Off with a bang...

I went to my first show of the year...Slipknot. I hadn't seen them since the 2001 Ozzfest tour in which the crowd went absolutely mental. They had great stage energy. This time, the crowd reaction wasn't there, but they do seem to be getting stronger as a live act (I also think the 2 releases since their debut are excellent albums). The venue sucked - Arrow Hall. It was basically a huge hall with a concrete floor that holds 5-6K. I've long passed my years of getting into the action, so I stayed back and it was kinda far. My neck was cranked the whole time.

Other shows coming up are Motley Crue in Feb. and Apocalyptica in March. The Apocalyptica show will be at the El Mocambo - a historic bar venue in Toronto, which is the best way to see a band. It will be cool to see a group of cellists performing in a bar!

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Last week I attended my first Trans-Siberian Orchestra show. Very impressive in more ways than one. Basically, the band consists of a nouveau-orchestra sound accompanied by Judas Priest-style guitar riffing (as well as soloing). There's instrumentals and sung pieces. The underlying theme is Christmas music, but non-seasonal numbers are done as well. While the music's playing, there's a "laser Floyd" light show going on with some pyro for good measure.

The crowd was a good mix of Christmas people, older boomers and throw back rocker dudes.

It's not quite a concert, but more of what I'd call "entertainment". I'd see them again in an instant if I had the chance.

This'll probably close out my concert year, and 2004 has been a good one:
1. Nickelback/Staind/Three Days Grace
2. Teenage Head
3. Aerosmith/Cheap Trick
4. Yes
5. Velvet Revolver
6. Edgefest (Billy Talent, Jet, finger eleven, Alexisonfire)
7. Van Halen - BEST OF THE YEAR!!!
8. Alice Cooper
9. Judas Priest/Slayer
10. Deep Purple
11. Rush
12. Kid Rock
13. Metallica/Godsmack
14. Tea Party
15. Trans-Siberian Orchestra