Not Original, but...

Ok. Wild Boyz were not original. In fact, their songs and image were 100% contrived - and, by the looks of things, completely stolen from Poison. Still, Glam is party rock - and Wild Boyz deliver on that front.

You might know the band Dorian Gray? Anyway, members of that band eventually formed Wild Boyz - and yeah, the band played the Sunset Strip. A lot. Ok, maybe they didn't play as much as they partied, but whatever.

So, Wild Boyz have an odd website. The site sort of makes it seem like Wild Boyz might try to make a go of things again. Or not. At any rate, I just couldn't believe I've never mentioned this band - so there you go!

Here's the only video Wild Boyz ever made in support of their 1991 release Unleashed!

"I Don't Wanna Cry No More"

Phantom Blue

Despite the recent passing of guitarist Michelle Meldrum, murmurs of a Phantom Blue reunion continue. You know what? I want to see that - and in a big way!

Phantom Blue had a true Glam look - but recorded songs on the heavier side of rock. I've been trying to track down their debut for ages on eBay. Every single time I find it - I get outbid. Kim Nielsen posted on her Myspace page back in November that the reunion show would happen early this year. I'll be watching and waiting.

Phantom Blue was always one of those Metal bands I thought had a shot of getting big - but it just wasn't in the cards. There were too many line-up, label and management changes...and the band did come late to the scene. At any rate, I've been thinking about their songs lately. Are you a fan?

Here's "Why Call it Love"

Tour Names?

Does anyone really name tours anymore?

It seemed like back in the 1980s, all big tours had names. Those names were then pressed on shirts, buttons and books.

Just for fun, I went over to Motley Crue's Wikipedia entry and looked up the names of all their tours:

• "Anywhere USA" - Northern California Tour (1981)
• Too Fast For Love Tour (1981)
• Cruesing Through Canada Tour (1981-1982)
• Shout at the Devil World Tour (1983-1984)
• Welcome To The Theatre Of Pain Tour (1985-1986)
• Girls, Girls, Girls World Tour (1987-1988)
• Dr. Feelgood World Tour '89 - '90 (1989-1990)
• Monsters Of Rock Tour 1991 (1991)
• Anywhere There's Electricity Tour (1994)
• Live Swine Listening Party Tour (1997)
• Generation Swine Tour (1997)
• Mötley Crüe Vs. The Earth Tour (1997)
• Greatest Hits Tour (1998-1999)
• Maximum Rock Tour (1999)
• Welcome To The Freekshow Tour (1999)
• New Tattoo Tour (2000)
• Japanese Tour 2000 (2000)
• Red, White & Crüe Tour (2005)
• Carnival Of Sins Tour (2005-2006)
• Route of All Evil Tour (2006)
• 2007 Tour (2007)
• Crüe Fest (2008)
• Saints Of Los Angeles Tour (2009)

Now, some of these names are better than others. Ones that stand out are "Welcome To The Freekshow Tour," "Route of All Evil Tour" and "Welcome To The Theatre Of Pain Tour."

Aerosmith has a ton of tours, too. Interestingly, the most creative tour names are from some of their more recent shows. Some of those are:

• 1999-2000: Roar of the Dragon Tour
• 2001-02: Just Push Play Tour
• 2002: Girls of Summer Tour
• 2003: Rocksimus Maximus Tour
• 2004: Honkin' on Bobo Tour
• 2005-06: Rockin' the Joint Tour
• 2006: Route of All Evil Tour
• 2007: World Tour 2007

In case you're wondering, my favorite Aerosmith tour name is the "Rocksimus Maximus Tour."

It seems like lately bands just sort of hit the road and either 1) don't name the tour or 2) just name the tour after an album. Now, I understand the concept of naming a tour after an album - after all, one of the main reasons a band hits the road is to drum up record sales. Still, sometimes a little creativity goes a long way.

I remember seeing so many people wearing tour shirts back in the late 80s and 90s. I swear, it seemed like back then everywhere you went, you could find a music fan sporting the logo of a favorite band. At that point in time it seemed like a badge of honor to wear a tour T-shirt, cities and dates proudly emblazoned on the back.

Here's a secret: when I see someone wearing a tour shirt, I always read the back. I love seeing the places bands stop - especially vintage shirts. I also get a little excited when I see a complete stranger wearing a concert shirt from a show I attended. It's like an unspoken bond between people that will never meet or otherwise have nothing else in common.

When a band picks a really creative name for a tour, it just seems to add a little punch to the whole event. The ticket is more interesting, the shirts better - even the marquee out front of the venue seems to get the special treatment.

Can you think of any unique tour names?

Rock Gone Wild Ticket Giveaway

Have you entered the Rock Gone Wild daily ticket giveaway contest yet?

Every day, the promoters of Rock Gone Wild are giving away two general admission tickets. Rock Gone Wild happens August 20-23, 2009 in Algona, Iowa. You can buy seats now - platinum and VIP packages, or general admission if you like to wander and change locations. More info on tickets here.

The general admission ticket giveaway runs until August 1, 2009.

Bands already announced for Rock Gone Wild:

Puddle of Mudd
Saliva
Candlebox
Tantric
Skid Row
Kix
Great White
Saxon
Hardcore Superstar
Lizzy Borden
Tigertailz
Dangerous Toys
Gypsy Pistoleros
Helix
Saigon Kick
Rhino Bucket
Sick of Sarah
Junkyard

You might as well go to the site and enter. I mean, you've got nothing to lose, you might get a pair of free tickets...and then we can hang out together in the August heat!

Here are some videos by RGW bands.

Candlebox "Far Behind"

Saxon "Crusader (Live)"

Tigertailz "Love Bomb Baby"

Saigon Kick "Love is on the Way"

Wrote a Guest Post...

I wrote a guest post over on Jemsite about women guitar players. If you're interested, you can read that here.

So I Guess Poison and Def Leppard...

So I guess Poison and Def Leppard are going to tour this summer. That's what was posted on Blabbermouth anyway. I find this amusing since Bret Michaels said over and over and over again that Poison wouldn't be hitting the road this summer.

Now, the tour isn't a done deal but I guess it will probably happen.

Here's the article from Blabbermouth:

POISON frontman Bret Michaels has confirmed that his band is in talks to tour with DEF LEPPARD later in the year. Speaking to CNN about his upcoming activities, Michaels said, "I've got a huge announcement, which actually just happened this morning. DEF LEPPARD and POISON are gonna go out on the road this summer. And the reason that's exciting for me [is] I know it will be the rock tour this summer. POISON and DEF LEPPARD, with all those big hits, being out there, we put out a great show, we've got a huge fan base, but the one thing the fans get, we always keep the ticket prices down and deliver an absolutely awesome, kick-ass rock show. And I look forward to it, because I'm still a fan of music — I'm very passionate about the music I make — and when you can be out on the road with people you like — I've been able to go out with AEROSMITH, KISS, SKYNYRD — and to be out with DEF LEPPARD and POISON this summer, I think that it's gonna be the tour of the summer.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought Poison and Def Leppard hated each other? My Glam, all last summer all we heard was insults back and forth.

Now the two groups are going to tour? Egad.

Well, here are my predictions: Ticket sales will be low. Really low. Poison does pull out a good show night after night, but they've toured just about every summer for the past decade and that equals market saturation. I worry in this economy, people won't pay to see them again if they were just through town last summer. I also predict Joe Elliot's voice will be completely shot and he won't be able to belt out the Def Lep hits as required by law. Finally, I think this tour (if it happens) will be picked up by one of the major summer festivals in America. Which one? I cannot say. 

Here's my final prediction: when this tour rolls through Ohio, I'll be there. I mean, what can I say? I love Poison and Def Leppard. I also love a good train wreck and with these bands together, something chaotic is bound to happen.

Thoughts?

Take Five - Watch This

Oh my Glam.

You must watch this clip of Guns n' Roses at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. The song is "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" - and watching is worth the five minutes! I think this is just about the only time I can remember seeing a clip of Slash not playing a Gibson sunburst. I've been thinking about Guns n' Roses a lot lately. I've been reading Watch You Bleed, which is a biography of the band. When I get a few minutes to finish the book, I'll post up a review. In the meantime I've been enjoying revisiting some old Guns clips on YouTube. Enjoy.