Manplanet at the Bug Jar, Rochester, NY October 29, 2002

Just in time for Halloween came the likes of Manplanet and the Groovie Ghoulies to the Bug Jar, a wonderful treat (no trick here) indeed. Manplanet had been described as heavily DEVO influenced, and when it wasn't too hard to see why. Each of the four memebers of the band is a 'color'- Red (bass), Blue (guitar / synth), Green (drums), and White (vocals / guitar). All of their instruments, equipment, and even hair are this particular color, so defined by the jumpsuits that they also wear on stage. Jerkily moving around, and talking into a microphone that had a robotic effect were only some of the elements that added the other-worldy element to their performance; the music, poppy, punky, and just weird enough to be cool, propelled them off as well. Their set was also peppered very nicely with the use of pyrotechnics, and I'm sure that it was just as amusing to watch me jump each time something new went off (so much for being up front) as it was to actually watch the special effects... Energetic, fun, and definitely visually stimulating, Manplanet are worth the adventure.

The Rolling Stones at the Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH October 20, 2002

Awww yeah, this is what a show should be like. I still think it's stunning that I actually got to see the Stones in person, which thus allowed me to fall in love with Mick Jagger, but yes, I shelled out my money ($100) and journeyed off to Columbus with 5 other boys for a weekend of debauchery... Minus the 15-minute rendition of "Love Train", during which Mick donned a trench and fedora in order to pimp it out like only he can, (I thought he was suppossed to be a detective at first. Uh... no comment...) the show was a solid 2 hour romp through the catalog and history of England's 'newest hit makers'. With Mick strutting and posing in ways that put some of these new 20-year-old "rock stars" to shame, Keith and Ron playing off of each other with incredible ease, and Charlie(I actually saw him smile!) holding it all together in the back on the drums with his old-school "Traditional Grip" hold on the sticks, the Stones rocked through expected tunes like Satisfaction, Start Me Up, Brown Sugar, Sympathy for the Devil, Jumpin' Jack Flash and Honky Tonk Women rolled through everything else in between (Tumblin' Dice, Slipping Away, Before They Make Me Run, If You Can't Rock Me, Mannish Boy,Like a Rolling Stone, Can't You Hear Me Knockin' ). My favorite part of the stage show was the venture onto the makeshift stage in the center of the arena, during which the band used their vintage equipment and performed some of their earliest (my favorite era, actually) tunes with bluesy intensity. This portion of the show was a wonderful change of pace from the lights, glitz, glamour tone of the majority of the show, as it was just the four Stones with no backing musicians, flashy lights, or effects. I only wish that the sound during this part could've been better (what do you expect for the middle of the arena?). The backing traveling musicians / singers were also excellent players- the bass player was all of 30 years old I swear- adding color and heat to the tunes when called for in all the right ways. I'm not justifying the price of tickets, but the show was absolutely fabulous. I'm still in love.

The White Stripes at the Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH October 20th, 2002

The White Stripes had the honor of opening for the Stones for a few dates- mostly due to all of the buzz that they're getting. All hype aside, because they are one of the few bands out there sticking to their formula that crosses over into the unexpected while getting raves in the process. I wasn't too sure how well the band would go over for the arena-sized, middle-aged crowd since I had only seen them in a much smaller setting (see reviews from August 2001), but the crowd seemed to respond well. Or maybe it's my rose-colored glasses again. I found them to be excellent, enjoying their set at this show much more than their set at the Bug Jar Fest, probably because I knew what to expect and enjoy all of the albums quite a bit. The stage was big and shadowy with just Jack, Meg, 2 guitars, 2 mikes, and a drum kit on it, but the duo managed to fill up the stage and the arena with their avant intensity and unbreakable music. I found Jack's voice to be particularly pleasing, conveying a raw emotion that rode like a rollercoaster throughout the array of songs, hitting home where it should. This is how it should be done, but unfortunately, it so rarely is. Witness them for yourself, suckers.

The Gore Gore Girls at the Montage Grille September 6(or 7)th 2002, Rochester, NY

So all of a sudden, the Montage has become another one of those classy-dinners-by-weeknite, low- down-gritty-bands-by- weekend type joint. I love it. It's only fitting that the Gore Gore Girls, a three piece outfit from Detroit, made an appearance there; fairly unobtrusive girls by day, white vinyl clad kick-your-ass rockers by nite. See the similarities? Featuring Melody Licious on bass, Amy Surdu on guitar/vox, and Cathy Carrell on drums, the Gore Gore Girls combine the grit of their Detroit musical history (MC5, Stooges, ALiCE), the tough punk asthetic of the Runaways, and fashion / harmony cues from those swingin' sixties in a way that screams cool. At this show they rocked and posed and thrashed for the better part of an hour; but most importantly, they sounded great while doing it, and managed to slyly mock the boys in the audience with what they had to offer. The highlight tune for me was "Standing on the Corner" (their last one, I believe), the subject matter of which discusses looking for that certain someone in proximity to the corner, and then throwing them away... ain't revenge sweet?

The Original Sinners feat. Exene Cervenka at the Mohawk Place Buffalo NY, August 6, 2002

Oh yeah, is doesn't get much better than finding out that Exene Cervenka, THE Exene Cervenka, Punk-Rockette Extraordinare (in the beginning it was Patti Smith, Debbie Harry and Exene...), would be arriving a mere hour away with her new side project, The Original Sinners, to show us all how it's really done. I got to meet her as well and was "anti-Christed" when she signed my cd booklet to Exena. Happy Birthday 2 weeks late to me, baby. All fan raving aside, I've said this before and I'll say it again: there aren't many "new" bands out that leave me raving after I've witnessed them live and in the flesh. The Original Sinners managed to teach me - and everyone there who was hip enough to recognize what's good for them - that bands can live up to their buzz, pleasantly floor their audience in the process, and make it okay to rave. They carried their energy level into the red the entire time with Exene as the leader of it all in her Sanrio socks and Mary Jane shoes, gracefully spewing forth lyrics to match the frenetic intensity of the band. The band's original tunes were excellent, but when they broke out into a rendition of Because I Do from Under the Big Black Sun, the audience went nuts, momentarily replacing the Sinners with the members of X, trying to create in their heads as best as possible the 'ultimate experience'. While references to X are fairly inevitable, the Original sinners managed to stand strong in their own right, bringing forth a high-octane blend of punk and cool that so many bands claim to have and so few actually do. Check them out and see how it's done.