A concert or festival that exhibits a diverse lineup of bands and/or solo musicians is always going to make some noise. The 1996 Lollapalooza concert, held on July 23, 1996, at the Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana takes the Metal prize here for diversity! Just take a look at the concert poster below, listing some of the acts that took to the stages of Lollapalooza in ’96: METALLICA, SOUNDGARDEN, WAYLON JENNINGS, RAMONES, RANCID and SCREAMING TREES. I revere the Ramones, listen to Rancid on a regular basis and could never be more proud of it… Tim Armstrong just amazes me with his song writing, vocals and musical multi-talents. Soundgarden I took a liking to from the start, definitely my favorite Grunge Band ever… Black Hole Sun… ’nuff said. Screaming Trees, (quiet pioneers of the Grunge style in their own right), I will give an open ear to from time to time still. Waylon Jennings, a country legend… he passed away too damn young at age 64, back in 2002. Metallica, a core band of mine. Thrash Metal giants, icons, regardless if Load from ’96, ReLoad from ’97 and St. Anger from 2003 were not up to my Metallica standards. (Hey, any Metalhead or fan of any music genre has their unique personal standards). I never gave up on Metallica… Death Magnetic proves Metallica never gave up on their fans either.
Looking back on this Lallapalooza concert in ’96 is Heavy Metal history. No, not everyone on the bill was/is Heavy Metal, nonetheless… this event was Heavy Metal history. The same can be said that Lallapalooza ’96 was Punk Rock history too. Country and Grunge history at that. If I had attended this Lallapalooza Concert back then, I have a funny feeling, I would have had a tremendous time. Musical diversity was found at this concert and that is not a bad thing at all… in my Metal opinion. (Throw in the fact that Lollapalooza did not have any televised talent show contestants/winners on stage… and you have instant credibility).
This is a very plain and unexciting looking concert poster. Still, these posters were hung up on telephone poles, handed off to passers-by and maybe hung inside convenience store windows as well? I cringe at the thought of just how many of these historical posters were ripped down, torn up and thrown away, once this concert came to pass. The bottom Metal line is that this poster represents a moment in time, a moment in Rock history, Heavy Metal history.
You bet your Metal memory I picked up the new and live double CD “Flight 666” from Iron Maiden, (released June 9, 2009). How could I possibly pass it up? This is Iron Maiden we are talking about… Metal icons… Metal elite. I first saw this new Iron Maiden CD, yesterday, at f.y.e., they were asking $16.99… I knew I could do better than that. So, I went to good ol’ Super Walmart to pick up necessities, like… food, then my body was on automatic pilot and went straight to the CD aisles. Iron Maiden is a necessity in my Metal life, therefore, I purchased “Flight 666” along with various food items from Walmart. I embarked for my car, with my daughters by my side and I am one happy dude. The Walmart price? I paid $13.88 for “Flight 666”, if I continued to search for a cheaper price than that, I would be wasting gas in my tank. Plus, I was able to save $3.23… sounds like chump change, yet it adds up throughout the years when you shop around a tad. I am going to put the DVD version of “Flight 666” on my want list for now… I listen to Metal light years more often than I watch Metal.
Cheap Trick is without question, in my top ten of all time favorite bands. That includes all genres of Rock, Hard Rock and Metal too. This is the one band I so desperately need to see live. I honestly cannot believe I never saw Cheap Trick in concert… after all these years. I feel semi-embarrassed in admitting this. Then again, I would have to be a full time concert goer to actually see every band I dig, there are that many… I am confidently certain I am not alone with that thought. Therefore, what makes for the consolation prize instead of seeing Cheap Trick live, is listening to their double CD “Silver”. (Released June 29, 2004). This double live, Cheap Trick bounty of hits commemorates their 25 plus years as a Rock & Roll original. (Yes, “at Budokan” is a legendary live album from Cheap Trick… I have covered that milestone of an album in an earlier post). “Silver” covers a vast array of Cheap Trick hits, from their deep catalog of albums. This live concert captures Cheap Trick in their Rockin’ spontaneous glory… no over dubbing that I can detect. 
KISS. The makeup, the attitude, the stage show, the costumes, the KISS trading cards from the 1970’s, the marketing machine which throws the KISS logo on just about anything. Wait a minute, there is of course… the music, uh, I mean the Heavy Metal. Since about 5th grade, (a long time ago, in a parochial school, far, far, away), I have been a KISS fan. You betcha. I am not a closet KISS fan either. No way will I disregard to anyone, a lifetime love I have for such a behemoth of a Heavy Metal icon, which is KISS. I will not part with my unopened wax box of KISS trading cards from 1978. No sir. What in the world is there to be ashamed of? KISS is the epitome of Heavy Metal success, both commercially and musically, in my Metal opinion.
It is Thursday, May 14, 2009 – C.C. DeVille, the talented guitarist for Poison celebrates his 47th birthday today. Happy Birthday C.C. Deville! It seems like it was yesterday for me, when I saw Poison live, at an amusement park in expensive Connecticut. It was the late ’80’s and Poison was hotter than a fresh loaf of bread out of the oven, back then. Poison for me, is a pretty cool Hair Metal band that can play. That live amusement park concert was quite honestly, the loudest Heavy Metal concert I have ever been to. I am not kidding and I have been to my fair share of Metal concerts throughout my life, both large and small.
When I first purchased Seether “One Cold Night”, I knew I was going to hear a live, acoustic concert. What I did not expect, was how incredible the songs from Seether’s past albums would sound acoustically. As the subtitle of this CD states – “An Intimate Acoustic Performance”, “Feb 22 2006” – the entire musical atmosphere does definitely come across as mellow and intimate. That is what playing acoustically does, the once Heavy Metal or Hard Rock songs become more personal to the listener/audience with even deeper meaning, in my Metal opinion. Shaun Morgan to me, is brilliant as a vocalist and guitarist. He can sing the acoustic versions of his songs, making me believe that this could very well be the only versions. When I listen to the acoustic versions of “Gasoline”, “Diseased” and “Immortality”, It makes me listen more to the lyrics and song structure.
Yes, Kip Winger is still creating music. Only you will not hear the Winger of the 1980’s on “From The Moon To The Sun” – this is Kip Winger accentuating his diverse affection for all music. Really, this is not an album to pass over if you are an open minded Hard Rock or Metal fan. With so many musicians in Hard Rock and Metal experimenting musically these days, it does not come as a huge surprise to listen to a softer, more mature (musically), Kip Winger. I hear Kip Wingers influences throughout “From The Moon To The Sun.” Kip Winger gives special thanks, in the liner notes, to his musical heroes, they are: Honegger, Ravel, Debussy, Bach, Brahms, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Kurek, Vaughan Williams, Adams, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel and Joe Walsh. Seeing the list of Kip’s musical heroes definitely solidifies my saying this album is truly musically diverse. Quite honestly, there are some dudes on this heroes list that I have absolutely no clue as to who they are. I am innocent, for I am a Metalhead after all. (I am not used to too many mellow musicians, especially Classical musicians, however, I am a work in progress).
who has without doubt, carved out his place in Heavy Metal history.
I was extremely lucky enough to see Cliff Burton, the late bass playing legend for Metallica, at two live gigs in 1986. The first live experience I had seeing Metallica with Cliff Burton was in a large club setting, (The West Hartford Ballroom, West Hartford, Connecticut). Metal Church opened for Metallica, what a night. The second live gig I experienced seeing Cliff Burton was a rather very large gig. Metallica opened for none other than – Ozzy Osbourne! This exciting concert took place at the New Haven Coliseum, New Haven, Connecticut). (During 1986, Metallica was touring in support of their album “Master of Puppets” and Ozzy Osbourne was touring in support of his album “The Ultimate Sin”) My Metal memory cannot recall the exact dates of these shows, yet they both occurred in the brutally cold Winter months of 1986!
Motley Crue’s incredibly talented, lead guitarist, Mick Mars has turned the cool age of 53 on Friday, April 3, 2009. Happy Heavy Metal birthday Mick Mars! It is so obvious to me, what Mick Mars has contributed to Motley Crue since 1981, as both musician and song writer. In my opinion, Mick Mars with his guitar playing, has lended extreme credibility to Motley Crue since day one. I had the Metal opportunity to see Motley Crue live in 1987, on the “Girl’s, Girl’s, Girl’s Tour”, Mick Mars was sensational on stage. His mere presence alone made me feel like I was witnessing one of the biggest stars of Heavy Metal – ever. As for Mick Mars shredding on guitar, live, let’s just say I was afforded an opportunity that night, to see one of the very best guitarists in Heavy Metal history. Thank you for all of the unbelievable Metal over the years, Mick Mars!
O.K., so I am two days belated with saying happy Metal birthday to Angus Young. I am sure Angus Young will not mind. March 31, 2009 marked the big 54th birthday for this Heavy Metal legend. Metal Odyssey speaks for all Metalheads worldwide when we say – HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANGUS YOUNG!!! The incredible, thrilling, heavy duty, pump you up, all-out fabulous & terrific heavy music that Angus Young has given us all to enjoy is a true gift to the world of Metal. (Did I leave out any cool adjectives in that last sentence)? Sometimes, you just have to really be thankful for the Metal musicians who are with us and are still making amazing music throughout these turbulent times. 
I have decided to add a special feature to my Metal Odyssey blog, Women of Hard Rock & Metal. As far as I see it, there are many great female vocalists, guitarists and musicians out there in the world of Hard Rock & Metal and I do not overlook them one bit. So, what better platform than right here, to celebrate some of these fabulous female Rockers? The first in this series is none other than – Pat Benatar. Yes, Pat has had her share of ballads and Pop Rock charting singles, yet so has Poison, Warrant, Motley Crue and Van Halen. My point I am trying to make here is, there is Hard Rock aplenty with the catalog of music from Pat Benatar! 
Rob Halford, the “Metal God” of the Metal music world, formed an incredible band in the Summer of 1992 named Fight. Sure, Rob Halford will forever be known as the super famous and powerful lead vocalist for Judas Priest, yet the Metal music that he created with Fight is superior stuff for me. I so very highly recommend Fight to all Metal fans, especially fans of Judas Priest, Pantera and Thrash Metal. I purchased the Fight CD/DVD – “War of Words – The Film”, (released Summer of 2008), whoa was this one powerhouse band. “Into The Pit” is a straight to your face – all out – Thrash Metal tune that does not let up or give in. “Immortal Sin” is more of a Heavy Metal/Metal track that carries along with dark lyrics and vocals courtesy of Rob Halford. “Kill It” is a very aggressive track, again I am amazed at how ahead of their time Fight really was musically. Overall, the songs on “War of Words” are very relevant to what is being created today by the Thrash Metal and Metal community. Rob Halford was joined with Scott Travis on drums in Fight, (Scott Travis being a long time & current drummer for Judas Priest).
The late Phil Lynott, of Thin Lizzy, lives on again with the release of Still Dangerous – Live At The Tower Theatre Philadelphia 1977. 32 years later, this concert is still being enjoyed and revered by Metal, Hard Rock and Rock fans and any fan of great Classic Rock. It is obvious to me, that when VH1 Classic Records releases this genre of music now, it tells the world that Heavy Metal never ages. The vocals, song writing and bass playing of the late Phil Lynott will be handed down for generations through CD releases like this. Thin Lizzy, to me, represents the sound of 1970’s Heavy Metal, when this genre was just beginning to evolve and blossom into what it is today. The live music on Still Dangerous is such an essential listen for both young and veteran Metal, Hard Rock and Classic Rock fans around the globe.
In all of my years of listening to Heavy Metal and all other METAL genres, from going to Arena size METAL concerts, to small club METAL gigs, I do not think I ever referred to any METAL music that I am aware of, as, well, a “METAL performance”. What in the world is a “METAL performance”? I know that a ballet, a comedian on stage, a high school play or a middle school band can give a performance. METAL and the word performance do not add up correctly. If I ever used the phrase, at any time in my METAL life, to anyone I know, “Hey, that was one terrific METAL performance by MOTORHEAD last night”, well, I probably would never be hearing the end of it. 
It is so refreshing, extremely comforting, to know that there are factually dozens of Heavy Metal and Hard Rock bands that MATTER, bashing out their new releases and touring, since the 1970’s and in some instances, the late 1960’s!! So much for critics who cite “shelf life” of Heavy Metal. There are so many legendary Heavy Metal bands out there that are in their 3rd or 4th decade of championing the flag of Metal for all of us Metalheads. I hereby SALUTE the following list of legendary and historical bands that were/still are instrumental in shaping and defining the world of METAL music – as we know it and enjoy it today. I say THANK YOU to these bands! It is my opinion, that these bands are still around today for they are masters of their musical craft. It is my METAL opinion, that each and every one of these bands belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (some bands on this list already are there). I may miss some bands that should be on this list, however feel free to comment on those bands who belong on this HEAVY METAL & HARD ROCK list and they shall be added. The criteria I am using is: The band is Heavy Metal or Hard Rock * The band has been around since the late 1960’s or 1970’s and still are performing as a band or members are doing solo careers and/or recording new material – the band is current. Here is the list (in no particular order), enjoy:
Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog 
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