Concert Review: Bring Me the Horizon

Watching Bring Me the Horizon blow up has been one of the most entertaining parts of the music landscape the past few years. They have skyrocketed from niche deathcore band into prominent genre-bending headliner status worldwide. Amo, their latest album, was their most pop-focused record yet, and it topped the charts all over the world.

This show was spectacular. Heavy songs like “Shadow Moses” and “House of Wolves” meshed flawlessly with newer pop-sounding tracks like “Medicine” and “Mother Tongue”. From the blistering hard to cheesy pop and everything in between, Bring Me the Horizon’s music hit countless different genres, and felt extremely broad but tightly cohesive. Front man Oli Sykes lead the charge to weave the sound together by bringing a ton of emotion to every song.

Concert Review: Clutch @ Old National Center

In what might be America’s last true rock band, Clutch brings a hard-hitting rock show every single time they perform. They’ve been at this for 20 years, and it shows in both their writing and their performing.

This show at the Egyptian Room had the biggest crowd I’ve seen for a Clutch show in Indianapolis, and Clutch fans are nothing if they aren’t die-hard. The show was raucous and energetic, and the intensity of the show never wavered.

Rock on the Range 2018: Lineup Analysis

We are ONE WEEK away from the festival of all festivals. For many of my hard rock and heavy metal bretheren, May represents the beginning of festival season. There are many great festivals all over the country that give fans a great chance to experience a weekend packed full of great shows. The biggest, and arguably the best of any of these is the almighty Rock on the Range, which takes place May 18-20th in Columbus, OH.

We snagged our tickets prior to the lineup announcement, which occurred late in 2017. This will be the tenth consecutive year that we make the trip from Indianapolis to Columbus to take in the weekend, and I have to tell you – I cannot wait.

I know that all of you are like me – you’re having trouble focusing on anything else as you look forward to one of the best weekends of the year. In order to support that obsession, we are releaseing a last minute line-up analysis for Rock on the Range 2018. The analysis below is for people who may not know all the bands in this years lineup and are looking for an opportunity to catch a new band that may become a favorite. However, it’s also for those who know every song of every band, and are just looking for an excuse to think about Rock on the Range for an hour. 🙂

The Rock on the Range 2018 Lineup Analysis below provides a detailed look at the landscape for this year’s ROTR. We provide commentary on what you might expect based on previous experiences, other shows and tours we’ve seen, and the current status of the bands. The bands are grouped by the slot they were given: the headliners, the top-tier bands, and the mid-tier bands. In addition, we include some bands that have something to prove, and suggest some can’t miss shows that may not be on you radar.

Concert Review: Green Day at Wrigley Field

Another day, another bucket list. Green Day has a special place in my heart, as they captured the frustration and angst when I was a teenager – when frustration and angst were at an all time high. I had been trying to see them live for a decade, and it just never had worked out.

Over the past few years, my concert crew has started a tradition where we all meet in Chicago for a show at Wrigley Field once a year. It’s such a great place to watch a concert (not to mention the best baseball stadium on the planet). So far, we’ve seen some spectacular shows there, and so when Green Day released a show at Wrigley, it was a no-brainer. Our sights were set on Wrigley in August.

This show stood up to every expectation I had for it – and my expectations couldn’t have been higher.

Concert Review: Garth Brooks

So thankful that I finally got the chance to see Garth Brooks live. After being a fan for three decades, and watching him set nearly every live performance record over the course of his incredible career, I finally got to see him perform. He played five shows in four days in Indianapolis, and sold out every one of them – we were lucky enough to snag tickets to the last show, and man was it a memorable one.

In the nearly 3 hour show, Garth played a non-stop barrage of number 1 hits, pulling from his seemingly endless library of great songs. Friends in Low Places, Shameless, Two Pina Coladas, Ain’t Goin Down til the Sun Comes Up, Unanswered Prayers, and on, and on, and on. In playing these songs, Garth proved over and over why he is lauded as one of the world’s best performers. Even though it was his fifth show in four days (think about that!), he still gave it absolutely everything he had. Running in circles, inciting the crowd in every direction, interacting with others on stage. When Garth Brooks is on stage, there is never a dull moment.

Rock on the Range 2017: Lineup Analysis

We’re closing in on May, and that means that Rock on the Range 2017 is quickly approaching. ROTR is North America’s biggest rock festival and year after year, it has hosted the best lineup, the biggest crowd, and the best organization of any festival attended by The Music Pill. Quite simply, it sets the standard.

This will be the ninth straight year that The Music Pill is lucky enough to attend this great event, and I can assure you that there’s no shortage of excitement in this camp! In fact, we’re desperate for any excuse to turn our attention towards anything ROTR, and because of that, we’re releasing our in-depth Rock on the Range 2017 Lineup Analysis.

The past few years, we’ve channeled our obsessive focus on the weeks leading up to ROTR by providing a detailed lineup analysis. The analysis below is for people who may not know all the bands in this years lineup, newcomers to the ROTR festival, or other people who are desperate for a legitimate excuse to focus on how amazing this festival will be.

The Rock on the Range 2017 Lineup Analysis below provides a detailed look at the landscape for this year’s ROTR. We provide commentary on what you might expect based on previous experiences, other shows and tours we’ve seen, and the current status of the bands. The bands are grouped by the slot they were given: the headliners, the top-tier bands, and the mid-tier bands. In addition, we include some bands that have something to prove, and suggest some can’t miss shows that may not be on you radar.

Concert Review: Avenged Sevenfold

Recently, The Music Pill got the chance to sneak up to Ft. Wayne, IN on a Tuesday night to check out a fantastic show at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. The show featured four really solid bands. Swedish Metal band Avatar opened and were followed by Killswitch Engage and Volbeat. Filling out the bill was the explosive Avenged Sevenfold.

The review below compares Avatar and Killswitch to recent shows that I’ve already reviewed, and then dives a bit deeper on Volbeat and Avenged Sevenfold. Hope you enjoy!

Concert Review: Rammstein at Chicago Open Air 2016

Chicago Open Air was an incredible weekend of music. Three straight days of great shows, great food, and great people. For anyone who participated in the weekend, there’s little doubt that some of the best moments of the weekend came during the unbelievable headlining set by German-based Rammstein on Day 1 (Friday). After a month of reliving the shows and releasing Chicago Open Air content, I am so excited to finally get back to Rammstein.

Typically, I would have covered Rammstein along with all the other Day 1 bands. However, I’m not following my typical process here, because…..well…because nothing about this Rammstein show was typical. It was absolutely brilliant. From the opening fireworks to the ending explosions, this was one of the greatest live music spectacles that I’ve ever witnessed. There is a motto around the Rammstein fan camp. “Other bands play, but Rammstein burns.”

Never have truer words been spoken. Rammstein deserved a post of their own. So, without further adieu, let’s get to the band that absolutely stole the show at the first annual Chicago Open Air.

Festival Review: Chicago Open Air 2016 Day 3

After two fantastic days of Chicago Open Air 2016, we woke up on Sunday with sore muscles and slight sunburns. However, none of that would stop the excitement surrounding a wild and crazy lineup of bands that was set to play that day. Some aspirin, a big breakfast, and the blackest coffee we could find, and we were off to Toyota Park for Day 3.

The first two days could be considered nothing but a wild success, and no doubt Day 3 would be more of the same. This was the first annual Chicago Open Air festival, and yet typical first-year snafus were noticeably absent at this festival. Logistically, Toyota Park was really well set up. Entrance to the festival was quick and easy thanks to a cloth wrist band that lasted all weekend. Restrooms and food vendors were plentiful and located in great spots. The side stage was extremely well built, and oriented in a way that could support a huge audience. In fact, in talking with countless other fans, the biggest complaint I heard was that fans had to traverse the venue stairs countless times as they went between the main stage and the side stage. Trust me – if that’s the biggest challenge that a first year festival like this has, it’s a raving success.

Musically, the venue was also a home run. So far, we’d been treated to fantastic shows over the first two days, including many shows that would stick with us for years to come. Day 3 also featured an incredible lineup, with We Came as Romans, Letlive, Babymetal, Killswitch Engage, and Five Finger Death Punch all slated to play. In addition to all those shows, festival headliner Slipknot would close out the weekend.

On a day that threatened thunderstorms, I couldn’t wait to get started. Chicago Open Air Day 3 – bring this thing home.

Festival Review: Chicago Open Air 2016 Day 2

The first day of Chicago Open Air 2016 gave us some amazing performances, but we’re thrilled to move the focus to our of coverage to Day 2 (Saturday). Every day is a great day for rock music, but the second day of this festival was especially perfect. The weather was as good as it possibly could be (partly cloudy and a high of 77°!), and a fantastic set of bands were slated to play. Saturday’s lineup was split right down the middle, with the main stage focusing primarily on hard rock bands, and the side stage bringing the heat and keeping the show metal. It made for an interesting experience as we traversed back and forth between stages – almost like we were alternating between a really great change-up and an unhittable fastball.

Thanks to a great experience on Friday, we learned the lay of the land, and spent more of our day Saturday enjoying the other “experiences” that Chicago Open Air 2016 had to offer. My personal favorite was the Monster Energy Experience, where we spent a good deal of time talking to fans from all over the world. (The free monster was a great pick-me-up as well!). We also put way more thought into food on Saturday, which was a far cry from the stadium food that these festivals used to feature. ‘Gourmet Man Food’ was on full display at this festival – I had meals that included a killer spicy shrimp po’boy, a thick and juicy Hawaiian burger, and a pulled pork/mac and cheese sandwich that was life changing. We ate like kings!!

Alright, enough niceties. As good as the food was, that’s not what is still ringing in my head two weeks later. Saturday gave us countless opportunities to see incredible shows and get lost in the lights. The day would feature great bands like Nothing More, Beartooth, Breaking Benjamin, Gojira, Alter Bridge, and so many more. To end the night, we’d hear from two titans of industry, Korn and Disturbed. Chicago Open Air 2016 Day 2 – it’s go time.

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