Fade To Blues performed their live blues show at Panther Mountain Inn, Chestertown, NY on Oct. 24, 2014 from 9p to 1a. Believe it or not, this was their 1st song of the night and one of my all time fave blues songs ever, so I'm glad I was able to film this to share here. What an experience, live blues is sometimes so hard to find up here in the boonies.
[Photo taken by Gina Jordan at show 10-24-14]
Fade to Blues had Hank (far left) subbing on that night for their regular guitar player, and Hank rocked that old style guitar, with such a sweet sound & a shiny chrome finish to his axe.
These guys are down to earth & very very talented, specializing in Texas blues. They perform Stevie Ray Vaughan like I've never heard before. Check them out if you get the chance! For more info and booking, see their band link below:
I only got a few videos that night as I'd been sick with the flu for several weeks & ended up home early. I'll be out next week, and I'm finally over the flu this weekend, just in time for the show on Halloween for the costume party. Join me :-)
Fade to Blues are normally a 3-piece band but on this night they had an awesome keyboard player friend of theirs, Skip Smaldone of Glens Falls NY, plus several guest musicians, singers and a few dancers & other silliness going on. Crowd pleasing music that had us singing along (yes even me, ==blush==) and the dance floor packed wall to wall most of the evening.
[The 3 regular members of Fade to Blues]
[Their awesome keyboard friend Chris I think is his name]
Unfortunately I had pulled my back out the night before their show, so I wasn't able to get my usual active angles, though I got plenty of close ups and unusual perspectives despite the pain, I just couldn't help myself, the music moved me so deeply I had to try and capture that energy to share with music lovers like me, who don't just listen, we FEEL the rhythm and share in the energy flowing.
This video below starts the 22 song playlist of Fade to Blues videos from 6-13-14.
Playing true West Texas blues, some of the best I've ever seen or heard, both covers and original music, the Fade to Blues band performed live on Friday June 13, 2014 at Panther Mountain Inn Pub in Chestertown, NY from 9p-1a, both a full moon and Friday the 13th, a rare night indeed.
I really loved the energy of these long blues jams, with some songs 13 minutes long and most over 5 minutes, incredible lead guitar solos and keyboard solos. There were even a few sexy men & women who danced for the camera, front and center! I know we'll be seeing a lot more of this band in the months to come, and I plan to re-film another of their shows ASAP. Maybe next time I'll be able to even dance & leave the camcorder on a tripod for once (just briefly, you know I'm a hand held gal all the way ;)
On Oct. 23rd, 2012 the Twins of Evil concert tour came to the Glens Falls Civic Center in Glens Falls, NY, featuring DJ Starscream of Slipknot opening the show with his electro industrial metal remixes, Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie co-headlining. The doors opened at 6:20 pm (late) and the show was supposed to start at 7 pm but began about 7:30 pm with the loudest BASS I've ever heard, shaking the entire arena like an earthquake for the duration of the concert. I had heard there were problems with Manson's vocals being drowned out by the band, but it was the bass that truly overpowered everything, though the band was indeed louder than Manson's mic, which made me wonder, if this was a known issue, why hadn't the sound people corrected this by now? I was also expecting Manson's voice to be "screamy" as it usually is in his live concerts, so i was pleasantly surprised that he sounded so good, no strain in his vocal chords despite working to be heard over the rest of the music.
As you can see by the photos, taken with my camcorder, the arena was nearly empty and I felt embarrassed for the city being unable to fill the civic center for such a famous act. Either this wasn't promoted well, or...? However, seats began filling by about 7:30 and by the time Manson was on stage, the floor was packed to nearly the rear, though the seats remained only about half filled. Despite the small crowd, Manson performed as if it were Madison Square Garden and treated the floor crowd intimately throughout the show, posing for photos during the show and stalking every inch of the stage so that no one would leave disappointed they didn't get to see him up close and personal, at least for those diehard fans standing all night on the cement floor. Surprisingly there was NO mosh pit at this event, no fighting, people just seemed to stand transfixed instead.
Camcorders, especially the type with flip-open panels like mine, were not supposed to be allowed, so I was considering hiding mine down my bra to sneak it in but at the last minute decided to keep it in my camera bag and see what happened, worst case scenario at this venue was either taking it out to the car or having them hold it in the office until after the show (according to their rules and FAQ online). As the doors opened, security told the women to line up separately from the men (I wish there had been signs up prior to this since the lines stretched quite a ways, people had been standing for hours in mixed gender lines of course, and to wait until the last minute to switch thousands of people into separate gender lines was a bad move on the part of the staff IMHO, but luckily again I was right up front, so I just moved 4 lines over). Full searches were conducted, pat downs, metal wands, even jewelry was removed from some people, small knives, any conceivable weapons (I was concerned about my fingernail clippers on my keyring), all bags were thoroughly searched, pockets emptied, everything, so it's a good thing I didn't try to sneak my camcorder in as the metal wands would have detected it pronto! My camcorder was allowed through to my great joy, and staff were very helpful in directing people to seating sections and giving out information (such as where the bathrooms were, smoking sections, etc).
My ticket was for assigned seating, section X, row 11, seat 13. I had thought it was for the floor but discovered I was in the balcony, not 11 rows back from the stage as I'd thought when i bought the ticket. However, I was glad to be up out of the crowd for better video but got a jolt when I looked down the rows which seemed nearly vertical, to get to one's seat! I felt dizzy just looking, and was so disoriented from the heights that I sat in row 13 seat 13 by mistake, and had the perfect view of this gorgeous long haired guy seated below me (pic above, also showing the long view down the section I was seated in). Turns out I was luckier than ever, my actual ticket was the seat to his left, which I eventually had to move down to because as the arena filled, the correct ticket holders for the row 13 seat 13 showed up. I do have to say these were the most uncomfortable chairs I'd ever been in, especially for someone tall, there just is no room for the knees sitting straight in one's assigned space, without hitting the people in front of you.
Finally at 7:20 pm DJ Starscream of Slipknot got the show on the road with the most massive bass I've heard, and I'm a bass fanatic who used to do car audio SPL competitions, so when I say MASSIVE BASS, you can bank on it. I'd never seen anything shake an entire building, and the crowd looked as shocked as I felt, though we all loved it, as you can hear in the videos (I'll add the playlist here once they are all uploaded, see below for individual video links until then). The DJ performed electro industrial metal remixes for about 45 minutes, with a 16+ minute remix of Manson's Perfect Drug starting off the concert. Above are 2 photos of the stage right before the lights went down.
After DJ Starscream, tour staff erected this giant black cloth drape to cover the stage, filling the inside with smog, setting up for Manson's debut. When the lights went down again, Manson performed a shadow dance behind the curtain that was supposed to be spooky I guess, but wasn't very impressive. In fact none of the stage show itself was Halloweenish in any way, as had been touted, but the show Manson himself put on made that a very small complaint.
The cloth dropped and screams could be heard for miles I am sure as the arena went wild, Manson strutted his stuff across the entire stage, posing for photos with the floor fans being only a few inches from stage, I couldn't be sure but I believe Manson actually reached out and touched a few or at least he allowed himself to be touched briefly, with only 3 security members in front of the stage, and no mosh pit during any of the show.
The sound of the bass overpowered Manson's vocals the whole time, with brief periods where his voice rang out pure and deep, sweet as a dream, forceful drumming and awesome guitar solos. I tried to zoom in on the different musicians but the smoke machines were located right next to both of the guitarists (one each at stage left and right with Manson full center and the drummer stage center rear), obscuring them for most of the show, though I did capture some close ups despite the challenges, mainly when they were spotlighted.
Only ten songs were sung by Manson during his roughly 42 minute performance, all ten recorded to video, plus 3 by DJ Starscream. However, I was completely deaf by the end and blind (visual migraine, think the sound pressure levels inside the building affected my brain!) in one eye, so I skipped out shortly after Zombie came out to close the concert with his theatrics and robotics, pyrotechnics and in general, a gigantically better stage presence overall. I did not get any video of Zombie's part of this concert, to my dismay. To be honest, I was there for Manson, Zombie was the icing on the cake perhaps.
With the tickets being between $51 for mine including all fees and mailing, to about $75 for the floor, this was one of the cheapest bargains of modern concert ticket pricing, and worth double easily. T-shirts and merchandise was moderately priced, mine costing $40 for a simple, short sleeved, black Twins of Evil concert tour shirt with the concert venues printed on the back and raised puffy bright colored lettering.
[Playlist will be added here tomorrow once all are uploaded]
I always enjoy seeing Steven L. Smith & Metamorphose Jones Band play whenever I get the chance, and July 13, 2012 was no exception. Their line up has changed since the last time I filmed them at P-House, their old bass player is back & they were sounding better and LOUDER than ever. Luckily my camcorder does excellent audio, so no distortion, sometimes I wish it would show just how LOUD the music was. My ears were numb for a couple hours after & I only stayed for the 1st set, but that's what happens when one stands in front of professional PA's, 4 of them no less in this band, filming live music. No other band numbs my ears like these guys do, except maybe the Willie Playmore Band.
I love the fancy swirling lights these guys use, makes my videos look fancier than usual. I enjoyed my favorite meal of Buffalo Chicken tenders with hand cut skin-on fries, and a couple ice cold Smirnoff Ice's (though Keith assures me they will be getting in my favorite raspberry flavored SI again soon, the plain tastes too much like the yucky Fresca of old), all for under $20 including a generous tip. The bands play every Friday night, free cover, from 8pm-12am or sometimes 9pm-1am. If you are looking for a fun night out in a gorgeous mountain region setting, fantastic food at great prices and cold drinks to cool off the summer heat, the Panther Mountain Inn is your destination place. Right in the heart of Chestertown across from the Carol Theater on Riverside Drive, is the bar parking lot.
Here's the 11 video playlist below of 11 total, 8 videos from last night's show at P-House, 8pm-1am, plus 3 from the festival at the end of it. I missed out on the last song of the 1st set which was an incredible blues jam piece I regret with chagrin having put my camcorder away too soon. That song still haunts me, wishing I had filmed it as it was one I would have watched again and again and again...I learned to never put my camcorder away when they are still holding their instruments, lol.
