retroblog.net

When a local radio station gave me tickets to see Rain, a Beatles tribute band, I really didn’t know what to say at first. I mean, I’m a life-long Beatles fan and for me to see a Beatles cover band just felt sort of blasphemous, you know what I mean? Why should I support a band that makes a living off of music that they have absolutely nothing to do with?? Come on, I’d go see Paul or Ringo in a heartbeat but these guys??? I mean, who are these guys? Yes, I understand that Rain is one of the bigger Beatles tribute acts and they even did a stint on broadway. But, I just didn’t feel the need to see some faux-Beatles group.

So, after all of my whining and huffing & puffing, I ended up realizing that I could simply just do this for my ten year old son. Yes, chalking this whole thing up to my kid’s musical education gave me a reason to go to this show.

Anyway, Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles, were scheduled for two performances at the Durham Performing Arts Center this past week. My son and I attended the tuesday night show.

Essentially the show is a live recreation of the Beatles’ musical career from ’62 to ’70. In addition to the band playing and looking like the Beatles, there are elaborate stage setups, synchronized lighting and videos. The goal is to transport the audience back to the ’60′s. They even show TV commercials from the era on the video screens to set the mood.

Honestly, the concert was better than I expected. It all sounds cheesy on paper but the whole show was actually a fun experience. The band did a great job in trying to recreate all the sounds correctly which is a tough feat since most of the audience knows these tunes backwards and forwards. And kudos to the stage and lighting designers. The visuals were very well done and took the show beyond merely just being another run of the mill Beatles tribute night. There were four stage design changes to cover the major eras – “The Ed Sullivan Show” setup, “Shea Stadium”, “Sgt. Peppers” and the “Let it Be/Rooftop” setting.

It wasn’t all perfect though. There were some lyric flubs here and there, and the synths covering the string parts on “Yesterday” and “Eleanor Rigby” were mixed way too loud during the songs. And quite frankly the mimicry including the body movements/mannerisms and the heavy accents when speaking with the audience kinda got old after a while.

A highlight for me was during the “acoustic set” when they played songs like “Girl”, “In My Life” and “I’ve Just Seen a Face”. It felt a bit more natural during this set since it didn’t rely heavily on visuals or mimicry. It felt less constrained and they even did an extended guitar jam during “I’ve Just Seen a Face” which was a nice change of pace when everything else was almost a note for note carbon copy of the records.

All in all, my son and I had a fun night singing along to a bunch of Beatles tunes. Rain did a commendable job in recreating the look and sound of the liverpool lads. Nothing earth shattering here but it’s great to be able to share the experience with your kids.

retroGrade: B

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“City in my head, Utopia. Heaven in my body, Utopia. Into the sky it rises now…” Man, who would have thought that we’d be able to hear Todd Rundgren sing that line live on stage in this day and age? That’s right, 70′s era prog-rock was alive and well at the Carolina Theatre this past thursday night. Todd Rundgren reunited with members of his 1974 incarnation of Utopia to relive all the bombastic and overblown musicality that 70′s prog-rock was known for. I’m pretty sure there were a good number of fans at the venue that were totally confused by all this prog and I won’t go into that particular issue here since I addressed it in a previous post. But for fans of this era of Utopia, it was a dream come true.

From the very get-go when the curtain rose to reveal Rundgren and the rest of the band in colorful psychedelic garb, it was obvious we were in for a unique treat. The band dove straight into this progfest with a faithful rendition of “Utopia Theme”. Too bad Rundgren didn’t have much of a tour budget because with the “Spinal Tap-ish” instrumental passages, it’d be a perfect spot to drop a miniature stonehenge down from the rafters.

And it couldn’t be considered a Todd show without some flubs, gaffes and senior moments. With the complexity of this type of music, it was inevitable. Things came to a crashing halt when Todd lost his place in the middle of “Utopia Theme”. He had to stop the band and start the passage over. Actually that whole song was a bit shaky. Not sure what was going on. Kevin Ellman seemed to rely heavily on John Siegler to figure out where the changes were. But once they got to “Freak Parade”, things got much tighter. I guess they weren’t quite “warmed up” at the start of the set.

I do have to note that John Siegler was rock solid all night. Loved his playing and he appeared to be the most enthusiastic out of everyone there. He was “so into it”, Siegler ended up breaking a bass string by the time they got to “the Wheel”. Todd proudly points out that he hadn’t broken a guitar string so far in the tour but “the bass player did instead”.

Todd’s other quip of the night was that we were all getting a high “note to dollar” return on our ticket purchase. With all the complex riffs and runs he had to play on the guitar all night, we were definitely getting money’s worth… well, at least in terms of notes played.

other random thoughts:
Ralph Schuckett didn’t crack a smile up until their ending bow after “Just One Victory”. I suppose without Moogy Klingman there, all the major keyboard parts landed on Shuckett’s shoulders. So, all that seriousness is understandable since he’s got so much to play. Kasim Sulton appeared to have picked up some of the slack on keys. He spent the bulk of the night behind the keyboards to support Schuckett. Even Jesse Gress helped out on keys during some parts in the set. But Moogy played a major part in the original material so his presense was definitely missed. (our thoughts are with you, Moogy!! hopefully, Klingman will be able to join the band at the three New York area gigs.) It’s a shame Jesse Gress didn’t help out on guitar. Gress is a monster on guitar and for him to be relegated to backing vocals, percussion and some keys is just so odd. I guess Rundgren wanted the challenge of playing all the guitar parts himself???

All in all, it was a great show. Yes, it wasn’t perfect and the band was missing a major component of the 74-era Utopia sound (Moogy) but to see and hear these guys play “The Ikon”, “Freak Parade” and “Freedom Fighters” was well worth the price of admission.

highlights for me included: Todd singing the “You Don’t Have to Be Afraid” section of “the Ikon” (my favorite part of the 30-minute song). Also, “the Wheel” was a welcomed change of pace after all that PROG. and of course “Freedom Fighters”, “Freak Parade” and “Just One Victory”.

retroGrade: A
(hell yeah, I’m biased. come on, it’s Todd Rundgren, damn it! the man has gone above and beyond to bring “something completely different” for his small but loyal fan-base. the man could simply just tour his tried & true setlist endlessly but obviously he enjoys the challenge of changing things up. kudos to Todd for going the extra mile.)

Oh, and a big thanks to the Carolina Theatre for sponsoring the Todd show. It has been apparent that local concert promoters haven’t been all that interested in bringing Rundgren around here since the last Todd concert in the triangle back in 2004 at the Cat’s Cradle. Hopefully with the number of fans that showed up at this show, promoters will consider bringing him back on his next tour.

Here’s the setlist:
Utopia Theme
Freak Parade
Heavy Metal Kids
Another Life
Something’s Coming
Seven Rays
Do Ya
The Wheel
The Ikon
Freedom Fighters
Just One Victory

Utopia 2011: Todd Rundgren, Kevin Ellman, Ralph Schuckett, John Siegler, Jesse Gress, Kasim Sulton (and Moogy Klingman for 3 shows)
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I’m sure it has been a bit difficult for promoters to properly market these upcoming Utopia gigs. Any advertising would have to reach the casual fan since most “diehards” would already have tickets to the shows by now. And there-in lies the confusion. From a marketing perspective, you have to remind the general music fan at large of the fact that Todd Rundgren is the guy behind songs like “Hello It’s Me” and “Bang on the Drum All Day”. But when you mention Rundgren’s familiar hits in your ads, you wind up with concert goers expecting syrupy ballads like “Can We Still Be Friends” and “It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference”.

Take the case of what’s written up on the website for the show I’m going to at the Carolina Theatre:
Rock’s ultimate cult hero, Todd Rundgren is a prolific and talented musician and producer who has created a staggering amount of sounds and styles over the last few decades, everything from Beatles-inspired pop to a cappella recordings. His 1972 double album Something/Anything?, showcased his genius better than any other Rundgren record before or since, with such radio hits as “Hello, It’s Me” and “I Saw the Light.”

That’s all fine and dandy but there’s NO MENTION of the fact that this is the long-awaited reunion of the 1974-era members of Todd’s prog-rock band Utopia. And because this is a “UTOPIA” gig, I’m pretty certain “Hello It’s Me”, “Can We Still Be Friends” and the like will not be played at any of these shows.

Hopefully the “casual fans” going to these gigs will be informed enough to know what they are getting into.

But for the diehards, these gigs are a dream come true. Even a couple years ago, no one would have imagined that they’d actually see Moogy Klingman, Kevin Ellman, Ralph Schuckett, John Seigler playing “The Ikon” on stage with Todd ever again. But it’s happening!! And as far as we know, only at these 12 shows. …Well, if these shows do well in terms of ticket sales then who knows…there could be more…

As for what they’re playing – Todd mentioned in a recent interview that they’ll be playing most (if not all) of the 1974 album Todd Rundgren’s Utopia and the 1975 album Another Live. So expect to see the full 30-minute rendition of “The Ikon”!! as well as “Freak Parade”, “The Wheel”, “Seven Rays” and “Just One Victory”.

We’ll know for sure after the first gig at the Hard Rock in Florida on November 2nd. I’ll probably update this post with a setlist on the 3rd. So check back here if you want spoilers.

Utopia 2011 tour dates:
Wed 11/02/11 Hollywood, FL Seminole Hard Rock Live
Thu 11/03/11 Fort Pierce, FL Sunrise Theatre
Sat 11/05/11 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall
Sun 11/06/11 Jacksonville, FL Florida Theatre
Wed 11/09/11 Atlanta, GA Center Stage
Thu 11/10/11 Durham, NC Carolina Theatre
Sat 11/12/11 Akron, OH Akron Civic Theatre
Sun 11/13/11 Westbury, NY NYCB Theatre At Westbury
Tue 11/15/11 Boston, MA Wilbur Theatre
Wed 11/16/11 Englewood, NJ Bergen Performing Arts Ctr.
Fri 11/18/11 Peekskill, NY Paramount Center For The Arts
Sat 11/19/11 Upper Darby, PA Tower Theatre

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This gave me a chuckle today. I just stumbled across an old concert review I posted back in 2003 over on the TR Connection, a Todd Rundgren fan site run by Roger Linder. This was during Todd’s “have gun, will travel” tour which made a stop at the Carolina Theatre in Durham. I’m a bit surprised I gave a pretty positive spin of the concert since “Todd on stage all by his lonesome” is not really my cup of tea. I personally prefer to see him with a band. I’m pretty positive even Todd himself got sick of the “solo acoustic” type gigs since he stopped doing those types of shows after 2005.

Thankfully his return to the Carolina Theatre in November will be with a full band, the 1974-era UTOPIA no less. I’ll post more about the Utopia concert later on but first here’s my original review of Rundgren’s February 8, 2003 concert as found on the TRConnection.

enjoy.

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Todd Rundgren – February 8, 2003 at the Carolina Theatre in Durham, NC

I went into the show thinking that since this was the last official stop on his winter mini tour-of-the-south that I’d have a better chance in seeing a more polished Todd show this time around (you know, Todd had the whole tour to “practice” the piano) Well, better luck next time I guess. The show was pretty much typical Todd in terms of piano flubs, forgotten lyrics and technical difficulties.

Todd started out well performing Love of the Common Man but had to stop mid-way through due to breaking THREE guitar strings. He had this “oh no not again!” look on his face since something similar to this happened the night before in charlotte. It seemed that Todd had a rough time recovering from this initial incident the rest of the night which may explain the shorter set list compared to other stops on this tour. some notable songs MIA this night: Love In Action, Black and White, Hawking, It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference and There Goes My Inspiration. I didn’t get a good read on Todd tonight. Couldn’t tell if he was glad this was the last stop on this leg of the tour and was eager to move on or if he felt this was an “off night” and decided not to push his luck by playing more than he had to. Todd wasn’t that chatty tonight which was kind of a bummer as well. The show was over by 10:30pm which was just TOO early. I was waiting for him to play on….. at least to hear him sing Hawking. But just my luck, it wasn’t meant to be this night.

Even with all the flubs and mind farts, I still enjoyed the show (yes, i know it surprised me too). There were several moments of pure bliss where Todd would sing a line so sweet and perfect, it’d take you to another place and time. Those moments really made the show for me. highlights for me include: tonight’s version of Compassion (spine tingling), the mp3-backed bossa nova set (although the abrupt way the “with a twist” instrumentals end is kinda jarring…..I wish he’d modify the tracks…), a sweet version of I Don’t Want to Tie you Down, Love of the Common Man (in the second run through of the song, Todd seems real determined to get it right this time and he definitely came through!), a solid performance of Cliche and the Wheel, and a surprisingly enjoyable version of Bang on the Ukelele Daily (personally I think I was more receptive to it tonight mainly b/c it came after the crash and burn of Hello It’s Me on piano.)

Overall Todd’s voice sounded great. And at times he seemed to really get into it. lowlights: in addition to the cring-worthy performance of Hello It’s Me, Todd barely made it through A Dream Goes On Forever. Afterwards Todd remarked that he couldn’t let the night end like that so he strapped on the guitar one last time to send us home with One World. I was pleasantly surprised that he sang “Chapel Hill to Tokyo!!” in the song since I live there. cool!

As for the venue: kudos to whoever booked this tour. they picked some great places for Todd to play and the Carolina Theatre is definitely one of them. pretty intimate and great sound. And I was real glad to see such a great turnout. The place was packed. A big thanks to the management of the Carolina Theatre, STAR-FM and the News and Observer for getting the word out about Todd’s show. I think it made a big difference in terms of the size of the crowd.

Another highlight of the evening came early on: the opening act (an acapella group from NC State) ended their set with a great version of Todd’s Hodja.

To sum up: even though the show wasn’t as polished as I had hoped, I still came out of the theater with a big smile on my face. Thanks Todd. Come back and visit soon!!! (actually that just might be the case since Todd announced last night that Rex will be playing with the Greensboro Bats this season which is about an hour away from Chapel Hill! cool!)

I took the kids to see Weird Al Yankovic at the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) this past sunday. Just want to make it clear that I went to the concert for MY KIDS. Certainly not for myself since I’m a sophisticated music blogger and all. *ahem*. …OK, who am I kidding? Weird Al and his band put on a great live show and the kids and *I* had a blast. There I said it. I enjoyed the Weird Al show, OK? Why should I feel embarrassed for admitting that? The guy is a pop culture icon. Yankovic has managed to sustain a 30 year career out of making song parodies. I mean, he’s outlasted a long, long list of bands and artists that have come and gone over the years. Plus he’s got his live shows down to a science – which includes lights, video screens, a couple cheerleaders, stormtroopers, Darth Vader and a slew of costume changes.

Yankovic’s show is a well-oiled machine that’s scripted, well-rehearsed and synchronized with the video feeds. So there’s not much spontaneity here but in the world of Weird Al, there’s no need for such things. OK, ok, fans might argue that Weird Al does alternate playing “You Make Me” with “Frank’s 2000 inch TV” from show to show and he mentions a local coffee shop during his spiel in “Craigslist” but they’d be missing the point. A Yankovic concert is more like a broadway musical than say a Phish concert where setlists differ from gig to gig.

But enough about that. All that really matters is that the kids and I enjoyed seeing Weird Al. His fans pretty much packed the DPAC which holds around 2,500. Luckily we got our tickets early and were close enough to get splashed with water during his Nirvana spoof and be able to notice his double-chin becoming unglued at the end of “Fat”.

I love all his rap parodies so I was delighted to see him do “Another Tattoo”, “Amish Paradise” and “White and Nerdy”. The Star Wars encore was another highlight of course. The “oldies” Medley hit all the right notes but I personally would have like a few more “oldies” in the setlist. Another memorable bit was during “Wanna B Ur Lovr” where Yankovic, dressed up in a tiger-striped suit, went around and air-grinded a few “lucky” women in the audience.

With all the wardrobe changes the guy has to do each night, I have to say that Al sure does work hard for his fans. Oh, and big props to his band – Steve Jay, Jon Bermuda Schwartz, Ruben Valtierra and Jim West. they can pull off any genre with ease which isn’t as easy as it looks. they sounded pretty tight.

All in all, a fun night out with my kids. I’d definitely catch Yankovic again the next time he comes through. And after seeing all the grinning faces at the end of the night, I’m pretty sure most if not all would do the same.

retroGrade: A

Weird Al Yankovic
October 9, 2011
Durham Performing Arts Center

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Rock icon Lindsey Buckingham performed at the Carolina Theatre in Durham, NC this past saturday as part of his 2011 Seeds We Sow tour. I have to admit that I wasn’t all that excited before the show since I learned that the setlist didn’t feature some of my personal favorites from “Gift of Screws” and “Out of the Cradle”. But whatever issues I had with the setlist quickly went out the window once the man took the stage. I didn’t realize what a powerful performer Buckingham is. Yes, the guy is a virtuoso on guitar but his dynamic vocal abilities really brought the house down. It was amazing to see and hear how he fully commits to songs like “Go Insane”, “Never Going Back Again” or “Big Love”. Buckingham put so much passion and emotion into those performances, you ended up wondering if the guy was gonna literally pass out on stage. How the hell he could give 110% like that, over and over again at every show is beyond me. Big props to Buckingham because I consider that a rare talent these days.

After doing the first five songs solo, Buckingham brought out the rest of the band – Brett Tuggle, Neale Heywood and Walfredo Reyes. the guys did a fantastic job recreating the new songs on stage. In fact, some of these versions are even better than their recorded counterpart. “Stars are Crazy” and “Illumination” are two that come to mind.

I also noticed that Reyes was playing a Roland electronic drum kit. I’m guessing that it was Buckingham’s decision to use electronic drums but whatever the case may be, I personally missed the hard “thwack” of a real snare on rockers like “I’m So Afraid” and “Go Your Own Way”. oh well, I guess that’s just me.

Buckingham shared a few stories in between numbers which was a nice touch. From all the years of performing live, Buckingham seems to be very at ease on stage. The way he spoke to the crowd was very natural and didn’t seemed forced. He definitely made a connection with the audience which for some other performers is a hard thing to do (i.e. Eric Clapton).

As for the newly renovated Carolina Theatre – I love seeing shows in this venue. It’s a very intimate setting with not a bad seat in the house. Oh, and with the parking deck right across the street, getting in and out of the place is never a problem. plus the folks at the theatre are always polite and friendly. a big thumbs up to the Carolina Theatre and I wish the venue much success with the upcoming lineup of shows. as a matter of fact, I’ll be coming back for the Todd Rundgren/Utopia show next month!

I do have to mention a weird thing that happened with the sound toward the end of the concert. I’m not sure if the sound team were simply testing out the limits of the new sound system or what but the overall volume got extremely loud (which resulted in a muddy, almost distorted mix) for the last few songs. It was pretty noticeable since the sound mix was pretty much perfect up until that point.

highlights of the evening included: “Stars Are Crazy” (way better than the recorded version), “Big Love” (yes, he’s played this version for years but it always packs a big whallop!), “Illumination”, “Trouble” (love the acoustic rendition), “I’m So Afraid” (love the long drawn out guitar solo)

retroGrade: A+

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The popular Christian praise band, Hillsong United made their way to Greensboro last week. These guys are in a unique position where their songs are known and sung in local churches all across the world. Who needs radio airplay when you have millions of believers singing your songs every sunday, right? And because of this, Hillsong United attract arena-sized crowds wherever they go. They even managed to sell out the Staples Center in Los Angeles earlier this year. And after seeing them at the Greensboro Coliseum, I can tell you first hand that they know how to put on an arena-sized show.

It’s an interesting dynamic that the team has to balance, really. Singing praise songs to God is an intimate thing so how do you handle and respect that aspect of it when you perform in an enormous venue? I mean, it’s a tough enough job just to command the attention of 10,000 people for two and a half hours. But to do that PLUS bring people closer to God just adds to the complexity of it all. In any case, I have to say that Hillsong United did a tremendous job both as a live band and getting those in attendance pumped up for Christ.

Yes, they incorporated all the elements found in a typical concert including a synchronized light show, video screens and top-notched sound equipment. But thankfully they did things with humility and sincerity that helped transform the concrete arena feel more like church. Don’t get me wrong, this wasn’t your touchy-feely, wimpy campfire singalong that people usually think of in terms of church praise music. These guys rocked. the band was tight and played like a well-oiled seasoned arena-rock band. The guys out front (Joel Houston, JD Douglass, Matthew Crocker and Jad Gillies) were full of energy and were infectiously enthusiastic about sharing their love for Christ.

highlights included: “With Everything” (with the band pounding away and the arena shouting in one voice, it was absolutely phenomenal!!), “All I Need is You” (would have loved to have lingered in the sweet moment a while longer but the band had more songs to perform), “Shout Unto God”, “The Stand” and the one-two-three punch of the high-energy encore led by JD Douglass (“Your Name High”, “Take it All” and “Yours Forever”).

I also want to give props to the audio/visual team. They obviously spent a good amount of time/resource to create unique visuals/lighting design for each song. It definitely enhanced the experience. Also old venues like the Greensboro Coliseum weren’t originally built/designed with concerts in mind so it’s pretty difficult to get decent sound in places like these. But under the circumstances, I thought the sound crew did a spectacular job. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it sound as good at the Coliseum before.

RetroGrade: A

concert: Hillsong United
venue: Greensboro Coliseum
date: August 19, 2011

Greensboro set list:
Go
Break Free
You
Search My Heart
Mighty to Save
Hosanna
All I need is You
Bones
Nova
Aftermath
Freedom is Here
Shout unto God
Like an Avalanche
Rhythms of Grace
Oh You Bring
The Stand
From the Inside Out
With Everything

Take Heart

Hillsong United:
Joel Houston, Matthew Crocker, Hayley Law, JD Douglass, Jad Gillies, Dylan Thomas, Adam Crosariol, Simon Kobler, Timon Klein, Peter James

purchase Aftermath via CDUniverse

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While my 13 year old son and I were walking around downtown Raleigh this past Tuesday evening, it was interesting to see the huge crowd of people heading for the Raleigh Amphitheater to see Maroon 5. We were headed in the opposite (less crowded) direction to see and hear classic 80′s pop/prog at its finest. That’s right, Asia in concert at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium (Progress Energy Center).

Yes, I admit that it took a bit of convincing to get the 13 year old to agree to come with me and that’s understandable. I mean, these guys aren’t spring chickens by any means and are more likely to appear on the cover of AARP than Rolling Stone magazine. But come on, John Wetton, Carl Palmer, Geoff Downes and Steve Howe are legends of 70′s prog rock! And this was the FIRST time they’ve come to Raleigh so I just had to go to show my support as well as educate the young one on how *real rock musicians* play live.

And fortunately Asia did not disappoint. Yes, the members of Asia all look like your average “grandpa” but they can still ROCK. Wetton’s voice sounds stronger than ever – even singing the majority of the old 80′s tunes in their original key. Howe still amazes on the guitar. Downes has reduced the size of his keyboard rig but can still get those signature synths sounds we all know and love. And as for Palmer – man, he’s still a monster behind that double-bass drum kit. Yes, Palmer still has issues with tempo but when you’re there in the audience being pummeled by the mammoth wall of sound that the four of them create, tempo can blissfully be ignored.

highlights for me included: Palmer’s requisite drum solo – definitely worth the price of admission alone, “Holy War”, the unplugged version of “Don’t Cry”, “Time Again” and “Sole Survivor”.

There were a few noticeable rough patches though. Wetton had a hard time remembering the words to “Days Like These” and had to use a prompter. and Howe fudged the signature riff during “Heat of the Moment”. But man, I still enjoyed the show regardless.

As for my 13 year old – he gave me a thumbs up at the end of the night and I’ll accept that since he basically went along to please his old man. Hopefully concerts like this one will instill in him a reference point for what great musicianship is all about. It’s sad to think about but this level of musicianship may not be around when my son gets to be my age.

other random thoughts about the show:
- I wonder what they’re using to flesh out the harmonies during the big choruses especially since Howe and Palmer don’t sing. I suspect some real-time vocal harmonizer device of some sort.

- it was disappointing to see that the 2200 seat auditorium was a little over half full. I guess the concert promoter overestimated what Asia would draw here in Raleigh. It’s not the band’s fault since they don’t decide on the venues. but hopefully the promoter didn’t take too much of a hit for this gig.

- that being said, I like Memorial auditorium (except for the small bathrooms). The seats are nice, the staff is laidback and the section near the stage has plenty of room to move around.

- Geoff Downes didn’t have his keytar on this tour. I miss it.

- love the deep bass sound Wetton was getting with those Moog Taurus 3 bass pedals. it shook the building whenever it was used. nice!!

- Steve Howe had a Line6 Variax on a stand for the sitar sound. I personally didn’t think it was worth the trouble. the variax didn’t sound all that great. maybe a mix issue?

- and kudos to the band for including a healthy chunk of their new songs in the set list. I’m sure it’s easier just to rely on old favorites but the new stuff held their own. The set included 4 from Omega and 2 from Phoenix.

retroGrade: A

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While in downtown Raleigh on business, I took this snapshot of Raleigh’s new downtown outdoor concert venue. As you can see, it’s no where near finished. They’ve got lots to do before the June 4th opening with the Connells.

Plus they don’t even have an official name yet. Well, for now it’s called the Raleigh Amphitheater. But the city is waiting for the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission to approve the naming of the venue as “Bud Light Amphitheater”. Apparently there’s a state law that prohibits alcoholic beverages as part of the name of a public venue. So, hopefully they can get that worked out soon.

Anyway, here are the upcoming acts scheduled for The Raleigh “Bud Light” Amphitheater:

04 June 2010 – The Connell, I Was Totally Destroying It, The Small Ponds
06 June 2010 – Backstreet Boys
23 July 2010 – Honda Civic Tour – Paramore, Tegan and Sara, New Found Glory
25 July 2010 – Carnival of Madness – Shinedown, Chevelle, Puddle of Mudd
28 July 2010 – Legalize It Tour – Cypress Hill, Collie Buddz
30 July 2010 – Chelsea Handler
09 August 2010 – Goo Goo Dolls, Switchfoot
10 August 2010 – O.A.R., Citizen Cope
13 August 2010 – Umphrey’s McGee, Rebelution
14 August 2010 – Heart
25 August 2010 – Sound Tribe Sector
17 September 2010 – Black Crowes
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OK, all you NC area Asia fans, head on over to ticketmaster right now to take advantage of exclusive presale tickets for the August 17th gig at Progress Energy’s Raleigh Memorial Auditorium. I checked this morning and there are plenty of great seats left for the show.

Asia presale tickets are available from now until 11:59pm Saturday, May 1st.

the presale password is : Omega

Tickets for the general public will go on sale this sunday, May 2nd at 10am.

So if you’re interested in going to the Raleigh show, be sure to purchase tickets ahead of the general public by taking advantage of this presale opportunity! I sure did! I’ll see you there.
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