VIVA LA COLDPLAY @ the IZOD CENTER...full review coming soon!

The Coldplay show was out of this stratosphere ridiculous last night. It was at the Izod Center, and our seats were pretty much as sick as they were for the Stone Temple Pilots show at the Borgata couple months back. Unfortunately, my digital camera is broken, so I had to settle for a disposable. If any of the pics came out though, they are going to be INSANE! Chris Martin was all up in our grills, so much in fact that his sweat hit my girlfriend; that's right, Chris Martin's sweat hit my girlfriend, amazing. We also spotted Gwyneth Paltrow at the show, and we actually had better seats than she did. I also caught her mom singing along to "In My Place" which was as amusing as the song was amazing.

A detailed review is coming soon, I wanted to try to get the ridiculous pictures up with it also, so hopefully it should be in the next couple days. In the meantime, here's the setlist which was phenomenal, heavy on the "Viva La Vida" and "Rush of Blood to the Head" as well as "X&Y." The alternate arrangements they did, especially on "The Hardest Part," gave the songs some freshness, and "Yellow" was the only song from "Parachutes" that made it into the set. Stay tuned for more!

Setlist:
Life In Technicolor
Violet Hill
Clocks
In My Place
Speed Of Sound
Cemeteries Of London
Chinese Sleep Chant
42
Fix You
Strawberry Swing
God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (techno version)
Talk (techno version)
The Hardest Part (piano - Chris)
Postcards From Far Away (piano instrumental)
Viva La Vida
Lost!
The Scientist (acoustic)
Death Will Never Conquer (acoustic - Will singing)
Viva La Vida (remix interlude)

Encore 1:
Politik
Lovers In Japan
Death And All His Friends

Encore 2:
Yellow
The Escapist (outro)

Led Zeppelin Minus Plant?

After the rumor I previously posted about a Led Zeppelin reunion tour had been squashed, I vowed to no longer listen to the ramblings of British tabloids ever again. However, here's an interesting bit that proves the story to not be entirely untrue.

It seems Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and Jason Bonham are ready to make a gajillion dollars for a tour and are tired of waiting for Plant to come around. They've recruited American singer Robert Kennedy (not JFK's brother) who is most (or least depending on how you look at it) famous for being the lead singer of the rock group Alter Bridge. For those of you who don't know who they are, not to worry, they are the group formed by several former members of 90's monster balladeers Creed after their lead singer Scott Stapp got all crazy on account of the chocolate (in his case the "chocolate" being pills, booze, and other extracurricular activities. The remaining Zeppelin members have brought Kennedy in for rehearsals and Dee Snider (yes Twisted Sister lead singer Dee Snider) has said the band is putting an ultimatum in front of Plant which is, join us or be replaced!

This seems to have worked wonders in the past for bands like Journey, Van Halen, Lynyrd Skynyrd and countless others who turned themselves into a punchline of washed up, money milking, musical hacks, but I think this could have several outcomes for a band of Led Zeppelin's stature. Here are some of my thoughts on these possibilities:

1. Jimmy Page has gone on the road with Zeppelin tunes minus the iconic lead singer before, as he did in 1999-2000 with the Black Crowes. I was able to attend one of these shows and it was phenomenal, however, it wasn't billed as Led Zeppelin, it was billed as Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes, very distinctly. If this same approach is taken and they call it something other than Led Zeppelin, I think they'll still make a ton of money and sell out arenas all over the place. However, I don't see them getting the same money from a concert promoter if the name "Led Zeppelin" is taken off the bill. If Plant doesn't budge, this outcome is likely.

2. Maybe the scare tactic works and Plant comes back singing "I'm Gonna Crawl" to his bandmates as his expression of how he is returning. Think of this though; Plant is a proven musician who doesn't need the money, so I don't think this is likely. The only way he comes back to Led Zeppelin is if he truly wants it, he won't let anyone boss him around, and I'm sure he would fight the remaining members tooth and nail over using the name without his involvement. If he needed all this money they would have done this years ago, the same reason why the Beatles never reunited while all 4 members were still alive, they didn't need the money. Plus, if the Beatles did reunite, we would never have such Ringo Starr solo gems as "Back Off Bugaloo."

3. They put it to rest and stop pressing so hard to Plant can finish up his recent solo re-emergence and let him return on his terms. This would be the best scenario for everyone involved, as it would likely make for the best effort put forth by the four band members.

If Zeppelin goes back on tour with another lead singer, it shouldn't be called Led Zeppelin, they should name themselves after one of their songs, "Trampled Underfoot" as that's what they'll be doing to their lead singer Robert Plant. And of all people, Jason Bonham should not support this decision. His father was the original drummer, who's death caused the group to disband in the first place. Robert Plant is the one who brought John Bonham into Led Zeppelin as the two were great friends before meeting Page and Jones, and going ahead without Plant would be like beating Plant over the head with his father's old drumsticks while tarnishing Bonzo's memory. Unless Jason Bonham owes some shady characters out of a Guy Ritchie film tons of money, I can't see him supporting this without Plant's blessing, unless Page and Jones have a very strong influence on him. (Who knows, maybe Jimmy Page has gotten back into witchcraft lately) Whatever the outcome, whatever they call themselves, and whoever is singing, I'd still pay to see these guys in concert. I just hope it doesn't turn into a merchandising/money ploy that cheats the fans and some of the members of the band.

Here's a link to NME's article that broke the story. It also has a link to the Dee "What the hell am I doing involved in a conversation about a Led Zeppelin reunion" Snyder video reporting on this story: http://www.nme.com/news/led-zeppelin/40389

Editorial. New Music to Your Ears: Music in the Oasis, and "Fire" from the Kings.

Alright, I've been falling off like Jimmy Hoffa in the mid 1970's here, but it's hard to stay away people!!! I've got some new music for your ears if liking the listening of new and fantastical things is your thang (Notice how I said, "thang" there, to reiterate the coolness)

One tune is a new diddy from a group that's been around for about 15 years, Britain's favorite marble mouthed, outspoken Beatles/Stones clones Oasis. The group's best album would have to be their breakout 1995 album "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" which boasted such superhits as "Wonderwall," "Don't Look Back in Anger," and their hippie magnum opus, "Champagne Supernova." I've got a couple of their albums in between then and now, and have to say their last album from a couple years back "Don't Believe the Truth" is right on par with "Morning Glory." It's got a lot of catchy melodies/choruses, and has a lot more soul than much of the stuff out today. It's also a good pacemaking disc if you're into the British sound, but not as far out into Radiohead depths, but shy away from the popular tunes of Coldplay. It's vintage but fresh if that makes any sense.

Oasis has a new album coming out next week titled "Dig Out Your Soul," that critics are saying is their best in years. Well, if their first single is any sign of it, then I'll take their word for it. "Shock of the Lightning" is the tune, and it's got a freight train like roll that is sure to fill arenas in England and the US alike as they embark on a world tour. They're playing New York's Madison Square Garden for the first time in over 10 years this December, and these new tunes should hold up well. Take a listen to "Shock of the Lightning" here, this song is like "Tomorrow Never Knows" hanging from the edge of the caboose on a silver bullet train, ballsier, wilder, and out of this world. These guys are as close to a modern psychedelic sound as you can get; you can call Radiohead psych- i guess, but I'd rather refer to them as computerdelic; Oasis holds the torch for modern psych/Beatles/Stones/Who rock. Hear the song/see the music video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87IQhui_Yy8 Looks very Warhol-esque.

The next tune of choice comes from Nashville's very own Kings of Leon, and their recent album "Only By the Night." The song is "Sex on Fire," and I heard it on the new radio station 101.9 WRXP yesterday in the midst of a traffic fueled commute home. The song was so great and hit me like nothing I've heard recently, that I desperately tried to remember the sound, as well as the songs played on the station before and after it in hopes of finding out its origins today. Luckily, like most stations, WRXP keeps backlogs of the songs they play, so I found the mystery song today. There it was, sandwiched right after Radiohead and Elvis Costello, and right before Pink Floyd and the Meat Puppets, Kings of Leon "Sex on Fire" (Yes, this station is the best thing on radio right now; what other station has enough brass to play such obscure and great music??)

I've heard one of the Kings' previous albums and wasn't a huge fan, but this new album has a totally different sound/feel to it. I don't know what they've done here, but they need to keep on doing it. Has a sound much like the Killers, with an alternative vocal style. Check out the song/video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHhhcKxflMY

If you want to get a jolly ol' hop in your step listen to these tunes, rinse, and repeat.