Hell Is For Children

Pat Benatar / Cheap Trick 
Mountain Winery, Saratoga, California 
June 11, 2013 

The Mountain Winery is a beautiful but also a pain in the ass venue.  Nestled on top of a mountain that overlooks Silicon Valley it's a venue that does not host many shows Umlaut finds interesting or affordable.  However, for better or worse, Cheap Trick seems to play the Winery every year these days.  I assume they get paid very well for these winery gigs but it would be awesome if they played The Fillmore or another standard concert venue in front of an audience of general admission peasants instead of entitled winery types.

Long story short, this was a totally weird show.  First off, Cheap Trick were supporting Pat Benatar tonight.  As a result, something felt *off* with the crowd and I didn't realize until later that the vast majority of the audience were Pat Benatar fan-a-tics.  The silver lining was that I was sitting in the 3rd row but it might as well have been a front row seat; the seating configuration made it so there were no chairs or people in front of me.

Cheap Trick walked onstage.. launched into 'Hello There' and then into 'Elo Kiddies' and the crowd... DID NOTHING!  Of course there were a few Cheap Trick fans but the vast majority of the crowd just sat in their seats and did nothing!  I could not believe it.  I know.. I know.. It was a winery crowd.. but I've seen Cheap Trick at this venue before and it had not been this lethargic at all.

SIT DOWN!!  DOWN IN FRONT!  We're trying to watch the Rock band!  Yes, that iPhone pic was taken during a song... Pathetic.

Indeed.. a winery show.. but even by that standard this was a weird gig.  The crowd was completely anemic during Cheap Trick's set.  It was bizarre and it was obvious the band were annoyed by it too.   At one point in between songs Rick wandered into the crowd and handed out guitar picks to people in their seats while his tech tuned his guitar.  Rick and Robin also both went into the crowd to try and get some "excitement" going.. but to no avail.  

 

It wasn't until they played "the hit" song  'I Want You To Want Me' that the crowd stood up en masse... but then the masses sat back down when the song ended!  From a fan's perspective it was annoying because Cheap Trick were great as usual and also busted out deep cuts like 'Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace' from their first album.  Anyway, I know the kidz reading this could care less about all of this.  Sorry, kidz... but Cheap Trick still rules for this Old Fart.  For the old Cheap Trick fans like Umlaut:  Yes, Bun E. is still retired from performing and Rick's son is on drums... and they're still GREAT!!  Unfortunately, the awesome creepiness of 'Heaven Tonight' (performed with a roadie looking guy on cello... yes.. a cello..) was completely lost on the winery crowd.  Me love Cheap Trick long time.

 Where are we?? 

[Photo courtesy of Bret]

Thankfully the buzz kill audience didn't deter me from having F-U-N and the highlight of the night was being caught in the middle of the Rick Nielsen guitar pick storm during 'Dream Police'..

The Dream Police.. they live inside of my head... still.. after all these years.

After the lack of energy during the Dream Police's set I was shocked how completely different the crowd was for Pat Benatar.  The crowd went nuts as she took the stage.  Shocking.. but I was also surprised how many young women were in the audience worshiping the woman who sings 'Heartbreaker'.  Unfortunately, while Benatar undoubtedly still has a great voice, her songs sounded painfully 80's and dated.  It was also ironic how her longtime partner guitarist Neil Giraldo bit Rick Nielsen's style and tossed guitar picks to the audience during every song.  LAME.  After a couple of songs it was time to head back to the Prius and beat the traffic out of the horrific Mountain Winery parking lot ahead of the masses.  As we walked into the darkness, Benatar played that song I think is from the Top Gun soundtrack..... What?  Oh.. right.. that was Berlin...  I liked Pat Benatar more when she sang for Berlin.......... (cue rim shot).

If you bought one of every Cheap Trick merch item you would have paid $125... but their merch was pathetic!  They didn't even have the classic "Cheap Trick Cheap Trick Cheap Trick Cheap Trick" black tee for sale!?  WTF...  Their merch company is doing an awful job.  On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags.  It's always amazing when songs instantly transport you back to a specific time in your life; I was a 15-year old Cheap Trick dork again in a flash tonight... at least for an hour or so.  Meanwhile back in the 21st Century... Umlaut is old.

My Oldest Best Friends

When I was an insecure, dorky teenager my record collection was my best friend. My record collection and my turntable kept me company when I was lonely and entertained me when I was bored. Last weekend two of my oldest best friends, like, ever visited me again.

Iron Maiden
Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, California
August 3, 2012

Iron Maiden. Always.

After having seen one of the first shows of Maiden's current tour last month in Boston, I was curious to see Maiden as they neared the end of another North American Tour. It's always interesting to see a band early in a trek as they're fine tuning their performance versus a dozen or more shows later when they've played to thousands of more people and (hopefully) gotten into their groove. Also, at this point in history, Umlaut has seen Maiden double digit times so I'm always interested to see if I can still geek out over seeing them.

The last time I saw Iron Maiden at this venue was for OzzFest 2005 when they absolutely blew the reunited Ozzy-fronted Black Sabbath off the main stage and made Rob Zombie on the 2nd Stage look silly.

[From the Umlaut Archives]

What can I say about Maiden that I haven't already said many times in this space? If you have time to kill go back through some of my older Maiden posts from years past (Click HERE to see all of my Maiden posts). Whenever I start to rant about Maiden here I feel like I'm repeating myself, and I don't want to bore the longtime readers by plagiarising myself again. However, I will say (again) that my Inner Teenage Metalhead lost it when 'Doctor Doctor' by UFO was turned up over the Shoreline PA to clue longtime fans that Maiden were hitting the stage in around 4 minutes. For the newbies: Maiden have played 'Doctor Doctor' before they come onstage since Day One. Umlaut LOVES tradition!

On this tour Maiden are doing what is basically a "Greatest Hits" set focused on a certain time period in their history. On this tour the focus is on the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son era (1988) which was a time when Umlaut wasn't engaged in what Maiden were doing. However this was one of those shows that reminded me way more people became Maiden fans after I discovered them during the Paul Di'Anno years. Does that make sense? Discuss amongst yourselves.

As in Boston, the high water mark of the night was the mighty mid-set 1-2-3-4 punch of 'The Trooper' into 'The Number of the Beast' into 'Phantom of the Opera' into 'Run To The Hills'. However, I have to say my favorite songs of the night were 'Two Minutes To Midnight' and 'Aces High' because it's awesome when a crowd sings along to them. At one point Bruce announced that Shoreline was unable to accommodate the band's full production tonight, which I found to be a very odd thing to happen here in the 21st Century. No matter, Maiden still performed with the same intensity that they had back in The Day and Steve Harris is still my hero.

One thing that I love about Maiden now is how much fun they look like they're having onstage. All of them are smiling, either at the crowd or at each other. Alot of jaded old fans will complain about what songs they didn't play or should have played but fuck that attitude. Personally, as much as I want to hear my fave Maiden songs live, I'm cool at this point in history to simply watch them perform as they attack a stage with the level of charisma and musicianship that very, very few bands now possess. Here in the 21st Century I'd rather watch 15 minutes of Iron Maiden onstage than 60 minutes of a band, like, Hatebreed. The right hand of Steve Harris über alles!

If you bought one of every Maiden merch item you would have paid just over $1,000 (one thousand dollars); Maiden's merch company rules! On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. It cannot be understated how amazing it was for me to have Iron Maiden visit the Bay Area again and then 24 hours later it was...

Aerosmith / Cheap Trick
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
August 4, 2012

Cheap Trick. Always.

Before I discovered Iron Maiden and Metal, there was Cheap Trick. Umlaut was fanatical about them in Junior High and my first concert was Cheap Trick supporting Blue Öyster Cult at San Jose State on the At Budokan Tour. Yes, Umlaut is old and Cheap Trick are still one of my all-time favorite bands. Also, at this point in history, Umlaut has seen Cheap Trick double digit times so I'm always interested to see if I can still geek out over seeing them.

Fast forward to the 21st Century and no matter how tepid Aerosmith's creativity has become over the past 20 years it was hard not to have my Inner Classic Rock Teenager be awakened by seeing this bill on paper. Aerosmith with Cheap Trick is so 70's... but I didn't make any plans to attend. However, the Rock Godz work in mysterious ways and 24 hours prior to the show I found out that I'd be visiting Oracle Arena again on a Saturday night. The last time I saw Cheap Trick in this building was on the Dream Police Tour in 1979 (!):

[From the Umlaut Archives]

Reality check: In 1979 the ticket price was $9.50. In 2012 parking was $35. Crazy, right?

As I just said, the Rock Godz work in mysterious ways and one thing led to another and I found myself sitting in a front row reserved seat. WTF. As the houselights went down I stood at the rail for the first time in I can't remember how many years as some of my first Rock Star heroes walked onstage and jammed into 'Hello There' and went straight into 'Big Eyes' and then into 'California Man'. Holy shit! It seriously felt like 1979 all over again except I was in the front row this time! My head was in a haze watching Cheap Trick as half my brain was immersed in their performance and the other half was flashing back to the show almost 33 (!) years ago.

Cheap Trick are pretty much the only band that can erase every jaded thought out of my old man mind. When I see them I'm immediately that 16-year old dorky kid whose best friend was literally his record collection. My oldest best friends from Rockford, Illinois owned the stage in Oakland again for an hour and played all the hits you would want in an abbreviated Cheap Trick opening set. 'On Top Of The World'... 'Ain't That A Shame' (featuring Brad Whitford of Aerosmith joining them onstage)... 'I Know What I Want'.. and closing with the full tilt sprint of 'Dream Police' into 'Surrender' into 'Goodnight'. Yes, sadly Bun E. Carlos retired from touring a couple of years ago... but having Rick Nielsen's son Daxx on drums is working just fine and it's cool they kept it in the family. Also, this NEVER gets old:

[Photo courtesy of Cable Car]

The one difference seeing Cheap Trick in the support slot was that Rick was more subdued and didn't work the stage in overdrive like he normally does... and he didn't toss out as many guitar picks into the crowd either. Thankfully I managed to get one:


Me. Love. Cheap Trick. Long Time!

The last time I saw Aerosmith in this building was in 1984 (!) when these same band members attempted their first Reunion Tour; this was a couple of years before Run-DMC brought Aerosmith back from the dead. The show was filmed for MTV but it was never aired. Steven Tyler was fucked up and fell off the stage (TRUE!) and Joe Perry smashed apart his Stratocaster at the end of 'Sweet Emotion'. This venue on that Friday night in 1984 was also less than half full; here in 2012 on a Saturday night the same venue looked pretty much sold out.

[From the Umlaut Archives]

Reality check: In 1984 the ticket price was $13.50. In 2012 parking was $35. Crazy, right?

During the changeover after Cheap Trick there was the strong smell of incense coming off the stage; Aerosmith are such Millionaire Hippies now. I think 99% of the people reading this will agree that Aerosmith were better when they were younger and fucked up before they started writing songs geared specifically for film soundtracks. It's still hard to fathom that the same band who wrote 'Lick And A Promise' did that awful song from the movie Armageddon.

Fast forward to the 21st Century and I found myself on the rail preparing to see Aerosmith for the first time in 17 years (the last time I saw them was in 1995). The band's stage was the same style as AC/DC and Foo Fighters had used in this same venue in recent years: A long ego ramp from the main stage that ended at a smaller stage in the middle of the arena. I understand that bands claim to have this stage configuration in order to bring fans at the back into the show. However, Umlaut hates this modern day stage because it diffuses the energy of a Rock concert if some of the band members are on the main stage and the others are 100 yards away. Doesn't that make sense? If you're a BAND you should all be on the same stage at all times... but that's just me.

Aerosmith popped onstage (literally) at close to 9:15pm with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry suddenly appearing on the small stage to lead the rest of the band (aka the less popular original members) on the main stage into a surprisingly great version of the old classic 'Draw The Line'. For the next 2 hours I was both entranced and dubious about watching Aerosmith again. Of course, being in the front row directly in front of Joe Fuckin' Perry was awesome, but the fact that Tyler spent at least half of the set behind me on the smaller stage was annoying. Also, having Tyler perform away from the rest of the band so much gave Aerosmith 2012 a weird energy. It was sort of like a "That Judge from American Idol and The Rest of the Band" feeling. So, I spent most of my time taking advantage of where I was standing and watched Joe Perry at work. Despite everything else about Aerosmith 2012, Joe Fuckin' Perry is still a badass.

[Photo courtesy of Cable Car]

Perry performed like the old school Guitar God that he is, especially when he pulled moves like jamming the headstock of his guitar into the battered grill of one of his vintage Marshall cabinets to strangle more feedback out of them. Magic. Thankfully, Aerosmith included a satisfactory number of vintage songs in the setlist. 'Same Old Song And Dance' and 'Last Child' were good. 'Rats In The Cellar' was the best song of the night with Tyler joining the rest of the band on the main stage and leaning forward into his mic stand to sing like he did back in the old days. Aerosmith wrote such GREAT fucking songs back when they were fucked up, man. When they announced 'Combination' I raised my fists in the air, but it was a weird version with only Joe Perry front and center singing and Tyler basically offstage behind the backline and drums. SO FUCKING WEIRD! That was one of the songs The Toxic Twins would sing together in the same mic when they were onstage fucked up on coke or whatever back in The Glory Days of the 70's. Weird. Anyway, if I never hear 'Dream On' again I'd be happy.

If you bought one of every Cheap Trick merch item you would have paid $210. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. Aerosmith's "Day Pass" was basically All Access... as long as you stayed in hallways and didn't go into any rooms backstage. Ooookaaay. I've always been a much bigger Cheap Trick fan than an Aerosmith fan anyway.

Not At Budokan

Cheap Trick
Mountain Winery, Saratoga, California
Rocktober 8, 2010

Umlaut is old and I grew up in a time before Iron Maiden... and before Metal there was Cheap Trick. Cheap Trick are one of Umlaut's all-time favorite bands, but I didn't know they were playing this show until 4 days before. To be honest, I generally ignore the annual schedule at The Mountain Winery because it's the type of venue that just isn't my scene: expensive tickets in a beautifully expensive location. However, The Rock Godz work in mysterious ways and 48 hours out I unexpectedly found myself with comps to the show.

Back in August, The Mountain Winery was the scene of a bizarre suicide by an audience member during a set by the band Swell Season (Click HERE for the full story). Morbid... but also pretty Metal as well. Just saying... According to the Umlaut Archives, this was my 9th time seeing Cheap Trick dating back to my very first concert in 1979. Here in the 21st Century I'm a jaded old fart... but Cheap Trick are the one band that I still become a complete dork over... and I broke the unwritten concert code and wore my weary Cheap Trick shirt to the show.

We thought we'd run into nightmarish South Bay Friday, holiday weekend, commute traffic but the run down to Saratoga wasn't that bad. One thing I didn't take into account was that even though The Winery is one of those enclaves of yuppie hoity-toity entertainment, that also means it's not run like your usual concert venue. The security search at the entrance was beyond polite and couldn't even be called a "search"... and Will Call took literally 10 seconds. I'll think fondly of this the next time the security dude at The Regency is grabbing my ass checking for a shiv or a contraband pack of gum.

For the newbies: Back in March, Cheap Trick announced that Bun E. Carlos had retired from touring. He's still a member of the band but drumming on the road is now handled by Rick's son Daxx. This was a huge bummer because part of the ongoing magic with the band was that it was still the original lineup AND they were still great. So, going into tonight I was prepared to be distracted by Bun E.'s absence... but I ended up being pleasantly blown away.

The time machine kicked in right at 8:30pm as Rockford's finest bounced onstage and slammed straight into an opening Power Pop punch of 'Way Of The World' > 'California Man' > 'Clock Strikes Ten' back to back to back. It's always amazing when songs instantly transport you back to a specific time in your life; I was a 15-year old Cheap Trick dork again in a flash.

I feel weird saying this, but I kept forgetting that Bun E. wasn't behind the drums. Daxx Nielsen NAILED it and his playing was dead on with the songs and the band. At the conclusion of 'Clock Strikes Ten' I expected Daxx to pull out the giant baseball bat-sized drum sticks like Bun E. used to do back in The Day. Daxx's drumming was a clone of Bun E.'s and all he needed was a cigarette between his lips to make it complete. You have to admit that it's pretty cool that Rick's son is enabling Cheap Trick to keep their flame alive... Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright, etc.

As far as the rest of the band: Robin's voice was amazing and he was the star of the performance for me and worked the stage like it was 1979. How old is that guy!? As always, Tom held down the bottom end with his 12-string bass as the not-so secret weapon of Cheap Trick; they're a Power Pop band driven by the firepower of 3 bassists! HEAVY. Rick was rock solid as always and played a different guitar for every song as usual... Although he kind of fucked up the solo during 'The Flame' he saved his 5-neck guitar for 'Goodnight Now'.

Tonight was a robust 90-minute, 20 song set and, while the 3 new songs were good, it was scary how I can still identify an old song within seconds... My Inner Teenage Cheap Trick Dork instantly recognized the start of the extended intro to 'On Top Of The World'... How do I still have that in my head?? Time Machine stuff, man...

Rockpalast, Germany - 1979

These days Cheap Trick pull out an obscure old school rarity each night... and tonight it was 'The Ballad of T.V. Violence' from their 1st album and my Inner Teenage Cheap Trick Dork jumped up and down like a little school girl. After the set closing 'Surrender' the encore sprint to the finish surprised me by how lengthy it was... 'The Flame' > 'Dream Police' > a GREAT extended version of 'Gonna Raise Hell' > Goodnight Now'... During the encores Tom and Rick came out wearing San Francisco Giants caps! NICE... even though the Giants had blown a 4 run lead as they played their set. Then my childhood heroes were gone and my time machine journey ended and my head returned from 1979 back to the 21st Century. Bummer.

No one committed suicide during the set... and if anyone was considering it they should have done it during 'Auf Wiedersehen' but (for better or worse) that song was not in the setlist tonight. Unfortunately, there was a tight photo policy in effect so Umlaut doesn't have access to any killer shots from the show... So this will have to do:

From the Umlaut Archives

An original At Budokan 2-sided, promo, cardboard thing (17" x 13")..."The Biggest Thing Since Transistors".. I need to get it framed.

This was the 3rd consecutive year that I've seen Cheap Trick and it's the first time I've followed the band this closely since my Salad Days. Here in the 21st Century, most Rock bands of Umlaut's generation are considered "oldies" bands. For most of them that title is warranted; the relentless march of time as aging Rockers play for aging Rock fans. It's the way of the world. However, an exception to this is Cheap Trick; tonight they were as energetic, engaging, spry, and GREAT as they ever were when I first saw them as a pimply-faced teenager! Cheap Trick are the one band who still makes me want to wear their concert shirt to school the next day after their show. Hope I die before I get old.

If you bought one of every Cheap Trick merch item you would have paid around $400. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. On the drive out of Saratoga we listened to the closing moments of Game 2 of the NLDS as the Giants lost in extra innings... Buzz kill... but me still love Cheap Trick long time.

Click HERE to see Photo Ray's shots from the night!

30 Years Ago Tonight...

Thirty years ago TONIGHT this is where Umlaut was:

(From the Umlaut Archives)

Cheap Trick on the Dream Police Tour! It was my 2nd time seeing the band and I went with my cousin.. Cheap Trick were my favorite band at the time, man... BIG TIME. I was fanatical about them. The Pat Travers Band were 2nd on the bill after Moon Martin and it was awesome this show happened during Christmas Break. Soon after New Year's (in the new decade known as THE 80's!!) I was wearing my new 3/4 sleeve Dream Police Tour jersey at school and some jocks made fun of it and said Pat Travers had blown Cheap Trick off the stage that night. "FUCK YOU GUYS!" I didn't say... because I didn't want them to kick my geeky ass. Fucking asshole jocks! However, it's cool because those guys probably look 15 years older than me now and are also probably miserable as their life continues on the downward slide that began for them after high school. HAHA!

(From the Umlaut Archives)

Yeah, Umlaut is old... but age is only a number! Umlaut still loves Cheap Trick long time.. I still have the tour program I bought that night. Click HERE to relive the day just 7 months ago when Umlaut pulled a doubleheader of Cheap Trick at a County Fair and then some Japanese Death Metal back in The Big City. Yeah, I still got it..


THANKS to Kirk Fireball for reminding me about this anniversary... Kirk was also at the show (his 1st concert!) and amazingly he still has the 3/4 sleeve jersey that he also bought that night (!!!):

(From the Fireball Archives)

Fuck those jocks!

Doubleheader

For the second time this year Umlaut pulled a gig doubleheader in one night. A month ago it was Leonard Cohen > Green Day in the same evening and tonight it was a potent Power Pop > Japanese Death Metal combination!

Cheap Trick
May Fairgrounds, Dixon, CA
May 7, 2009



A couple of years ago, Cheap Trick were the subject of Umlaut's biggest music geek moment ever.. It was a magic moment that I still get warm and fuzzy about... and if you really want to know how deep my Cheap Trick geekdom runs click HERE. Rockford's Finest has been one of my favorite bands since I was 14-years old, man.

Fast forward to 2009: Photo Ray and I travelled to The Fairgrounds in Dixon to see Rockford's Finest under the open sky and with the smell of livestock in the air. Dixon seems like it should be a thousand miles from San Francisco, but it's actually only about 60 clicks away. Umlaut had been to The Fairgrounds a couple of years ago for the annual Pin-A-Go-Go pinball show (Geek!), and there's nothing better than seeing Cheap Trick at a county fair!

I can't remember the last time the stubs were actually torn off my ticket at a concert, but that's exactly what The Dixon Fairgrounds does to tally attendance; one side for fair admission, the other side for concert admission. Old School! At around 7:15PM, Rockford's Finest hit the stage with a classic triple punch of 'Hello There' > 'Big Eyes' > 'California Man'.. NICE. Over the next 65 minutes they played a solid set with Rick playing a different guitar for practically each song (as usual); I counted 15 different guitars for 16 songs.. The band performed great and sounded excellent (as usual) and, while my favorite song of the set was the pop power of 'She's Tight', the end sprint of 'Surrender' into the encore of 'Dream Police' > 'Auf Wiedersehen' made everything perfect. The night was also a Full Moon! Like I said: Perfect.

As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words... so here are 2,000 words on Cheap Trick in lovely Dixon, California:

Folding chairs in a field.
(Pic by Umlaut)

Cell phone in one hand > Cigarette in the other.
(Pic by South Bay Bret)

According to South Bay Bret: "Ms. Fair Dancer was sharing smokes with her mom and had these painted on eyebrows and a Hard Rock Cafe Cheap Trick shirt that Rick pointed out, so she somehow had *it* going on. She and mom were also getting down to 'Don't Be Cruel' - as were all the fair goers."

Indeed, most of the fairground audience seemed to go the most nuts when the band played their cover of the Elvis song 'Don't Be Cruel'.. which I found a little odd, but good times in Small Town America!

It's funny when I run into readers of this space and they greet me with "Umlaut!", especially at a county fair (a shout out to Mr. King). Also, THANKS to South Bay Bret for scoring me one of Rick's guitar picks. After Cheap Trick finished, we wandered around a bit to soak up some the old fashioned county fair vibe:

(Video by Umlaut)

(Video by Umlaut)

If you bought one of every Cheap Trick merch item you would have paid close to $200; I liked how the shirts were simply displayed behind a folding table on the chain link fence to the right of the stage. Nuthin' fancy! On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Once we were back on the road, Photo Ray and I made a pit stop in lovely Vacaville, California for food... then we continued back West on Highway 80 towards The Big City and:

Coffins / Stormcrow
Annie's Social Club, San Francisco, CA
May 7, 2009



Man, what a night! A mere 2 hours after The Dream Police got inside of our heads, Photo Ray and I entered the sweaty and packed / sold out Annie's in time to catch the last part of Stormcrow's great set. Given the magnitude of this show, the Umlaut Nation was nicely represented.. so a shout out to Photo Ray, Lori, Dave, Rich, and Rafa.

Next up were the headliners: The legendary Coffins from Japan! Evidently this was the first time the band had ever played in S.F.. which was amazing. The anticipation in the club was thick enough to cut with a knife, as was the humidity and sweat; it reminded me of the Amebix show earlier this year. The contrast between Cheap Trick playing in a grass field under a full moon earlier in the night and the Coffins setting up on the tiny, sweaty stage at Annie's was dramatic to say the least.

Preparing for Death Metal.
(Pic by Umlaut)

"We are Coffins from Jahpon!" As soon as Coffins lurched into their set I was instantly caught up in how different this gig was from the one I had been at only a few hours earlier. At Cheap Trick, hearing my favorite songs was the most important thing. In contrast, during the Coffins set I fed off the volume and energy coming from the band and the audience rather than any specific songs. At several times during the set I thought my cell phone was vibrating in my pocket, but it was simply my clothes moving from the sound waves coming out of the PA.. METAL! Cheap Trick was great entertainment; Coffins was all consuming and the experience more cerebral. Good times in The Big City!

As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words... so here are 1,000 words on Coffins' debut in San Franfuckincisco:

(Pic by Umlaut)

Click HERE for Taija's awesome photo session with Coffins and Stormcrow!

I didn't do a merch audit, but the Merch Girl got confused by basic mathematics; I made it easier for her by adding a CD to my shirt purchase so she wouldn't pull a brain muscle. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. It was an epic night: I love Cheap Trick and I love Metal... Thank dog my brain allows me to appreciate both. Music: Is there anything it can't do?!

Goodbye 70's, Hello 80's

Guess which show Umlaut was at:

The End of The 70's!
(From the Umlaut Archives)

Cheap Trick fine print: "Official Cheap Trick tour t-shirts available inside Coliseum only. Don't buy a bootleg shirt on the street!"

Listen: Cheap Trick - 'Auld Lang Syne' (L.A. Forum - 12/31/79) - "Happy 1980 everybody!!"

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Slayer - New Year's Eve 1984 - Ruthies Inn, Berkeley, CA
(Pic by Dave Quon)

Let's Do The Time Warp Again - Part One

1980 Revisited: For Umlaut (and many of his friends) this was a landmark gig:


Fast forward to the 21st Century and both Cheap Trick and the Michael Schenker Group were playing within 24 hours of each other. Let's do the time warp again...

Cheap Trick
Marin-Sonoma Fair, Petaluma, CA
June 22, 2007

Although Cheap Trick were the forbidden fruit that set me on my righteous path to Music Geekdom, I haven't seen them live in 10 years.. but nothing could have prepared me for this epic night.

Over a pre-gig dinner, Umlaut and friends John Marshall and Vickie talked about circles of life and how often we experience them; people or events from years past that continue to influence our lives to this day. The conversation turned out to be a profound omen, as a circle that started for Umlaut back in 1978 was completed on this night in Petaluma... When I was 15 years old I could not have imagined this:


While chatting with Robin Zander the fanboy switch accidentally went off in my head and I kinda lost it and gushed:

"MYFIRSTCONCERTWASYOUGUYSWITHBLUEOYSTERCULTIN1978!"

I immediately felt like a complete dork... and other Rock Stars might have started to slowly back away from me at this point while signaling their bodyguards to take me down.. but Robin's reply was something like:

"WOW!! Well, you know, we're still the same 4 guys playing the same 3 chords..."

He was such a nice, cool guy.. Later, I thought that maybe that was his standard reply when confronted by fanboys like me.. but I'd like to think not.

Thankfully my fanboy switch returned to the *off* position and I didn't gush to Rick how I had a sweater in 1978 like the one he wore onstage and covered it with Cheap Trick buttons... Ohhhh... errr... did I just say that? Oookayy... just ignore that... let's move on...

From the Umlaut Archives

Man, CT were so fucking great; they're still great musicians and a band with more onstage charisma than a dozen 21st Century bands combined... AND they played 'Oh Candy'! After 'Big Eyes', Rick took off the guitar he had played during the song and handed it to someone in the front row ala Green Day on their 2005 Tour and The Hellacopters on their 2006 Tour. Yeah, it was only a cheapie $200 axe but it was still cool. Don't be such a jaded mofo!

I was having 'Nam-like flashbacks to my teenage years watching Tom Petersson wield his 12-string bass from up close. Dude, 12-strings... He lays down a wall of bottom end equivalent to 3 normal bassists! You can't defend yourself against firepower of that magnitude... and Bun E. was wearing a long sleeve Metal Shoppe shirt! Metalheads will know what I mean; wasn't that store in Salt Lake City?

My personal favorite song of the set was 'Auf Wiedersehen', which was unbelievably smoking.. However, a close second was 'Surrender' featuring Rick playing his 5-neck guitar.. and YES they still throw a KISS vinyl album cover out into the crowd during the song.. I wonder where they get those album covers these days?? Discuss amongst yourselves. However, the best part of the night was the name checks CT gave to John Marshall and Vickie from the stage!

Long story short, Vickie has a lot of history with CT; how often are you with someone who's greeted by Rock Stars with the question "How's your mom?".. Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright. Later during the show, Rick jokingly introduced 'If You Want My Love' as the song "Vickie Strate wrote..." and I turned to her and said "You did!??".. and then later in the set during 'I Want You To Want Me' he walked over to our side of the stage and pointed at Vickie. So fucking hilarious!

Also, prior to the show, both Rick and Robin remembered seeing John and his old band Metal Church... and ironically one of the stagehands / roadies was wearing a vintage Metal Church shirt! Circle of life, man. Later during the show, Rick pointed John out to the crowd and asked "What was your band again.. Metal Gonads? No.. Metal Church!".. and told the crowd that if they needed guitar lessons they should see John... and then during the following song he walked over to our side of the stage, hit a chord, held up his vintage Flying-V, and pointed at John. So fucking awesome!

To top it off, Rick did his trademark gesture of throwing handfuls of guitar picks into the crowd.. Near the end of the set he showered our side of the audience with picks but I couldn't catch one... However, one landed inside Vickie's shirt, which she retrieved and handed to me. So fucking hilarious!!



This might end up being my favorite concert of 2007.. Iggy's 60th Birthday show was amazing, but this gig was really, really personal for Umlaut... I was tripping out on so many levels the entire evening. THANKS to Vickie for enabling my Inner Teenage Music Geek by introducing me to the first Lock 'N Loll Heroes I ever had. What a trip.

If you bought one of every Cheap Trick merch item you would have paid around $205. On the way back to the car, some pimply-teenagers called us fags. I'm hard pressed to think of the last time I smiled so much during a concert; my face was almost hurting afterwards. F-U-N!

From the Cheap Trick Fan Club Newsletter - 1979

Cheap Trick are the only "old" band I can think of that nobody is cynical about; everyone still gets gushy about them when they come up in conversation. Straight up: They still rule. I'm not kidding when I say that, at least for this week, CT are my all-time favorite band. Sorry Iron Maiden.

Then 24 hours later I was watching the Michael Schenker Group hit the stage... and the time warp continued; it's just a jump to the left and then a step to the right.

To be continued.....

Where It All Began

As when Eve gave Adam the Forbidden Fruit (aka The knowledge of good and evil..), Umlaut remembers when he was given the cursed Forbidden Fruit of Music Geekdom..

I recall the moment I was given "The Apple" as if it were just yesterday: In the late 70's local FM Rock radio station KSJO (R.I.P.) had a late night show where they played new records that weren't on their playlist.

One night I was listening to the show on a piece of shit clock radio in my bedroom. They played a new Cheap Trick [click for link] album that was only available in Japan.. The album was called At Budokan.. Up to that point my entire record collection consisted of the Star Wars soundtrack, Boston's 1st album, and KISS Alive II.

For some reason, although I was way into KISS, my young Music Geek mind gravitated towards Cheap Trick more strongly... In hindsight, it might have been because they were the first band that I discovered on my own. A friend and his older brother hadn't told me about them (as had been the case with KISS).

Soon afterwards I went down to Tower Records, headed for the import (vinyl!) section, and spent way too much money on the Japanese import of At Budokan.

(Trivia: At Budokan was initially only released in Japan but import copies received so much airplay in the States that Epic released it here.. which of course made Cheap Trick superstars..)

I played that copy to DEATH... and I still have it today. I'm appalled when I look at it. The cover and booklet are trashed. The gatefold cover is split along the bottom seam. The inner sleeve is ripped. Of course, back in those formative years I hadn't been educated in how to care for albums (vinyl!) and what 4mil plastic sleeves were. However, despite the wear and damage to the packaging, the record itself is still clean and free of any visible scratches. I must have instinctively known something about record (vinyl!) care even in those Music Geek salad days..

Umlaut's battered copy of At Budokan (Japanese import!)

At Budokan was the first import record I ever bought. Cheap Trick was the 1st concert I ever attended (supporting Blue Öyster Cult - 1978). "Surrender" was the first song I became genuinely obsessed with. Cheap Trick were also the 3rd concert I ever attended (Dream Police Tour). In 8th Grade I signed classmates' yearbooks with the same Rick Nielson caricature that he signed his autograph with. My first girlfriend in 8th Grade was also a Cheap Trick fanatic. The first bootleg I ever got was a Cheap Trick show (L.A. Forum - New Year's Eve 1979).. I visited the public library and searched their microfilm collection for magazine articles on the band. I wore a Cheap Trick shirt to my first job interview (at Carl's Jr. - Sunnyvale Town Center Mall.. They hired me..). During my Freshman year of high school I wore my Cheap Trick - Dream Police Tour shirt to school and some Senior Class jocks made fun of it..

The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth.

In 1980 I saw a concert at Oakland Stadium with a bill of Journey / Black Sabbath / Cheap Trick / Molly Hatchet. I felt torn because I was there for both Sabbath and Cheap Trick.. but the huge biker guys standing near me down front HATED Cheap Trick and kept flipping them off.

By the next time I saw Cheap Trick I had outgrown them. I had moved on to METAL and I was more interested in seeing the opening band (The Michael Schenker Group - Armed & Ready Tour!). It was the last time I saw the band for almost 17 years.

In 1997 a friend was on a guest list and took me as his +1 to see Cheap Trick play a club in Palo Alto, CA. It was like seeing that 8th Grade girlfriend again. It was fun to see them, but I didn't feel the same connection I had when I was 14. However, Bun E. Carlos still ruled.. except he didn't use his baseball bat-sized drumsticks at the end of "Clock Strikes Ten" like he did back in The Day.

It's been many years since that night I listened to At Budokan on that piece of shit clock radio. However, like a dormant parasite, the early influence of Cheap Trick on my music aesthetic hatched as I grew older. This is glaringly obvious when I admit that my two favorite albums of the past year are the melodic stylings of Green Day and Oasis.

Despite this being Umlaut's Summer of Iron Maiden, I'm more Pop than Metal now.. Twisted and evil.

Earlier this year Velvet Revolver released a cover of "Surrender" as a B-side. I didn't like it. Rick Nielsen trumps Slash every time.

"Rollin' numbers, Rock & Rollin', got my KISS records out..."

Rick Nielsen guitar pick circa 1978 (From the Umlaut Archives)

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ADDENDUM:

Umlaut and John Marshall have known each other at least 22 years. Old Metallica fans will remember John as a member of their original road crew (stage manager / guitar tech) and fill-in guitarist in 1986 and 1992 when Hetfield couldn't play guitar due to injuries. Metal fans will know him as guitarist for Metal Church from 1987-93.

John submitted this excellent Cheap Trick - Random Rock Star Moment:

"When Metal Church were opening for Metallica in '91 or so, we played at a place called The World, outside of Chicago. It's an enormous "shed", an outdoor amphitheatre similar to Shoreline."

"After we played, Rick Nielsen brought his son (who was about 17 at the time) backstage to meet us. Apparently his son was a big Metal fan, and loved Metal Church as well as Metallica. They were both really cool."