Your concerts for 2019

[cramx3]

My hotel is right next to the Amsterdam arena station, maybe I should look into that. Just figured I never really drove around the country myself that it might be interesting. I'm not sure how bad the traffic really would be compared to NYC and LA that I'm more used to though. I did look at pictures and noticed the station next to it, or under it. Kind of an interesting look.

[cramx3]

So that Kamelot/Evergrey concert was awesome!  So glad I managed to make it there and back to Amsterdam to catch my flight home a few hours later. 

Some observations, the dutch crowd is interesting.  It seemed like everyone had thier own personal space at the concert, there was no dancing or moving around, god forbid you hit elbows with someone (no one was mad, but man did I get a lot of looks just trying to move around the place and weaving around people) but anytime Tommy would say put your hands up, the entire place ahd their hands up and into it.  It was kind of cool seeing a larger fanbase and turn out for them compared to the US.  Their website said the show sold out, but I bought a ticket at the door an hour before Kamelot hit the stage so I kind of doubt it did sell out, but was likely very close.  Another cool thing was a free coat check and relatively decent beer prices for a concert (5 euro for 16 oz).

Sadly though, I took the train and figured getting there at 8 (there was no way I could have gotten there earlier) would be good to catch Evergrey right when they went on but nope they had already started at 7:45 and Kamelot was done by 10:30 so it was a bit of an earlier show. 

I must say though, this was the best Kamelot show I had seen.  They live debuted a new song, and played Karma.  Tommy did a spot before end of Innocence in the crowd.  Oh, and there were PYROS! Lots of pyro!  Felt like I was witnessing a concert I've seen on youtube from europe that I always would wish to see and there I was!  So awesome!  Chit chatted with some friendly people and it was a good time the entire night.

also, a shout out to the local who helped me catch my train home.  It had changed tracks and I got confused so he was like just follow me to utrecht  Those trains have nice bathrooms too

Kamelot and Evergrey LIVE at Doornroosje in Nijmegen Netherlands

So for future concerts, there was a new tour announced that I am VERY interested in.  311 with Dirty Heads and The Interrupters coming to my hometown amphitheater 

So here is my updated 2019 list:

January 12th - Sublime with Rome @ Borgata Casino, Atlantic City NJ   
January 30th - Elton John @ Staples Center. Los Angeles CA
February 22nd - Less Than Jake @ Starland Ballroom, Sayreville NJ
February 25th - Disturbed and Three Days Grace @ Madison Square Garden, New York City NY   
March 3rd - Within Temptation, In Flames and Smash Into Pieces @ Playstation Theater, New York City NY
March 8th - Kamelot and Evergrey @ Doornroosje, Nijmegen NL
------------------------------------------------------------------------------   
March 22nd - Warrant @ Starland Ballroom, Sayreville NJ
March 27th - Kiss @ Madison Square Garden, New York City NY
April 10th - Dream Theater @ Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank NJ
April 12th - Dream Theater @ Beacon Theatre, New York City NY
May 3rd - Winery Dogs @ Sony Hall, New York City NY
May 4th - Skid Row @ Starland Ballroom, Sayreville NJ
May 7th - Whitesnake @ Starland Ballroom, Sayreville NJ
May 18th - Devin Townsend @ Starland Ballroom, Sayreville NJ (same day as GF's graduation so might not make this)
May 24th - Avantasia @ Palladium, Worcester MA
May 25th - Greta Van Fleet @ Forest Hills Stadium, Queens NY
June 2nd - Yngwie Malmsteen @ Starland Ballroom, Sayreville NJ... or Rancid/Pennywise @ Englishtown NJ
June 11th - Ozzy and Megadeth @ Madison Square Garden, New York City NY
June 15th - Live and Bush  PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel NJ
June 19th - Ariana Grande @ Madison Square Garden, New York City NY
June 29/30th - Warped Tour 25th Anniversary (311, Bad Religion, Blink 182, Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish, Dirty Heads, Offspring) @ Atlantic City, NJ
July 13th - Third Eye Blind and Jimmy Eat World @ PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel NJ
July 24th - 311, Dirty Heads, and The Interrupters @ PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel NJ
July 26th - Iron Maiden @ Barclays Center, Brooklyn NY
July 27th - Iron Maiden @ Barclays Center, Brooklyn NY
July 31st - Breaking Benjamin & Three Days Grace @ PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel NJ
August 7th - Korn and Alice in Chains @ PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel NJ
August 17th - Alice Cooper and Halestorm @ PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel NJ
August 30th - Slipknot, Volbeat, Gojira, Behemoth @ PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel NJ
September 4-7 - ProgPower USA 20 @ Center Stage, Atlanta GA (Seventh Wonder, Orden Ogan, Demons & Wizards, Evergrey, Galneryus, Caligulas Horse, Pretty Maids)
September 14th - Kamelot, Sonata Arctica, & Battle Beast @ Terminal 5, New York City NY
September 20th - Delain, Amorphis, & Anneke Van Giersbergen @ Irving Plaza, New York City NY

[ReaperKK]

Just checked out your video Cram, awesome stuff! I've was never into Kamelot but the show looked awesome.

I just got back from seeing Michael Kelsey for a second time. He was the featured performer for the open mic night tonight, $3 tickets. It was awesome. He played a few of my favorite songs but after the set he walked to me and asked if I was at his last show, I was, I was one of two people there for him. He gave me a couple of cd's and signed one for me, said he really appreciated me coming out again.

[cfmoran13]

Friday night, I decided to go see John 5 at a small club in New Jersey at the last minute.

He had two opening acts.  The first band, Dead Girls Academy, has already been discussed.  No point beating that dead horse.  The second was Jared James Nichols.  He was absolute fire!  Picture Pride and Glory-era Zakk Wylde.  And, no pick either.  I hadn't seen someone play like that with just his fingers before.  He headed up a 3-piece that was pure energy.  His band was worth the price of admission (which was a cheap $20) alone.  I picked up a copy of his newest CD at the merch stand on my way out.

And, John 5 was awesome.  I'd never seen him live before.  Heck, I didn't even own any of his albums.  But his band, John 5 and the Creatures, put on a really entertaining show.  All 3 guys look to be highly-skilled musicians.  John 5 went back and forth between different types of music the whole show - shredding one minute, banjo picking the next.  His stage show (2 screens with constantly changing imagery (Scooby Doo cartoons, The Exorcist, Barbarella, etc.), people coming on and off stage in different costumes and his various costume changes) was really fun.  If he comes around your area, definitely check him out.  He puts on a great show.

[Ben_Jamin]

Friday night, I decided to go see John 5 at a small club in New Jersey at the last minute.

He had two opening acts.  The first band, Dead Girls Academy, has already been discussed.  No point beating that dead horse.  The second was Jared James Nichols.  He was absolute fire!  Picture Pride and Glory-era Zakk Wylde.  And, no pick either.  I hadn't seen someone play like that with just his fingers before.  He headed up a 3-piece that was pure energy.  His band was worth the price of admission (which was a cheap $20) alone.  I picked up a copy of his newest CD at the merch stand on my way out.

And, John 5 was awesome.  I'd never seen him live before.  Heck, I didn't even own any of his albums.  But his band, John 5 and the Creatures, put on a really entertaining show.  All 3 guys look to be highly-skilled musicians.  John 5 went back and forth between different types of music the whole show - shredding one minute, banjo picking the next.  His stage show (2 screens with constantly changing imagery (Scooby Doo cartoons, The Exorcist, Barbarella, etc.), people coming on and off stage in different costumes and his various costume changes) was really fun.  If he comes around your area, definitely check him out.  He puts on a great show.

Second....

What you're saying is exactly how I felt. Way worth the price.

[cramx3]

Just what I needed last night, a concert to get an escape.  Works been kicking my ass, I've just been feeling super burnt out and unmotivated lately.  I got a ticket bundle for a bunch of rock concerts at my local concert venue and it included one for Warrant last night.  Figured I'd go cause it was Friday and like I said, I wanted to get away and just enjoy myself for a couple hours.  This hit the spot.  Sure, it's cheesy glam metal, sure the singer died and this is a replacement who doesn't bring what Jani did, sure the place was fairly empty, but damn I had a good time just rocking out and enjoying the show.  Nothing really to highlight about that was interesting other than the singer did appear to be pretty drunk and ramble a bit between songs, at one point you could see the guitarist was visibly frustrated with him, but it was entertaining.  After the show I chilled and met the singer who complimented me on my Kamelot shirt which was a real surprise, said "Casey's band" and got a few of the other guys from the band to be like "Oh yea Casey!"  I guess they know him which was pretty cool.  He's in Queensrych but whatever, they knew that once I said "used to be Caseys band". 

Warrant Live @ Starland Ballroom NJ 3/22/19

[Evermind]

Done:

Feb 16th - Delain - Moscow, RU
Feb 20th - Steven Wilson - Hamburg, DE (possibly w/ VIP upgrade as soon as this month's paycheck arrives)
Feb 21th - Haken, VOLA, Bent Knee - Hamburg, DE (w/ VIP upgrade)
Feb 27th - Steven Wilson - Moscow, RU
Mar 9th - Pain of Salvation - Moscow, RU
Mar 15th - Amorphis - Moscow, RU
Mar 23rd - Temperance - Moscow, RU (it's a festival so there'll be a bunch of other bands too I guess)

Upcoming:

April 28th - iamthemorning - Moscow, RU
April 29th - Myrkur / iamthemorning - Moscow, RU
May 4th - Avantasia - Moscow, RU
June 9th - Оргия праведников - Moscow, RU (a Russian band that opened for Pain of Salvation, they were great so I thought I'll see their headline show)
June 10th - Demons & Wizards - Moscow, RU
June 11th - Dream Theater - Moscow, RU
Sep 12th - Ayreon - Tilburg, NL (dress rehearsal)
Sep 13th - Ayreon - Tilburg, NL (w/ VIP upgrade)
Sep 14th - Ayreon - Tilburg, NL
Oct 12th - Epica - Moscow, RU

[Ben_Jamin]

Fates Warning in a couple more hours....oh and Queensryche too.

[Anguyen92]

All right, an updated list, but first here's my brief thoughts on two concerts I've recently been to last week.

Within Temptation with In Flames opening - Wiltern Theater, Los Angeles, CA - March 19th, 2019:  Holy crap, I did not expect this to be my favorite concert of the year so far, but it was there.  In Flames brought a good amount of intensity and Within Temptation delivered a perfect concert experience for me and I had a tremendous view the whole time on the floor.  Easily worth the $50.00 ticket.

Dream Theater - Wiltern Theater, Los Angeles, CA - March 21st, 2019: Band was solid.  JLB was solid.  Scenes From A Memory set was good.  Liked that they played four new songs from Distance Over Time.  Now the bad news that dampened my enjoyment.  The view was butts for me.  Couldn't see JP most of the time.  Also, the setlist could have been varied a little more with something from Awake or something from SDOIT or any other MM-era songs before D/T.  Still, for $25.00, it was a satisfying show.  Now for the shows I have pending.  Bolded are the ones that I didn't include in the last list.

Switchfoot - Wiltern Theater, Los Angeles, CA - April 5th, 2019
Tedeschi Trucks Band - Orpheum Theatre, Los Angeles, CA - May 16th, 2019 (Now this is a band in comparison to my list that is way left field, but I've seen a couple of proshots of them before and I like what I see and hear.  Wouldn't mind seeing long Allman Brothers-like instrumental jams and the likes).
Mastodon and Coheed & Cambria - Greek Theater, Los Angeles, CA - June 29th, 2019
Shinedown with Badflower, Dinosaur Pile-Up, and Broken Hands opening - FivePoint Amphitheater, Irvine, CA - July 21st, 2019.
Iron Maiden with Fozzy and The Raven Age opening - Banc of California Stadium, Los Angeles, CA - September 14th, 2019
Breaking Benjamin with Chevelle and Three Days Grace (with Dorothy and Diamante opening) - FivePoint Amphitheater, Irvine, CA - September 16th, 2019.
Alter Bridge's 6th Album VIP Listening Party with a brief live set - Venue and Date TBA - Scheduled to be somewhere in September in Orlando, FL.

I might add Papa Roach with Bad Wolves and Asking Alexandria at the Hollywood Palladium on August 31st depending on ticket prices.  On second thought, $59.00 (fees included) for Papa Roach and I know they are not going to top Within Temptation as my favorite show of the year, so I shall pass for now and hope Ticketmaster will come to their senses or Groupon will have them at lower than $45.00.

My new year's resolution is to attend one concert a month for the whole year and I am on course for it.  I just need an August, October, November, and December show and I think I can fulfill it.  I'm sure there's still plenty of shows yet to be announced in SoCal in August.  I may go see Delain in Anaheim in October.  Blizzard Entertainment has their Blizzcon convention in November and it usually contains a name-value live act for their closing ceremonies, so that's something to look forward to if tickets don't sell out quickly.  Plus, TSO may do their annual tour in December and may hit Ontario again and I wouldn't mind seeing them again and take my family to see them as well.

Good times, all around.

[cramx3]

nice 

Tonight is Kiss at MSG, first time seeing them and maybe the last, pretty excited for this one even having never been a huge fan.  I admit, I like the hits and they are playing them so I expect to have a good time.

[axeman90210]

Updated list:

February 13th- Neal Morse Band, Jersey City NJ
February 16th- Neal Morse Band, Glenside PA
March 6th- Talas, New York NY
March 29th- Experience Hendrix Tour, Newark NJ
April 10th- Dream Theater, Red Bank NJ
April 12th- Dream Theater, New York NY
April 13th- Dream Theater, Philadelphia PA
May 3rd- Winery Dogs, New York NY
May 19th- Thank You Scientist, Brooklyn NY
May 21st- Animals as Leaders, New York NY
June 8th- Mastodon/Coheed and Cambria, Camden NJ
July 27th- Iron Maiden, Brooklyn NY
August 30th- Flying Colors, Cross Plains TN
August 31st- Neal Morse Band, Cross Plains TN

Also considering adding both Paul Gilbert and Tony MacAlpine to the list, they both have a couple nights booked at the Iridium the week after my Mastodon show. Shaping up to be a pretty good year.

[axeman90210]

I have to say, the Experience Hendrix concert was pretty great. So many phenomenal guitar players. I hadn't heard of Jonny Lang beforehand, but he really impressed me. The show closes with a four song set from Joe Satriani, Doug Pinnick, and Kenny Aronoff, and they make for an absolutely monstrous trio.

[Stadler]

nice 

Tonight is Kiss at MSG, first time seeing them and maybe the last, pretty excited for this one even having never been a huge fan.  I admit, I like the hits and they are playing them so I expect to have a good time.

So, what say you?

[cramx3]

nice 

Tonight is Kiss at MSG, first time seeing them and maybe the last, pretty excited for this one even having never been a huge fan.  I admit, I like the hits and they are playing them so I expect to have a good time.

So, what say you?

Wrote a full review in the Kiss thread, but here's my video.  I had a blast:

Kiss Live @ Sold Out Madison Square Garden NYC

Funny this may be my most trolled video, got tons of trolls out for all my kiss videos.  Shitting on my seats and saying it's a waste of money.  Whatever, haters gonna hate.  It was a really fun night for me, end of story.  I'd consider catching them again at Prudential Center in NJ this summer, looks like it's selling really poorly so I'll wait and see. 

[axeman90210]

I'm thinking about grabbing a ticket for the Experience Hendrix tribute tour when it hits NJ at the end of the month. Satriani, Eric Johnson, Dave Mustaine, Doug Pinnick, and others all jamming on Hendrix tunes sounds like a pretty great night

I saw ads for this and just thought it was like a cover band show, but seeing all these musicians listed makes it pretty interesting.  They are bringing this show to Count Basie in Red Bank, maybe I'd go to that (I'm assuming you are looking at the NJPAC show)

Don't know if this is still on your radar, but I'd definitely recommend it if it is.

[cramx3]

I'm thinking about grabbing a ticket for the Experience Hendrix tribute tour when it hits NJ at the end of the month. Satriani, Eric Johnson, Dave Mustaine, Doug Pinnick, and others all jamming on Hendrix tunes sounds like a pretty great night

I saw ads for this and just thought it was like a cover band show, but seeing all these musicians listed makes it pretty interesting.  They are bringing this show to Count Basie in Red Bank, maybe I'd go to that (I'm assuming you are looking at the NJPAC show)

Don't know if this is still on your radar, but I'd definitely recommend it if it is.

Got another ad to enter to win tickets which I did, I'm still on the edge for it. It's pretty expensive and hasn't sold well in Red Bank.  Maybe I can get a good deal Tuesday and go there after work. 

[axeman90210]

I'm thinking about grabbing a ticket for the Experience Hendrix tribute tour when it hits NJ at the end of the month. Satriani, Eric Johnson, Dave Mustaine, Doug Pinnick, and others all jamming on Hendrix tunes sounds like a pretty great night

I saw ads for this and just thought it was like a cover band show, but seeing all these musicians listed makes it pretty interesting.  They are bringing this show to Count Basie in Red Bank, maybe I'd go to that (I'm assuming you are looking at the NJPAC show)

Don't know if this is still on your radar, but I'd definitely recommend it if it is.

Got another ad to enter to win tickets which I did, I'm still on the edge for it. It's pretty expensive and hasn't sold well in Red Bank.  Maybe I can get a good deal Tuesday and go there after work. 

Yeah, if it's not selling well I'm sure there'll be deals to had last minute. Surprising though because it seemed like a pretty full crowd at NJPAC (albeit I don't know what the upper levels looked like).

[lonestar]

March 24th- Dream Theater
---------------------------------
May 3rd- Thank You Scientists
May 28th- Alien Weaponry
May 29th- Riverside
June 15th- Gloryhammer

Still unsure if Alien Weaponry is gonna happen, doing two shows in the city with early shifts both the following days is gonna be very rough for this old man.

[MoraWintersoul]

I have to say this year I really brought it with the concerts  not anything vast in numbers compared to you guys, so far I have four things planned but three are major bucket list items and one is a local surprise.

In May I'll be seeing Conception on Karmřygeddon, with my sister flying in from Serbia! It's three hours by bus so we'll have to overnight, so... expensive. Then I'll be flying to Berlin to see Symphony X with my husband and a great friend of his - we would have had to fly to Oslo anyway and that's expensive so why not fly somewhere where we can enjoy them with good company. Leprous is visiting Bergen in June, so after at least seven years of their concerts I narrowly missed I finally get to see them, and in August the local black metal festival is stepping it up and bringing Candlemass and Arcturus.

[chknptpie]

Two nights of Taking Back Sunday this week!

[cramx3]

Wow Conception?  Mora that sounds awesome, I'm so upset I never got to see Kahn with Kamelot, he quit right before the tour I had tickets to 

[MoraWintersoul]

Wow Conception?  Mora that sounds awesome, I'm so upset I never got to see Kahn with Kamelot, he quit right before the tour I had tickets to 

Man, that's a bummer! With this reunion I think you might have the opportunity to see him very soon, because everyone is hyped about them and I'm sure they're getting plenty of offers.

Khan is probably in my top 5 singers of all time and I'm so glad he's doing this, it's a dream come true 

[The Curious Orange]

June 19th - Ariana Grande @ Madison Square Garden, New York City NY

Yeah, I'd have left that one off the list, TBH.

[The Curious Orange]

Tedeschi Trucks Band - Orpheum Theatre, Los Angeles, CA - May 16th, 2019 (Now this is a band in comparison to my list that is way left field, but I've seen a couple of proshots of them before and I like what I see and hear.  Wouldn't mind seeing long Allman Brothers-like instrumental jams and the likes).

One of the best bands you will ever see, especially if they're doing an "evening with" format (2 sets, no support). I caught them back in 2015, and they blew me away - they're playing the UK again at the end of this month, on the one weekend of the year I'm doing something else I can't cancel. I'm so insanely jealous of you and anyone else who's going to see them!

[cramx3]

June 19th - Ariana Grande @ Madison Square Garden, New York City NY

Yeah, I'd have left that one off the list, TBH.

  for my gf, I keep it on the list to see if anyone is actually looking at it.

[King Postwhore]

June 19th - Ariana Grande @ Madison Square Garden, New York City NY

Yeah, I'd have left that one off the list, TBH.

  for my gf, I keep it on the list to see if anyone is actually looking at it.

I good man keeps a girl happy.


Thankfully, my girl likes Prog.

[Anguyen92]

All right, got my show in August.

Lindsey Stirling with ZZ Ward - Pacific Amphitheater, Costa Mesa, CA - August 7th, 2019

So I saw Lindsey Stirling with Evanescence back in September, last year in Irvine and I was really impressed with Lindsey Stirling's set.  From a visual perspective and from a musical perspective, it was worth the price of the ticket.  Evanescence on the other hand, while there was nothing wrong with the set from a visual and musical perspective, I was just plain bored for the set.  So with Lindsey Stirling announcing her own headlining tour, this makes this a no brainer of a buy.  I think I paid more for this show ($47.50 on Ticketmaster) than I did at the Irvine show ($39.00 on Groupon), but I think I got a good spot.  Just far away to justify the price of a more cheaper seat, but not so far away where I should have a clear view of the stage.  Plus the rows are slightly more elevated in comparison to the Wiltern Theater's floor seating map, so I should have a clear view of the stage regardless if people are standing or not.  Also it's a slightly smaller venue than the place in Irvine.  Pacific Amphitheater holds only 8,000 people in comparison to 12,000 people in Fivepoint in Irvine, so it should fix a minor problem I had with Lindsey Stirling set last year (she deserved a more active crowd and I think the smaller venue should remedy that).

Also, I have never been to this Amphitheater before so that's another exciting thing.  Parking looks cheap, and it takes place during the OC fair which is next door to the Amphitheater, so that's another potential plus as well.

[ReaperKK]

My brother saw Lindsey sterling and loved it, sounds like it’ll be a good show.

I just found out Snarky Puppy is playing at brewery close by, I’m a casual fan and tickets are $40 but I think I’m going to go. I heard they are good live.

[Anguyen92]

So, saw Switchfoot, last Friday at the Wiltern Theater (third show in a row I went to the Wiltern Theater and, oh boy, I'm ready to take a break for going there because parking is expensive and traffic is terrible getting there).  I didn't think it would take a little more than two weeks to top Within Temptation as my favorite concert this year, but Switchfoot did just that.  Almost every song was a singalong.  The band was playing well.  The crowd was enjoying every minute of it.  Jon Foreman, their singer, was a great frontman and he was doing this thing where he was walking on the rail to interact with the people in front of him.  The cool thing about the Wiltern was that there was two sections with rails.  One section in front of the stage, and another section behind that 1st section.  So Jon went to the section that I was at (I was in the third row behind the rail as oppose to being directly behind the rail during Within Temptation) during Love Alone is Worth the Fight, and this next thought may be delusional, but I think he pointed at me in his direction (I was sporting my usual Alter Bridge t-shirt).

Anyway, they played a fair amount of stuff from their last two albums, their big hits (Dare You to Move and Meant to Live), and some staples (Stars, Hello Hurricane, Where I Belong) and that makes it for a great setlist and lasted for 100 minutes or so.  In the encore, they got the opening bands to come out and play their lead single from their latest album, Native Tongue, which was pretty cool.  The biggest takeaway from that show was how very welcoming the band and the crowd was and that there was no need to feel awkward or a feeling that you do not belong.  The band got the crowd to have their arms around everyone else during I Won't Let You Go and despite Jon giving a warning that this will not get any more awkward in the next five minutes, I don't think everyone minded and it was a good feeling to it.  A lot of bands could learn a lot from Switchfoot when it comes to making everyone feel welcomed to be a part of the concert and their community/family/nation/whatever.  It can go a long way.  So yeah, I don't mind putting this as my concert of the year so far, despite being two rows back from where I wanted to be, but I had a great view the whole time.

Anyway, I already mentioned it in that thread, but man it's good to say it again.  I'm seeing Winery Dogs in Anaheim in a venue where I only need to drive on one street for 30 minutes after work and that's all I need to do and I only paid $14.00 on Groupon for the ticket (it's in a GA section that is in the back areas, but a cheap ticket to a good show is something I can't pass on, but I would have liked it if they had an option to pay $10-15 more for the closer sections.  I would have taken them up on that).

Winery Dogs - The City National Grove of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA - May 30th, 2019.

[Anguyen92]

Just bought tickets to two more shows.

Rob Thomas - Greek Theater, Los Angeles, CA - June 18th, 2019.

Saw this one in Groupon for less than $23.00.  It may be the worst seats, but it can't be a bad night out.  I like a couple of Matchbox 20 songs and a few of the solo songs I have heard from him.  He might have some more solo songs that I have overlooked.

Skillet and Sevendust with Pop Evil and Devour the Day opening - Wiltern Theater, Los Angeles, CA - September 1st, 2019.

Four show at the Wiltern, this year.  Oh baby, when I read the tour announcement on Loudwire, yesterday, I knew I had to get tickets immediately.  I was digging around Twitter and Facebook to see if I can find a presale code to get tickets and I found one on Twitter.  Nabbed a GA seat for $50.00.  I could have paid another $14.00 to get pit tickets, but it's on a Sunday, I probably should get there way earlier to get front of the GA section. It's the same section format like in the Switchfoot show (one GA section and one pit) and I was in the third row GA for that show and got a great view, so I should have better luck for the Skillet/Sevendust show.  It's going to be worth it if both bands get an hour each.

I'm pretty pumped for this show and it sets up another perfect concert experience for me.  I love Skillet.  Sure, I didn't really enjoy their latest album, but even then they still had some decent songs from that album and everything from the Collide album to Rise is great stuff.  Sevendust had a solid album with All I See is War and a catalog full of great stuff.  Plus, what I have read, they seem like a bunch of nice hard-working dudes and get along with the guys in Alter Bridge really well.  All of that makes this a must grab ticket for me and I did just that.

September is a busy month for me.  Skillet/Sevendust at the start of the month. Iron Maiden, somewhere in mid-September. Breaking Benjamin/Three Days Grace/Chevelle two days after Iron Maiden. Plus, the Alter Bridge listening party and as long as it is not on the same weekend as Iron Maiden, I should be good to go where I don't need to cancel anything, plus I'm still considering see Papa Roach the day before Skillet/Sevendust if the ticket prices are lowered to my liking.  I almost considered wanting to try to get tickets to Metallica's S&M 2 considering that it's only a 7 hour drive north and a big-time show.  That stated, since I'm already needing to prioritize my budget to the trip to Orlando for Alter Bridge and the resale tickets alone for Metallica will probably be the price of my trip to Orlando, I opted to pass on it.

[twosuitsluke]

I've got a Devin Townsend acoustic show on Friday. I'll be honest, with my wedding less than a month away I completely forgot about it, so this is a nice surprise!

[cramx3]

I've got a Devin Townsend acoustic show on Friday. I'll be honest, with my wedding less than a month away I completely forgot about it, so this is a nice surprise!

Nice and congrats on the upcoming wedding.  DT is doing his acoustic show locally the day of my GF's graduation so I don't think I can make it sadly.

Skillet and Sevendust with Pop Evil and Devour the Day opening - Wiltern Theater, Los Angeles, CA - September 1st, 2019.

I saw Pop Evil last summer opening for Poison and Cheap Trick.  Thought they were pretty good.  It's funny cause I actually heard the song Waking Lions on the radio the other day, and was like "wait, I recorded this song and had never heard it or the band, I guess they are getting popular?" Sadly for them, no one was at the venue yet and I was allowed to walk up to the front row for the beginning of their set, and got a high five from the singer later in the set.  Pop Evil - Waking Lions Live 2018

Last weekend I saw Tesla for the first time.  Part of a rock concert ticket bundle I bought at my local ballroom.  I was debating about going because I wasn't really familiar with them, but I'm glad I did.  They were fun, felt like a good ole fashioned rock concert in a GA venue.  I thought they sounded real good too.  I read the singer isn't that good anymore, but he sounded good to me.  Loved the one guitarist who looked like he was having a blast playing. 

Tesla Live @ Starland Ballroom NJ 4/20/19

[Samsara]

Here's what's left:

Neal Schon's Journey Through Time
Muse
Within Temptation
Dream Theater
Fates Warning (3x - two opening slots, one headline gig)
The Tea Party
Hootie & The Blowfish
Styx
Weird Al
Iron Maiden (2x)
Sammy Hagar & The Circle

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Sammy Hagar & The Circle

They were on Howard Stern recently, I haven't followed this band but after the interview and performance I totally would want to see them.

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Ooo just announced Sabaton and Hammerfall tour 

November 2nd - Sabaton and Hammerfall @ Playstation Theater, New York City NY

but coming up are a bunch of concerts:

May 3rd - Winery Dogs @ Sony Hall, New York City NY
May 4th - Skid Row @ Starland Ballroom, Sayreville NJ
May 7th - Whitesnake @ Starland Ballroom, Sayreville NJ