I can hardly describe what my feelings were at that very moment—but what I can describe is how magical it was seeing guitar virtuoso Satriani—from the third freakin’ row! I also have to give credit to opening act Mountain for their dazzling performance. Mountain—fronted by the lively Leslie West—filled the theater with those familiar “Mississippi Queen” guitar licks backed by the skilled drumming of Corky “Cowbell” Laing. Mountain even shelled out a few notable covers, including Cream’s “Crossroads” and the classic blues jam “Going Down,” when West rejoined the stage during Satriani’s encore.

Satriani was promoting his new album, “Professor Satchafunkilus and the Musterion of Rock,” but that didn’t stop him from punishing his fretboard to classic cuts like “Summer Song.” We were even treated to a stage-clearing, Stu Hamm bass solo—or “STU!” as the crowd shouted. Hamm, an innovator of bass tapping, silenced the crowd with his flawless cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Going to California.” But time truly stopped and the stars and moons aligned when Satch rang out the first few notes to my No.1 song, “Always With Me, Always With You.” Seeing it up close and in person was the icing on a perfect cake. Satriani is a man of few words, but his music will forever be Always With Me.

On Oct. 12, I hit the road for Milwaukee for one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen—ZZ Top. My rock ‘n’ roll angel took the day off—Sunday—go figure. But it wasn’t necessary because the Riverside Theatre’s intimacy did all the work. When ZZ Top announced that the second leg of their recent tour focused on performing at smaller, in-your-face venues, I had to be a part of it along with all their other Beer Drinking and Hell-Raising fans. When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame–inducted, Sharp-Dressed men took the stage with their chest-length beards, glittering suits and Cheap Sunglasses—I knew I was in for a treat.

There were no new albums to promote for these blues/rock icons, as they unloaded all the hits that made this little band from Texas a national treasure.

It still amazes me how a simple 3-piece band can produce such a rich sound—yet make it seem easy, as guitarist Billy Gibbons and bassist Dusty Hill comically dance and sway in sync, while Gibbons rips a scratchy solo to “La Grange.” Drummer, Frank “No Beard” Beard, didn’t seem to think much of it as he minded his own business, relentlessly hammering away on his skull-logo drums. October has been far too good to me so far…or should I say ROCKtober!

The invigorating museum appears as a pyramid-like structure bonded together by teal-blue tinted windows—it reminds me of artwork you’d see on the cover of a Led Zeppelin album. My senses were immediately stirred the moment I entered. The first floor chronicles the early years of rock ‘n’ roll’s roots from Howlin’ Wolf to Pete Seeger to, well, Bob Seger. And I was fortunate enough to catch The Doors exhibit on its last day, which featured Jim Morrison’s handwritten songs on hotel notepads, school report cards and deep stuff like letters from his disapproving father. I recommend it to all of you!

With my Mojo still Risin’ after The Doors exhibit, I found myself in front of original Doors members Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger under the newly billed Riders on the Storm, on Sept. 20 at the House of Blues Chicago. Feelings of doubt were present with the idea of someone else singing Jim Morrison’s poetic lyrics until Byrd, who was there for the band intro, assured that ex-Fuel front man Brett Scallions would give it his all—and he wasn’t kidding. Scallions put as much passion and life into the music as Morrison would, notably during “When the Music’s Over.” As soon I heard “Ladies and gentlemen, from Los Angeles, California,” I submitted all of my feelings for Morrison and enjoyed an exceptional show, which featured nearly all The Doors original hits.

Aside from the late great Richard Wright of Pink Floyd and Jon Lord of Deep Purple, there aren’t many great keyboardists in rock who can carry a band’s sound like Ray Manzarek. The living legend was incredibly energetic at the ripe age of 69, producing menacing, wizard-like sounds that channeled through my soul. I can’t emphasize enough how the remarkable chemistry between Manzarek and Scallions dazzled the crowd. Sure, he’s not Morrison, but why should that matter? It’s a crime for younger generations to miss out on the influential music of The Doors. Certainly, it lives on in albums, thanks to radio stations like The Loop, but sometimes that isn’t enough. Ray, Robby and Brett keep the spirit of The Doors alive. Somewhere, Jim is smiling. I know I am.

The next night I returned to the H.O.B. to see the alternative rock band Live. My knowledge was limited to the popular ‘90s song, “Lightning Crashes,” but I decided to give them a try—and I’m glad I did! Live really made all my feelings come back again from that ’94 “Throwing Copper” album with songs like “I Alone” and “All Over You.” But the evening really sparked when Byrd took me under his wing (pun intended) and snuck me up to the Foundation Room for an after party hangout with lead singer Ed Kowalczyk, who was eager to take a picture with us. Thank you, Byrd for hanging out and making this a special night I won’t ever forget! We’re lucky to have your undying passion and lifetime dedication to rock ‘n’ roll at 97.9 The Loop.

It was also a day of Sabbath for all the metal heads in attendance when true Metal Masters, Heaven and Hell, took the stage. Before the heavily anticipated entrance of these heavy metal pioneers, two demonic gargoyle statues anchored the stage as if they were guarding the gates of hell, hissing out smog from their mouths, which flooded the stage. Walking into the fog was Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Vinny Appice and Ronnie James Dio—all from the early ‘80s Black Sabbath lineup. Between Iommi’s hardcore metal riffs, Butler’s wicked wah-wah effects on the bass and Dio’s bone-breaking voice, I didn’t know whether to worship them or join a mosh pit. The enigmatic Dio’s stage presence was captivating. His haunting vocal wails during the band’s self-titled “Heaven and Hell” howled throughout the stadium and echoed in my head for days after the show.

Heaven and Hell’s chilling performance seemed like an impossible act to follow, but I Got Another Thing Coming when the main attraction, Judas Priest, took over. Their grand arrival started when an unsettling banner of Nostradamus, illuminated by a dim red light, draped in the background. Just as the chills shot down my spine, everything went dark. The eerie orchestral song, “Dawn of Creation,” from their latest album “Nostradamus,” played. As the smoke cleared—the Metal Gods emerged!

Bassist Ian Hill instantly rattled my bones with his ground-shaking volume. Sharing the spotlight as dual lead guitarists were the melodic sounds of Glenn Tipton and rugged licks of K.K. Downing. Together, they produced nonstop chaotic metal madness. However, the real pleasure of the night came with lead singer Rob Halford’s cryptically operatic vocals. It takes a very special voice to be heard over a loud heavy metal band—but Halford is one of rock’s only voices with a near four-octave vocal range. His deafening, ear-piercing wails were almost like adding another instrument to the band.

Halford magically appeared on a tall stairway wearing a hooded black cloak, just as “Prophecy” began, hoisting a pitchfork to his side. He was an elusive figure in the spotlight—mysteriously vanishing and reappearing in different areas of the stage. After “Prophecy,” Halford dropped the cloak and was Hell Bent for Leather until the last song of the band’s encore, in which he drove a motorcycle on stage. Since 1970, Judas Priest has defined heavy metal while enjoying personal success, selling more than 35 million albums globally. Despite internal tensions with the band in the early ‘90s, causing Halford to leave, 12 years later he returned and embarked on a whole new creative process. Just proves that some things are Worth Fighting For—heavy metal!

On August 22, I shifted musical genres dramatically when I went to the House of Blues to see modern-day blues guru Kenny Wayne Shepherd. “We’re bringing the blues to the House of Blues tonight,” said Shepherd—and he wasn’t kidding. The show started off with a promotional video of Shepherd’s album “10 Days Out,” which drew a big response from the packed venue. The video featured footage of Shepherd in the heart of blues country having jam sessions with many founders of old-fashioned country blues.

Shepherd has matured quite a ways from the 17-year-old blonde kid image—evolving into a class of his own. Critics may have doubts as to how much longer the blues can stick around, but it was never more Alive in the youthful vibe at Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s fingertips. Kenny’s sweet guitar sounds couldn’t have been complimented any better with the deep, soothing voice of Noah Hunt and the classic drumming of Chris Layton from Stevie Ray Vaughan’s band, Double Trouble. They jammed out to covers and original songs like well-known “Blue on Black.” The highlight of the set was Shepherd’s near-authentic cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child.” It’s safe to say, that’s the closest I’ll ever get to experiencing Hendrix live again.

What really separates Shepherd from the rest of today’s modern artists is that he doesn’t let the temptation of commercial success get to his head. Instead, he follows the advice of relatively unknown, yet influential architects of blues. One bluesman said in the promo video, “People say, he’s just jealous ‘cause he’s playing the blues and ain’t making no money—but I’m satisfied. I’ll play the blues till I die.” For the sake of music, we can only hope Kenny follows the same path.

A Nugent show is a truly unique concert experience. Instead of leaving with blown out ear drums, you walk away wanting to eat red meat, go hunting and vote Republican. He has a special ability to bring out the rebel inside you and then switches gears completely by recognizing important issues such as American independence. His highly outspoken political opinions and timely profanity all fused together by a mean guitar lick is what makes the Nuge a classic. When the shows over, all you can say is “Thank you, Uncle Ted!”

I’d like to talk about a few other things that have been going on in the life of the Roadie besides concerts. The past several months have been nothing short of an amazing dream as I played guest to the most incredible shows and backstage interactions. At times, I feel like going to the Loop station and mopping the floors or taking out the trash—something to repay them for being the Roadie! As an alternative, they came up with a better idea when they asked me to play host for an exclusive tour of my hometown, Westchester, Ill., on August 11th.

When I first won the Roadie contest, I remember gloating to my friends about all the sweet concerts I would be attending this year—“and I might get to meet Erin Carman, too!” Needless to say, I was thrilled when she brought her unmatchable enthusiasm, infectious personality and humor to the streets of Westchester. As soon as the Loop Hummer pulled into town, curious residents followed us as we revisited my favorite childhood hot spots. “This may be the biggest thing that ever happened here,” I said. Regardless, it was impossible to not have a good time as we visited historic sites, such as the largest hole in town (known as “the ditch”), the chilling story of Dead Man’s Hill and St. Joseph High School, where “Hoop Dreams,” the well-known basketball documentary, was filmed in 1994.

All this was merely an appetizer for the “Paul Gattuso Show.” The classy and always entertaining mayor of Westchester also owns the hottest food spot in town, Paul’s Pizza and Hot Dogs. Gattuso had the Loop camera crew getting their share of cardiovascular exercise between running around Westchester’s summer Monday Classic Car Show and inside Gattuso’s restaurant. All this excitement eventually called for a much deserved frosty brew as we capped off the tour at the bar in Eden Lanes, the town’s bowling alley. Keep an ear open in the near future, Loyal Loopers, because you can be the next person to give an exclusive hometown tour to the Loop.

The 2008 Loop Rock Girl, Kelly, has been my backstage pass to many incredible shows throughout my tenure as the Roadie—it’s only fair that I repay her, too. Kelly has desired to take the Rock Girl image to a new level by learning how to play the guitar. I was much obliged to get involved in this process as her private guitar teacher. Filming went underway August 12th. Kelly cut her fingernails and has been digging her claws into the fret board. Keep your eyes out for the video, which will take you exclusively into our lessons as we jam out in the Loop’s music room. Also, don’t forget to look out for the video of my tour of Westchester with Erin Carman!

Poison opened in cinematic fashion with a “warning message” on the big screen that suggested we have Nothin’ But a Good Time. Poison practically played their “Best of” album, which took the crowd on an ‘80s rock roller coaster with their lively original hits. And they inspired the audience to draw up enough lit lighters to start a forest fire with the popular ballad “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.” They even mixed in one of their trademark covers with The Romantics’ 1979 hit “What I Like About You.”

The show also highlighted Poison’s individual talents. It never got old hearing Michaels shout out “C.C.!” just before every C.C. DeVille guitar solo. Deville’s stage clearing, spotlight solo dazzled the audience with a variety of “Satch” squeals and his best Eddie Van Halen “Eruption” impression all on his colorful Flying V guitar. He ended his guitar solo in style with an instrumental version of “Amazing Grace.” Also in the spotlight was the great Rikki Rockett, who really exemplified his last name with the way he played his drum solo on a moving platform. I could hardly take my eyes off the way he flipped his drum sticks during songs—and he never missed a beat.

At one point during the show, I thought to myself, “These guys are the real deal.” We’ve all seen those cheap cover bands a million times before—using their mom’s makeup and wearing old, ragged wigs singing “Talk Dirty To Me.” But nothing is more thrilling than seeing THE band that is the heart and soul behind these great tunes. It’s even more of a treat to see almost every original member still playing together. I can’t tell you how many times I see old rock bands and have to Wikipedia the heck out of them to find out who is playing what instrument or where old band members went and why. Michaels, Deville, Rockett and Bobby Dall have 20-plus years of togetherness under their belts—and it shows. Cheers to rock loyalty.

8-6-08

I have always been a rocker at heart, even at a young age. When my family and I would drive 2 full days to our condo in Florida, I looked forward to one thing—playing my dad’s collection of rock CDs. Not many discs got played in their entirety, but one that did was “Frampton Comes Alive.” Nothing was more thrilling than hearing Frampton make his guitar speak on the classic 14-minute song, “Do You Feel Like We Do.” For the bulk of my childhood, my Dad had me convinced Frampton actually made his guitar talk—my guitar teacher in high school eventually broke the news to me.

Now, as a firsthand witness, I can say he doesn’t magically make his guitar talk without the help of his custom “Framptone” talk box. That doesn’t mean we should sell him short of anything less than magical—which is the best word to describe his performance at the House of Blues on July 27th. Frampton Came Alive and brought me back to my childhood by playing all of his tunes from those early great live albums. He complimented his show with tributes to Chris Cornell playing an instrumental version of “Black Hole Sun” and to George Harrison by closing with “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
Frampton may not have a head of golden locks like he did in 1976, but somewhere between those animated facial expressions you can still see a golden sparkle in his eye—which brought on a whole new refreshing sentiment to his music. There aren’t many concerts where I can simply close my eyes and let the music Show Me the Way to a good time, but this was one of them. And that’s why Frampton is a timeless classic. May Frampton stay alive forever!

Chicago has seen some terrific weather this month, but it hasn’t seen palm trees, beach balls and more Hawaiian shirts than you can count in the movie Weekend at Bernie’s—unless you were with me on July 24th to see Jimmy Buffett. I hadn’t seen so many people wasted away in Bridgeview since Eric Clapton’s Crossroads festival last summer. If you were to ask me about the beach music genre I’d probably stumble and say, “Led Zeppelin—The Ocean?” You can sense, this wasn’t my usual concert, but that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy a taste of rock paradise at Toyota Park. Buffett didn’t disappoint his devoted “parrotheads,” or me for that matter, with a tropical version of “Brown-Eyed Girl” and “Sweet Home Chicago.” Now I understand why he can pack a soccer stadium at age 61.

Everyone knows roadies work behind the scenes, and I was thrilled to finally get an exclusive tour at 97.9 the Loop. I felt too much at home. The walls at the station ooze rock ‘n’ roll. Everyone’s office has autographed posters, pictures and guitars hanging up. I wanted to just pitch a tent and live there. It’s convenient for us to hit the presets in our cars and not think of the blood, sweat, tears and time put in for radio listeners to enjoy the luxury of rock music. The Loop staff works around the clock for us Loopers. It was humbling to see so many different employees in business attire, rock T-shirts and Loop gear all to serve one genuine purpose: Spread the rock ‘n’ roll. We really listen to the best station in the world.

I’m officially coining the phrase: Give me Loop, or give me death!



7-22-08


It’s official—if I were a superhero, my Kryptonite would be a lack of live music. Waiting for my next Roadie event made me feel like a little kid on Christmas morning ready to sabotage his presents—but the Loop couldn’t have Kickstarted My Heart any better with a double whammy of shows, including Three Doors Down on July 13 and Crue Fest on July 16, which were both at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre.


As a classic rock enthusiast, I tend to spend my dollars on bands that paid their dues in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Many of these rockers are now old enough to be my grandfather. Needless to say, I’m accustomed to a tame crowd—which was not the case for the younger band and audience at the Three Doors Down show. In between the 20-foot flames that flashed with each beat of the drums and the explosion of live dynamite on stage, were class-act musicians that stand above the rest of today’s bands.


I read that lead singer Brad Arnold originally was a drummer, and he took the reins as lead vocalist when simply no one else would do it—an ultimate team player. And it’s evident in Three Doors Down’s music as no band member outdoes each other, producing a well-balanced sound. Lyrically, they bring with them the spirit of the ‘70s—they don’t whine about the rough times of high school or how devastating it is to break up with their girlfriends. Instead, they sing powerful songs that talk about real pain and issues that trouble our generation. It was great to see members of our military in attendance enjoying the theatrically animated and action-packed show that included all of their hit songs. Three Doors Down—I salute you.


Although Staind, who played before Three Doors Down, payed homage to Bob Seger with a killer version of “Turn the Page”—I had a craving for more good old-fashioned rock, and the Loop treated me to a real Feelgood experience with Motley Crue. Before the show began, fans were already raving about Orlando’s Crue Fest reviews. With all this buildup and the fact that I was well aware of their over-the-top reputation, my adrenaline was racing—and they delivered! As soon as Mick Mars roared the beginning “car-shifting gears” on guitar to Kickstart My Heart, everyone jumped to their feet and flashed more “devil horn” hand gestures than Ronnie James Dio could ever fathom. The electrified crowd had no time for beer runs or bathroom breaks—this was a no nonsense set list that was a nonstop explosion of rock.


For once, I forgot I was at a rock concert. With Tommy Lee passing around an oversized bottle of Jager and his uncensored camera footage showing the Wild Side of women in the crowd—I felt like I was partying with Motley Crue at a strip club with incredibly loud music. Don’t be fooled by the long hair, leather pants and funny hats—these men are not your typical ‘80s ballad band. They make a Def Leppard concert look like a Nickelodeon game show. Their heavy metal/glam rock sound fueled by amps flowing with distortion will bring you to your knees and make you Shout at the Devil for more. Just before Tommy left the stage, he said, “We’ll be back!” I don’t think I can wait.

After I shook the hand that shreds the bass and posed for a picture, I thanked them. Geddy said, “Hope you enjoy the show.” I said, “Don’t worry, I will.” And man, did I ever. If you’re a Rush fanatic like I am but missed this event, they pretty much kept the same set list as last September’s show with the exception of a few surprises, such as “Temples of Syrinx” and “Red Barchetta.”

Other highlights of the show included Neil Peart’s mesmerizing drum solo, which gets more impressive every time I see it. If you ever get a chance to see it live, look around at how many jaws are dropped—it’s fascinating. And I saw, yet again, one of my top 10 favorite songs, “The Spirit of Radio.” Doesn’t the hair on the back of your neck stand up, too, every time you hear it?

Rush is one of the few bands that has the stamina to play a full 3-hour show with no opening act. They’re the true working men of rock ‘n’ roll—and they’re overachievers. No band, I repeat, NO BAND can produce the sound they have with only three guys. It’s so easy to pay “fill-in” musicians, but these guys won’t let it happen. Alex has guitars set up all over the stage, Geddy sings his lungs out, destroys the bass with one hand and hits the keyboard with the other, and Neil is surrounded by so many drums you can barely see the top of his head. It’s no surprise that they were able to sell out the United Center with their large, loyal fan base ranging from all different age groups. Kudos to you moms and dads for raising your kids on the best music ever. Long live Lee, Lifeson and Peart!