While nothing will ever compare to my first time seeing the Cure in the 1989 at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan and having seen them 20+ times since then, this past Tuesdays performance will forever be one that I will treasure as a long time fan. While I have to admit that I haven’t listened to these early records in a little while, it was very refreshing to pull them back out. As a result, I found myself having a new found appreciation for them then to see them played live really made me appreciate them even more.

The show at the Pantages Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard is normally where off-broadway shows are done so I wasn’t sure how the sound would turn out but I was actually very impressed. I literally felt like the Cure were playing in my garage with a raw sound (using Roland amps, Fender guitars) that was well adjusted for this intimate venue and with a decent light show and fog machines to match – but it was all about the music this night! My seat was in the first row of the mezzanine, which was perfect so I could look over the balcony and straight down into the band without having people stand in front of me. This allowed me to get lots of photos and videos; treasures for any long-time Cure fan.

The first set started with songs from Three Imaginary Boys starting with 10:15 Saturday night, a classic Cure song with just Robert, Jason and Simon. Robert said he wanted to do something different than the prior night, so he didn’t shave, which was quite funny; gotta love Roberts sense of humor. The songs from this set felt a little rushed for some reason but understandable when having to play an entire album. I really enjoy these songs because of the upbeat, post-punk feel that they contain which is obvious very reminiscent of the time period when they were written. On The Weedy Burton, Robert joked about how he hopes he’ll be able to not fuck this song up again. It’s a relatively basic blues progression and indeed, Robert pulled it off nicely. A highlight from this set was seeing Robert play harmonica on the subway song, even though it was only 3 or 4 notes. I don’t know why, but it was just a cool sound and feel.

The 2nd set was songs from Seventeen Seconds and are some of my favorites. Simon’s bass tone and style are just incredible on this record. Roger O’Donnell joined them on stage on keyboards. The energy of the crowd finally came alive around the time A forest was played. I’ve seen this song played in the past with extended versions for a good 1/2 hour. A-C-F-D are the 4 main chords of this song but the aura of this song always lures me in every time I hear it. At the end of the set, Robert say’s, “see you next year…or 5 minutes.”

The 3rd set found Lol Tolhurst joining in for some keys and percussion. I found it really great to see Lol up there, considering he was an original member of the Cure/Easy Cure. The faith record is definitely a mellower record than all of these but it was by far the best set. For me, the coolest part of the Cure is that they are musicians who have played together for so long that they are like a well oiled machine that runs smoothly. The Cure clearly have an intuitive sense of how melodies work together while leaving a ton of open space yet sound like a full orchestra of sounds and colorful notes at the right times within a song. Anyhow, this set had me really moved and delighted by what I was seeing in front of me; “other voices” was my favorite. And who can go wrong with “primary” with its pounding E-A-E-D bass line.

After the first 3 sets, I was super excited to see what oldies Robert and the boys would pull out. Highlight of the 1st encore was “killing an arab” and “jumping someone elses train”. The third set was a great way to end the night with a ton more energy and just seeing Robert having fun being silly and dancing in his goofy way with his old-lady body. It’s so great to see people still loving what they are doing after 30 years of doing it! After the show I picked up some limited edition posters and shirts and walked away with a feeling of being complete again. Something about the Cure has always lifted my spirits and this show made me feel like I was a kid again. Enjoy the videos and photos! Please leave comments and share!!

To see many photos and videos – go to www.facebook.com/koboldt

STAR WARS – 6/3/11

Imagine a pink floyd laser light show coupled with a live orchestra playing along to various parts of the Star wars saga, along with C3PO narrating the film.  This $125/ticket show superseded my expectations by a long shot; also because we had box seats.  I still recall seeing the movie as a child and still to this day have hundreds of Star Wars memorabilia back at my parents house.

PLAYBOY JAZZ FESTIVAL – 6/12/11

This was my first time and what an awesome experience it was.  The main headliner was blues legend Buddy Guy who was amazing to say the least but things really picked up when he pulled out a 12 year old guitar shredder who could not only sing but play the blues like it was nothing; very inspiring!!  Other highlights were Naturally 7 (an acapello group who uses their voices as instruments) and  Still Black, Still Proud: An African Tribute to James Brown Featuring Pee Wee Ellis, Fred Wesley, Vusi Mahlasela, Meklit Hadero.  http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117945434

MOTLEY CRUE / POISON / NY DOLLS – 6/14/11

Having been a Crue fan since I was 8 years old, it’s always amazing to see them as it takes me back to my youth.  While Vince Neil can’t really hit most of the high notes anymore, he still belts it out with great energy.  Mick Mars, who just won’t die as Nikki Sixx says, was a true master on his guitar with soaring pinch harmonics, whammy bar sweeps and a  hard rocking sound.  Nikki, who writes most of the songs always holds the rhythm locked down.  Tommy Lee – need I say more?  That dude rocks so hard.  A highlight was watching him go upside down playing along with his techno/dj- styled beats to a wild spinning visual.  He even brought a girl out from the audience, strapped her in, and took her for a wild ride upside down on the circular roller coaster drumset.  

Poison, who i’ve been a fan of since 7th grade were equally great to see but a little too heavy on the guitar wanker guitar solos of CC Deville.  Brett Michaels down-to-earth gracefullness fully made up for it though.  Being alive after his illness last year and still touring with his best friends for 25 years made for a special night.  “Every rose has its thorn” was the crowd pleaser by a long shot. 

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/concert-review-motley-crue-at-202516

SET LIST (NOT 100% IN ORDER):

Anthrax was on fire – jumping all over the stage and rocking out the thrash metal to old classics like “indians”.  Scott Ian is still a machine on guitar!

Megadeth – I wasn’t impressed with how unemotional Dave Mustaine is but nonetheless, their style is very unique and very technical.  Peace sells but whose buying will always be a memorable song.  Symphony of destruction is another.

Slayer – kudos to their drummer Dave Lombardo- how he plays double bass at that speed is beyond me!  Hits like Seasons in the abyss, dead skin mask, etc.  Kerry King is still a big guitar shredder.  Tom Araya is a bad ass.  Jeff Hanneman played only a few songs at the end - apparently something about being ill.

Metallica – it’s obvious when they hit the stage why they are the biggest commercial success in metal music.  Beautiful melodies, rhythmic beats, well crafted lyrics that penetrate, etc.  This was my 3rd time seeing Metallica over the years and every time, they are great.  I was fortunate to go to the MUSICARES charity event held in honor of James Hetfield years ago and got to meet Lars, who was super cool.  I hated his whiney ass during the NAPSTER thing but he will always be one of my favorite drummers to watch. 

Here’s a proper review from SPIN:

After 30 years, it was the first American show to feature all the members of “The Big 4″ — Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax — the bands whose speed-drunk riffs and apocalyptic imagery vaulted “thrash metal” from cult obsession/Tipper Gore irritant to chart-topping, arena-clogging cultural force. The legendary beefs between bands had been squashed, the phrase “heavy metal Woodstock” had been bandied about, it truly felt like one for the history books. But the reality was more like what Slayer frontman Tom Araya told SPIN a few days earlier: “Even though it’s billed as the Big 4, it’s really more of a Metallica show.”

You could sense it in the crowd of 50,000-or-so, who were whipping out a constellation of camera phones to take photos of The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly playing on the video monitors before Metallica took the stage. You could feel it in the rapturous, reverent smoosh that took over the Metallica audience after a day of lackluster moshing. Hell, be it the 85 degree heat, the older and doughier age range of the attendees, or the mellow California vibes, the circle pits were small, sporadic and downright friendly until maybe 130 minutes into the afternoon, when Megadeth hurled out “Peace Sells.”

But mostly, you could feel it in Metallica, who weren’t going to get shown up by their three most formidable peers. By the end of their second song, 1984′s catch-and-release “For Whom The Bell Tolls,” guitarist Kirk Hammett had taken an extended, shredtastic outro solo, bassist Robert Trujillo had done his trademark crabwalk, and drummer Lars Ulrich was playing chunks of the song standing up.

And then… fireworks!

Metallica had no time for the nostalgia the event implied, and they did all the things that the 1986 Metallica would never do: allowing a plane fly overhead advertising a Mötley Crüe show, using those goofy stands that hold up your acoustic guitar, calling a song “All Nightmare Long” and then playing it. They were a perfect maelstrom of unashamed arena-grade showmanship (fireworks blasted for all the big reveals in “Enter Sandman”) and human, danger-soaked playing (they included more flubbed notes and crooked tempos than the other three bands). The crowd loved them for both. There’s a reason why they’re the only band of the evening with a 10-times platinum album.

That burden should have come with a dash of humility. Even if insincere and forced, it was certainly expected that their stage banter should have maybe included a few more loving tributes to the other three bands, beyond the “Aw look!” when Anthrax’s Scott Ian hugged Mustaine before members of all the bands jammed mightily on Diamond Head’s “Am I Evil?” And after that historic, retweetable moment, Metallica still had to get two more of their own songs in, making sure they ultimately get the last word here.

But Metallica show or not: No matter where Slayer goes, a Slayer show follows. Their version of “Raining Blood” was downright terrifying, boasting an Armageddon-ready tension before that main riff kicks in. Just before the moshpit turned into a gaping maw, someone literally said, “We’re getting the hell out of here!”

Slayer brought not only moshpits, but burly dudes who bulldozed handy thru-way lanes to get to moshpits. Slayer had no patience for the feel-good vibe of the fest even though you could spy the ferris wheel in the JumboTron while drummer Dave Lombardo did the aggro-jazz splatter of “Seasons In The Abyss.” When founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman magically appeared to help on the last two songs (he’s been sidelined due to a flesh eating virus) they didn’t even say so much as “hello.”

Anthrax and Megadeth both played tidy hour-long sets that were high on both hits and melancholy. Dave Mustaine had the most nuanced vocal delivery of the day, the open expanses of “Sweating Bullets” and “A Tout Le Monde” providing a great canvas for his cutting snarl. A Snuffleupagus of cascading hair and a double-necked guitar too heavy to whip around, Mustaine still captivated the audience by staring coldly into their very center. But his icy demeanor was clearly warmed by set’s end, the way he so gratefully mouthed “Thank you, thank you.”

Similarly, Anthrax knew they would be caught up in the moment — two of them wore “Big 4″ T-shirts, they waved an American flag with the Big 4 logo — so they unleashed a fan-pleasing, all-hits, no-goofiness (sorry, “I’m The Man” fans) set of pre-1991 churners. They did deliver the brand new “Fight ‘Em Til You Can’t,” but it was played meaner and harder than anything else in their set. A heavy metal superfan to the core, Scott Ian looked like he was going to cry as he left the stage. Try telling him that this was just a Metallica show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdoPn8aTBhM - La Femme D’Argent

Check out air on youtube.com

http://www.youtube.com/user/airofficial?blend=1&ob=4

Read more:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2010/03/live-review-air-at-disney-hall.html

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