Tonight - WARRANT & WINGER in Medina, CAIN Vocalist JIGGS LEE in St. Paul

It's been hard to be inspired to write recently, so apologies all around for the lack of any new content or updates. Quite honestly there hasn't been a whole lot in the metal world that's gotten me excited. Part of it has been the lack of exciting live shows the last 2–3 months. It dawned on me not too long ago that I've been relentlessly attending concerts for 30 years now. I feel blessed that I have quite literally seen almost every metal and hard rock band that I want to see (many times, in the case of my favorites), and more often than not, in the bands' prime. It may be hard to understand, but during the long, cold Minnesota winter it takes something special to drag me out of the house away from my family.

Mock if you will, but seeing Winger tonight has gotten me fired up. They're playing a co-headlining show with Warrant at the Medina Entertainment Center in Medina. It's a 21+ show and Winger goes on first at 8:30 so don't be late! It may be hard to remember that before Winger became everyone's favorite band to mock, they were initially heralded as a technical musician's band when their debut album was released in 1988. Kip Winger and Paul Taylor had both spent time in Alice Cooper's band in the mid-80s, and as drummer for the Dixie Dregs Rod Morgenstein had racked up a string a Drummer of the Year honors. So I've never been shy about liking the band from the start, and three of the four original members still periodically put out great albums (2009's Karma is my favorite) and do small tour runs. I first saw the band opening for Cinderella with Bulletboys in 1989, again promoting In The Heart Of The Young with Kiss and Slaughter, and then headlining on the Pull tour. This 1993 show was especially memorable since I had won a radio contest and spent the Fourth of July at a barbecue picnic with the band the day of the show. Winger came through Station 4 in St. Paul a few years ago promoting the IV album in a fairly low-key show. Their last scheduled appearance in Medina for the Karma album together with Blackfoot was unfortunately canceled. Warrant is one band I've never seen, but I have seen current singer Robert Mason with Cry Of Love supporting Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers (with Journey guitarist Neal Schon in his band at the time). I've got some cool old Winger memorabilia I'll dig out for a "From The Vault" post, including an uncirculated audio recording from a tour for their first album.

Check out the video for "Rat Race" from the latest Winger album Better Days Comin'.

The only other show of note tonight is happening at the Amsterdam in St. Paul. Jiggs Lee, vocalist for local 70s cult hard rock band Cain, is playing as Jiggs Lee and Brothers Invasion with other local bands in a free benefit show for the American Cancer Society.

I'll get around to updating the concert calendar and getting some regular posts up. This looks to be a great year ahead for metal and hard rock!

Lineup for Grand RockTember 2 Festival at Grand Casino Hinckley Unveiled

Grand Casino Hinckley in Hinckley is reprising last year’s 80s-focused Grand RockTember Festival with (what else?) the Grand RockTember 2 Festival to be held this year over two days, Friday, September 12 and Saturday, September 13.

Blue Öyster Cult performing August 25, 2013 at the Minnesota State Fair. Check out the review of this show here, and click the pictures to see more photos (20).

The Friday show is a 70s classic rock bill with Sweet, April Wine, Foghat, and Blue Öyster Cult. Saturday’s show features Dee Snider, Jack Russell’s Great White, Lita Ford, Winger, Firehouse, Warrant, and Scrap Metal, which boasts an all-star lineup of singers Eric Martin (Mr. Big), Derek St. Holmes (Ted Nugent), Stephen Pearcy (Ratt), Mark Slaughter (Slaughter, Vinnie Vincent Invasion), and Gunnar Nelson and Matthew Nelson (Nelson). Single-day and two-day tickets will be available when tickets go on sale through Ticketmaster on Wednesday, June 4 at 10:00 am. You can get the latest information at the Grand Casino Hinckley site.

Grand RockTember Music Festival Announced - September 14

An impressive lineup of 80s metal bands is geared up for the Grand RockTember Music Festival on Saturday, September 14 at the Grand Casino Amphitheater in Hinckley. Acts confirmed so far are Winger, L.A. Guns, Firehouse, Warrant, Dokken, Lita Ford, and Skid Row, with more bands to be announced! Plan on spending the day there, as show time is 2:00 pm. Ticket information has yet to be released, but tickets go on sale June 20.

WINGER And BLACKFOOT Show Canceled

According to the Medina Entertainment Center website and Winger's Myspace page, the Winger and Blackfoot show scheduled for this Friday, October 8 has been canceled. No explanation for the cancellation has been given, and it does not appear that the event will be rescheduled.

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WINGER Album Review

Winger - Karma

Frontiers, 2009

9/10

Crank this album up, stand back from your speakers, and prepare for your jaw to drop at the hard, heavy edge that Winger takes on their fifth album, Karma. Sure, it’s easy to mock the bubble gum, pop rock image the band fostered with their first two albums, but the musical talent in Winger could never be dismissed. Clearly now not worried about writing songs for the radio, Winger continues with a heavier sound that really began with their third album, Pull. Most of the songs here are pretty short (three to four minutes long) except for the ballads, which hit the six to seven minute mark that doesn’t fit into a radio-friendly format. Two scorchers, “Deal With The Devil” and “Stone Cold Killer”, immediately set Karma off, and “Stone Cold Killer” has one of the best fist-pounding, neck-snapping choruses I’ve heard in a while. “Big World Away” has a heavy, grinding riff and huge melodic chorus that leads into the dark tones of “Come A Little Closer”. The breakneck pace of “Pull Me Under” picks up the album again and contains a wicked twin guitar solo. The middle of the record slows down a bit for the grand melodies on “Supernova” and “Always Within Me”. “After All These Years” is a blues-tinged ballad that brings to mind early Whitesnake and “Solider Of Fortune” by Deep Purple, but at over six minutes long it seems to drag. A big highlight is the epic ballad-esque song “Witness” at the tail end of the album. This song has a massive, layered chorus and big, lengthy guitar solos that stretch out the last three or four minutes. “First Ending”, a short piano and acoustic guitar instrumental, closes the album on a soft note that feels like a recovery from the rest of the record. Most people would be very surprised at the intensity of Karma if they were willing to listen with an open mind. Let’s face it – many of Winger’s contemporaries such as Dokken, Poison, and Mötley Crüe have released a slew of bad albums that tarnish their legacies. Winger only seems to be getting better, and Karma ranks as one of their best albums to date.

Winger performs Friday, October 8 with legendary Southern rockers Blackfoot at the Medina Entertainment Center in Medina.

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