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08-30-2024, 03:30 AM | #21 (permalink) | ||
the bantering battleaxe
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Cute Post Malone's mom
Posts: 3,394
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oh hell yes i hope it's as good as the london gig I went to
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08-30-2024, 09:16 AM | #22 (permalink) | |
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08-30-2024, 01:26 PM | #24 (permalink) |
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Join Date: Jun 2024
Posts: 278
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Last night...
Who: Teenage Bottlerocket Where: Grog Shop (Cleveland Heights, OH) When: August 29, 2024 Excuse me while I get reflective for a moment. It’s great to watch kids grow and start their own families, it really is. However, I sometimes feel a void as their time demands don’t leave much time for hanging out with good ole Dad. Damn soccer practice. My oldest son was my punk concert buddy when he was younger but as the number of grandkids increased our time going to concerts proportionately decreased. We’ve had some great times seeing countless shows including; Violent Femmes, Rancid, NY Dolls, The Saints, Dollyrots, Television, The Dictators, Dead Milkmen, Horrorpops, Japandroids, Buzzcocks, The Offspring, Bouncing Souls, DKM, Flogging Molly, Pennywise, Rev Horton Heat and The Supersuckers plus plenty of others not on my memory quick dial. I’m not even going to start listing bands from the three Warped Tours we saw together, we would be here all day as I fumble through my memory banks. My point is, we were going to many shows and now not so much. Imagine my surprise last month when I received a text from my son, “Wanna see Teenage Bottlerocket”? I quickly said ‘yes’ even though I could only think of a few songs. Do I really need to know more? I learned many years ago that the concert experience is as much about who you go to a show with as it is the performance you see. I did a quick search on Spotify and it turns out I know more songs than I thought plus I now know dozens more as I prep for the show. Sooo…I rummage through my concert t-shirts because I want to project the right punky vibe to let fellow punks know I’m no dweeb. It’s not the sort of show you would wear a shirt sporting a Journey logo (not that I own one). This pre-gig detail seems important but I only do this after I use the digital coupon for a five minute oil change before a road trip. Priorities can be a tightrope as we grow older! Car is ready and I’m ready (wearing Dead Milkmen t-shirt), time to pick up my son and start the trek to the Grog Shop. BTW, I had to call my son to make sure he wasn’t wearing his Dead Milkmen shirt! The Grog Shop has a 400 standing room capacity and is located in an artsy district referred to as Coventry Village. The eclectic neighborhood is full of fun shops and eateries in the middle of Cleveland Heights which is 15 minutes from downtown Cleveland. I would not call this a suburb, the only thing that says you aren’t in Cleveland is the name on the police cars. The sidewalk in front of the club is bustling with a pre-gig gathering of concert goers. A fun collection of rockers enjoying time before the show on a hot and humid evening with temps hovering around 80f. We spend a couple minutes out front enjoying pre-concert aromas then decide to go into the mostly empty club. Seats at the bar, an open table or just mill about before the bands begin. We decided on a table toward the rear, we spend 15 minutes there as the club slowly fills before choosing to stake our ground closer at the stage. It’s funny how real estate near the stage is acquired and lost as the evening progresses. There are many techniques for bettering your pit position. The easiest is just filling space if somebody goes to the bar or restrooms, it’s a slow steady march. I’m quite proficient at the ‘side and slide’ where you stand sideways and shuffle forward as space becomes available. This requires a quick and disarming smile as incidental body contact can sometimes alarm people. My favorite is the most boring; arrive early and endure the openers. This technique requires minimal coffee and alcohol intake before a show because it’s not always possible to regain lost territory once surrendering to nature’s will. Before the second band we were against the stage. The opener was a local band, The Vumms. Their brand of music is jangly at times and can lean toward garage rock. Not the worst opener I’ve seen and I would not shy away from seeing them again. Next up, The Last Gang…Wow! It can be fun seeing young bands learning the ropes but I prefer seeing bands like this that are a little more seasoned. Brenna Red’s ’s raspy vocals are out front over music that ranges from reggae to hardcore and all stops in between. Well done! We are now properly primed for the real reason we are at the Grog Shop on a school night, an evening with Wyoming’s finest, Teenage Bottlerocket. The band has been releasing albums (9 total) since 2003 and ¾ of the current line-up have been together since 2006. If you’re looking for musical comparisons, it starts with Ramones. Wiki makes comparisons with Screeching Weasel and Bouncing Souls which seems like fairly reasonable references. I like the sound because it is fast paced melodies laden with humor and occasionally dips into dumb guy music. The band also has one of the coolest and most iconic logos in all punkdom. The crowd at the Grog Shop on this Thursday was decent but the place was not overly packed. That suits me fine because when this club is at/over capacity it’s a little uncomfortable. I fully expected this to be an all guy crowd and I was totally wrong! It was mildly surprising that so many females were in attendance but really surprising was the number of teens and pre-teens. Some of the kids were family members of the band and others were there with parents that wanted to show their kids an evening of fun PG rated punk rock. As the band took the stage, Guitarist/vocalist Ray Carlisle walked the front of the stage passing out guitar picks to anybody that put their hand out. The band manned their instruments and played maybe 10 songs before taking a moment to talk with the crowd. Between song banter and antics were both informative and entertaining. The band didn’t seem to be patronizing us as they passed out compliments. They name checked many of the area clubs they played over the years and talked about things they liked about Cleveland including visiting the Rock Hall Of Fame. Antics included Ray Carlisle tossing drumsticks through the ceiling trusses and drummer Darren Chewka attempting to catch them while keeping beat. They were oh for five until finally connecting which was met with cheers. The main vocalist/guitarist is Kody Templemen and his vocals were strong all night. The band is rounded out by bassist Miguel Chen who spent time off stage playing for younger fans. The band presents a great visual with wide stanced posturing and passionate expressions. A fine evening complete with setlists, guitar picks and a cool t-shirt plus some father/son bonding. Teenage Bottlerocket played a highly entertaining show and I’ll be sure to catch them again anytime I can. Well Done! Set List 1. In the Basement 2. Don't Want to Go 3. Bigger Than Kiss 4. Freak Out! 5. Stupid Games 6. Nothing Else Matters (When I'm With You) 7. Blood Bath at Burger King 8. Crashing 9. Bottlerocket 10. They Call Me Steve 11. Fatso Goes Nutzoid 12. Ghost Story 13. Radio 14. Strung Out on Stress 15. Commando (Ramones) 16. Why the Big Pause 17. Skate or Die 18. Via Munich 19. Don't Go 20. I Wanna Be a Dog 21. Headbanger 22. On My Own / Blitzkrieg Bop / The Spirit of Radio Encore 23. Teenwolf 24. Forbidden Planet 25. Call In Sick 26. Be Stag 27. Necrocomicon Last edited by Buckeye Randy; 08-30-2024 at 06:34 PM. |
08-30-2024, 07:21 PM | #25 (permalink) |
Music Addict
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Posts: 354
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Got my tix for the Cincinnati show late this afternoon. I hate Ticketmaster with all the fires in hell, so I was going to stop at the venue after work to get physical tix with a much lower service charge. However, the tickets were going fast and I was wary of a sellout, so I bought online. Of course, you have to use your phone and can't print out tickets. And for some damn dumb reason I can't put the tix in the wallet on my iphone. Did I mention that I hate Ticketmaster with all the fires in hell?
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08-31-2024, 01:31 AM | #26 (permalink) |
Music Addict
Join Date: Jun 2024
Posts: 278
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Robbins Theater is using the user friendly etix. I’m with you on Ticketmaster, I had to buy tix for Black Crowes with them.
I do like that Ticketmaster has a feature where you look at prices with all fees included. Whatever the reason, a $75 ticket with additional $30 in fees pisses me off while a $105 ticket doesn’t. Last edited by Buckeye Randy; 08-31-2024 at 01:42 AM. |
08-31-2024, 09:10 AM | #27 (permalink) | |
Groupie
Join Date: Apr 2023
Location: Winter Park, FL
Posts: 23
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08-31-2024, 08:37 PM | #29 (permalink) | |
Music Addict
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Posts: 354
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Good review. It's great you have a son to attend concerts with. My daughter wouldn't be caught dead nowadays at a concert with her old man, unlike when she was growing up. Here's a cautionary tale from another thread about a concert I didn't take her to but should have: Yeah, I like Weezer too. And I have a cautionary tale involving Weezer that all music fans with minor children should read. Several years back, I had vouchers for free tickets at certain concerts that I received as part of the settlement of a class action lawsuit against Ticketmaster. One of the shows was a double bill of Weezer and Panic At The Disco in Nashville. My daughter--a teenager at the time but not quite old enough to be repulsed by the idea of attending shows with her dad--said we should travel to Nashville to see the show since I liked Weezer and she liked Panic At The Disco. The tickets were general admission at a huge venue. I declined, since I don't like huge shows in general and didn't really want to travel that far to see a show where we would be far from the stage. Now I wish I had said yes. I missed a chance for some real bonding time with my daughter. If this story helps anyone with a similar situation with their kid(s), it will have been worth telling it. |
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09-01-2024, 04:27 AM | #30 (permalink) | |
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Join Date: Jun 2024
Posts: 278
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It was a big deal when we took our kids to their first concert. This is something that was not part of my childhood. Mrs. Buckeye was lucky enough to have parents that took her to shows when she was young. The fact that she saw the Carter Family (June & Johnny Cash) and Elvis is a source of irritation to me when we play the 'dead musician game'. How can I beat those?? |
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