2011 was an amazing year for live shows. I had the chance to see some amazing performances this year so whittling them down to just 10 shows was really heard. From local nasty roots rock and progressive Metal masters to classic Hard Rockers and a Stoner Metal power Trio, I got to see it all. It was a very diverse year and I honestly have to say that even though not every show got listed here, every show I saw this year was stellar. The 10 shows that did make my list just happen to be the ones that made a huge impact on me. They are not listed in order of awesomeness but hands down the greatest show this year was Alice Cooper. Alice brought his Alice Cooper Show to a nearly capacity house here in Atlanta and proved just why nobody does it like he does. It was a top notch class act from the Godfather of Shock Rock.
The Great Southern Brainfart’s Show of the Year!
Alice Cooper
December 13, 2011 – Atlanta, GA – Cobb Energy Center
Putting on the best show I saw this year, Alice Cooper proved once and for all that nobody does it quite like he does. Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, they may have the money for the huge production but they fail in comparison to have the songs to go along with the production creating the full package. Classics like “I’m Eighteen”, “Elected” and “Schools Out” are timeless classics that still connect with the younger generation and this show proved that. The show was a nonstop hit machine which even managed to pull out some deep cuts like “Clones” and “Halo of Flies” to a rabid audience made of about four generations of Alice Cooper fans. Alice himself didn’t miss a beat as he looked absolutely amazing and sounded as good as he ever has with his strong, raspy voice. Nobody does it quite like Alice Cooper and I don’t know that anyone ever will. It was an amazing night of classic songs delivered by a man that put the word “master” in master of ceremonies. This Alice Cooper Show was an absolutely amazing way to close out an awesome year of live music.
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Six Shot Revival
April 06, 2011 – Atlanta, GA – The Drunken Unicorn
Tucked away in a dark, dank underground (literally) club, The Six Shot Revival took to the stage for a face melting one hour performance that rocked their sparse but appreciative and vocal following. Cranking out songs like, “Bandit”, “Southern Gentleman” and “DeVille” (dedicated to yours truly), Six Shot Revival’s sweltering performance gave me an idea of just what it might have been like to see Aerosmith back in the day in the grungy bars of Boston. The band was firing on all cylinders and left every ounce of sweat they had on that stage. Lead singer Marc Manley Phillips is an old school Rock N’ Roll in the body of a young man. This guy totally gets it and knows just what it takes to not only be a great frontman but to lead a band with a Led Zeppelin worthy rhythm section and a guitar player would would stop Joe Perry in his tracks. This was a truly unforgettable performance and when these boys do take off, I can say I was there.
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Symphony X
May 19, 2011 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
Symphony X is proof that great, epic Heavy Metal can be made right here in America and just as good if not better than our brothers and sisters overseas. After the cancellation of Nevermore on this tour, many thought they would pack this tour in but instead they forged forward performing an epic 2 hour set to a near capacity room. Russell Allen has definitely graduated with honors from the school of epic Metal frontmen taking from the best such as Ronnie James Dio and Bruce Dickinson. The performance was stellar as the band melted everyone down with songs like “Set The World On Fire”, “End of Innocence” and “Paradise Lost” only to return to the stage for the encore of the 20 minute epic “The Odyssey.” Symphony X solidified themselves this night as one of my top favorite Metal bands with a flawless, soul filled performance.
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CJ Ramone
July 13, 2011 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
CJ Ramone hit the road in 2011 keeping the memory and the spirit of The Ramones alive and well with a band featuring legendary Ramones producer/session musician Daniel Rey. CJ delivered a skull crushing set that was heavy on Ramones classic like, “Glad To See You Go”, “Blitzkrieg Bop” and “Endless Vacation.” The audience was made up of easily 3 generations of Ramones fans with the younger ones not even old enough to have seen the band before their break up over 15 years ago. A room full of smiles as CJ made us laugh, told stories and just proved yet again why he was the heart and soul of the band for those last crucial years. A good time was had by all and the show capped off with a new CJ Ramone composition that he dedicated to his “fallen brothers” called “3 Angels On My Shoulder.” CJ didn’t bring us all back to the good ol’ days. He brought the good ol’ days back to us and did it in a huge way.
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KYNG
July 21, 2011 – Atlanta, GA
Kyng completely took me by surprise and melted my face clean off with their 30 minute opening set for Black Stone Cherry. My buddy Shawn sent me a message on Facebook telling me, “Get there early and see Kyng. You’re welcome.” Needless to say this California based trio hit me right where it counts with a bombastic metal sound inspired by the likes of Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer and Soundgarden topped off with a few blast beats here and there for good measure. Eddie, Veliz, Tony Casteneda and Pepi Clarke took to the stage like they were the only band playing that night and song after song the crowd became more intrigued and moved closer and closer to the stage to take it all in. By end of the epic set closing “The Beauty of the End / Shorelines, Pt. 1 & 2”, a sea of opened mouths and melted faces were left in their wake. Right away I knew I had witnessed something really special and seen one of my new favorite bands.
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Cinderella
July 29, 2011 – Atlanta, GA – Wild Bill’s
After being plagued with a serious vocal chord issue, Cinderella’s Tom Keifer packed the band and gear into the tour bus and hit the road to celebrate 25 years of classic Hard Rock music. Playing to near capacity room, Cinderella took to the stage opening with “Once Around The Ride” from their debut album “Night Songs.” This was the song that opened their first tour back in 1986 so it was literally bringing it all back around full circle. For the next 1.5 hours, Cinderella would bring out all the hits like “Nobodys Fool”, “Somebody Save Me” and “Don’t Know What You Got Till It’s Gone.” The band dipped a tad deep to pull out songs like “The More Things Change” and “Second Wind” only to blow everyone’s faces clean off with an encore of “Long Cold Winter.” Keifer and Co may have been playing a set of nostalgic songs but they performed way more and way better than a nostalgic act. Cinderella is still very much a relevant force in Hard Rock music and one can only hope that maybe one day we’ll see some new material from these guys.
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Holy Grail
August 12, 2011 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
It’s probably no surprise that Holy Grail has yet again made a “list” here at the Brainfart. Well, if these guys would learn to not kick so much fucking ass maybe they’d be left off a list but until then, they will continue to make the lists. Holy Grail pulled into Atlanta as the opening act for Toxic Holocaust and yet again proved to not just reign supreme but to flat out annihilate everyone on the bill. I’ve watched these guys’ following grow with every visit almost as if they are like Heavy Metal Johnny Appleseeds. They come to town, plant their metal seed and the next time return to see more fans with each visit. Opening with “Immortal Man” right away brought a huge roar and a moshpit as the band stormed through song after song slaying everyone in attendance. James Paul Luna is an old Heavy Metal soul who, much like Symphony X’s Russell Allen, possesses the spirit of classic Metal frontmen such as Ronnie James Dio and Bruce Dickinson. Luna has a commanding yet endearing presence and had the crowd eating out of his claw. Closing the night with “Fight To Kill” was a moment to be seen as the crowd roared word for word back at the band as they showed their allegiance to the mighty Grail. The next time these guys come to town they better be headliners because it won’t be long before the clubs will be unable to contain the energy of this band and their fans. Hail the Grail!
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Skid Row
September 16, 2011 – Atlanta, GA – Wild Bills
In the same way that Dream Theater proved that there is live after Mike Portnoy, Skid Row proved that there is indeed live without Sebastian Bach. I know that Bach will always be considered the voice of Skid Row and trust me, I’m a huge fan but what I can also tell you is that for nearly two hours, Skid Row proved to me that they can still bring the face melt in a huge way. Skid Row’s current line up is an absolutely mind blowing line up featuring singer Johnny Solinger (who at this point has been in Skid Row longer than Sebastian Bach was) and drummer Rob Hammersmith and they really blew me away with an amazing set list featuring classic Skid Row tunes and a handful of songs from their Solinger era releases “Thick Skin” and “Revolutions Per Minute.” The band performed as if they had been together forever and Solinger proved himself more than worthy by ripping through songs like “Psycho Love”, “Monkey Business” and “18 & Life” but it was his hair raising performance of “Quicksand Jesus” that had me saying “Sebastian Who?” A very pleasant surprise for a long time fan of a great band with timeless songs. Skid Row is still here and still very much a relevant part of hard rock music.
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Sabaton
October 16, 2011 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
One of my biggest complaints has always been that American audiences at Metal shows always seem to be one of two extremes. It’s either a bunch of meatheads causing a big ruckus in the pit or everyone just stands around with their fingers in their noses. This was not the case with Sweden’s Sabaton. When Sabaton took the stage here in Atlanta, the audience of a couple hundred was as vocal and loud as a mass of thousands. Opening things with “Ghost Division”, the crowd roared with massive volume and for the next hour and 20 minutes gave as much as they got. Lead vocalist Joakim Brodén is like a slap happy version of Bruce Dickinson as the guy never quit smiling as he led his crew through a great mix of songs spanning the bands 12 year career. Songs like “40:1”, “Uprising” and “The Art of War” all brought a huge response but it was “Primo Victoria” that had the Masquerade jumping up and down with such force it was causing the PA speakers to rock band and forth. I literally could feel the floor bowing in beneath me. Sabaton is without a doubt a season European band who is used to rocking out to large hordes of fans but on this night in Atlanta to a few hunderd diehards, they give them the same level and quality of performance. Sabaton definitely delivered the goods that night and so did Atlanta right back to them.
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Dream Theater
October 19, 2011 – Atlanta, GA – The Tabernacle
Before a nearly sold out house, Dream Theater answered the much asked question: Is there life after Mike Portnoy? Opening with a hilarious cartoon intro that played on the visual screens above the stage, you could feel the anticipation and excitement in the air. Mike Mangini took the stage behind his drums to a thunderous roar of applause and the rest of the band followed all smiles as they launched into “Bridges in the Sky.” The band seemed to having so much fun as they all seemed to really come out of their shells. Singer James LaBrie seemed to have learned a trick or two from Bruce Dickinson while opening for Iron Maiden. He really worked the audience and the stage song after song while guitarist John Petrucci took time to cut up with the crowd and with LaBrie at times mimicking him. Drummer Mike Mangini was basking in the glow of his new gig and when James LaBrie introduced him saying, “You know him, you love him and we do to… MIKE MANGINI ON THE DRUMS” the place errupted in a roar giving him a huge standing ovation. Mangini was moved to tears and you couldn’t wipe the smile from his face. The band delivered an inspired and heartfelt set capped off by what I feel is their strongest song to date, “Breaking All Illusions.” Dream Theater has a newfound energy and youthfulness to them that is totally contagious and spread among their fans. What a stellar way to answer that question with a big ass YES: THERE IS LIFE AFTER MIKE PORTNOY. And a great life at that.
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