Your front-row seat to my nervous breakdown
Originally published on June 6, 2001 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com
BOSTON, Mass. — In a city that houses one of the most prominent Irish-American populations in the country — in a state that Senator Ted Kennedy calls “the most Irish-American state in the union” — a sold-out, four-night visit from Ireland’s U2 is more than just a series of concerts; it’s a cultural event.
Originally published on February 1, 2001 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com
Henry Rollins has a lot on his mind, and he’s more than willing to share all of it with you. In a business filled with people who have nary a disparaging word to say about anyone or anything for fear of damaging their own marketability, Rollins has built a career out of offering his uncensored opinion on just about everything.
Originally published on October 24, 2000 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com
Over the past three decades, Sammy Hagar has established himself as one of rock-and-roll’s best-known figures. His history encompasses an early ’70s stint fronting Montrose, a successful solo run in the mid-’80s that yielded such hits as “I’ll Fall in Love Again,” “One Way to Rock” and “I Can’t Drive 55,” and an 11-year term at the helm of Van Halen.
Originally published on August 1, 2000 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com
“It’s been an interesting decade, man,” says Stone Temple Pilots’ guitarist Dean DeLeo, who, along with the rest of STP, is backstage at Boston’s Avalon club on Saturday, July 29. In a couple of hours, the group will perform a special VH1.com live webcast concert before a packed house filled with contest winners. Right now, though, DeLeo is reflecting on the long, winding, and often tumultuous journey that his band has been on for the last ten years.
Photo by Jon Zal
Originally published on June 7, 2000 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Nearly five years ago, Trent Reznor ended his tour in support of Nine Inch Nails’ multi-platinum album “The Downward Spiral” and slipped into relative obscurity. A lengthy bout with writer’s block followed before work on a new album began in earnest in 1997. Finally, after spending two years locked away in his New Orleans recording studio, the 35-year-old Reznor emerged last September with the release of “The Fragile” — a sprawling, 104-minute double album—and put the Nine Inch Nails touring machine back in motion.
Originally published on March 17, 2000 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com
It’s 10:40am on a Thursday, and KISS frontman Paul Stanley, calling from his hotel room, sounds tired — which, admittedly, he has every reason to be; he’s just two days away from launching his group’s final tour, and has spent weeks preparing for a show that involves running around in seven-inch platform boots, flying on the end of cables, and dodging more bombs and pillars of flame than one might expect to encounter during a small war.
Photo by Jon Zal
Originally published on March 13, 2000 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com
PHOENIX, Ariz. — “You wanted the best! You got the best! The hottest band in the world … KISS!”
As the band’s name echoed through the arena, the curtain dropped to reveal rock-and-roll’s face-painted foursome, who were lowered to the stage on a platform that descended from the ceiling, arms raised in a victorious pose. The two-hour show that followed contained all the customary theatrics KISS fans — a.k.a. the KISS Army — have come to expect: explosions, pillars of flame, fire-breathing, blood-spewing, rocket-launching guitars, levitating drum risers, and tons and tons of confetti. There was, however, one subtle yet palpable difference about this gig: the band was saying goodbye.
Originally published on March 1, 2000 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com
At the age of 31, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has accomplished more than any musician could ever realistically hope to — and he’s done so twice. Grohl’s initial rise to fame occurred while seated behind the drum kit in Nirvana. After recording just one studio album with the band — 1991’s phenomenally successful “Nevermind” — he became a rock star overnight. In those days, he was known as the shaggy-haired skins-basher who flailed wildly behind Kurt Cobain. And while Cobain’s inability to cope with Nirvana’s success resulted in his tragic suicide, Grohl’s path forked in an entirely different direction.