3/16: TMS RECAP & UPDATE, KISS/DEF LEP, SOUNDGARDEN/NIN, MORE
Thanks to all who watched this weeks new That Metal Show last night. The show will repeat all week as usual on VH1 Classic. Dee is always a great guest. Always outspoken and never one to pull punches, which makes for great guests always in my opinion, regardless if you agree or disagree. At 59 he remains an incredibly strong singer and frontman and TS is an example of a band that has benefited greatly from not over touring. Ever since they first reunited for my NY Steel 9/11 benefit in 2001 they have only played an average of 10 shows a year, making it more special to see them, making them more money per show, and giving them higher billing than a band of their status would usually have on a festival. Interesting look at another approach compared to the many bands that tour constantly and also have members with many side bands. I am not judging either way, everyone needs to pay the bills, just interesting approach. Was also great to have Chris Caffery on. I am often asked about Savatage by radio listeners. The simple truth is TSO is way too big for the guys to focus on Savatage these days. But they do give a nod to that band often in the TSO shows. Chris played his Ace Frehley model Les Paul (Ace’s face on the head) and sounded great. Also nice to have Glenn Hughes check in. Stunning how great Glenn still sounds now in his mid 60’s! His new band California Breed and their debut album is an early contender for album of 2014 for me. It’s out in May.
This Tuesday we tape this Saturday’s new episode. Peter Criss will join us on set! Peter has not been on with us since the very early half hour days of TMS. Needless to say much to cover with him and we will do the full hour with the Catman. Ace Frehley may or may not join us for this show via Skype. Ace is in the middle of deadlines to finish his new album on the W Coast and likely won’t be able to get to NYC for our taping. But we hope to include him via Skype if our schedules match up. Either way should be a great show and our guest musician on drums with be Richard Christy. Most know Richard from the Howard Stern show but he is also a killer drummer who has played in several bands. 3 more new shows to come in our current new season of TMS. Final two episodes will feature Joe Satriani, Vinnie Paul, The Winery Dogs, Volbeat, Artie Lange and Jim Breuer. This has been our most diverse guest season yet and thank you all for the amazing response! Once we tape our last two shows 3/25 I’ll be hitting the road extensively, so please see the home page with my appearances and events and come say hello. More to be added!
The Kiss/Def Leppard tour officially announced tomorrow. Looks like Soundgarden & NIN are also teaming up. As discussed in the last Trunk Report bands co-headlining is becoming a huge trend more than ever to compete for the concert dollar and justify what are becoming very expensive events even beyond the cost of the tickets. It is far and few now of rock bands that can actually truly headline shows in the US with no name support playing large venues. Pearl Jam, Bon Jovi, U2, Stones, McCartney, VH, Rush, AC/DC ones that come to mind. I get the co-headline is needed for business, but it does hurt in that young bands no longer have these chances for exposure. I know some bills put an unknown on 3rd billed, but the truth is these acts sometimes go on before 7P and off by 7:30 and few actually are in to see them. SO much great new music out there these days and it’s just another reason it is getting harder to expose.
Live on SiriusXM 39 TRUNKNation tomorrow 6-10P ET on channel 39. Join me for live music and talk that rocks!
Hey Eddie,
One of those great up and coming bands is a band from Reading, PA, called Whiskey Demon. The band is a hard rock/southern metal band who recently has directly supported Kix and will be supporting Saliva, David Allan Coe, and Tesla on future shows. Check them out at whiskeydemon.com, I think you’ll enjoy it.
Eddie,
It seems from Dee’s comment about his book that there is bad blood between him and Nikki Sixx. Can you elaborate? It was obvious Dee was slamming the Herion Diaries.
Let’s clear up something. The co-headlining thing does not give value for money. Both bands usually play shorter sets and the prices for these gigs is close to double what they would normally be. Especially the good seats. I can’t wait to see what Kiss and Leppard try to charge.
I love Twisted Sister but the reason they don’t tour more is because Dee makes more doing other things so let’s call a spade a spade. Mark Mendoza would love to be on every tour they get offered.
My recommendation to Eddie: just about anything Ryan Roxie has done. Casablanca, Electric Angels, Roxie 77 is ALL good. Have a great Sunday.
Kiss showed you and everyone else that they could sell out bigger places than even Bon Jovi and the others bands you named, when they had the Reunion Tour and Farewell tour with originals, now they have to co-headline with Def Leppard and Motleys of the world and they are hard pressed to sell out the bigger venues packaged that way.
Absolutely. I just recently watched the Kissology DVD with the Psycho Circus tour again, filmed at L.A.’s Dodger Stadium, multiple 10,000 seats, probably biggest stage ever, selling it out themselves – and now Paul & Gene are trying to tell us that Kiss is as big as ever?? That the current imposter lineup is as huge as the original? Nope. As an example looking at the upcoming co-headlining tour: now they will be playing The Forum in L.A., an 18,000 seater (less than half of the aforementioned stadium) even thought it’s the two of them (I remember D.L. selling out stadium tours not sooo long ago ….) – now you draw your conclusions!
Eddie, curious if you think this is the last tour for Kiss. It seems from previous Trunk reports that the end is in sight. Unless the drop off in quality is jaw dropping (certainly debatable whether it has reached that point), hard for me to think Kiss wouldn’t keep milking the cow for several more years. Would be nice to see it gracefully end with this tour after getting the Hall nod. When will the inductee for Kiss be announced? As always, another high quality TMS episode. Hope the trend is for more episodes per year.
Hope they will come to europe one more time with their 40th anniversary tour, not because I love the current lineup, but for sentimental reasons. they probably do not need to have that co-headlinign thing over here, they might sell out 10,000+ seaters alone. I guess, if that is going to happen, this will then be the last time we are going to see them here and the last drop of juice that Paul might be able to squeeze out of his fading voice before it will be totally gone. Sad that they did not recognize the right time to stop, like Judas Priest did.