Concert Review: The Glorious Sons w/ Liily and JJ Wilde - by JCE

Well, some concerts are just better than others, you know? Sometimes it has a lot to do with who you went to the show with, how much you had to drink, what mood you were in, or whatever. But every now and then, you go to a show that you know without a doubt was one of the best shows you have seen. Ever. Here’s my story about one of those shows.

On January 18, 2019 I went to see The Glorious Sons w/ Liily and J.J. Wilde at DC9 Nightclub in Washington, D.C. I had discovered the Glorious Sons, who are from Canada, when they went on tour with The Struts. They did not play the Lynchburg, VA date that I saw last year, but originally they were supposed to, so I looked into them. After hearing their music, I was very disappointed that they didn’t play that show and I have wanted to see them ever since. When I saw they were going to play DC9, a club I had never been to, I figured it might be worth it, even on a Monday night. I bought tickets for a mere fifteen bucks the day they went on sale. I hope I don’t bore you with the whole story of my night, but I’m going to tell it because I want to savor the memory of one of the best shows I have seen.

I went to the show with my awesome wife. Like I said, we had never been to this venue. Upon entering, it was a small bar with a few booths, cracked vinyl upholstery, pretty run-down looking (which for me is usually a good sign when it comes to rock n roll clubs). The music is played upstairs, so after waiting a few minutes, we were allowed up a steep narrow staircase. They took tickets at the top of the steps and there were “sold out” signs everywhere. We walked into a tiny space with a stage in the corner and a bar in the back. There was a sign that said capacity 149. One Hundred and Forty-Nine!!!

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There was still some room in the club at this point and there was a girl standing next to us talking with her friends that was wearing white high top Converse and midriff shirt. She looked cool. Moments later she and her bandmates walked onto the stage—she was J.J. Wilde. From the very first guitar chord I was hooked. Ms. Wilde could sing, she had amazing eyes and the songs were killer. I was completely blown away. If I had left after their short set it would have been worth it. They have only one song released, called “Wired” and it’s a good one, but it doesn’t capture how good they were live.

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I took these two shots of JJ Wilde with my outdated phone…

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These two black and white photos from the show were posted on Facebook, so I guess they are fair game… just in case, they are by Shots From The Dark Concert Photography.

After the first set had me completely mesmerized, next up was Liily. These guys were super-manic and very original, I thought. Their music was a little bit of a wall of sound, but I found them to be very entertaining. Anyway, they were pretty good. They definitely did not kill the momentum of the show at all. I felt like me & my wife and 147 of our closest friends were all there just being treated to the best rock n roll show ever.

As an aside, between the second band, Liily and The Glorious Sons, I went to the bar for more drinks. The line was pretty deep so it took awhile. I happened to be next to the guitar player from JJ Wilde’s band. I told her how much I liked the set and she introduced herself, her name is Jackie. Jackie wore a Ramones t-shirt and a jean jacket, and that, combined with her hairstyle, made me think of the Runaways. She referred to JJ as Jill, so now I know what one of the J’s stands for. Jackie was super-nice. She asked about how I came to be at this show and she told me about her Dad and how he collected tons of music like I do. (I suspect I am likely about as old as her Dad…..)

Next up of course was the main attraction. The Glorious Sons were so damn good, I’m not sure I can explain how great they really were. As I watched what I now consider to be a world-class rock n roll band, I thought about how amazing it was to see them in such an intimate setting. I then realized that I was actually very glad that I did not see them open for the Struts. I was definitely meant to see this band in this place on this night with these opening acts. The stars aligned to deliver what I believe live rock n roll is meant to be. Unbelievable. Again, some photos are mine and some from the professionals:

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I took these four that turned out pretty well.

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These black and white photos by Shots From The Dark Concert Photography are awesome.

They capture the raw power…

The Glorious Sons have two records out, both excellent. Although they left out two songs I would have liked to hear, they played most everything I could have wanted, and also the best version “Praise You” (by Fat Boy Slim) that I can imagine. Here’s what I think I remember:

APPROXIMATE (not in order) SETLIST FROM DC9 NIGHTCLUB 2/18/2019

The Union

Godless, Graceless and Young

My Poor Heart

Mama

S.O.S. (Sawed Off Shotgun)

Josie

White Noise

Everything Is Alright

Hard Times

Man Made Man

Come Down

Hide My Love

Praise You

Kill the Lights

There are a few shows that leave me overwhelmingly happy, that keep me smiling for days on end. This was one of them. Go see The Glorious Sons. - JCE

Ricki C. and JCE (John, to his friends & family) first bonded over their shared mutual love of Boston's Finest Sons - The Neighborhoods - and everything extended out from that rock & roll ripple.  JCE lives in Culpeper, Virginia with his wife & daughter, and he & Ricki are STILL waiting for the long-rumored NEW Neighborhoods record to be released. Maybe in 2019.

The S.O.S. Tour, US Dates 2/12 - 3/14! Tickets: http://www.theglorioussons.com/tour The official video for The Glorious Sons' single "S.O.S. (Sawed Off Shotgun" from their Juno Award-winning album Young Beauties and Fools. Check it out here: http://smarturl.it/tgsybaf. Shot at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on November 22nd, 2018, and on the SOS Tour, Fall 2018 across Canada.

Kiss Army Radio Goes to the Scorecards - by Colin Gawel

Hey Kiss Fans - Google “Kiss Pencilstorm.” You are welcome.

So far Pencilstorm has published two stories on Sirius Kiss Army radio. The first by Ricki C. saying how much he hates it, and the second by Scott Carr saying how much he loves it. So right now, the judges have it split down the middle. As luck would have it, I’m now prepared to become the deciding vote.

It took a fortuitous chain of events to put me in this position. See, I don’t have satellite radio (anymore) so I had been missing all the fun. Or not fun, depending on whether you love or hate Kiss. First, my son’s basketball tournament on President’s Day was suddenly moved from 4:30 pm to 11:30 am. This sort of thing happens to freshman teams, as they are low on the hoops food chain.

The upshot was that parents were scrambling to get the kids out to the game on time so I called Biggie and borrowed the Watershed van so I could help out and just drive the whole team there. Once behind the wheel I noticed the Satellite radio had been turned back on and immediately started looking for KISS Army radio. I couldn’t find it and assumed that it ended the day before because that is what Scott had said in his article.

The next morning at the coffee shop my pal Mark stopped in and said “Make mine to go, they are playing the entire Whisky Au Go Go show on Kiss radio, I want to get back out to listen.”

“Whaa?? It’s still on?”

“Yup, it’s on a specialty channel so you have to know where to look. It’s channel 30.”

Sonic Boom. I was in the game.

I picked up Owen from school blasting KISS. I took Owen to baseball blasting Kiss. I took Owen to basketball blasting Kiss. I picked Owen up from basketball blasting Kiss. You get the idea.

I’ve enjoyed many of the XM/Sirius specialty channels over the years, especially Springsteen and Petty. But even I was surprised how much I enjoyed listening to Kiss radio. The playlist crosses all eras and even the stinkers are fun because you know a good one must be coming up. And the programming seems to have a sense of humor. How else do you explain God of Thunder (Live) followed by Shandi? Even Owen laughed as I screamed “Bow down and kneel before the God of Thunder” as I cranked Shandi to ear-shattering volume. Or as loud as you can crank a song from Unmasked.

Other things I heard off the top of my head:

Paul talking about his friendship with Johnny Ramone as an intro to the KISS cover of Rock n Roll Radio / Strutter / Tomorrow / Room Service (live) / King of the Night Time World (Live) / Dreaming / Gene explaining how silly he feels being dressed up like the demon singing the disco do do do do do part of I Was Made for Loving You / Flaming Youth / Tears Are Falling / A World Without Heroes ( I explained The Elder disaster to Owen) / Who Wants to Be Lonely / Do You Love Me / New Your Groove / Nothing to Lose (Kiss Unplugged) / Got to Choose / What Makes the World Go Round? / Danger Us / Detroit Rock City (Kiss Symphony).

They also mixed in bands who had opened for Kiss and I had the good fortune of hearing AC/DC’s Let There Be Rock and Tom Petty’s Breakdown. Though I’m secretly hoping for a New England track since they opened for KISS at my first show in 4th grade. Owen brought up a band he saw open for Kiss at one of the three times he has seen them and said, “That was worst band I’ve ever seen. It was like me and three friends up there playing. How did they get that gig?” My reply? “They probably paid Gene.” **

I’m grinning just trying to remember all of this.

KISS is fun. The good and the bad. It’s all just fun. I suppose I could imagine a world without heroes, but I’d have a hard time picturing a world without Kiss. That wouldn’t be any fun at all.

The scorecards are in and Kiss Army Radio wins in a majority decision.

Colin Gawel founded Pencilstorm and wrote this on a snowy day at Colin’s Coffee. The fact that he skipped town last Mother’s Day to attend a Kiss expo in no way influenced his opinion.  

** editor’s note: After a little research the band Owen was referring too was The Envy. After reading this depressing post on their website from 2013 I felt bad Owen gave them such a harsh review. No hard feelings guys, he was 8 and waiting for Kiss to come onstage.

You've got something about you You've got something I need Daughter of Aphrodite Hear my words and take heed I was born on Olympus To my father a son I was raised by the demons Trained to reign as the one God of thunder and rock and roll The spell

Heavy Metal above and below.

Uploaded by KISSARMYHQ on 2011-05-14.





How Kiss Can Save The End of The Road Tour - by Nick Jezienry

Here is an idea for Kiss to salvage its End of the Road Tour, assuming Paul Stanley’s voice doesn’t make a miracle comeback. (For the record, I’m hoping it does recover and this has a happy ending). Click here for Nick’s review of KISS 2/2/2019

Here’s my idea: A Trip Down Memory Lane

This should be Kiss’ victory lap celebrating a Hall of Fame career and a long list of successful albums. If the band played one song off every studio album, it would be the same number of songs in the current set-list. This also would do two things:

  • GIve the band a legitimate excuse not to play 11 Paul songs (which is what they did for the start of the tour).

  • Satisfy the fans who crave deeper tracks and not just the hits. Though Kiss has said it’s all about the hits, so the true deep tracks will be just a few, but more than the current list of songs being performed.

Consider this potential set-list (listed by order of release, not the order they should be played):

Kiss: Deuce. A solid choice, though Black Diamond is tough to leave out. If the band was willing to do more than 21 songs, both could be played and Paul wouldn’t have to sing. He could smash the fake guitar, though.

Hotter than Hell: Let Me Go, Rock and Roll. It’s in the current set-list. No problem here.

Dressed to Kill: Rock and Roll All Night. A no-brainer.

Destroyer: Probably the toughest album. Detroit Rock City (Paul) would be the one, and Beth, with Eric on piano/vocal, would be the encore.

Rock and Roll Over: Calling Dr. Love. Personally, I’d prefer Ladies Room but Kiss likes to play the hits when possible.

Love Gun: Love Gun. Paul needs his rap. It’s tempting to have Tommy sing Shock Me, but I’ve got a better idea to get in his two vocals.

Dynasty: Dirty Livin’ with Eric on the mic. A true deep track!

Unmasked: Talk To Me, Two Sides of the Coin, or Torpedo Girl with Tommy on vocal.  Since nothing ever gets played from this LP, one of the three Ace songs makes sense.

The Elder: Escape From the Island (instrumental). Paul can’t do the falsetto vocals. This is my cop-out to allow the two songs from Destroyer, or maybe two from the debut album.

Creatures of the Night: I Love It Loud. Or War Machine. But again, Kiss picks the hits.

Lick It Up: Lick It Up. Gene was worthless in the ‘80s after Creatures, so here comes a steady dose of Paul.

Animalize: Heaven’s On Fire. Tempting to go Burn Bitch Burn, but I’m trying to be serious in my suggestions.

Asylum: Tears Are Falling. I think this is the worst Kiss album. Carnival of Souls may argue, especially “side two.”

Crazy Crazy Nights: Crazy Crazy Nights or Turn on the Night, whichever is easier for Paul to sing.

Hot In The Shade: Hide Your Heart. It’s in the current set-list and is somewhere between a hit and a deep track.

Revenge: Unholy or Domino. Gene can take his pick from this record.

Carnival of Souls: Hate. Gene could spit blood here.

Psycho Circus: I love the title track, but Paul can’t sing it anymore. I’m going with You Wanted the Best. All four guys sing which helps save Paul’s voice.

Sonic Boom: Say Yeah. It’s in the current set list and Paul did OK with it.

Monster: Outta This World. A song that Tommy sings on the record. It’s a strong song, one of my faves from the CD. Tommy can emerge from Ace’s shadow – sort of – for a brief moment.

There you have it. A set-list with eight songs each by Gene and Paul, plus two apiece by the hired guns, and an instrumental. The option to add Black Diamond would make it a 22-song set, and Eric would jump to a third vocal.

The only real downer would be missing Shout It Out Loud.

This idea also allows Kiss to showcase its whole career and would be a welcome detour to the End of the Road tour.


KISS Army Radio on Sirius XM: Not One Good Song.......Yet - by Ricki C.

“Congratulations for only being 15 years behind everybody else technology-wise now, instead of 40 years behind.” Thus spake Michael “Biggie” McDermott in July 2017, the first time I was enthusing to him over getting Sirius XM radio in the new (used) car I had just bought. I was over the moon picking up Underground Garage, the Tom Petty station and Bruce Springsteen radio after moving up from a 1992 Toyota Camry that still had a cassette deck in it. Biggie was less than impressed.

Today my lovely wife Debbie returned from an early Saturday morning trip to the Worthington Farmer’s Market and greeted me at the door with, “Did you replace my Billy Joel channel on Sirius with the KISS Army Radio channel?” “No, I did not,” I replied, alarmed at the accusation, “why would I POSSIBLY do that?” For the uninitiated, in the Ricki C. Rock & Roll Universe, going from the Billy Joel channel to the KISS channel is the DEFINITION of going from the musical frying pan into the (pun intended) fire. (Or, the pyro, as it were.)

Debbie and I traded key fobs at the door as I left for my Saturday errands and the first song I heard on KISS Army Radio was Cheap Trick’s cover of “Ain’t That A Shame.” “Hey, this is pretty cool,” I said to myself as I cranked the volume to a pain threshold, “we might have something here.” Then, after Cheap Trick, Sirius started playing KISS music and for the rest of the 35-minute drive to Giant Eagle and Colin’s Coffee (where I was dropping off CD’s), they didn’t play ONE MORE SINGLE GOOD SONG.

Debbie had said to me on my way out the door that morning, “You can certainly see where the Watershed boys were influenced by KISS.” THAT statement (and it’s not the first time I’ve heard it) has always confused me, because I’ve never – from the very first time I saw Colin & the guys in 1990 when they were still called The Wires – heard ONE NOTE of KISS influence in Watershed. “KISS were the ones who made us want to pick up guitars and play,” Colin said to me when I related that idea to him. “We never would have been a band without KISS. They were possibly our biggest influence.”

I suppose that quote might be true, Colin really has no reason to lie to me. In that instance I just find myself thanking my God that Joe Oestreich and Colin Gawel learned to write good – in fact, GREAT – songs for Watershed along the way, something I have no recorded evidence on my KISS Army Radio channel to be true of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. Here’s a random sampling of the tracks I heard in that first 35-minute drive: “Domino,” “Rocket Ride,” “I Just Wanna,” “Every Time I Look At You,” “Let’s Put The X In Sex,” a Paul Stanley solo track called “Tonight You Belong To Me” (that Colin seemed particularly galled that I included in the NOT ONE GOOD SONG list), and “Deuce,” among others.

So here’s my premise: I am going to put KISS Army Radio on in the car (I’ll have to move it to MY tier from Debbie’s tier, she ain’t havin’ it anymore) and when I HEAR a good song I will get back on Pencilstorm and call everyone’s attention to it. I’ll talk to you on down the road……… - Ricki C. / February 9th, 2019

Concert Review: KISS "End of Road Tour" / Tacoma Dome 2/2/2019 - by Nick Jezierny

It hurts me to write this. It really does. My decision to attend Kiss’ “End of the Road” tour on February 2 in Tacoma, Washington, was a mistake.

Kiss is my favorite band, and the previous 10 times I’d seen them (list below), the band (whether it was Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss, Eric Carr, Eric Singer, Bruce Kulick or Tommy Thayer), delivered a very good or great show. I can’t say that about what I witnessed last weekend. This isn’t about the setlist or the lack of two original members. My dissatisfaction stems entirely from Paul Stanley not being able to sing like Paul Stanley. And it was evident right away.

Detroit Rock City. The first song, my favorite song of all-time. This is going to be perfect.

And then it wasn’t.

Instead of “I feel uptight on a Saturday night,” Paul chimes in a half a verse late and he only got out “radio’s the only light” and it was rushed and my jaw dropped in disbelief.

What? How does this happen? According to setlist.fm., Kiss had performed Detroit Rock City 2,021 times prior to taking the stage that night. And on the third show of their final, final tour, Paul botched the opener, and then every other song he sang.

It also took at least three songs for the sound crew to dial in the sound. I’m told the Tacoma Dome isn’t known for acoustics, but “Shout It Out Loud” and “Deuce” sounded like they were performed in a tin can.

I pondered walking out at this point. Seriously. Did I really want my last time seeing my favorite band of all time to be this? I talked myself out of it, mainly because I flew from Boise to Seattle, navigated the bus system to Tacoma and hiked up and down a monster hill from my AirBNB to get to the show.

I’m glad I stayed as the sound improved, even though Paul did not. Gene sounded fantastic. Eric Singer’s drum solo was pretty good (I’m not a drum solo or any solo fan – I’d rather hear another song or two). Tommy Thayer didn’t wow, but he did his thing but didn’t get to sing an Ace song like he’d done at previous shows I’ve attended.

The stage was cool, the pyro was right. There were no real surprises as for new gimmicks. But then again, when Paul asked how many people were seeing Kiss for the first time, most of the arena went bonkers and told them they were in for a treat.

Had I purchased an $11 beer, I’d have gagged at that point.

“Say Yeah” was next and probably the biggest surprise (unless you looked at the previous night’s setlist like I did). Yes, Kiss played more songs from “Sonic Boom” than it did from “Rock and Roll Over” on its final tour. With a 200-plus song catalog, they were going to miss some of my favorites and I told myself I would accept whatever the band played.

I assumed they would play those songs well. The ones by Paul didn’t hold up, including “Love Gun,” and “Psycho Circus.” I can only hope that Paul was feeling off – maybe a cold or flu – because he sounded much, much better in 2014 and 2016.

And, of course, I have my memories of that first concert back in 1978 or sitting in the third row in 1985. The reunion tour, the 3-D show in LA, and the first farewell tour when Kiss was hitting on all cylinders.

That’s how I am going to try and remember the hottest band in the world, because the end of the road just doesn’t sound as good. - Nick Jezierny

My Kiss Concert History

Jan. 28, 1978 at New Haven (Conn.) Coliseum w/The Rockets

Dec. 21, 1985 at New Haven Coliseum w/Black ‘n Blue

Dec. 19, 1987 at New Haven Coliseum w/Ted Nugent

June 6, 1990 at Ohio Center w/Little Caesar and Slaughter

June 12, 1990 at Cincinnati Gardens w/Little Caesar and Slaughter

July 19, 1996 at Gund Arena w/The Nixons

Oct. 31, 1998 at Dodger Stadium w/Smashing Pumpkins

March 14, 2000 at Pan American Center (Las Cruces, NM) w/Skid Row and Ted Nugent

June 23, 2014 at USANA Amphitheater (Salt Lake City) w/Def Leppard and Kobra & the Lotus

July 7, 2016 at Taco Bell Arena (Boise, Idaho) w/Caleb Johnson

February 2, 2019 at Tacoma Dome (Tacoma, Wash.) no opening act

Click here for 12 more KISS stories on Pencilstorm. Or just google Kiss Pencilstorm.

Uploaded by BadCompanyttdid on 2019-02-03.