Cloaca Melodia

Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ..... More so than any show I've been to in recent memory, this concert was not focused so much on the songs as it was on the performances. Most of the time when you go to a show, you're primarily motivated by an interest in one or many of the artist's songs. Concerts by jam-bands like the Grateful Dead or most blues musicians, on the other hand, are more performance oriented. You go to see the performance of the entire show more than simply to hear that song in a live setting. That's why Deadheads could stomach going to umpty-ump shows by the same band. This evening headlined by the Butthole Surfers at Convention Hall turned out--surprisingly--to be more of a performance show. Although certainly many concertgoers were motivated to go by some individual songs (notably the several popular singles by The Toadies or the Butthole's current hit "Pepper"), the real story was the sheer intensity of the Rev. Horton Heat's rockab...

Garden State Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ.... Here's a contemporaneous review I wrote for injersey.com: The tour was named "Summerland," after the song of the same name on Everclear's Sparkle and Fade album. It's the song that obviously has a lot of meaning to the band--not only the tour but the album itself gets its name from the song. It sure works as a tour name. The lyrics "Let's just leave this place/and go to Summerland/Just a name on the map/sounds like heaven to me" are perfect for the package tour, Everclear's movable feast of music. And doesn't "sparkle and fade" describe any concert? Glittery and dazzling while experienced, but fading into the memory of those who participated... Opening up the four-band bill was Atlantic Records artist 7 Year Bitch, a female punk foursome. The amphitheater was still fairly empty and the setting sun was still shining brightly as 7 Year Bitch took the stage. Despite the audience apathy in the ...

Donovan's Reef, Sea Bright, NJ.... It was a benefit concert for the Sea Bright Dune Grass Committee called Dunesday. It was an all-ages benefit with mostly local bands going from noon to 8 PM. Headlining was the Australian band Frente! (that's Angie and Simon from Frente! with me in the picture below), and also performing were Brian Kirk and the Jirks, Love Pumps, Makers of Fine Clocks, Kid with Man Head, Jump the Gun, Mr. Greengenes, The Velcrows, Night Fever, Buck Fifty, Rope Tree, No Luggage, AWOL, September Child, and The Discontent.  

Tradewinds, Sea Bright, NJ.... Poe was supposed to perform but she got sick. Here's a contemporaneous review I wrote for injersey.com: Seeing a show at The Tradewinds while the summer is in full swing--when everything is open and place is humming with people--is sort of like the Jersey Shore's answer to Disneyland. With the waterfall, fountain and faux rock formations, and the multiple bars, building facades, and all the colors--it gives a show an extra festive dimension. The crowd was thick at The Tradewinds for the Seven Mary Three concert, and many of the audience members looked ready to get hit with a loud dose of rock 'n' roll. Likely if any band could make the crowd forget the festive environment, Seven Mary Three would be it. But despite the pumped fans, Seven Mary Three gave an uneven performance which was merely adequate--with high and low points which were both higher and lower than most concerts. Lead singer Jason Ross has an annoying tendency to scream lyric...

Metro Lounge/Cheers/Hooligans/Gemini Lounge, Long Branch, NJ sorry, Mike has not yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!

The Saint, Asbury Park, NJ.... I remember Lach playing " Ain't It the Most " as some people were talking over his performance and ignoring him.

Surf Club, Ortley Beach, NJ.... Surfstock 3. Joan Jett was MC for the show.

Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ sorry, Mike has not yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!

Sidewalk Cafe, New York, NY sorry, Mike has not yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!

Count Basie Theater, Red Bank, NJ..... It was the WHTG Snow Ball, the second annual holiday concert out of a five-year run for the event. Everybody was terrific on stage. CIV was nuts. TMBG and Del Amitri did their usual high-quality sets. Deep Blue Something was in the top 40 at the time of the show with "Breakfast at Tiffany's"--it was at #11 on the Billboard chart right then and would peak at #5 five weeks later. I don't really recall much of Rusty and solution a.d., but Whirling Dervishes got the show off to a great start with a set including their cover of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch." I wore my paisley tux jacket (see below) and I think I introduced Del Amitri on stage.   the front cover of the official program for the show me in my paisley tux jacket from a 1998 WHTG event being fed by WHTG's Chris Rake

Court Tavern, New Brunswick, NJ.... sorry, Mike has not yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!

SeaStreak Ferry, New York Bay, NJ/NY sorry, Mike has not yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!

Downing Stadium, Randall's Island, New York, NY..... Lollapalooza 5. This was my third and final Lolla show, and I feel like I caught the ideal ones: '91, '92, and this year.  The main memories that stick with me from this show were Cypress Hill's giant bong prop and Beck doing everything in his power to make his performance of "Loser" a crappy experience. (In fact, his overall set was pretty blah, in stark contrast to every later time I saw hm live. I had a chance to tactfully ask him about what changed, and he told me he had a realization that his fans were paying hard-earned dollars to see him and that it might be their one and only time seeing him live so he had better put on a good show. Good for him!) In the weeks leading up to the show, drama was enveloping this tour. In Washington state on the 4th of July, there was an incident between Hole frontwoman Courtney Love and Bikini Kill singer Kathleen Hanna (which led to assault charges against Lo...

Surf Club, Ortley Beach, NJ.... It was the 2nd edition of WHTG's Surfstock.     sorry, I haven't yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!    my credential from the show

Sidewalk Cafe, New York, NY sorry, Mike has not yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!