The Gaslight Anthem Lights Up Chicago

Maureen Vana, NBC5 Street Team

Friday night marked The Gaslight Anthem’s first Chicago headlining show.  The band has been steadily winning over fans with constant touring and growing radio play.  The group has rolled through Chicago opening for such successful acts as Rise Against, The Bouncing Souls, and The Loved Ones.

Click here to read the rest of this post on nbcchicago.com.

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Slipknot Does Not Leave Chicago Hanging

Maureen Vana, NBC Chicago Street Team

Put on a mask , splash some fake blood behind your ears, and get ready for a good time. Whether you’re into the music or not, it’s undeniable that Slipknot will give you something to raise an eyebrow at. The Allstate Arena played host to the band along side openers Trivium and Coheed and Cambria last Friday night. 

Click here to read the rest of this post and view photos from the concert on nbcchicago.com.

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Metallica is Still Metal

Maureen Vana, NBC5 Street Team
(Please note this review may contains spoilers for tonight’s show and set list)

Any antics Metallica has gotten themselves into over the past few years were left at the loading dock last night.  Loyal followers, new fans, and those that believe they ceased to exist after …And Justice For All would be satiated.  With decades of experience and just shy of a small library of albums, how could it slip our minds that these guys can put on a show?

Click here to read the rest of this review and to view pictures from the concert.

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DragonForce Slays Chicago

Maureen Vana, NBC5 Street Team

Last Monday at the House of Blues was a night for those with a sense of humor and a thirst for speedometer crushing riffs.  DragonForce, who has been making regular Chicago stops since 2006, paid a visit in promotion of their latest album Ultra Beatdown. The current  tour is pumped up on stage presence and battle themed friends.

Click here to read the entire article on nbcchicago.com.

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Getting a Rise Out of Chicago

Maureen Vana, NBC5 Street Team
Chicago hometowners, Rise Against, held two performances last month at the Congress Theater.  Both shows, a Thursday and Friday night, were overflowing with fans eager for the locals who are widely making themselves known across the globe. Fellow Chicagoans Alkaline Trio, California’s Thrice, and Jersey’s own The Gaslight Anthem rounded out the cost to cost rock.

The Gaslight Anthem has begun a steady build of Chicago Fans with recent visits alongside The Loved Ones and The Bouncing Souls.  Their Springsteen flare, catchy vocals, and charm continuously outshines their opening slot.  It won’t be long before shouts of,  “You should be headlining!”, turn into reality for The Gaslight Anthem.

Thrice and Alkaline Trio followed with a darker vibe, but no less sing-a-long credentials.  Alkaline Trio ended Thursday’s set with the Misfits “Astro Zombies” and included old favorites off  Maybe I’ll Catch Fire getting Chicago nostalgic of The Fireside Bowl/Metro days.

The last time I saw Rise Against may have been a Warped Tour or maybe a classroom at DePaul, but whatever the size of the room the group’s intensity remains the same.  Spinning microphones, high flying guitarists, and Tim’s power to get a crowd moving didn’t drop a notch between Thursday and Friday’s performance.  For two days Rise Against brought home the noise and Chicago gave them a warm welcome for it.

See photos from Thursday and Friday night’s shows

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Priest, Motorhead, Nightwish, and More

Maureen Vana, NBC5 Street Team

Summer touring has come to a close, but not without a few last minute metal acts to end it with a bang and a killer riff. Judas Priest headlined the Metal Masters Tour which took place at the end of August in Tinley Park. The tour fulfilled old schooler’s dreams by placing Heaven and Hell, Motorhead, and Testament alongside Priest. Highlights from the evening included a brutal dead on Testament assault, Tony Iommi shredding to a backdrop of fire spitting gargoyles, an epic cloaked Priest entrance, and of course Lemmy.

See Photos From The Metal Masters Tour

A night of Finnish power metal squeaked in under the end of season wire Saturday evening at the House of Blues. Sonata Arctica paired up with Nightwish stopping in Chicago for fans to enjoy a match made in heaven. Who could ask for more with a packed venue of loyal fans, a few hours of glorious anthems, and vocals that give rise to mass outbreaks of goosebumps? Goodbye summer festivals and mega tours, hello fall shows of small venues and smaller bills!

See Photos From Nightwish and Sonata Arctica

(Type “Maureen Vana” into the search bar at the top of this page to see my past concert photography and reviews)

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Mike Ness Visits Park West

Maureen Vana, NBC5 Street Team

Last week Mike Ness, front man of Social Distortion, played two dates showcasing his solo material at Park West in Chicago. Ness’ set primarily consisted of material off his 1999 release Cheating at Solitaire and was highlighted with a few cover songs including a stripped down version of Social D’s “Ball and Chain”. His encore included “If You Leave Before Me”, “I Fought the Law”, and a last minute addition of “Ring of Fire”.

See Photos From Tuesday’s Show

Ness’ warm presence and heartfelt commentary made the evening feel like a group of friends sharing a drink and some tunes, as opposed to a concert with a musical icon who has 30 years of rocking under his belt. His ability to maintain this accessibility is a quality that draws fans to sell out his concerts time and time again. Chicago’s double performance is a reminder of how wonderful it is when an artist shows they have more then one trick up their sleeve.

(Type “Maureen Vana” into the search bar at the top of this page to see my past concert photography and reviews)

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Gigantour Just Out of Reach

Maureen Vana, NBC5 Street Team

Earlier this month Megadeth’s monster metal Gigantour came to Chicago for a visit to the Aragon Ballroom. This year’s ticket included High on Fire, Job for a Cowboy, Children of Bodom, In Flames, and was topped off by a lengthy set from Megadeth. Gigantour 2008 brought a manageable quantity of bands which gave fans more time to settle in and enjoy as opposed to previous festival style years.

The evening went by fast with little down time between sets and even less interaction from the performers. Perhaps the distant and to the schedule theme of the night was brought on by the Aragon’s giant looming stage or the spacious barricade penning fans far from the bands. The 2006 tour at the Congress Theatre proved to have a more unified feel with a low stage and smaller pit allowing some eye contact and keeping the possibility of throwing a hand in the air to be greeted by a metal hero an option.

See Photos from Gigantour 2008

Although the distance in the air was unsettling, the bands were on there A game when delivering the goods. High on Fire brought some dirty rock and roll in the vein of Motörhead to get the early birds rolling, while In Flames delivered near perfection to a crowd who expected nothing less. Aside from a string tasting Alexi Laiho, a dread whipping Anders Fridén, and a really cool winged flying v covered in blood splatter (courtesy of Dave Mustaine), there just was not much action going on. The music sounded great, but next year bring this one back to the small stage so we can feel Gigantour and not just hear it.

(Type “Maureen Vana” into the search bar at the top of this page to see my past concert photography and reviews)

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Headbanging, Finger Tapping, and Cellos

Maureen Vana, NBC5 Street Team

Apocalyptica brought Chicago an evening of hair tossing metal complete with matching skull thrones, a clear acrylic drum set, and…. four cellos. The band who gained notoriety with their string renditions of Metallica songs has long moved on from a cover band to an original force. The group has worked with a variety of guest artists including Dave Lombardo (Slayer) and Ville Valo (HIM) and is currently on tour with their sixth studio album, Worlds Collide.

See photos from Apocalyptica at the House of Blues Chicago

The group played primarily new material from the recent US release including tracks “Grace”, “Ion”, and “Last Hope”. Other original material included “Bittersweet”, “Betrayal/Forgiveness”, and covers of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”, “Seek and Destroy”, and “Nothing Else Matters”. A combination of the band’s energy and humor made the hour and fifteen minute set slip by leaving us all wanting more. Apocalyptica played two encores for the craving fans and left the stage with a bow and hi-fives to the crowd.

Sunday evening was an exciting break to get a dose of metal with something a little different from the guitar ruling genre. Apocalypica’s mix of classical beauty with the speed and edge of hard riffs transformed on stage to an experience unlike hearing them on CD. After witnessing these Finnish rockers live I can strongly say, yes, I would like some distortion with my cello please.

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My Chemical Romance Sets Up Camp at the Congress

Maureen Vana, NBC5 Street Team

Last week My Chemical Romance paid a visit to Chicago for two back to back dates at the Congress Theatre on Thursday and Friday night. Fans were treated to a more intimate setting to view the successful rockers that have been packing arenas with their hit album “The Black Parade”. MCR headlined the shows with a lengthy set along side openers Billy Talent and Drive By.

See Thursday Night’s concert in photos

(Type “Maureen Vana” into the search bar at the top of this page to see my past concert photography and reviews)

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Book Review: Reckless Road Guns N’ Roses And The Making Of Appetite For Destruction

Maureen Vana, NBC5 Street Team

Reckless Road combines stunning visuals, heartfelt text, and enhanced audio and video to become the ultimate scrapbook for the ultimate Guns N’ Roses fan. Photographer and long time friend of the band Marc Canter takes readers on a 348 page journey into the roots of one of the most explosive bands to grace the Sunset Strip. Through ticket stubs, candid photos, sketches, set lists, and much more Reckless grants an exclusive backstage pass to witness the birth of rock and roll success.

With this documentary readers are allowed to travel back in time with the author’s excerpts from his experiences with the band. His devoted friendship with Slash and genuine love to see the ones he cares about thrive offers a closeness no other book could. Elements such as Marc’s liner notes on who drew what graphic on a flyer, photographs from basement shows, and discussions of early band rivalries shows a human side to success that is both accessible and comforting.

Reckless Road has something to appeal to anyone with a love for Guns N’ Roses, a love for music, a love for photography, or just a love of a good documentary. The book also extends from the printed page with audio and video provided through http://www.enhancedbooks.com. Each edition comes with an exclusive pass code that allows the owner to access video and audio from shows, interviews, and other behind the scenes material. The book is priced at $29.95 and is also available in 5 limited edition covers for $39.95 at http://www.recklessroad.com. As both a Guns N’ Roses fan and concert photographer I can only pose one objection in saying; Where’s the hardcover?!

Favorite Quote: in the acknowledgement section Marc thanks his parents “for allowing me to use their station wagon to lug around Slash’s equipment in 1983 for late night rehearsing until 3 am”

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