“The End Of The Road” | Queens of the Stone Age & The Kills | The Forum | 10/31/14 [Photos, Setlists & Video]

As much as I enjoy getting drunk at a bar and ogling scantily clad women dressed slutty with a purpose, I was debating my plans for Halloween this year. I was hoping for something different; something memorable. Thankfully, a friend (who, by the way, may just be too cool for me), offered me her extra ticket to see Queens of the Stone Ages’s final concert of their “Like Clockwork” torn at The Forum, featuring The Kills, JD McPherephon and Nick Oliveri. Um, seriously? Um, how cool are my friends?

Costumes were encouraged, so I glued on two prosthetic horns, donned black, and carried around a zombie baby in a baby carrier. My friend was coming from another event across town, so me and my zombie baby waited patiently for her to arrive. There were some terrific costumes, and my “baby” definitely started some conversations. When my friend arrived, I made a b-line straight to the merchandise booth to see if there was any exclusive merchandise left. I was bummed to discover that I had missed out on limited edition event posters.

By the time I made my way back to the seats, The Kills had just started their set. Allison Mosshart is such a bad ass front-woman. She sings in the Dead Whether as “Baby Ruthless”.  She is known as “VV” in The Kills

Having the The Kills perform this year was a treat. The last album that they released was in 2011, “Blood Pressures”. They’ve been touring a bit this year, so one can only hope that new material is around the corner. I thought that the sound could have been better mixed for their set, but it was still a thrill to watch them rock the stage.

(No photos pass for this concert- I tried-  so all of the pictures were snapped with my trusty point and shoot Sony CybershotG)

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In between sets, the Suicide Girls provided some risqué entertainment for crowd.

I missed out on watching the Queens of the Stone Age’s set at Coachella this year. I was bummed that I didn’t get approved for the photo pit, and I decided to shoot some artist’s who didn’t have photo pit restrictions.

Touring in support of their most recent album “…Like Clockwork“, the Halloween gig at The Forum would be the final show of the tour. They pulled out all of the stops, performing songs from their entire catalogue.

Josh Homme, dressed as a priest, wailed through QOTSA classic, getting some help from Jake Shears (of Scissor Sisters) for “Keep Your Eyes Peeled” and doing a five songs set with former QOTSA bassist Nick Oliveri for an encore. THIS is much better than getting drunk at bar ogling hot, slutty-dressed chicks.

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The Replacements | Coachella | 4/11/14 (PHOTOS)

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When one of the most influential rock & roll bands of the 80’s decides to play at Coachella, you go. Period.

Though their set may not have been filled with the booze and testosterone that I’ve read about, heard or watched (click HERE or HERE for examples of what I’m talking about), their set demonstrated their legacy in the annals of punk, hardcore and garage rock. It was a solid, polished set that hit on many of their popular hits. Who knows how many more years they’ll be rocking the stage, but I, for one, am glad I was able to catch them perform at Coachella.

Hanni El Khatib| El Rey Theatre| 10/25/13

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I spend a lot of money to go to a lot of concerts each year, so it takes a lot for me to want to see the same band or recording artist perform more than once a year. This year, I went to see two acts three times. One of them was Hanni El Khatib.  I saw Hanni El Khatib open for The Black Angels in May and on the Santa Monica Pier in August. His set opening for The Black Angels was a revelation. It was the first time I had ever heard his music, but it was so gritty and intense, I was hooked.

Wrapping up the domestic leg of his tour, and coming back “home” to Los Angeles, you could tell that he was pumped for his headlining set at a classic Los Angeles venue.

I had a conversation with a buddy of mine about Hanni El Khatib’s music, and he pretty much summed it perfectly by telling me, “His music is so fucking raw.” Bingo. My buddy also claimed that Hanni El Khatib is probably the best rock act to come out of Los Angeles in recent memory. I really couldn’t disagree. In fact, I couldn’t think of another blues, rock artist based out of Los Angeles whose music gets me as pumped as his.

Tijuana Panthers and Bass Drum of Death got the crowd ready for HEK’s set, and as soon as the lights dimmed, and Hanni took the stage, the crowd roared with anticipation for what was to be a raucous evening of killer rock and roll.

I’ve already written about his live act twice before, so click on the links above to check them out. While you’re at it, you should probably also check out his recordings. They may convince you to check out his live act as well.

Unfortunately, the Flickr slideshow below is not currently available on mobile devices. If you are on a mobile device, please click THIS LINK to get redirected to the set of photos.

Bass Drum of Death | El Rey Theatre | 10/25/13

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I follow Thundercat on twitter, and I noticed a tweet he posted earlier this year stating that the guys in Bass Drum of Death were cool dudes. That piqued my curiosity. Them opening for Hanni El Khatib? I was excited to hear what they were all about.

Their set was as aggressive and as loud as their name would imply. There was almost a collective release of energy when they started playing as the crowd started to get as rowdy as the music. Head bangers started to open up a circle in front of the stage, and the playful shoving commenced.

Truth be told, I was actually more interested in watching the crowd than watching the band, partially to watch the peach-fuzzed kids climb onto and leap off of the stage, and partially to make sure I didn’t get a kick in the head from a stray leg. Security shut down the stage diving after about one song, but the mood and groove had been set.

Their music, like Tijuana Panthers before them, was a good warm up to the main act … I was just hoping that I wouldn’t have to loosen up my “concert elbows” to give myself some space for HEK.

Unfortunately, the Flickr slideshow below is not currently available on mobile devices. If you are on a mobile device, please click THIS LINK to get redirected to the set of photos.

The Orwells | FYF Festival | August 25, 2013

To check out pictures of other bands I was able to catch at the festival, CLICK HERE.

Mario Cuomo of The Orwells.
Mario Cuomo of The Orwells.

I wasn’t planning on catching their set, but I got to the festival grounds early enough to catch the tail end of a rock band from Elmhurst, Illinois: The Orwells. They are a young band … literally … the oldest member- lead singer Mario Cuomo- is 18, and the rest of the band members are 17, and their music, loud and energetic, seemed to be the soundtrack for a new, young, wave of punk fans.

Mario Cuomo, dressed in a Chicago Bulls jersey- and only a Chicago Bulls jersey- kept the audience of his peers moving to the music, encouraging them to get the party started in the midday sun, which they happily obliged. Before you knew it, kids started crowd surfing.

Crowd surfing during The Orwells.
Crowd surfing during The Orwells.
Crowd surfing during The Orwells set.
Crowd surfing during The Orwells set.

The youth and punk music. There really isn’t a better pairing. As long as they keep on writing catchy tunes like “Mallrats (La La La)” (a sample video is below), they could very well be performing on main-stages at music festivals in the near future.

The bassist of The Orwells.
Grant Brinner of The Orwells.
Mario Cuomo of The Orwells.
Mario Cuomo of The Orwells.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs | FYF Festival | August 24, 2013

To check out pictures of other bands I was able to catch at the festival, CLICK HERE.

Karen O's mic.
Karen O’s mic.

I’ve already professed my love for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs earlier this year after I saw them at Coachella back in April, so I’m going to limit this entry to pictures that I took at FYF Festival. The band still kicks ass. Karen O is still a rock star.

I got the set list from setlist.fm.

  1. Mosquito
  2. Phenomena
  3. Under the Earth
  4. Rich
  5. Gold Lion (We Will Rock You  Intro)
  6. Zero
  7. Cheated Hearts
  8. Runaway
  9. Despair
  10. Sacrilege
  11. Heads Will Roll
  12. Maps
  13. Date With the Night
Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
My favorite pic that I took of Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
My favorite pic that I took of Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Confetti released towards the end of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs set.
Confetti released towards the end of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs set.