2006 The Year In Concert

As 2006 draws to a close and last night I saw my last show of the year, I thought now would be good to review the year 2006 was.1) 1/7/06 Anthrax at the Nokia Theater: The return of the true Anthrax. With Dan and Joey back in the band they were better than ever. I had seen the John Bush Anthrax and it was good, but it can not compare to the original. Can not wait for new music by this line up.2) 1/20/06 Rolling Stones at Madison Square Garden w/ Metric: The Stones always put on a good show. Having seen 2 shows in 2005 I was not expecting much of a change. To hear “Sway” was awesome. Go and see Keith and the boys when you can. You never know if it will be their last. Opening band Metric was good but not given a chance by the harden Stones crowd. If you like synth pop/rock then give these guys a listen.3) 1/26/06 Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden: I like Billy but do not love him. This was the second of the 12 shows. I had seen him before, with and without Elton, and was never thrilled. This show blew my mind. I enjoyed so much that I went back three more times. The last show he played nine songs that I did not hear in the pervious three. “12 Gardens Live” is a good document of these shows.4) 2/17/06 Eddie Money at North Fork Theater w/ Stanton Anderson Band: Eddie Money is usually upfor a good time. This night was horrible. I do not know why but Eddie was off the money. Stanton Anderson Band are Long Island Legends. It was good to see them again. With a short amount of time there was no “Kill the Pain”. Check these guys at their web site.5) 3/4/06 Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden: see listing #3.6) 3/12/06 Queen at Nassau Coliseum: While the world will never see Freddie Mercury again Roger and Brian have a right to work and work the magic they do. Both Brian and Roger wrote hits for the band and if John does not want to play why should these guys sit on their butts. With the addition of Paul Rogers on vocals an enjoyable evening was had. My wife who is the biggest Queen fan I know did not want to go because it was not the “Real Queen”. She refused a t-shirt when we first got to the arena. Three songs in and she was hooked. Guess who got a shirt on the way out. If this does not speak for the band then nothing will.7) 3/24/06 The Allman Brothers at The Beacon Theater: The Brothers at their jammy best. This is not always my cup of tea but to see Warren Hayes play is special. The second set became a drag thanks to Susan Tedeschi. She destroyed The Bands “The Weight”.8) 3/26/06 Cold Play at Nassau Coliseum w/ Richard Ashcroft: Cold Play at best was OK. Chris Martin is a fine vocalist but he lacks that special “it” factor. His stage moves show he does not know how to command an audience. Richard Ashcroft ex lead singer of The Verve opened the show. Was expecting nothing but saw a performer who gives his all. While I did not enjoy a lot of his material it was a pleasure to watch someone who cared about their performance.9) 4/4/06 David Gilmore at Radio City Music Hall. This show was literally half and half. The first half consisted solely of his latest CD. The CD and set were self indulgent garbage. The appearance of David Crosby and Graham Nash did not help. The second set of Pink Floyd was very good. Rick Wright on keyboards gave us half of Floyd. The closing number of “Comfortably Numb” reminded us why we were there. It made you forget the horrible first set.10) 4/19/06 Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden: See item number 311) 4/24/06 Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden: See item number 3 final of the 12 shows.12) 5/5/06 INXS AT Radio City Music Hall w/ Dirtie Blonde: Having seen Michael Hutchence in 1984 and 1991 I knew what to expect from the band but not their new singer. J.D. fit right in and the band is still a power house. Go see this still viable band.13) 5/13/06 Depche Mode at Jones Beach w/ Goldfrapp: Not one of my favorites. I went with a family member who was dying to see Depche. I have seen them before and nothing has changed. If you are not a fan of this style of music then do not go. Everyone there seemed to love it so I guess a good show. I just did not see it. Goldfrapp was a good choice of opener for this show. They I thought were actually tuneful.14) 5/15/06 Guns and Roses at The Hammerstein Ballroom w/Bullet for my Valentine: Put aside waiting for Axel to come on stage after 11 this show was not enjoyable. This version of G&R does not come close to the original. Seeing this makes you wish even harder for Duff, Matt and Slash to come back. The new songs seemed weak being played with the classics. I will give this one highlight and that was Sebastian Bach singing “My Michelle” with Axel. Bullet for my Valentine should take a bullet.15) 5/18/06 Ronnie Montrose at Bb Kings Bar and Grill w/The Lizards: It has been many years since Ronnie came out to the east coast. Lets just say please come back soon. A great guitar show. The young ones should sit down front and learn. The Lizards is the band Bobby Rondinelli is with now. A great drummer. Check out www.thelizardswebsite.com for more.16) 5/19/06 The Go Gos at The Nokia Theater: A great time. No opener and got one hit after another. This show was a part of a mini tour celebrating 25 years since Beauty and the Beat was released. They did the whole album in order and then the rest of their hits.17) 5/2/106 Poco at North Fork Theater w/ Firefall and Pure Prairie League. Three bands and only a handful of original members. Firefall was OK. Pure Prairie League was a big surprise and very enjoyable. Craig Fuller was a delight. Poco was the same has last seen in 2005. Not very good. Rusty just does not have enough in the tank to carry the band.18) 5/26/06 Styx at Jones Beach Theater w/Foreigner. Styx for the last few years knows what to do. Give them the hits. They do give a sprinkling of new material but on this tour the new material was a cover album. Next to the Styx greats we got “I am the Walrus”. A very talented band that could easily go thru the motions but does not. I have always been a big fan a Foreigner but this is not Foreigner. With only Mick Jones in the line up this is nothing more than a cover band, note to Axel this is where you are headed fast. While Jason Bonham is a great drummer the new singer Kelly Hansen is no Lou Gramm and while some bands can over come a change in vocalist this band has yet to.19) 6/2/06 Linda Ronstadt at the Beacon Theater: This Linda still has got the pipes. The first half was the Nelson Riddle material the second half was the mellow hits. Linda does not rock out anymore. A shame because I bet she could do it. American Idol should have her on to teach these want-a-bees how to sing.20) 6/9/06 The New Cars Jones Beach Theater w/ Blondie: This tour was promoted as Blondie’s last US tour. I hope not Debbie Harry has only gotten better with age. In front of the home town crowd they hit a home run. Clem on drums seems to have slow down a bit, but he still beats the kit. This was one of the final shows on the tour since it had to end early. Elliot Easton was playing this night with a broken shoulder. This was not announced till after the tour was cancelled a couple of days later. Elliot was a trouper and showed no signs. The problem is Todd Rundgren. He seems to be imitating Ric Ocasek and not in a flattering way. Todd who has made remakes about Ric. He should not take it out on the audience. I feel bad for Prince (a fine drummer) Greg, Elliot and Kasim.21) 6/17/06 Nine Inch Nails at Jones Beach w/Peaches and Bauhaus: I had never heard of Peaches before. She is a rocker that mixes with performance art. It maybe an acquired taste but I liked it. Bauhaus showed why they are the kings of Goth. Bela Legosi's Dead killed. Nine Inch Nails might as well stay home. So much of the music was not played live it was a joke. The number in attendance proves their day has past.22) 6/20/06 Tom Petty at Madison Square Garden w/ Trey Anastasio: Petty claiming this is the last tour he will do. If true then he went out swinging. A great show. The Heartbreakers were tight as can be. The Garden was one of 7 shows Stevie Nicks did. Her singing “Stop Dragging my Heart Around” with Tom was worth the price of admission. Trey was a good opener but I think he needs to be out on his own and not opening with the usual short amount of time. I do not think opening for Petty will get him to a new audience.23) 6/22/06 Bruce Springsteen at Madison Square Garden: Please Please Please Bruce get back with the E Street Band. I know artist need to stretch out but two tours in a row is killer. The solo shows from last year were better than this.24) 6/23/06 Faith Hill and Tim McGraw at Madison Square Garden: They start off together but then Faith does her set and then Tim. It should have been the other way around. Tim is a fine performer but at least at this show the crowd was all hers. All in all an enjoyable show.25) 6/24/06 Def Leppard at Jones Beach w/Journey: This turned out to be one of the last shows Journey did with Steve Augeri. Steve left the tour due to illness. He was replaced by Jeff Scot Soto ex Yngwie Malmsteen. Steve sounded fine. The one thing that was funny is that the drummer Dean Castronovo sang three songs. It was announced on 12/19 that Steve is now out of the band and Jeff is permanent. Funny Steve is already working on a solo CD. Wonder what really happened? Neil Schon was this night as always on fire. A great guitar player. Def Leppard is one of the very 80’s bands that does not go thru the motions. It is why they will still draw 6,000 to 10,000 a night. May Joe and Rick and the boys get that new album out in 2007.26) 6/28/06 Madonna at Madison Square Garden: A complete joke and embarrassed that I was there. I only went because for years I have been told I had to see her since I saw everyone else and she does a great show. Well if I want to hear a tape I will play a CD. You could actually hear the difference in sound when she sang live as opposed to lip sinking. As far as a great show lets remember she got kicked out of every dance school she went to. She refused to have air condition on to save her voice. While we sweated like pigs she tried to claim she was live. NEVER AGAIN I SWEAR!!!!27) 7/1/06 Jimmy Buffett at Jones Beach: I had never seen him before and I am not a Parrot Head. The party was great and I can see why people go again again. Rock on Jimmy.28) 7/12/06 The Alarm at the Bowery Ballroom w/ Mr. North: Mike Peters my be the only original member left in the band but the new guys have been with him for years now and they prove there is still hope for Rock and Roll. The US did not see much of The Alarm this year due to Mike fighting a form of Cancer. This was the only US show if the summer. He did an in store earlier in the day and knocked everybody socks off at this show. . The new material is just as good as the old. Ex-Gene Loves Jezebel guitarist James Stevenson, former The Cult and Mission UK bassist Craig Adams and Stiff Little Fingers drummer Steve Grantley, rock harder than most bands in their 20’s. Hope to see many shows in 2007. I never miss this band and neither should you.29) 7/13/06 David Lee Roth at the Nokia Theater: David has always been fun and mostly does a great show. This night it was all wrong. You could tell something was ticking David off and he was not at his best. Doing Jamie's Cryin' twice, once the way it was originally recorded and once with a blue grass band did not help. A disappointing show from a man who as always done better.30) 7/14/06 Ringo Starr at North Fork Theater w/Sheila E, Richard Marx, Billy Squire, Rod Argent and Edgar Winter: Ringo did his usual show of taking you down memory lane and just having fun with all those great old tunes. I took my nine year son and he loved it as much as I did. This line up had to be the strongest line up he has had with him since he had the all British All Star line up. Sheila E is a great drummer period. She can outplay most guys. Richard Marx may have been the weakest member of this band but he held his own. Always a fan of Billy Squire all the way to the begging. He was the lead guitar player in this band and he wowed me. When you see Billy he always had a great lead guitar player with him. He nailed the George Harrsion, Carl Perkins and every other solo in the set perfectly. It made me wonder why he never played his own leads before. I have always loved the Zombies and have seen Rod Argent many times. I have been lucky enough to have met him more than once and he is always one of the nicer people you will ever meet. His contribution to this band was fantastic. Edgar Winter I had never seen before but I will as soon as he comes back. He was unbelievable. A great surprise.31) 7/19/06 Black Crowes at Jones Beach Theater w/ Drive by Truckers and Robert Randolph: Robert Randolph is one have the few jam bands that can hold your attention. They are musically one of the better if not the best of the jammy bands I have seen. They had to follow a very good set by the Drive by Truckers. The Black Crowes did an OK show. Not great but not a terrible show to say the least.32) 7/28/06 Chicago at Jones Beach Theater w/ Huey Lewis and the News: I saw Huey Lewis in 1982 right before he broke big. I remember telling a friend back then that they were good and he should like them. Back then “Do You Believe In Love” was just breaking. That night 24 years ago Huey got cheered coming on and booed off because he was that bad. I never saw him again. People have been telling me how great he was in ’85 and again a few years ago. I was curious to see him. He stunk again. The news was bad. Chicago played their typical show. They made all the right stops and saved the night. They play all their hits but no longer inspire.33) 8/5/06 The Warp Tour at Nassau Coliseum: Got there when the gates opened and left when the show was done. Many bands seen that day here are a couple of the highlights. TAT a three piece from England. Check out their song “Champagne Cocaine and Strawberries”. Tatiana Demaria is a fine rock vocalist. I talked to them after their set. They went into debt to do The WARP tour so it maybe a awhile before the US sees them again.The Sounds were one of the better bands of the day. They only got 30 mins like everybody else but they did the most with theirs. Opening up with “Not Living in America was great”. Joan Jett proved once again why she is the original that all others follow. More on her later. The Pink Spiders showed that some of the young guys have what it takes. The record company missed the boat on this CD. Their CD came out the Tues, four days before this show. They came out on stage and before they hit the first note the little girls were screaming for them. Why did Geffen have this band full of potential play tiny little dumps that they played on their first tour instead of getting them on a big tour bill? This CD should have been one of the successes of 2006 and not a miss. I wish these guys a great 2007 and hope bigger things for them in the future.34) 8/7/06 Van Morrison at Jones Beach Theater w/ James Hunter: The best Van Morrison show I have seen. For the first time all of the hits. The voice is still there. James Hunter is a good guitar player but needs to find a vocalist.35) 8/8/06 Poison at Jones Beach Theater w/Cinderella: Something wrong with Tom Keifer voice this night. A shame since they usually rock. Many times they should have head line over Poison. Bret and company are the same they were 20 years ago. Playing ability not so much, having a good time A++++++.36) 8/11/06 John Fogerty at Jones Beach Theater w/ Willie Nelson. This had to be the best Fogerty show I have seen since 1997. Kenny Aronoff on drums always delivers the power house. With John’s catalog this is a cant miss show. Willie got a full set and for me that was too much. At first this crowd welcomed seeing a legend but it wore out quick.37) 8/17/06 Steely Dan at Jones Beach Theater w/ Michael Mc Donald: I found Michael to be boring and lifeless. Steely Dan are great musicians and delivered a fine show but no Rikki?38) 8/18/06 The James Gang at The Beacon Theater w/ JD and the Straight shot: JD IS James Dolan owner of Cablevision, the New York Knicks and Rangers ECT. He has a lot of nerve singing the blues. Daddy formed the company and handed it to him. Hey James when singing the blues your key board player should not be pouring wine for the bass player. Oh yeah this band lacks talent. They belong in a local bar not opening for legends because you pulled a string. The James Gang is Joe Walsh with out the Don Henley leash. He was loud and he rocked. Skip the old Eagles and see Joe.39) 8/23/06 Crosby Stills Nash and Young at Jones Beach Theater: Neil is as important today as he was in 1969. Together these four are magic. If Neil can not stay with these guys then please do another Crazy Horse tour.40) 8/26/06 The Beach Boys at North Fork Theater: Only down to one and a half guys left. Bruce Johnson is not an original but is close enough. Great show to go sing along but unlike CSN&Y the magic is gone and nothing new to offer.41) 8/31/06 Peter Frampton at North Fork Theater w/ Johnny A. Johnny A is a fine guitar player but the songs are boring. Peter Frampton was really on this night. Forget the hair (or lack of now) Peter has always been and will be a great guitar player.42) 9/7/06 Shakira at Madison Square Garden w/ Wyclef Jean: Some one has got to tell Wyclef how to finish a song. He starts one and then just goes off to yelling “Yeah” and “in the house”. Sorry but any one can do this. Shakira holds the stage and knows how to perform. My only regret was not knowing Spanish. She still sings the majority of the set in Spanish.43) 9/8/06 Asia at Nokia Theater: I do not know what the attendance was for this tour but on this night the place was empty. New York was the only place that got two shows so maybe it was too much. Steve Howe was wonderful. Carl Palmer one of the worlds greatest drummers but over plays. John Wetton still surly. The set was the whole 1st ablum a couple of tracks from their second and a song from each of their past. A Good show and worth seeing.44) 9/12/06 Roger Waters at Madison Square Garden: Roger did what David did not. He entertained. The first set was a mix of Floyd and Solo material. The only time he lost the crowd was on a new song about the Middle East. If you know Roger the song is the story of when he was 17 he hitch hike in the Middle East. Yes he makes some political comments in the song but if you read all of the lyrics it is about his experience. The second set was Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety. At this MSG show for this set we got Nick Mason on drums. Got to see Floyd this year but it took tow shows.45) 9/13/06 The Who at Jones Beach Theater w/Peeping Tom: Peeping Tom is the new band for former Faith No More vocalist Mike Patton. They are a noise band. This label fits them perfectly. They are nothing but noise and this was not their crowd at all. The Who played great as always but 12 new songs before the CD is even out is hard to get thru. No songs from Quadrophenia my personal fave. Now that the CD is out I look forward to seeing the band again in March. Hoping for some Quad. The version of “You Better You Bet” they do now is killer. "Baba O'Riley" and Wont Get Fooled Again” always brings down the house. "Relay" was cool.46) 9/15/06 Roger Waters at Jones Beach: Same as above but no Nick Mason.47) 9/17/06 Aerosmith at Jones Beach Theater w/ Motley Crue: I thought Motley was bad last year on the reunion tour and this I felt was even worse. Even in their heyday the only one who could play was Tommy. These last two tours have shown that Tommy has lost two steps. Mick Mars is not well and it is showing. This being the first tour for Aerosmith since Stevens’s throat surgery made sense for them to do a co-headling bill. By doing so they had to play a shorter set. All killer and no filler.48) 9/18/06 The Who at Madison Square Garden w/Pepping Tom same has number 4549) 9/19/06 Cactus at BB Kings w/The Lizards: Cactus is sometimes the forgotten great band of the 70’s. Carmine and Tim are always strong. I hope to see these guys play some more.50) 9/27/06 The Rolling Stones at Giants Stadium w/Kayne West: Not a rap fan but Kayne West impressed with his professionalism. This Stones show started real slow and was not sold out. I guess too many shows in the area on this tour. I was worried that I was going to see a bad Stones show. It seemed that Keith was not playing much during this show. You could see him just not playing his guitar. Wonder if he was not fully healed from his fall. By half way the rest of the band clicked. To hear “Far Away Eyes” was worth it.51) 9/29/06 Eric Clapton at Madison Square Garden w/ Robert Cray: One needs to see Robert as an opener. As a headliner he can not hold the audience and it gets stiff. This night with minimal time he had to be on and he was. As far as Clapton I never drank the Kool Aide that makes people drop to their knees with him. When I last saw him in 2001 I thought it was so bad I swore I would never go again unless it was Cream. When Cream came I saw the first and last show of the three they did in NY. Even then I thought Clapton was being carried by Jack and Ginger. This night I finally found Eric to be OK. The songs are to slow now and the fire is gone. Maybe it is age catching up but seeing Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page on their last tours shows me this does not have to be.52) 10/7/06 Vanilla Fudge at BB Kings w/ Barnaby Bye: Barnaby Bye was good. Great power pop. The Fudge has toured the last few years but this was the first time in awhile where it was all four members. Tim, Carmine, Mark and Vince have something special. Vince is a much better guitar player than most people give him credit for.53) 10/9/06 Rod Stewart Nokia Theater: a special show to promote his new album and was going off satellite to movie theaters. The first eight songs were off the Still The Same CD. This is a fine CD and one of my favorites of the year. It is a shame that Rod feels not to write any more and to only do covers. The show was cut a little short due to the satellite. Have tickets for February can not wait.54) 10/12/06 Iron Maiden at Nassau Coliseum w/ Bullet for My Valentine: Iron Maiden played well but to do the whole new album and only five classics is a bit much. Especially when those five songs do not include “Number of the Beast” or “The Trooper”. A band can do both.55) 10/14/06 Robin Trower at BB Kings: Robin shows that a full set of great guitar can be done with out changing axes. The whole show one guitar. All of his classics were played and his band was very good. He maybe getting old but so far still has it.56) 10/20/06 The Cheetah Girls Nassau Coliseum with Jordan Pruitt and Vanessa Anne Hudgens: I took my six year old daughter to this. She loved it and Disney knows how to make stars. Jordan’s CD will be out in February. She is a spunky 15 year old who the pre tweens are going to love. Vanessa the star of High School musical proved she has a voice and may go far. The Cheetah’s do an hour and are gone. Perfect for their young crowd. They do all the songs from their movies and the kids love it. How about a band? All three acts sang to tapes.57) 10/21/106 The Outlaws at BB Kings: Saw the band last year when Henry Paul was still in the band. It was good but he brings a certain mellow to the act. Now that Henry is back with Black Hawk, The Outlaws rock so hard you can feel the ceiling come down. Do not miss them when they hit town. Gary Rossington made a big mistake by letting Hughie go.58) 10/24/06 The Killers at The Theater at Madison Square Garden w/ Red Romance: The Killers are one of the few bands that get it. That it is about passion and not fake emo.59) 11/1/06 Elton John at Nassau Coliseum: Last year Elton was a disappointment. We went not really excited by being there. Well this night was a great show. Proves that sometimes you have to let a bad night go and go again. A great set a great new CD.60) 11/2/06 Meat Loaf at the Palace Theater: A great show. Early in the tour so the voice was still there. The new girl is a fine vocalist but is no Patty Russo. Patty has barroom bullishness to her voice that can not be match. Missed her.61) 11/4/06 Ritchie Havens at the Patchogue Theater w/ Aztec Two Step and Steve Forbet.Aztec was OK and Steve not very good. Ritchie shows that age sometime means nothing. He inspired and reaches your soul.62) 11/16/06 Cheap Trick at the Beacon Theater w/ Fastball and Soul Asylum. Fastball was just the two guitar players and only did a couple of acoustic numbers. Soul Asylum was very good and Dave should still be a star. Cheap Trick was good as always. Rick, Robin, Tom and Bun E. are tight and all good musicians.63) 11/19/06 Donovan at North Fork Theater: Donovan much like Ritchie Havens. They have something to say and know how to get it across. Both are very entertaining with their stories. Donovan is also one hell of a guitar player. He commanded his guitar with a pick and finger style.64) 11/21/06 The Fixx at Nokia Theater w/ Naked Eyes, Missing Persons and The Knack: Naked Eyes opened the show. The band was a duo but the keyboard player has passed. They got a half hour but unless you are a fan of more than the two hits it was not very good. Missing persons is Dale with who ever she has that tour. Every tour there is a different band with her. Her back catalog is enough to keep you going. “Walking in LA” will always get you moving. The Knack with three original members Doug, Berton and Prescott and their drummer Pat Torpey from Mr. Big rocked the house. Best band of the night. Pat hit the drums so hard he was knocking over mikes. The Fixx had to follow The Knack and they could not.65) 12/2/06 Joan Jett at Irving Plaza: Joan in a full set is a great thing to see. The Black hearts she has now have been with her longer than the originals (still miss Ricky). They are tight. Joan still gives it her all and she has a lot to give.66) 12/13/06 Beach Boys at North Fork Theater: The Christmas show. They start with hits then give you the Christmas album and back to hits. A can not miss show for this time of year.67) 12/20/06 Trans Siberian Orchestra at Nassau Coliseum: Great show. The first half with the narrator is always moving. Greg Lake at the end a nice surprise.68) 12/29/06 High School Musical the Concert at Nassau Coliseum w/ Jordan Pruitt: Again a show I took my six year old daughter. Jordan seems to have gotten better. Touring with the Cheetah Girls has given her some confidence but still no band. High School Musical had a band but some of them did not appear to sing live. Certainly the back ground vocals were on tape. They assemble numbers is like seeing a Broadway play. Dancers and waiting for they payoff of the big number. There were three showcases. First was Ashley Tisdale. She has a CD coming out next year. Her three songs she did were very Gwen Stefani and that is not a bad thing. With her being on The Suite Life of Zach and Cody weather you like it or not should be a hit. Next up was Corbin Bleu. He also has a new CD coming out. The sound track to a movie Disney is behind called Jump In. Very high energy dance music. Will get the little ones to dance. The final show case was Vanessa Hudgens. She was definitely live when she sang. Her CD did well this year so it was even more surprising that Ashley got a bigger pop. Weather we like it or not Disney is going to be a power house this year in the music business. This year they had two number CD’s with High School Musical and Hannah Montana. 2007 is bringing us High School Musical 2 Hannah Montana 2 and another CD under Hannah’s real name Miley Cyrus. Jump In has potential as does Ashley CD. They were also pushing a new Hilary Duff CD that is not out to April.Have a happy NEW YEAR ALL AND A GREAT ROCKIN 2007.