Cody Canada and the Departed made its first central Indiana appearance since August 29, 2013. That version of The Departed included a 5 piece outfit featuring Seth James. The direction of the band at the time was not particularly positive or popular. Musically, the band drifted from Cody Canada's Cross Canadian Ragweed roots and the singing and songwriting was shared, one might even say splintered, between Canada and James. By any estimation, the band failed to gel or gain traction and that August night in Indianapolis may very have been Seth James' last show with the band.

This snowy night however was much different. Now a three piece power house, Canada with longtime co-conspirator from Ragweed, Jeremy Plato and former Mike McClure drummer, Eric Hansen, delivered an incredible set of mostly Cross Canadian Ragweed favorites, spiced with a few Departed originals and a Tom Petty cover...for the life of me I can't recall what TP song it was.

Outstanding set, crowd was into the show and the after party with the band and crew was outstanding!

CODY CANADA SETLIST:
Inbetweener
Lonely Girl
Daughter of the Devil
Lighthouse Keeper
Fightin' For
Wanna Rock N Roll
Constantly
Suicide Blues
Pay
Number
To Find Love
Brooklyn Kid
Mexican Sky
Lipstick
Bang My Head
Soul Agent
17
Dimebag
Hammer Down

ENCORE:
1800 Miles
51 Pieces
Boys From Oklahoma

CODY CANADA

Sometimes the travel to a show is the best part. Such was the case here. Excellent drive up to Chicago with plenty of stories and laughs along the way.

SPACE in Evanston is an incredibly nice venue to see a show. It's a very intimate room for about 250 guests. The building is a restaurant/bar in the front with venue in the back. Several bars and restaurants are located in the nearby neighborhood. We stayed at a Hilton property near Northwestern University, just a short walk from SPACE.

The show was sold out for California Bay area rockers, The Mother Hips.

THE MOTHER HIPS SETLIST:
Set 1:
Later Days
Gold Plated
Stunt Double
All In Favor
Do It On The Strings
Itll Be Gone
Freed From Prison
Kansas City Souther (Gene Clark cover)
Single Spoon
Mother Hips
Youg Charles Ives
Lord of the Manor (Everly Brothers cover)
I Wonder If I Care As Much (Everly Brothers cover)

Set 2:
Clean Me Up
Whiskey On A Southbound
Third Floor Story
Honeydew
Del Mar Station
Didnt Pay The Bill
Smoke
White Falcon Fuzz
Transit Wind
Poison Oak

ENCORE:
Motorhome

MOTHER HIPS

KISS will be playing nearby in Noblesville, IN in a few short weeks and the show is said to be the biggest and best, but will include pre-taped music (lip sync). That show will cost a LOT of money. On the other hand, theres KISS original guitarist Ace Frehley at the State Fair for free and by the way he still sings and plays.

That fact is either good or bad, depending on your perspective. This is a different band supporting Frehley since last time I saw him a few years back. Supposedly Gene Simmons urged Frehley to fire his then current band, featuring long time sideman Richie Scarlet. Instead, Simmons recommended that Frehley hire Gene's solo band. While a very servicable band, the chemistry isn't there.

Frehley got off to a rough start with Rip It Out, often singing off key and out of sync with the tempo of the song. While sober for a dozen or more years by now, it seemed that Ace had recently been asleep or something, but clearly not himself. He mentioned the humidity a few times during the outdoor show. It was also an early 7:30 show time for the veteran rocker, who typically goes on at 10pm. Never the less I kind of expected that he could do Rip It Out, a set staple since his '78 KISS solo record, on auto-pilot.

The diciness of the show continued with KISS classics, Parasite and Watching You. Hard Times was a welcome addition to the set from the KISS Dynasty record, but again quality of delivery was poor. While he did not play Rock Bottom, the show hit rock bottom with a chancy cover of Eddie Money's I Wanna Go Back. The song was a hit and a popular music video for Money back in 1986. It featured saxophone and resonated for Eddie Money as a sentimental reflection of his past glory days. However, for Frehley it simply doesnt work on the new album, Spaceman, and it really doesn't work in concert. By far the worst Frehley sounded all night.

Fan favorite, Rocket Ride, was also precarious at moments, but helped to get the rocker back into a rhythm for the show. By the time he got to Strange Ways, a band member sang lead vocal to allow Frehley to concentrate more on his fret work and things started to even out.

For me, when Ace covered The odd Rolling Stones song, 2,000 Man for the KISS Dynasty record, he really made that his own anthem. He owned it in his own peculiar way and gave it a Bronx vocal. It's the same when he plays it live. From here on the show got much better.

The light up guitar gimmick works well for club and theatre shows. Here the sun was still shining which diminished the effect greatly. As well, the classic and iconic Ace Frehley guitar solo, featuring the trademark smoking guitar was also a diminished effect. Ace commented after the solo that this is no longer a smoke bomb he triggers, but rather fog, due to fire marshall regulations.

Given that this was a State Fair appearance, the funniest part of the night was when Ace, in his best Bronx accent, asked "Where are all the pigs and cows?" followed by his trademark cartoonish laugh, "Ack, ack, ack, ack."The hoosier audience, so it seemed, was full of them.

I've seen Ace Frehley more times than I can remember. I've seen him with KISS, with Frehley's Comet and solo. I've seen him sober. I've seen him completely shit hammered. Hell, I even went to his birthday party once in New Jersey where he didnt seem to be coherent half the night. Aside from the Birthday Bash Train Wreck Disaster, this was by far one of my least favorite shows, from one of my favorite rock guitar idols.

I would still go see Ace again, because anyone can have a bad night, but this was pretty bad.

ACE FREHLEY SETLIST:
Rip It Out (technically KISS)
Parasite (KISS)
Hard Times (KISS)
Watchin' You (KISS)
I Wanna Go Back (Eddie Money cover)
Rocket Ride (KISS)
Mission to Mars
Strange Ways (KISS)
2,000 Man (Rolling Stones cover)
Rock Soldiers
New York Groove (Hello cover)
Shock Me (KISS)
Ace Frehley Guitar Solo
Cold Gin (KISS)

ENCORE:
Detroit Rock City (KISS)
Deuce (KISS)

ACE FREHLEY

Mark Knopfler: a name synonymous with the band Dire Straits. To many, Mark Knopfler was Dire Straits and it made no real difference which musicians rounded out the band. Knopfler wrote the music and lyrics, sang the songs and was the penultimate guitar player. Dire Straits were enormously successful around the world. That was nearly 30 years ago.

Believe it. At the time of this show, Mark Knopfler had just turned 70 years of age. Thirty four years ago, radio waves were ruled by the familiar refrain, "I Want My MTV." Yet tonight, Knopfler appeared as a great grandfather figure, maybe a great great grandfather figure, but no less capable with a guitar than he was many years ago. Gone was the white headband and black western shirt of 1985.

Tonights show finds Knopfler and company, a ten piece top notch band, a bit more mature, a little wiser and still wildly popular. A sold out crowd of 2,500 fans paid $100 per seat and up. Tickets were scalping in the parking lot at 4x face value.

The show ran right about 2 hours in length, featuring an array of songs from Knopfler's solo career and Dire Straits.

MARK KNOPFLER SETLIST:
Why Aye Man
Corned Beef City
Sailing to Philadelphia
Once Upon a Time in the West
Romeo and Juliet
My Bacon Roll
Matchstick Man
Done With Bonaparte
Heart Full of Holes
Your Latest Trick
Postcards From Paraguay
On Every Street
Speedway at Nazaret

ENCORE 1:
Money for Nothing

ENCORE 2:
Going Home: Theme of the Local Hero

MARK KNOPFLER

Having never been to Vincennes, IN before, I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I found it to be very much like my home town of Kokomo, IN around 1979-1980, basically a nice midwestern town but not a lot to do on the weekends. There is however a really nice permannet pavilion structure downtown where the community holds concerts from time to time. It seems like that history has included some of Red Dirt Country's finest, such as Robert Earl Keen, Ray Wylie Hubbard and James McMurtry. Tonight's show is headlined by Cody Canada and The Departed, who have really found themselves in a good place after the Cross Canadian Ragweed fallout and various line-up and format changes within the Departed. Having gone from a five piece to a four piece and now a three piece outfit, the band is comfortable doing an array of material from Ragweed to Departed and a few cover songs for fun. It seems like it's been a long journey to find the right set of guys. Good to see Cody in such great spirits these days and playing guitar at the top of his game.

CODY CANADA and THE DEPARTED SETLIST:
Lost Rabbit
Inbetweener
Dimebag
Lipstick

(missed one)

To Find My Love (Jeremy Plato vocal)
Constantly
Number
Mexico
Cold Hard Fact
Carney Man
Hammer Down
Betty and Willie (Todd Snider cover)
Soul Agent (Jeremy Plato vocal)
Saving Grace (Tom Petty cover)
Brooklyn Kid
Blue Bonnets
Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground (Willie Nelson cover)
Fighting For
Eleven Months and Twenty Nine Days (Johnny Paycheck cover, Plato vocal)
Lighthouse Keeper

ENCORE:
Seventeen
You Wreck Me (Tom Petty cover)

CODY CANADA

THE END OF THE ROAD TOUR...well, at least for this roster of KISS, featuring original members, Gene Simmons (demon) and Paul Stanley, (starman) along with scabs Eric Singer (catman) and Tommy Thayer (spaceman). KISS performed a Farewell tour, which started actually March 11, 2000 and lasted until April 13, 2001. That tour saw the farewell of the original four members in make-up. However farewell was not to last, as KISS continued on with various incarnations of the band for 18 more years! There has been rumor for some time of the possibility of a KISS without original members in the future.

The end of the road started this year and will supposedly continue with various breaks for three years, criss crossing the country and the globe, before finally seeing the end of KISS for Gene and Paul. The tour could have been a massive platform for any number of younger acts trying to get a break or older acts looking for a broader audience.Instead, KISS has paired with pop artist, David Garibaldi, who paints celebrities on larges canvases as a live performance. He has been on various television shows and also creates live performance art for halftime at sporting events. Importantly, he raises a lot of money for charity through his art. The crowd seemed ok with this arrangement, in lieu of a band. I thought it was a rip-off.

Going into the show, I was well aware that KISS is using backing tracks and essentially lip synching at least a portion of the show. This is disappointing. If you can't cut it live, don't do it. The ticket has been punched, right? A numberof internet and media outlets have already called the band out for moments where singing can be heard but no one is near a mic. Eddie Trunk has probably been one of the more outspoken radio hosts on this topic. Never the less, tickets were comp/promo, via a favor from a friend.

Sure enough, it was evident from the first song, Paul's voice is no longer what it was and worse, he probably shouldnt be up there trying to sing at all. His voice is shot. Even during the traditional Paul Stanley between-song-banter it is abundantly clear just how compromised his voice is. This tour is supposed to last three years. That may prove very unfortunate for Paul. And yes it was evident that backing tracks were being used, at least on certain songs, such as I Was Made For Loving You.

Otherwise a very entertaining show and every bit the spectacle that we have come to expect from KISS. Sure there were the classic featurettes throughout the show. For example Gene spits blood and fire, there's a Spaceman guitar solo, a Catman drum solo and of course Paul flies out to a mini stage center audience. Those are KISS staples that every fan expects. However the all new stage and lights were nothing short of outstanding, even if the rumors are true that this is really an overhaul of the same stage that Motley Crue used on their recently completed farewell tour.

Immediately pre-show, there is a taped playback of Led Zeppelin's Rock N Roll - for what reason is unknown. Would Jimmy Page or Robert Plant ever consider playing Rock N Roll All Night at the beginning of oen of their shows? I think not. Its just weird.

KISS END OF THE ROAD SETLIST:
Detroit Rock City
Shout It Out Loud
Deuce
Say Yeah
I Love It Loud
Heaven's on Fire
War Machine
Lick It Up (with Won’t Get Fooled Again by The Who)
Calling Dr. Love
100,000 Years
Cold Gin
God of Thunder
Psycho Circus
Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll
Love Gun
I Was Made for Lovin' You
Black Diamond

ENCORE:
Beth
Crazy Crazy Nights
Rock and Roll All Nite

House lights came on and the crowd was dismissed to a taped playback of KISS, covering the Argent classic, God Gave Rock N Roll To You II.

It's over. KISS is done. I'm done. It's been a fantastic ride, starting as a 13 year old kid with KISS posters on my wall, buying KISS - Rock and Roll Over on 8-track, seeing KISS for the first time in 1977 and almost every possible opportunity since. I saw the highest highs of the band's career. I saw the lowest lows as well...and there were some low moments. I saw the make-up era become the the unmasked era become the make-up era again. Not once could I say KISS disappointed. Sure there were shows I liked better than others, but KISS always entertained an audience.

I am told the audience tonight was 24,790 at this show, one of the largest audiences so far on the this tour. It was truly a sea of people.

That is a far cry from the Dayton show I saw in 1983 when 4,430 KISS fans attended in an arena that held 13,278.

So long KISS. Its been fun for me for 40 plus years. If I am being truthful, there are a lot of bands for whom I cannot say the same.

KISS

Another great evening of music at the Hi-Fi Lounge featuring Reckless Kelly. Packed house.

RECKLESS KELLY

A very interesting evening of music from a true underdog of the music scene, Robert Berry and his band. The marquee said Night Of The Living Prog and so it was. Berry took the small audience on a very intimate and private journey through some of classic rock's greatest prog moments. Included in the set were several stories of writing and recording with the likes of John Wetton, Steve Howe, Carl Palmer and others as well as his recollections of recording his versions of many classic rock tribute songs. Among the setlist, but certainly not limited to, were his versions of Roundabout (YES), Minstrel In The Gallery (Jethero Tull), Different Strings (Rush), Watcher of Skies (Genesis) Locomotive Breath (Jethro Tull), Brain Damage/Eclipse (Pink FLoyd), Karn Evil 9 (ELP) and several selections from his work with the band 3 andthe follow up 3.2.

ROBERT BERRY