Up to Date

  Well that's all I can remember. It's not the only live shows I've ever seen, just the ones I have proof and memories of. I vaguely remember seeing a member of the band Boston, or maybe it was the actual Boston since there's only one original member remaining. And The first show I ever saw without any supervision was some band that only played covers at my high school gymnasium. It was a show put on by the school and the bands name was The Edge. This would have been about 1990 maybe 91. I think they played at least one Metallica song. I can't remember which one. I was there with my friend Robby. I had known him since kindergarten. We lost touch during high school. Just kind of went our different ways. I hate when that happens. It happens even more the older we get. Anyway, The only thing I really remember from that show was that the band was signing 8x10 photos of themselves after the show, but they had replaced the lead singer since they had the photo taken and decided not to get new ones. The new singer just signed his name over the old singers face! I wish I still had it. The funniest part about this is that The Simpsons had that same gag in one of their episodes not long after that. Any who, That's all I got for past shows. Anything from here on out will be new shows. I have 3 planned for 2024. I hope I make it to all of them. The future is never promised. Here's the ticket stub for The Edge! That logo screams 1990!

The Original Misfits at Riot Fest September 18 2016

The reunion I never thought would happen. This was a must for Tim and I. Tim was in charge of getting the tickets. Somehow, we ended up with 3 day tickets, but were only able to make the Sunday show. So we over paid for this show, but I didn't care! I'm sure it bugged the Hell out of Tim though. This was the first time I've ever drove into Chicago and I was not looking forward to it. I had been to Chicago before, but I had always takin the Amtrak into downtown. Not this time. I was expecting some of the wildest traffic I had ever seen, and Chicago did not disappoint! It was insane! But, we made it. Not knowing the area, we parked at one of the first parking lots we saw. That was a bad idea. we walked what seemed like forever. In reality, it was only one mile and took about 30 minuets. Neither Tim or I are what you would call small or speedy. It was a rather hot September day which made things worse. Anyway, we made it! The first thing after acquiring an overpriced beverage was the Hellzapoppin Circus Sideshow Revue. Unfortunately we showed up a little late and were so far back that we couldn't really see. So we decided to check out some of the stages. The first stage we walked by had Juliette Lewis & The Licks. I had no idea that Juliette Lewis even had a band! She was definitely kicking some ass though. Her setlist was short, but she gave it her all! 

 American Boy 

 Proud Mary 

 Anyway You Want 

Whole Lotta Love

We didn't stick around for her whole set because Dee Snider was playing the next stage. Twisted Sister is a blast from my childhood and I thought I would be able to catch their classic song "We're Not Gonna Take It"  but, Like other bands like to occasionally do, he changed up the arrangement on his hit anthem. It was really slowed down at the beginning with Dee just singing with a piano. Then they kicked in and started to rock! I could have done without the piano part. Here's his setlist.

We Are The Ones

Over Again

Close To You

Head Like A Hole

Rule The World

Crazy For Nothing

We're Not Gonna Take It

I Wanna Rock

I wish I had seen Chevy Metal at this show. I don't know if I actually knew that Taylor Hawkins was in this band at the time. A part of me thinks I did, but I can't remember. We headed over to see Bad Religion instead. Bad Religion is an Iconic Punk band, but to be honest, I had never really heard anything from them before this. They put on a good set. A little robotic on stage, but the music was on point! Here's the setlist.

Fuck You

Atomic Garden

Los Angeles Is Burning

21st Century (Digital Boy)

Stanger Than Fiction

Recipe For Hate

Against The Grain

Generator

Infected

You

Sorrow

American Jesus

Fuck Armageddon...This Is Hell

Now at this time, I wish I could say we were on our way to see The Me First and The Gimmie Gimmies, but we were in desperate need for some water and a shady spot. So we found a little shade next to the fence and sat there while the Deftones were on the main stage. I'm not a big fan, but they were heavy! We also had a show for this one. Some dude that had been partying way harder than us was really feeling the Deftones. He was a one man mosh pit! After the Deftones, and our rest, the sun was starting to go down so we decided to see how close we could get for the Misfits.

My view from my back while in the shade

The Deftones are on the near stage.

We moved up next to the sound tent. We were on the right side of the sound tent for the Misfits, but the wrong side to see Rob Zombie. He played the entire White Zombie Album Astro Creep 2000. I could hear it, I just couldn't hear it. It sounded amazing. I was so happy when I found out that they had recorded it and released it on CD. Here's the setlist

Electric Head, Part 1: The Agony

Super-Charger Heaven

Real Solution #9

Creature Of The Wheel

Electric Head, Part 2: The Ecstasy

Grease Paint and Monkey Brains

I, Zombie

More Human Than Human

El Phantasmo And Chicken-Run Blast-O-Rama

Blur The Technicolor

Blood, Milk And Sky

Thunder Kiss 65

Dragula

Here's the album cover

After the Rob Zombie set, but before the Misfits, we were standing there waiting. The crowed was starting to really pack in. There was nowhere to move to. Then this drunk dude pushing a kid in a wheelchair was screaming how the kid had to get to the front. I couldn't get out of his way. He rolled that chair right up the back of my ankle. I was yelling at him that I couldn't move, he was yelling that the kid needed to get to the front. I am not a violent person, but I wanted to kill this dude! The kid ( he loked about 15) was crying that he didn't even know this guy! I did not want to end up in jail in Chicago, so I kept my cool, got the chair off my ankle and he was on his way. I later saw the wheelchair go up over the crowd. I hope the kid was ok. Then The Misfits came on! Glenn, Jerry, and Doyle with Dave Freakin Lombardo on drums! along with Acey Slade playing guitar at the side of the stage. It was epic! Everything I had hoped it would be! I just rocked non stop for the next hour or so! Here's the setlist

Death Comes Ripping

20 Eyes

I Turned Into a Martian

Where Eagles Dare

Mommy, Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight?

Vampira

All Hell Breaks Loose

Hybrid Moments

Teenagers From Mars

London Dungeon

Earth A.D.

Green Hell

Devilock

Horror Business

We Are 138

Hollywood Babylon

Who Killed Marilyn

Halloween

Die, Die My Darling

Astro Zombies

Skulls

Last Caress

Bullet

Night of the Living Dead

She

Attitude

Jerry Only tossed his bass into the crowd after the show. I'm guessing that was a war up front when that happened. 

It was a long walk back to the car and a long ride home, but it was worth it! Next time I'm getting a hotel room though. 

Black Sabbath September 2 2016

  The End. That was the name of the tour. Sabbath were hanging them up after this go around. I had just seen them 3 years earlier and had just started a new job. So I wasn't going to get these tickets, not really having enough time in at work to request any days off. Let alone a Friday before Labor Day Weekend! But Scott, Tim's wife's uncle that had gone with us last time was wanting to go again. Scott was a really cool guy, but to be honest with you, I didn't know him all that well. That didn't matter to Scott. He wanted to go again and he wanted Tim and I to go with him so he bought all three tickets. A lot had happened to Scott since the last time we had gone to the show 3 years prior. The whole family deals with diabetes. And it caught up to him in a big way. He had to have both feet amputated. So he needed help to go see this show. Not that that was the only reason he wanted us to go. Scott was a very giving and friendly guy. How could I say no. And my boss at the time was super cool about it. Gave me a 4 day weekend!

 The opening band was Rival Sons. And to this day I still don't know what the sound like. We spent the whole time they were on at the merch booth. Scott was buying his grandson a Black Sabbath T-Shirt. I wanted to say thank you for the ticket, so I bought Scott a T-Shirt and a round of beers at the show.  I also got the special CD Sabbath were selling. It also came autographed, but I was to cheap to  buy it. I wish I would have. The seats were in the handicapped section off to the side. They were horrible seats for pictures, but they were just fine for enjoying the show. My camera sucked anyway.

 The setlist didn't vary much from the last time. A little shorter, no new album songs, and in a little different order. It was packed with all the hits. Except one. Scott was really wanting to hear Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. I hated that he didn't get to hear it. Tony did  play the first riff before he ended with Paranoid, but that was it.  Here's the setlist.

Black Sabbath

Fairies Wear Boots

After Forever

Into The Void

Snowblind

War Pigs

Wasp/Behind The Wall Of Sleep

Bassically/NIB

Hand Of Doom

Rat Salad/Drum Solo

Iron Man

Dirty Women

Embryo/Children Of The Grave

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath Riff/Paranoid

 Tommy Clufetos filled in nicely on drums again. It did suck never seeing the full original lineup, but there's no use crying over spilt milk now. It was an awesome show. Those songs never grow old to me. I will (hopefully) be listening to them for many years to come. Unfortunately Scott left us way to early. Less than a year later. I am happy that I was able to help him enjoy one of his last concerts. I do still think of him when I hear Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. 

 Here are a few really bad pics

Michale Graves September 22 2018

  After the first time seeing him, I was skeptical about going to this show. If I remember right they were advertising this show as a return to a more high energy Misfit-esque show. So I was willing to give it another try. Also since Tim bought the tickets for this one, I wasn't out anything. Along with Graves on this tour was a band called Nim Vind, who I think were supplying the band for Michale Graves as well as the other supporting artist, Argyle Goolsby. Now if you don't know, Goolsby made a name for himself in his band Blitzkid, but he has also had his hand in helping 3 out of the 4 members of the reunited Misfits in their solo efforts. He played bass on tour for Dr. CHUD's X-Ward, and I believe Chud has also toured and recorded with Blitzkid as well. He played bass and sang on tour for Doyle's band Gorgeous Frankenstein which ended with a Misfits 95 reunion of sorts where Goolsby played bass when Michale Graves joined Doyle and Chud for a few songs. And now he is touring with Michale Graves. I was at the merch table outside before the show when Goolsby walked up behind me and said hi. That was cool. The merch table was outside because there was no room inside. This show was being held in a record store, which is cool for the record store to do, but this has to be the smallest venue I have ever seen a show. And it was packed. So packed that, during the Nim Vind part of the show, Tim and I, who are both big in size, stayed outside on the sidewalk. So I can't really tell you much about them. We did go inside when Goolsby started his set. And even though the show was in a closet! Goolsby played with as much energy and enthusiasm as a stadium gig. Then came the Michale Graves set. The band was spot on. I have no proof of this, but Michale sounded drunk. his timing was off and sounded horrible. The band was trying to through blame at the sound mix, but I think he was just toasted! Not 100% sure of that, but that's what it seemed like to me. This show was strike 2 for me. I will not be struck out, so I think this will be the last time I see Michale Graves, who I think has kind of buried himself with a political stance anyway. I don't have any setlists from this show. Goolsby was the definite highlight. Here are a couple of pics that happen to be even worse than the show itself. 

Henry Lee Summer May 21 2016

  First time seeing live music on a boat. This show was held on the Madam Carroll, an old style paddle wheel boat minus the paddle wheel. A party barge that cruises Lake Freeman. We (my wife and I)  were invited to this show by our friends Denise and Ron. Now I really have never followed Henry Lee Summer, and even as I'm typing this, I can't even remember the name of any of his songs. It's not quite the style of music that I have ever followed, but growing up in central Indiana in the 80s, you had heard the name Henry Lee Summer. There is not going to be a long post to this one, because it was simply a night out with some friends. My wife got really tipsy this night which is a little out of character for her, but she was havin fun! I have no setlist or many show notes. Prince had died only about a month before, I don't know if that was the reason, but they played Purple Rain. At one point in the show, an argument erupted on stage between the guitar player and the keyboard/tambourine player which felt awkward, but did not stop the show. Not sure what the argument was about, but it was a memorable part of the show. during a brief intermission, the bass player, who was a much older gentleman, came around and was talking to someone sitting next to me. Apparently  he had played as either a session player or part of John Mellencamp's band. That's about it. It was a fun time, fun enough that we went back for another show on April 29 2017. I'm going to combine these two shows on this one post, because for the most part, I think it was pretty much the same show, minus the argument. I do have a few pics.

                                                       First show May 21 2016

Denise and Ron Dancing in the foreground

2nd show April 29 2017

Our friends Denise and Ron My wife Maria, and myself

Here Come The Mummies July 4 2014

 I can't believe I've seen this band as many times as I have. It is not the style of what I usually listen to, but it is always a good time! I don't have any major memories to this one. Just me and the lovely wife for this one. It seemed like the Mummies almost had some kind of residency thing going on for our local Fourth of July festival for several years in a row. They also played just this last year, but I was not able to go. My work schedule really sucks now! Here's the setlist and some pics for this one.

Carnal Carnival

It's On Tonight

V.I.P.

Ra Ra Ra

Fenk Shui

Bump

Limo Ride

A La Mode

You Know The Drill

Innuendo

She Parties

Ugly

Cruel Old Sun

Freak Flag

Platinum

Pants

Booty

Funky Little Baby

Petting Zoo

Everything But

Single Double Triple