Rock n' America Day 1 Review

"If you missed the 80s, you missed out!" Great White frontman Jack Russell bellowed from the Rock n' America stage. Rock n' America officially opened Friday with a theme of all 80s metal and old fashioned heat.

Who played the first official day of Rock n' America? Lizzy Borden, The Sweet, Trixter, Great White and Twisted Sister. On the side stage, bands like Toxin, Axe, Bulletboys and Faster Pussycat rocked out.

The Zoo Amphitheater in Oklahoma City is old so the venue isn't necessarily modern but it is nice. The walk from the parking area to the gates is super long which is unfortunate, but it is what it is I guess. The Zoo Amp has good gradation - I think it's hard to find a bad seat in the house. You can see from pretty much everywhere! The side stage is just to the right of the main stage which is okay...except for the fact that the sound is being run through one PA so when the main stage is being swapped and instruments tuned, you can hear it a little.

The standout bands of the day? The Sweet, Faster Pussycat and Twisted Sister. Jack Russell and Great White sounded much better than previous reports and YouTube videos would indicate. Jack continues to mend from two back surgeries so the set is a little more subdued. He was standing on his own just fine but there's no wild jumping around - and that's to be expected. By the time Great White was finishing their set with "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" the crowd was more energized. The sun had finally let up and it wasn't oppressive anymore. People seemed to be dancing and generally the crowd was happy. The main mix for Great White wasn't great - a problem that plagued the entire set.

The Sweet seemed to really surprise people. Yes, there was a red cape and some hits. A lot of people kept walking by saying "I didn't know they played that song!" For many - like me - it was a first time seeing the band live. I was entertained.


Twisted Sister always rocks but the set was a little more subdued than the last time I saw them. I'm not sure why - it just was. But I liked the opening with the cries of "Twisted Sister, come out and play!" over and over. Yes, Twisted changed the order of their set which I like. I just wish they'd drop "The Price" and keep the entire set straight metal - people were into it. Dee Snider also mentioned his upcoming series on A&E that debuts next week and Jay Jay French went on his usual rant about how American Idol sucks. The band's encore included a very nice tribute to Ronnie James Dio.

The thing that is weird about Rock n' America is that there is a “no cursing from the stage” rule...but it's a rock show. So saying there's no cursing is insane. It just happens and must be some crazy rule from Oklahoma City or something. But apparently the bands are getting fined or something every time they drop an F-bomb. Just odd.

What else? Oh yeah, Faster Pussycat ("Goth Cat") was great -- even with Taime Downe's crazy potty mouth. He swore, bless him! "Bathroom Wall" rocks and I swear it had the biggest sing a long chorus of the day. The Bulletboys didn't play "Smooth Up in Ya" which is inexcusable in my book. I'm not sure if they were cut off or what, but the 20 minute long music jam at the beginning should have been shortened to accommodate the band's biggest hit.

I'm guessing attendance on Friday to be somewhere between 3,000 – 5,000.

I've got photos but I haven't had time to edit them - so check back.

Behind the Scenes of 'November Rain'

Have you ever watched the "Making of 'November Rain?'" The clips are awesome to a music geek like me. I really like to know how stuff works - especially when we're talking about television or video production. I worked in television and I'm still amazed at how directors can manipulate technology and staging to create scenes that are out of this world.

As we all know, "November Rain" is an epic song - and so the video had to be just as awesome. The budget was huge - and, in my opinion, totally worth every penny. Not sure if you've ever watched the official 1993 release "The Making of 'November Rain'" but here it is. Well worth your time.

Part 1 & 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Rock n' America Today - Follow Me on Twitter

I'll be on site at Rock n' America today, catching bands like The Sweet, Great White and Twisted Sister. If you want immediate updates, follow me on Twitter @bringbackglam. I'll be tweeting fun facts and crazy happenings all weekend long.  As always, I'll post reviews and photos of the show, too. Post times will be erratic - so check back frequently.

Guns n' Roses Will Play the Rock n' Rev Festival (Hint: It's in America!)

The inaugural Rock N' Rev festival, scheduled for Aug. 9-13 to coincide with the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, just made a major announcement: Guns n' Roses will play the festival.

Holy Glam!

The festival will officially be held at Monkey Rock USA in Sturgis.

The Monkey Rock site is on 25 acres. In addition to Guns n' Roses, a whole slew of other bands will play including Daughtry, Alice In Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Godsmack, Skillet, 3 Doors Down, Hinder, Three Days Grace, Wolfmother, Eagles Of Death Metal, Hellyeah, Creed, Pop Evil and more.

Now, here's the amazing thing: tickets start at $45 and a 5 day pass is $150 bucks. Since I've never seen Guns n' Roses, I'd consider them worth the price of admission alone. From what I understand, there are some VIP packages too. I'm no biker, but someday I want to experience Sturgis. It's one of those "do before you die" sort of things. If I wasn't already committed to Rock n' America and Lollapalooza, I'd be at this fest for sure.

So, how late will Axl and the rest of Guns n' Roses take the stage at this event? I'm saying four hours late minimum.

Lynch Mob Embarks On A Summer Tour

HOLLYWOOD, CA (July 19, 2010) – Lynch Mob is getting ready to embark on a summer tour in support of their current release “Smoke and Mirrors” on Frontiers Records. The band line-up for this tour consists of George Lynch (shred master), Oni Logan (vox), Michael Devin (bassologist) and Brian Tichy (time-keeper).

After seventeen long years singer Oni Logan and guitar wizard George Lynch found their way back together and again show their amazing abilities in some killer new Hard Rock songs.” I would say this new record "Smoke and Mirrors", is the record we should have put out as a follow up to "Wicked Sensation"...better late than never I guess...”, says Lynch presenting the new record.

July 20              HOB – GL Clinic Show            Houston, TX                 
July 22              Dos Amigos                           Odessa, TX
July 23              Trees                                     Dallas, TX
July 24              Scout Bar                               San Antonio, TX
July 25              Zoo Amphitheater                 Oklahoma, OK
July 28              The Altar Bar                          Pittsburgh, PA
July 29              The Starland Ballroom           Sayerville, NJ
July 30              Jaxx                                       Springfield, VA
July 31              The Filmore                            New York, NY
Aug 01             Crazy Donkey                         Framingdale, NY
Aug 02             Eleanor Rigby’s                       Jermyn, PA
Aug 03             House of Blues                       Cleveland, OH
Aug 04             Scatz NightClub                      Middleton, WI
Aug 06             Club Vegas                             Salt Lake City, UT
Aug 07             The New Oasis                       Sparks, NV
Aug 08             Tower Theater                        Fresno, CA
Aug 11             Studio Seven                          Seattle, WA
Aug 12             Dante’s                                   Portland, OR
Aug 13             Last Day Saloon                     Santa Rosa, CA
Aug 14             Sky City Amphitheater            Pueblo of Acoma, NM

Get back to real rock with Lynch Mob’s new album “Smoke and Mirrors.”  

Alice Cooper Live Review

On Sunday, July 18 I was fortunate enough to see Alice Cooper live at Fraze Pavilion in Kettering, Ohio. I went to the show with my husband and friends Rob (form Hard Rock Hideout) and JT (from Hard Rock Nights). So yeah, I was with famous people.

Alice is always great live. He's definitely worth the ticket price so if you notice him coming through your town - just go to the show. He - and his beautiful band - never phone it in. Ever. Oh, and I say "beautiful" band because - good grief - the musicians playing with Alice are truly gorgeous men. Seriously. My male readers can stop rolling their collective eyes now.

The show opened with "School's Out" -- and that was the ending, too! I've never seen this before, but that's okay because it worked and everyone seemed to love it. "Elected" was right before "School's Out" in the encore, another one of my favorites. I always love when Alice comes trotting out with the American flag and acts like a politician. I'd vote for Alice for president!

There were other favorites too, including "Poison" -- which was very early in the set. Then there was my beloved "Vengence is Mine" in which Alice climbed atop a staircase dressed like a big spider. There was "Dirty Diamonds," "Billion Dollar Babies,""I'm Eighteen" and lots of death. Well, the tour is called "Theatre of Death" so Alice has to die a few times, right?

Keri Kelli is one of my favorite guitarists. The guy is amazing live and when I see Alice, I make it a point to sit on Keri's side of the stage. So, there I was about five rows in, watching Keri play it down. Man, it was muggy Sunday night and it didn't take long for the entire band to become a sweaty mess. They kept right on - at one time Keri was so sweaty I couldn't believe he could even see well enough to walk around stage, let alone play, but it was all good.

I was totally bummed because I wanted to catch Alice's cane (who doesn't?) but I was on the side and he threw the prop to the fans in the direct middle of the stage. Same for the dirty diamond necklaces and money. Someday I have big plans for catching an Alice cane and mounting it on my wall.

In case you're wondering, Fraze Pavilion is super small - probably 4500 seats - and a totally great place to see a big show like Alice. The staging all worked nicely and I felt super close. The sound was also perfect - no distortion, thanks in part to super strict sound regulations instituted by the city. Alice's curtain couldn't drop on its own, but his ghoulish stage hands pulled it down just fine. Glittery letters spelled out "Alice" across the stage and the band had to weave in and out of the letters to move. There was also a semi-slutty nurse that pranced around the stage and tormented Alice. All in all, it was a good time. I just wish I'd hear "It's Hot Tonight" live someday. Oh well I guess.

'Nobody's Fault' vs. 'Nobody's Fault'

When it comes to rock songs, I firmly believe "Nobody's Fault" by Aerosmith is the gold standard - bar none. Pay attention to the lyrics - the song is so relevant to the world we live in today, it's scary and amazing that the track was written three decades ago! "Nobody's Fault" has been covered by a slew of bands - most recently by Vince Neil on his new album Tattoos & Tequila. Problem is, I don't care for Vince's version much. Actually, I hate it. The guitar work is annoying and Vince sounds too processed. I do, however, love Testament's cover of "Nobody's Fault." In fact, I think it comes closest to rivaling the original for rock brilliance. Do you agree? Listen and weigh in below.

Vince Neil version

Testament version

The original version from Aerosmith Rocks