Concert Reviews, Photos, Videos and Rock and Roll Stories from fans who love live music

The biggest surprise for me at this show was Billy Joel.  He really brought everyone into the show like we all were in some huge piano bar somewhere in New Jersey. I saw him back around 1983 at the “Aud” in Buffalo, but to say my memories of that show are dim to nil would be an understatement.

The show opened with Elton playing Your Song and then Billy playing, Just the way you are. They were actually facing each other each behind a Black Yahama Grand. The songs had the same feel and tempo and these were solo songs. Next Elton played, Don’t let the Sun Go Down on me with a small band and Billy played My Life. This was a nice show opener. Face to Face piano masters. The flamboyant colourful John facing the conservative back to piano bar roots Joel.

Elton opened his main set with Funeral for a Friend / Loves Lies Bleeding. This song is worth the ticket price alone. I have seen Elton John 11 times (my 1^st EJ show was 1979 at the O’keef Centre) and Funeral is still one of his best songs live for me. He rolled through 11 songs with highlights for me seeming to be the extended piano playing on songs like Tiny Dancer, Madman Across the Water, Rocketman  and Levon. Burn Down the Mission may have been the gem here because I can’t recall having heard this song  live before and I really enjoy the Tumbleweed Connection album era.

I have to say the Elton John Band doesn’t get enough accolades. The Nigel Olsson drums sound like cannon fire at times and Davey Johnstone still plays a mean lead guitar. Davey came out with this awesome Les Paul with the Captain Fantastic album motif on it. It looked really good. I guess with Elton you pretty much get what you expect, stellar piano playing, a great band then a machine gun of classics. The last time out I saw the Captain and the Kid tour in Nov 2006 and was lucky enough to get a copy of my Goodbye Yellow Brick Album signed. I took a couple of pictures of Elton John signing &  caught a really nice close up of his hand as he passed the album back to me. (see below from 2006)

Billy opened his 11 song main set with Angry Young Man. I have to say he was pretty funny telling all kinds of stories and joking about people facing his back and the special effects of his piano turning around every couple of songs. He kept referring to the seats at the back as Hamilton, Ontario. He blasted through a bunch of classics like Allentown, Moving Out and Always a Woman to mention a few. At one point he was out front playing a guitar. I never followed Billy Joel very closely so that was a big surprise. He finished out his set with a rousing Still Rock N Roll to Me and Only the Good Die Young.

There was a very short break if 1 at all and EJ was back with Billy to play I Guess That’s Why they Call it the Blues first then into a Joel song.

Each playing verses of each other songs. Uptown Girl is next then a few more before going into the Beatles Happy Birthday and Back in USSR.  I caught a video of these 2 songs. I wasn’t sure why but I liked the change up.

The encore was candle in The Wind and the very appropriate Piano Man.

It was good show all around. Even at 300 bucks a ticket it felt like good value.

It was kind of like seeing 2 concerts with a gem or 2 thrown in.

…I heard about this show sometime in early to mid April. I didn’t hear it mentioned as Chickenfoot rather Sammy Hagar playing in a band with Joe Satriani on lead.  Interesting! Then I heard Van Halen’s, Michael Anthony would be playing bass, more interesting!  Finally I heard the name of the band was Chickenfoot and the band would be rounded out with Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers on the drums.

As of show time there had not been album out as of yet and there were only a couple of songs released on You Tube Down the Drain, Soap on a Rope and I think Oh yeah! Were the tunes with a scattered interview here and there.  This has all the makings of a great event concert, super group, small venue, hard to get ticket, wrist band policy and a sound / album that who knows may take off and become the next huge sound. You never really know. This was to be a 6 city tour to promote the album prior to release to get the buzz going kind of thing. So as I often do I hit ticketmaster on and off for days on end. Guess what?.. bang a couple of tickets show up. These tickets were selling for $300+ on Craigslist (if you could get one because of the wrist band policy & purchaser having to be present to enter with the guest).

Anyway I scored 2 tickets and away we go.  The of the day of the show I go down pretty early as I like to get into the whole vibe / pre show buzz, especially for this type of event. I get down to College Street and get in line. There are maybe 20 people already in line at 3:30PM. I quickly ascertain the process for the ticket sale etc. There is a fan club VIP line (maybe 20) then the line I was in. The game plan is to get a wrist band when you are checked against a list as a registered purchaser and upon entry we are given the hard ticket. I mean literally as you walk through the door into the venue we are handed a ticket.

The waiting is always fun. There are people from Detroit, St. Louis, Chicago, Winnipeg and Sudbury to name a few. Lot of travelers! As we enter the patio area they are selling Cabo Wabo tequila. Sammy’s booze line!! The shots were $12 bucks each and you got a hat or a t-shirt with the shot if you wanted one.   The Mod Club is small inside only holding about 600. As we entered I headed for the left the Satriani side and ended basically 2 or 3 people from the stage front. Nice spot. To be honest Sammy wasn’t the draw for here more Satch then the entire package before Sammy. Even the Hagar solo stuff and his Van Halen work  probably, would not have got me here but the whole band combination did.

Believe me 3 tunes in I was a serious Hagar fan. What a great show!! It was fun, fun, fun!!  Man Chad Smith hitting the drums was deadly. He just pounded the hell right out the skins. Satriani doesn’t miss a single note. He is fast and serious. Joe didn’t cheat a note. I have seen a lot of players get the general sound out of the guitar by cheating the notes. Joe is really beautiful to watch. Especially when he is playing his own signature series Ibanez guitars!!  In fact everyone was playing great instruments – Micheal had at one point this perfect bass decaled with hot peppers and peppers as fret board markers, Sammy pulled out a Cabo Gibson and as I said Joe with his own line. Looked good! I caught a video of Down the Drain and a few other tid- bits. The song Sexy Little thing really sticks with we and the whole sound is just really great.

It has all the elements you would expect. A hint of VH mostly from the bass lines, some serious RHCP funk and stinging lead guitar smothered Sammy Hagar vocals.  How could it miss? The whole vibe was amazing.  Sammy is a pretty funny front man. He tells jokes a lot and gives insight into the sessions the album was born out of. Someone through a wrapped gift up onto stage ( I guess it was near his birthday) , Sammy picked it up and said “hey these guys get nervous when I receive gifts…I will share it with them…it looks like 2 and half pounds of dope!”

We got the whole 11 tunes from the new album (I found after there are 11 tunes because at show time the Chickenfoot website was not running this info and I did not end with a set list) and a little encore thing. I caught a drum stick and scored a Sammy Hagar guitar pick. I can’t write enough accolades to explain this show.

All I know is the show was a blast and the music was really heavy and excellent. What more can you ask for?  Check out some of the – you tube video’s and buy the album when it comes out in June. Trust me!! Maybe on the next round after the album hits the band will be back for the full arena tour.

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One thing is to go to a concert to catch a great band. Another thing is to go to the show and get up close. Yet another is to go and get up close and get your hands on things. Like Bruce’s friggin’ guitar strings…  not just any guitar but none other than the Ash telecaster with the black pick guard!!! I don’t mean just brushing the strings! I seriously mean hitting the strings like Bam! Bam!  I got them huge!! This is the guitar that will some day be in the Smithsonian or the Rock Hall of Fame!!!  A big time highlight for me tonight!! This was 3^rd time I had the chance to touch the famous telecaster.

The VIP line up out front was fun but whatever reason there were far less people than the Magic tour. Maybe it was the back to back tours or the less than enthusiastic response to the new album, Working on a Dream. The house was sold out and tickets were selling on the street in the $250 range for a GA floor. At any rate the final wrist band handed out was number 676 (Magic tour the VIP line was @1200). The pit would take 350 tonight and that meant odds were better than 50 /50. Number 396 was drawn and 2 of the friends I went down with were in.  You know I wouldn’t be far behind.

We were up close and ready!!  Badlands and No Surrender back to back great openers!! The joint is hot!! Hot!! I mean temperature hot and for a Toronto crowd we are loud!! Could be one of the loudest ACC shows I’ve been too for awhile. Outlaw Pete and Working on a Dream book end She’s The One which is absolutely haunting. The new material sounds 300% better live especially Outlaw Pete.

At 6 feet away awesome!!  Johnny 99 is special man I just love this tune…still got some of that bare bones Nebraska feel. I guess if I had to say there was a rarity pulled out it would be E street shuffle. Probably just me and I know it has been out on this tour a couple times already but it was a nice gem for sure. I have seen a few Bruce shows since the River tour and really don’t recall having seen this one live. You know what I probably have but can’t recall.

Collecting the signs was fun to watch Bruce must picked up 35 and ended up playing Louie Louie. Lights way, way up and Waiting on a Sunny Day gets the house singing huge!  The Promise Land with Bruce shredding it up some with his guitar. What came next is a mesmerizing… Racing in the Streets.

I was seriously entranced it was that good!  All those hours upon hours on driving around blasting Darkness came flooding over me. Lights are down low now, only Bruce at the microphone under a single white spotlight.  You hit that place that makes you know why you love music so much! It is all just magical and you wish it could go on forever!  Bruce picks up a sign in the row front that has 2 headlights that are actually lit and places at the base of the microphone stand. I got all of Racing in Streets on video.

Of the last 5 main set tunes Lonesome Day and The Rising stick out. Kingdom of Days live is another example of how well the new material comes across live. I would have loved to hear the Wrestler as well. Can’t have it all I guess. I really have to say BTR and Radio Nowhere came and went far too quickly for me.  You what when Bruce does BTR he still seems to enjoy it a lot. Once in a while I see bands that blow through the older material and it seems like they don’t care to be even playing it. Anyway I lost a couple tunes somewhere. Like I don’t have the memory. I think maybe I was still blown so away by Racing in The Streets.  Darkness on the Edge of Town is now on heavy rotation!!

I have to say I have some great video. At one point Bruce comes over to my camera and points in the lens and yells “You”! all the while I am videoing. Got to love that!  Hitting the tele twice tonight was amazing and I also had Little Steven put a pick in my hand and take it back saying No! No! then he gave it to a girl beside me! I ended up with another pick though from Nils!! I have a bit of Steven fishing in his pocket for a pick.

I grabbed the entire food share information lead in to Hard Times at the start of encore and most of Rosalita from near end. 10^th Ave got the big man blown as usual. Like in the band intro as Bruce says the biggest man you ever seen!!! This as always is a really fun show.

This band…They tire you out and you wonder how a guy who is 60 years old can do 2 sometimes 3 nights in a row! Then the next day creeps in and man you get that “I’d love to that again feeling!!” and sometimes when there are multiple dates close by you can.

Our live video streaming of a few songs got 4500 views while we were inside the show. Here is Glory Days from our iphone stream.

This was Glory Days to finish us off.. and one more touch of the strings

Below here are a photo of a lyrics sheet and guitar pic handed to us at the end of show

This show also inspired us to dig into the archives and pull out a couple of photos from the Born In The USA Tour from 1984 at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.

For more photos from this show visit out Flickr Photo Page.

Leave us a comment about the show below!