If you were to ask me for my top five current bands in 1999, at the time The Smashing Pumpkins would have been on that list. I was not on the Gish train, it wasn't until the single "Today" from Siamese Dream slid into heavy rotation on MTV in the later half of 1993 that I got on board, scooped up Gish, and started buying everything I could get my hands on. If a UK 3-song single appeared in the bins of either Madhatter's or Finder's in Bowling Green, I was grabbing it. I obsessed over Pisces Iscariot - "this compilation is better than most bands regular albums!" - and fully digested Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. The Aeroplane Flies High single box? Purchased. Huge left turn with Adore? Not a problem.
After the turmoil of 1998, the death of Jonathan Melvoin and departure of Jimmy Chamberlain, I wasn't sure what to make of the band, as they seemed to heading down the road of collapse. However, in 1999, it was announced Chamberlain had rejoined the band, reforming the original lineup, and the band was heading out on a nine-date tour dubbed "The Arising!" with Queens of the Stone Age as the opener. There are a lot of things, in retrospect, that changed after this tour. First, it was D'arcy Wretzky's last tour with the band, soon replaced by Hole bassist Melissa Auf de Maur. Second, Queens of the Stone Age were largely unknown, and just over a year later would release their second album, but first as a true full band, Rated R. Queens when on to become the hard rock band of the 2000s, and it could be argued that this tour was a preview of the passing of the torch. How so, you may ask?
Showing posts with label 1999. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1999. Show all posts
Concert Review: Imperial Teen & Howlin’ Maggie @ Little Brothers, Columbus, OH (5/23/99)
I didn’t know who Imperial Teen were when I went to this show. I knew they had a couple of albums out in the 90s, and one guy had been in Faith No More, but beyond that… nothing. I went to see Howlin Maggie, who in a transitional period between the original line-up and a new line-up of various Columbus musicians.
HM primarily drew from their only album (at that point), Honeysuckle Strange, with a few covers included, but did debut some new tunes that would end up on either the second (and last) HM album three years later, and even on lead singer Happy Chichester’s solo album in 2007.
As a band my friends and I discovered in college, completely unaware they were based on two hours away, it was kind of thrill to see them playing together again. Little did we know that just a few years later we’d be sharing the same stage with them.
HM primarily drew from their only album (at that point), Honeysuckle Strange, with a few covers included, but did debut some new tunes that would end up on either the second (and last) HM album three years later, and even on lead singer Happy Chichester’s solo album in 2007.
As a band my friends and I discovered in college, completely unaware they were based on two hours away, it was kind of thrill to see them playing together again. Little did we know that just a few years later we’d be sharing the same stage with them.
Concert Review: Buckcherry @ the Newport Music Hall, Columbus, OH (11/29/99)
Buckcherry are an acquired taste. If you dig the harder end of the hair/glam metal of the 1980s, you probably could relate to them. At at time when bad teen pop, nu-metal and hip-hop were dominating the radio, Buckcherry appeared with an ode to cocaine and hedonism.
In short bursts, Buckcherry is a fun band. Live, that’s another matter, as the band basically had two modes – over the top scuzzy sunset strip rock, and ballads. Or, at the time, a ballad. The repetitiveness got old quickly, as the band didn’t have much of a catalog (re: diversity) to bring to the table for a band that isn’t going to stray from a rather predictable formula to begin with.
Openers Cupcakes (or at least I think they opened) were a boring, post-punk mess that belonged on a different bill. Maybe if I saw or heard them now I’d like them, but at the time they were just…awful.
In short bursts, Buckcherry is a fun band. Live, that’s another matter, as the band basically had two modes – over the top scuzzy sunset strip rock, and ballads. Or, at the time, a ballad. The repetitiveness got old quickly, as the band didn’t have much of a catalog (re: diversity) to bring to the table for a band that isn’t going to stray from a rather predictable formula to begin with.
Openers Cupcakes (or at least I think they opened) were a boring, post-punk mess that belonged on a different bill. Maybe if I saw or heard them now I’d like them, but at the time they were just…awful.
Concert Review: The Tragically Hip & Pretty Mighty Mighty @ the Newport Music Hall, Columbus, OH (5/6/99)
Of all The Tragically Hip shows I’ve been too, and I’ve been to a lot, this is the most hazy. In fact, I really have no recollection of their set at all, whereas other shows I have clear memories of moments or songs. I should have loved this set, it’s chalk full of most of my favorite Hip tunes, but… nothing.
The opening band, however, I do remember. I had just moved to Columbus the previous fall, and that winter was spent to trying to find a place to live (instead of on my friend’s floor), a drummer and a job. All three were accomplished in a few months, and we started going to see bands. I just so happened that one of the bands we heard about from a lot of people were opening for the Hip.
For some reason, we all walked away from seeing Pretty Mighty Mighty thinking they were heavy in the Hum/Smashing Pumpkins vein, but that turned out to be less true the more times we saw them live. What did happen is they turned into one of not only my favorite local bands from that scene in the late 90s/early 00s, but one of my favorite bands period, combining loud by melodic guitar, Bob Mould-esque vocals, a tight rhythm section and the wild onstage antics of a very untraditional violinist.
SETLIST
Gift Shop
Poets
Fireworks
Pigeon Camera
Fully Completely
Bobcaygeon
Nautical Disaster
Ahead By A Century
Vapour Trails
The Luxury
Something On
Locked In The Trunk Of A Car
Chagrin Falls
New Orleans Is Sinking
Membership
Inevitability Of Death
Escape Is At Hand For The Travellin’ Man
The opening band, however, I do remember. I had just moved to Columbus the previous fall, and that winter was spent to trying to find a place to live (instead of on my friend’s floor), a drummer and a job. All three were accomplished in a few months, and we started going to see bands. I just so happened that one of the bands we heard about from a lot of people were opening for the Hip.
For some reason, we all walked away from seeing Pretty Mighty Mighty thinking they were heavy in the Hum/Smashing Pumpkins vein, but that turned out to be less true the more times we saw them live. What did happen is they turned into one of not only my favorite local bands from that scene in the late 90s/early 00s, but one of my favorite bands period, combining loud by melodic guitar, Bob Mould-esque vocals, a tight rhythm section and the wild onstage antics of a very untraditional violinist.
SETLIST
Gift Shop
Poets
Fireworks
Pigeon Camera
Fully Completely
Bobcaygeon
Nautical Disaster
Ahead By A Century
Vapour Trails
The Luxury
Something On
Locked In The Trunk Of A Car
Chagrin Falls
New Orleans Is Sinking
Membership
Inevitability Of Death
Escape Is At Hand For The Travellin’ Man
Concert Review: Ratt & Chlorine @ the Newport Music Hall, Columbus, OH (10/1/99)
From what I recall of this show, Chlorine opened and were geniunely annoying, posing more than playing their brand of 80s metal syphoned through grunge, with little sense of melody or dynamics. In other words, I didn’t like them.
Ratt were touring with a new line-up and a new album released during the summer of 1999, weren’t much better. The album was subpar compared to their prime 1980s material, a shame considering their 2010 comeback album was far superior, and lead singer Stephen Pearcy was, vocally speaking, a shell of his former self.
So, I guess you could say I found this show to be lacking, to put it mildly.
Ratt were touring with a new line-up and a new album released during the summer of 1999, weren’t much better. The album was subpar compared to their prime 1980s material, a shame considering their 2010 comeback album was far superior, and lead singer Stephen Pearcy was, vocally speaking, a shell of his former self.
So, I guess you could say I found this show to be lacking, to put it mildly.
Concert Review: Verbena @ Little Brothers, Columbus, OH (8/13/99)
Verbena was supposed to be the next “next Nirvana.”
They weren’t.
I mean, they were loud, someone had bleached blond hair (I think), their songs were aggressive yet melodic, but they lacked that something that puts band over the top from being merely okay to undeniablly good. Verbena was merely okay.
And that’s all I have to say about that.
They weren’t.
I mean, they were loud, someone had bleached blond hair (I think), their songs were aggressive yet melodic, but they lacked that something that puts band over the top from being merely okay to undeniablly good. Verbena was merely okay.
And that’s all I have to say about that.
Concert Review: The Afghan Whigs & Howlin’ Maggie @ Bogarts, Columbus, OH (9/25/99)
This was it, supposedly the last Afghan Whigs show. For most people, that doesn’t mean much. The Whigs were an acquired taste, first with their midwestern bar band brand version of Husker Du meets The Replacements, and later with their refined soul rock that combined ’60s Motown and ’90s Seattle.
Like the legendary KISS, their records never did justice to the band the way their explosive live shows could. Lead singer/guitarist Greg Dulli, currently fronting the more sedate Twilight Singers, could be cool and seductive one moment, acerbic and nasty the next. At this particular show, Dulli was more reflective and unguarded than previous shows.
After a solid opening set by Whig contributor Happy Chichester and his reformed band Howlin’ Maggie, Happy joined the Whigs on stage for the set-opening cover of Thin Lizzy’s The Boys Are Back in Town, engaging in some triple guitar fun while Dulli adjusted the lyrics to “The Afghan Whigs are back in town.”
Drawing from their vast catalog of originals and covers, the band stuck mostly to the later era of the band, ignoring the earlier material, while sprinkling in their trademark covers of The Supremes, Steve Wonder and others. Still, this was not the Whigs at their best. Maybe it was the moment, knowing this would probably be the last time the band would ever take the stage together (unless someone, say, threw a bunch of money at them to unite at Cochella or some other destination show), that cast a somewhat somber note on the whole evening.
AFGHAN WHIGS SETLIST
The Boys Are Back In Town
Superstition/Going To Town/In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Uptown Again
Come See About Me
Be Sweet
Neglekted/Do You Feel Like We Do/Nasty
King Only
If I Were Going
Debonair
Bad Girl/66/Little Red Corvette
I’ll Be Around
Somethin’ Hot
Crazy
Bulletproof/Baby Love
People Get Ready/Faded
Fountain And Fairfax/Hot For Teacher
Omerta/The Vapire Lanois/All You Need Is Love
Into The Groove/Rebirth Of The Cool
Like the legendary KISS, their records never did justice to the band the way their explosive live shows could. Lead singer/guitarist Greg Dulli, currently fronting the more sedate Twilight Singers, could be cool and seductive one moment, acerbic and nasty the next. At this particular show, Dulli was more reflective and unguarded than previous shows.
After a solid opening set by Whig contributor Happy Chichester and his reformed band Howlin’ Maggie, Happy joined the Whigs on stage for the set-opening cover of Thin Lizzy’s The Boys Are Back in Town, engaging in some triple guitar fun while Dulli adjusted the lyrics to “The Afghan Whigs are back in town.”
Drawing from their vast catalog of originals and covers, the band stuck mostly to the later era of the band, ignoring the earlier material, while sprinkling in their trademark covers of The Supremes, Steve Wonder and others. Still, this was not the Whigs at their best. Maybe it was the moment, knowing this would probably be the last time the band would ever take the stage together (unless someone, say, threw a bunch of money at them to unite at Cochella or some other destination show), that cast a somewhat somber note on the whole evening.
AFGHAN WHIGS SETLIST
The Boys Are Back In Town
Superstition/Going To Town/In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Uptown Again
Come See About Me
Be Sweet
Neglekted/Do You Feel Like We Do/Nasty
King Only
If I Were Going
Debonair
Bad Girl/66/Little Red Corvette
I’ll Be Around
Somethin’ Hot
Crazy
Bulletproof/Baby Love
People Get Ready/Faded
Fountain And Fairfax/Hot For Teacher
Omerta/The Vapire Lanois/All You Need Is Love
Into The Groove/Rebirth Of The Cool
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