I knew going in it was not going to be Ragweed.
I knew coming out, it was not Ragweed.

I was however pleasantly surprised. Consider this: Ragweed had 15 plus years under their belt at 300 shows per year. They had a certain chemistry that The Departed has not yet achieved. Having said that, I think The Departed has a great class of talent and will develop/achieve a good chemistry over time...hopefully it won't take 10-15 years. It is difficult to describe The Departed's sound since the set was comprised of the entire first album, which is to be released sometime around April. That album itself will be a tribute to the unsung songwriters of Oklahoma. Each song had it's own origins outside the band. Cody and Company did however play one song that they have crafted together and it was solid. The show started out with some 70's funk/rock flavor and I'd say that at least the 70's rock aspect of that remained throughout most of the show. This came a sa little bit of a surprise to me, knowing that Cody has a fondness for 90's grunge as well. The 70's scene played out in it's own way however. It was not at all like rock swagger of The Black Crowes for example. It wasn't particularly "jammy" in nature either, but had it's jam moments and longer guitar solos. In various interviews with Cody between Autumn and Winter last year, I understood Seth James would be handling a lot of the lead guitar and that was only the case in a limited way. Cody still plays a lot of lead guitar and thankfully so. I think he sometimes underestimates his own guitar talents with someone like Seth James on board. Also in interviews, Cody described that the new band would not be playing Ragweed numbers and frankly I was delighted they did play a few. This is a young band, despite the experience and resume of each player. This was only their 6th show as a band, so in fairness they were good. Fans turned out in a respectable number to see a show that was based largely on music that is yet unreleased. That's a step of confidence by the fans. I will certainly follow this band and I'll be as eager as any Ragweed fan to see where this leads. I'll look forward to hearing the new CD in April, but I'm more interested in hearing the next CD to see what 10-12 originals might sound like.

The trip to the show was a laugh riot too. Somehow ended up in Chicago's China Town (Take your chopstick and go!). Found our way to Joe's and got a great spot near stage right. The opening act was Jason and The Haymakers - who were a little too country and played a lot too long for my taste. Jason, for those who don't know, is a tall man. Close your eyes and picture Walker Texas Ranger wearing a baggy white southerner's suit, much like that of Colonel Sanders. However, props to Jason for performing a spirited cover of the Justin Moore classic, I Can Kick Your Ass. The Departed finally go on and somehow an escaped manatee from Sea World, along with her little four-eyed goldfish of a friend managed to float right between us and the stage. Very irratating. Chris feared for the goldfish, thinking the manatee may eat her, but I reassured Chris that manatees are vegetarians. We posted "No Wake" signs near stage right to no avail.

SETLIST:
True Love Never Dies, A Little Rain Will Do (Jacobs), Years In The Makin', Ballad of Rosalie (Pease), Long Way To Nowhere, Any Other Way, Starin' Down The Sun, Skyline Radio (Skinner), Get Right, Dimebag (Canada), Face On Mars (Crouch), 17 (Canada), Soul Agent (Evans), Water Your Own Yard, To Find My Love, Demons, Tulsa, Cigarettes, Anger and Wine (James), Hold On Christian

ENCORE:
Deal (Canada), Changes, Kickin' Back In Amsterdam

CODY CANADA and THE DEPARTED
JASON and THE HAYMAKERS

George Lynch doesn't seem to perform in Indianapolis all that much any more, but he seemed to make up for lost time with his appearance at Rock House Cafe on the south side of the city. Apparently Lynch was suffering a major spinal problem and might have even grimaced a few times during the show, but put on one hell of a guitar spectacle no matter. Lynch Mob has always been something of a rotating staff of player alongside George. This time out, Lynch was joined by his old band mate from Dokken, Wild Mick Brown on drums. Also back in the fold was the original Mob singer, Oni Logan. Despite having had some reported problems in Denver a few nights before, Oni sounded great and performed well here. Robbie Crane from Ratt joined the tour to play bass. George brought along several of his ESP guitars. Overall he played a light blue ESP telecaster much of the night as well as his favorite ESP tiger striped strat. The real crowd pleaser though was the guitar called Mr. Scary, which was featured in the Dokken MTV video for Dream Warriors from the Nightmare on Elm Street 3 movie soundtrack. The set list was nicely balanced between some new material recently released, classic Dokken and classic Lynch Mob.

In addition to George Lynch, Willie Basse and his band played as the opening act on tour with George. Basse is an L.A. music scene legend, having played with just about every band that paid their dues on the Hollywood Strip in the 80's. His former band, Black Sheep cut a few records before Basse sold the name to a rap group. His solo act is amazing. Supporting Willie on drums was Troy Patrick Farrell, mentioned previously on this website several times in the past year or so. Patrick Abbate was a sensational guitar player in the band as well. He's sort of a no ego - low profile kind of guy that just gets down to work and surprises you with how good he is.

My first time at Rock House and a tip of my hat to the promoter for taking the time and interest in bringing a lot of 80's artists to Indianapolis in a small venue environment. The ticket cost is reasonable and the food isn't half bad either. I only have a couple of constructive criticisms: A.) The place is just too smokey with no ventilation. My clothes, skin and hair absolutely reaked when I left the building. B.) Either too many local bands are lined up as support or the show isn't starting early enough to accommodate all of them. The headliners are going on very late because there's not enough room on the small stage for all bands to set up ahead of time. Don't get me wrong, the quality of these local bands is really very good. I particularly liked Smoke Ring. Caden's Cry was extremely good for what they do, just not my thing.

George, Mick and Robbie came back in the bar after the show and hung out with fans. For whatever reason, Oni disappeared. Thanks to all the guys though. They were very generous in talking to fans, posing for pictures and signing autographs.

LYNCH MOB SETLIST:
She's Evil But She's Mine
River Of Love
Hell Child
21st Century Man
Into The Fire
Where Do You Sleep At Night
Mr. Scary
All I Want
Street Fighting Man
Let The Music Be Your Master

ENCORE:
Tooth And Nail
Wicked Sensation

Meet & Greet: Lynch Mob, George Lynch, Robby CRane, Wild Mick Brown)

Meet & Greet: Willie Basse

LYNCH MOB
WILLIE BASSE

Been a long time since attending a show at Birdy's. I remembered quickly what a hole it is. The high ceiling pole barn of a building is not kind to the sound. The crowd on hand seemed genuinely interested in being there to hear Bingham and the crowd size was decent, with nearly a packed house. The problem was that all these little groups of people conyinued talking through the opening act and their chatter was somehow amplified to an annoying level. Liam Gerner was not at all bad as an opening act. His style of playing is a little bit loose for me, but he has a good voice and the songs are well written. Any review would be remiss to neglect his trademark curly blonde hair. All was well until Gerner interjected himself into the political debates brewing in the midwest over state workers' rights to collective bargaining. For those of us paying higher and higher taxes (i.e. those of us who actually paid for our tickets to tonight's show I might add) unions and state workers aren't exactly a welcome topic. Gerner invited members of Dead Horses to join him onstage as his set progressed from a singer/songwriter format to a full band.

Ryan Bingham performed an excellent set of mostly up tempo songs. Selections seemed pretty evenly selected from his three studio albums, What I really liked was the fact that the songs from Junky Star sounded fuller and richer live with the band than on the CD. Those are some great songs, but after a few times listening, they seem to get stale and they all blend together. Not so when performed live. In concert each song is carefully crafted and stands on it's own. A very solid set.

RYAN BINGHAM SETLIST:
Dollar A Day
Depression
The Other Side
Tell My Mother I Miss Her So
Dylan's Hard Rain
Hard Times
Strange Feeling In The Air
Hallelujah
The Wandering
The Hobo
Direction of the Wind
Change Is
Southside of Heaven
Bluebird

ENCORE:
This Land Is Your Land
Sunshine
Bread And Water

RYAN BINGHAM
LIAM GERNER

OK...well, you get what you pay for. Although a very likeable guy,Steven Adler and his Appetite band is potentially one of the least impressive tributes to the greatness that was Guns N Roses. Sure, I'll concede that neither Axl nor Slash, Duff nor Izzy or anyone else associated with GNR is out there performing Guns classics as they ought to be performed at this time. Maybe for good reason. I mean, that music came from a certain place in time in all of our lives, not the least of which were the lives of the band members themselves, and it was a reckless time. Those songs were laden with fuel, a concoction of high test gasoline, booze and narcotics. Years of time past, self-help, celebrity rehab, sobriety and millions of dollars can't reclaim that energy. Fair enough, it's good to see Adler, Chip Z'Nuff and Michael Thomas out there performing the clubs, but maybe the better approach might be to let GNR be what it was and create some new memories with all new material. I read the book and I applaud the guy for all he's been through, but overall, this current line up can't deliver GNR.

Willie Basse, well what can I say? Great to see him again this year, but so sad to see that once again, no one knows who the hell he is. He plays his heart out, schleps his own equipment and hocks his own merchandise to people who cannot begin to appreciate him for his music, creativity, and work ethic, much less his history on the Sunset Strip. Hang in there Willie.

Meet & Greet: Steven Adler, Michael Thomas, Willie Basse, Chip Znuff

ADLERS APPETITE
WILLIE BASSE

Once at Joe's, we selected a table in the back bar and I'm not sure why, but stayed there pretty much all night. We ate dinner there and if I haven't mentioned before, Joe's kitchen serves up one of the best cheeseburgers around. So there we were in a lightly popluated room of Joe's, adjacent to the area where Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen were playing. We had easy access to Shiner service and watched 99% of the show on a flat screen via closed circuit tv. We were also surrounded by other screens with various sports shows. Exciting finish at Daytona by the way! Anyway, it was kind of surreal watching the show on tv while it was live in the next room, but that's what we did. Cubs pitcher Randy Wells was in the house (and on stage and at the microphone and drunk off his ass by the end of the show).

RANDY ROGERS and WADE BOWEN

As talented a singer as she may be, Sade was dwarfed by a maximus stage production. The stage itself, clean and devoid of anything unnecessary to the production, was approximately the size of an arena league football field. At times, a large, sheer white curtain surrounded the stage, allowing ghostly glimpses of the singer, while ambient films were projected against the sheer drape. Her song selection spanned her career with some emphasis on her most recent release and the obligatory hits package. As much as I did not enjoy John Legend's set, the vast majority of concert goers in attendance seemed to think he was grand.

SADE SETLIST:
Soldier of Love
Your Love Is King
Skin
Kiss of Life
Love Is Found
In Another Time
Smooth Operator
Jezebel
Bring Me Home
Is It A Crime
Love Is Stronger Than Pride
All About Our Love
Paradise/Nothing Can Come Between Us
Morning Bird
King of Sorrow
Sweetest Taboo
The Moon And The Sky
Pearls
No Ordinary Love
By Your Side

ENCORE:
Cherish The Day

SADE
JOHN LEGEND

The tickets were compliments of the Indiana Blood Drive, so an extremely hot evening on the lawn was priced right for aging and aged bands AND aging and aged fans. YES for their part has recorded an all new studio album, harkening back to essentially the line-up that brought us the album called Drama. Drama was the gateway to the 80's for YES, which didn't go so well for the band at first. Following Drama and world tour, the group all but disbanded, seeing Chris Squier and Alan White working with Jimmy Page on a much maligned set of studio tracks that never saw commercial release. Steve Howe and Geoff Downes formed a super group called ASIA and Trevor Horn forged ahead largely as a top notch producer - not bad for the guy who once sang "Video Killed The Radio Star." In 1984, YES resurfaced with Jon Anderson, Alan White, Chris Squier, former YES keyboardist Tony Kaye and new guitarist Trevor Rabin to release the ever popular 90125. So YES is more of an evolving institution than a static band, membership changes are inevitable. Gone today are greats such as Rick Wakeman, replaced by Geoff Downes and Jon Anderson, the quintessential voice of YES, replaced by newcomer Benoit David - who incidentally sounds quite a lot like Anderson. The new album is a strong effort by the band and the set list was balanced nicely between recognizable hits and a couple of new songs. Despite reviews from previous shows where the band may not have been at peak stride, they were excellent here and delivered a stunning set.

The last time I saw this same line-up of STYX, I was very disappointed. Lawrence Gowan sort of took over the show and his persona was too large for STYX. This time around however, it was largely a band effort and Tommy Shaw seemed to tackle most of the vocal chores. Gowan remained in check so to speak and the show was much better. The STYX set list was also a battery of hits, some of which I have personally not listened to in many years.

STYX SETLIST:
Blue Collar Man
The Grand Illusion
One With Everything
Too Much Time On My Hands
Lady
Lorelei
Man In The Wilderness
Suite Madame Blue
Crystal Ball
Fooling Yourself
Miss America
Come Sail Away

ENCORE: Renegade

YES SETLIST:
Tempus Fugit
Yours Is No Disgrace
Heart Of The Sunrise
I've Seen All Good People
We Can Fly, And You And I
Owner Of A Lonely Heart
Starship Troope

ENCORE: Roundabout

STYX
YES

25 people saw one of the hardest rocking shows to hit Indianapolis this year. As venues go, Peppers isn't the best place to "see" a band, but the sound is good and it's a cool place to drink. That said, the seating is kind of a jacked up in relationship to the stage. I say that because the stage is really in kind of a cool spot, right in the front window of the joint by the front door! So anyway, like I said, maybe 25 people showed up for the show, which is really pathetic that Indianapolis can't produce more rock fans on a Sunday night than that. I saw at least two full color ads in the local entertainment paper before the show, so the word was out there. We found it kind of hard to find tickets in advance. The venue didn't sell them and the website they gave out over the phone was baloney. Still, anybody could have purchased tickets at the door for $15 and would have gotten a damn fine show from both bands. So anyway American Dog - what can I say? The guys rocked their balls off for what amounted to a private party. Great people, all of them. I mean you can't go wrong with a set that leads off with Shitkicker and ends with the Pussy Song. I also have to thank Mike for treating us right before and after the show. I dig this band and you will too - Check 'em out at a tavern, bar or night club near you.

Without ado, Rhino Bucket followed through with a full throttle ass kicking. Any fan of Bon Scott era AC/DC should have been there. As someone said after the show, this band gave 100 percent of themselves, despite the small turnout, because that's just who they are. Many a band would have cancelled or bagged a short set to hit the road early, but not Rhino Bucket.

RHINOBUCKET SETLIST:
Who's Got Mine
Hardest Town
Welcome To Hell
Beat To Death
Jokes On You
Ride With Yourself
Smile
One Night Stand
Screamer (which of course was the sentimental love song of the night)
Word
Beg For Your Love
Bar Time, Street To Street
I Was Told
Hammer And Nail
Ride The Rhino

AMERICAN DOG SETLIST
Shitkicker
Can't Throw Stones
Cat Has Got You By The Tongue
Beaten Broken Etc
Blame It On The Booze
D-N-F
Drank Too Much
Sometimes You Eat The Pussy

Meet & Greet: Rhino Bucket

Meet & Greet: American Dog

RHINO BUCKET
AMERICAN DOG

A Shiner Beer sponsored event, which was fine with me. The Shiner Girls were on hand to distribute plenty of free Shiner promo stuff like bottle openers (which incidentally made little sense, since Shiner bottles are twist-tops), t-shirts and caps. Walked away witha nice collection of bottle openers, a hat and a tee. We sat on the backside of the bar where we were able to see both the concert and the Packers/Saints game on television. Also a good place to get menu service from the kitchen. Joe's has really great hamburgers, which apparently have a gastro-combustion effect on my friend Chris. The opening act was Tyler Reeve, who was probably better than so-so but no one was paying much attention. REK delivered a set mixed with old and new material. I find that I don't care so much for work from more recent CDs as I do his older stuff. Among my favorites, he did play Rose Hotel, Corpus Christi Bay, The Road Goes On Forever, Shades of Gray and a James McMurtry penned song called Levelland.

Meet & Greet: Robert Earl Keen

ROVERT EARL KEEN
TYLER REEVE

Part one of the Chicago road trip weekend: This particular weekend was special because first it celebrates the Week of Chris and second, I just lost my job and really needed to have some fun with friends. Mission accomplished. First up, a trip to Joe's to catch some college football, one of Joe's famous mouth watering burgers and some pitchers of draft Shiner - just what the doctor ordered. Oh yeah, and Reckless Kelly was playing that night too. I had not seen RK live before, but have a few of their CDs and liked what I heard. Live, I liked them even better. Great band and the place really filled up with fans, which is nice to see. Performing several songs form their new disc, I recognized only the few I had heard before. I now love this band and look forward to seeing them again soon.

RECKLESS KELLY SETLIST:
Hit the Road Running
Castanets
Nobody's Girl
Vancouver
Girl's Got Love In Her Eyes
Weatherbeaten Soul
You Hold the Bottle and I'll Hold the Wheel
Wicked Twisted Road
1952 Vincent Black Lightning (Richard Thompson cover)
I Still Do
I Stayed Up All Night
Morning Blood
Tommy
Good Luck and True Love
Save Me
Ragged as the Road
A Guy Like Me
Seven Nights in Eire

ENCORE:
She Likes Money, He Likes Love  (with drum solo, drum/guitar duet intro)
Crazy Eddie's Last Hurrah
Back in the U.S.A.  (Chuck Berry cover)

RECKLESS KELLEY

Part two of the Chicago road trip: Took the train from downtown up to Wrigleyville to the Metro. Arrived about 10 after 6 for doors at 6:30. Already, there was a line all the way down the block to the corner. We jumped in line there and watched as the line continued to grow around the corner and down the next block. By the time they opened the doors, there must have been 2,000 people or more in line for the tiny little dump known as The Metro or Cabaret Metro. Despite the standing room with no elbow room size crowd, circulating fans kept the air moving so it was somewhat comfortable. Getting a beer proved to be a real adventure, by the time you crawled over people to get back to the bar - which was the easy part - then crawled back juggling two plastic cups of brew and trying not to spill. Some fans were cool about trying to accomodate the weary beer runner, others were not so apt to move. Ponderosa took the stage as the short opening act. The band hails from Atlanta and one could probably attribute The Allman Brothers as a strong influence of the band. They were pretty good, despite a poorly tuned dobro. Intermission to clear equipment was brief. Chickenfoot took over with a powerhouse set that they have been performing for this, their 4th night. Songs were fairly distributed from both the debut album and the new III disc. Kenny Aaronoff is filling in for Chad Smith, whose commitments to Red Hot Chili Peppers prevented him from performing on this tour. Aaronoff, a more than accomplished drummer himself, was an ample replacement for Smith. Now that Chickenfoot has two albums worth of material, the set list demonstrated a little more depth for the band. Make no mistake, this is a killer band, with plenty of gas in the tank for a helluva show.

CHICKENFOOT SETLIST:
Lighten Up
Alright Alright
Big Foot
Sexy Little Thing
Soap On A Rope
Last Temptation
Up Next
My Kinda Girl
Down The Drain
Come Closer
Three And a Half Letters
Something Going Wrong
Turnin' Left
Future's In The Past

ENCORE:
Oh Yeah
Foxy Lady - Jimi Hendrix cover

CHICKENFOOT
PONDEROSA