Alice Cooper at Thunder Valley: Alice rules!!!

Thunder Valley Casino's summer concert series kicked off last weekend, and runs through the hot Sacramento months with shows every weekend. Top of my list to see was the awesome king of shock-rock, Alice Cooper, and... awesome as ever!

There was Alice. There was a snake, huge and strong and gorgeous and menacing. There was a guillotine, a blade fall, and a severed head.There was an electric chair and Frankenstein's monster, huge, running around the stage, towering over the band. There were human-size dolls and spiders in the eyes and top hats and tails and makeup and everything you'd expect from an Alice Cooper show, though they didn't play Elected this time, darnit.

There was a wonderful band, amazing guitar from the wonderful Nita Strauss, who can shred with the best: an impressive drum solo (Glen Sobel) and great rock from all the members of Alice's band.

Alice Cooper is still the ultimate showman, still bouncing all over the stage; costume changes with every song, bringing the roof down (though in this venue, there was sky above). It's hard to see that Alice isn't still in his twenties... the five decades of experience just add to the draw.

Remember when your parents freaked out because you were listening to Schools Out? I do! Oops.

Setlist: about twenty songs total, including Billion Dollar Babies, No More Mister Nice Guy, Lost In America, Feed My Frankenstein, Only Women Bleed, I'm Eighteen, and School's Out, which morphed into Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall and back to complete the show.

All you have from me for this show is a few words, and a couple of cellphone photos. You have to go see Alice yourselves... he never stops touring. See all the dates here, including the Americas, Australia and Europe! Wow... look at that schedule. Seriously, dude... he never stops. And thank the music gods for that, because there are a huge number of performers who have learned much of their trade from Alice Cooper.

Hell, HELLYEAH, that was one hell of a show: HELLYEAH return to the Ace of Spades

HELLYEAH, Ace of Spades, Sacramento

Last time that I saw HELLYEAH at the Ace of Spades, Sacramento, in 2015, it was all about the high-energy music: last night, it was the music, and more: one helluva light show. And what a show... "supergroup" (yes, they are a group, and yes, they are super... and yes, their lineup includes members who previously made musical history in other bands: Chad Gray with Mudvayne, Vinnie Paul with Pantera, Tom Maxwell with Nothingface). Together with Kyle Sanders on bass and Christian Brady on guitar, they bring us heavy-metal-hard-rock with an intense, driving heartbeat, tough and heavy guitar and bass, and a huge dose of non-stop energy. Chad Grays vocals are always strong, and range from intense, fast and gritty to smooth and melodic.

Chad Gray, HELLYEAH, Sacramento

Vinnie Paul is the first of the band to arrive on stage, behind a drum kit so tall, and so high, that you had to go to the back of the room to see a glimpse his happy, welcome face, but even if you can't see him, you know he's there, all evening, with every beat. The rest of the band step onto the stage, and Chad Gray arrives, blood all over his face, dripping from his goatee... I think it was fake, there were no obvious wounds, but this is metal, right?

Tom Maxwell and Kyle Sanders, HELLYEAH, Sacramento

Touring the latest album, Unden!able, the setlist included not only the heavier, aggressive HELLYEAH songs that the band are well-known for, but the recent cover of Phil Collins' I Don't Care Any More (probably the finest-ever cover of a Collins' song, IMHO) and the latest song that's receiving a lot of airplay, Love Falls, both from Unden!able.

Chad Gray, HELLYEAH, Sacramento

I've seen them several times since 2014 (Aftershock 2014 being the first) and each time, I enjoy the show more, and from the reaction of the crowd, I'm not alone. One thing that strikes me: these guys are happy together on stage. They are having as much fun as the audience.

Christian Brady, HELLYEAH, Ace of Spades

This USA tour is huge, and takes in several festivals too: check out the tour page for full details and HELLION deals.

For many more photos from the Ace of Spades, 14th June 2017, see the gallery: click here!

Vinnie Paul, HELLYEAH

Other HELLYEAH reviews and photos from Toon's Tunes/Cameras and Cargos:

- Aftershock 2014
- Ace of Spades 2015

(And if you haven't already: do check out HELLYEAH's video for Hush (from Blood for Blood), and support the fight against domestic violence and sexual assault. Everyone has a part to play.)

Poptone, goths, POW!, and it's a family affair

Daniel Ash, Poptone, Ace of Spades Sacramento

A Tuesday evening at the Ace of Spades in Sacramento, California, and the downstairs floor is filling up with a generous, if not sold-out, crowd. The background music, songs I can sing along to and I'm showing my age by knowing all the words to T Rex's Metal Guru, which is still worth hearing and still valid, even today. I look around and I feel I'm in a bit of a time warp; goths as far as the eye can see. Poptone is in town; Daniel Ash and Kevin Haskins plus Haskin's daughter, Diva Dompe, playing songs from Bauhaus, Tones on Tail, and Love & Rockets. Appearance, such a huge part of the goth scene; black everywhere. My daughter and fellow writer Jade should have been here, in her black-eyed-goth-from-France getup, but she's at home because very-late-pregnancy isn't conducive to standing in a crowd in Sacramento temperatures for hours on end. So I'm her proxy tonight. And the evening is more than simply Bauhaus-goth; it's also post-punk-synth-pop-and-rock, Poptone style.

POW! at the Ace of Spades, Sacramento, opening for Poptone

The show opens with POW!, straight-to-the-kisser synth-pop-rock from San Francisco, and the time warp takes over the evening, big time. Punk meets New Romantics meets indie-rock, with a heavy dose of distortion and... quirkiness. I hear the Buzzcocks and early Bowie. I see Sparks. And after listening to POW!'s Here Comes The Spade again several times in the past 24 hours, at last I recognise the audio connection that's been bugging me ever since the show... The Undertones, Teenage Kicks, one of the best-ever singles from the British pop-punk scene. Like I said: quirky. Check out POW!, and their latest album, Crack An Egg, here and all the photos, here.

Poptone, Ace of Spades, Sacramento

And then the band that we've all been waiting for: Poptone. Forget the black, you should have worn white, because the show is all black light, Daniel Ash center front, all in white, sunglasses and bottle-brush hair; Diva Dompe in a long, white dress, Kevin Haskins bathed in red and green as the lights change. Opening the show with an Elvis song? Yes. Does it sound like Elvis? Not one bit! You've never heard Heartbreak Hotel like this. And then OK, This is the Pops, followed by Mirror People, and then Ash breaks out the sax for Movement of Fear... and we have a show!

Check out the full setlist here: a wonderful, diverse selection from Tones on Tail, Love & Rockets, one Bauhaus, a David Bowie, an Elvis... yep, you should have been here.

Poptone, Ace of Spades, Sacramento

All the songs are highlights, but for me, An American Dream--Love & Rockets--the killer. Heavier than the original, and then leading into Christian Says (Tones on Tail). Powerful.

Poptone have a unique and special way of touring; a couple of weeks on the road, and then a few days off, back home. Check all the dates here, on Poptone's Facebook page.

Poptone, Ace of Spades, Sacramento

I'm texting updates to Jade throughout the evening. She reminds me that she interviewed Kevin Haskins in New York in 2005 (here's the story, and the interview). One of the things that's not included in the interview is the discussion that they had about the British punk scene, with Kevin knowing the band that Jade's dad roadied for, The Janitors. Sometimes this planet is so small, and so huge, all you can do is listen to the music. And if you can catch one of the Poptone gigs, do.

For all the Poptone photos, go to the gallery: http://www.alisontoon.com/-/galleries/music/poptone  And if you are a Bauhaus fan, you might also like this story about Peter Murphy's latest show in Sacramento.

Daniel Ash, Poptone

Aftershock lineup announced! It's going to be HUGEHUGEHUGE!!!!

Gojira, coming to Sacramento!!!

Today, Danny Wimmer Presents announced the lineup for this year's Aftershock Festival, being held once again at Sacramento's Discovery Park. Mark the dates: October 21st and 22nd.... and what a lineup!!!

Eagles Of Death Metal return to Aftershock this year!

Nine Inch Nails, Ozzy Osbourne (with Zakk Wylde), A Perfect Circle, Five Finger Death Punch, Stone Sour, Marilyn Manson, Gojira... and so many, many more. It's going to be HUGE!!!!

Five Finger Death Punch are returning to Afterhock!

Check out the full lineup here:  http://aftershockconcert.com/lineup/  Find all festival info, including tickets, here: http://aftershockconcert.com

Weekend photos... Memorial Day Weekend

Parade, Sacramento Music Festival, Old Sacramento

So far this weekend, I've been to both the Sacramento Music Festival, and the Sacramento County Fair.

The music festival is always fun, and I so love seeing our senior generations out there, enjoying the music, the music which for many, shaped their youth. Twin-sets and pearls... because that's what we all do. That's why there are so many 50+ audience members at rock shows. Music is life, and music is memories. So while I understand the financial drivers for the morphing of Sacramento's one-time all-jazz festival into what it is today, I do also wish that there was a pure jazz festival here, with big names. Having spent several years attending and covering jazz festivals in Grenoble, and Vienne, in France, seeing some of the huge names they were able to attract--from John McLaughlin and Bill Frisell and Wynton Marsalis to James Blood Ulmer and the late, great James Brown--the SacMusicFest lineup these days isn't at the same level. Fun? Yes. But does it make me want to explore music that I've never listened to before, shied away from? Not so much.

Bull riding, Sacramento County Fair

The county fair, and last night was my first rodeo, or rather, bull-riding (there were no other rodeo events, just the bulls). While it was definitely photographically challenging, the whole event left me feeling rather sad. I'll leave it at that, for now, until I can shake off the feeling of gloom that I woke up with and write something more meaningful about exactly why it made me sad (it's more than just the involvement of the animals).

Click on the photos above to go to the galleries!

What will you do this Memorial Day weekend? Here are a few ideas!

Memorial Day Weekend... all the fun of the fair!

So it's here again, at last... a long weekend, Memorial Day Weekend in the USA. What will you do with this precious free time? Here are just  few ideas...

The Memorial Day service... that's what it's all about, after all, remembering those who have given so much to protect this country. It's worth taking the time to check out one or more of the events around the region, especially Mount Vernon in Citrus Heights, which always has a moving service, lots of people, and a lot of shiny Harleys ridden by military veterans. This year's event is the 50th annual Memorial Day Tribute at Mount Vernon, and will be held from 11 to 12 am.  Don't be late.

The Sacramento County Fair kicks off the weekend early, beginning on Thursday, 25th and running all weekend at Cal Expo on Exposition Boulevard. All the fun of the fair! And, of course, livestock, monster trucks, bull riding (Saturday night), Jaripeo, tractor pulls, and much more. Check the website for info: http://sacfair.com General admission is an inexpensive $6, parking is $10, children under 12 go free. For the special events including the monster trucks, there's an extra ticket that needs to be bought in advance--best prices are online or at your local Walgreens!

Queen Nation who will be performing at the Sacramento Music Festival this year

Sacramento Music Festival is this weekend too, in Old Sacramento and several downtown venues. With artistes from all jazz genres through to some wonderful rock tribute bands (Queen Nation, Super Huey, Steelin' Dan and Caravanserai, for example)...  local favourites and musicians from around the USA, there is something for everyone's musical tastes: jazz, rockabilly, cajun, ragtime, bluegrass, rock... Go and discover something surprising! All the information is on the festival's website: http://sacmusicfest.com/

Tom Rigney and Flambeau will return to Sacramento Music Festival this weekend

Robin Trower returns: at the Crest, Sacramento, on Sunday

Robin Trower is in Sacramento this Sunday, at the Crest Theater. Highly recommended! I saw him a couple of years ago in Folsom, and the show was entrancing. You can read the review here, and find info about the Crest show here. Don't miss this one -- he's one of the great, British, guitar players, who has influenced so many other musicians.

Highly Suspect, seen here at Aftershock, will perform at this weekend's Bottlerock

And of course, this weekend is Napa's annual Bottlerock festival. If you didn't already obtain tickets, I fear it's far too late... with a lineup that includes Foo Fighters, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Maroon 5, Band of Horses, the wonderful Fitz and the Tantrums, Live (all together again!), Catfish and the Bottlemen (yay!!!!) and you-must-not-miss Highly Suspect... I'd love to be there, but sadly it's not happening this year!

Fitz and the Tantrums, in the lineup for Bottlerock this year!

Whatever you plan on doing this weekend, enjoy yourselves, keep safe, and spare a moment or two for those memories.

All the European Marillion weekends: photogalleries! And next weekend--Chile!!!

All of the Marillion photogalleries are now published for the three European Marillion weekends of 2017. The remaining weekend of this year's series is in Santiago, Chile, this coming Friday to Sunday, and if you are very, very lucky, you might still be able to obtain a ticket. Click here to find out more!  (I wish I was there, but... mustn't be greedy, right?) The shows in Chile will be recorded for video by Toward Infinity... which will be no doubt a stunning memory for those who attend, and a consolation for those who can't be there this time.

Here are the Alison Toon Photographer Marillion photogalleries from Europe (just click on the links below or go to http://alisontoon.com/marillion):

Marillion, Leicester, 2017

- Leicester, UK, England: my hometown, Leicester, and the wonderful venue, Leicester's De Montfort Hall

Marillion, Lodz, 2017

- Lodz, Poland at the Wytwórnia

Marillion, Port Zelande, 2017

- Port Zelande, The Netherlands, at Center Parcs!

There are a few more photos to be edited--I have a "people of" collection for Poland still to come, plus support band photos--but all the Marillion pics are now edited and available. Put F.E.A.R. on the sound system and take a look...

For more info, see http://marillion.com  And if you still haven't... check out the free sample music to find out why people flock from all around the world to see and hear this band.

New live video/DVD: Between The Buried And Me, Coma Ecliptic Live

BTBAM, Ace of Spades, Oct 2016

Between The Buried And Me have announced a new tour with The Contortionist, Polyphia and Toothgrinder for later this year, following a date at Prog Power in Atlanta in September. For all the dates in the tour, see BTBAM's Facebook... no Sacramento date this time, but Santa Cruz is a yes!

In the meantime, check out their recently-released video of the full-length, live recording of Coma Ecliptic, filmed live on location at The Observatory, San Diego, October 4th 2016 (and appropriately title, Coma Ecliptic Live). To preview the video, and to purchase (physical, download or streaming are available), click here!

If you haven't yet heard BTBAM, check them out. Prog and metal fans... this is for you! You'll find videos on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/BTBAMofficial

BTBAM, Ace of Spades, March 2016

First Festival is this weekend!!! Riverwalk Park, West Sac!

I'm just back from almost two months in Europe, scrambling to catch up (both with sleep, and with what's going on here in Northern California)... and already Concerts in the Park have kicked off the outdoor music season, and today? It's the first day of First Fest!

This year, presented by 98 Rock, First Fest is happening in Riverwalk Park in West Sacramento. Get over there and support our wonderful local music scene!

Review and photos, Marillion weekend, Łódź, Poland... and yes, it's personal

Marillion, Łódź, Poland... Friday night

I've been in Europe for several weekends now, to photograph and to enjoy the three European Marillion weekends... and I'm taking advantage of the time over here to revisit old haunts and to explore places I've never been. (Whether it's a journey of musical journey, or moving through life in general, we have to keep on learning and venturing into new domains. IMHO.)

Kinderdijk, The Netherlands

The first Marillion Weekend of 2017 happened in Port Zelande, The Netherlands, and you can find the review and photo galleries here. The Port Zelande event is something that every Marillion fan should make their way to at least once in a lifetime. A bit like this place.

After that weekend, I whiled away a few days in Dordrecht, a beautiful, old city in the Netherlands. Years back, I'd spent three years in Apeldoorn, further north and east, and this was the first time I'd explored this part of the Netherlands. Tilting at windmills, searching for tulips, watching the water. Beautiful place.

Gdansk, Poland

Then off to Poland. The first time I ever visited Poland, it was with my then-husband, visiting his family in a little village near Malbork, where there were still horse-drawn ploughs and a steam train or two. We travelled on a rickety train from the Netherlands, passing through multiple checkpoints, slammed with passengers and TVs and goods from East Berlin to Poznań, where we passed our suitcases through the train window, and the children over the heads of other passengers. It was the year before the Berlin Wall fell, and on subsequent trips I've seen first, an overdose of commercialism, and now, today: a truly beautiful and proud country that has really found herself.

Inside the newly-restored church, Malbork Castle, Poland

The restoration work on the buildings of Warszawa and Gdansk, and the huge, mighty castle in Malbork, are wonderful examples of how a country's architectural heritage can shine. The way that McDonalds is present but in a very, very subtle way on the main shopping street in Łódź is an example of how globalization doesn't have to overpower local businesses. The new (war, holocaust, resistance, deportation, history of Poland) museums in Warszawa, and in Gdansk, are stunning, breathtaking, devastating and heartbreaking, and so very well presented that they each deserve a day, and a revisit, and should be mandatory experiences for all. Poland you have a very special place in my heart... I'll be back.

Cromer, North Norfolk, England

And now I'm in North Norfolk, England, a place of so many happy memories, and so much natural beauty, that I never want to leave again. Why did I ever leave?

Next weekend: it's Marillion, in Leicester, my home town, and at the De Montfort Hall, location of much misspent youth. So many Budgie concerts! So many other shows! Dr. Feelgood, with Wilko strutting about on the orchestra/choir steps! Doctor Hook even! I watched pantomimes there, as a kid, was introduced to opera there by my aunt and uncle, and even performed on stage as part of a Leicestershire kid's orchestra. So next weekend? It will be awesome.

Photos from the Łódź Marillion weekend are here!
Photos from North Norfolk, in this gallery (when I set up my B&B one day, you'll have to visit)
Photos from the Netherlands: in this gallery
Photos from Poland (there will be more added here, soon)

Aftershock 2017! Dates! Tickets!!! Presale!!! Don't miss!

 And Aftershock is back at Discovery Park in Sacramento again this year! The weekend of 21st and 22nd October. Click the link to find out more about tickets and to book a hotel if you need one. There are several within walking distance of the event!

Who are you hoping for in the lineup this year? Follow the festival on Facebook to make sure you see all the announcements!

Dimple Records has some presales tickets (record store day/weekend), but online presale begins tomorrow, 24th April, at 9 am Pacific time. Set your alarm clock and then click here to go to the presale page because you know they'll go fast. Very fast. Very very fast!

If you don't remember how much fun you had at Aftershock last year, take a look here:

If you like your rock a little prog, or your prog a little metal... check out Tides From Nebula

Post-rock, instrumental rockers Tides From Nebula are from Warsaw (Warszawa, Poland) are well worth a listen if you like your metal on the progressive side, or your prog with a metal/rock edge. This instrumental band opened for Marillion recently at the Klub Wytwórnia in Łódź, Poland, and I found them hypnotic, mesmerising, complex and intense.

Tides From Nebula are Tomasz Stołowski, Maciej Karbowski, Adam Waleszyński, and Przemek Węgłowski. Their latest album is Safehaven, available from your usual music store.

Find more info on Tides From Nebula on Facebook. They are currently on tour in Europe: find tour dates here!

Review and photos: Marillion Weekend, Port Zelande, The Netherlands: 2017

Marillion Weekend, PZ 2017

Every two years, the phenomenon called "Marillion Weekends" happens. Weekends-- with shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday--in several different locations around the world. This year, 2017, in Port Zelande, The Netherlands; in Lodz, Poland; in Leicester, England; and in Santiago, Chile. The Port Zelande (PZ)weekend sold out almost immediately, Leicester too is now sold out, but if you're lucky, you might still be able to get hold of a ticket for Lodz or Santiago today, and if you don't wait much longer.

Marillion Weekend, Friday, Port Zelande 2017

So what exactly is a Marillion Weekend? It's the coming-together of fans from all around the world--yes, they'll travel from Brazil and from Australia for a weekend in The Netherlands--plus Marillion playing long shows on each of the three evenings, combined with a wonderful light show (huge shout-out to lighting from Yenz Nyholm); plus a good variety of support acts, and at Port Zelande, because everyone is staying in the same place, there are additional activities such as a band trivia quiz, Q&A with the band, and much more.

Steve Rothery, Marillion, PZ 2017

Marillion has brought the Weekend to Port Zelande and the Center Parcs holiday resort six times now: for long-time fans it's a chance to get together with Marillion family from around the world, every two years. The entire holiday village is filled with people who are there for one thing: to enjoy Marillion. It's a bit like a holiday camp for grownups who like progressive rock; you get sand in your shoes, the beds are kid-size, but who cares when you're full of the music.

Steve Hogarth, Marillion, PZ 2017

And once again, the band surpassed all expectations. So many times, I heard people saying how they had wondered if the band could still surprise, be better than last time, and then being blown away by what they heard and saw this weekend in Port Zelande. There are fans waiting for the three other weekends who may not wish to know the setlists from PZ, and out of respect for that I won't share the full lists here. (Those who do want to know the setlists for all three nights--go to http://setlist.fm and search for Marillion Port Zelande. That's what it's for.)

Pete Trewavas, Marillion, PZ 2017

Friday night, the show was a mix of twenty or so huge, emotional songs, provoking discussions about the theme of the evening. Were they all protest songs? No...  not quite but wait... what was the connection? Maybe the connection was simply that they flowed together and worked as a show.

Mark Kelly, Marillion, PZ 2017

Saturday night included songs from F.E.A.R., Marillion's studio album from late 2016, released to unprecedented appreciation from a general public who have, at last, started to understand what all these fans from all around the world have know for so long. You have to hear Marillion. You have to see them live.  (If you haven't heard F.E.A.R. yet, take the time to listen. It is so fitting to the times we are living in.)

No doubt, there will be people who only-just discovered Marillion through F.E.A.R., and who are planning on attending the Leicester weekend. They are in for a treat.

Ian Mosley, Marillion, PZ 2017

Sunday... oh, Sunday. From the swooping open of the red velvet curtains to reveal the bewigged, be-powdered string quartet In Praise Of Folly, to guest appearances by sax and trumpet players (Phil Todd and Neil Yates) and an obviously-beloved lyricist John Helmer (wrote lyrics for Marillion for several songs over the years, including Pour My Love on Sounds That Can't Be Made), to vocalist Steve Hogarth's sudden-and-unintended-and-must-have-been-painful disappearance down a hole the back of the stage, through the long silence while audience, band and crew alike waited to hear that he was OK (he was, and he was back on stage ten minutes later), to the beautiful, confetti-filled finale... that was one big wonderful weekend.

Final encore, Sunday, Marillion PZ 2017

The days after a Marillion Weekend are like a black hole where all fans want to do is turn the clock back to last Thursday, and start all over again. You're picking up the pieces and trying to get back to mundane, boring-tawdry "real" life, but talking the hind leg off friends and family, telling those who weren't there why they should have been, reminding those who were there what you saw, did, heard together; congretating in Facebook groups, watching the 'family' on their way back to their many homelands,

"Is it really over"? "Are you going to Poland/Leicester/Santiago?" "PZ 2019!!!"

Photos from Alison Toon Photographer are now up in the galleries:

- Marillion PZ 2017: Friday
- Marillion PZ 2017: Saturday
- Marillion PZ 2017: Sunday

Photo galleries for the support bands will be added soon.

Also, follow Marillion (MarillionOfficial) on Facebook and on Instagram for photos and updates from the band and other photographers who were at the PZ weekend.

See you in Lodz!

Marillion and string quartet, Port Zelande, 2017