Queensrÿche Cabaret

Queensrÿche returns to Los Angeles on Friday night, bringing their latest creation to Club Nokia. Enter below to win your tickets to the show.

Progressive rock is about creating something. Not just the same old rock & roll with a 4/4 beat, but stretching the boundaries; trying new things. Queensrÿche has done it again, this time with their Cabaret.

Queensrÿche Cabaret is coming to Club Nokia on Friday, July 23. Geoff Tate and company will be joined onstage by caged go-go dancers, burlesque dancers, aerialists, jugglers, a contortionist and more. They’ll be performing the hits and never-before-heard selections woven together to tell a story in song. This show is being billed as “the first adults-only rock show,” and it will certainly be Queensrÿche as you’ve never seen them before.

As a special bonus, head over to BottleRock downtown (a couple of blocks from Club Nokia) before the show Friday night. Geoff Tate will be there in the lounge from noon to 4:00pm signing bottles of his own wine, Insania.

Want to see the show, courtesy of Blogging.LA? Leave me a note in the comments below telling me about your first time seeing Queensrÿche, or if this will be the first time, why you want to see this show. I’ll pick the winners and notify via email.

I’ll get things started. My first time was when I went to see Kiss at the Long Beach Arena in (I think) 1986. The opener was some unknown band called Queensrÿche. I knew nothing about them, but from the moment they hit the stage, I knew they were something special. I became an instant fan, and 24 years later Queensrÿche is still one of my favorite hard rock bands. Can’t wait to see the Cabaret!

Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead performs at Club Nokia.

Motörhead rocked my ass off. As they’ve done for the last 34 years, Motörhead hit the road with one thing in mind: Everything Louder Than Everything Else. Well done, boys.

Motörhead headlined Club Nokia at LA Live last Friday night in front of a packed house. Nashville Pussy and the Reverend Horton Heat opened the show and started to build the energy in the room, but when Motörhead took the stage the crowd exploded.

LA MetBlogs gave away tickets to the show, and invited the ticket winners to write about their experiences. Their accounts and more photos after the break.

Click the link for more…

Eddie Riggs & Kyle Gass (background) perform "The Roadie."

Just prior to Motörhead’s set, a roadie walked on the stage to check mics and drums. He seemed like most other roadies you’ve seen (dressed in black, baseball cap, scraggly hair,) though he may have been hitting the gym a little too hard. When he was done checking the stage, he approached the mic. That roadie was none other than Eddie Riggs (Jack Black,) from the new heavy metal fantasy video game “Brütal Legend.” The game also features the voice of Lemmy Kilmister, among other metal legends.

Black invited his Tenacious D partner, Kyle Gass, to join him onstage and the duo performed an ode to “The Roadie.”

Then the time had finally arrived. Motörhead walked on to the stage and Lemmy made a simple introduction in his familiar gravelly tone: “We’re Motörhead. We play rock & roll.”

Thus began a 90 minute aural assault that covered all the expected Motörhead classics, as well as great new songs from their latest CD, “Motörizer.”

MetBlogs reader Adam had this to say:

“Lemmy’s clearly the real deal. I was shocked at how immaculate his outfit is and that he truly looks exactly the same as he ever has. He hasn’t become fat and bloated like other 70s rock stars, but instead has aged rather gracefully, considering. His son came out the second to the last song on acoustic guitar. Of course, the second song he encored with was ‘Ace of Spades,’ which is naturally what everyone was waiting for and the mosh pit truly erupted like never before.”

Phil Campbell, Lemmy Kilmister and Mikkey Dee (behind drums) perform at Club Nokia.

Cary, one of our other ticket winners, added:

“There are, in my estimation, very few constants in hard rock. Although there may be bands who never disappoint, they are few. Slayer and Megadeth are sterling examples of bands who never disappoint, but there is no greater example than Motorhead. I am overjoyed to report that Motorhead continued their reign as the most dependably awesome band in hard rock with their performance at Club Nokia in Los Angeles. They came out of the gate on fire and they never let up, playing new stuff with which I was utterly unfamiliar and old stuff with which I am very familiar. Highlights of the set list, for me, included two of their best: Bomber and Killed by Death. Song after song, my ass was kicked. What more can you ask from a rock band?”

Indeed, what more can you ask from a rock band?  Therein lies the secret of Motörhead’s enduring success. Become the best at what you do, then do it consistently; song after song, night after night. Motörhead achieved legendary status long ago, yet they never phone it in; they never take that status for granted. They show up every night and give the fans what they want – a good ass kicking. That is why their fans (like me) will continue to see them again and again. That is why people who are (inexplicably) unfamiliar instantly become loyal fans upon experiencing Motörhead live.

Were you at the show? Leave a comment below with your thoughts on Motörhead’s awesomousity. Did you miss the show? You’ll probably want to chime in below with how bummed you are (and, you are) and how you’ll certainly not make the same mistake the next time Motörhead comes to town.

Thanks to MetBlogs readers Adam and Cary for contributing.
All photos by Burns!. They get bigger with a click of your mouse. More photos from the show, including Nashville Pussy and Reverend Horton Heat can be found here.

The PA holds cue cards for "Keanu" while "Pappas" looks on.

The longest running theater show in Los Angeles celebrated its two year anniversary on Saturday at the Dragonfly in Hollywood. Point Break LIVE! has been extremely successful, and with good reason. It is one of the most entertaining theater pieces in my memory; even better than Cats. (Okay, granted: most shows are better than Cats. Point Break LIVE! is exceptionally good, though.)

Point Break LIVE! is an absurdist stage adaptation of the classic 1991 movie starring Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves. The twist to this show is that at every performance the role of “Keanu” is performed by a member of the audience (hence, the cue cards.) Because the show has been running for two years, I’m certain there are dozens of reviews more eloquent than mine just on the other side of a Google search. This is not so much a review as an unabashed endorsement.

Buy tickets. See this show. Now! I’m already planning to see it again with other friends.

Point Break LIVE! is a spectacular interactive theater show with comedy, stunts, special-ish effects, hot half-naked surfer dudes…everything you could want in a big budget action movie, but on a seriously diminished budget. There are so many delightful surprises in this show, I don’t want to say too much for fear of spoiling any of the fun. I will include this, though, from the Point Break LIVE! ticketing site:

“This show is not for the squeamish, uptight, faint of heart, or the easily offended. Theater snobs probably won’t get it. If you are looking for a traditional theater experience – STAY THE F**K AWAY FROM THIS SHOW.”

MetBlogs readers don’t fit any of those categories, so you should all enjoy it immensely. Point Break LIVE! runs Saturday evenings at the Dragonfly in Hollywood. Get tickets here.

PRO TIP: When you collect your tickets at the box office, you’ll be offered a “survival kit” for a buck. Take it. It may be the best dollar you’ll ever spend. Seriously.