You can always tell how busy KK’s Steel Mill is going to be by the amount of available parking spaces near the venue. Tonight there are none. Not a one. Forget being able to swing a cat, inside KK’s tonight there’s barely enough room to swing a tardigrade.Continue reading
Any rational, working seventy-five-year-old would probably be thinking very seriously about winding down by now. Come on now, old man. That’s enough. It’s time for your pipe and slippers. But as we are all fully aware, Alice Cooper is not your average seventy-five-year-old. In fact, it’s becoming increasingly apparent with each passing year that he is, in all likelihood, an actual vampire. Yes, much like Keith Richards, Alice cannot be killed by conventional weapons.Continue reading
With a queue that looks like it possibly stretches into a different time zone, anyone who thought LA legends W.A.S.P. would struggle to attract decent-sized crowds these days is very much mistaken. With a tour postponed due to the Covid pandemic three years ago, Blackie Lawless and co land on English shores once again, the natives turning out in full force to celebrate. And where better in the West Midlands to play than KK’s Steel Mill, the venue owned by former Judas Priest axeman KK Downing?
In a time where people tend to throw around the word “legend”, I had the great fortune to experience an incredibly intimate evening with a true legend at Sony Hall last week. Ann Wilson, the undeniable and unmistakable voice of Heart, delivered the goods on the New York City stop of her tour. She’s supporting her new release Fierce Bliss. The album, like so many others to come out this year, was a product of the abundance of time off courtesy of Covid. Ann used her time very wisely and enlisted the help of a wide variety of heavy hitters including Vince Gill, Gov’t Mule’s Warren Haynes and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.
In 2019 things were on the up for the independent LA quartet Dirty Honey; their debut single ‘When I’m Gone’ topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts, they toured with Alter Bridge, Guns n Roses, and The Who and sold out their first headline tour in the first two months of 2020 but then covid reared its ugly head put life on hold. Finally things are opening up again and their debut album Dirty Honey is out, and its sound is firmly rooted in 1970s rock.
Ghost Cult scribe Lorraine Lysen caught up with the great Arjen Lucassen of Ayreon for a wide-ranging interview a few months ago. They chatted about The Electric Castle Live project, the visuals of Ayreon Universe live, working with John de Lancie, rock operas, concept albums, Vin Diesel, Star Trek TNG, upcoming new music, and much more.
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As we previously reported, Heavy Metal legend Dee Snider has helped launch a Change.org petition to get the NFL to hire classic rock legends and recently reunited AC/DC to perform at the SuperBowl Halftime show. Originally started by a fan, Gina Di Lecce, the petition grew from fan outcry and Dee’s criticism on social media following this year’s halftime show performance from Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. Heavy music is used constantly in sports, especially the NFL. Famously rock and metal bands such as Metallica, Foo Fighters, Avenged Sevenfold, and Guns N Roses (2020) have all performed on the NFL’s pre-game concert the day before. Anyone performing at the big game performs for free and must pre-record and lip-sync their performance, which is why some groups like Metallica have said definitely no to performing, while The Red Hot Chili Peppers infamously made fun of themselves lip-synching in 2014, with Flea being the most notorious culprit. They also were a guest of Bruno Mars and not a headliner themselves that night. The last real rock act to perform at the SuperBowl Halftime Show was The Who in 2010. in 2009. Anyway, sign the petition and let’s unite for rock and metal at The SuperBowl!
If you are like us at Ghost Cult, you go to a lot of concerts every year. We actually pay for many shows we cover, and the fees on top of the tickets, especially for major festivals, event-type shows and tours are astronomically over-priced. And the company that owns the most venues and puts on the most tours in the entire world thinks we are getting away cheap! According to a new report by Marketwatch, Ticketmaster and their parent Live Nation feel they have been charging fans too little and there is a “great opportunity” to earn more money by charging more for tickets in 2020 and beyond. According to the report, the average ticket price for the largest worldwide tours has increased by more than 20% in the past five years and is approaching $100 per ticket. This timeline coincides with the biggest bands and tours in the world, including major tours the last few years Guns N Roses’ “Not In This Lifetime Tour”, Metallica’s “Worldwired World Tour”, Slipknot’s “Slipknot Roadshow”, The Eagles, The Who, Elton John’s farewell tour, KISS’ “End of the Road” tour, Slayer’s “The Final Campaign Tour” on their way to retirement, Tool’s new tour, and next year’s big-ticket tours from My Chemical Romance, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett and The Blackhearts. This is not counting the secondary and resale market, which includes Ticket master’s murky relationship with resellers and bots (see Metallica’s S&M2 ticket debacle last summer), StubHub and other companies that gouge fans for profits. Continue reading
When Axl Rose waxed romantically about cold November rain in back in 1992, he clearly wasn’t singing about Leeds on a Saturday morning. A cold, depressing day darkened by oppressive black clouds showering their misery relentlessly from above, there is nothing romantic about Leeds city centre. However, above the sound of rain pelting against umbrella canopies, and cars splashing through ankle-high lakes of dirty water, there is hope. Somewhere out there is Damnation Festival.Continue reading
As we previously reported, Live Nation’s annual summer sale of tickets Live Nation National Concert Week takes off with seven days of savings on concerts and festivals. You will notice your favorite bands and venues sharing sales to specific local events just for you as well as major events with relevance to your taste in bands. During the week over 2 Million Tickets To 2,800 concerts are on sale For $20, plus taxes and fees. Live Nation is also celebrating National Concert Week around the world in Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Finland, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, UK, and Latin America at the link below. Continue reading