’s a poignant reminder to not just Pearl Jam, but us, the listeners, have survived as well.

Pearl Jam Twenty will air on PBS on Friday October 21st as part of its American Masters program and will be available on DVD and Blu-Ray on October 24th.

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

Watch Eddie Vedder Smashes the Stage on PBS. See more from American Masters.

Watch Pearl Jam Fandom: A Statistical Analysis on PBS. See more from American Masters.

Concert Review: Social Distortion - Chicago 10/6/11 (Riot Fest)

Riot Fest: Social Distortion
Concert Review
Congress Theater – Chicago, IL
October 6, 2011
By Anthony Kuzminski

Since 2005 Riot Fest has grown by leaps and bounds in Chicago from humble beginnings to this year’s epic line-up covering many diverse shades of rock and punk and even had a day celebration in Philadelphia a few weeks earlier. The shows cover several venues throughout the Chicago area with the Double Door and Congress Theater talking in most of the shows of note. That being said the Bottom Lounge was home to a sold out performance by the legendary punk band X who performed their classic 1980 record Los Angeles in its entirety opening night. The first night at the Congress was Thursday October 6th with Social Distortion headlining and a slew of other notable acts. The opener to make the biggest impression on the audience was Chicago’s own the Tossers who performed a vitalizing 45-minute set. Despite all the appeal that Celtic music has these days, the Tossers actually started as a group in 1993, ahead of Flogging Molly and the Dropkick Murphys. Their Riot Fest set may have been lean but the six piece band howled with fervor. Drummer Bones (no last name, just “Bones”) was solid and storming while Aaron Duggins (on tin whistle/ penny whistle) helped makes the melodies alluring to their brand of Celtic music. However, it was Rebecca Manthe on violin who stole the show. Her performance was serene, sexy and splashy as she proved to be as integral to the Tossers as Eddie Van Halen to Van Halen. Her hands and head were hypnotizing as she drove the band’s set. Those fortunate to see the Tossers will ensure this isn’t the last time they bear witness to their magic.

After a brief set, Social Distortion took to the stage for what was an 80-minute set. Never one to take a page from Springsteen, Social Distortion has always been about making a walloping impact in a short but sweet set. It’s hard to believe the band has been in existence for thirty-three years. The sole original member, Mike Ness, strode out onto the stage in a black shirt, suspenders and fedora hat. His hair was slicked back and even though it’s not a sleeveless shirt displaying his tattoos, he was still in the zone when it came time to perform. Opening with the instrumental “Road Zombie” from their 2010 Top-5 record, Hard Times & Nursery Rhymes it served merely as a warm up before Ness strolled over to the microphone and “Bad Luck” began. The first stone cold classic of the evening was every bit as mesmerizing as it’s ever been. Ness sung from his gut twisting and turning his emotions into a gnawing vocal that largely defines Social Distortion. Being in a punk or metal band was never meant to be a career move but for people like Mike Ness and Dave Mustaine (Megadeth), it was a path from which they never swerved. Despite not having the bodies they once had, they still instill each performance with heart and for the lack of physicality that used to occur have been channeled into performance and Ness and his four backing musicians reminded us of this time and time again.

The sixteen songs shifted between classics and songs from Hard Times & Nursery Rhymes. “Nickels and Dimes” featured David Hidalgo, Jr. on drums who has only been with the band since last year yet his heavy-handed pounding felt right at home in these songs. His machine gun drumming on “1945” was also breath taking. Despite a largely revolving door of members, when the lights go out, Social Distortion finds a way to have the songs become bigger than them, “Story of My Life” and “Ball and Chain” stirred up the crowd to the point where there were several body surfers and moshing occurring as the band performed some of the most seminal alternative punks classics of the last twenty years. As the crowd flew their fists in the air, the band displayed menacing performances to give the vintage line-ups a run for their money. “Reach for the Sky” from Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll was delivered in a more nuanced and relaxed manner. While Social Distortion shows have been criticized for the rather lengthy mid-section of mellower and mid-tempo songs, the arrangement of “Reach for the Sky” was a counterpoint to the bleeding lyrics. Ness may not have screamed at the to of his lungs or had the stage shake, but his composed vocal performance was in many ways more punk than the original version as it allowed the audience to fully grasp and digest the soul bearing lyrics.

The end of the main set had three of the final five songs from 2010’s Hard Times & Nursery Rhymes. This may have proven to be tedious for some in the audience as it slowed the momentum gained up to this point. That being said, each song was delivered in a spirited performance that was hard to turn your back on. "Gimme the Sweet and Lowdown" houses the vintage Social Distortion DNA within it and the guitar firepower was not in shortage with Ness providing his best six-string work of the evening. "California (Hustle and Flow)" and “Can't Take It with You" were both performed with two backing singers who added soul and overall dressed the songs up. These newer numbers may have benefitted from being performed earlier in the set but regardless the performances were unflinchingly grand.

For the encore, the band brought their gut-punk rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” which was downright sinister. This rendition is so steeped in people’s consciousness; this is the rendition many of them are most familiar with. Like “Rocking in the Free World” by Pearl Jam, Social Distortion is almost defined by the song even though they didn’t write it because of the way they infect the song with their punk sensibilities. There are no shades of gray in a Social Distortion performance; it’s full on rebellious performance to this day and even though portions of the set may be paced slower than before, they still pump rock n’ roll in their veins and their Riot Fest performance was one that proved to be tough to match for those who followed.


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

Book Review: Duff McKagan - It's So Easy (And Other Lies)

Duff McKagan: ‘It’s So Easy (and other lies)’
Reviewed by Anthony Kuzminski

• Read all Guns N' Roses blog posts HERE. 
• For a list of in-store dates, click here.
• Check out the first 9 chapters here.
• Buy the book here.

On March 31, 1994 Duff McKagan left Los Angeles for Seattle to visit a house he had purchased but never seen. He was seeking refuge from a debilitating drug habit he was finding hard to break after more than a decade of excess. On the same plane was Kurt Cobain. These two musicians were both originally from Seattle and dreamed of making it in the music industry and their respective bands (Guns N’ Roses and Nirvana) changed the landscape of rock n’ roll. However despite the fame, adulation and monetary success both had achieved, they were both in an abyss and one of them sadly would never escape. Duff McKagan was the lucky one. While Cobain would be dead within a week, McKagan’s moment of truth would arrive six weeks later when his pancreas burst burning his insides from years of abuse. He didn’t die and when he left the hospital, he became a changed man. Duff McKagan’s story is an alternative path to Cobain’s. In McKagan’s new autobiography It’s So Easy (and other lies) he tells a eerie story about how in 1992 he hid in the closet of his house with a shotgun continually thinking of wrapping his lips around it to make the pain he was experiencing end. While he chose a different path, it provides the reader with a harrowing tale of how despite vast wealth and success he desperately wanted to end it all. Through the book’s entire 367-pages never once did I sense that McKagan was being whiny or a spoiled rock star who felt he was entitled to something greater. He looks back on his life with a keen sense of purpose and perspective acknowledging moments of regret while never once making excuses for his mistakes and this is precisely what makes his story unforgettable even long after you’ve finished this book.

It’s So Easy (and other lies) is by no means a gratuitous blow-by-blow recount of his years of excess. Sadly his former rhythm partner, Steven Adler’s memoir from last year fell into this trap where the glut of drug intake took on overzealous dimensions that disgusted rather than delighted. The same could be said of Slash’s biography from a few years back but with more of an emphasis on the legacy and history of Guns N’ Roses. McKagan simply sat down and wrote a straightforward story of his life which is one of the best written and edited autobiographies put together in recent years. Whenever one reads a memoir from a celebrity trekking your way through their early childhood is often tedious. It’s not that the reader isn’t invested in their story, but the celerity at hand tends to overestimate how much the reader wishes to know about their youth. Most readers want to know about the seminal career years versus their formative years. However, McKagan shifts the first few chapters in a non-linear fashion shifting between his teen years, his beginnings and his collapse. This clever literary decision makes the first part of the book, leading up to his tenure with Guns N’ Roses, extremely readable. You never once find yourself wanting to page ahead to later chapters.

Like most rock stars of our time, McKagan came from a poor and broken home but his career trajectory was always dissimilar. One of the reason he’s still a working and flourishing musician today is because of his work ethic. Even at his most inebriated state he found a way to function. When he came off a 26-month world tour with Guns N’ Roses he turned around and went around the world supporting his recently released solo LP. McKagan’s book isn’t so much a series of stories or tall tales as it is a journey through one man’s struggle in finding himself. His recounting of the past appears to be spot-on and unsullied. He draws beautiful parallels, paints vivid pictures and has a way of informing the reader with important dates without inundating them with minutiae. That being said, part of me wishes there was more about the music here along with details about the recording and writing sessions for Guns N’ Roses iconic albums Appetite for Destruction and Use Your Illusion, however, while the chapters lack specifics, you never once feel as if McKagan is blowing smoke in your face. The books by Steven Adler and Slash felt cobbled together with random facts and neither embodied their true voice. McKagan’s voice in it’s So Easy comes across as authentic and never once do you feel as if he’s embellishing facts because an agent or manager told him it would help sell books. If he doesn’t discuss something within the pages of this book it’s more or less because he doesn’t remember it or feels that it’s been covered elsewhere. As a result, the book is invigorating without having certain stories retold for the sake of being retold.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT ANTIMUSIC. 

Red Bull Riot Fest Announces Winner in Weezer Showdown - The Blue Album Wins! See Weezer Perform it Live Sunday, October 9th

September 27, 2011

Red Bull Riot Fest Headliner Weezer Announces Winner of The Blue Album vs Pinkerton Fan Showdown Sunday Oct. 9th at the Congress Theater

The Blue Album Wins!

Weezer Support Acts: Urge Overkill, Teenage Bottlerocket & White Mystery

Smoking Popes To Play Free Show at Double Door Thursday Oct.8th

(Chicago, IL) Since 2005, Riot Fest has outdone itself annually, presenting the best bands from every genre under the umbrella of rock and punk, with epic reunions being a hallmark of the festival. In 2011, Red Bull Riot Fest steps up the game to a new level: killer headliners abound, from Weezer and the Descendents to Social Distortion and X (playing their iconic Los Angeles album in its entirety). There is also a very special Danzig “Legacy” performance with Glenn Danzig reuniting for Performances with Samhain Members, an onstage Reunion with Doyle from The Misfits as well as a blistering Danzig set. Tickets are nearing sell out, fans from all over the world travel to Chicago for the festival,  which as grown exponentially in the past 7 years. A new addition to the bill is much loved locals the Smoking Popes, who’ll play a free show Saturday night at Double Door!

It’s never been disputed that music fans love nothing more than a good debate, from top 10 lists to best album by an individual artist, the arguments are heated and passionate to say the least. Weezer has inspired countless disputes as fans battle over the artistic primacy of The Blue Album vs Pinkerton advocates for each spool out their opinions on huge online threads worldwide. Weezer heard the voice of their fans! The Blue Album won the WXRT-sponsored voting and will be played in its entirety on Sunday, October 9th at Congress Theater. Urge Overkill, Teenage Bottlerocket and White Mystery will play with Weezer at this landmark show for their fans.

The line-up:  Danzig * Weezer * Social Distortion * Descendents * X (play "Los Angeles") * Smoking Popes* Youth of Today * Suicide Machines * ALL (Scott, Chad and Dave) * Helmet * Down By Law * The Business * Strike Anywhere * The Tossers * Macabre* Nachtmystium * The Flatliners * Flatfoot 56 * The Menzingers * Banner Pilot * The Pavers * Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band * Shot Baker * The Copyrights* Cheap Girls * Larry and His Flask * Chinese Telephones * The Crombies * The Holy Mess * Neutron Bombs * The Infected

Red Bull Riot Fest began in 2005, when Michael Petryshyn and Sean McKeough launched the first fest in multiple venues over a weekend in Chicago to celebrate rock and punk from every era. They put special emphasis on reuniting influential punk and underground bands who hadn’t shared the stage in years and Chicago’s rich music history has always been a huge part of the Riot Fest roster. It quickly became one of the top gatherings for fans of every genre under the rock, indie and punk umbrella, with fans traveling from around the world to attend.  Red Bull Riot Fest Chicago runs October 5-9th.

Red Bull Riot Fest Chicago October 5-9th

Congress Theater

Bottom Lounge

Double Door

Cobra Lounge
AAA Warehouse
 

For tickets visit http://www.ticketfly.com/event/48663/ For information visitwww.riotfest.org - to download the Riot Fest Poster visithttp://riotfest.org/static/images/2011_Chicago_again.jpg