Rachel’s Bizzaro Summer Concert series Part 4 & 5

I realize that these summer concert reviews are a little late and out of order. Life has been so complicated lately that I haven't had the time to write. This is probably why I feel so unbalanced. Writing is my favorite form of therapy - that, and drinking wine. Back to business.

Concert # 4 Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson @ Harvey's Outdoor Arena

This show was an interesting one. I have seen Dylan before and it's always a crapshoot. I have seen him shine and I have seen him bomb. This particular night he sounded like a duck. The music he played was mostly new stuff that I had no clue about. The instrumental part was great. His voice was full of slurs and VERY hard to understand. For the encore, he did Like a Rolling Stone. And even though I know every word to this song, it was completely muddled. Everyone was complaining. On the other hand Willie (who I am not a huge fan of) sounded crystal clear. I was impressed with his entire set. Luckily, these tickets were free and I had a great time anyway. I heard from a friend that 2 weeks later they saw him in Berkeley and he was amazing. I am not surprised.

Concert # 5 The Killers @ Shoreline

This will be final review and the last show I saw this Summer/Fall. This was my fourth time seeing The Killers live, and this review is totally biased. They are one of my favorite bands. I have seen them on every stage. The first show I saw was at the Joint in Vegas during the Hot Fuss Tour. That was an amazing show but Brandon Flowers hadn't really become a performer yet. He was shy and awkward. The next time I saw them was for the Sam's Town tour @ the Bill Graham. That show was decent, but the acoustics of the place made all the distorted songs hard to hear. The third time was at San Jose State. That was a great show. Sweaty, raw, fun, and loud. A true general admission tour.

This fourth time was an entirely different experience. We had VIP tickets. It felt like the time I flew first class cross-country and you had great food, drink, and fresh baked cookies. Then, when you fly coach you can smell those cookies but know they are not for you, it sucks. We had VIP parking, so we didn't have to park in the dirt ditch where all the bodies are buried. Then we had passes to the VIP terrace. That is where the free food and drinks were. They had a Vegas style buffet with an amazing spread and free beer and wine. Our seats were 8 rows back. The sound and energy was first rate. My moment of glory came in the middle of the show during the song Bling. Brandon Flowers, the hottest Mormon ever, came into the crowd to be "touched". The sweet Australian guy sitting next to me picked me up and pushed me to the front of the row. Low and behold, Mr. Flowers stopped right in front of me and climbed up on the chair to sing. I touched his leg for about 5 minutes. It was probably the best five minutes I've had in a long time. All in all the 4th time was the best for me. I don't think I will be able to see in them again. Once you have flown first class it's hard to go back to coach.

Rachel’s Bizzaro Summer Concert series Part 3

Show # 3 Poison and Def Leppard @ Shoreline

Some of you may wonder how come I am not embarrassed to list this one but I will never hide from my Glam Rock past. In the mid 80’s when many of my friends were listening to New Kids on the Block, Debbie Gibson, and Tiffany, I was cranking up Poison, Motley Crew, Bon Jovi, Guns & Roses, Skid Row, Warrant, Cinderella and Def Leppard. Most people who know me well are aware that my first real concert was the Bon Jovi Slippery When Wet Tour. I was 9. My mom took my brother and I and I distinctly remember her getting into a fight with some teenage terra in the ladies bathroom and being called an old hag.

Anyway the last time I saw Poison and Def Leppard I was in 8^th grade. So this present day experience was extremely different. I got drunk on cheap beer and had a kick ass time. I was surrounded by an odd crowd part old rockers, part late 20’s early 30’s, and many trailer park whiskey tango people dressed in beaters. The show itself was fun. Poison only played for an hour, which surprised me. They played all the old favorites: Talk Dirty to Me, Fallen Angel, Unskinny Bop (what a ridiculous song) and Every Rose. Big John came on stage to film stuff for the troops. Bret Michaels seems to be fixated on 2 things slutty women and the armed forces. Go figure. We missed Cheap Trick because parking was crazy.

Def Leppard rocked hard. They still sound great and put on a good visual show. Joe Elliot had laryngitis but still belted out the lyrics with presence. I still think Rock of Ages is one of the best rock songs from this genre. A good time was had by all and I was glad not to be driving home.

Rachel’s Bizzaro Summer Concert series Part 2

Show # 2 Counting Crows @ The Greek Theatre

Yes I am obsessed with the 90’s. I have seen the Counting Crows several times but this show was different for a few reasons. I have never seen them at the Greek before and I was really close. This show was great the sound, the crowd, and the free booze (thank you Visa Signature Card). We also had a front row seat to see a drunken White Trash fan (who was sitting in front of us) walk on stage and be carried out by security. Before the show started the drunk tatted wife beater owner said he was going to get back stage. We didn’t believe him but he did better he just walked on stage and put his arm around Adam for about 2 seconds before he was carried out and banned from the Greek. Now that’s entertainment.

Rachel’s Bizzaro Summer Concert series

Even though this summer I may have been poor and pining for a job, I got to see a few shows and each of them rocked in a totally eclectic type of way.

Show # 1 No Doubt @ the Sleep train Pavilion

Flash back to 1995 just finished high school, completely boy crazy, and I liked to use Manic Panic. I think maroon was my color of choice at that time. The one CD that played so much in my budget CD player that it began to skip was Tragic Kingdom. I remember dancing around my room in my micro mini tank top singing badly at the top of my lungs, “I’m Just a Girl.” I never went to see No Doubt back then so getting the chance to see them now was a high school dream come true. The show was incredible. The live energy was contagious and the crowd was well rounded. There were a few Tweens who came for Paramore because they had that song in Twilight. Overall I had a great time with good friends and didn’t feel too old in fact I felt like I was in HS again.