Author: Estelle

Rage Against the Machine

Concert Reviews

August 9, 2022 – Madison Square Garden, NYC

Review by Chris Yates // Photography by Estelle Massry

One of the most anticipated tours finally arrived at MSG Tuesday night, August 9th.  For the first time in eleven years Rage Against The Machine (RATM) blessed the Big Apple with a mission… to absolutely blow the roof off of “The Garden”.  Mission Accomplished!  

Tuesdays show was the second night of a five night sold out stay at the “World’s Most Famous Arena”, Madison Square Garden. Frontman Zack de la Rocha, guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford, and drummer Brad Wilk delivered in spades with an explosive performance. The night was electric, loud and as high energy as any concert I’ve been to. The pure energy of Rage Against The Machine is truly unmatched. They are one of the most riveting live acts in rock history, mashing together rap and rock into a completely unique blend.

This is a band with tremendous longevity, who have lasted over 30 years with facets of both rap and rock. They have uniquely created their own genre while remaining current with their loyal fans who have been waiting to see them live again. Joining Rage Against The Machine on this tour is rap group Run The Jewels. The duo consisting of Killer Mike and El-P ignited the night with a comparable, high energy performance.

The tour has been sold out all over the country, which is understandable as fans have been waiting for over 11 years, and the scheduled tour 2 years ago was put on hold due to COVID-19. Unfortunately, however, after the MSG run, they have officially cancelled the European leg of their tour scheduled for October so that Zack can fully heal his leg which he injured performing only a couple songs into his set on July 11th in Chicago.

The night started with a “Public Service Announcement” intro as RATM took the stage, which was illuminated and blanketed in red. De la Rocha was carried in by security due to his injured knee. However, the injury did not stop him from delivering a stellar performance, filled with so much energy and conviction. His voice still has so much power and a sense of explosive urgency, kicking his one good leg and throwing his hands up throughout the entire show as he sat in what seemed to be one of the bands equipment trunks. Contrary to de la Rocha’s normal stage presence of jumping, and moving around a lot as he performs, I felt this to be a unique experience as there seemed to be a more intimate feel as I observed each band member remaining closer to Zack than they normally would. It was cool to read into the personality and closeness of the band as they seemed thoroughly engaged with each other and not missing a beat. 

While Rage Against The Machine is a very political band, their music speaks for itself – they didn’t do much talking or preaching during their set. Rather the group emphasized their convictions with text and video, including chilling images on the screen. For instance, the screen behind the band flashed information about poverty, riots and lack of universal health care during “Freedom”. There were also videos of a police van engulfed in flames, a snarling police dog chasing after a suspect and a helicopter hovering over a boat full of migrants. No need for extra speech when the meticulously crafted presentation was clearly present in all the music and visuals.

A must see live show that many have been waiting to see for some time, including myself!  One can sense the electrifying performance in the photo gallery here. It’s clear when ones connection to the experience of this show is brought to life through the images they capture.  And this is the case with Estelle’s photo’s of RATM.

“Not only was this one I’ve been wanting to see but what an extra special treat to be able to photograph them at MSG, the World’s most famous arena.” – Estelle {Photographer}

Enjoy!

For more info please visit http://www.ratm.com

Setlist

  1. Bombtrack
  2. People of the Sun
  3. Bulls on Parade
  4. Bullet in the Head
  5. Testify
  6. Tire Me
  7. Take the Power Back
  8. Guerrilla Radio
  9. Vietnow
  10. Know Your Enemy
  11. Calm Like a Bomb
  12. Sleep Now in the Fire
  13. Born of a Broken Man
  14. War Within a Breath
  15. The Ghost of Tom Joad
  16. Freedom
  17. Township Rebellion
  18. Killing in the Name

Alicia Keys

Concert Reviews

August 7, 2022 – The Met, Philadelphia PA

Review by Chris Yates // Photography by Estelle Massry

Philadelphia welcomed the 15-time GRAMMY® Award-winning singer-songwriter, actor, philanthropist, activist, and R&B royal Alicia Keys last night with a (more than sold out) packed house at The Met in Philly for “The Alicia + Keys World Tour”.

When I say “more than sold out” I reference what I noticed when I arrived at the box office – a long line that wasn’t moving. This show had been rescheduled from when the world and all entertainment events were stopped in their tracks due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Fans who purchased their tickets over a year ago apparently found that their seats were also more recently sold to others as the current show was re-released for sale. There were multiple groups of individuals with this same issue and the box office and the reception windows in the lobby of the venue were subject to irate concert goers.

Regardless, the show eventually opened with Pink Sweat$ who was promoting his debut album, Pink Planet, which was released in February 2021. As Pink Sweat$ performed, I noticed the place getting more and more packed with fans who were long awaiting their date night with their significant others… and Alicia Keys. 

I loved the way she appeared on stage, the set design was beautiful. The theatre went dark, and the stage was lit with blue lighting and a giant LED display, the length and height of the entire stage, showed video of an eclipsed Moon with the Sun slowly rising behind it.  As the sun rose, the light grew stronger and spotlights turned from blue to “sunset orange” as the stars from the universe whipped past. Then out of the light of the Sun, the silhouette of Alicia appeared to an elated, applauding crowd. 

Alicia was dressed in all black with shiny silver sequins accents and a sheer cloak. Her gorgeous piano rolled out on a moving platform, stage right, and she began to play.  I love the way she plays the keys and the command and comfort level she has over the ebonies & ivories. It’s like an extension of her body. She plays standing up and striking poses as she performs. Vocally, Alicia is capable of singing complex vocal runs and possesses a rich mezzo-soprano voice with a very solid lower register, and is able to hold notes for periods of time without wavering in pitch or tone. She often reaches well outside her comfort zone (particularly noticeable live). I always enjoy hearing her sing and watching her perform.  She interacted with the crowd and even came down the isles singing and parading through the audience, making for up-close and personal moments for attendees as they quickly shuffled for their phones as to not miss the opportunity to capture a lasting close-up moment as she passed by.

She’s a brilliant artist with a nice welcoming, soft, peaceful approach to her performances. I loved it!

For more info please visit http://www.aliciakeys.com

Setlist

  1. Nat King Cole
  2. You Don’t Know My Name
  3. Wasted Energy
  4. Time Machine
  5. Karma
  6. New Day
  7. Un-Thinkable (I’m Ready)
  8. So Done
  9. Me x 7
  10. Diary
  11. The Gospel
  12. Plentiful
  13. The Truth
  14. One For Peedi Crakk
  15. Skydive
  16. Is It Insane
  17. Only You
  18. Unbreakable
  19. My Boo
  20. City of Gods (Part II)
  21. Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down
  22. Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart
  23. Girl on Fire
  24. Superwoman
  25. Fallin’
  26. In Common
  27. Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless)
  28. Underdog
  29. No One
  30. Like You’ll Never See Me Again (Encore)
  31. If I Ain’t Got You (Encore)

Pitbull with special guest Iggy Azalea

Concert Reviews

August 3, 2022 – PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel NJ

Review by Chris Yates // Photography by Estelle Massry

Can’t Stop Us Now Tour

Mr Worldwide”, “Mr305”, aka the Latin pop sensation Pitbull paid a visit to New Jersey with the perfectly complemented Australian rap & pop star Iggy Azalea opening the evening.

Elvis who? I’m still pleasantly dizzy from all the hip gyrating of both Iggy & Pitbull. They can certainly shake their money makers like no other and did so all night to the joy of the over 17,000 screaming fans in the more than sold out PNC Arts Center on a hot summer night!

The show was great and Iggy looked stunning with her golden locks and beautiful, bodacious figure as she strutted purposefully, and sang flawlessly, flanked by her beautifully talented dancers all night. She twerked like no one else can and each time she did, the crowd went wild.  She knows what she’s got and she (t)works it to her advantage. ; ) The stage was set for her with large LED screens showing cool, clubby video backdrops.  The colors were amazing and it was fun to watch. She’s a great entertainer and authentically looked like she was enjoying herself smiling with her dancers throughout her performance.

When Iggy finished, DJ Ammo kept the crowd dancing as we all awaited Pitbull. The audience was made up of just about every mom in the Garden State and their teenage daughters. It looked like (appropriately so) a Miami club scene. Even some shaved headed lookalike dads were dressed like Pitbull to the point where I wasn’t quite sure if the Miami raised Latin star was in multiple places at once. I was tempted to ask each of them for their autograph just in case.

There are no slow numbers at Pitbull’s show. It was a party!  And he ensured this by beginning his show with “Don’t Stop the Party” which set the tone for the whole evening.  There are so many hits to Pitbull’s repertoire that I didn’t even realize I knew almost every word to every song. Pitbulls stage design was epic. A grand, illuminated staircase was showcased front and center for the entire performance while the backdrop LED screens changed from images as if you are on a mega yacht, to clubs, to beach scenes, lavish hotels, and more. Basically yachts, champagne, caviar, and Pitbull as he sang all his hits to the adoring fans (and their moms).  Each song ended with large bursts of smoke and blue light, and Pitbull was a ball of energy, dressed all in black and donning a smile from ear to ear all night as he touched his heart in appreciation for his adoring fans while he absorbed their thundering applause.

Pitbull was also flanked by his six amazing dancers known as “The Most Bad Ones” along with his band inclusive of drums, percussion, guitars, and grand piano.  It was a lot of fun where not a fan were in seats the entire night, including myself.  As a Jersey native, I have never seen the Arts Center so packed and rightfully so. 

For more info please visit http://www.pitbull.com

Setlist

  1. Don’t Stop the Party
  2. Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor)
  3. Hotel Room service
  4. International Love
  5. Rain Over Me
  6. Echa pa’lla
  7. Discoteca
  8. Whoomp! There It Is/Pepas
  9. I Feel Good
  10. On the Floor / I Like It / DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love
  11. The Anthem
  12. Shake / Culo
  13. I Know You Want Me
  14. Hit the Floor / Toma
  15. Hot / Gasolina
  16. Feel This Moment
  17. Fireball
  18. Don’t Stop The Rock
  19. Timber
  20. Can’t Stop Us Now
  21. Time of Our Lives
  22. Give Me Everything

Rob Zombie

Concert Reviews

July 31, 2022 – PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel NJ

Review by Chris Yates // Photography by Estelle Massry

“The Rocking Dead” are alive and more than well as the aptly named Freaks on Parade Tour invades New Jersey’s PNC Arts Center with Rob Zombie headlining, along with Mudvayne,  Static-X and Powerman5000.

Rob Zombie is touring in support of his latest release — 2021’s The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse – which reached No. 9 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The musician and filmmaker has landed seven albums in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 over the course of his career that has spanned more than three decades.

It was a beautiful, summer night for the outdoor amphitheater style venue as Mudvayne opened and appropriately complemented Rob Zombie and master of shred, John 5 along with the rest of the band.

Rob Zombie puts on a spectacle of a performance complete with giant zombie, alien and devil like characters roaming the stage as they performed. The house was full and the curtains opened to a skull type of platform as the crowd erupted when Rob appeared on the top of the skull platform opening with “The Triumph of King Freak”.  The set was illuminated with multiple giant LED screens showing cool images all night.  Other props to entertain the audience included giant balloons which the band tossed back and forth with the crowd. Accompanying Rob Zombie on stage were, Piggy D on bass who came on stage wearing a killer looking demon mask, Ginger Fish on drums, and last but certainly not least John 5 on lead guitar.  

I felt lucky to have been there on this particular night as to the audiences surprise and pleasure (as well as mine), it was John 5’s birthday! And after the the third song Rob Zombie paused his performance to wish John 5 a happy birthday.  John 5 being a KISS fan was blown away when Rob granted his wish and presented the gift of having a member of KISS sing Happy Birthday to him.  The crowd erupted as Peter Criss walked on stage!  Criss, best known as a co-founder, original drummer, and vocalist of the hard rock band KISS joined with Rob Zombie, the rest of the band and the entire audience as we all sang Happy Birthday to John 5 (a-cappella style).  It was cool to hear Rob & Peter Criss sing into the mic without instruments along with everyone else. It was special, intimate and emotional as everyone on stage hugged John 5.  Shortly thereafter, Rob and the band got back to some kick ass rock and roll!  It set the tone for a fun evening.

On the movie front…The multi-talented, Rob Zombie’s next film will be his rendition of the popular 1964 sitcom, The Munsters, scheduled to be released on Netflix late September. Jeff Daniel Phillips is playing Herman Munster and Sheri Moon Zombie (Robs wife) is playing Lily Munster in Zombie’s movie, with Daniel Roebuck co-starring as Grandpa Munster. 

In the movie, Lily is a typical 150-year-old lovelorn vampire who’s looking for the man of her nightmares — until she lays her eyes on Herman, a 7-foot-tall green experiment with a heart of gold. It’s love at first shock as these two ghouls fall fangs over feet for each other in a Transylvanian romance. Unfortunately, it’s not all smooth sailing in the cemetery as Lily’s father has other plans for his beloved daughter’s future, and they don’t involve her new bumbling beau.

For more info please visit http://www.robzombie.com

Set List

  1. The Triumph of King Freak
  2. Superbeast
  3. Meet the Creeper
  4. Happy Birthday to You (with Peter Criss of KISS)
  5. Shake Your Ass – Smoke Your Grass
  6. Living Dead Girl
  7. More Human Than Human
  8. Scum of the Earth
  9. Dead City Radio and the New Gods of Supertown
  10. Never Gonna Stop (The Red, Red Kroovy)
  11. Well, Everybody’s Fucking in a U.F.O.
  12. House of 1000 Corpses
  13. Guitar Solo (with “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC )
  14. Thunder Kiss ’65/School’s Out
  15. Helter Skelter
  16. Shadow of the Cemetery Man
  17. Dragula

One Republic

Concert Reviews

July 17, 2022 – PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel NJ

Review & Photography by Estelle Massry

One Republic has become one of the most recognizable bands on the planet with huge commercial success. They are a band that seems to fall under the radar. They are put together and likable, and devoid of ego or arrogance. Their fans and myself find them friendly and loaded with talent.

Ryan Tedder has been nominated for an impressive nine Grammy Awards, winning three of them:

Adele’s albums ’21’ and ’25’, both picked up the award for ‘Album Of The Year’ (’21’ in 2011 and ’25’ in 2016). Ryan’s third Grammy Award was for his work on Taylor Swift’s album ‘1989’, which won the award in 2015.

This was my first One Republic live show and I found them to be so engaging with the audience and so full of energy, really giving us everything they had, and to the crowds pleasure, performing hit after hit for which they sang along.

What you may not know is that Ryan Tedder has written massive hits for some of the biggest artists on the planet such as Maroon 5, J. Lo, Ellie Goulding, Demi Lovato, One Direction, Ariana Grande & Taylor Swift to name a few. It was also very cool that he dedicated 15 minutes of his show to showcase his career as a songwriter. He shared stories between songs of each special song writing moment throughout his career that meant a lot to him. Starting off with “Halo” written for Beyonce, which was one of the biggest hits in 2008 and when he wrote “Bleeding Love” for Leona Lewis in a small space with his wife with no AC, everyone told him this song was not a hit, to throw it out but he knew it was something powerful and indeed it was! Same goes for “That’s What I Want”, written for Lil Nas X – he was told he’s a one hit wonder, don’t work with him but Ryan preached to the audience “Don’t listen to everyone’s opinion. The amount of things we don’t do because of fear is ridiculous…stop now!” Ryan went on to say, “My favorite thing in the world is when an artist comes in my studio and is pissed”. He explained, this is exactly what happened with Adele. She walked into in his studio and he said “Let’s write this song!”. The result was “Rumour Has It” which was written in one hour and Adele recorded it in one take.

Swapping guitars throughout the show, jumping in the air, dancing around, all while keeping flawless vocals showcased tremendous talent. A highlight of the show was when One Republic got the audience involved in a 4 part harmony choir towards the end of “Apologize”, which echoed throughout the open-air venue.

Additionally, I was impressed by Ryan’s generosity towards humanitarian causes that are near and dear to him, as I learned that one dollar from every ticket sold on this tour is going towards supporting the largest anti-slavery organization in the world, IJM. For more information please visit, http://www.ijm.org.

One Republic consists of lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Tedder, lead guitarist and violist Zach Filkins, rhythm guitarist Drew Brown, bassist and cellist Brent Krutzel, drummer Eddie Fisher and keyboardist and violinist Brian Willett.

“Never Ending Summer Tour” with special guest NEEDTOBREATHE is a 40-city tour that began on July 8th at PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte, NC wrapping up in Jacksonville, FL at Daily’s Place on September 4th.

Setlist

  1. Summer Intro
  2. Kids
  3. Good Life
  4. Stop and Stare
  5. Rescue Me
  6. Run
  7. Interlude/Secrets
  8. Love Runs Out
  9. Halo
  10. RT Medley
  11. Sucker
  12. West Coast
  13. I Ain’t Worried
  14. Richter/Apologize
  15. I Lived
  16. Counting Stars (Encore)
  17. Lose Myself (Encore)

For more info please visit http://www.onerepublic.com

Dave Matthews Band

Concert Reviews

July 15, 2022 – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, Camden NJ

Review & Photography by Estelle Massry

I pride myself a big Dave Matthews fan, but I’ll admit it’s been a while and once I arrived at the show my assumptions were confirmed. I knew immediately I had a lot of catching up to do.

I looked around in astonishment on what seemed to be a huge get together of thousands of very close friends, but in reality, they were all complete strangers. However, as the bands live shows have proven in the past, fans are brought together and completely connected by the magic of Dave Matthews and his welcoming and inclusive, “feel good” music.

Tonight was night-one of their two night run at the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, NJ. Known for their astonishing live performances, the Grammy-winning Rock band from Virginia captivated fans for nearly 3 hours, delivering melodic vocals combined with hypnotizing light shows.  I’ve been to countless live shows in my time as a professional photographer and this stunning production design by lighting and visual designer Fenton Williams and programmer Aaron Stinebrink made me feel as if I were an excited 10yr old in a planetarium gazing at the lights of the universe. It was spectacular!

It was hard to distinguish which song was the more popular amongst the bands devoted fans as every single person in the entire arena mirrored every lyric Dave sang and cheered to each songs conclusion as if it was their favorite.

Dave only played two classic hits, so if you are a first timer, don’t expect to hear the songs that occupy your playlists as this show focuses on his new songs, promoting his new album. That being said, there were no breaks, as the band played straight through the entire show.

Dave was a man of few words tonight but pleased the crowd by playing a song that has not yet been released entitled, “Walk Around the Moon” – and as he introduced the song he stated, “I like it a lot. If you don’t, get right!”

The Dave Matthews Band consists of Dave Matthews, Carter Beauford (drums), Stefan Lessard (bass), Rashawn Ross (trumpet), Jeff Coffin (horns), Tim Reynolds (guitar) and Buddy Strong (keys) – all expert and passionate musicians.

Setlist

  1. Fool to Think
  2. Big Eyed Fish
  3. Bartender
  4. Samurai Cop
  5. So Much to Say
  6. Anyone Seen the Bridge
  7. Too Much
  8. Sweet
  9. Rooftop
  10. Seek Up
  11. When the World Ends
  12. Walk Around the Moon
  13. Pantala Naga Pampa
  14. Rapunzel
  15. Grace Is Gone
  16. You Might Die Trying
  17. Come on Come on
  18. What You Are
  19. Everyday
  20. Don’t Drink the Water
  21. Sister (Encore)
  22. Ants Marching (Encore)

For more info please visit http://www.davematthewsband.com

The Black Crowes

Concert Reviews

June 30, 2022 – The Stone Pony, Asbury Park NJ

Review by Chris Yates // Photography by Estelle Massry

BLACKBIRDS OF A FEATHER ROCK TOGETHER!

The long awaited reunion of rock legends Chris & Rich Robinson made its way back around through NJ, but this time to The Stone Pony in Asbury Park last Thursday evening.

It was a picture perfect, breezy, summer night at the Jersey Shore as the Black Crowes celebrated the 30 year anniversary of their debut album Shake Your Money Maker by performing for over two hours on “The Pony’s” outdoor Summer Stage. February 13th 2020 marked the official 30th year anniversary of the quintuple platinum album, however, with the COVID-19 pandemic halting all live touring shows exactly one month later, the tour was not able to get off the ground and in flight… until now.  Live shows are back, and boy are they back with a vengeance!

The Stone Pony Summer Stage show was epic as the Black Crowes and their flock of fans celebrated by enjoying the albums songs start to finish. Joining Chris and Rich on tour are longtime Crowes bassist Sven Pipien and new comers Isaiah Mitchell on guitar, Joel Robinow on keys with Brian Griffin on drums.  The band mesmerized the audience with their rock & roll delivering a rhythm & blues vibe that penetrates the soul. The show opened with a saloon type setting where it seems the band was toasting to their albums anniversary as well as the reunion of the bands leading brothers. After the toast, the lights struck the stage and the Black Crowes opened with “Twice As Hard” which sounded timeless as the audience bounced to their feet.  While Rich Robinson, under spotlight, jammed away the songs intro stoking our anticipation with his classic riffs, Chris jumped on stage spinning The Black Crowes umbrella, then on cue, paraded front and center as only one of the best front men in rock history can. “Jealous Of Him” followed, and the show was launched into full flight.

They played to a sold out crowd and packed house from young first concert goers, to the experienced concert enthusiast, and no matter the age, the audience was on their feet the entire time, fist pumping away to the Southern Rock and R&B sounds.

Chris’ sound was strong and powerful and full of emotion and as I watched his soulful body contort as the music flowed through him from head to toe, I can almost feel his energy flow through myself, as if he was throwing the positive vibes our way.  They played the entire album well into the evening and before leaving, closed out the show with “Remedy” which injected the audience as if powerful enough to remedy (or kill) any virus.  

Setlist

  1. Twice as Hard
  2. Jealous Again
  3. Sister Luck
  4. Could I’ve Been So Blind
  5. Seeing Things
  6. Hard to Handle
  7. Thick N’ Thin
  8. She Talks To Angels
  9. Struttin’ Blues
  10. Stare It Cold
  11. No Speak No Slave
  12. Kickin’ My Heart Around
  13. Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye
  14. Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone
  15. Wiser Time
  16. Thorn in My Pride
  17. Remedy
  18. Rocks Off

For more info please visit http://www.theblackcrowes.com

Machine Gun Kelly

Concert Reviews

June 26, 2022 – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, Camden NJ

Review by Chris Yates // Photography by Estelle Massry

The tattooed, pink died hair, punk, pop rocker played to a sold out crowd of over 20,000 adoring fans Sunday night at the indoor/outdoor Freedom Mortgage Pavilion.  It was a beautiful summer night and the screaming fans came out in droves for the Mainstream Sellout Tour.

Prior to MGK coming out on stage the show opened with My Chemical Romance (MCR) song, “Welcome to the Black Parade”.  We know MGK respectfully doesn’t hide his musical influences and MCR is a favorite. The fans sang loud to the song and it seemed to energize everyone as this set the mood for the show.

The show was packed with messages about the internet and MGK’s take on how the digital universe treats him. The concert started with the noise of a helicopter and on two big screens a helicopter pilot was on a mission to save MGK who seemed to be in distress, lost, and not knowing where he was. The message could not be more clear as he was trapped in a box and claiming the internet put him there. A helicopter then dropped from the ceiling and with a long ladder, MGK was rescued or broke free from the box.  Simple symbolism, but message heard loud and clear. Yes, sometimes the internet isn’t fair.

The fans erupted, with their own out of the box experience and the show began with MGK singing “Born With Horns” from the ladder, hanging from the helicopter.  

It’s not a secret that MGK has a dislike for the internet, mostly due to some backlash over his pop punk migration . As the show progressed, another symbolic three-story-tall, gray inflatable giant, with a television or computer monitor for a head, with an LED screen depicting the grim-reaper came on stage and claimed “I am the internet, I thought I put you in a box”!

MGK was wearing a shiny, silver, sequins jacket over a black mesh shirt showing off his tattoos, and pink, baggy, almost parachute type pants.  His mic stand was a long white arm with a hand as a mic holder and another hand which held something where I couldn’t tell what it was. I thought it was cool though as the entire mic stand looked like a piece of art straight from MOMA.

I found the show to be entertaining as MGK puts on a good performance and engages well with he crowd. MGK’s band consists of guitarist Justin Lyons & Sophie Lloyd, bassist Steve “Base” Basil and drummer JP “Rook” Cappelletty.

SETLIST

  1. Born With Horns
  2. God Save Me
  3. Maybe
  4. Mainstream Sellout
  5. Drunk Face
  6. All I Know
  7. Candy
  8. Drug Dealer
  9. Ay!
  10. Why Are You Here/Jawbreaker/Sid & Nancy
  11. More Than Life
  12. Die in California
  13. Floor 13
  14. Papercuts
  15. Title Track
  16. Bloody Valentine
  17. Roll The Windows Up
  18. El Diablo
  19. WWIII
  20. WW4
  21. Emo Girl
  22. Lonely
  23. I Think I’m OKAY
  24. Forget Me Too
  25. Make Up Sex
  26. My Ex’s Best Friend
  27. Twin Flame

For more info please visit http://www.machinegunkelly.com

Nine Inch Nails

Concert Reviews

May 25, 2022 – The Met, Philadelphia PA

Review by Chris Yates // Photography by Estelle Massry

The hammer came down on The Met in Philly as Nine Inch Nails (NIИ) played to a sold out crowd for their second night in a row. 

Returning to the road for the first time in four years, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Ribin Finck and Ilan Rubin ignited The Met with a hard core, badass performance. The packed house was full of energy and anticipation as diehard NIИ fans awaited the start of the show. As the lights dimmed, hordes of smoke filled the stage and began to engulf the crowd like a mysterious fog approaching a coastline of fans.

NIИ opened with Wish and accompanying the fog throughout the show were blistering strobe lights and high powered high beams that flashed multiple times per second making it a challenge for any photographer.  The lighting, while blinding, was complemented by a lot of well used spot lights and as the lights followed Trent and the rest, it made for a very cool setting while the lights shined through the dispersing smoke as the show progressed.  Many of the NIИ favorites were performed such as Head Like A Hole, Closer and Sanctified.

The audience reacted to each song with tremendous energy, mirroring Trent as if throwing it right back at him, providing him with the energy he needs to deliver more. The band sounded great and I never really realized how timeless and current their sound still is.  One would never think they burst onto the scene back in 1988. 

NIИ closed out the evening with “Hurt” which was Grammy nominated in 1996 for Best Rock Song.

The band traveled North this past Memorial weekend and on May 27th, headlined Boston Calling in place of Foo Fighters alongside Metallica and Rage Against The Machine (Foo Fighters have cancelled all of their tour dates and festival appearances indefinitely in wake of the tragic death of drummer Taylor Hawkins in March).  

Nine Inch Nails started their 2022 tour on April 28th in Raleigh, NC and will close it out on September 24th in Cleveland, OH. You don’t want to miss it!

SETLIST

  1. Wish
  2. Last
  3. Letting You
  4. Sin
  5. Echoplex
  6. The Frail
  7. The Wretched
  8. Sanctified
  9. Heresy
  10. The Becoming
  11. Reptile
  12. Closer
  13. Me, I’m Not
  14. Burn
  15. The Line Begins to Blur
  16. Suck
  17. I’m Afraid of Americans
  18. Gave Up
  19. The Hand That Feeds
  20. Head Like a Hole
  21. Hurt

For more info please visit http://www.nin.com

Mammoth WVH/Dirty Honey

Concert Reviews

March 30, 2020 – Starland Ballroom, Sayreville NJ

Review by Chris Yates // Photography by Estelle Massry

The Starland Ballroom was a great venue for an up and close personal experience of Young Guns Tour – a true co-headlining bill. Mammoth WVH & Dirty Honey each played to a packed house from the moment the doors opened.  The show attendance covered the spectrum from teens to 50+, and I even saw 2 three year olds (headphones and all) whose parents are allowing them a head start on soaking in some serious musical talent and some damn good Rock & Roll! 

For those that don’t know, the name “ Mammoth” was the name of Van Halen before it became Van Halen, where Wolf’s father Eddie was also the lead singer.  It’s special to him for obvious reasons and he always knew growing up that he would name his band Mammoth when the time came.

Well that time is NOW!… And frontman Wolfgang Van Halen delivered stellar vocals with a combination of smooth and powerful technical guitar playing. 

It’s been a crazy week of Rock & Roll news with the passing of Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters Drummer extraordinaire) and you can tell emotions were high on stage. It was the band’s first performance as a trio as rhythm guitarist Jon Jourdan had to attend to a family emergency last minute. With the news of Hawkins, and I’m sure the loss of his father Eddie Van Halen (EVH) still fresh in his mind, one can sense the feelings flow through him as he played from the heart ♥️ while delivering in spades ♠️.

With emotions running high after the song “Distance”, Wolf spoke into the mic, “Well that’s a first” as what seemed to be a reference to a tear in his eye while on stage.  Wolf plays and sings with emotion and has confident stage presence as he speaks to the crowd getting them engaged and pumped up for each song. Mammoth also gave a nod to Taylor and the Foo Fighters with a kick ass, thundering rendition of “My Hero”, which sounded perfect from the first guitar intro to the last vocal. 

It felt like it was a special night to feel so close and only a degree away from Rock & Roll royalty. One can hear the influence EVH had on Wolf as some of the intro riffs to some select songs sounded like his late great farther. However, make no mistake, Wolf is carving his own path and one that allows for young Rock & Roll bands to follow.

Distance: 

“No matter what the distance is, I will be with you 

No matter what the distance is, you’ll be okay.”

Wolf was supported by his animated, high energy bassist Ronnie Ficarro who moved around stage reminding me of Flea from the Chili Peppers only with dark hair, and drummer Garrett Whitlock who played with energy, rhythm and motion.

SETLIST

  1. Mammoth
  2. Mr. Ed
  3. Epiphany
  4. Horribly Right
  5. You’ll Be the One
  6. Stone
  7. I Don’t Know At All
  8. Think It Over
  9. You’re to Blame
  10. Distance
  11. My Hero
  12. Don’t Back Down

Following Mammoth was Dirty Honey.

The first time I saw Dirty Honey was when they opened for The Black Crows last summer at the PNC Arts Center in NJ.  This time around I would be experiencing them as they co/headlined in a smaller venue, so I was looking forward to seeing how they would perform. 

Dirty Honey is from Los Angeles, was formed in 2017 and consists of singer Marc LaBelle, guitarist John Notto, bassist Justin Smolian, and drummer Corey Coverstone. Each member has a cool Rock & Roll fashion sense (actually reminding me of the Crows and Chris Robinson when they were of that age), accompanied by the swagger to match.  

The band holds a unique spot in rock as the only unsigned rock band to hit #1 in Billboard’s 40-year history without label support. In addition, they also hit #1 on the mainstream rock charts and happened to land a spot on the list of the 66 best rock songs of the decade (that my friends is a huge accomplishment for such a young band).

Dirty Honey bursts loud rock chords, with a blues/rock vibe reminiscent of all the great Rock & Roll bands and LaBelle’s vocals delivered powerfully.  However reminiscent, Dirty Honey delivers a sound that is missing from todays music. On guitar, Notto’s chord progressions were smooth and precise, a skill that evades even the most seasoned musicians. Smolian and Coverstone each received their moment in the spotlight, exuding confidence and “wowing” the crowd with their solos.

It was a great night of Rock & Roll, delivering a strong positive energy that was clearly well received from the audience. When the bands are having fun on stage, it’s noticeable and the vibe transcends to the audience, allowing the fun to flow throughout each and every fan.

I’ve felt there has been something missing from Rock & Roll throughout the past decade. Rock Bands, in their entirety, haven’t seemed glued together like The Stones, The Who or Led Zeppelin of old, or Guns & Roses and Pearl Jam for that matter.  Seeing Mammoth and Dirty Honey has given me hope that these Young Guns are here to stay and here to deliver more riffs, excitement and hard hitting Rock & Roll, reviving what could be perceived as a presence being lost to pop, hip-hop and solo acts, or shows like American Idol & The Voice. I pray to the Rock Gods that these Young Guns recognize much success and that others they may influence and inspire follow their path.

SETLIST

  1. California Dreamin’
  2. Break You
  3. Heartbreaker
  4. The Wire
  5. Take My Hand
  6. Tied Up
  7. Down the Road
  8. Gypsy
  9. Let’s Go Crazy
  10. Another Last Time
  11. Bass Solo
  12. Drum Solo
  13. I’m On Fire
  14. Guitar Solo
  15. When I’m Gone
  16. Rolling 7s

For more info please visit http://www.dirtyhoney.com // http://www.mammothwvh.com