5/28: BACK FROM ROCKLAHOMA, GLENN HUGHES IN STUDIO, MORE.
Hope everyone is having a good week. Busy playing catch up from being away. I can tell you Glenn Hughes and Andrew Watt from California Breed will be live in studio with me this Friday on Q104.3 show. Listen live starting 11P ET via www.q1043.com or use the free iHeartradio app. Really loving this bands new album and also look forward to seeing them at The Gramercy in NYC this Saturday night.
Before Cal Breed show I also will be hitting the Bonzo Bash for a bit at Bergen PAC in NJ. Tickets for both of these shows will be given away on Q104 show Friday night for my NYC based audience.
Rocklahoma was a blast. Had a chance to see Kyng live for the first time. Really really good! Exciting to see some great new music from new bands out there and these guys are among the ones leading the charge for me. Thanks to all the great fans and many cool bands I saw and hung with over the weekend.
Next live gigs with Don and Jim are June 6th on Providence and June 7th in Chicopee MA. Info on the home page of the site on all confirmed appearances. More soon.
Hey Eddie, glad you made it back safe & sound. Quick question, how does a band like staind headline rocklahoma? What were they thinking? I wasn’t there and I never heard of them before, but from what I’ve read & heard so far a lot of people weren’t happy about that. Twisted Sister is legendary, they should have closed, not a band most people never even heard of. Now I can see why Dee was so pissed off, staind over Twisted Sister, what the hell is the world coming too?
Staind has done it two of the last three years. They have their fans and are very popular. Dee is a tough act to follow but if he was truly upset about it he wouldn’t have taken the gig.
Seriously, Dee Snider was pissed off because Stained closed a show after Twisted Sister? Twisted Sister? He needs to get a fucking life and take stock of his own standing. I’m not a Stained fan, but Twisted Sister and Dee Snider are basically a low tier band that would have trouble selling out a 500 seat casino playroom these days. That’s not to say that they don’t put on a great show, but come on…
Twisted Sister had two good albums (YCSR&R and Stay Hungry). They are not the legend they think they are in my opinion, but I liked those two albums. I think they are lucky to still be playing. Dee needs to stop complaining about other bands.
WHOLE HEARTEDLY DISAGREE WITH THIS COMMENT AND ALL THE ANTI DEE/TWISTED COMMENTS.
I JUST SAW THEM AT A SOLD OUT SHOW AT THE STARLAND BALLROOM (WHICH FITS QUITE A FEW 1000 BY THE WAY) AND THAT PLACE FELT LIKE IT WAS GOING TO COLLAPSE WITH HOW INTO IT EVERYONE WAS (ALSO DEE’S COMMAND AND STILL AMAZING TALENT HELPED)
STAIND HAS ITS FANS BUT THEY ARE NO WHERE CLOSE TO BEING AT THE CALIBER TO CLOSE A FESTIVAL. TWISTED SISTER ARE AT THAT CALIBER AND HAVE PROVEN IT OVER AND OVER AT FESTIVALS.
IM GLAD DEE WAS UPSET – MORE ROCK LEGENDS SHOULD BE AS VOCAL ABOUT WHAT PISSES THEM OFF – AND THIS WAS MUCH WARRANTED.
That’s funny, selling out a 2,500 seater on your home turf doesn’t make you a headliner. While I LOVE TS, they’ve been a club band most of their career. Big for about 6 months in the 80’s.I hate Staind , but TS would never headline over them.
Todd, TS was BIG for a lot longer than 6 months in the 80’s, especially depending on what part of the country/world you were in. When you’re talking about a festival like rocklahoma that was built on bands from the 70’s & 80’s, TS has every right to & should have headlined, especially over a sleeper band like staind. Rocklahoma supposed to be about having fun, not a sleeping contest.
Eddie, at the time TS agreed to the gig, did they know? were they told then that they weren’t going to close? I mean I agree it might not be a BIG deal, and o.k. maybe this band staind has their fans & so on, but it looks like to me TS was disrespected. when you’ve been around as long as they have, made some really great albums, our friend mike b. forgot about under the blade, fought the good fight against censorship & the PMRC, influenced dozens & dozens of bands, made some of the most memorable vidios ever, helped boost MTV to new heights, (when they still were MTV) sold millions of albums & sold out arenas worldwide, o.k. so maybe they’re not as popular as they used to be, but 80’s people like myself never forget. and correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t rocklahoma supposed to be mainly about celebrating 70’s & 80’s bands & their music? bottom line, Twisted Sister should have closed!
Of course they knew. That is all in the contract. I love the band but they just played Starland Ballroom in NJ. They are MUCH bigger outside the US. They totally knew the deal going to Rocklahoma and were great there. The bands smartest move is NOT over playing, which is why they are as high up on some of these bills as they are.
That’s what I’m not getting, if they knew, then why was Dee so pissed off? Was there something else going on behind the scenes?
I had no idea he was pissed off? He came over to me mid set and gave me a big smile and hug side stage! Didn’t seem mad, more driven to make his set tough to follow which he did. If you ever heard Dee before that is always how he has approached the stage, like going into a fight, which is why he is so great live.
Well, more proof then about not believing everything you read! Which I normally don’t, but this time there was more than one story on this. I know Dee transforms into a mad man on stage, which is like you said why he is so great live. From now on the ONLY review I’m going to read is yours! especially when it comes to an event you’re hosting, like rocklahoma!
doug r,
I did not forget Under the Blade (or Come out and play, Love is for Sucker, etc…). Its just that those albums did not have the same effect on me as YCSR&R, or Stay Hungry. Those two albums were perfect. Unfortunately, they have not made that many records. I like Dee Snyder as a singer and think he’s entertaining. However, I don’t know why he has criticized other artists in some of his guest appearances. In my opinion, he would be much more interesting without taking shots at other bands that have made a bigger impact. Twisted Sister is not for everyone and they stuck to their guns–that’s good. Twisted Sister is cool, but they are not on the same level as some other bands which I will not get into at this point. I think they could have been if they had been more productive over the years and put out new material instead of redoing Stay Hungry and a Christmas album. Just my opinion. Nevertheless, I have very fond memories of those two albums I mentioned–very powerful stuff! They should have stayed focused in that direction.
Good points Mike B., except for 1 thing, how many bands have made a bigger impact than TS? I’m not going to knock this band staind because honestly I never heard of them. But I think it’s safe to say they haven’t made or had the same impact on music as TS. All I hear about them is how boring they are. the only “newer” band that ever got my attention over the last 15-20 years is Godsmack, they are anything but boring and have made some awesome albums! When you’re at a festival, you don’t want to be put to sleep by a boring band like staind, you want to hear AND see an exciting energetic band like TS or Godsmack. boring bands shouldn’t play festivals like rocklahoma, rocklahoma was built on bands from the 70’s & 80’s, not boring bands from the 90’s & today, but there are some exceptions, like a great band like Godsmack!
Don’t get me wrong, I thought Twisted Sister’s set was better than Staind’s. But, really it’s about pleasing the majority. With 40k people there of ALL ages, it made sense to have Staind headline given their 1/2 dozen radio hits that are recognized by virtually every member of the crowd. It guarantees you more people watching.
I agree with that equation and your math is right but your solution is WRONG.
TWISTED SISTER HAS MANY MORE MONSTER, SUCCESSFUL GROUNDBREAKING, RECOGNIZABLE HITS THAT HAVE REACHED ACROSS ALL AGES ALL AROUND THE WORLD.
NOT STAIND.
I DONT BELIEVE THIS WAS ACTUALLY CONTEMPLATED.
Tom…Staind has sold nearly 16 mill albums world wide with several of their albums hitting number one. At best, Twisted is sitting around 6 mill sold. I completely dislike Staind and much of that genre that came in with but they have had alot more success than Sister and are still “somewhat” of relevant band although their star has faded quite alot in recent years.
Twisted would have been a better closer as Dee & co know how to work a crowd. This is the second Rocklahoma I have suffered thru Staind and third time overall (other was when they opened for Nickelback in Cologne, Germany). I am not a Staind fan. Musically they are as tight as any other main stage act out there, they just aren’t a band I think should be a headliner at this festival. Their last appearance they went on after Sebastian Bach. I thought something similar when I saw Boston headline after Whitesnake and Aerosmith in the mid 80’s at a Texxas Jam. Boston musically sounded great but at a festival, you need a band that works well together visually and Boston aint that band.
Mike…in response to the below…I agree. Frankly Rocklahoma started as an homage to bands of the past, notably the 80’s bands and it’s evolved to feature mainstream acts.
Lets face it, Twisted isn’t a mainstream act anymore…Staind “somewhat” still is. Quite different than Texas Jam all those years ago…all those bands were relevant at that point. As Eddie points out…Twisted survives in small doses. It isn’t a band that could handle a full blown world tour as a headliner because the demand isn’t there anymore.
Again, I hate Staind…they are one boring band and I’m sure given the environment of Rocklahoma, one that is still steeped in the 80’s…Twisted probably blew them off the stage. Staind really had no reason to be at a Festival like that. However my point was simple…they have had more success than Twisted, and why they would headline over them.
I don’t know all the facts, and I know it’s not the 80’s anymore, unfortunately, but I find it hard to believe a band like staind is overall more successful than TS. Success is defined by more than just record sales. Of course TS isn’t as big or popular as they used to be, especially here in the states, but when you look at the BIG picture, tours, WORLD tours, impact, influence, recognition by real music fans NOT critics, not to many bands have had more success than TS. Like I said earlier, I think we all agree on the point that a festival like rocklahoma should always be headlined by a exciting energetic band like TS, and if they want to add newer bands to this festival, don’t add sleepy bands like staind! WAKE UP ROCKLAHOMA!
more big bands being announced for the MOTORBOAT tomorrow…
Eddie I want to share a story I think you will find pretty cool. I work for a public school district here in South Carolina and attended one of our elementary school’s Kindergarten graduation last week. It was held outside so I was standing with many of the parents and visitors. The school’s mascot is the Tigers so that was the main theme. The little 5 years olds came marching out dancing and waving their hands in the air to the music of Guns and Roses’ Welcome to the Jungle!! Of course they had the words removed but used the original music. I thought that was pretty cool!!!
Eddie,
Why did Nuno walk off stage during Extreme’s last song?
Jesse and Dee are two of the best front-men ever. That guy from Staind sucked. He had his hand in his pocket softly rocking. He even said he wasn’t going to jump around and make an ass of himself. Why not, that’s what we paid for. Anyway, Rocklahoma was awesome as usual. I would love to see more of the smaller bands from the 80s like Saigon Kick, Babylon AD, Shotgun Messiah, Every Mother’s Nightmare, Krokus, Ugly Kid Joe, Roxx Gang, Vixen, etc. I talked to you briefly in the Groupie tent but the only band I could come up with when you asked me who I wanted to see was Dirty Looks and I knew the singer had died but it was the only thing my alcohol soaked brain could come up with. Great job hosting, looking forward to next year.
I was surprised that Extreme was where they were in the main stage lineup. I know they had some monitor issues (as did other bands all weekend but thats par for the course for festivals) and PA issues with backup mics dropping out but that was the most disjointed set I have seen in a long time from a band of that pedigree. I think Nuno had just had enough when something got disconnected in his stomp box array.
Pats bass wasn’t tuned/in the right key…so either his tech handed him the wrong bass or Pats onstage mix was so bad he couldn’t tell he was in the wrong tuning and never ask for a change. You can hear Nuno yell at him…and he still never changes. I guess Nuno just said the hell with it.
WHOLE HEARTEDLY DISAGREE WITH THIS COMMENT AND ALL THE ANTI DEE/TWISTED COMMENTS.
I JUST SAW THEM AT A SOLD OUT SHOW AT THE STARLAND BALLROOM (WHICH FITS QUITE A FEW 1000 BY THE WAY) AND THAT PLACE FELT LIKE IT WAS GOING TO COLLAPSE WITH HOW INTO IT EVERYONE WAS (ALSO DEE’S COMMAND AND STILL AMAZING TALENT HELPED)
STAIND HAS ITS FANS BUT THEY ARE NO WHERE CLOSE TO BEING AT THE CALIBER TO CLOSE A FESTIVAL. TWISTED SISTER ARE AT THAT CALIBER AND HAVE PROVEN IT OVER AND OVER AT FESTIVALS.
IM GLAD DEE WAS UPSET – MORE ROCK LEGENDS SHOULD BE AS VOCAL ABOUT WHAT PISSES THEM OFF – AND THIS WAS MUCH WARRANTED.
Yep…saw them at M3 last year and they tore it up! There’s no way Bret Michaels should have headlined that night…Twisted blew him away! Dee is a phenominal frontman! The only band close to them that day was Steel Panther, and that’s because they rule!