YYC Adventures: Chili Peppers and Rebirth BB

Last night I experienced my second time ever witnessing a live performance of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. For my birthday which was last week my dad got tickets so that the two of us could go and see the band. My father and I went to go see the peppers together about six years ago while they were touring for their album Stadium Arcadium. 

Last time when we saw them they mostly played songs of their then album and with so many hits it was a bit of a disappointment. So I was hoping that with their new guitarist that they would play all of the hits that we have all come to know and love. The Red Hot Chili Peppers has always been one of my favorite bands mostly because they are one of the few bands where the base guitarist is better than the guitarist.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are such a strange kind of band that finding a band to open for them is a bit of a challenge. This is mostly because the band itself breaks a lot of boundaries within the genre of Rock, combining the likes of Hip Hop, Jazz and Rock into a new entity. Back in 2006 when they came through Calgary the band that opened for them was “The Mars Volta Project” and experimental metal group. With all of that in mind I was very interested to see who would open up for them this time around.

The Band that wound up opening for the legendary Chili Peppers was a band called Rebirth Brass Band. It is a large brass style ensemble that has a sound that reminds me of what you should expect to hear when you go to Madre Gras. I think these guys would bring the house down in a smaller venue where there was room for some good old fashioned swing dancing.

Check them out

The Peppers brought a lot of enthusiasm to the stage and proved that even after 30 years they still got it. As always flea astounded the audience with his fantastic skill of slapping the base, I cannot think of anyone who can do it better. Every song was led into with an impressive instrumental interlude that showed of the skills of the drummer and flea.

The one down side to this show was even though they seem to have astounding light technicians and a well timed video to go along with everything, they left no room for audience interaction. One thing that I enjoy when going to a live show is how the performers interact with their audience. This is one attribute of showmanship that I found to be distinctly lacking with the Red Hot Chili Peppers show.

However with that being said they put on a fantastic show and there is a reason that I will always consider this band in my top five bands of all time. I hope to see them again in my life time if they are still touring, hopefully they don’t go the way of Mic Jager and the Rolling Stones.

Sincerely Urban Yeti

YYC Adventures - MTrench

Last night I had the pleasure of spending my evening viewing an extremely well done live music performance. A close friend, Wifey and me all went together to go and watch the Marianas Trench concert. Let me start by saying I am not a huge fan of the band, sure I have a bunch of their songs on my iPod so I do actually enjoy listening to their music.

The close friend of mine, Kenneth the Third, is the reason that we went because Wifey and I took him for his birthday. The reason that we decided to do this was twofold firstly the concert took place just over a week after his birthday so it was the perfect time. The second reason that this gift was perfect for Kenneth aside from the fact that he is actually a fan is a little bit of a story.

Two years ago as a group we decided that we were going to take a trip to the stampede because our friend Devo had lived in Calgary most of his life but had never actually gone to the iconic event. While we were deciding on a day to go Kenneth spoke up and said that he would like to go on the day that Marianas Trench was playing and he wanted to see them. We agreed and it was all decided that this would be our plan, little did we know that the weather had other plans for us. While Devo and I were at the top of the drop of Doom we saw lightning strike very close to the grounds and just as our feet hit the ground of the ride the skies opened up and it poured down, then the rain turned to hail the size of golf balls. Instead of running for cover we all played in the rain and I got some of my favorite photos of my friends that day.

Essentially we got rained out of seeing their show then and I felt kind of bad because Kenneth didn’t get to see the show. With that in mind Wifey and I decided that this would be the perfect gift for him as a sort of redemption for the past.

On to my review of the show, like all bands there was an opening act and the act that we caught was Down With Webster (DWW). Before this show I knew maybe only two of their songs but as for an opening act these guys really got the crowd going, their set was filled with audience interaction. DWW reminds me of a modern version of what Limp Biscuit was in the 90’s a rap rock infusion.

After DWW performed their set and there was energy coursing through the crowd the main act hit the stage. The way that I would initially describe my experience was that I was taken aback, I did not expect this kind of performance at all. The entire show had an extremely high production value and was well put together straight through till the end. This is the tour to continue to celebrate the release of Marianas Trench’s third studio album titled “Ever After”.

The show started with plumes of smoke rolling across the stage and a prerecorded video playing on a large screen at the back of the stage. A movie depicting a great quest started playing it was so enticing I thought that it was a trailer for this years’ summer action movie blockbuster. Then out of the floor grows a larger than life ornate box with a crank on the side that is spinning around, a barrage of sound as the box opens at flies Josh Ramsey the lead singer.

The crowd surges as sea of hands ever stretching towards Josh Ramsey as he soars above the audience. The sheer amount of energy put out by this band is why I would classify them as grade A+ level performers. Each and every song had its’ own feel to it and no two songs really ran together, with constant changing costumes and staging. Personally my favorite costume change was when they all pulled a move out of the movie “Risky Business” and all showed up on stage wearing white socks, white dress shirts and tightie Whities.

As a non fanboy for this particular band I do have to say that this show was one of my top favorites that I have seen. I can tell that the members of this band are not only talented musicians but are also very talented entertainers. It has been a long time since I have seen a show with so much gusto and crowd interaction, at one point the lead singer went out into the stands and while singing went to all the fans who were not up front and centre. This band puts a high emphasis on their fans and even had a slide show with pictures of their fans, I saw a familiar face up there as well which makes me know really how much that they care.  

Seeing this show has restored my faith in current performers and it makes me glad to know that someone out there is still willing to perform a rock opera. If you ever get the chance to see this band I highly recommend it because they are well worth it to see.

Sincerely Urban Yeti

WTF!: Green Day

It seems to me that there are a lot of things in the past little while that are revolving around the band Green Day. For those who may or may not have been living under a rock or don’t listen to popular music, Green Day is a three piece punk band that really got off the ground in the early 90’s. In the recent years they have transitioned genres a little from the grunge punk of the 90’s to currently performing emo pop rock.

A great many people from the time when they were first starting out, myself included, consider Green Day to be a massive sell out. In my life being a child of the 90’s I can say that the Dookie album and the Nimrod Album got me through some hard times of my own. However in my honest opinion you cannot take a band serious musically when they are the faces behind a special edition of Angry Birds. Especially with a punk band that is supposed to represent individuality and opposition to the corporations taking over.

One of the new trends in the past couple years that I can say I find almost ridiculous is that people hold their cameras and camera phones up at concerts to record it. Personally I remember a time when if you tried to take a camera into a concert it was pretty much a guarantee that it would be confiscated. The one thing about all of these cameras at concerts that is a bonus is that occasionally little gems come to light for all the world to witness that in the past only those in attendance would be graced with seeing.

Well it turns out that the Lead singer of Green Day had a little melt down on stage at a show in Las Vegas. Check it out below but keep in mind that there is extensive amounts of profanity coming from this eyeliner wearing male prima donna, so not for children.  

The thing that I find most amusing by how the lead singer of this band holds himself publicly is that in reality he is only a couple of years younger than my father. Now just imagine that your dad acting the same way as this grown man did in the video and you will probably be laughing as well. For those who know what my dad is like try imagining the stern German man swearing like a sailor and smashing a guitar.

Since we are already speaking about both Green Day and about the wonderful music of the 90’s I will continue on the topic. On the talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live this week the music artist Alanis Morissette performed a cover of Basket Case. Actually I like this cover to be honest and not just because when the song is performed by an artist like Alanis it sound way more whiney but musically it is very interesting.

Green Day is actually releasing three albums this year and I may give them a listen to but judging by how the last couple albums scored with me I do not have high hopes for them.

Sincerely Urban Yeti

YYC Adventures: Calgary Horror Con

Next week is the beginning of what I like to call the month of terror, or as those who are a bit more mundane like to call it October. This time of year means that the leaves on the trees are dying off and changing to brilliant hues of orange and yellow. This month also witnesses all the ghouls and goblins as they prepare for the coming of their favorite holiday All Hallows Eve better known as Halloween.

Well during the weekend that has just passed I went to witness some of the anticipation building up for this holiday. The gathering that I am talking about is called Horror-Con and is relatively new to the city of Calgary. This toddler of a convention is only a whopping two years old but already it has begun to grow support and in size.

Find out more about them here: Horror Con

The only reason that I found out about this wonderful event is because I was informed two days prior by a close friend of mine. At first I wasn’t sure if I was going to go at all but another friend agreed to go with me and then last minute my Wifey decided to join us. Boy am I ever glad that I did go but my one and only regret is not having brought a lot of cash with me.

At the event there were a significant amount of booths that were selling some really outstanding wares. Amongst the ranks of these vendors there was a booth operated by one of my friends and the reason I was intrigued enough to attend. The friend I am talking about is the lovely lady who so graciously made the cake toppers for my wedding.

Check out her wares here: Grave Digger Fashions

Or her DA account: CootieTourniquet

Besides my good friend Jace’s booth there was a great deal of other really amazing booths to see pedaling their wares. A great deal of very talented artists who have an affinity for the horror genre were all gathered together and resulted in a good time for all.

Take a Look

Even the Southern Alberta Lego User Group Calgary Chapter were at Horror-Con and representing the art of the genre through the use of lego.

Find out more about them here: Southern Alberta Lego User Group Calgary Chapter

The group that I was with even partook in one of the many stage shows that they were doing, I witnessed a very gothic singer performing his music.

One of the booths that was featured at the convention was a tattoo artist who was doing ink for those who wanted it, including my good friend Mr. Devo. Unfortunately I was not around to witness him doing this mostly because he did it on the second day of the con which I could not attend. I really wish that I had some cash to buy some of the stuff there and I know that Wifey feels the same. We did get ourselves some spookily adorable little cupcakes from one of the vendors and I collected a business card from the vendors that I did like.

This was really cool and now that I know of its existence I will watch for the Calgary Horror Convention next year.

Sincerely Urban Yeti