This past week was filled with a variety of very different shows. Tuesday we had Heaven and Hell, Wednesday Nickelback, and Friday Kathy Griffin. I wouldn’t say any of these three are on my top ten list, but I had a surprisingly good time at each show…
First, Heaven and Hell. I don’t know much about the metal bands like Heaven and Hell, or Black Sabbath for that matter. I can probably tell you who’s in the band, and sing along to a few of their songs, but I honestly predicted this to be a boring night for me. However, seeing Ronnie James Dio rock as hard as (I imagine) he would have 20 years ago was amazing. The minute they stepped on stage I saw an energy in the crowd that I never see with some of the younger crowds and with modern bands. Not that I think people who came to Blink, Coldplay, or Dave Matthews weren’t genuinely excited, but I think there’s a lot to say about a crowd that can be just as excited if not more so about a band as they were decades ago. And while I’m sure PNC Pavilion is a much smaller venue than what Black Sabbath of years passed was used to playing, the four members of Heaven and Hell put on an amazing show and connected with their fans in a way that really made me excited. I think everyone in the room that night could feel their energy, and it definitely proves that these guys aren’t passed their prime and definitely have many more years of rocking left in them.
Nickelback on Wednesday was a much different experience…a much larger one as well. It didn’t occur to me just how many Saving Abel, Papa Roach, Hinder, and Nickelback songs I knew until last Wednesday. I’ve generally thought up until this point that all four of these bands would sound exactly the same and be very unappealing. As the night progressed I really did notice each band’s individuality and was surprised at how much I enjoyed each of them. Saving Abel’s “18 Days” is a song I had heard a few times, really loved, but never knew who it was by, so I was really excited to hear that and thought they did a great job. Next was Papa Roach who I think surprised me the most. They came out a delivered an amazing set, getting into their music more than a lot of bands I’ve seen this year. I especially loved Jacoby Shaddix’s run through the pavilion during their third song. It’s hard to feel like you’re part of the show sometimes when you’re in the back of the pavilion or the lawn at Riverbend and I loved how he wanted to make sure each person there got their money’s worth and enjoyed the concert. Hinder and Nickelback played great sets as well. Both were filled with tons of songs that the whole crowd could sing along to (myself included) and an awesome presence that kept the crowd on their feet all night. It was a long night, but definitely a great one.
And Friday we had Kathy Griffin, our first comedian at PNC Pavilion. I also wasn’t expecting to enjoy this show as much as I did either. I generally dislike stand up comedy…I don’t understand why if you could be listening to music you would turn on stand up in the car, and I don’t understand why if you could be watching a movie or tv show you would turn on stand up on the tv. I suppose that’s just me…but luckily I was talked into listening to Kathy Griffin and (not that I didn’t know this already) she is hilarious! I guess one person, wearing black, standing alone on stage can be entertaining! I was having such a good time that the entire night passed by so quickly I almost forgot I had to leave to meet people that night! I love that having the smaller building enables us to have different shows like this one. The crowd was awesome that night and I’m sure we’ll be looking to bring some more comedians to the Pavilion next season!
If you had a chance to catch the shows last week let me know what you think. I would be very interested to see if true fans were just as impressed as I was with these three performances! And if you didn’t get a chance to check out Heaven and Hell, Nickelback, or Kathy Griffin, we’ve got Chicago with Earth, Wind & Fire coming up on Wednesday, Creed with Hoobastank on Friday, and The Moody Blues on Saturday! Should be another great week, hope to see you here!
Amy
you are saving the best concerts for last- chicago and earth, wind and fire and the moody blues!!!
[...] Griffin on the 21st. I already commented somewhat on these two shows a few posts back, so I will refer you to that. Feel free to leave me some comments on these shows as well! I will leave you with a picture of the [...]