W♥M (Archive)

Rocktober: October 5, 2015

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on October 5, 2015.

Just a reminder that the Wolf Alice with Made Violent and Drenge is taking place this night at 7pm ($16). More details weheartmusic.com and first-avenue.com.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Def Leppard “You wanted the best, you got the best!”, so is the classic stage intro for Kiss, who come to town alongside fellow hard rock legends, Def Leppard. At least two of the best anyway, as Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons .… Foreigner Foreigner: Live is a misleading title for a re-issue of the DVD Soundstage: Foreigner - Live, which portion of this show was originally aired PBS on January 22, 2009. ...

DEF LEPPARD
at Xcel Energy Center
Monday, 10/05/2015, 6pm ($29.50)
xcelenergycenter.com

Legendary rockers Def Leppard is returning to the Twin Cities next Monday - they previously appeared at the Minnesota State Fair, earlier in August 2015.

Joining them will be Foreigner, with Mick Jones on lead vocals. We previously caught Foreigner's original voice Lou Gramm at the Minnesota State Fair in September 2015.

Tour dates:

09/26 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
09/28 West Valley City, UT USANA Amphitheater
09/30 Spokane, WA Spokane Arena
10/02 Bozeman, MT Brick Breeden Fieldhouse
10/04 Bismarck, ND Bismarck Civic Center
10/05 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
10/07 Moline, IL I Wireless Center
10/09 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
10/10 Wichita, KS Intrust Bank Arena
10/11 Lincoln, NE Pinnacle Bank Arena
10/14 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
10/16 Columbia, SC Colonial Life Arena
10/17 Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena

Read More Soundgarden When I caught wind that reunited (two years strong!) alternative-rock giants Soundgarden were releasing new music AND making a tour stop at Minneapolis, I fell down the stairs. Well... not quite.…

CHRIS CORNELL
at State Theatre
Monday, 10/05/2015, 8pm ($49.50)
hennepintheatretrust.org

Soundgarden's frontman Chris Cornell is currently on a solo tour, for his new album Higher Truth. He'll be stopping by the State Theatre this Monday, October 5th, performing some of those new songs.

He recently stopped by Sirius XM to perform a stripped-down cover of Prince's classic ballad "Nothing Compares 2 U," I suspect he may have to perform that in Prince's hometown next Monday. You can watch the Sirius XM clip on YouTube.

Chris Cornell 2015 Solo-Acoustic Tour Dates:

9/29/15 Seattle, WA Benaroya Hall
9/30/15 Vancouver, BC Orpheum Theatre
10/2/15 Denver, CO Paramount Theatre
10/3/15 Salina, KS Stifel Theatre
10/5/15 Minneapolis, MN State Theatre
10/6/15 Chicago, IL Chicago Theatre
10/8/15 Lakewood, OH Lakewood Civic Aud
10/9/15 Toronto, ON Massey Hall
10/11/15 Buffalo, NY University at Buffalo
10/12/15 New Brunswick, NJ State Theatre
10/14/15 Bethesda, MD Strathmore Music
10/15/15 Philadelphia, PA Merriam Theater
10/17/15 Wilkes Barre, PA Kirby Center
10/18/15 New York, NY Beacon Theatre
10/19/15 New York, NY Beacon Theatre
10/21/15 Boston, MA Shubert Theater
10/23/15 Wilmington, DE Grand Opera House
10/24/15 York, PA Strand Capitol
10/26/15 Atlanta, GA Atlanta Symphony Hall
10/27/15 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
10/29/15 Miami, FL The Knight Concert Hall
10/30/15 Saint Petersburg, FL Mahaffey Theater
11/1/15 Dallas, TX Majestic Theatre
11/2/15 Austin, TX ACL Live
11/4/15 Phoenix, AZ Orpheum Theatre

Read More The Dodos The first time I heard of The Dodos in 2010, we called them band of the show. I eventually caught them in 2011, when they toured with Bleeding Rainbow …

MEW
at Triple Rock Social Club
Monday, 10/05/2015, 7pm ($20)
triplerocksocialclub.com

Danish alt-rockers Mew is currently on tour in support of their latest + - (Plus Minus) album, released earlier this year through Play It Again Sam.

Opening will be The Dodos, who we previously saw earlier this March 2015 at 7th Street. Expect a similar, but shortened, set from their latest album Individ (Polyvinyl Records).

Tour dates:

09/28/15 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
09/29/15 Vancouver, BC Venue
09/30/15 Seattle, WA Neumos
10/02/15 Salt Lake City, UT Complex
10/03/15 Englewood, CO Gothic Theatre
10/05/15 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock Social Club
10/06/15 Chicago, IL Metro / Smart Bar
10/07/15 Toronto, ON Lee's Palace
10/09/15 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
10/10/15 New York, NY Webster Hall
10/11/15 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
10/21/15 Stavanger, Norway Stavanger Konserthus
10/22/15 Bergen, Norway Peer Gyntsalen
10/24/15 UKA Festival
10/25/15 Oslo, Norway Sentrum Scene
10/26/15 Goteborg, Sweden Tradgaarn
10/27/15 Stockholm, Sweden Arenan
10/29/15 Helsinki, Finland Circus
11/04/15 Copenhagen, Denmark Falkoner Theatre
11/05/15 Aarhus Congress Centre
11/06/15 Amsterdam Heineken Music Hall
11/22/15 Corona Capital Festival
11/25/15 Tokyo, Japan Shibuya O-East
11/26/15 Tokyo, Japan Shibuya O-East
11/27/15 Osaka, Japan Soma
12/02/15 Sydney, Australia Manning Bar
12/03/15 Melbourne, Australia Max Watts
12/04/15 Brisbane, Australia Max Watts
12/13/15 Utrecht, Netherlands Tivoli De Helling
12/14/15 London Village Underground
12/15/15 London Village Underground

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ itunes.apple.com

Lou Gramm at Minnesota State Fair (02 and 03 Sept 2015)

Setlist Double Vision* Feels Like the First Time* Just Between You and Me Cold as Ice* Head Games* That Was Yesterday* I Want to Know What Love Is* Long, Long Way From Home* Urgent* Drum Solo Blue Morning, Blue Day* Midnight Blue Juke Box Hero* -- Encore -- Bad Company instrumental / Hot Blooded* * Foreigner song Tour Dates 09/26/15 Oklahoma State Fairgrounds 10/09/15 Las Vegas, NV Golden Nugget Hotel 11/07/15 Green Bay, WI Meyer Theatre 11/11/15 Monterrey, Mexico Arena Monterrey 11/12/15 Mexico City, Mexico Teatro Metropolitan Read More Foreigner Foreigner: Live is a misleading title for a re-issue of the DVD Soundstage: Foreigner - Live, which portion of this show was originally aired PBS on January 22, 2009. ...

With over forty years of rock under his belt, it’s safe to say he’s still a Juke Box Hero—

Lou Gramm, "The Voice of Foreigner"

Lou Gramm, the “Voice of Foreigner” rocked the bandshell at the Minnesota State Fair, with a two-night stand of nothing but hits- songs anyone growing up to AOR (album-oriented rock) radio, all know by heart.

The now 65 year-old Gramm has had more than his share of ups and downs since leaving Foreigner twice (the last time being over ten years ago; with most notably, a life-threatening brain tumor that affected his pituitary gland, weight, voice, and stamina), but after a long and gradual road back, he’s back in much better form and ready to entertain everyone again, that grew up with his music.

Beginning his set with the intro sounds of car engine roars, jungle drums, and police sirens, Gramm and band (Michael Staertow – lead guitar; AD Zimmer – bass; Andy Knoll – keyboards, synthesizer; and Ben Gramm – drums, percussion) stormed the stage with 1978 Foreigner hit, ‘Double Vision’, the title track from the band’s second full-length.

Gramm is in much stronger voice than even a few years ago, his voice retaining that signature growl and tone that was so familiar on FM radio from the late ‘70s onward.  Like most singers of generation still performing, some of the songs were taken to a lower key to accommodate a more limited range, but the crowd didn’t seem to care, happy to sing along to songs most grew up with.

1977’s ‘Feels Like the First Time’ was next, from the band’s debut, followed by Gramm’s solo hit from his second album, ‘Just Between You and Me’.  “On this warm night…we brought some ice to the party”, Gramm mentioned before he and band launched into 1977’s ‘Cold as Ice’.

1984’s ‘That Was Yesterday’ was the full version, complete with first verse piano intro, and with no choir backing him, the crowd become the makeshift “Minnesota Gospel Choir”, singing along to Foreigner’s biggest hit, ‘I Want to Know What Love Is’.

“Now this…is an emergency!” Gramm cried before going into Foreigner’s ‘Urgent’, the keyboards doing double-duty by mimicking the saxophone solo.  Gramm’s brother Ben got a turn in the spotlight with a late-set drum solo before the main set ended with the familiar bass drum and synth intro-ing ‘Jukebox Hero’.

Gramm in Minnesota Twins jersey

Gramm and co. re-emerged for a single-song encore, the band first riffing on the instrumental break of Bad Company’s ‘All Right Now’ before going into Foreigner’s ‘Hot Blooded’ with Gramm donning a Minnesota Twins jersey to crowd applause.  The Rochester, NY native noted that he is a lifelong Twins fan, due to his local minor league team, the Redbirds, being a farm club for the Major League Baseball team.

“We’ve had a lot of fun…we’re gonna do this again”, Gramm said waving to the audience on his way out the first night and was true to his word, bringing those timeless hits back, one more time on the following night.  Anyone curious about Gramm’s journey as a person and performer is encouraged to seek out his 2013 memoir, Juke Box Hero: My Five Decades in Rock 'n' Roll (Titan Books).

“I knew a lot of those songs”, my girlfriend mentioned after the first night, “…more than I thought”.  A State Fair policeman standing nearby that also took in the concert, replied to her, “You should know all of those songs” as anyone growing up in the Heartland to classic rock radio, would also confirm.

Lou Gramm at Leinie Lodge Bandshell, Minnesota State Fair (02 and 03 Sept 2015)

john ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ itunes.apple.com

Foreigner: Live (DVD)

Details Title: Foreigner: Live Appearances: Mick Jones, Kelly Hansen, Tom Gimbel, Jeff Pilson, Michael Bluestein Director: Joe Thomas Region: Region 1 (USA and Canada) Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1 Studio: Image Entertainment Blu-ray Release Date: July 12, 2011 Run Time:105 minutes Setlist: Night Life, Head Games, Cold As Ice, Waiting For A Girl Like You, Too Late, Say You Will, Long Long Way From Home, Double Vision, Blue Morning, Blue Day, Dirty White Boy, Starrider, Feels Like the First Time, Urgent, Juke Box Hero, I Want to Know What Love Is, Hot Blooded Retail Price: $14.98

Foreigner: Live is a misleading title for a re-issue of the DVD Soundstage: Foreigner - Live, which portion of this show was originally aired PBS on January 22, 2009. Image Entertainment either may not have the right to use the Soundstage name in its packaging or they just hope fans might pick it up again. I don't have the Blu-Ray version for review, but looking at the re-issue, Image Entertainment got it right with the Blu-Ray, unlike the botch job of Chicago's WTTW National Productions release of the Blu-Ray from 2009, which missed a few songs.

For those hoping for the original singer Lou Gramm, he actually left the band in 1990 (and again in 2003) to concentrate on his solo material. Instead, this new Foreigner features ex-Hurricane frontsman, Kelly Hansen, who had been the lead singer since 2005. Personally, I think Hansen is a good choice, he looks fit and handsome for his age and he can carry a tune and clearly knows the classic Foreigner songs. The only original band member is "foreigner" Mick Jones, who formed the band.

Jones, who prefer to not be in the spotlight, he actually takes up singing "Starrider" and then introduces the band, before going into "Feels Like the First Time". This little set is fitting, since both songs are from their quadruple Platinum-selling debut self-titled album from 1977. Other highlight includes "Cold as Ice" (also from the debut album), "Urgent" (featuring a great saxophone solo), and the soft-pop "Waiting for a Girl like You" (which Kelly Hansen insists that the audience gets touchy and friendly).

Once again, no bonus features, this is just a straight concert DVD. Again, Joe Thomas and Soundstage, do an excellent job on capturing the show, lots of closeups and great lighting.

Since Foreigner is going to do a stadium rock tour, starting July 21st at Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake City, you can expect the band to do a similar setlist from this DVD. They are playing here, in St Paul (July 28th), but generally shows at the Xcel are far beyond my concert budget. Just to give you an idea, the VIP tickets to meet and greet the band are sold-out, but prices were $350. So, yes, the DVD is probably the next best thing at retail of $15.

Mick Jones (left) and Kelly Hansen (right) on Foreigner: Live

vu () ♥ www.foreigneronline.com