GOLDENVOICE PRESENTS

OCTOBER 6, 7 AND 8, 2023

AT THE EMPIRE POLO CLUB IN INDIO, CA,

THE WORLD’S GREATEST LIVE MUSIC DESTINATION

AND HOME OF THE COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL

A THREE-NIGHT EVENT SET IN BACKDROP OF THE AUTUMN DESERT

FEATURING SIX LOUD AND POWERFUL HEADLINERS

PURCHASE TICKETS NOW AT POWERTRIP.LIVE

Power Trip Festival 2023 With Metallica, Iron Maiden, AC-DC, Ozzy, Tool and Guns N’ Roses first appeared on Game On Media.

Guns N’ Roses, Tool, Avenged Sevenfold, Korn, Godsmack, Pantera, Limp Bizkit Announced For Aftershock Festival first appeared on Game On Media.

OZZY OSBOURNE
TO PERFORM HALFTIME SHOW
OF NFL KICKOFF GAME

LOS ANGELES RAMS-BUFFALO BILLS
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
AT SOFI STADIUM IN INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA

PERFORMANCE COMES ON THE EVE OF RELEASE OF HIS
‘PATIENT NUMBER 9’ ALBUM
OUT SEPTEMBER 9 ON EPIC

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy®-winning singer and songwriter OZZY OSBOURNE will perform at halftime of the Los Angeles Rams season opener on Thursday, September 8 at SoFi Stadium. The performance comes on the eve of the release of Osbourne’s new PATIENT NUMBER 9 album out September 9 on Epic.

To kick off the 2022 season, the Los Angeles Rams will host the Buffalo Bills in the Rams’ first game at SoFi Stadium since winning Super Bowl LVI in February. The game will be presented nationally on NBC, Peacock and Universo at 5:20 PM PT/8:20 PM ET. Tickets are available at www.therams.com/tickets.

Fans in the stadium will be treated to a multi-song medley from Osbourne while viewers at home will see a portion of the performance on NBC and Peacock during halftime.

The new album marks the first release since Osbourne critically acclaimed, worldwide, chart-topping 2020 ORDINARY MAN. Produced by Andrew Watt (who handled the same duties on ORDINARY MAN), the new album marks Osbourne’s 13^th solo studio album. It’s heavy, it’s hard-hitting, it’s historic–it’s everything you’d want from an OZZY Osbourne record and maybe more. Working with producer Watt for the second time, OZZY welcomed a dynamic A-list featured guests. For the first time ever, Black Sabbath co-founder, guitarist, and riff-master Tony Iommi appears on an OZZY solo album. The record also boasts guitarists Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, and longstanding righthand man and six-string beast Zakk Wylde who plays on the majority of the tracks. For the bulk of the album, Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers held down drums, while the late Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters appears on three songs. Old friend and one-time OZZY band member Robert Trujillo of Metallica plays bass on most of the album’s tracks, with Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses and Chris Chaney of Jane’s Addiction supplying bass on a few songs.

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Ozzy Osbourne To Play Halftime Of Rams v Bills NFL Kickoff first appeared on Game On Media.

• Bud Light Seltzer – Bud Light & Bud Light Seltzer are proud to once again partner with Welcome To Rockville as they continue to provide crisp, cool refreshments and lasting memories through music. This year they are happy to have their very own Bud Light Party Zone facing the main stage where fans can enjoy an ice cold beer, and sample some of the innovative, new products. Bud Light and Bud Light Seltzer look forward to seeing you all there! 21+
• Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach Presents Best Seats In The House – Hard Rock’s mission is about creating authentic experiences that rock, and a partnership with Welcome To Rockville brings that mission to life. Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach is bringing you an experience and vibe unlike any other by giving fans the chance to win The Best Seats in the House. Situated directly next to the sound booth at the Space Zebra Stage, with comfy seating and shade, two winners will be guaranteed the ultimate viewing and listening experience. Hard Rock looks forward to sharing the stage and connecting to people through the power of music – its energy, its history, its attitude – and sharing mementos and moments that fans can take home with them after the last chord has been struck.
• Hard Rock Expert Cocktails Presents RonzWorld – In his 6th year with the festival, Ron has partnered with Hard Rock Beverages in 2022 to show up for Rockvillians bigger and better than ever! In addition to his gallery of 25+ custom guitars, art and merchandise, Ron continues the tradition of allowing fans to win one of his highly coveted, limited-edition, all hand-painted Welcome To Rockville guitars and purchase the wildly popular 10-inch mini replicas! And for the first time, Ron will debut his Rock Star Paint Class to the festival grounds in 2022. Sign up to paint your very own Rock Star with Ron and unleash your inner Picasso on Daytona!
• The Music Experience – The Music Experience presented by American Musical Supply is celebrating its 10th anniversary at Welcome To Rockville! TME continues to bring the most relevant musical instrument brands to life this year with touch and play experiences from your favorites like Gibson, PRS, ESP, Ernie Ball, Ibanez, Breedlove, G&L, and many more. Whether you want to play your dream guitar, pick up your first guitar, meet your favorite rock star or win a guitar in the infamous “30 Seconds To Shred” contest, it’s all possible during Welcome To Rockville at this year’s Music Experience.
• Heavy Tiki Bar Presented By Kraken Rum – Fans can release their inner Kraken and say “aloha” to your Welcome To Rockville weekend with a stop at the must-visit destination bar on-site. Fans can escape from the heat and cool off with custom creations of frozen drinks and specialty island cocktails. 21+
• Jack Daniel’s Char House – We all know it’s going to be hot out there, so Jack Daniel’s is committed to supporting fans by offering two ultimate shade structures to cool off, enjoy finely tuned cocktails, and interactive engagements throughout the weekend. Jack Daniels’ strong relationship with Welcome To Rockville goes all the way back to their beginnings in 2014 and is excited to toast with them again in 2022. 21+
• Caduceus Wine Garden – Fans can enjoy a wine garden escape and indulge in bold, vibrant reds and crisp refreshing white varietals from some of the nation’s top vineyards. The wine garden will highlight Caduceus Cellars and Merkin Vineyards, owned by Arizona resident Maynard James Keenan, co-founder of international recording acts Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer. 21+
• Craft Beer Bar – Get crafty and try a wide variety of beer styles accommodating a range of palates. The Craft Beer Bar will showcase a variety of brews. 21+
• The Blackened Bar – The Whiskey Bar presented by BLACKENED American Whiskey is a DWP must-do! Our partners at BLACKENED hand-crafted a super-premium blend of straight bourbons & ryes, which is finished in black brand casks and sonically enhanced to extract more flavor from the casks, a process dubbed BLACK NOISE. Created by the late, legendary Master Distiller Dave Pickerell and the almighty Metallica, BLACKENED is now overseen by Master Distiller & Blender Rob Dietrich who guards Dave’s recipe and is responsible for the sourcing, blending, and finishing to bring us this award-winning, 90-proof American whiskey. Electrify your tastebuds with carefully crafted cocktails at this exclusive DWP experience. 21+
• Fxck Cancer / Dyin 2 Live Dreams Program – Fxck Cancer’s mission is to fight cancer by raising awareness and educating about early detection. Through the Dyin 2 Live Dreams wish-granting program, cancer fighters get an experience that will bring hope, courage, and inspiration. Visit them at Welcome To Rockville to get involved. Together We Fight. Fxck Cancer.
• Take Me Home – The not-for-profit, volunteer-based foundation has been saving the lives of homeless animals since 2001. Stop by their booth to win cool prizes, enter raffles and help our furry friends save lives!
• TWLOHA – We probably don’t need to convince you that depression is real, that treating addiction isn’t as simple as “just stopping,” or that suicide has robbed too many of us of too many memories. You already know that these words are attached to names and faces, and they may even remind you of the person you see in the mirror every day. This is not an attempt to raise awareness; rather it’s an invitation to move the conversation forward with more compassion and grace. We invite you to visit the TWLOHA booth on-site for information on mental health resources, opportunities to share your story, and the space to feel less alone, more hopeful, and connect to folks at the festival who believe your presence has made Welcome To Rockville a better place. Starting conversations about mental health can be difficult and intimidating, so throughout the weekend we are inviting you into the conversation by asking two questions: “What is one thing you wish you could say?” and “What is one thing that you need to hear?”
• Punk Rock & Paintbrushes X Rock Against Racism – Punk Rock & Paintbrushes is proud to announce that they will be a part of Welcome To Rockville with an onsite art exhibit that will showcase pieces from those playing at the festival and visual artists within the music community. This year they will also be teaming up with Rock Against Racism, an organization that brings together fans of all backgrounds through a shared love of music to discourage young people from embracing racism. Together they will be debuting their latest art collaborations with “Art on Shoes,” generously provided by TUK Footwear and created by a variety of band members playing at the festival through an on-site art auction to raise funds and awareness. Artists include but are not limited to: James “Munky” Schaffer of KORN, Mike Gallo of Agnostic Front and Charlie Benante of Anthrax.
• Roundabout Ferris Wheel – Fans will feel on top of the #worldcenterofrock on the Roundabout Ferris Wheel! They’ll get to watch all the magic of Welcome To Rockville unfold as you go around, and may even catch one of their favorite artists in a setting unlike anything you’ll experience.
• WhipSplash Water Slide – Fans will be able to cool off in between sets with Welcome To Rockville’s brand-new Water Slide activation. Get ready to rock hard & WhipSplash!

• Owners Club, Presented by TickPick, Upgrade for 2022 (for 4)
• VIP Upgrade for 2022 (for 4)
• 3-Song Viewing Opportunity from the soundboard (Welcome To Rockville will determine the set)
• GA 4-Pack for 2023 w/ camping spot
• VIP 4-Pack for 2023 w/ camping spot
• 10 Drink & 10 Food Vouchers
• Twitch guest appearance and on-show interview (for 4 – 2 to go on air, 2 to watch)*

 

Welcome To Rockville 2022 Announces Music Performance Times, Onsite Experiences And Food & Beverage Offerings first appeared on Game On Media.

The 2022 Young Guns tour featuring Dirty Honey and Mammoth WVH already has received advanced praise from the likes of Rolling Stone, Loudwire, Consequence, Ultimate Classic Rock  and People and will be one not to miss as these two bands come together for this dual headlining package after big tours in 2021 (Dirty Honey opening for The Black Crowes and Mammoth WVH opening for Guns N’ Roses). Of course Mammoth WVH was just nominated for a Grammy for “Distance” and Dirty Honey just started off the year appearing on TNT for the intro to the NHL’s “Winter Classic” with a cover of Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” – see the video here, shot on the frozen ice of Minnesota:

https://fb.watch/bjTUDSNRfW/

“It was a year in which Mammoth WVH and Dirty Honey emerged as leaders in bringing back a more straight forward and somewhat classic rock vibe to listeners.”

– Loudwire in their Best Rock Songs of 2021 List

The Young Guns Tour is in support of both artist’s self-titled debut albums; Mammoth WVH and Dirty Honey, both released last year. Both bands saw their debut singles – Dirty Honey’s “When I’m Gone” and Mammoth WVH’s “Distance”  – occupy the #1 position on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. In addition, both bands’ debut albums made quite impressive bows; Mammoth WVH debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums chart, and Dirty Honey – the band, totally independent with no label affiliation – claimed the #2 position on that chart.

FEBRUARY

20 Ogden Theatre, Denver, CO

21 The Complex, Salt Lake City, UT

22 Revolution, Boise, ID

24 House of Blues, Las Vegas, NV

25 Ace of Spades, Sacramento, CA

MARCH

1 House of Blues, San Diego, CA

2 The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA

4 The Marquee, Tempe, AZ

5 Fantasy Casino, Indio, CA

9 House of Blues, Dallas, TX

10 Aztec Theatre, San Antonio, TX

12 Diamond Ballroom, Oklahoma City, OK

13 Uptown Theatre, Kansas City, MO

15 The Rave, Milwaukee, WI

16 House of Blues, Chicago, IL

18 The Bluestone, Columbus, OH

20 Roxian Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA

23 Royal Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak, MI

24 Danforth Music Hall, Toronto, ONT

26 Big Night Live, Boston, MA

27 Toad’s Place, New Haven, CT

28 Webster Hall, New York, NY

30 Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ

31 The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA

APRIL

1 Rams Head Live, Baltimore, MD

5 The Ritz, Raleigh, NC

6 The Fillmore, Charlotte, NC

8 Marathon Music Works, Nashville, TN

9 The Plant, Dothan, AL

10 Hard Rock Orlando, Orlando, FL

12 Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA

Dirty Honey & Mammoth WVH Young Guns 2022 Tour Begins first appeared on Game On Media.

America’s Largest Rock Festival

Welcome To Rockville

Announces Its Biggest Lineup Yet For May 19-22

Will Officially Kick Off Danny Wimmer Presents 2022 Festival Season

GUNS N’ ROSES, FOO FIGHTERS, KISS and KORN

 Five Finger Death Punch, Shinedown, The Smashing Pumpkins, Breaking Benjamin,

Megadeth, Jane’s Addiction, Papa Roach, Rise Against,

Halestorm, In This Moment, Seether, Bush & Many More

Set To Perform Over Massive Four-Day Weekend

Festival Returns To Its New Home At Renowned Destination

Daytona International Speedway In Daytona Beach, FL

Transforming It Into The World Center Of Rock

Single Day & Weekend Passes On Sale Now

Starting At $99.99 & Just $10 Down Through End Of 2021

www.WelcomeToRockville.com

Just when it was thought that Welcome To Rockville couldn’t possibly outdo its massive 2021 record-breaking event that featured 161,000 people and an at-home livestream audience of 1.2 million, Danny Wimmer Presents has put together the biggest lineup yet for the newly crowned Largest Rock Festival In America. Returning to its new home at the iconic Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida over the weekend of May 19-22, 2022, the event includes previously announced headliners Guns N’ Roses, Foo Fighters, KISS and KORN.

The music legends will be joined by an equally impressive who’s who of rock and metal, including Five Finger Death Punch, Shinedown, The Smashing Pumpkins, Breaking Benjamin, Megadeth, Jane’s Addiction, Papa Roach, Rise Against, Halestorm, In This Moment, Seether, Bush and many more, including buzzworthy up-and-comers Mammoth WVH, Dirty Honey, Poppy, Plush and more.

“Welcome To Rockville this past November was truly incredible. Our new home, Daytona International Speedway, welcomed us with open arms and our fans showed up in record numbers and experienced an unforgettable weekend,” says Danny Wimmer Presents founder Danny Wimmer. “We knew we needed to up the ante in 2022 so we went and booked the biggest lineup that has ever been booked for an American rock festival. We are so excited to welcome the biggest names in rock for one epic weekend this May.”

Single day and weekend passes for Welcome To Rockville are on sale now at www.WelcomeToRockville.com starting at $99.50* for single day and $249.99* for 4-day (*plus fees).  Passes can be purchased as general admission or VIP and layaway is available for only $10.00 on any and all pass types, only through December 31, 2021.

Watch the official Welcome To Rockville announcement video HERE: https://youtu.be/ZQxyYRu2_gg

Says Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale, “OMG…is this real life? So you’re saying that Halestorm is sharing the stage with Foo Fighters, Jane’s Addiction and The Smashing Pumpkins!! Also, not to mention Guns N’ Roses and KISS…all on the same festival! Yep! You heard it here straight from the banshee’s mouth! And we will be bringing our A-game as always. You do not want to miss this lineup! To say that Rockville is going to be legendary is an understatement…this will be a life-changing show! The countdown begins, see you all in Daytona in May!”

Adds Brent Smith of Shinedown, “We’ve said it before, and we say it now. Shinedown has only one BOSS. It just happens to be everybody in the audience. We are honored to be a part of North America’s BIGGEST Rock N’ Roll festival…Welcome To Rockville 2022, LETS GO!!!”

And Zolton Bathory from Five Finger Death Punch shares, “We are grateful to be part of Rockville 2022! Daytona Beach in May, tens of tens of tens of thousands of fans, and an incredible lineup of legendary bands? Twist my arm!!! We’ll see you all there!”

The current Welcome To Rockville 2022 lineup is as follows (subject to change):

Thursday, May 19: KISS, Five Finger Death Punch, Papa Roach, In This Moment, Black Label Society, DOWN, Clutch, Mammoth WVH, Bad Wolves, Fuel, Ill Niño, Tetrarch, Shaman’s Harvest, Plush, Gemini Syndrome, Solence, Oxymorrons, Moodring, more TBA

Friday, May 20: KORN, Breaking Benjamin, Megadeth, Seether, Skillet, Parkway Drive, Ministry, In Flames, Sevendust, Hatebreed, The Black Dahlia Murder, Don Broco, New Years Day, Stick To Your Guns, DED, Diamante, Death Tour, Archetypes Collide, more TBA

Saturday, May 21: Guns N’ Roses, Shinedown, Rise Against, Bush, Jerry Cantrell, Nothing More, Baroness, Dirty Honey, Alexisonfire, John 5, Sick Of It All, Saint Asonia, Agnostic Front, The Violent, Against The Current, S8NT Elektric, Afterlife, Widow7, more TBA

Sunday, May 22: Foo Fighters, The Smashing Pumpkins, Jane’s Addiction, Halestorm, The Pretty Reckless, The Struts, Poppy, The Hu, Spiritbox, Bones UK, The Chats, Radkey, Lilith Czar, Motor Sister, POORSTACY, Nova Twins, The Mysterines, AEIR, more TBA

Welcome To Rockville will feature more than 75 music acts over four days, with performances on four stages, along with award-winning spirits, craft beer, partner activations and the best food Daytona Beach has to offer.

Single day and weekend general admission and VIP passes for Welcome To Rockville are on sale now. Festivalgoers are encouraged to buy early and save as pass prices increase in throughout the coming months based on level quantities.  A limited number of specially priced tickets for military personnel are on sale now via GovX.

Welcome To Rockville campers get the ultimate experience, spending five days on the festival field right in the middle of all the action and with the quickest access to all the stages. Amenities include indoor restrooms and showers, in and out privileges, and a general store for supplies. A limited number of Weekend Camping Packages are available for both car and tent and RVs. Admission to the festival is not included in Weekend Camping Packages and must be purchased separately.

Welcome To Rockville VIP pass holders will receive a commemorative VIP laminate and wristband, dedicated entrance lanes into the festival, entrance into VIP areas, and access to dedicated viewing areas throughout the festival. The VIP section boasts shaded hang areas with dedicated bars, comfortable furniture, audio and video streams of the main stages, a dedicated merchandise stand, dedicated locker rental with charging capabilities, air conditioned and flushable restrooms, and premium food and drink offerings (for additional purchase).

The Daytona Owners Club VIP option is new in 2022. As a Welcome To Rockville “owner,” those choosing this pass option will truly be living like a ROCK STAR. In addition to being a festival VIP, Daytona Owners Club pass-holders will also receive exclusive access to an air-conditioned lounge with live audio and video of the main stages, a shaded viewing deck, unlimited complimentary drinks at dedicated bars throughout the Owners Club, complimentary hors d’oeuvres during lunch and dinner hours, dedicated WiFi, access to a main stage viewing area, owner locker rental with charging capabilities, dedicated air-conditioned, flushable bathrooms and concierge staff.  Current pass holders will have first rights to sign up for the waitlist, which is open now.  The Daytona Owners Club will go on sale to the public after the exclusive pass holder pre-sale, which is happening the week of December 13.

Welcome To Rockville is produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in America. After welcoming a record-breaking crowd of 161,000 in 2021, the move to Daytona International Speedway will allow Welcome To Rockville to continue to grow and provide more enhanced audience experiences. A recent $400 million renovation of the Speedway and additional $200 million invested in the surrounding area in recent years has transformed the destination into a world-class facility, including numerous hotels within walking distance, many dining options and expanded space for camping, allowing Rockville attendees a convenient and well-rounded experience.

Danny Wimmer Presents is proud to welcome back its featured partners Bud Light Seltzer and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. Stay tuned for a full lineup of partners who will help enhance the festival experience all weekend long.

For more information on #WelcomeToRockville, visit:

Website: www.WelcomeToRockville.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/welcometorockville

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rockvillefest

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/welcometorockville

Shinedown, Five Finger Death Punch, The Smashing Pumpkins, Breaking Benjamin, Megadeth, Jane’s Addiction, Papa Roach, Rise Against, Halestorm, Bush & More Added to Welcome To Rockville 2022 first appeared on Game On Media.

ROCKVILLIANS… THE WAIT IS OVER!

Welcome to Rockville’s biggest lineup yet is HERE!

KISS, Korn, Guns N’ Roses, Foo Fighters, Five Finger Death Punch, Shinedown, The Smashing Pumpkins, Breaking Benjamin, Megadeth, Jane’s Addiction, Papa Roach, Rise Against, Halestorm, In This Moment, Seether, Bush & many more to America’s BIGGEST Rock Festival at the WORLD CENTER OF ROCK!

From Now until December 31, you can purchase weekend + single day festival passes, plus camping + parking passes for ONLY $10 down!

Lock your passes in NOW 

BUY PASSES NOW!

Welcome To Rockville 2022 Lineup Announcement – Kiss, Guns N’ Roses, KoRn, Foo Fighters and More first appeared on Game On Media.

STAND UP AND SHOUT FOR RONNIE JAMES DIO’S BIRTHDAY, the star-studded global virtual concert set for Saturday, July 10 from Rolling Live Studios, has continued to add to the lineup of musical talent coming together for one-of-a-kind performances, artist interviews and special birthday messages all for a good cause. The event, hosted on rollinglivestudios.com, begins at 2:00PM Pacific time (PDT), benefiting The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund (www.diocancerfund.org), founded in memory of the late heavy metal icon who was the voice of Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath and DIO before losing his battle with gastric cancer in 2010.

 

Tickets are now available for the VIP After Party the next day, Sunday, July 11, also at 2PM Pacific time (PDT).

 

The global fundraiser is bringing together celebrities and fans all over the world to honor Ronnie James Dio’s undeniable impact both on and off the stage. Rounding out the already enviable lineup are Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell) and Alice Cooper.

 

They are joining a stellar lineup that includes:  Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge, Beck; Bogert & Appice); Vinny Appice (DIO, Black Sabbath); Michael Angelo Batio (Nitro, Holland, Shout); Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp, Jon Bon Jovi), Sebastian Bach, Joey Belladonna (Anthrax); Chuck Billy (Testament); John Bush (Armored Saint); Gilby Clarke (Guns N’ Roses, Slash’s Snakepit); Mikkey Dee (Scorpions, Motörhead); the DIO band–Oni Logan and Tim “Ripper” Owens, vocals; Simon Wright, drums; Scott Warren, keyboards; Rowan Robertson, guitar; and Bjorn Englen, bass—Aynsley Dunbar (Journey, Frank Zappa); keyboard player Steve Ferlazzo, Frank Ferrer (Guns N’ Roses); Lita Ford; Chuck Garric (Alice Cooper); Sammy Hagar (Van Halen, Chickenfoot, Montrose); Lzzy Hale (Halestorm); Rob Halford (Judas Priest); Tony winning singer Lena Hall (“Hedwig and the Angry Inch”); Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Country Communion); Terry Ilous (Great White, XYZ); Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell); Richie Kotzen (Poison, Smith/Kotzen); LA metal band Liliac; James LoMenzo (White Lion, Slash’s Snakepit) Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses); Sean McNabb (Quiet Riot, Dokken); Jeff Pilson (Foreigner, DIO); Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne); Paul Shortino (Rough Cutt, “Raiding the Rock Vault”); Glen Sobel (Alice Cooper, Hollywood Vampires); guitarist Jasmine Star; Derek St. Holmes (Vanilla Fudge, Michael Schenker Group); Tenacious D’s Jack Black and Kyle Gass; Brian Tichy (Whitesnake, Ozzy Osbourne); Scott Travis (Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy); Mexican rock band The Warning; Ricky Warwick (Black Star Riders) and Lajon Witherspoon (Sevendust).

 

Radio and television personalities Eddie Trunk and Matt Pinfield will co-host the event, conducting interviews with artists as well as with Dio record producer Wyn Davis; concert promoter Danny Zelisko and Ronnie’s widow and longtime manager Wendy Dio, among others.

 

Tickets are on sale now at https://rollinglivestudios.com/dio beginning at $20 for General Admission tickets to view the show. Tickets are also available for the VIP After Party the next day, Sunday, July 11, also beginning at 2PM Pacific time (PDT). The VIP After Party will feature exclusive performances by Joey Tempest (Europe), Paul Shortino and Richie Kotzen, among others, and artist interviews conducted by host Matt Pinfield, all of which will only be accessible to VIP After Party ticketholders.

 

In addition to viewing tickets, Rolling Live Studios is offering special merchandise packages and virtual VIP experiences for fans to participate in this unique worldwide event. Bidding is open for the “Dio Ultimate Bundle Auction,” comprising rare Dio-themed items hand-picked from the vault by Wendy Dio, and for a one-of-kind Dio-themed leather jacket that will be custom made for the winning bidder by celebrated artist Carin Hazmat.

 

There are many value-added items for purchase, including a “grab bag” of specially selected vintage DIO and Dio Cancer Fund event merchandise, a limited number of copies of RAINBOW IN THE DARK: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY, written by Ronnie James Dio (with Wendy Dio and Mick Wall) and signed by Wendy Dio, and specially designed event tee-shirts, baseball caps, laminates and lithographs.

 

The STAND UP AND SHOUT FOR RONNIE JAMES DIO’S BIRTHDAY virtual fund-raising concert will also feature exclusive archival footage from Dio’s life and long-spanning career and never-before-seen footage from Dio Cancer Fund events held in Los Angeles since 2011 when the organization began. Through musical performances and storytelling, a wide array of guests will celebrate the life of a man who deeply influenced their lives through his artistry and larger-than-life presence.

 

Throughout his career, Ronnie James Dio was a passionate supporter and contributor to charitable work and numerous animal charities. He was an artist who was not only well respected for his talent, but also admired and loved by his peers and fans worldwide, some of which included renowned celebrities, musicians, and prominent individuals from all walks of life.

 

The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund (www.diocancerfund.org), dedicated to cancer prevention, research and education, has raised over $2 million in its history. The organization’s last in-person event was its 10th Anniversary Gala held at the Avalon in Hollywood in February, 2020. Its annual RIDE FOR RONNIE Motorcycle Ride and Concert and BOWL FOR RONNIE Celebrity Bowling Tournament have been temporarily suspended as the result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

STAND UP AND SHOUT FOR RONNIE JAMES DIO’S BIRTHDAY is the latest in a lineup of stellar events produced by Rolling Live Studios. In January, the studio worked alongside Mike Garson to bring together an extraordinary slate of vocalists to perform with David Bowie’s band alumni for “A Bowie Celebration: Just for One Day” streaming concert event. The following month, YUNGBLUD’s stunning performance of “Life on Mars?” from the event played after millions of viewers watched NASA’s Perseverance rover successfully touch down on Mars.

 

About The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund:

The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable fund formed in honor of the legendary Ronnie James Dio, who lost his life to stomach cancer on May 16, 2010. Cancer is a deadly disease that robs families of loved ones, and the Dio Cancer Fund is dedicated to support cancer prevention research, raise awareness and educate the public with the focus that early detection and prevention saves lives.

 

Monies raised have been committed to the cancer research work of the T. J. Martell Foundation for Cancer, AIDS and Leukemia Research, the gastric cancer research unit of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where Ronnie was treated for gastric cancer during the last six months of his life, and other cancer research projects. Since 2016, the Dio Cancer Fund has also committed funds to support the research of Dr. David Wong and his team at the UCLA School of Dentistry in developing a simple, non-invasive saliva test for the early detection of cancer, which is in keeping with the Fund’s mission of cancer prevention, research and education.

 

About Rolling Live Studios

Rolling Live Studios takes virtual live events to the next level. Since its inception, Rolling Live Studios has produced over 75 live virtual events and helped raise over $27 million in donations for an array of charities. Recent credits include Jeffery Katzenberg’s Virtual “Evening Before,” Chrysalis Night In – Virtual Gala, Richard and Demi Weitz’s RW Quarantunes, The Elizabeth Taylor’s AIDS Foundation Virtual pre-show and multiple livestreams for The Recording Academy. Rolling Live Studios was founded by Kerry Brown, who has managed and produced multi-platinum artists (The Smashing Pumpkins, Miley Cyrus, Cheap Trick, among others), feature films, television, and video games (Blow, Along Came Polly, Scream, The Academy Awards, and more). Kerry produced the live multimedia show BLACKOUT, a collaboration between PepsiCo and the NFL to celebrate the Super Bowl, among other live events.

 

To purchase tickets and VIP and merchandise packages for the Ronnie James Dio Virtual   Birthday Celebration, visit: https://rollinglivestudios.com/dio

 

Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund:

www.diocancerfund.org

www.facebook.com/RJDSUASCF

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Geezer Butler & Alice Cooper Join Lineup for July 10 ‘Stand Up and Shout for Ronnie James Dio’s Birthday’ first appeared on Game On Media.

Prologue

1. The Music Of My Life

Music means everything to me. It has for as long as I can remember. Each night I fall asleep listening to music. Every morning I wake up listening to music. I play music in the shower. I play music in the car. I play music at the gym. If I am not actively listening to music, I hear songs in my head. When somebody is talking to me, I hear lyrics in their words, and start singing to myself. While I have never completely written or recorded anything original, I have made mix-tapes and play-lists since the Seventies.

I have spent almost all of my free time and “disposable” income on music and music-related experiences. My first job was delivering The Daily News to a six block radius around my house on Long Island, New York. I took the job because they offered a free cassette tape of my choosing if I signed up 3 new subscriptions on my route. I took care of that task quickly, and scored what may be my most favorite album of all time – the self-titled debut from the Long Island based band named Zebra. I continued to find bargains and build my catalog thanks to the marketing efforts of BMG and Columbia House music mail order services. Eventually, I bought cheap guitars and amps, and later more expensive guitars. I have too many guitars.

Once the concert floodgates opened for me when I went to the University of Virginia, I started going to as many shows as I could, no matter where they were located. Music festivals began, locally and small at first, then larger ones able to draw a national audience of freaks like me who were willing to drive or fly all over the country, sleeping in any hotel, motel, Holiday Inn, tent, RV or Air B’n’B I could find. Woodstock ‘99, Rocklahoma, Rock On The Range, Carolina Rebellion, Welcome To Rockville, Aftershock, Earthday Birthday, Vans Warped Tour, Coachella, Voodoo Festival, Once Upon A Time in the LBC, Rock USA and KAABOO Del Mar – these are a few of my favorite things. Then the rock cruises came along, which I have enjoyed as a customer, staff member, charity worker, journalist and photographer – ShipRocked, Motörhead’s MotörBoat, MegaCruise, and Monsters Of Rock Cruise.

From 2010 to 2020, I was able to get up close and personal with the music, the musicians and the fans. I have been a photojournalist for several print magazines and online websites. I have previewed and reviewed concerts, albums and livestreams. I have interviewed artists backstage and on tour buses. I have photographed shows of every kind, from the smallest and darkest of clubs, to the largest of outdoor festivals. I have captured local artists, new acts, living legends and lifelong loves, from Aerosmith to ZZ Top.

During this mostly silent year, I decided to take a look back, to appreciate the journey so far, and perhaps to make some sense of my decisions and choices along the way. This isn’t exactly a memoir or biography, as I don’t believe that I have done anything of such consequence to merit such documentation. I won’t know if there are any lessons to be learned, or advice to carry with me on my second half, until I write it all down. The songs have been chosen, the memories have come rushing back. We will see where this experience takes me.

With 52 years of special songs to revisit, I also plan to really focus on learning to play complete songs on guitar. That gives me 2 songs to learn per week. That should hold me to a good working cadence. Is everybody in? Drop the needle on the record.

2. The Way I Chose The Songs

Choosing only 2 songs from an entire year was quite an ordeal. Some years had many releases that had a major impact at the time, others not as many. I chose songs based on the year that the album they came from was released. This means that the song itself may not have even been released as a single that year. Sometimes a song hits you right away, sometimes it builds slowly, and other times you discover it well after it was released. In many cases, it takes some new experience to bring the importance of the song into focus.

I suppose it generally takes some passage of time for the songs that mean the most to you to bubble to the surface. Only time will tell which ones continue to swim around in your brain, forming the soundtrack to your life’s story.

I chose the songs that have had the most lasting impression on my life, the ones that instantly take me back to a time, or a place, or a person, or an experience, or all of the above. The names will be changed to protect the innocent and guilty alike. These are the songs that mean the most to me, and nobody knows me better than I know myself, so I can’t really say if others share the same memories in the same ways.

Looking at the final list, there are sooo many songs that I love that did not make the cut. There are lots of artists that I cannot believe are not represented. I guess this should not be too surprising. Think about how hard it is to make a top 5 list in any given year. There are just so many artists and songs that I love, it is no wonder that I am almost always listening to, writing about, or photographing music. Out of the 104 songs chosen, 8 are from bands that appear twice. Those are obviously among my all-time favorites, and they are among the ones who have meant the most to me throughout my life. They are Alice In Chains, Candlebox, Creed, Foo Fighters, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Rush and Shinedown.

For more chapters of My Life In Music:

My Life In Music, Part 1, 1969-1974

My Life In Music, Part 1, 1975-1979

My Life In Music, Part 2, 1980-1984

Part II

26. The 1980’s – The Cassette Era

Welcome to the 1980’s, the greatest decade in musical history. A lot of people will tell you that music was better in the Seventies – more “real”, more “honest”, more “emotional”, more “acoustic”. These are the same people who will tell you that music just sounds better on a record album than on any other format. You need to know two things about these people. #1. They are hippies. #2. They are, as in all things, half right and half wrong. Yes, a record played on a good stereo system, with good speakers, still does sound better than any other way of listening to music. I am listening to “Signals” by Rush on an average record player with poor speakers as I write this, and it still sounds richer and fuller than any digital copy. But just because a record sounds better does not mean that the songs themselves are inherently better written or performed.

Cassette tapes are absolutely terrible as far as quality goes, but essential in the evolution of musical enjoyment. The tape itself is exposed to the elements, it gets unraveled, it gets twisted, it gets stuck. The speed at which it plays back varies. It wears out with every play, fast-forward and rewind. I actually made it a point to never rewind a tape. Instead, I would stop it, eject it, turn it over and fast forward it. To this day I have no scientific basis for such ridiculous precautions, but I faithfully executed those procedures nonetheless. Bottom line, the defense stipulates that cassettes are inherently terrible in sound quality and only get worse over time. On the other hand, your basement stereo setup is great and all, but can you take it on the road with you? Can you take it out for a “jog”, or a walk, man? Can you pop it into your pocket and have it inspire you at the gym? Of course not. Cassettes gave us musical freedom and artistic control. You could make your own “albums” with any combination of songs that you wanted. Note: when I was a kid, we called records “albums” as compared to cassettes which we called “tapes”. Technically, an album is a collection, and it does not even have to be music, so a more accurate term would be “LP”, which turns out to be short for “Long Play” 33-1/3 RPM vinyl record. You get why we just called them albums, right? It was just easier to ask your friends if they got the new Rush album or tape. You can also see why the “mixtape” was part of the plot of every teen movie from the decade.

Back to the music. Sure, rock and roll was epic in the 1970’s, some may even say “classic”, and I take nothing away from that by saying that I like the rock and roll of the 1980’s more. That “classic” sound endures and probably always will. However, rock and roll truly evolved in the Eighties. Not everyone may like or appreciate every style and sound that emerged, but none can deny that music went in so many directions that genres and sub-genres had to be created, if only to provide fodder for the message boards of the Nineties. Punk, thrash, glam/hair, new wave, emo/goth, college/alternative, pop and hip-hop all took off in the 1980’s. There is no single sound that represents music in the 80’s, no single image, no single path to stardom or infamy. Everything was thrown against the wall, and most of it stuck. Just look at the variety of artistic excellence represented in my selections, which were extremely difficult to make from this era. Consider who did not even make the cut. U2, The Police, Scorpions, LL Cool J, Run-D.M.C., Duran Duran, Quiet Riot, Queensrÿche and Whitesnake all spent time as my favorite band in the whole wide world, yet could not make the final list. Prince, Michael Jackson, Pat Benatar and Journey were left off. I could do a whole other set of songs that are just as good as these.

If anyone ever asks, I say that I “grew up” in the 1980’s. I was 10 years old when they started and 20 when they ended. I made it through junior high, high school, and most of college during this musical explosion. Growing up on Long Island, I did focus most of my attention on artists from New York. People sometimes wonder why New Yorkers are arrogant, and we are, but we come to it naturally. We just take credit for everything anyone of us creates while we just so happened to be in the general vicinity. I consider 2 of New York’s 5 boroughs to be part of Long Island. They are physically connected to the same land mass as Nassau and Suffolk Counties. So even if they are logically different, the same could be said about Montauk and the Hamptons. In my mind, I credit the entire Island as the foundation of my history and personality.

I was born in Hollis, Queens, so naturally I take pride in the fact that hip-hop took off based largely on the talents and rhymes of Run-D.M.C., The Beastie Boys and LL Cool J. Run (Joseph Ward Simmons) was born and raised in Hollis, Queens. D.M.C. (Darryl Matthews McDaniels) was born in Harlem and grew up in Hollis. LL (James Todd Smith) was born in Bay Shore on Long Island just a year before me, literally the next town over from where I grew up. He grew up in (and famously “represented”) Queens, where I spent the first 3 years of my life. The Beasties were also NYC through and through. I also followed Long Island rockers especially closely. Anthrax, Blue Öyster Cult, Zebra, Twisted Sister, Pat Benatar, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Squier, even that other Billy who played piano. When taking credit for things, New Yorkers will even put claims on their neighbor across the river, New Jersey. Personally, I love New Jersey. I have always had family there and spent a large part of my life there. That gave me an affinity for Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi that was earned as honestly as the stories they continue to write to this day.

Enough preamble. Rip your acid-washed jeans a little more, tease up your hair, pierce your ear, and cut up those band t-shirts. Bring your #2 pencil, tighten up those cassette tapes, grab your bucket of D batteries, and turn that boom box all the way up. This is the 80’s!

37. 1985 – The Hunter – Dokken

Another year, another candidate for my all-time favorite band. After Ozzy, Rush, Asia, Zebra, Def Leppard and Bruce Springsteen took a turn as ruler of my rock mountain, Dokken blasted their way to top with perhaps the best 3 album run of any artist ever. 1984 – “Tooth And Nail” on vinyl. 1985 – “Under Lock And Key” on cassette. 1987 – “Back For The Attack” on CD and cassette. They followed that up with “Beast From The East”, recorded live in 1988 in Tokyo, Japan. I had to have this one on CD and cassette, because at that time, CD’s were limited in the length of time that could fit. The cassette and LP versions had an additional 14 minutes of perfection. The album ended with a new recorded song called “Walk Away”, which turned out to be a shocker of a goodbye, as the band abruptly split up in late 1988, which I only found out by reading a Guitar magazine over winter break where George Lynch casually mentioned the band’s demise.

They briefly reunited in the mid-late 90’s, producing one great new album, one horrible new album and one amazing live acoustic album called “One Live Night” which is beautifully heartbreaking, showcasing their insane talent when working together. Unfortunately, those times are few and far between, and likely never again. Luckily I was able to catch one concert, on a barge stage in Delaware, which was magical. I have photographed drummer Mick Brown performing with Lynch Mob and Ted Nugent, Jeff Pilson playing bass with Foreigner, guitarist George Lynch with Lynch Mob and Don Dokken in a version or two of Dokken.

How to pick the representative song from the most prolific guitar band of the mid-eighties… This is a personal story, so we have to go with the song that has the story which is most personal. When my Baby Mama / ex-wife was preggers with our first child, we did not let that stop us from going out and having fun. We were both around 30 and we had heard that “having a baby changes your whole life”, so we were determined to do as much as we could before Kid Baby showed up and ruined our active lifestyle. We kept playing sports together, we kept traveling together, we kept going to concerts together. We carried around a doll of Tommy from Rugrats to document it all in photos. Before our first kid was born, he had watched Green Bay vs. Tampa Bay in Florida, been on a Disney Cruise, made it through Y2K, played rugby (before we knew about him!), played softball, met Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters in Phoenix, and attended several concerts. One show that stands out as probably not the best choice for someone 7 months pregnant was Summer Sanitarium at Rockingham Motor Speedway in North Carolina in July. System Of A Down, Powerman 5000, Kid Rock, KoRn and Metallica. Look how cute, Kid Baby is kicking along to the beat, he must really like Kid Rock! Oh crap, something is not right, time for Mama to spend KoRn’s set in the medical tent getting an IV. Cool, happy again, back for Metallica!

My favorite lyric:

I’m a hunter (hunter)

Two weeks later, we were back at it, when Dokken, Cinderella and Poison played the local amphitheater in Charlotte, NC. We had spent the spring gathering input and tallying results of our “Baby Madness” bracket challenge. We had passed around a spreadsheet with 32 boy names and 32 girl names in brackets, March Madness style, and by summer we were pretty sure it was a boy, and we had narrowed the final 4 our friends and family had selected down to either Connor or Hunter. As we walked up to our seats, we could hear that Dokken had already started their set. The word we heard echoing across the hillside was “HUNTER”!! We looked at each other, nodded, and knew that we would name him Hunter. 10 years later, at the M3 Festival in Columbia, Maryland, I dragged Hunter backstage to meet Don Dokken and share his origin story. Don had a good laugh, Hunter was embarrassed, and I made another memory.

The Hunter

Written by Don Dokken, George Lynch, Jeff Pilson & “Wild” Mick Brown

Performed by Dokken

Clouds roll by as I look to the sky
And then that feeling comes, it comes on again
You know desire burns like a fire, fire of sin
Oh, will I ever learn
You’re the only one I would call my own
But then the shadows fall and I’m gone again

I’m a hunter
Searching for love
On these lonely streets again
I’m the hunter
Searching for the things
That I might never find again

Care for you, you know that I always will
I know it’s hard for you, my taste for the kill
But then it calls to me when the moon rises full in the sky
You know it’s not denied
Will I ever find love and peace of mind
On these streets again, will it ever end

I’m a hunter (hunter)
Searching for love
On these lonely streets again
I’m the hunter (hunter)
Searching for the things
That I might never find again

You know desire burns like a fire, fire within
I guess I’ll never learn
You’re the only one I would call my own
But when the shadows fall, you know I won’t be wrong

I’m a hunter (hunter)
Searching for love
On these lonely streets again
I’m the hunter (hunter)
Searching for the things
That I might never find

I’m a hunter (hunter)
Searching for love
On these lonely streets again
I’m the hunter (hunter)
Searching for the things
That I might never find

I’m a hunter (hunter)
Searching for love

I’m the hunter (hunter)
Searching for the things
That I might never find again

38. 1985 – Time After Time – Cyndi Lauper

Cyndi Lauper pops up a couple of times in my life story. When she first arrived, she was a unique New Yorker with an awesome album, “She’s So Unusual”. My sister had the tape, and we played the heck out of that, singing and dancing in her room, as siblings do. Cyndi had songs my parents didn’t hate (as opposed to the Run-D.M.C. – L Cool J – Beastie Boys) so it was fine to blast it in the house.

Fast forward to 2012, and I am separated from my wife, and offered a job supporting the Navy in San Diego. I told them I was not about to fly across the country every week, and that I would only take the job if I could bring my 2 boys and live in a townhouse. Everyone agreed (my divorce was finalized on April Fools Day, 2014 and their Mom then moved out to San Diego as well) and we were on our way. What I had not counted on is the fact that parents are responsible for transporting their kids to and from school in La Jolla, CA. No school buses, unless you lived in another part of San Diego. The YMCA had before and after school programs, which was great, but this still meant that I had to get both kids up and ready, drop them off at 2 different locations, get to work, and then reverse it all by 6:00. This was not going to work out in the long run. What about sports, sickness, doctors? What to do? As any wise person would do, I thought back to my childhood and what I had learned from TV. What would Tony Danza, Will Smith or Gary Coleman do? Get a nanny!

When I got separated in 2011, I was invited by a photographer friend to spend a week on the Vans Warped Tour, helping her launch a new charity website called Musicians Opposed to Bullying (M.O.B.). We would photograph shows, but primarily we would ask artists to record a PSA to help victims of bullying who were contemplating suicide. One of the first people we met was the Tour Manager / Merch Person for one of the bands. We kept in touch during the week. I discovered that the band was living in a van and had a few days off before the tour stopped in Maryland where I lived. I offered up my empty house so that 6 tired tattooed lesbian musicians could sleep in beds, do laundry and recharge. I rode from the New Jersey show with their TM and we quickly bonded.

So, I needed a nanny, sort of, but really more of a tour manager to keep myself and 2 young boys in line and on schedule. Would she be willing to do it, and available? Turns out the band was on touring hiatus, working on material, and the TM was recovering from knee surgery. She was in! I got her a car, let her schedule our lives and sent her up to LA on weekends to grow her musical management career. She ended up tour managing a band that was opening for Cyndi Lauper. When that tour hit town, she got me a photo pass. Eventually, she ended up working directly for Ms. Lauper and moved to New York. We ended up helping each other out immensely, and I will be forever grateful for her hand in how my boys have grown into men.

My favorite lyric:

If you fall, I will catch you, I’ll be waiting
Time after time

I played organized baseball, basketball and soccer growing up. My biking, tennis, football and roller hockey were quite unorganized. Whenever I played in the outfield, I would sing this chorus to myself as each pitch was delivered. It was my mantra. Although I did sing it with my own lyrics.

You won’t fall, I will catch you, I’ll be waiting
Time after time

In high school, I had become a third baseman, and it had been a while since I had played outfield. For some reason, I got sent out to left field, and must have forgotten about my mantra. There were 2 outs, bases loaded, and the kid hit a soft liner into left. I ran up, but misjudged it and it went off my glove. Naturally, all the base runners had been moving with the pitch, so I scrambled back quickly to get the ball and whipped it towards home plate. It went over the backstop for a 2 error, inside-the-park grand slam. I never played for my high school again.

Time After Time

Written by Cyndi Lauper & Rob Hyman

Performed by Cyndi Lauper

Lying in my bed
I hear the clock tick, and think of you
Caught up in circles
Confusion is nothing new
Flashback, warm nights
Almost left behind
Suitcase of memories
Time after—

Sometimes, you picture me
I’m walking too far ahead
You’re calling to me
I can’t hear what you’ve said
Then you say, “Go slow.”
I fall behind
The second hand unwinds

If you’re lost, you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I’ll be waiting
Time after time
If you’re lost, you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I’ll be waiting (I will be waiting)
Time after time

After my picture fades
And darkness has turned to gray
Watching through windows
You’re wondering if I’m okay
Secrets stolen from deep inside
The drum beats out of time

If you’re lost, you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I’ll be waiting
Time after time

You said, “Go slow.”
I fall behind
The second hand unwinds

If you’re lost, you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I’ll be waiting
Time after time
If you’re lost, you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I’ll be waiting (I will be waiting)
Time after time

Time after time
Time after time
Time after time
Time after time
Time after time
Time after time
Time after time
Time after time
Time after time
Time after time

39. 1986 – Wanted Dead Or Alive – Bon Jovi

“Slippery When Wet“ from Bon Jovi is a perfect album. It is dramatic, exciting, fun, emotional and just sounds so good.

“Wanted Dead Or Alive” has always stood just above the rest for me. I love the sound of 2 guitars and 2 vocalists weaving a song together, playing off each other and coming together. The Beatles, Bon Jovi, Damn Yankees, Alice In Chains and Alter Bridge did it best.

Fell asleep to the cassette – last song on side one. If I was still awake, rewind it, play it again. Repeat until I fell asleep to it.

One of the songs me (and everyone else) can kinda sorta play part of on guitar.

My favorite lyric:

I’ve seen a million faces and I’ve rocked them all!

The ultimate statement of self confidence and accomplishment. A variation was adapted by the Wedding Crashers, and another variation by the Carrolton Crüe (my college roommates).

Wanted Dead Or Alive

Written by Richie Sambora & Jon Bon Jovi

Performed by Bon Jovi

It’s all the same, only the names will change
Everyday it seems we’re wasting away
Another place where the faces are so cold
I’d drive all night just to get back home

I’m a cowboy
On a steel horse I ride
I’m wanted dead or alive
Wanted dead or alive

Sometimes I sleep, sometimes it’s not for days
And the people I meet always go their separate ways
Sometimes you tell the day by the bottle that you drink
And times when you’re alone all you do is think

I’m a cowboy
On a steel horse I ride
I’m wanted, wanted, dead or alive
Wanted (wanted) dead or alive

Oh, and I ride

I’m a cowboy
On a steel horse I ride
I’m wanted (wanted) dead or alive

I walk these streets, a loaded six string on my back
I play for keeps, ’cause I might not make it back
I been everywhere, still I’m standing tall
I’ve seen a million faces and I’ve rocked them all!

‘Cause I’m a cowboy
On a steel horse, I ride
I’m wanted (wanted) dead or alive

And I’m a cowboy
I got the night on my side
And I’m wanted (wanted) dead or alive

And I ride (and I ride), dead or alive
I still drive (still drive), dead or alive
Dead or alive
Dead or alive
Dead or alive
Dead or alive

40. 1986 – Why Can’t This Be Love – Van Halen

This is going to be confrontational. I grew up with Van Halen, loved Van Halen, had every cassette, watched every video. When David Lee Roth left, I was stunned and sad. Then Sammy Hagar joined the band, and (ducks) they got better. The songwriting, the live performance, the legend – it all continued to grow. Many people point to politicians and strategists and shadowy figures working to split this country in two, but if you really think about it, wasn’t it really just Sam and Dave who started it all? Sammy vs. David – choose a team. Jump vs. Right Now – pick a side. Reach down, between my legs, or C’mon baby, finish what ya started. Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love? How Do I Know When It’s Love? Don’t even think about adding a 3rd party candidate to the mix (although Gary Cherone totally nailed songs from all 3 versions live). Red vs. Blue. Right vs. Left. Didn’t it really all start with DLR vs. Van Hagar?

Like everyone else, I was anxious and nervous to hear a new Van Halen song, with a new singer. The Red Rocker had some good tunes, most recently “I Can’t Drive 55”, but could he really fill the shoes of Diamond Dave? Would Eddie go back to the guitar or play too many keyboards? Well, the first time I heard “Why Can’t This Be Love”, I was blown away. It rocked, it rolled and man could Sammy hit those notes! I was hooked. EVH somehow made his keyboard sound like a guitar. Pure genius, once again. The rest of the “5150” album also kicked serious booty. The silly party songs were there, but also some more serious, emotional material as well.

I had my parents play this cassette in our car on the way to every one of my club soccer games my senior year in high school.

My favorite lyric:

Oh here it comes
That funny feeling again

That simple joy of meeting someone new and feeling something unexplainable.

Why Can’t This Be Love

Written by Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, Alex Van Halen & Eddie Van Halen

Performed by Van Halen

Oh here it comes
That funny feeling again
Winding me up inside
Every time we touch

Hey I don’t know
Ooh tell me where to begin
Cause I never ever
Felt so much

And I can’t recall
Any love at all
Baby this blows ’em all away

It’s got what it takes
So tell me why
Can’t this be love

Straight from my heart
Oh tell me why
Can’t this be love

I tell myself
Hey only fools rush in
Only time will tell
If we stand the test of time

All I know
You’ve got to run to win
And I’ll be damned if I’ll get
Hung up on the line

No I can’t recall
Anything at all
Baby this blows ’em all away

It’s got what it takes
So tell me why
Can’t this be love

You want it straight from the heart
Oh tell me why
Can’t this be love

It’s got what it takes
So tell me why
Can’t this be love

Straight from my heart
Oh tell me why
Can’t this be love

Baby why
Can’t this be love

Got to know why
Can’t this be love

I wanna know why
Can’t this be love

41. 1987 – Time Stand Still – Rush

I started college at the University of Virginia in the fall of 1987, and my life would never be the same again. Like many first-years (AKA Freshmen – UVA has their own names for everything), I was randomly placed into a dorm room with a total stranger. This can go many ways, depending on how you get along and how you learn to adapt to sharing a room that you eat, sleep, study, party and hook up in. Fortunately, my roommate shared enough qualities with me that we more or less manged to co-exist and even get along most days. 1987 was the dawn of the CD era, and my roomie had a very specific collection – the entire recorded works of Rush, the greatest band of all time. He also played electric guitar, 90% Rush songs, all of which probably would have quickly annoyed most people, but not me in the least. That fall, there were new albums from Rush, Pink Floyd (without Roger Waters but brilliant nonetheless), R.E.M. and Bruce Springsteen. U2’s The Joshua Tree was also out that year and was the only CD I had brought with me to college. Needless to say, all we listened to in that dorm room was Rush, Pink Floyd, R.E.M., Springsteen and U2. All in all, not too bad. I plastered my half of the walls and ceiling with Posters, magazine pages and hand written lyrics.

My favorite lyric:

Driven on without a moment to spend
To pass an evening with a drink and a friend

Even though college led to many evenings spent with drinks and friends, we didn’t often slow down enough to appreciate it. We were driven on to the next thing we were doing, the next party, the next opportunity to meet girls, the next drink. School reunions are so popular because they finally allow you to relive those moments in time, with those friends. Hopefully, you slow it down and appreciate having those moments to connect. You have to allow yourself the time to look back, but also the time to stand still, be present in that new moment, and build another memory.

Time Stand Still

Written by Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson & Neil Peart

Performed by Rush with Aimee Mann

I turn my back to the wind
To catch my breath before I start off again
Driven on without a moment to spend
To pass an evening with a drink and a friend

I let my skin get too thin
I’d like to pause, no matter what I pretend
Like some pilgrim who learns to transcend
Learns to live as if each step was the end

(Time stand still)
I’m not looking back, but I want to look around me now
(Time stand still)
See more of the people and the places that surround me now
Time stand still

Freeze this moment a little bit longer
Make each sensation a little bit stronger

Experience slips away
Experience slips away
Time stand still

I turn my face to the sun
Close my eyes, let my defenses down
All those wounds that I can’t get unwound

I let my past go too fast
No time to pause
If I could slow it all down
Like some captain, whose ship runs aground
I can wait until the tide comes around

(Time stand still)
I’m not looking back, but I want to look around me now
(Time stand still)
See more of the people and the places that surround me now

Freeze this moment a little bit longer
Make each sensation a little bit stronger
Make each impression a little bit stronger
Freeze this motion a little bit longer

The innocence slips away
The innocence slips away
Time stand still
Time stand still

I’m not looking back, but I want to look around me now
See more of the people and the places that surround me now
Time stand still

Summer’s going fast, nights growing colder
Children growing up, old friends growing older
Freeze this moment a little bit longer
Make each sensation a little bit stronger

Experience slips away
Experience slips away
The innocence slips away

42. 1987 – It’s The End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) – R.E.M.

In the spring of 1987, after I had told my parents that I had no interest in attending an Ivy League college in the cities of the Northeast, my Dad offered to take me on visits of the schools that I was interested in – William & Mary and the University of Virginia in Virginia; Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill in North Carolina, and Clemson in South Carolina. I had been visiting my grandparents in South Carolina every Easter break and every summer since I was a little kid, and I loved the weather, scenery and openness of the south, and its Universities. The first trip we took was to William & Mary, which was really nice, and I enjoyed my 3 days there as an early acceptance candidate. Unfortunately, they were not offering any scholarships, so we marked it down as a “maybe” and drove on up to Charlottesville, Virginia. Well we had barely made it onto the campus of good ol’ UVA when I saw kids playing soccer, lacrosse, walking through tree-lined paths around stunning architecture. I was hooked. My Dad left me with a volunteer, who proceeded to introduce me to 3 things that were new to me. 1. Beer – I was not a partier at all in high school, and had never been drunk before. 2. College girls – the young women of UVA are cute, smart and nice. 3. R.E.M. – While sitting in dorm room hallways, drinking beer and meeting girls, we listened to music. R.E.M.’s “Life’s Rich Pageant” was unlike anything I had ever heard before and instantly leaped into my all-time desert island disc top 10, where it remains to this day.

Due to some unfortunate incidents and a lack of transportation during high school, my first arena concert was October 12, 1987 at University Hall (U-Hall). R.E.M. and 10,000 Maniacs set a bar so high for me, that it was hard to match. The next arena concert that I saw was U2 on a road trip to Hampton, Virginia on December 12, 1987 at the end of the Joshua Tree tour. The final show of my first year away from home was Bruce Springsteen at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland on April 4, 1988. I had to borrow a friend’s car twice to attend that show. The first time, I needed to spend all night standing in line outside of the Tyson’s Corner Mall in Northern Virginia. In those days, you had to literally wait in line all night for just a chance at being able to buy concert tickets. I had tried and failed to do this for Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen concerts in New Jersey in high school. I was successful for Bruce and twice later for Pink Floyd. The friend from college who I bought a ticket for had found a ticket outlet only 20 miles from campus, but he had gotten seats for the second show. I was left alone and could not find a taker, so I rented my friend’s car and drove up alone. I scalped the other ticket which paid for gas and t-shirts. Bruce plays loooong shows and it was incredibly late, with tons of traffic leaving the arena. I was almost back to school, when I had the brilliant idea to play a George Michael cassette on my boom box (yes, that one again). I apparently fell asleep during “Father Figure” and drifted from the right lane through the left lane and onto some dirt. The rumbling woke me and all was well. I exited 29 S and found an all night Piggly Wiggly super market. I grabbed some Mountain Dew and Three Musketeers and was wide freaking awake, with the windows down and the AC on, the rest of the way home.

So yeah, to sum up, my first three arena concerts were R.E.M., U2 and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. That kind of raises your expectations to an unreasonable level.

My favorite lyric:

Watch O’Neil crush rush, uh-oh
This means no beer, Cavalier, renegade steer clear

First of all, I cannot find any two lyrics websites which agree upon what the lyrics are. Therefore, they are whatever you think they are. So while my favorite lyrics may not actually be what Stipe sang, this is what we all heard in Charlottesville. See, what had happened was, Fraternity Rush Week had gotten out of hand the previous year, so UVA President Robert O’Neil took a stand by forbidding the outdoor keg party ragers, forcing the binge drinking back inside the fraternity houses. Being a “college band”, R.E.M. was obviously aware of this and included it in this song.

It’s The End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

Written by Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, Peter Buck & Bill Berry

Performed by R.E.M.

That’s great, it starts with an earthquake
Birds and snakes, and aeroplanes
And Lenny Bruce is not afraid

Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn
World serves its own needs,
Don’t mis-serve your own needs
Speed it up a notch, speed, grunt, no, strength
The ladder starts to clatter
With a fear of height, down, height
Wire in a fire, represent the seven games
And a government for hire and a combat site
Left her, wasn’t coming in a hurry
With the Furies breathing down your neck

Team by team, reporters baffled, trumped, tethered, cropped
Look at that low plane, fine, then
Uh oh, overflow, population, common group
But it’ll do, save yourself, serve yourself
World serves its own needs, listen to your heart bleed
Tell me with the Rapture and the reverent in the right, right
You vitriolic, patriotic, slam fight, bright light
Feeling pretty psyched

It’s the end of the world as we know it
It’s the end of the world as we know it
It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine

Six o’clock, T.V. hour, don’t get caught in foreign tower
Slash and burn, return, listen to yourself churn
Lock him in uniform, book burning, bloodletting
Every motive escalate, automotive incinerate
Light a candle, light a motive, step down, step down
Watch your heel crush, crush, uh oh
This means no fear, cavalier, renegade and steering clear
A tournament, a tournament, a tournament of lies
Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives and I decline

It’s the end of the world as we know it (I had some time alone)
It’s the end of the world as we know it (I had some time alone)
It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)
I feel fine (I feel fine)

It’s the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It’s the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)

The other night I drifted nice continental drift divide
Mountains sit in a line, Leonard Bernstein
Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs
Birthday party, cheesecake, jellybean, boom
You symbiotic, patriotic, slam but neck, right, right

It’s the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It’s the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)

It’s the end of the world as we know it
It’s the end of the world as we know it
It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)

It’s the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It’s the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)

It’s the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It’s the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)

43. 1988 – One – Metallica

Sisters friend leaves an unmarked cassette in my Dad’s Chevy Malibu with the velour seats. I put it in my cassette case and brought it to UVA for my second year. One side had what I quickly figured out was Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s Rising Force, featuring Joe Lynn Turner on vocals. Turner also sang on the best albums from Rainbow.

The other side was something else entirely. I had no idea who it was, or what it was. It was dark, it was heavy, it was depressing, it was cathartic, it was unlike anything I had ever heard. I listened to it in my room while studying. I fell asleep to it for naps. I could not wait for Thanksgiving break to come so I could track down my sister’s friends and find out who left it behind and who it was. That album turned out to be Metallica, and their classic second album “Ride The Lightning”. Her boyfriend told me “If you like that, you need to get this.” “This” being the latest album from Metallica, which had been released that fall. The standout track from that is “obviously” One, which is an incredible song with a ground-breaking video to go along with it. Returning to school, I made a mix-tape consisting of “One”, a song about a soldier who loses his limbs and the ability to see or hear; “Fade To Black” from the random cassette I had listened to all semester, a suicide note song; and “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)”, a song from the album in between, “Master of Puppets”, about someone trapped in a mental institution, drugged to keep him there, who would rather die if he can’t escape. This trio of depressing stories was my pre-midterm playlist. As I walked from my apartment to the building where I had to take a big test, I would play this on my Sony Walkman, and by the time I got there, I could say to myself, “Well this is just an exam, it’s not life or death!”

This tune has a spooky cool intro which is one of the first things I learned to play on guitar. The Kirk Hammett outro solo is in my Five Fave guitar solos, along with George Lynch on “Tooth & Nail” by Dokken, David Gilmour on “Comfortably Numb” by Pink Floyd, Reb Beach on “Headed For A Heartbreak” by Winger and Nuno Bettencourt on “Play With Me” by Extreme. I even bought the Kirk Hammett model electric guitar as my first electric, hoping to capture his tone.

My favorite lyric:

But can’t look forward to reveal
Look to the time when I’ll live

It is vital to mental health to have something, anything, to look forward to. Validation and joy are not things that are constantly, or even consistently, present in life. When the day is not offering pleasure or potential, it helps to feel like the path that you’re on is going somewhere. Even if the payoff is far into the future, it is the promise of that future that allows us to suffer the slings and arrows of the present. When you can’t enjoy your life, or even see a way to do so, that is when you need to reach out to others for help, and potentially do something to create more possibilities.

One

Written by James Hetfield & Lars Ulrich

Performed by Metallica

I can’t remember anything
Can’t tell if this is true or a dream
Deep down inside I feel to scream
This terrible silence stops me
Now that the war is through with me
I’m waking up, I cannot see
That there’s not much left of me
Nothing is real but pain now

Hold my breath as I wish for death
Oh please God, wake me

Back in the womb it’s much too real
In pumps life that I must feel
But can’t look forward to reveal
Look to the time when I’ll live
Fed through the tube that sticks in me
Just like a wartime novelty
Tied to machines that make me be
Cut this life off from me

Hold my breath as I wish for death
Oh please God, wake me

Now the world is gone, I’m just one
Oh, God help me
Hold my breath as I wish for death
Oh please God, help me

Darkness imprisoning me
All that I see, absolute horror
I cannot live, I cannot die
Trapped in myself, body my holding cell
Landmine has taken my sight
Taken my speech, taken my hearing
Taken my arms, taken my legs
Taken my soul, left me with life in Hell

44. 1988 – Rocket Queen – Guns N’ Roses

The first time we experienced Guns N’ Roses was late one Saturday Night in the common room of one of the fraternity houses at the University of Virginia. Most of my core group of friends and I never rushed a fraternity, but I had made it a point to meet a lot of people in college, and I had friends in several fraternities, and in all of the colleges on campus (Architecture, Arts & Crafts, Commerce School, Education & Engineering). I always had a lead on a party. This one night, the band had stopped playing in the basement, things were breaking up, but a group of us were watching Headbangers Ball on MTV, which was the only way to find out about new rock and metal bands in those days. On comes a song called “Welcome To The Jungle” by an unknown band named Guns N’ Roses. Actually, that night, we didn’t even catch the band name and didn’t hear the song again for months. Their debut album “Appetite For Destruction” was released in the summer of 1987 but nobody seemed to notice for almost a year, and critics didn’t seem to care. For an album that eventually sold 30 million copies and is hailed as one of the best and most important rock albums of all time, it just goes to show that nobody knows anything.

During the last 3 years of college, “Appetite” was played early and often. With its blend of blues, punk, glam and sleaze, this was the album which had something that everyone could love. Over time, my personal song ranking has changed a lot, with each song taking a turn as a bad obsession for one reason or another. The song that made the deepest connection to me at the time is “Rocket Queen”. It sounds like two songs in one, with a breakdown both musically and lyrically that shifts attitude and tone. He starts off as a cocky Romeo or Lothario, pimping and preening to impress the ladies. He ends up sharing his heart and empathy with someone who he really cares about. Both of these personalities and feelings are necessary to navigate affairs of the heart. You need to appear indifferent or you end up trying too hard. You need to share your feelings if you find someone special or you end up losing them.

I did not get to see G N’ R during their brief, chaotic run. From all accounts, their shows were sometimes spectacular, but just as often delayed or cut short, due to the bands horrendous substance abuse problems. I saw the Axl Rose version at a mid-size club near Washington, D.C., thanks to the efforts of a good friend and concert buddy. She had gotten me a last minute ticket and I had to fly home from a project to make it, but it was worth the trip. The show went on too long and too late, and definitely lacked the magic I had hoped for after all those years.

When Slash and Duff agreed to tour with Guns again, I knew that I had better take advantage of the opportunity to see them together. I wasn’t sure if they would stay together long enough to make their summer tour stop in San Diego, so I drove up to Las Vegas to meet up with concert friends from Connecticut, Ohio, New Orleans and Tasmania, Australia. I had not seen them in years, and Alice In Chains was opening the show, so I knew that the trip and the expense would be worth it no matter what. Axl has broken his foot rehearsing, so Duff asked his buddy Dave Grohl if they could borrow his Game Of Thrones style guitar chair. Axl was forced to sit for the entire 3 hour performance, but his voice was amazing the whole time. They played everything, and then some. It was one for the books, like this one I guess.

My favorite lyric:

I can turn on anyone just like I’ve turned on you

All I ever wanted was for you to know that I care

The duality of personality and attitude is most clearly defined by these lines. You have to be tough and tender if you want to play the game of love.

Rocket Queen

Written by Steven Adler, Izzy Stradlin, Duff McKagan, Slash & W. Axl Rose

Performed by Guns N’ Roses

If I say I don’t need anyone, I can say these things to you
‘Cause I can turn on anyone just like I’ve turned on you
I’ve got a tongue like a razor, a sweet switchblade knife
And I can do you favors but then you’ll do whatever I like

Here I am, and you’re a Rocket Queen
I might be a little young, but, honey, I ain’t naive
Here I am, and you’re a Rocket Queen, oh yeah
I might be too much, but, honey, you’re a bit obscene

I’ve seen everything imaginable pass before these eyes
I’ve had everything that’s tangible, honey, you’d be surprised
I’m a sexual innuendo in this burned out paradise
If you turn me on to anything, you better turn me on tonight

Here I am, and you’re a Rocket Queen
I might be a little young, but, honey, I ain’t naive
Here I am, and you’re a Rocket Queen, oh yeah
I might be too much, but, honey, you’re a bit obscene

Here I am, and you’re a Rocket Queen
I might be a little young, but, honey, I ain’t naive
Here I am, and you’re a Rocket Queen, oh yeah
I might be too much, but, honey, you’re a bit obscene

I see you standin’, standin’ on your own
It’s such a lonely place for you, for you to be
If you need a shoulder or if you need a friend
I’ll be here standing until the bitter end
No one needs the sorrow, no one needs the pain
I hate to see you walking out there out in the rain
So, don’t chastise me or think I, I mean you harm
Of those that take you leave you strung out much too far
Baby, yeah, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, baby, yeah

Don’t ever leave me, say you’ll always be there
All I ever wanted was for you to know that I care

45. 1989 – Kickstart My Heart – Mötley Crüe

Mötley Crüe was a major part of college life, particularly when they released their best overall album “Dr. Feelgood” in the fall of 1989. For this album, they got sober and they got serious about the writing and recording processes. The result is a collection of pop metal masterpieces that resonate 3 decades later. Choosing one song from the last great album of the 80’s is tough, since “Dr. Feelgood” and “Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)” are its equals. The intro and the riff on “Kickstart My Heart” give it the edge, instantly getting the listener psyched up to do something, anything, right now. The bridge, extended chorus and distorted ending bring the whole thing to a satisfying climax. This banger summed up the entire sunset strip scene for the decade of decadence, essentially putting a bow on it. The scene and the sound was about to change forever, and this song stands the test of time as its final, breathless statement of defiance.

My favorite lyric:

Years gone by, I’d say we’ve kicked some ass

And I’d say we’re still kicking ass

This was our theme song by the time our fourth year (senior year) rolled around. We dubbed ourselves the Carrolton Crüe, based off of the address of our last college apartment and our affinity for all things Mötley. This became one of our stand on the furniture songs. It was blasted from vehicles when we followed our Cavalier football team to the Citrus Bowl in Orlando and the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. After 4 long years, we were still kicking ass. OK, 4 years may not seem like a long time, but when you’re 20, that’s 20% of your life, and 80% of your life experiences!

Kickstart My Heart

Written by Nikki Sixx

Performed by Mötley Crüe

When I get high, I get high on speed
Top fuel funny car’s a drug for me
My heart, my heart
Kickstart my heart
Always got the cops coming after me
Custom built bike doing 103
My heart, my heart
Kickstart my heart

Ooh, are you ready girls?
Ooh, are you ready now?

Whoa, yeah
Kickstart my heart, give it a start
Whoa, yeah
Baby
Whoa, yeah
Kickstart my heart, hope it never stops
Ooh, yeah
Baby, yeah

Skydive naked from an aeroplane
Or a lady with a body from outer space
My heart, my heart
Kickstart my heart
Say I got trouble, trouble in my eyes
I’m just looking for another good time
My heart, my heart
Kickstart my heart

Whoa, yeah
Kickstart my heart, give it a start
Whoa, yeah
Baby
Whoa, yeah
Kickstart my heart, hope it never stops
Whoa, yeah
Baby

Kickstart my heart
When we started this band, all we needed
Needed was a laugh
Years gone by, I’d say we’ve kicked some ass
When I’m enraged or hitting the stage
Adrenaline rushing through my veins
And I’d say we’re still kicking ass
I say, ooh-ah
Kickstart my heart, hope it never stops
And to think, we did all of this to rock

Whoa, yeah
Kickstart my heart, give it a start
Whoa, yeah
B-b-b-b-b-b-baby
Whoa, yeah
Kickstart my heart, hope it never stops
Whoa, yeah
Baby
Kickstart my heart, hope it never stops
Whoa, yeah
Baby
Whoa, yeah
Kickstart my heart, give it a start
Whoa, yeah

Kickstart my heart

46. 1989 – Love Song – Tesla

Tesla burst onto the scene at the end of 1986, while I was in full Bon Jovi / Van Halen mode. “Modern Day Cowboy” was probably my most listened to song for the next six months, and the rest of their debut album “Mechanical Resonance” blew me away with every guitar sound imaginable, killer grooves and thoughtful inspiring lyrics. When they released “The Great Radio Controversy” in early 1989, they had somehow turned up all of the above and created an even better album. Buried way down on track 11 (my favorite number – as in Apollo 11) of 13 was a beauty that started with a dueling acoustic guitar solo between Frank Hannon and Tommy Skeoch, which dropped into a soulful vocal from Jeff Keith. The drums of Troy Luccketta and bass of Brian Wheat joined the mix as the tune accelerated into a loud guitar solo and a soaring gang chorus sing along of “Love is gonna find a way!”. The song is an emotional journey from heartbreak to hope.

By the summer of 1989, I still had not attended many concerts, and the aforementioned ones had been epic. I was thrilled to find out that Tesla would be playing in New York City that August, at Pier 84 in Manhattan, right on the Hudson River, right between the Lincoln Tunnel and the USS Intrepid. Tesla played between Badlands (a sadly short-lived band) and Great White. “Love Song” was at the top of the charts and playing once an hour on MTV, and it was clearly the highlight of the show. Tesla was so good that the crowd was cheering their name as Great White left the stage as the “headliner”. Lo and behold, Tesla joined Great White for the encore, and there was also one other special guest. Just some new guitarist with a top hat, played in Guns N’ something or other. Yes, I got to witness Tesla and Great White perform “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” with Slash.

Fast forward to summer 1990, and Tesla is coming back to NYC, this time in a tiny club called The Ritz, playing an acoustic show. I made my way to the show, got up nice and close to the stage and watched history unfold. They proceeded to play an eclectic mix of their own songs and cover songs that had inspired them growing up. You can read an exquisite review of this show on the back album cover of the live album they released by the name of “Five Man Acoustical Jam” featuring ”Signs“. They recorded the Philadelphia show, but they used the review of the NY show in the liner notes. Once again, I was almost at a live album recording.

When Pink Floyd reunited (sans Roger Waters) I got tickets to their 4th straight show at the of home of 4 times in a row Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders – the infamous Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island. They were scheduled to record that show for a live album and video. Then they added a 5th show, and that was the one that was filmed and released. Missed it by thatmuch.

Tesla toured with Def Leppard extensively during this time period, yet I managed to be at college in Virginia whenever they stopped in New York, and back home in New York every time they played near Washington, D.C.. I missed that tour NINE times. In recent years, the 2 bands have hooked up for amphitheater tours, and I catch them every chance I get. The first time I lived in San Diego, for 10 weeks on the beach in 2005 as part of our ”Value Family Tour“, I found out that Tesla was playing another acoustic show. I got tickets for myself and one of my Carrolton Crüe who lives in the O.C. and we got to see them thrill a packed House of Blues Anaheim at Downtown Disney. They had released an incredible comeback album ”Into The Now“ which I cranked all the way down the 5 to SD, and it is one of their best.

Tesla remains the greatest live band in the land to this day. They just headlined the Monsters Of Rock Cruise in 2019, on which I was a staff photographer, and they still blow me away, every time they play. I would pay to see Tesla play every single night.

My favorite lyric:

Keep an open heart and you’ll find love again, I know

Love is what it’s all about. No matter how bad things get, you have to open your heart in order to let love find its way in. At Rocklahoma one year, I was interviewing Jeff Keith and someone felt compelled to ask his own question, which was “Do you ever get sick of performing the same songs?”. Jeff was gracious enough to answer by saying that certain songs mean so much to so many people, that it is an honor to perform a song such as “Love Song” every single night, and he has the pleasure of experiencing the crowd singing it back to him.

Love Song

Written by Jeff Keith & Frank Hannon

Performed by Tesla

So you think that it’s over
That your love has finally reached the end
Any time you call, night or day
I’ll be right there for you when you need a friend, yeah

It’s gonna take a little time
Time is sure to mend your broken heart
Don’t you even worry, pretty darlin’
I know you’ll find love again

Yeah, love is all around you
Love is knockin’ outside your door
Waitin’ for you is this love made just for two
Keep an open heart and you’ll find love again, I know

Love is all around you, yeah
Love is knockin’ outside your door
Waitin’ for you is this love made just for two
Keep an open heart and you’ll find love again, I know

It’s all around

Love will find a way
Darlin’, love is gonna find a way
Find its way back to you
Love will find a way
So look around, open your eyes

Love is gonna find a way
Love is gonna, love is gonna find a way
Love will find a way
Love’s gonna find a way back to you, yeah

I know
I know
I know
I know

My Life In Music, Part 4, 1985 – 1989 first appeared on Game On Media.

Prologue

1. The Music Of My Life

Music means everything to me. It has for as long as I can remember. Each night I fall asleep listening to music. Every morning I wake up listening to music. I play music in the shower. I play music in the car. I play music at the gym. If I am not actively listening to music, I hear songs in my head. When somebody is talking to me, I hear lyrics in their words, and start singing to myself. While I have never completely written or recorded anything original, I have made mix-tapes and play-lists since the Seventies.

I have spent almost all of my free time and “disposable” income on music and music-related experiences. My first job was delivering The Daily News to a six block radius around my house on Long Island, New York. I took the job because they offered a free cassette tape of my choosing if I signed up 3 new subscriptions on my route. I took care of that task quickly, and scored what may be my most favorite album of all time – the self-titled debut from the Long Island based band named Zebra. I continued to find bargains and build my catalog thanks to the marketing efforts of BMG and Columbia House music mail order services. Eventually, I bought cheap guitars and amps, and later more expensive guitars. I have too many guitars.

Once the concert floodgates opened for me when I went to the University of Virginia, I started going to as many shows as I could, no matter where they were located. Music festivals began, locally and small at first, then larger ones able to draw a national audience of freaks like me who were willing to drive or fly all over the country, sleeping in any hotel, motel, Holiday Inn, tent, RV or Air B’n’B I could find. Woodstock ‘99, Rocklahoma, Rock On The Range, Carolina Rebellion, Welcome To Rockville, Aftershock, Earthday Birthday, Vans Warped Tour, Coachella, Voodoo Festival, Once Upon A Time in the LBC, Rock USA and KAABOO Del Mar – these are a few of my favorite things. Then the rock cruises came along, which I have enjoyed as a customer, staff member, charity worker, journalist and photographer – ShipRocked, Motörhead’s MotörBoat, MegaCruise, and Monsters Of Rock Cruise.

From 2010 to 2020, I was able to get up close and personal with the music, the musicians and the fans. I have been a photojournalist for several print magazines and online websites. I have previewed and reviewed concerts, albums and livestreams. I have interviewed artists backstage and on tour buses. I have photographed shows of every kind, from the smallest and darkest of clubs, to the largest of outdoor festivals. I have captured local artists, new acts, living legends and lifelong loves, from Aerosmith to ZZ Top.

During this mostly silent year, I decided to take a look back, to appreciate the journey so far, and perhaps to make some sense of my decisions and choices along the way. This isn’t exactly a memoir or biography, as I don’t believe that I have done anything of such consequence to merit such documentation. I won’t know if there are any lessons to be learned, or advice to carry with me on my second half, until I write it all down. The songs have been chosen, the memories have come rushing back. We will see where this experience takes me.

With 52 years of special songs to revisit, I also plan to really focus on learning to play complete songs on guitar. That gives me 2 songs to learn per week. That should hold me to a good working cadence. Is everybody in? Drop the needle on the record.

2. The Way I Chose The Songs

Choosing only 2 songs from an entire year was quite an ordeal. Some years had many releases that had a major impact at the time, others not as many. I chose songs based on the year that the album they came from was released. This means that the song itself may not have even been released as a single that year. Sometimes a song hits you right away, sometimes it builds slowly, and other times you discover it well after it was released. In many cases, it takes some new experience to bring the importance of the song into focus.

I suppose it generally takes some passage of time for the songs that mean the most to you to bubble to the surface. Only time will tell which ones continue to swim around in your brain, forming the soundtrack to your life’s story.

I chose the songs that have had the most lasting impression on my life, the ones that instantly take me back to a time, or a place, or a person, or an experience, or all of the above. The names will be changed to protect the innocent and guilty alike. These are the songs that mean the most to me, and nobody knows me better than I know myself, so I can’t really say if others share the same memories in the same ways.

Looking at the final list, there are sooo many songs that I love that did not make the cut. There are lots of artists that I cannot believe are not represented. I guess this should not be too surprising. Think about how hard it is to make a top 5 list in any given year. There are just so many artists and songs that I love, it is no wonder that I am almost always listening to, writing about, or photographing music. Out of the 104 songs chosen, 8 are from bands that appear twice. Those are obviously among my all-time favorites, and they are among the ones who have meant the most to me throughout my life. They are Alice In Chains, Candlebox, Creed, Foo Fighters, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Rush and Shinedown.

For more chapters of My Life In Music:

My Life In Music, Part 1, 1969-1974

My Life In Music, Part 1, 1975-1979

My Life In Music, Part 2, 1985-1989

Part II

26. The 1980’s – The Cassette Era

Welcome to the 1980’s, the greatest decade in musical history. A lot of people will tell you that music was better in the Seventies – more “real”, more “honest”, more “emotional”, more “acoustic”. These are the same people who will tell you that music just sounds better on a record album than on any other format. You need to know two things about these people. #1. They are hippies. #2. They are, as in all things, half right and half wrong. Yes, a record played on a good stereo system, with good speakers, still does sound better than any other way of listening to music. I am listening to “Signals” by Rush on an average record player with poor speakers as I write this, and it still sounds richer and fuller than any digital copy. But just because a record sounds better does not mean that the songs themselves are inherently better written or performed.

Cassette tapes are absolutely terrible as far as quality goes, but essential in the evolution of musical enjoyment. The tape itself is exposed to the elements, it gets unraveled, it gets twisted, it gets stuck. The speed at which it plays back varies. It wears out with every play, fast-forward and rewind. I actually made it a point to never rewind a tape. Instead, I would stop it, eject it, turn it over and fast forward it. To this day I have no scientific basis for such ridiculous precautions, but I faithfully executed those procedures nonetheless. Bottom line, the defense stipulates that cassettes are inherently terrible in sound quality and only get worse over time. On the other hand, your basement stereo setup is great and all, but can you take it on the road with you? Can you take it out for a “jog”, or a walk, man? Can you pop it into your pocket and have it inspire you at the gym? Of course not. Cassettes gave us musical freedom and artistic control. You could make your own “albums” with any combination of songs that you wanted. Note: when I was a kid, we called records “albums” as compared to cassettes which we called “tapes”. Technically, an album is a collection, and it does not even have to be music, so a more accurate term would be “LP”, which turns out to be short for “Long Play” 33-1/3 RPM vinyl record. You get why we just called them albums, right? It was just easier to ask your friends if they got the new Rush album or tape. You can also see why the “mixtape” was part of the plot of every teen movie from the decade.

Back to the music. Sure, rock and roll was epic in the 1970’s, some may even say “classic”, and I take nothing away from that by saying that I like the rock and roll of the 1980’s more. That “classic” sound endures and probably always will. However, rock and roll truly evolved in the Eighties. Not everyone may like or appreciate every style and sound that emerged, but none can deny that music went in so many directions that genres and sub-genres had to be created, if only to provide fodder for the message boards of the Nineties. Punk, thrash, glam/hair, new wave, emo/goth, college/alternative, pop and hip-hop all took off in the 1980’s. There is no single sound that represents music in the 80’s, no single image, no single path to stardom or infamy. Everything was thrown against the wall, and most of it stuck. Just look at the variety of artistic excellence represented in my selections, which were extremely difficult to make from this era. Consider who did not even make the cut. U2, The Police, Scorpions, LL Cool J, Run-D.M.C., Duran Duran, Quiet Riot, Queensrÿche and Whitesnake all spent time as my favorite band in the whole wide world, yet could not make the final list. Prince, Michael Jackson, Pat Benatar and Journey were left off. I could do a whole other set of songs that are just as good as these.

If anyone ever asks, I say that I “grew up” in the 1980’s. I was 10 years old when they started and 20 when they ended. I made it through junior high, high school, and most of college during this musical explosion. Growing up on Long Island, I did focus most of my attention on artists from New York. People sometimes wonder why New Yorkers are arrogant, and we are, but we come to it naturally. We just take credit for everything anyone of us creates while we just so happened to be in the general vicinity. I consider 2 of New York’s 5 boroughs to be part of Long Island. They are physically connected to the same land mass as Nassau and Suffolk Counties. So even if they are logically different, the same could be said about Montauk and the Hamptons. In my mind, I credit the entire Island as the foundation of my history and personality.

I was born in Hollis, Queens, so naturally I take pride in the fact that hip-hop took off based largely on the talents and rhymes of Run-D.M.C., The Beastie Boys and LL Cool J. Run (Joseph Ward Simmons) was born and raised in Hollis, Queens. D.M.C. (Darryl Matthews McDaniels) was born in Harlem and grew up in Hollis. LL (James Todd Smith) was born in Bay Shore on Long Island just a year before me, literally the next town over from where I grew up. He grew up in (and famously “represented”) Queens, where I spent the first 3 years of my life. The Beasties were also NYC through and through. I also followed Long Island rockers especially closely. Anthrax, Blue Öyster Cult, Zebra, Twisted Sister, Pat Benatar, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Squier, even that other Billy who played piano. When taking credit for things, New Yorkers will even put claims on their neighbor across the river, New Jersey. Personally, I love New Jersey. I have always had family there and spent a large part of my life there. That gave me an affinity for Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi that was earned as honestly as the stories they continue to write to this day.

Enough preamble. Rip your acid-washed jeans a little more, tease up your hair, pierce your ear, and cut up those band t-shirts. Bring your #2 pencil, tighten up those cassette tapes, grab your bucket of D batteries, and turn that boom box all the way up. This is the 80’s!

27. 1980 – I Don’t Know – Ozzy Osbourne

I am not sure how many people know the precise moment that they became a metal head. That moment was instantly burned in my brain and is as clear a memory as any that I have.

My parents grew up in Flushing, Queens, and like much of their family and friends, had moved out to a house on Long Island in the early 1970’s. Other family members moved to suburban New Jersey or even up and coming South Carolina. Some of my parents childhood friends ended up moving a couple of miles away from us, so naturally they hung out all the time, and my sister and I were forced to become friends with their kids. Which turned out to be fine, because these were cool kids. The boy and I were early software pirates, trading hacked Atari cartridges and using the Pirate’s Toolkit to bootleg and modify computer games on our Commodore 64’s. Who knew that I was actually training for my career in software development? Before all that, we would just hang out and listen to music. The adults would drink and play cards upstairs, and the kids went down in the basement to make noise.

One particular fall day, we headed over to their house and he had just started playing something new. It was LOUD and the guitar playing was insane. We were both freaking out over how cool it was. I screamed at him “What is this?!?!” He yelled back “I don’t know!!” I countered with “Look at the cover!!!” He responded with “I don’t know!!!!” I tried to ask again as he shoved the album cover in my face and said “It’s called. I. DON’T. KNOW!!!” Then we fell out laughing. Then Ozzy started laughing as “Crazy Train” kicked in. My metal horns went up that evening, and they are never coming back down.

My favorite lyric:

Don’t ask me. I don’t know!

This song is full of brilliant lines about self reliance and independent thought. With the spectacle and drama that has always surrounded Ozzy, his deep lyrical content is often overlooked. Even “Crazy Train” is really a call to stop senseless violence and conflict, but who stops to ponder such things while enjoying the spectacle? All that said, nothing tops the simple exclamation that had two 11 year old kids rolling on the floor laughing in a Long Island basement.

I Don’t Know

Written by Randy Rhoads & Ozzy Osbourne

Performed by Ozzy Osbourne

People look to me and say
Is the end near, when is the final day
What’s the future of mankind
How do I know, I got left behind

Everyone goes through changes
Looking to find the truth
Don’t look to me for answers
Don’t ask me, I don’t know (know…)

How am I supposed to know
Hidden meanings that will never show
Fools and prophets from the past
Life’s a stage and we’re all in the cast

Ya gotta believe in someone
Asking me who is right
Asking me who to follow
Don’t ask me, I don’t know (know)
I don’t know, I don’t know (know), I don’t know

Nobody ever told me I found out for myself
Ya gotta believe in foolish miracles
It’s not how you play the game
It’s if you win or lose you can choose
Don’t confuse win or lose, it’s up to you
It’s up to you, it’s up to you, it’s up to you
Go, go, go

People look to me and say
Is the end near, when is the final day
What’s the future of mankind
How do I know, I got left behind, I’m lost

Everyone goes through changes
Looking to find the truth
Don’t look to me for answers
Don’t ask me, I don’t know!

28. 1980 – Keep On Loving You – REO Speedwagon

Couple skate!

Were two sweeter words ever heard by pre-pubescent ears? Roller skating was all the rage in 1980. Everybody would go. There was loud music, disco lights, soda on tap, and bodies flying by in every direction. For a bunch of not-yet-teens, we felt like we were in Studio 54. When the ballads were played, the DJ yelled “couple skate!”, and shy boys had an excuse to ask a girl to hold hands with him for 3 dizzying minutes. I didn’t care what REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Journey, Styx or Pat Benatar was singing about (it was still way over my head). I just knew that when those soft piano and guitar intros played, Johnnie was gonna get … a chance to skate with a girl he liked, maybe even one he had been waiting for.

My favorite lyric:

You should’ve known by the tone of my voice, maybe
But you didn’t listen

I have always had a few issues with communication and misunderstanding, especially after leaving New York. The first thing was the accent and speed at which New Yorkers speak to each other. We are quick and blunt, and sometimes loud. No disrespect, but part of living in a crowded place is standing up for yourself and trying to get your point in as quickly as possible. People from other parts of the country consider this to be rude. My other issue is my dry, sarcastic sense of humor. This leads to a tone of voice that is not always appreciated. What are ya gonna do? You didn’t listen.

Keep On Loving You

Written by Kevin Cronin

Performed by REO Speedwagon

You should’ve seen by the look in my eyes, baby
There was something missing
You should’ve known by the tone of my voice, maybe
But you didn’t listen
You played dead
But you never bled
Instead you lay still in the grass
All coiled up and hissing

And though I know all about those men
Still I don’t remember
‘Cause it was us, baby, way before them
And we’re still together

And I meant, every word I said
When I said that I love you
I meant that I love you forever

And I’m gonna keep on loving you
‘Cause it’s the only thing I wanna do
I don’t wanna sleep
I just wanna keep on loving you

And I meant, every word I said
When I said that I love you
I meant that I love you forever

And I’m gonna keep on loving you
‘Cause it’s the only thing I wanna do
I don’t wanna sleep
I just wanna keep on loving you
And I’m gonna keep on loving you
‘Cause it’s the only thing I wanna do
I don’t wanna sleep
I just wanna keep on loving you

29. 1981 – Rapture – Blondie

“Rapture” from Debbie Harry and Blondie is the first “rap” I ever heard. It was also the first rap video played on MTV when they debuted on 8/1/81. Debbie herself seemed like some kind of alien, drifting effortlessly and carelessly across the Earth, dropping dreamy hit after hit.

My first video game design was based on this song. I had written a plot and made some sketches based on the Man From Mars and his alleged adventures on earth, eating things. On each level, you would control the hungry, hungry Martian, eating one of the things mentioned in the song. Sadly, I did not have any mad programming skills yet, so it just went into the cool idea pile. I kept myself busy dropping quarters into the arcade machines at the local pizza parlors and stationery stores. Space Invaders, Missile Command, Super Cobra and Galaga ate a ton of coinage, while slaking my alien blasting thirst.

My favorite lyric:

‘Cause the man from Mars stopped eatin’ cars
And eatin’ bars and now he only eats guitars, get up

As ridiculous as the entire premise of this song is, the absurdity reaches its apex with this rapidly rhymed narrative. By now, you know the whole thing is a goof and this just sounds wicked cool.

Rapture

Written by Debbie Harry & Chris Stein

Performed by Blondie

Toe to toe, dancing very close
Barely breathing, almost comatose
Wall to wall, people hypnotized
And they’re stepping lightly
Hang each night in rapture

Back to back, sacroiliac
Spineless movement and a wild attack
Face to face, sightless solitude
And it’s finger popping
24-hour shopping in rapture

Man to man, body muscular
Seismic decibel, bite the jugular
Wall to wall, tea time technology
And a digital ladder
No sign of bad luck in rapture

30. 1981 – Too Much Time On My Hands – Styx

“Paradise Theatre” was a sprawling conceptual piece by Styx that was a bit all over the place. Like many bands that began in the 1970’s, they struggled to balance the rockers and the ballads. Pianist / vocalist Dennis DeYoung had some good ballads, and I do thank him for “The Best Of Times” at the skating rink. However, I prefer the guitar and the rock and roll stylings of guitarist / vocalist Tommy Shaw. That lead me to choose “Too Much Time On My Hands” to represent this year.

Night Ranger is another band with 2 singers and 2 styles. Bassist / vocalist Jack Blades is the rocker, and he and Tommy Shaw joined up with Ted Nugent to form Damn Yankees in 1990. I got to meet them after a show, and I told Jack that I loved his and Tommy’s songs the best in Night Ranger and Styx, so this was a perfect project for them.

The song also reminds me of all the high school lunch times I spent trying to beat Time Pilot at the local pizza place next to DPHS. I was so obsessed with beating that game, and making it through all 5 levels of aircraft dogfighting. You started in 1910 fighting bi-planes. Next was 1940 with prop planes and bombers. Then 1970 versing helicopters. The “present day” at the time, was 1982, dueling jets. Finally, you traveled to the future, 2001, when UFO’s were invading. Beating all of this with a single quarter was a monumental task. I always made my friends stand far behind me, quietly, or else I could blame them for my failures. One day I was locked in, and they had all headed back to class. I managed to beat the future level alien scum and wondered what could possibly be next up. It was Level 1 again – lame – but I had done it! I arrived late for class (which I NEVER did) and was questioned. My response was “I don’t even care! I finally beat Time Pilot!!” I bought a multi-game home arcade machine when the pandemic started, created a Rocker’s Dozen playlist with 13 songs about time, and it took me months to once again complete all 5 levels.

When I lived in Maryland, and had just started photographing concerts for Shockwave Magazine, Styx played a theater in Baltimore, and I was granted a photo pass. Paradise! Sometimes when you get your photo pass, you also get 1 or more tickets to watch the entire concert and write a review about it. At this show, I was handed 2 tickets in the 5th row center. As I was getting sorted, a father and son were at the ticket window next to me, and I overheard the fact that only 1 seat was left in the entire theater. Realizing I was about to let a great second seat go to waste, I told him to buy the one ticket and I would trade him my 2 prime seats so he and his son could enjoy the show together. I felt good as I walked up to the front of the stage, only to have the bouncer inform me that there is no photo pit in a theater, and I certainly could not stand in front of the people who had paid the most money to be front row. I was instructed to shoot from my seat. That’s when I realized that I had traded my photography tickets for a balcony seat against the side wall. I didn’t even have a zoom lens at the time. Well, all of my shots were of the entire stage and lower level, from a side angle. Oh well, the performance was outstanding, so I focused on my writing.

My favorite lyric:

And I’ve given up hope for the afternoon soaps
And a bottle of cold brew

This line hits me on a few levels. Growing up (and to this very day) my Mom watched General Hospital, an ABC afternoon soap, religiously. My sister and I would watch with her at 3:00 every day, whenever we were not in school, such as the summer of Luke & Laura, when they were away from Port Charles, on the run from Hutch the bounty hunter. In high school, I would walk home between class and soccer practice and watch The Young & The Restless. As for the bottle of cold brew, I have always felt that drinking a beer signaled your giving up on the day, as far as productivity is concerned. Perhaps it was this lyric imprinted on my young brain that has guided me along.

Too Much Time On My Hands

Written by Tommy Shaw

Performed by Styx

Yeah, I’m sitting on this barstool, talking like a damn fool
Got the twelve o’clock news blues
And I’ve given up hope for the afternoon soaps
And a bottle of cold brew

Is it any wonder I’m not crazy?
Is it any wonder I’m sane at all?

Well, I’m so tired of losing, I got nothing to do
And all day to do it
Well, I’d go out cruisin’, but I’ve no place to go
And all night to get there

Is it any wonder I’m not a criminal?
Is it any wonder I’m not in jail?

Is it any wonder I’ve got too much time on my hands?
It’s ticking away with my sanity
I’ve got too much time on my hands
It’s hard to believe such a calamity
I’ve got too much time on my hands
And it’s ticking away, ticking away from me

Too much time on my hands
(It’s t-t-t-t-ticking away)
Too much time on my hands
(And I don’t know what to do with myself)
Too much time on my hands

Too much time on my hands
Too much time on my hands
Too much time on my hands

Now, I’m a jet fuel genius – I can solve the world’s problems
Without even trying
I got dozens of friends, and the fun never ends
That is, as long as I’m buying

Is it any wonder I’m not the president?
Is it any wonder I’m null and void?

Is it any wonder I’ve got too much time on my hands?
It’s ticking away with my sanity
I’ve got too much time on my hands
It’s hard to believe such a calamity
I got too much time on my hands
And it’s ticking away, ticking away from me
Too much time on my hands
(T-t-t-t-ticking away)
Too much time on my hands
(And I don’t know what to do with myself)
Too much time on my hands
Too much time on my hands
(T-t-t-t-ticking away)
Too much time on my hands
Too much time on my hands
(Too much time on my hands)
(Too much time on my)

31. 1982 – Heat Of The Moment – Asia

When Asia burst on the scene, it was the first time I remember having a Favorite Band. I believe they were the first “Supergroup”. They took members of 4 successful bands and made something even better. Steve Howe played guitar for Yes. John Wetton sang and played bass for King Crimson. Geoff Downes played keyboards for The Buggles. Carl Palmer was the drummer for Emerson, Lake & Palmer. “Heat Of The Moment” was the first single, a classic that everyone knows and loves to this day. The rest of the album contains magical musical performances and cutting lyrics. Every note of every song is perfection.

I was all in on Asia merch. I had an Asia trucker hat, wristbands, a baseball sleeve shirt, and a sweatshirt (which I later cut off to wear bouldering). I drew variations of their logo on every textbook cover (hand made from brown grocery bags) and notebook that I owned. Needless to say, this did not make me the “cool kid”. Asia was no Iron Maiden or Judas Priest, but I was forced to like those bands in secret, due to their bad reputations.

I had tickets to see the original band on their first reunion tour, with my friend from Brick in the Wall infamy, but he tragically died and I could not bring myself to go to the show without him, so I gave the tickets to some other friends.

I did get to see the final tour with all 4 original members with my uncle and his friends, in New Jersey. They played all of their classics, some great new songs, and a song each from their previous bands. Quite a moment.

My favorite lyric:

And when your looks are gone and you’re alone
How many nights you sit beside the phone
What were the things you wanted for yourself?
Teenage ambitions you remember well

I stole this, verbatim, for an English class poetry assignment, which I had forgotten to do. I quickly scribbled this out as the teacher was collecting the assignments, one of the few times having a last name starting with a “V” came in handy. I got an “A”. I also found a creative writing assignment from 1984, which I called “The Modern Cowboys” (a title Tesla later stole from me!), where the final sentence was “We live to fight another day.”, taken from Asia’s second album “Alpha”.

Heat Of The Moment

Written by Geoff Downes & John Wetton

Performed by Asia

I never meant to be so bad to you
One thing I said that I would never do
A look from you and I would fall from grace
And that would wipe the smile right from my face

Do you remember when we used to dance?
And incidents arose from circumstance
One thing led to another, we were young
And we would scream together songs unsung

It was the heat of the moment
Telling me what my heart meant
The heat of the moment showed in your eyes

And now you find yourself in Eighty Two
The disco hot spots hold no charm for you
You can concern yourself with bigger things
You catch a pearl and ride the dragon’s wings

‘Cause it’s the heat of the moment
Heat of the moment
The heat of the moment showed in your eyes

And when your looks are gone and you’re alone
How many nights you sit beside the phone
What were the things you wanted for yourself?
Teenage ambitions you remember well

It was the heat of the moment
Telling me what your heart meant
The heat of the moment showed in your eyes

It was the heat of the moment
Heat of the moment
Heat of the moment showed in your eyes

Heat of the moment
Heat of the moment
Heat of the moment
Heat of the moment

32. 1982 – Subdivisions – Rush

Rush is my favorite band of all time, but it took time to get there. “Subdivisions” was the song that started their ascension for me. Combined with “The Analog Kid” which immediately follows it on the “Signals” album, I heard my teenage life perfectly described. These songs expressed sympathy for the plight of youth, living in the relative comfort and safety of the suburbs, imbued with a fear of missing out. Suburban life is seen as an improvement from city life, but the sprawl and isolation actually limits your opportunities. When you are young, you can only go as far as you can walk, so your social circle is limited to your school friends. I was fortunate to have some amazing friends, some of which I keep in contact with (primarily through our common love of Rush). Then you get a bike, and your world opens up a little more, at least as far as you are willing to pedal. Finally, if you are lucky enough to have access to a car, you can do even more.

By the time I was a senior, I was still biking and walking. I found a job at a frozen yogurt / pita shop (a health food option decades ahead of its time) in a futile attempt to earn enough money to buy my own ride. Some of my friends were planning to put together a band for the annual school High School talent show. I spent months rehearsing alone in my room for months, primarily working on “Tom Sawyer” and “Subdivisions”. For the second of 3 times in my life, I had a serious asthma attack in December of my senior year, while frantically approaching the deadline to apply for Ivy League colleges, which I didn’t even want to attend. After that, I could never hold my breath long enough to sing this song right.

In 2010, I caught up with my oldest friends from the neighborhood to see Rush: Time Machine at Jones Beach Theater. That started an all too brief yearly tradition. The last show we saw together was in the summer of 2015 at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, during their final tour, R:40. Drummer Neil Peart retired after that tour, and got brain cancer soon after, eventually passing away in January of 2020.

Somehow, I was approved to take pictures of Rush while seeing them in Northern Virginia with the drummer who had encouraged me to learn to sing Rush songs for that talent show. That band ended up being called “The Misfits”, which I never even got to join, because I had work the night they finally got together to rehearse. ”Nowhere is the dreamer or the misfit so alone.“ I had just gotten my first real camera, and barely begun photographing shows. I was shocked that I even got a photo pass. When Geddy Lee looked straight down into my lens as I was shooting, I felt like Wayne and Garth – “We’re not worthy! We’re not worthy!”. That will always stand as my most surreal concert experience.

See my article about what Neil Peart and Rush mean to me: What Neil Peart and Rush Mean To Me

See my article on my High School English analysis of this song as a poem by Neil Peart: My High School English Paper on Subdivisions by Neil Peart

My favorite lyric:

Growing up it all seems so one-sided
Opinions all provided
The future pre-decided

Oh, the irony of giving yourself an asthma attack while stressing out over a pre-decided future that you had no interest in, destroying your ability to sing, which then shatters whatever confidence you had scraped together thinking you could actually be a rock star, if only for a brief instant. “Be cool or be cast out.”

Subdivisions

Written by Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson & Neil Peart

Performed by Rush

Sprawling on the fringes of the city
In geometric order
An insulated border
In between the bright lights
And the far unlit unknown

Growing up it all seems so one-sided
Opinions all provided
The future pre-decided
Detached and subdivided
In the mass production zone
Nowhere is the dreamer or the misfit so alone

(Subdivisions) —
In the high school halls
In the shopping malls
Conform or be cast out
(Subdivisions) —
In the basement bars
In the backs of cars
Be cool or be cast out

Any escape might help to smooth
The unattractive truth
But the suburbs have no charms to soothe
The restless dreams of youth

Drawn like moths we drift into the city
The timeless old attraction
Cruising for the action
Lit up like a firefly
Just to feel the living night

Some will sell their dreams for small desires
Or lose the race to rats
Get caught in ticking traps
And start to dream of somewhere
To relax their restless flight
Somewhere out of a memory
Of lighted streets on quiet nights

(Subdivisions) —
In the high school halls
In the shopping malls
Conform or be cast out
(Subdivisions) —
In the basement bars
In the backs of cars
Be cool or be cast out

Any escape might help to smooth
The unattractive truth
But the suburbs have no charms to soothe
The restless dreams of youth

33. 1983 – Who’s Behind The Door? – Zebra

Zebra is the band who led me to that paper route job, where I quickly earned enough points to nab their self-titled debut album. An album that still rates in my all-time top ten, deserted island list. Zebra was the only band I managed to see live during my high school years, and I saw them many times. I continued to see them as often as I could. My parents never had cable, so I could only see cool things like HBO and MTV when I went to my best friend’s house, which was quite often. He had a basement and an in-ground pool with a diving board and slide. He also had an older sister with many cute friends, but I digress. His Dad was the O.G. “dad joke” teller. One time when I arrived, my friend excitedly told me that had seen “Who’s Behind The Door?” 4 times that day. His Dad, cocktail in hand, deadpanned “Well, who was it? You saw him 4 times!”.

Until I got to college, Zebra was actually the only band I had seen live. I have often wondered how a high school kid saw a rock band play at bars across Long Island. My Mom was gracious enough to drop me off sometimes. My little sister was infatuated with singer / guitarist Randy Jackson and even had his poster on her wall. After one show, she went with my Mom to pick me up. When I reluctantly went outside at the pre-planned time, I quickly told my Mom that they weren’t done yet, and hadn’t even played “Who’s Behind The Door?” yet. She agreed to let me go back in as my sister begged to go with me. Shockingly, she agreed. Even more shockingly, the bouncer let me back in, with my kid sister in tow! We rushed right up to the front of the stage as they began their encore of “Who’s Behind The Door?” and a brilliant cover of “The Ocean” by Led Zeppelin. I used to wear a bandana tied to my leg, just like Chachi from “Happy Days”. I had gotten a special zebra striped one to wear to the concert. My sis was so overcome, she pulled it off my leg and threw it on stage, yelling “I love you Randy!!”.

Bob Buchmann was the morning DJ on WBAB 102.3, and every winter, he did a 102 hour “Charity Begins at Home” marathon to raise money for Long Island charities. Bands and celebrities would drop by to speak on the air and help in raising money. When Zebra released their 3rd album “3.V“ and was set to appear with Bob, my friends and I went down to the hotel where he broadcast the event from. We got our cassettes signed, hung out near our favorite DJ and favorite band, and had a blast. When they left, for some reason unexplained to this day, we followed them out. Bassist / keyboardist Felix Hanemann got into his Mercedes, and we got into a Toyota Tercel and proceeded to tail him. He quickly lost us on the Southern State Parkway. To this day, we have no idea why we followed him and what we planned to do if we had somehow kept up with him. In 2018, after seeing them play in Orange County, CA I told Felix this story and he had a huge laugh about it.

I finally had the chance to photograph them when they made a surprise West Coast tour to commemorate the 35th anniversary of this classic debut album. Of all places, I was extremely fortunate to catch them at none other than the world famous Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, California. Talk about checking off some boxes! Zebra still plays a few times a year, with Guy Gelso as always on the drums, mainly in their hometown of New Orleans and their adopted home on Long Island. Randy Jackson performs marathon solo acoustic shows quite often, and he has kept that going online throughout the pandemic, bringing some joy and light into the darkness.

My favorite lyric:

Life is a waiting room
I hope they don’t call me soon

To me, this sums up a lot of what religions teach us. That we are merely passing through Earth, on our way to an eternal destination. If so, I am in no hurry to have my number called. I have no idea who or what is behind the door, and I have way too much to explore and experience here to even think about it.

Who’s Behind The Door?

Written by Randy Jackson

Performed by Zebra

We sailed away
We walked two thousand miles and then we slipped away
We looked so hard
But couldn’t seem to find just what the world was for
Now we know
Just what the journey’s for

Looking out to the stars
Think about what you are
What do they think of you?
Animals in their zoo
They haven’t got the time
Landing is not on their minds
How do they have the nerve
We’re animals in preserve

They watch us all
They’re only making sure that we don’t trip and fall
They looked so hard
But they can’t tell us why they’re here and just what for
Because they don’t know
Who opened up the door

How can we find out more?
Who owns the keyless door?
Where does the circle end?
Who are the unwatched men?
Where do we go from here?
Faith is a fading fear
Life is a waiting room
I hope they don’t call me soon

How much more do you really think you know than a flower does about who’s behind the door?

34. 1983 – Photograph – Def Leppard

The “Pyromania” album by Def Leppard is another all-time classic, along with Asia’s and Zebra’s self-titled debuts, which has a hard time getting shaken from any personal favorite lists. The first song, the one that blew us all away, was “Photograph”.

In Junior High, we would take class trips to explore the history of America. Our 7th grade trip was to Washington, D.C., 8th grade was Philadelphia and other parts of Pennsylvania, and 9th grade was Boston. Apparently, the level of alcohol, drug and sexual related activity observed in the Boston hotel passed the acceptability threshold, and all future school wide “educational” trips were permanently canceled. Being a good Catholic kid, I was not party to any of these misadventures. Which brings us back to the 8th grade trip.

I always brought a boom box on bus trips, whether it was to visit my cousins in Massachusetts, traveling to another school for a tennis match or soccer game, or on an educational adventure. I did not own many cassettes in the spring of 1983, so we were listening to Philadelphia’s rock station, 93.3 WMMR when we first heard “Photograph”. Conveniently, we soon stopped at a shopping mall, for a healthy meal in the food court. I sprinted to the mall’s record store and purchased the “Pyromania” cassette, which we proceeded to listen to nonstop on the bus for the rest of the trip (except for Amish country – they are not supposed to know about such things as electricity and rock and roll). The store also gave me a WMMR sticker which I slapped on my boom box.

I probably listened to that cassette every day for a year, singing along, playing air guitar and air drums (possibly some air bass?). I wish I had somehow gotten hold of a guitar and learned to play it. If you add up the number of hours I spent imaging myself playing along, and applied that to actually practicing on an instrument, I bet I would not be half bad by now.

My favorite lyric:

I wanna touch you!

Let’s revisit that 8th grade bus trip, and appropriate levels of sexual activity. Imagine a bunch of 13 and 14 year old boys, away from home, sleeping in hotels, listening to some raunchy new music from British glam gods. It put some ideas in our heads. Something we thought would be hilarious to do is queue up “Photograph” on my boom box to just the right part of the song, and then go up to a girl we liked, and ask her if she wanted to hear this great new band we had just discovered. We would then press play and Joe Elliott would exclaim ‘I wanna touch you!’. Then we would run away and giggle. Super inappropriate, and highly ineffective as well.

Photograph

Written by Rick Savage, Pete Willis, Robert John “Mutt” Lange, Joe Elliott & Steve Clark

Performed by Def Leppard

I’m outta luck, outta love
Gotta photograph, picture of
Passion killer, you’re too much
You’re the only one I wanna touch

I see your face every time I dream
On every page, every magazine
So wild and free, so far from me
You’re all I want, my fantasy

Oh, look what you’ve done to this rock ‘n’ roll clown
Oh Oh, look what you’ve done

Photograph
I don’t want your photograph
I don’t need your photograph
All I’ve got is a photograph
But it’s not enough

I’d be your lover, if you were there
Put your hurt on me, if you dare
Such a woman, you got style
You make every man feel like a child

You got some kinda hold on me
You’re all wrapped up in mystery
So wild and free, so far from me
You’re all I want, my fantasy

Oh, Look what you’ve done to this rock ‘n’ roll clown
Oh Oh, Look what you’ve done

Photograph
I don’t want your photograph
I don’t need your photograph
All I’ve got is a photograph

You’ve gone straight to my head

Look what you’ve done to this rock ‘n’ roll clown
Look what you’ve done

I gotta have you

Photograph
I don’t want your photograph
I don’t need your photograph
All I’ve got is a photograph

I wanna touch you!

Photograph
Photograph
Your photograph
Photograph
Photograph
I need more than your photograph
I’m outta love
Photograph
I’m outta love
Photograph
You’re the only one
Photograph
I wanna touch

35. 1984 – Dancing In The Dark – Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen is the one classic rock artist from the 1970’s who managed to become even bigger in the 1980’s. The “Born in the U.S.A.” album produced an insane 7 Top 10 singles. “Dancing In The Dark” was actually written in one spiteful night, 2 years after most of the album had already been recorded, yet another example of either divine intervention or musical magic. I actually have written a lot of good software code out of spite, so whatever motivates you is good to use for creative fuel.

The live performance video is also a classic, most notable for the moment when Bruce pulls a young fan out of the crowd to dance with him on stage. That young fan was an unknown by the name of Courteney Cox. This was years before I fell in love with her as Alex P. Keaton’s girlfriend on “Family Ties”, and way before “Friends” and “Scream”.

I played this cassette so much over the next two years, that I had to buy another copy. Then I dug deep into the back catalog, which my aunts and uncle were more than happy to help me with. One of my best memories is seeing Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band play for hours on end at Giants Stadium, somewhere in the swamps of Jersey, with my uncle and aunt. I collected bootleg concert tapes and became obsessed.

When I started my own software consulting company in the 2000’s, I had an NFL credit card. If you collected 200,000 points (by charging $200,000), then you could get 2 Super Bowl tickets! I put every business and personal expense on that card for years. When I finally hit the magic number, they told me that they had changed it to 300,000 points!! What?!??!? Now I was scrambling to charge anything I could, even stuff for my family, just to get to the new level. I really wanted to see the Super Bowl in Tampa, where I had lived for 6 months in the 90’s, and had seen several Buccaneers games over the years. I made it late that fall, and I was able to pay back my Dad for all that he done for me by taking him on an all expenses paid trip to the Super Bowl. I had airline miles, hotel points and 2 tickets to the big game. This was Super Bowl XLIII in 2009. Turned out to be the most dramatic and exciting game of them all, where the Pittsburgh Steelers took a halftime lead on a 99 yard INT return. Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald led the Arizona Cardinals back to take a late lead, only to have Big Ben pull off a 90 yard last second drive where Santonio Holmes allegedly got 2 feet down, even though I have never seen that second foot touch grass. We had already had a great week, eating dinner next to ESPN hosts, spending time playing games at the NFL Experience, and seeing concerts by 3 Doors Down and Journey. We told each other that no matter what happens at the game, it was all worth it. Besides, the halftime show was Bruce Springsteen. Not only did we get one of the best games ever, we got one of the best halftime shows ever.

My favorite lyric:

I check my look in the mirror
I wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face

Anyone who does not feel this way from time to time must be a model or actor. I could have picked any line from here s my favorite. They are all perfect in their own way. This song only enhanced for me what Rush had started. I knew that there was a whole wide world out there somewhere, and I had to figure out a way to get there.

Dancing In The Dark

Written by Bruce Springsteen

Performed by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

I get up in the evening
And I ain’t got nothing to say
I come home in the morning
I go to bed feeling the same way
I ain’t nothing but tired
Man, I’m just tired and bored with myself
Hey there baby, I could use just a little help

You can’t start a fire
You can’t start a fire without a spark
This gun’s for hire
Even if we’re just dancing in the dark

Message keeps getting clearer
Radio’s on and I’m moving ’round the place
I check my look in the mirror
I wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face
Man, I ain’t getting nowhere
I’m just living in a dump like this
There’s something happening somewhere
Baby, I just know that there is

You can’t start a fire
You can’t start a fire without a spark
This gun’s for hire
Even if we’re just dancing in the dark

You sit around getting older
There’s a joke here somewhere and it’s on me
I’ll shake this world off my shoulders
Come on, baby, the laugh’s on me

Stay on the streets of this town
And they’ll be carving you up all right
They say you gotta stay hungry
Hey, baby, I’m just about starving tonight
I’m dying for some action
I’m sick of sitting ’round here trying to write this book
I need a love reaction
Come on now, baby, gimme just one look

You can’t start a fire
Sitting ’round crying over a broken heart
This gun’s for hire
Even if we’re just dancing in the dark
You can’t start a fire
Worrying about your little world falling apart
This gun’s for hire
Even if we’re just dancing in the dark

Even if we’re just dancing in the dark
Even if we’re just dancing in the dark
Even if we’re just dancing in the dark
Hey, baby

36. 1984 – The Warrior – Scandal featuring Patty Smyth

“The Warrior” by Scandal is forever linked in my mind to Victory Soccer Camp. For two summers in a row, I got to spend a week in the Connecticut country side, with my closest friends and family, doing nothing but play soccer. Naturally, I had by boom box, and the 2 most played albums that first summer at camp were from The Cars and Scandal. That first trip to Victory Soccer Camp is my favorite week ever. My sister was there. My best friends were there. My cousins who lived in Massachusetts were there, and I never got to see them enough. Plus it was soccer, soccer everywhere. Soccer drills, soccer skills, soccer matches, soccer patches. Somehow it got even better. I met a girl named Amy who was perfection. She had the athletic soccer body. She had long dark hair. She loved rock and roll. We fell in love that week, that perfect teenage love that they make movies about.

On the last night of camp, some of the parents came to collect their kids. Sadly, she was one of them leaving early. My parents planned to arrive the next morning. After I kissed her goodbye and watched her drive away, I was floating. A bunch of my friends were scheming to sneak into the girls dorm. I had no reason to do so, after all, my true love had just left. I followed along anyway, we got spotted, and ran in every direction. I made it back to the boys dorm and dove under the covers. Bad move, as the counselors went in each room, and my Catholic guilt over “almost” doing something wrong must have showed on my face. They hauled me off to the office, called my parents and demanded that they come get me immediately. My parents laughed them off and told them they would be making the 3 hour drive in the morning. Once again, I was the only one to get caught. Everyone who was hiding in the woods had snuck back into the dorm while I was being held in detention. The whole time, I just kept thinking about Amy, and didn’t really care about getting in trouble. My heart had followed her down that dusty road.

My favorite lyric:

I’ll hold you close in Victory

Victory soccer camp. My first love. My first soccer chick / rocker chick. I have been “chasing Amy” for the rest of my life.

The Warrior

Written by Holly Knight & Nick Gilder

Performed by Scandal featuring Patty Smyth

Ohhh, oh, oh, ohhh, oh, oh, oh, oh

You run, run, run away
It’s your heart that you betray
Feeding on your hungry eyes
I bet you’re not so civilized
Well, isn’t love primitive
A wild gift that you want to give
Break out of captivity
And follow me, stereo jungle child
Love is the kill. Your heart’s still wild

Shooting at the walls of heartache
Bang bang
I am the warrior
Well, I am the warrior
And heart to heart you’ll win if you survive
The warrior. The warrior

You talk, talk, talk to me
Your eyes touch me physically
Stay with me, we’ll take the night
As passion takes another bite

Oh, oh, oh, oh
Who’s the hunter, who’s the game
I feel the beat call your name
I’ll hold you close in victory
I don’t want to tame your animal style
You won’t be caged in the call of the wild

Shooting at the walls of heartache
Bang bang
I am the warrior
Well, I am the warrior
And heart to heart to win if you survive
The warrior. The warrior
I am the warrior

Shooting at the walls of heartache
(Shooting at the walls of heartache.) The warrior
I am the warrior and heart to heart you’ll win
Heart to heart you’ll win if you survive
The warrior. The warrior

Shooting at the walls of heartache
Bang bang
I am the warrior
Yes, I am the warrior and victory is mine
(Shooting at the walls of heartache.) The warrior
I am the warrior
Shooting at the walls of heartache

My Life In Music, Part 3, 1980 – 1984 first appeared on Game On Media.

Prologue

1. The Music Of My Life

Music means everything to me. It has for as long as I can remember. Each night I fall asleep listening to music. Every morning I wake up listening to music. I play music in the shower. I play music in the car. I play music at the gym. If I am not actively listening to music, I hear songs in my head. When somebody is talking to me, I hear lyrics in their words, and start singing to myself. While I have never completely written or recorded anything original, I have made mix-tapes and play-lists since the Seventies.

I have spent almost all of my free time and “disposable” income on music and music-related experiences. My first job was delivering The Daily News to a six block radius around my house on Long Island, New York. I took the job because they offered a free cassette tape of my choosing if I signed up 3 new subscriptions on my route. I took care of that task quickly, and scored what may be my most favorite album of all time – the self-titled debut from the Long Island based band named Zebra. I continued to find bargains and build my catalog thanks to the marketing efforts of BMG and Columbia House music mail order services. Eventually, I bought cheap guitars and amps, and later more expensive guitars. I have too many guitars.

Once the concert floodgates opened for me when I went to the University of Virginia, I started going to as many shows as I could, no matter where they were located. Music festivals began, locally and small at first, then larger ones able to draw a national audience of freaks like me who were willing to drive or fly all over the country, sleeping in any hotel, motel, Holiday Inn, tent, RV or Air B’n’B I could find. Woodstock ‘99, Rocklahoma, Rock On The Range, Carolina Rebellion, Welcome To Rockville, Aftershock, Earthday Birthday, Vans Warped Tour, Coachella, Voodoo Festival, Once Upon A Time in the LBC, Rock USA and KAABOO Del Mar – these are a few of my favorite things. Then the rock cruises came along, which I have enjoyed as a customer, staff member, charity worker, journalist and photographer – ShipRocked, Motörhead’s MotörBoat, MegaCruise, and Monsters Of Rock Cruise.

From 2010 to 2020, I was able to get up close and personal with the music, the musicians and the fans. I have been a photojournalist for several print magazines and online websites. I have previewed and reviewed concerts, albums and livestreams. I have interviewed artists backstage and on tour buses. I have photographed shows of every kind, from the smallest and darkest of clubs, to the largest of outdoor festivals. I have captured local artists, new acts, living legends and lifelong loves, from Aerosmith to ZZ Top.

During this mostly silent year, I decided to take a look back, to appreciate the journey so far, and perhaps to make some sense of my decisions and choices along the way. This isn’t exactly a memoir or biography, as I don’t believe that I have done anything of such consequence to merit such documentation. I won’t know if there are any lessons to be learned, or advice to carry with me on my second half, until I write it all down. The songs have been chosen, the memories have come rushing back. We will see where this experience takes me.

With 52 years of special songs to revisit, I also plan to really focus on learning to play complete songs on guitar. That gives me 2 songs to learn per week. That should hold me to a good working cadence. Is everybody in? Drop the needle on the record.

2. The Way I Chose The Songs

Choosing only 2 songs from an entire year was quite an ordeal. Some years had many releases that had a major impact at the time, others not as many. I chose songs based on the year that the album they came from was released. This means that the song itself may not have even been released as a single that year. Sometimes a song hits you right away, sometimes it builds slowly, and other times you discover it well after it was released. In many cases, it takes some new experience to bring the importance of the song into focus.

I suppose it generally takes some passage of time for the songs that mean the most to you to bubble to the surface. Only time will tell which ones continue to swim around in your brain, forming the soundtrack to your life’s story.

I chose the songs that have had the most lasting impression on my life, the ones that instantly take me back to a time, or a place, or a person, or an experience, or all of the above. The names will be changed to protect the innocent and guilty alike. These are the songs that mean the most to me, and nobody knows me better than I know myself, so I can’t really say if others share the same memories in the same ways.

Looking at the final list, there are sooo many songs that I love that did not make the cut. There are lots of artists that I cannot believe are not represented. I guess this should not be too surprising. Think about how hard it is to make a top 5 list in any given year. There are just so many artists and songs that I love, it is no wonder that I am almost always listening to, writing about, or photographing music. Out of the 104 songs chosen, 8 are from bands that appear twice. Those are obviously among my all-time favorites, and they are among the ones who have meant the most to me throughout my life. They are Alice In Chains, Candlebox, Creed, Foo Fighters, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Rush and Shinedown. I had expected Tesla and Queensrÿche to be represented twice, but they both have so many great songs from each album, it was hard to select one at times.

Act I

3. The 1970’s – The Record Era

I have been wandering this spinning rock for over five decades now. Conveniently for retrospective purposes, I arrived at the end of the 1960’s, so I can organize my playlists and analysis by decade. Generally, each decade is defined by the methods most often used to collect and listen to music. From record albums to cassettes, to Compact Discs (CDs), to digital files (mostly MP3), to digital streaming services and apps, the song remains the same. Specifically, I landed on this planet the very same day that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 made history mere hours after Johnnie Crow was born in a hospital in Hollis, Queens. The Eagle had landed after a long journey, and the Crow had begun a journey of his own. Most of my musical memories of the 1970’s revolve around listening to old records with my Mom or my Dad in our suburban Long Island basement, and listening to 45’s with my little sister in her bedroom, on a cheap yellow plastic record player.

4. 1969 – Space Oddity – David Bowie

It is only fitting for a moon baby to start with an astronaut song. I don’t specifically remember humming along to this in my crib in Flushing, New York, as the Miracle Mets were making their historic World Series run down the street at Shea Stadium. Actually, not many Americans remember this first track from all-time great David Bowie from when he first released it. It did not become a hit in the United States until 1973, when we had moved to the house in Deer Park in the middle of Long Island that my parents kept for 45 years. It probably did not fully reach my consciousness until I started listening to the local rock station, 102.3 WBAB Babylon, on my clock radio. Bowie was a staple on that station, and legendary morning DJ Bob Buchmann would often wake me up with its sweet sounds throughout the 80’s.

The song itself is haunting, mysterious and somewhat disturbing. I often thought about becoming an astronaut working for NASA. The lyrics to this track were a serious counterweight to the wonder of space. The fear, loss, desperation and ultimate acceptance of a lonely fate are all explored within the confines of a musical tour de force. The genius of David Bowie continues to be appreciated more as time passes on, and this song also grows in stature.

My favorite lyric:

“Planet Earth is blue
And there’s nothing I can do”

This line works on many levels. The planet literally looks blue, yet it is also sad from time to time, as it struggles to survive humanity. There is nothing that the astronaut can do, since there is nothing to do out in space, yet there is also nothing he can do for anyone on Earth.

Space Oddity

Written by David Bowie

Performed by David Bowie

Ground Control to Major Tom

Ground Control to Major Tom

Take your protein pills and put your helmet on

(Ten) Ground Control (Nine) to Major Tom (Eight, seven)

(Six) Commencing (Five) countdown, engines on

(Four, three, two)

Check ignition (One) and may God’s love (Lift off) be with you

This is Ground Control to Major Tom

You’ve really made the grade

And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear

Now it’s time to leave the capsule if you dare

This is Major Tom to Ground Control

I’m stepping through the door

And I’m floating in a most peculiar way

And the stars look very different today

For here am I sitting in my tin can

Far above the world

Planet Earth is blue

And there’s nothing I can do

Though I’m past one hundred thousand miles

I’m feeling very still

And I think my spaceship knows which way to go

Tell my wife I love her very much

She knows

Ground Control to Major Tom

Your circuit’s dead, there’s something wrong

Can you hear me, Major Tom?

Can you hear me, Major Tom?

Can you hear me, Major Tom?

Can you-

-Here am I floating ’round my tin can

Far above the moon

Planet Earth is blue

And there’s nothing I can do

5. 1969 – Whole Lotta Love – Led Zeppelin

Once again, I was not rocking the cradle to Led Zeppelin. They were way too screamy for my Mom, and far too sexual and occultish for my Dad. I got into Led Zeppelin from WBAB radio, particularly during their “Get The Led Out” blocks. I began collecting the record albums, thanks to Columbia House record club’s crazy 8 albums for a penny promotions. Led Zeppelin I and II both came out in 1969. I prefer “II“ by a small margin over the debut, as it is a more
representative collection of the band that they grew to be. Led Zeppelin is notorious for ripping off American Blues artists without crediting them. Parts of the song were adapted from Willie Dixon’s “You Need Love”, recorded by Muddy Waters in 1962. A lawsuit in 1985 was settled with a payment to Dixon and credit on subsequent releases.

”Whole Lotta Love“ is perhaps the most Zeppelin song of all, and it opened the doorway that allowed Heavy Metal to exist. The combination of riffs, effects, vocal gymnastics, wild man drumming and intricate bass all combine with the primal urges of love and sex to create a song that moves you at every level. I don’t remember when headphones were invented. I know it was long before “beats”, but I am pretty sure that they were invented to listen to Led Zeppelin II, and particularly “Whole Lotta Love”.

I never got to see Led Zeppelin perform, obviously, since they broke up when drummer John Bonham died in 1980 at the age of 32 after drinking way too much the day before. I did get to take a road trip up to Washington D.C. with a college roommate to see Page / Plant, which was incredible.

My favorite lyric:

“Way down inside, woman, you need love”

Admittedly, this is not the most eloquent lyric ever written. It is the delivery and recording of it that makes it the highlight. The buildup, the reverse echo, just powerful.

Whole Lotta Love

Written by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones & Willie Dixon

Performed by Led Zeppelin

You need coolin’, baby, I’m not foolin’

I’m going to send you back to schoolin’

Way down inside, honey, you need it

I’m goin’ to give you my love

I’m goin’ to give you my love, oh

Want a whole lotta love

Want a whole lotta love

Want a whole lotta love

Want a whole lotta love

You’ve been learnin’, baby, I’ve been yearnin’

All them good times, baby, baby, I’ve been learnin’

Way, way down inside, honey, you need it

I’m gonna give you my love, ah

I’m goin’ to give you my love, ah, oh

Want a whole lotta love

Want a whole lotta love

Want a whole lotta love

Want a whole lotta love

You’ve been coolin’, baby, I’ve been droolin’

All the good times, baby, I’ve been misusin’

Way, way down inside, I’m goin’ to give you my love

I’m goin’ to give you every inch of my love

Goin’ to give you my love, hey, alright, yes, sir

Want a whole lotta love

Want a whole lotta love

Want a whole lotta love

Want a whole lotta love

Way down inside, woman, you need love

Shake for me, girl, I want to be your back door man

Hey! Oh! Hey! Oh! Hey! Oh!

Keep it coolin’, baby

Keep it coolin’, baby

Keep it coolin’, baby

Keep it coolin’, baby

Keep it coolin’, baby

6. 1970 – Paranoid – Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath is widely acknowledged for creating the genre of Heavy Metal. “Paranoid” is probably the most succinct example. Driving beat, chugging riff, impassioned vocals. When it came out, I was shaking my cradle, exercising my vocal cords, trying to understand what Ozzy Osbourne (and anybody else) was saying. Later on, I would learn a lot more about lyrics and song titles.

It could be argued that the lyrics of the song describe someone who is paranoid, but I did not make that connection as a kid. I guess I never really knew what the song was called. My Mom would never have let be bring an album called “Black Sabbath” into the house, so I had only heard this song on the radio. I knew that it was Sabbath, and I knew it kicked ass, but I didn’t know what it was called. At the Junior High School talent show, we had a rock band who played it, which was clearly the highlight of the show. When a friend who hadn’t seen the performance asked me if they had played “Paranoid”, I said “No. They played a Black Sabbath song.” See, I had thought that “Destroyer” by The Kinks was called “Paranoid”, since they actually said the word paranoia in the chorus. How embarrassing, when another friend explained that the song was indeed called “Paranoid”.

The lyrics themselves are very personal to me. I gravitated to rock music for the sound and the messages. Unfortunately, a lot of these lines have directly applied to me throughout my life.

My favorite lyric:

“I need someone to show me the things in life that I can’t find.
I can’t see the things that make true happiness, I must be blind.”

I have often wondered if I was creating my own prison by choice, or if I just wasn’t seeing what everyone else appeared to be seeing. I want to be happy and satisfied, so I don’t think I intentionally avoid those things. I actually believe that I think about and see *more* things than most people do, and see how bad things can go, way before they actually do. My struggle is to figure out if there is a way to avoid things going down the dark path. In most cases, I have no influence over events, so the battle becomes identifying which things I can influence. Writing this, it is starting to sound like a version of the serenity prayer. Serenity is definitely the other side of the paranoia coin.

Paranoid

Written by Bill Ward, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi & Ozzy Osbourne

Performed by Black Sabbath

Finished with my woman ’cause she couldn’t help me with my mind

People think I’m insane because I am frowning all the time

All day long, I think of things but nothing seems to satisfy

Think I’ll lose my mind if I don’t find something to pacify

Can you help me occupy my brain?

Whoa, yeah

I need someone to show me the things in life that I can’t find

I can’t see the things that make true happiness, I must be blind

Make a joke and I will sigh and you will laugh and I will cry

Happiness, I cannot feel and love to me is so unreal

And so, as you hear these words telling you now of my state

I tell you to enjoy life, I wish I could, but it’s too late

7. 1970 – Cracklin’ Rosie – Neil Diamond

Some of the best memories I have of my early childhood with my Dad are listening to records in our basement. I don’t remember what we were doing down there, but I remember listening to albums and talking about them. I am sure that we listened to multiple artists, but other than The Beatles, the only thing I remember listening to is Neil Diamond. Neil had the coolest voice, attitude for days, and mysterious music.

I know that I used to ask my Dad what the heck he was talking about, and I know that he told me, but I can’t really say that those answers stuck with me. For example, I still don’t know what a “store-bought woman” is, but he probably made some joke about my Mom loving to go shopping at the mall, which I suppose makes as much sense as anything else. I definitely recall giving my Dad a hard time whenever a song had nonsense lyrics, such as “Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba…”. I used to ask my Dad why they didn’t have enough words invented when he was a kid. There were all of these “Be bop a lula” and “Ram a lam a ding dong” and “Dip de dip de dip” and “Shimmy shimmy koko bop” and “Sha la la la la” songs, the only explanation my young brain could offer was a lack of real words to choose from.

Neil Diamond released a landmark live album in 1972 called “Hot August Night”, an album so great, he has released 3 sequels. One of those was recorded at Madison Square Garden in New York City in August 2008. I was able to bring my Dad to one of these shows. We got to take the train in from Long Island, grab a steak downtown, and walk into the Garden, an old arena, but a very special one. We were not sure how he would sound after so many years, but he was on point, the production was incredible, and it was a memorable (and hot) August night.

My favorite lyric:

“We got all night to set the world right”

This is such a succinct, uplifting message, full of hope, in the middle of a song with loads of attitude.

Cracklin’ Rosie

Written by Neil Diamond

Performed by Neil Diamond

Aw, Cracklin’ Rosie, get on board

We’re gonna ride

Till there ain’t no more to go

Taking it slow

And Lord, don’t you know

We’ll have me a time with a poor man’s lady

Hitchin’ on a twilight train

Ain’t nothing here that I care to take along

Maybe a song

To sing when I want

No need to say please to no man

For a happy tune

Oh, I love my Rosie child

You got the way to make me happy

You and me we go in style

Cracklin’ Rose

You’re a store-bought woman

But you make me sing like a guitar hummin’

So hang on to me, girl

Our song keeps runnin’ on

Play it now, play it now

Play it now, my baby

Cracklin’ Rosie, make me a smile

Girl, if it lasts for an hour, that’s all right

We got all night to set the world right

Find us a dream that don’t ask no questions

Yeah

Oh, I love my Rosie child

You got the way to make me happy

You and me we go in style

Cracklin’ Rose

You’re a store-bought woman

But you make me sing like a guitar hummin’

So hang on to me, girl

Our song keeps runnin’ on

Play it now, play it now

Play it now, my baby

Cracklin’ Rosie, make me a smile

Girl, if it lasts for an hour, that’s all right

We got all night

To set the world right

Find us a dream that don’t ask no questions

Ba ba ba ba ba ……

8. 1971 – Imagine – John Lennon

The first murder that I remember is that of John Lennon on December 8, 1980. I was 11 years old, and it may be the first death that I was aware of. Obviously, I did not know Lennon personally, but I certainly knew who he was. He had made a comeback that year with his album “Double Fantasy”, released just weeks before, and I had been listening to that. I had also gotten into 2 greatest hits albums from The Beatles, the red one and the blue one (did you have them?). I loved everything he had done with and without The Beatles, and preferred his songs to McCartney’s by a large margin. I was still young enough to believe in his ideals and messages of hope and peace.

“Imagine” has a beautiful melody, and I am sure that is what had grabbed me in my younger years. Later, I could analyze the lyrics, which seemed to make perfect common sense to me. I recall that Howard Hesseman’s character “Johnny Fever” (my favorite of course) on “WKRP in Cincinnati” had used this song in a classic episode, in which protesters against rock and roll wanted the station to stop playing songs that it considered “offensive”. Fever used “Imagine” to argue the point that it was not an anti-religious song that declared that heaven did not exist, but instead was a challenge to imagine if certain things were different, how people would react to and treat each other.

I was raised as a Catholic, a religion that does not promote critical thinking or questioning of any kind. It is one of those successful religions that lays out a specific dogma, and excludes the possibility that any other religion has validity. That never sat well with me, as all religions are created by man, or at the very least interpreted by man, without proof of evidence. I suppose in that way, “Imagine” did set me on a path that most religions fear, the path of self discovery and open questioning. I ended up practicing Unitarian Universalism for a long while, where any source of enlightenment and inspiration are welcome. I may have even heard this song performed during a service or two.

My favorite lyric:

“You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one“

This is the most enduring and inspiring line, and one I latched onto as a youngster, believing that even though Lennon had been taken from us far too soon (he was only 4 years older than my Dad, his son Julian 6 years older than me), he left all of us a path to follow.

Imagine

Written by John Lennon & Yoko Ono

Performed by John Lennon

Imagine there’s no heaven

It’s easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us, only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today

I

Imagine there’s no countries

It isn’t hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace

You

You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope someday you’ll join us

And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world

You

You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope someday you’ll join us

And the world will live as one

9. 1971 – Behind Blue Eyes – The Who

First of all, I don’t have blue eyes, I have brown eyes. It took me a while to latch onto this song, as I was taking it quite literally. I came to realize that “behind blue eyes” was just a metaphor for someone who appeared to be happy on the outside, but was struggling within. I have always had every reason to be happy in general, but I have spent a lot of my life unhappy. I often think too much, and over analyze. All my life have I looked away… to the future, to the horizon. Never my mind on where I was. What I was doing. Adventure. Excitement. A Jedi craves not these things.

My Mom always told me “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Roger Daltrey sings Pete Townshend’s words “No one bites back as hard on their anger, none of my pain and woe can show through.” I have tended to stay quiet and keep things to myself, feeling that nobody wants to hear about your problems, they are too busy hiding their own. Rather than stir things up, or cause controversy, I tend to keep things inside, “like a man”, until they explode in words of anger – spoke or emailed or posted socially. Like the protagonist in the song, I constantly try to regulate myself, by letting off a little steam, usually through attempted humor, before things get ugly.

In college, The Who was one of our go-to bands, when we were finished playing poker and pre-gaming, and were about to head out to a party. We would stand on the furniture and scream along to our favorite songs. One night, one of my roommates personified another line in the song, a secret nod we would give each other anytime we listened after that. “And if I swallow anything evil, put your finger down my throat.” That’s what true friends are for!

Recently, I was covering a rock radio convention in Las Vegas, as a photographer. Some of us were coming down the elevator at the Hard Rock Hotel, when in stepped none other than Pete Townshend. He asked what we were doing there, we told him it was a rock radio convention, and he smiled and said “In that case, I should be there!” So true – rock radio would not be what it was without The Who.

My favorite lyric:

“When my fist clenches, crack it open
Before I use it and lose my cool
When I smile, tell me some bad news
Before I laugh and act like a fool”

This is the embodiment of the eternal internal struggle to maintain mental health. Don’t get too low, and don’t get too high. Let other people help you regulate and support you, in good times and bad. For some people, this is a weekly battle, a daily battle, even a minute-to-minute battle. Remember that when you engage with a friend, a family member, a co-worker, or even a stranger. You never know what somebody is going through in that moment.

Behind Blue Eyes

Written by Pete Townshend

Performed by The Who

No one knows what it’s like

To be the bad man, to be the sad man

Behind blue eyes

No one knows what it’s like

To be hated, to be fated

To telling only lies

But my dreams, they aren’t as empty

As my conscience seems to be

I have hours, only lonely

My love is vengeance that’s never free

No one knows what it’s like

To feel these feelings like I do

And I blame you

No one bites back as hard

On their anger, none of my pain and woe

Can show through

But my dreams, they aren’t as empty

As my conscience seems to be

I have hours, only lonely

My love is vengeance that’s never free

When my fist clenches, crack it open

Before I use it and lose my cool

When I smile, tell me some bad news

Before I laugh and act like a fool

And if I swallow anything evil

Put your finger down my throat

And if I shiver, please give me a blanket

Keep me warm, let me wear your coat

No one knows what it’s like

To be the bad man, to be the sad man

Behind blue eyes

10. 1972 – American Pie – Don McLean

I do remember loving this song as a young kid. Most of it is very upbeat and fun to sing along to. I had no idea what it was about until later on. “Bye-bye, Miss American Pie” – fun to sing, still no idea what it means, especially when the movies came out, which definitely had their own meaning. “Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry” – we had a green Chevy Nova forever, so I knew what half of that line meant. “But February made me shiver, with every paper I’d deliver. Bad news on the doorstep” – I had a paper route through junior high and high school, waking at 6 AM, rain or shine, snow or sun, to deliver the New York Daily News based in NYC. Newsday is the Long Island paper, which was delivered in the afternoon, totally interfering with the day, so I had no interest in delivering that. I probably sang “Bad news on the doorstep” every time The Daily News had a negative headline.

Eventually, I figured out what some of the other lyrics meant. The verses refer to songs from The Beatles, The Stones, The Byrds, The Who, David Bowie and Bob Dylan. Clearly a lot of this is an homage to those classic bands. The core theme of the song is “The day the music died.” My Dad told me that this referred to the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper, while they were on tour together on February 3, 1959. That tragic event always brings me to the plane crash that killed members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and also the plane crash that killed Randy Rhoads. All of which I try not to think about anytime that I fly.

Every year while I was in college at the University of Virginia, almost the entire school headed down to North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for the week after finals end. We rented big houses on the beach, and slept on beds, couches, kitchen floors, lounge chairs – whatever was available. I was in full mix-tape mode all throughout college, making the party cassette mixes that we played on poker nights or during our massive BYOB daiquiri parties (BYOB = Bring Your Own Blender – we would burn out several each time). I remember making a mix-tape for Myrtle Beach, which included “American Pie”. I recall large groups of us sitting by the beach, drinking until the sun came up, singing this song en masse.

This epic song became one of “Weird Al” Yankovic’s best parodies. “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” was a shaky reboot, and ripe for spoofing. “The Saga Begins” nailed it perfectly, so perfectly that I sing some of Al’s lyrics, even when listening to the original. I always try to go to a birthday concert, some time around my actual birthday. Recently, “Weird Al” performed in San Diego, and I finally got to see him in person. He went through all of his classics, complete with multiple costume changes. The encore was “The Saga Begins”, played in its entirety, complete with droids and stormtroopers. Epic!

My favorite lyric:

“Do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so?
Now do you believe in rock ‘n roll
Can music save your mortal soul?”

As a recovering Catholic, I have spent a lot of time pondering these types of questions. As a heavy metal fan, I have felt ostracized and criticized by organized religion. Personally, I have found more joy, community, understanding and inspiration from rock and roll than from religion. A person wrote “The Bible”. A person wrote “Crazy Train”. Why should one be universally accepted as gospel and one be demonized as madness? Maybe it’s not too late to learn how to love and forget how to hate.

American Pie

Written by Don McLean

Performed by Don McLean

A long, long time ago

I can still remember

How that music used to make me smile

And I knew if I had my chance

That I could make those people dance

And maybe they’d be happy for a while

But February made me shiver

With every paper I’d deliver

Bad news on the doorstep

I couldn’t take one more step

I can’t remember if I cried

When I read about his widowed bride

But something touched me deep inside

The day the music died

So bye-bye, Miss American Pie

Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry

And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey ‘n rye

Singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die”

“This’ll be the day that I die.”

Did you write the book of love

And do you have faith in God above

If the Bible tells you so?

Now do you believe in rock ‘n roll

Can music save your mortal soul?

And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

Well, I know that you’re in love with him

‘Cause I saw you dancin’ in the gym

You both kicked off your shoes

Man, I dig those rhythm and blues

I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buck

With a pink carnation and a pickup truck

But I knew I was out of luck

The day the music died

I started singing

“Bye-bye, Miss American Pie”

Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry

Them good old boys were drinking whiskey ‘n rye

Singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die”

“This’ll be the day that I die.”

Now for ten years we’ve been on our own

And moss grows fat on a rollin’ stone

But that’s not how it used to be

When the jester sang for the king and queen

In a coat he borrowed from James Dean

And a voice that came from you and me

Oh, and while the king was looking down

The jester stole his thorny crown

The courtroom was adjourned

No verdict was returned

And while Lennon read a book on Marx

The quartet practiced in the park

And we sang dirges in the dark

The day the music died

We were singing

“Bye-bye, Miss American Pie”

Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry

Them good old boys were drinking whiskey ‘n rye

Singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die”

“This’ll be the day that I die.”

Helter skelter in a summer swelter

The birds flew off with a fallout shelter

Eight miles high and falling fast

It landed foul on the grass

The players tried for a forward pass

With the jester on the sidelines in a cast

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume

While the sergeants played a marching tune

We all got up to dance

Oh, but we never got the chance!

‘Cause the players tried to take the field

The marching band refused to yield

Do you recall what was revealed

The day the music died?

We started singin’

“Bye-bye, Miss American Pie”

Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry

Them good old boys were drinking whiskey ‘n rye

Singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die”

“This’ll be the day that I die.”

Oh, and there we were all in one place

A generation lost in space

With no time left to start again

So come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick!

Jack Flash sat on a candlestick, ’cause

Fire is the devil’s only friend

Oh, and as I watched him on the stage

My hands were clenched in fists of rage

No angel born in hell

Could break that Satan’s spell

And as the flames climbed high into the night

To light the sacrificial rite

I saw Satan laughing with delight

The day the music died

We were singing

“Bye-bye Miss American Pie”

Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry

Them good old boys were drinking whiskey ‘n rye

Singing, “This’ll be the day that I die”

“This’ll be the day that I die…”

I met a girl who sang the blues

And I asked her for some happy news

But she just smiled and turned away

I went down to the sacred store

Where I’d heard the music years before

But the man there said the music wouldn’t play

And in the streets, the children screamed

The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed

But not a word was spoken

The church bells all were broken

And the three men I admire most

The father, son, and the holy ghost

They caught the last train for the coast

The day the music died

And they were singing

“Bye-bye Miss American Pie”

Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry

And them good old boys were drinking whiskey ‘n rye

Singing, “This’ll be the day that I die”

“This’ll be the day that I die”

They were singing

“Bye-bye Miss American Pie”

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry

Them good old boys were drinking whiskey ‘n rye

Singing, “This’ll be the day that I die…”

11. 1972 – Rocket Man (I Think  It’s Going To Be A Long Long Time) – Elton John

Everybody loves Elton John, right? My first memory of Elton is from looking at the record collection that my Uncle had in my grandparents’ house in New Jersey. I was fascinated by the artwork on the fold out record covers of “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy” and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”. My uncle let me borrow them to play at home in the basement. I soon found out that my parents had other Elton John records. We all loved his songs, even my sister. When he appeared on “The Muppet Show”, singing “Crocodile Rock” with muppets, that created another great lasting family memory.

“Rocket Man” is an obvious choice for me, since it is so similar to David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” and I was born the day we landed on the moon, allegedly. Like Bowie’s classic, this one is haunting musically and lyrically, exploring the isolation and desperation of an astronaut’s journey. I have always been fascinated by the space program and exploration, but totally freaked out by the thought of being stuck inside a tiny vehicle that I cannot easily exit. Elton’s brilliance on the piano exquisitely matches the poetry of his lifelong writing partner Bernie Taupin, creating a song that instantly captures your attention and captivates.

This song made a huge comeback for me when it was used in the dramatic final scene of the season 3 finale of the TV show “Californication”, starring David Duchovny, AKA Fox Mulder of “X-Files” fame. This scene is the culmination of a 3 season story arc which finds Hank Moody literally at rock bottom. The version used is a remix, using acoustic guitar in place of piano. This is one of the most hauntingly beautiful and heartbreaking scenes ever produced. “Californication” is one of my all time favorites, and was a major inspiration that led me to move to San Diego.

My favorite lyric:

“I think it’s gonna be a long, long time.
I’m not the man they think I am at home.”

These words perfectly capture the tone of the exquisitely written, acted and filmed series. It also is a striking way to capture the emotions of the astronaut in the song.

Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going To Be A Long Long Time)

Written by Elton John & Bernie Taupin

Performed by Elton John

She packed my bags last night, pre-flight

Zero hour: 9:00 a.m

And I’m gonna be high as a kite by then

I miss the Earth so much, I miss my wife

It’s lonely out in space

On such a timeless flight

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

‘Til touchdown brings me ’round again to find

I’m not the man they think I am at home

Oh no, no, no

I’m a rocket man

Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

‘Til touchdown brings me ’round again to find

I’m not the man they think I am at home

Oh no, no, no

I’m a rocket man

Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone

Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids

In fact, it’s cold as hell

And there’s no one there to raise them if you did

And all this science I don’t understand

It’s just my job five days a week

A rocket man

A rocket man

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

‘Til touchdown brings me ’round again to find

I’m not the man they think I am at home

Oh no, no, no

I’m a rocket man

Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

‘Til touchdown brings me ’round again to find

I’m not the man they think I am at home

Oh no, no, no

I’m a rocket man

Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

12. 1973 – Free Bird – Lynyrd Skynyrd

“Free Bird” is an interesting song, in that it only has 2 verses, yet it is over 9 minutes long. A lot of that is due to one of the greatest guitar solo outros ever created. The music in this song is beautiful and haunting throughout – piano, acoustic guitar, slide guitar and electric guitar. Singer Ronnie Van Zant always sang with such precision that you could instantly feel the emotions he was conveying.

This song is so powerful and beautiful that even my Mom likes it. She has almost never liked anything I listen to, but I clearly recall listening to this in the car with her, and she actually enjoyed it, did not change the station, and commented afterwards. In fact, Lynyrd Skynyrd would also provide our Mommy-Son song, which we danced to at my wedding, their classic ballad “Simple Man”. I wanted to hear that entire song, so halfway through I had the DJ ask all the Moms and Sons to join us on the dance floor. That was a special moment.

Back to “Free Bird”, it always inspired me, although as a kid you don’t have much freedom to travel and make your own way. I suppose it was always embedded in my brain, and probably helped me decide to go away for college. My “safety school” was a New York state school 5 hours from Long Island. I have lived in 5 states, worked in 20 states, and visited 37 states. I have been to Aruba, Belgium, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, Mexico and Spain, as well as several Caribbean Islands. I absolutely cannot wait to start traveling on again, ‘cause there’s still too many places I’ve got to see.

I was fortunate to be able to photograph Lynyrd Skynyrd at the Louder Than Life Festival in Louisville, Kentucky. LTL is perhaps my most favorite festival of all. We have wonderful friends who open their house to us every year. Fans travel from all over the country to this central location, which hosts the premier fall festival, so the odds are good that most of my photo pit pals (photographriends) and festival family will be in attendance.

My favorite lyric:

“For I must be traveling on, now
‘Cause there’s too many places I’ve got to see”

As I just mentioned, I love to travel. I have traveled for work, for music, for vacation and for tradition. Starting at a very young age, we flew to South Carolina every Easter and every summer to visit my Grandparents. I went away to school, and even from there, made road trips for concerts, parties, and football bowl games. No matter where I was living, I have gone home to New York for Christmas almost every year of my life. I have not gone anywhere since Valentine’s Day of 2020. I have not even left San Diego County in almost a year. This is by far the longest I have ever gone without exploring, and it is making me restless and uncomfortable.

Free Bird

Written by Allen Collins & Ronnie Van Zant

Performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd

If I leave here tomorrow

Would you still remember me?

For I must be traveling on, now

‘Cause there’s too many places I’ve got to see

But if I stay here with you, girl

Things just couldn’t be the same

‘Cause I’m as free as a bird now

And this bird you cannot change

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

And the bird you cannot change

And this bird you cannot change

Lord knows, I can’t change

Bye, bye, baby, it’s been a sweet love, yeah yeah

Though this feeling I can’t change

But please don’t take it so badly

‘Cause Lord knows I’m to blame

But, if I stay here with you, girl

Things just couldn’t be the same

‘Cause I’m as free as a bird now

And this bird you’ll never change

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

And the bird you cannot change

And this bird you cannot change

Lord knows, I can’t change

Lord help me, I can’t change

Lord, I can’t change

Won’t you fly high, free bird, yeah

13. 1973 – Dream On – Aerosmith

Aerosmith was the go-to band on classic rock stations in the Northeast. By the time I had really gotten into them, they were in the middle of their “Behind The Music” meltdown, so I figured that they were just one of those old bands it would have been nice to see. Run-D.M.C. made them relevant again, with a killer remake of “Walk This Way”. Then they got their act together in the late 80’s, and made a massive comeback, with “Permanent Vacation”, “Pump”, and “Get A Grip” delivering some of their greatest songs. The music videos from this era are legendary, many starring Steven Tyler’s daughter Liv Tyler and Alicia Silverstone.

With their new lease on life and hit after hit in their setlist, Aerosmith have become a touring machine. I would finally be able to see America’s greatest rock and roll band live in person. One time, they were playing an amphitheater show in Charlotte, North Carolina with Kid Rock. My wife was pregnant, and had told me that she was finished with lawn seats, and would only go to shows if we had seating. As we approached our seats for the show, she noticed that we were once again walking towards the lawn. She was getting upset, but I showed her that they did have small bleachers, just 3 rows of them, in the front of the lawn, and we would be dead center on the top row and able to see the stage perfectly. Halfway through the Aerosmith set, they had all left the stage. I asked her to turn around, and suddenly we were not on the edge of the lawn, we were front row center for a small stage which had been built on the lawn. We got to see 3 songs performed directly in front of us. That stands as one of my favorite concert experiences.

I was fortunate to be able to photograph Aerosmith in 2016 at the KAABOO Del Mar Festival in San Diego, California. I had a photo pass for every stage except the main stage, but was allowed to shoot the main stage from the crowd. I decided to find a vantage point on the railing which would allow me to shoot down the center aisle between the soundboard and the stage. I got my spot early and stayed there for Third Eye Blind and Lenny Kravitz. Since I was not in the pit, I did not have to get all of my shots in during the first 3 songs. By being patient, I was able to get some great shots of Tyler and Perry, and ultimately captured Steven Tyler sitting at the piano, playing and singing “Dream On”. This was the song that first broke them and it continues to be an iconic masterpiece.

My favorite lyric:

“Everybody’s got their dues in life to pay, yeah”

I have always believed that dreams were great, but you have to put in the work if you have any hope of achieving them. You have to manifest your own destiny through effort and will. If you look at the story behind almost every successful person, the sheer will power to succeed is the driving factor, despite talent level, lack of support or assistance from doubters. Dream on, but also act towards fulfilling that dream.

Dream On

Written by Steven Tyler

Performed by Aerosmith

Every time that I look in the mirror

All these lines on my face getting clearer

The past is gone

It went by like dusk to dawn

Isn’t that the way?

Everybody’s got their dues in life to pay, yeah

I know nobody knows

Where it comes and where it goes

I know it’s everybody’s sin

You got to lose to know how to win

Half my life’s in books’ written pages

Lived and learned from fools and from sages

You know it’s true

All the things come back to you

Sing with me, sing for the year

Sing for the laughter and sing for the tear

Sing with me, it’s just for today

Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away

Sing with me, sing for the year

Sing for the laughter and sing for the tear

Sing with me, it’s just for today

Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away

Dream on, dream on, dream on

Dream until your dreams come true

Dream on, dream on, dream on

Dream until your dreams come true

Dream on, dream on

Dream on, dream on

Dream on, dream on

Dream on

Aaaaaah!

Sing with me, sing for the year

Sing for the laughter and sing for the tear

Sing with me, it’s just for today

Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away

Sing with me, sing for the year

Sing for the laughter and sing for the tear

Sing with me, it’s just for today

Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away

14. 1974 – Thank God I’m A Country Boy – John Denver

I also spent a lot of time in the basement with my Mom. She has always had her own taste in music. I think she may have tried to get my sister and I to listen to musicals and soundtracks, like “The Sound of Music”, “Doctor Zhivago” and Abba, which probably wasn’t a movie or play at the time, but certainly had that theatrical quality to it. The artist I most remember us singing along to while doing laundry, or watching her use the sewing machine, was John Denver. “Thank God I’m A Country Boy” was the most played track. We didn’t listen to a lot of country music – Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, John Denver – that’s about it. But we definitely had fun when we did, and it is a warm memory that I can always access.

My favorite lyric:

“So I fiddle when I can and I work when I should”

Curiously, this country classic has the same core message as the rock epic from the year before. A positive attitude combined with a solid work effort makes you a worthy human being. Maybe we are as different as some would like us to think. Maybe we are all Donny and Marie. Maybe we are all a little bit country, and a little bit rock and roll!

Thank God I’m A Country Boy

Written by John Martin Sommers

Performed by John Denver

Well, life on a farm is kinda laid back

Ain’t much an old country boy like me can’t hack

It’s early to rise, early in the sack

Thank God I’m a country boy

Well, a simple kind of life never did me no harm

A-raisin’ me a family and working on the farm

My days are all filled with an easy country charm

Thank God I’m a country boy

Well, I got me a fine wife, I got me old fiddle

When the sun’s coming up, I got cakes on the griddle

And life ain’t nothing but a funny, funny riddle

Thank God I’m a country boy

When the work’s all done and the sun’s setting low

I pull out my fiddle and I rosin up the bow

The kids are asleep so I keep it kinda low

Thank God I’m a country boy

I’d play “Sally Goodin'” all day if I could

But the Lord and my wife wouldn’t take it very good

So I fiddle when I can and I work when I should

Thank God I’m a country boy

Well, I got me a fine wife, I got me old fiddle

When the sun’s coming up, I got cakes on the griddle

And life ain’t nothing but a funny, funny riddle

Thank God I’m a country boy

Whoo

Well, I wouldn’t trade my life for diamonds or jewels

I never was one of them money hungry fools

I’d rather have my fiddle and my farming tools

Thank God I’m a country boy

Yeah, city folk driving in a black limousine

A lot of sad people thinking that’s a-mighty keen

Well son, let me tell you now exactly what I mean

I thank God I’m a country boy

Well, I got me a fine wife, I got me old fiddle

When the sun’s coming up, I got cakes on the griddle

And life ain’t nothing but a funny, funny riddle

Thank God I’m a country boy

Well, my fiddle was my daddy’s till the day he died

And he took me by the hand, held me close to his side

Said, “Live a good life, play my fiddle with pride

Thank God you’re a country boy.”

My daddy taught me young how to hunt and how to whittle

He taught me how to work and play a tune on the fiddle

He taught me how to love and how to give just a little

And thank God I’m a country boy

Well, I got me a fine wife, I got me old fiddle

When the sun’s coming up, I got cakes on the griddle

Life ain’t nothing but a funny, funny riddle

Whoo, thank God I’m a country boy, yes!

15. 1974 – Bad Company – Bad Company

To be clear, this is the song “Bad Company”, as written and performed by the band Bad Company, from the album “Bad Company”, which was produced by Bad Company. Got it?   That always made us laugh. A lot of the songs from the 1970’s got new life in the late 80’s and early 90’s with the popularity of CD’s. Typically, to save money as a college student, I would buy greatest hits collections on CD. Bad Company’s “10 From 6” was one of out most played during poker nights.

I finally got to see the band live right before I moved away from Maryland, around 2010 at something called “Outlaw Jam”. It was out in Western Maryland, featuring Bad Company, Blue Oyster Cult, Candlebox and Black Stone Cherry. In keeping with the Outlaw vibe, they also had the cast of a new TV series about a biker gang in Northern California. Unfortunately, I had not yet realized that “Sons Of Anarchy” was one of the greatest TV dramas of all time, and I did not participate in that part of the event. Musically, it was a very special night.

One of the other reasons that this song is so important is that Five Finger Death Punch made it their own at their live shows. I have covered and photographed so many 5FDP shows over the past decade, and their heavy version of this classic, which they always dedicate to our Armed Forces, is always a highlight. YEAH!!

My favorite lyric:

“Rebel souls, deserters we are called”

This reminded me of “Star Wars”, which made me think that rebels were cool, and the good ones in a conflict, which also made the rebel flag seem cool. No, wait, “The Dukes of Hazzard” made the rebel flag seem cool, painted on the roof of the General Lee orange 1969 (great year!) Dodge Charger. Possibly, it was Daisy Duke and her shorts that made the whole show seem cool. In any event, Paul Rodgers delivers that line so smoothly, it makes this whole song sound cool.

Bad Company

Written by Paul Rodgers & Simon Kirke

Performed by Bad Company

Mmm

Company, always on the run

Destiny, is a rising sun

Oh, I was born six-gun in my hand

Behind a gun, I’ll make my final stand, hey

That’s why they call me

Bad company and I can’t deny

Bad company ’til the day I die

Oh, ’til the day I die

‘Til the day I die

Rebel souls, deserters we are called

Chose a gun and threw away the sun

Now these towns, they all know our name

Six-gun sound is our claim to fame

I can hear them say

Bad company and I won’t deny

Bad, bad company ’til the day I die

Ha, ha, oh yeah

‘Til the day I die, ooh

Oh

Hey, hey, hey

Bad company, I can’t deny

Bad company ’til the day I die

And I say it’s bad company

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Bad company ’til the day I die

Whoa yes

Said I’m young and I’m free

Oh, but I’m-a bad company

That’s the way I play, yeah

Dirty for dirty, heh

Oh, somebody double-crossed me

Double-cross for double-cross

Yeah, we’re bad company

For more chapters of My Life In Music:

My Life In Music, Part 1, 1975-1979

My Life In Music, Part 2, 1980-1984

My Life In Music, Part 2, 1985-1989

My Life In Music, Part 1, 1969 – 1974 first appeared on Game On Media.

Towards the end of every decade, a couple of artists emerge with something different, that leads to new trends for the following decade. In 1969, Led Zeppelin took the final step towards what became heavy metal, which Black Sabbath unleashed upon the 1970’s. In the late 1970’s, Van Halen took the world by storm, leading to a guitar explosion in the 1980’s, with one path towards glam metal and another towards thrash. Guns N’ Roses absorbed everything around them and broke it back down as the 80’s ended. This led to the grunge movement of the 1990’s, where the music and the image was more raw and natural. The 90’s were full of actual alternatives, and by the end, hip-hop was making its way into the mix. The 2000’s launched with rap influences found in the music of Linkin Park, Disturbed, Papa Roach and others. As the 2000’s evolved, bad-ass artist such as Shinedown and Halestorm made music personal, sharing the deepest, darkest parts of themselves, while still inspiring us. When the 2010’s wound down, and sharing had become a way of life, artists began looking outwards, writing about the world around them and hoping to bring about positive changes. Bands like Fire From The Gods and Fever 333 led the way to rocking out for social justice.

2020 has been different in many ways, and music has been a reflection of our shared reality. With a global pandemic, a massive social justice movement, and a heated political situation as background, many artists stood up tall to address everything that was going on all around us. There seem to have been more standalone singles recorded and released this year than any other. Some were cover songs, some were re-imagined, and some were written in direct response to the times. Bon Jovi even went so far as to hold the release of their album (mainly due to the cancellation of their summer tour), and recorded 2 new songs – one about the pandemic, “Do What You Can”, and one about racial injustice, “American Reckoning”.

The first trend to hit was a response to the year’s first crisis. As it quickly became apparent that our doctors, nurses and other essential frontline workers were being impacted the most, bands offered emotional and financial support. Nonpoint re-imagined their pro-soldier song “Frontlines” into a pro-healthcare worker anthem “Remember Me (A Frontlines Tribute)”. Shinedown polished off an unreleased track, “Atlas Falls”, and used it to raise money for Direct Relief, who provides personal protective equipment. Bring Me The Horizon unleashed the song of the year, “Parasite Eve”, perfectly capturing the anxiety and fear that continues to grip us all. Halestorm supported #RoadieStrong, an effort to support suddenly out of work concert crew.

The next gut punch to our collective consciousness was the deliberate murder of George Floyd, which sparked the Black Lives Matter movement to achieve worldwide support. FEVER 333 released “SUPREMACY” in their continuing efforts to inspire Community, Charity, and Change. Robb Flynn and Machine Head released “Stop The Bleeding”, and enlisted Jesse Leach from Killswitch Engage to join him. Black Veil Brides recorded a Bruce Springsteen song from the 1990’s, “American Skin (41 Shots)”.

Everyone expected a fierce political battle as the American Presidency was up for grabs, with the current occupant being our most polarizing figure ever, but his strategy of ignoring and minimizing both the pandemic and racial justice poured fuel on a country quite literally on fire for most of the year. Lamb Of God released an album chock full of sociopolitical commentary. They enlisted Jamey Jasta and Chuck Billy to lend their voices. Tom Morello, Shea Diamond & Dan Reynolds combined on “Stand Up”. Amy Lee and Evanescence released the single “Use My Voice”, accompanied by Within Temptation’s Sharon den Adel, violinist Lindsey Stirling, Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale and The Pretty Reckless’ Taylor Momsen. The band used the song to publicize HeadCount, which encouraged voter registration. System Of A Down responded to the attacks on Artsakh and Armenia with their first new song in 15 years, “Protect The Land”.

In addition to the trends of releasing singles, and supporting social justice causes, the other thing that should be evident by now is the increased level of collaboration between artists. The hip-hop industry has long used guest vocals as a way to enhance each other’s status, and introduce new artists to their audience. The rock world finally seems to be catching on. Hyro The Hero tapped Hellyeah’s Chad Gray on this week’s “Fight”, capping off a year that saw many interesting combinations. This was preceded by Hollywood Undead featuring Papa Roach & Ice Nine Kills on “Heart of a Champion”. They also have Hyro The Hero and Tech N9ne on new tracks. Corey Taylor also tapped Tech N9ne on his solo debut track “CMFT Must Be Stopped”. Islander added AJ Channer of Fire From The Gods on “Freedom”. I Prevail added Joyner Lucas to “DOA”. Breaking Benjamin enlisted Lacey Sturm on a new version of “Dear Agony”. Sixx: A.M. returned in 2020 to headline the opioid crisis Global Recovery Initiatives Foundation benefit single “Maybe It’s Time”, with an all-star cast that includes Corey Taylor, Joe Elliott, Brantley Gilbert, Ivan Moody, Slash, AWOLNATION and Tommy Vext. The Struts enlisted Joe Elliot and Phil Collen of Def Leppard on “I Hate How Much I Want You”. Even Ozzy Osbourne featured Post Malone and Elton John on 2 of his best tracks in decades, “It’s a Raid” and “Ordinary Man”.

If these trends hold true, we can look forward to an exciting decade of rock music, as worlds collide, sounds expand and artists work together to not only make great music, but to leave a positive impact on the world. When concerts and festivals resume, we can only hope that we get to experience some of these musical mashups in person, live on stage.

Top New Trends For Rock Music In The 2020’s first appeared on Game On Media.

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Live Nation Live From Home and New Releases first appeared on Game On Media.

THE INTERNATIONALLY-RENOWNED M3 ROCK FESTIVAL RETURNS TO MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION FOR ANOTHER FULL WEEKEND OF THE BEST ‘80s ARENA ROCK ARTISTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
FEATURING THE NEW SKYLAWN VIEWING AREA

OFFICIAL M3 KIX-OFF PARTY & CONCERT FRIDAY, MAY 1
2020 M3 ROCK FESTIVAL SATURDAY, MAY 2 & SUNDAY, MAY 3
MORE ARTISTS TO BE ANNOUNCED

3-Day and VIP Packages on sale through ticketmaster.com

M3 Rock Festival is celebrating a dirty dozen – the 12th edition of Merriweather Post Pavilion’s internationally-renowned ‘80s metal festival promises three days of excitement with festivities beginning Friday, May 1st with the annual Kix-off party, followed by a full weekend of performances Saturday, May 2nd and Sunday, May 3rd.

M3 Rock Festival’s Official M3 Kix-Off Party Friday, May 1st features hometown heroes KIX with special guests Heaven’s Edge, Slaughter and Mike Tramp from White Lion. The full-blown 2020 M3 Rock Festival begins Saturday, May 2nd and includes multiplatinum-selling internationally known ‘80s artists: Tesla, Queensryche, Accept, Y&T, Doro, Faster Pussycat, LA Guns, Killer Dwarfs and more. BUT THAT’S NOT ALL! Stick around for Sunday, May 3rd featuring RATT, Night Ranger, Stryper, Stephen Adler of Guns and Roses, Steelheart, Bang Tango (with the original lineup), Dangerous Toys, Tyketto and Little Ceasar.

Take to the skies this year with Merriweather Post Pavilion’s new SkyLawn – keeping your feet on the grassy ground while soaring 43 feet above the pavilion. It’s like walking on air, with the views to match!

Over the past decade, M3 has become more than a festival – it’s an ‘80s arena rock experience. Drawing diehard fans from six continents, 20 countries, and every state, M3 has evolved into an annual pilgrimage for those who grew up with ‘80s rock (a genre of music now referred to as the “new classic rock”) as well as for younger fans who embrace the fun and excitement of the glam metal era.

Each year, VIP and Pavilion seats sell out quickly. Three-day and VIP packages available through ticketmaster.com. Tickets can also be purchased at Merriweather Post Pavilion, 9:30 Club, The Anthem and Lincoln Theatre during normal box office hours. If available, single-day tickets will go on sale. For more information, visit ticketmaster.com or M3rockfest.com.

12th Annual M3 Rock Festival Features Kix, Tesla, Queensryche, Ratt, Night Ranger first appeared on Game On Media.

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Dirty Honey Rocks San Diego House of Blues first appeared on Game On Media.

Louder Than Life

Earns Its Spot As The Largest Rock Festival In America

With More Than 128,000 Fans In Attendance

September 27, 28 & 29

At Highland Festival Grounds At KY Expo Center

The Memorable Lineup Featured Top Rock And Metal Acts Including
Friday: Slipknot, Staind, A Day To Remember
Saturday: Guns N’ Roses, Godsmack, Ice Cube
Sunday: Disturbed, Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson

Louder Than Life Closes Out Danny Wimmer Presents’ Louisville Trifesta

Also Including Hometown Rising And Bourbon & Beyond

With 289,000 Fans Over Three Weekends

Big Announcement About 2020 Edition

Will Be Released October 10

The inaugural Louisville Trifesta series from premier independent festival producer Danny Wimmer Presents wrapped up September 27-29 as the finale event Louder Than Life welcomed more than 128,000 fans over three days, earning its spot as the largest rock festival in America. The unprecented Trifesta series also included Hometown Rising (September 14-15) and Bourbon & Beyond (September 20-22), drawing 289,000 fans over three weekends to the newly created Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center.

“What an unbelievable weekend! We’re always striving for a bigger show, a better experience, and I’m thrilled that we broke our DWP attendance record in a city that has become so close to my heart,” says Danny Wimmer, founder of Danny Wimmer Presents. “But we’re not done yet. I can’t wait for 10/10 and our big announcement about 2020.”

Louder Than Life returned with its biggest lineup yet, with memorable performances from Slipknot, Staind and A Day To Remember on Friday; Guns N’ Roses, Godsmack and Ice Cube on Saturday; and Disturbed, Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson on Sunday. Louder Than Life was Guns N’ Roses’ first festival appearance in 2019 and delivered three jam-packed hours of classics and covers of songs including Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun.” In addition to festival favorites Disturbed and Slipknot (who have one of the top albums in the country with their latest, We Are Not Your Kind), the festival also featured the return of Staind with their first performance in five years, and offered special moments such as one of the first American shows from supergroup Deadland Ritual (featuring Matt Sorum, Geezer Butler, Steve Stevens and Franky Perez), and a surprise appearance from GWAR during a Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals set that was heavy on Pantera classics. The lineup also showcased up-and-coming local talent including Knocked Loose, White Reaper and Anemic Royalty among more than 50 acts on three stages.

Elsewhere at the Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center, fans were able to take in several art displays and live painting, including a large homage to late actor Sid Haig, best known to rock fans for playing Captain Spaulding in Rob Zombie’s films. Other onsite attractions included the Kroger Big Bourbon Bar presented by Louisville Courier Journal, which featured more than two dozen hand-selected bourbons from top distilleries; Fred Minnick’s Mini Bar presented by Bourbon Women Association, hosted by the Bourbon & Beyond bourbon curator, author/expert, and Amazon Prime host (Bourbon Up); Jack Daniel’s No. 7 Sports Bar; The Music Experience; Angel’s Envy Speakeasy; and The Silver Dollar Hunter’s Club, where attendees could find vintage bourbons dating as far back as the 1930s, as well as contemporary collectibles.

Louisville Business First said, “The fact that there was so much interest and fans coming out for this show means the promoter has created something a lot of people love. It probably needs to grow.”

Courier Journal added, “Louder Than Life goes off the rails of heavy metal mania” while LEO Weekly added, “There was a sea of people all three days.”

As part of Danny Wimmer Presents’ innovative partnership and Kroger’s commitment to Zero Hunger | Zero Waste, 25 cents from every Louder Than Life ticket was donated directly to Dare to Care Food Bank (www.daretocare.org). Other charitable partners included Take Me Home animal rescue and the Fxck Cancer & Dyin2Live Dreams Program.

An announcement about the 2020 edition of Louder Than Life will be made on October 10.

Louder Than Life partners included 291 Colorado Whiskey, 1792, Against The Grain, Angel’s Envy, Balcones Distilling, Barrell Bourbon, Blackcraft Cult, Blade and Bow, Bud Light, Buffalo Trace, Bulleit, Catoctin Creek, Cooper and Thief, Coopers’ Craft, Elijah Craig, Evan Williams, Four Roses Bourbon, Fxck Cancer, Jack Daniel’s, Jefferson’s, Jeptha Creed Distilling, Jim Beam, Kentucky Distillers Association, Kentucky Peerless, Kentucky Tourism, Kroger, Larceny, Louisville Tourism, Maker’s Mark, Metro by T-Mobile, Michter’s, Monster Energy, Rebel Yell, Republic Bank, Robert Mondavi Private Select, Old Forester, Southern Comfort, Stonehammer, Take Me Home, The Music Experience, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Uncle Nearest Whiskey, Visionworks, Wild Turkey, Woodford Reserve and Zyn.

The Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center are located at 937 Phillips Lane in Louisville, Kentucky.

Louder Than Life is produced by Los Angeles-based Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in America. DWP events include Aftershock, Bourbon & Beyond, Chicago Open Air, Epicenter, Hometown Rising, Louder Than Life, Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival, and Welcome To Rockville.

For more information on Louder Than Life please visit:

Website: www.LouderThanLifeFestival.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/louderthanlifefestival

Twitter: www.twitter.com/ltlfest

Instagram: www.instagram.com/louderthanlifefest

Hashtag: #LouderThanLife

We believe in quality before quantity. Please drink responsibly.

LTL19 by Johnnie Crow

92 photos

LTL19 by Ashley Murphy

26 photos

Louder Than Life 2019 Is Largest Rock Festival In America first appeared on Game On Media.

Louder Than Life. The World’s Largest Rock ‘N’ Roll Whiskey Festival returned to Louisville, Kentucky on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 27 – 29, at its new home at the Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center.

Produced by premier independent festival producer Danny Wimmer Presents, Louder Than Life delivered the most spectacular music lineup since the festival began in 2014, with performances from quintessential rock band Guns N’ Roses, the return of chart-topping festival favorites Slipknot and Disturbed, a reunited Staind (in their first public performance in 5 years), Godsmack, Rob Zombie, Ice Cube, Marilyn Manson, Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle, Halestorm, Dropkick Murphys, In This Moment, I Prevail, Deadland Ritual and many more.  In addition to more than 50 music acts on three stages, Louder Than Life featured award-winning bourbons, whiskey, spirits, craft beer, and the best food Louisville has to offer.

The centerpiece of this year’s event was Guns N’ Roses performing on Saturday night, September 28, 2019. After last year’s event was completely washed out when torrential downpours interrupted the Bourbon & Beyond Festival and destroyed the previous site’s festival grounds, the producer knew they had to deliver something special this year. There are few bands as legendary as Gn’R, and the current lineup featuring Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan resumed their global “Not In This Lifetime” tour this week after a 9 month hiatus.

The anticipation grew as fans waited for 45 minutes after the scheduled performance time, while a custom Gn’R Louder Than Life animated teaser video played on the screens. Finally a helicopter landed nearby, presumably delivering one of the most dynamic front men in rock history to the festival grounds. Minutes later, Duff McKagan walked out and began playing the intro bass line to “It’s So Easy”, as one by one the rest of the band took the stage and joined in. Frank Ferrer on the drums, Richard Fortus on rhythm guitar, Dizzy Reed on piano, Melissa Reese on keyboards, the one and only Slash on lead guitar, and finally the man, the myth, the legend – W. Axl Rose on lead vocals. The band that took the world by storm over 3 decades ago had announced their presence, middle finger to the sky.

They went on to play a full 3 hours of material, pulling from their entire catalog and splashing in some inspiring cover songs. Perhaps the most inspired was a beautifully arranged “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden. Velvet Revolver‘s “Slither” was a close second. The band sounded amazing. Axl was impressive overall, with a few moments of imperfection here and there, but let’s be real – this is live rock and roll – if you want perfection, listen to music alone in your bedroom. Guns N’ Roses is the epitome of epic grandeur, and experiencing songs such as “Coma”, “Civil War”, “Rocket Queen”, “You Could Be Mine” and “November Rain” live is all about the emotional release and shared passion. The true range of their talent and songwriting were evident when they began their encore with the classic Axl whistle on “Patience”, and ended it with the reckless abandon of “Paradise City”.

Guns N’ Roses set list at Louder Than Life 2019 at KY Expo Center in Louisville, Kentucky:

It’s So Easy
Mr. Brownstone
Chinese Democracy
Welcome to the Jungle
Double Talkin’ Jive
Better
Estranged
Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
Rocket Queen
You Could Be Mine
Shadow of Your Love
Attitude (Misfits cover)
Civil War
Yesterdays
Coma
Slash Guitar Solo (including Maggot Brain)
Sweet Child O’ Mine
Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd cover) (Slash and Richard Fortus guitar duet instrumental)
November Rain (Axl Rose on piano)
Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover) (with Alice Cooper’s “Only Women Bleed” intro)
Nightrain

Encore:
Patience
Madagascar
The Seeker (The Who cover)
Paradise City

Guns N’ Roses Welcomes Louder Than Life to KY Expo Center in Louisville first appeared on Game On Media.

Armed with “When I’m Gone,” the #3 track at rock radio, the white-hot Los Angeles-based rock band Dirty Honey announces its first headline tour.  The tour will kick off in Phoenix, AZ on Monday November 4, and take the band to nine western U.S. towns, wrapping up on November 22 at the historic Troubadour in Los Angeles.  This headline run will be immediately preceded with Dirty Honey as main support for the two final dates of Guns N’ Roses “Not In This Lifetime Tour,” Friday/Saturday, November 1 & 2 at Colosseum At Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.  All dates are below; tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at https://www.dirtyhoney.com Dirty Honey’s five song, self-titled, self-released, digital-only EP has already racked up nearly 5-million streams; tomorrow, September 19, the five tracks will be available on vinyl for the first time, plus one brand new song, “Break You.”  The track was produced by Nick DiDia (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Rage Against The Machine) and recorded at his studio in Byron Bay, Australia.  The Dirty Honey vinyl EP will be available at all of the band’s upcoming tour dates, and online at https://www.dirtyhoney.com L-R:  Corey Coverstone, Justin Smolian, John Notto, Marc Labelle Photo credit:  Mike Savoia As the only new, unsigned artist to debut in Rock Radio’s Top 5 in 2019, it’s already been a wild ride for Marc Labelle/vocals, John Notto/guitar, Justin Smolian/bass, and Corey Coverstone/drums.  With their fresh take on southern blues, balls-out rock’n’roll and big choruses, Dirty Honey delivers dynamic live sets night after night, already earning the praise of tour mates The Who, Slash, and Guns N’ Roses. Prior to the dates with Guns N’ Roses and the band’s headline tour, Dirty Honey will hit the road with Alter Bridge, also making stops at the Louder Than Life and Exit 111 festivals.  All dates are below. Photo credit: Johnnie Crow SEPTEMBER 19 The Ritz, Raleigh, NC * 21 House of Blues, N. Myrtle Beach, SC* 22 MECU Pavilion, Baltimore, MD ** 24 Terminal 5, New York, NY ** 25 The Met, Philadelphia, PA ** 27 Express Live!, Columbus, OH ** 28 Louder Than Life, Louisville, KY (GN’R, Ice Cube) 30 Rebel, Toronto ** OCTOBER  1 MTelus, Montreal **  3 The Palladium, Worcester, MA **  5 Agora Theatre, Cleveland, OH **  6 The Fillmore, Detroit, MI **  8 Myth Live, St. Paul, MN ** 10 Chicago Theatre, Chicago, IL ** 11 Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland, Kansas City, MO ** 13 Exit 111, Manchester, TN (Guns N’Roses) 14 The Pageant, St. Louis, MO  ** 16 Saenger Theatre, Mobile, AL  ** 17 Avondale Brewing Co., Birmingham, AL ** 19 Vibes Event Center, San Antonio, TX ** 20 The Bomb Factory, Dallas, TX  ** 22 Jannus Live, St. Petersburg, FL ** 24 House of Blues, Orlando, FL  ** 25 House of Blues, Orlando, FL  ** NOVEMBER  1  The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV  (Guns N’ Roses)  2  The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV  (Guns N’ Roses)  4  Rebel Lounge, Phoenix, AZ  ^  5  Sister Bar, Albuquerque, NM  ^  7  Jake’s Backroom, Lubbock, TX  ^  9  Lost Lake, Denver, CO  ^ 12 The Saint, Reno, NV  ^ 13 Holy Diver, Sacramento, CA  ^ 14 Strummers, Fresno, CA  ^ 16 Voodoo Room @ House of Blues, San Diego, CA  ^ 22 The Troubadour, Los Angeles, CA  ^ * Alter Bridge/10 Years ** Alter Bridge/Skillet ^ Headline

Dirty Honey Announces Fall Headline Tour first appeared on Game On Media.

EXIT 111

ANNOUNCES FULL DETAILS FOR

INAUGURAL EVENT

FESTIVAL DEBUTS WITH LINE-UP LED BY

GUNS N’ ROSES, DEF LEPPARD, LYNYRD SKYNYRD,

SLAYER, ZZ TOP, DEFTONES, GHOST, MEGADETH

AND MORE THAN 40 ACTS

OCTOBER 11-13 WEEKEND OF MUSIC

HOSTED BY EDDIE TRUNK

AT THE GREAT STAGE PARK IN MANCHESTER, TN

TO INCLUDE ON SITE ACTIVITES:

PARANORMAL CIRQUE, CAR SHOW,

MOTOCROSS DEMONSTRATIONS, AND A MEGA SPORTS BAR

TICKETS ON SALE

THURSDAY, APRIL 25

EXIT 111 Festival will debut with a heavyweight line-up that celebrates all forms of rock–from hard to classic, alternative to southern–when it debuts October 11-13 at the Great Stage Park in Manchester, TN. The inaugural three-day event hosted by Eddie Trunk will be led by headlining slots from Guns N’ Roses, Def Leppard, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and a mix of platinum-selling artists including Slayer (in the last Tennessee show of their career), ZZ Top, Deftones, Ghost, Megadeth and more than 40 acts (full line-up below). Tickets for EXIT 111 go on sale Thursday, April 25 at 12:00 PM (ET), with additional ticketing info below.

Produced by C3 Presents and AC Entertainment, the massive footprint of the festival site–known to millions as the home of the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival–will be transformed into a rock and roll playground with the all-star line-up appearing on three stages with 12 hours of music daily, camping and a variety of activities tailored specifically to concert-goers. This marks the first-ever event, beyond Bonnaroo, to utilize the 700-plus acre farm. On site adventures include Paranormal Cirque (an R-rated crazy yet fun fusion between circus, theatre, and cabaret in perfect harmony with the evolution of a show that brings you back to when we dream…and when we had nightmares and fantasies), the first annual EXIT 111 car show, Red Bull motocross demonstrations and a mega sports bar airing full sports coverage throughout the weekend, with more activities announced soon.

The EXIT 111 line-up (as of 4-23) is as follows:

Guns N Roses, Def Leppard, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Slayer, ZZ Top, Deftones, Ghost, Megadeth, Coheed & Cambria, Lamb of God, Mastodon, Seether, Alter Bridge, Gojira, Cheap Trick, Blackberry Smoke, Black Label Society, Ministry, Skillet, Nothing More, Sleeping With Sirens, Of Mice and Men, Thrice, White Chapel, Power Trip, Black Stone Cherry, Fever 333, Graveyard, The Cadillac Three, 10 Years, From Ashes to New, Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown, New Years Day, Alien Weaponry, Bishop Gunn, Dead Sara, Plague Vendor, Dirty Honey, Tetrarch, Watermox, Kyle Shutt, and O’Brother.

For EXIT 111, festival promoters have teamed with Seether frontman Shaun Morgan‘s Rise Above charity. Beyond having one of the festival stages named as the Rise Above Stage, EXIT 111 will donate $1.00 from every ticket sold to Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE). These efforts will assist in raising funds for the charity’s life-saving suicide awareness efforts which started at Rise Above Festival.

EXIT 111 weekend passes and single day tickets go on sale Thursday, April 25 at 12:00 PM (ET). A special pre-sale launches Tuesday, April 23 at 9:00 AM (ET)-Wednesday, April 24 at 11:59 PM (ET) via the festival’s website. A variety of ticketing options (GA, VIP, four-pack, military discounts, and payment plans), add-ons, camping and parking options, can be found here. Children under 10 are free with paid accompanied adult.

https://www.exit111festival.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Exit111Fest/

https://www.instagram.com/exit111fest/

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About Rise Above

 

“I started this cause as a tribute to anyone who has lost someone. If Rise Above does something to help one person reconsider the tragic choice of suicide, then it will be the greatest success of my career.”

–Shaun Morgan

Shaun Morgan, founder and frontman of the multi-platinum selling rock band Seether, founded Rise Above in 2012 in honor of his brother who died by suicide. The Rise Above Festival which ran for 5 years in Bangor, ME was the largest suicide prevention event in the world. Morgan was honored in 2016 with the “Artistic Expression” Award from the National Council for Behavioral Health at the Awards of Excellence in Las Vegas.

About SAVE

SAVE is the leading national nonprofit suicide prevention organization working to prevent suicide through public awareness, education and training. They develop best-practice-endorsed materials used around the world and are the only national suicide prevention organization to have developed an evidence-based program for schools. They also work with suicide survivors left behind after a suicide. Led by Executive Director Dr. Dan Reidenberg, SAVE has been certified by Best Charities of America as meeting the highest standards of accountability and responsibility for nonprofits. Of the 1 million charities in the country, only 5% meet the standards and less than 2,000 have been awarded the certification seal. Shaun Morgan’s dear brother Eugene lost his life to suicide in 2007. This cause means the world to him. SAVE representatives will be on site at Exit 111 with reading materials and exclusive SAVE merchandise available to purchase, with proceeds going directly back to the life-saving work they do.

RISE ABOVE

https://www.facebook.com/riseabovefest/

https://twitter.com/Rise_Above_Fest

https://www.instagram.com/rise_above_fest/

SAVE

https://twitter.com/SAVEvoicesofedu

https://www.facebook.com/www.save.org/?ref=ts

https://www.instagram.com/savevoicesofedu/

New Exit 111 Festival Will Rock Tennessee with Guns N’ Roses, Def Leppard, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Slayer first appeared on Game On Media.

Louder Than Life

The World’s Largest Rock ‘N’ Roll Whiskey Festival

Returns To Louisville Bigger And Better

With Most Thrilling Music Lineup In Its History Featuring

Friday: Slipknot, Staind, A Day To Remember

Saturday: Guns N’ Roses, Godsmack, Ice Cube

Sunday: Disturbed, Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson

Including Guns N’ Roses First Performance In 2019

And Staind’s First Show In Five Years

September 27, 28 & 29

At Festival’s New Home

Highland Festival Grounds At KY Expo Center

Tickets On Sale Today, April 8 At 9:00 AM ET

Starting At Just $69.50

Louder Than Life, the World’s Largest Rock ‘N’ Roll Whiskey Festival, returns to Louisville, KY even bigger and better in its fifth year, with festival producers delivering the most spectacular music lineup since the festival began in 2014. Louder Than Life will feature the Danny Wimmer Presents debut of quintessential rock band Guns N’ Roses (in their first appearance since performing in Hawaii in December 2018), the return of chart-topping, festival favorites Slipknot and Disturbed, a reunited Staind (in their first public performance in 5 years), Godsmack, Rob Zombie, A Day To Remember, Ice Cube, Marilyn Manson, Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle, Halestorm, and many more.

Produced by premier independent festival producer Danny Wimmer Presents, Louder Than Life will be held at its new home at Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center on Friday, September 27, Saturday, September 28 and Sunday, September 29.

Louder Than Life will feature more than 50 music acts, with performances on three stages, along with award-winning bourbons, whiskey, spirits, craft beer, and the best food Louisville has to offer. Festival attendees will also enjoy a variety of onsite food and beverage experiences, as well as sponsor activations that celebrate the bourbon culture and culinary heritage of this unique American city.

“We wouldn’t be living up to the name Louder Than Life if we didn’t come back bigger and badder than ever, giving fans something they can’t see anywhere else,” says festival producer Danny Wimmer. “Getting Staind back together and plugged in on the main stage is something that I’ve been working on for years. These are songs that need to be heard, that fans have been dying to hear — Staind has been one of the most requested bands on our socials, and it’s an honor to be bringing their music back for the fans at Louder Than Life.”

Wimmer continues, “Slipknot has always had some of the most loyal, rabid fans in rock, but now they are at that pivotal moment when they’ve crossed over into iconic status; Disturbed has had their best touring numbers to date this year; then top it off with one of the biggest rock bands of all time in Guns N’ Roses…this year is our most massive lineup yet.”

Louder Than Life exclusive VIP packages, General Admission  tickets, camping and hotel packages go on sale today, Monday, April 8 at 9:00 AM ET.

Visit www.LouderThanLifeFestival.com for details.

Fans interested in attending all three DWP weekends at KY Expo Center, also including Hometown Rising Country Music & Bourbon Festival (September 14-15) and Bourbon & Beyond (September 20-22), can purchase a special Trifesta Pass, which allows General Admission weekend access for the discounted rate of only $229.00 plus fees. Visit https://trifestapass.com for more information.

The current music lineup for Louder Than Life is as follows (subject to change):

Friday, September 27:

Slipknot, Staind, A Day to Remember, Chevelle, I Prevail, Architects, Beartooth, Motionless In White, Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals, GWAR, The Crystal Method, Graveyard, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, New Years Day, All Them Witches, Crown Lands, Joyous Wolf, Dead Posey, Santa Cruz and more

Saturday, September 28: Guns N’ Roses, Godsmack, Ice Cube, Halestorm, Dropkick Murphys, Stone Temple Pilots, Suicidal Tendencies, Melvins, Andrew W.K., Badflower, Knocked Loose, Anti-Flag, Redd Kross, Parlor Mob, Like A Storm, Jelly Roll, Dirty Honey, DED, JunkBunny and more

Sunday, September 29: Disturbed, Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Breaking Benjamin, Die Antwoord, Three Days Grace, Sum 41, [artist TBA], Deadland Ritual, White Reaper, Demon Hunter, Ho99o9, Angel Du$t, Sick Puppies, Amigo The Devil, Fire From The Gods, Broken Hands, Anemic Royalty and more

Danny Wimmer Presents is proud to announce a collaboration with Metallica’s Blackened Whiskey and Enter Night Pilsner. Blackened, a super-premium American whiskey blend crafted by the late Master Distiller Dave Pickerell and finished in the earth shattering music of Metallica, and Enter Night Pilsner, a collaboration with the rockstars of craft brewing Stone Brewing Company, will come together under one roof to offer guests a one-of-kind musical festival experience. The massive BoilerMaker pop-up will feature a Blackened & Enter Night Boilermaker, as well as craft cocktails and ice-cold Enter Night Pilsner. This exciting collaboration marks the latest in a long line of amplified guest experiences only available through Danny Wimmer Presents music festivals. More info to come…

The festival’s centerpiece, Kroger’s Big Bourbon Bar presented by Louisville Courier Journal, will feature more than two dozen hand-selected bourbons from top distilleries, and a unique opportunity to enjoy bourbons and exclusive one-time specialty cocktails from 1792, Angel’s Envy, Barrell Bourbon, Coopers’ Craft, Elijah Craig, Four Roses, Jeptha Creed Four Grain Bourbon, Kentucky Peerless, Michter’s, Old Forester, Rebel Yell, StoneHammer, Wild Turkey and more to be announced.

Fred Minnick’s Mini Bar–hosted by the Louder Than Life bourbon curator, bourbon author/expert, and Amazon Prime host (Bourbon Up)–will showcase craft selections from Louisville’s world-renowned distilleries. Acclaimed Louisville whiskey bar The Silver Dollar will operate The Hunter’s Club, where attendees can find vintage bourbons dating as far back as the 1930s, as well as contemporary collectibles.

The initial list of participating bourbon brands at Louder Than Life includes 1792, Angel’s Envy, Barrell Bourbon,Coopers’ Craft, Elijah Craig, Evan Williams, Four Roses, Jeptha Creed Four Grain Bourbon, Jim Beam, Kentucky Peerless, Larceny, Maker’s Mark, Michter’s, Old Forester, Rebel Yell, StoneHammer, Wild Turkey, Willett, and Woodford Reserve.

Whiskey sponsors also include Jack Daniel’s, Southern Comfort and Uncle Nearest.

Additional bourbon, food & beverage, and other experiences available onsite include:

• Jack Daniel’s No. 7 Sports Bar, where guests can enjoy NFL and college football games
• Tiki Barrel Bar presented by Jim Beam
• Jack’s House presented by Jack Daniel’s
• Jailhouse BBQ Presented by Larceny Bourbon
• Buffalo Club
• Mardi Gras Bar presented by Southern Comfort
• The Speakeasy
• Tree Bar
• Monster Energy Experience
• f.y.e. Fan Experience
• Craft Beer Bar
• Fxck Cancer / Dyin 2 Live Dreams Program
• Mint Julep Experiences (exclusive distillery excursions)
• Take Me Home
• The Music Experience

In addition, attendees can enjoy a variety of local and regional food and beverage offerings provided by DWP’s affiliate concessionaire, Southern Hospitality Concessions LLC. Festival attendees will be able to experience a taste of Louisville with selections from the following restaurants: Boss Hog BBQ, Couvillion, Doc Crow’s Southern Smokehouse & Raw Bar, Ehrler’s Ice Cream, Eli’s BBQ, Heine Brothers Coffee, Hull And Highwater, Joella’s Hot Chicken, Martin’s BBQ, Merle’s Whiskey Kitchen, River Road BBQ, Sarino, Seviche, and more.

Look for more food experience details to be announced soon.

Ticket prices for Louder Than Life will be as follows:

• 3-Day Weekend General Admission: starting at $149.50 + fees
• 3-Day Mint Experience VIP: starting at $449.50 + fees
• 3-Day Top Shelf VIP: $1,399.50 + fees
• Single Day General Admission: starting at $69.50 + fees
• Single Day VIP: starting at $199.50 + fees

Camping spaces for cars, tents, and RVs start at just $145.00 and include 4 nights’ stay in the Louder Than Life campgrounds. Camping passes also allow patrons re-entry privileges to and from the festival site all weekend long.

Mint Experience VIP tickets include access to VIP Hang—an exclusive hang area with dedicated bars, comfortable furniture, and live audio/video streams of the Monster Energy Barrel Stage and Oak Stage, plus front-of-stage viewing of the Oak Stage—as well as a dedicated merchandise stand, premium dedicated food offerings, air-conditioned and flushable restrooms, dedicated entrance lanes into the festival and a commemorative laminate and wristband.

Top Shelf VIP tickets include access to all Mint Experience VIP amenities, plus access to the Top Shelf Hang and other amenities including: air-conditioned lounge/tent with live audio/video streams of Monster Energy Barrel Stage and Oak Stage, front-of-stage viewing area for Monster Energy Barrel Stage, shaded viewing deck, all-inclusive premium drinks at dedicated bars within the hang area, complimentary hors d’oeuvres during lunch and dinner hours, dedicated air-conditioned and flushable bathrooms, massage station, complimentary lockers with cell-phone chargers, complimentary Wi-Fi access, Top Shelf VIP Concierge staff and a commemorative Top Shelf VIP laminate and RFID wristband.

Louder Than Life sponsors include Kentucky Tourism, Louisville Tourism, Monster Energy, Jack Daniel’s, Kroger, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Southern Comfort, Uncle Nearest Whiskey, f.y.e., The Music Experience, Fxck Cancer, Take Me Home, Against The Grain, and Zyn.

The Highland Festival Grounds At KY Expo Center are located at 937 Phillips Lane in Louisville, Kentucky. Festival doors open at 11:00 AM daily.

Louder Than Life is produced by Los Angeles-based Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in America. Additional DWP events include Aftershock Festival, Bourbon & Beyond, Chicago Open Air, Epicenter Festival, Hometown Rising, Rock Allegiance, Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival, and Welcome To Rockville.

For more information on Louder Than Life please visit:

Website: www.LouderThanLifeFestival.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/louderthanlifefestival

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ltlfest

Instagram: http://instagram.com/louderthanlifefest

Hashtag: #LouderThanLife

We believe in quality before quantity. Please drink responsibly.

Guns N’ Roses, Slipknot, Disturbed Top Louder Than Life Festival Lineup first appeared on Game On Media.