Bradley Todd Photography

02/28/2020

Chris and Rich from Black Crowes last night in Chicago. The brothers have hit the road together acoustically to warm up for this summer's reunion tour with full band, where they'll be performing their debut hit album, Shake Your Moneymaker, in its entirety.

But last night's intimate, sold-out acoustic set was a special treat for those in attendance. Enjoy!

Chris and Rich Robinson of Black Crowes perform as Birds Of A Feather in Chicago on 2/27/20. Great acoustic version of this Crowes classic.

02/14/2020

Great show by Allman Betts Band at the Arcada Theatre last week. Started with two great openers, Jackson Stokes and J.D. Simo, and continued with a hot 2 hour set from Allman Betts.

ABB blazed through much of their album, Down To The River, as well as cover tunes by Allman Bros., Prince, and The Grateful Dead.

02/06/2020

Progressive metal group, Sons of Apollo, has returned with their second album, MMXX (2020), which builds upon the foundation they laid with 2018’s Psychotic Symphony. And the group is also building upon the chemistry the developed while out supporting their previous album, on their new tour, which started at the end of January in North America until 2/8/20 and then heads overseas to Europe and South America from the end of February until April.

The band returned to the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, IL. (Chicago suburb), which drummer Mike Portnoy has dubbed his home away from home since he’s played there so many times (4 times in the past 12 months with 4 different bands!) the venue has dedicated a dressing room in his honor, with a picture of him and a signed drum head on the wall.

The group’s stage setup was similar to their prior tour: it’s sparse, consisting of a drum riser on one side and a keyboard riser on the other, with some amplifier’s spread around. New for this tour is a stage backdrop with the MMXX album artwork.

Also similar to the prior tour…the ferocity which with this band can perform. Much has already been said about the musical pedigrees of the SOA members and their collective musical talents, and the St. Charles show was reflective of that. It had a little bit of something (or maybe a lot!) for every fan of progressive metal and rock: Aggressive, yet cerebral guitar solos (Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal), relentless, groovy, bass runs (Billy Sheehan), wonderful keyboard jams that were a perfect mix of classic and modern tones (Derek Sherinian), electric drumming (Mike Portnoy), and soaring vocals (Jeff Scott Soto).

But the night was also one of mourning and remembrance, as Kobe Bryant passed away a few days earlier. Singer, Jeff Scott Soto, honored Kobe’s memory by wearing a Lakers basketball jersey and purple and gold wristbands on his left arm. Tribute was also paid to recently deceased Rush drummer, Neil Peart, by playing Rush’s hit, Tom Sawyer. The third and final tribute of the evening was to departed friend and fellow musician, David Z, who passed in an auto accident while on tour in 2017. Sons of Apollo performed Desolate July, a song from the new album, is in his memory.

The show ended on a high note, as the band brought out opener, Tony MacAlpine, to join them in a raucous cover of Deep Purple’s Burn (see gallery below), and then closed with the anthemic Coming Home, which was appropriate for Drummer Portnoy, given his affection for the Arcada Theatre.

SETLIST:
1. Goodbye Divinity
2. Fall To Ascend
3. Wither To Black
4. Signs Of The Time
5. Asphyxiation
6. Labyrinth
7. Bass Solo
8. Lost In Oblivion
9. Desolate July
10. King Of Illusion
11. Alive
12. New World Today
13. Figaro’s W***e
14. Keyboard Solo
15. God Of The Sun
16. Burn (Encore)
17. Coming Home (Encore)

01/24/2020

Robin Zander of Cheap Trick turns 67 today. Still looks great! still sounds great! It may be his birthday, but he’s the gift to rock and roll.

01/17/2020

If you ever get the chance to see one of the greatest rock and roll singers of all time in a small, intimate solo acoustic show, I highly recommend it!

Zander still looks and sounds wonderful, and it's a joy to hear him speak about his music, career, and life.

Sharing the spotlight with him were his children Ian, Holland and Robin Taylor, the latter of whom sat in for most of his dad's set and backed him up on vocals and guitar.

01/06/2020

Former Enuff Z’nuff singer, Donnie Vie, has a beautiful “new thing”, a recent (released in mid 2019) solo album entitled Beautiful Things. Vie told the crowd gathered at Fitzgerald’s on 1/4/20 that it was his first rock show in 5 years, and there was some rust… he related he was getting over a cold, and there was only about 1.5 weeks of rehearsal. But it didn’t matter to the full house, which was clearly in Vie’s corner from the get-go.

Donnie & co. played the Beautiful Things album in its entirety, and Vie’s voice warmed up about half way through that, coinciding with his finding his groove, frequently flashing smiles and engaging the crowd stories of past shenanigans during the Eniff Z’nuff days, his family life (Vie’s mother was in attendance), and current situation. The band was good, especially given the short time for rehearsals. Vie referenced several miscues during the set, but none of them derailed any of the songs or the crowd’s enjoyment. The crowd sang and swayed and reveled in seeing one of their favorite voices back up on the stage doing what comes naturally.

After playing his solo record, Enuff Z’nuff songs were on the menu to round out the show. Throughout, Vie played electric and acoustic guitar, and took a solo turn on piano with Bridge Over Troubled Water, that was wonderful and touching not only to the fans gathered but to Vie too, who seemed emotional at the song’s conclusion. Emotional redemption seemed to be an undercurrent of the evening and Donnie seemed to be embracing the notion as the night came to its conclusion…or maybe that was just my take on it. But the night was a success before Donnie invited all the fans up front on stage to join him for the final number, which became a funny free for all, putting an exclamation point on an evening of beautiful things.

01/01/2020

These were my Top 9 photos from Instagram last year. It's nice to see which images people liked and/or made their way further into the IG universe than others, but some of my favorite shots weren't the most popular. Anyway, 2019 was a great year for music and I'm looking forward to new shoots in 2020.

My favorite performance of 2019 was Doobie Brothers, opening for Santana. They came out looking like a small local band, but by the end of their set had the crowd on their feet and rocking their asses off in a way I haven't seen an opening act do in who knows how long?? It was seriously awesome and I was totally moved. After that, Santana was good...but just seemed like a bit of letdown. Doobie Bros. music is awesome, and the band was flawless in their performance. They are reuniting with Michael McDonald for an anniversary tour in 2020, so check that out of if you can!

Other notable live performance mentions:

- Billy Idol - his 2 man acoustic show in Joliet showed he still has star power, even in an acoustic setting. It was a unique and magical show

- Marcus King Band - Young soul and blues singer who plays a solid guitar. Up and comer to be on the lookout for in 2020.

- Steven Adler - He gets short shrift in the GNR universe, but his solo band is really good and the singer is excellent and probably does a better Axl than the actual Axl does these days. Fun to see Steven play again, as I love his feel on the kit.

- Winery Dogs - Amazingly talented trio I could go on about at length. Their songs are technical, but still catchy and rocking! Every show of theirs leaves me in awe at what the musicians are doing with their respective instruments, but yet the songs are sing alongs as well.

My Favorite New Music From 2019:

- Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Really haven't paid attention to the Gallagher Bros. since Oasis. But Noel opened for Smashing Pumpkins and his band was great and the music caught me good. He's released several albums with this group, and over the past year has put out several EPs which probably add up to a proper record. Really good stuff!

- Liam Gallagher - Listening to Noel had me curious about Liam's new album, Why Me, Why Not?, that came out in 2019. And it's fantastic! No need to miss Oasis anymore, because your getting twice the output from the brothers G separately :) ....though there are rumors of an Oasis reunion on tap for this year. If so, I'd like new music.

- Michigander - Discovered Jason Singer, a.k.a. Michigander, opening for Pete Yorn. Listened to his 2019 EP, Where Do We Go From Here, and was totally moved by every note of it. This kid has great songcraft and melody and deserves to be heard by more people.

- Pete Yorn - Pete's new album, Caretakers, is moody and enchanting from start to finish. But the opening song, Calm Down, has me mesmerized. Wonderful album throughout.

- Night Dreamer - This is new duo of Smashing Pumpkins guitar player, JJ Schroeder, and a female singer, who make electronic rock that is eerie, yet calming. Very hooky and moody.

--What concerts or new music are you looking forward to in in 2020?--

Join me on Instagram if you are on that platform, as I am currently most active with my concert work there.

12/23/2019

TR3 - 2019-12-20 Space, Evanston, IL.

2019 Copyright - Bradley Todd Photography
All Rights Reserved.

12/15/2019

First time seeing Marcus King Band last night. And it won't be my last! Show was a barnburner!

Marcus has a fantastic voice and the band was very solid. Respect for a guy who brings a horn section out on the road.

New album coming out next month, so check it out soon, and see Marcus as soon as you can.

12/14/2019

Goose - 2019-12-12 Lincoln Hall - Chicago, IL.

Photo by Bradley Todd - Copyright 2019
All Rights Reserved.

11/05/2019

I don't strive to start a recap of a show with a gripe, but LA Guns have brought this on themselves. It started earlier in 2019, when the band saw fit to release one of the best, catchiest, most consistent, most rockin' albums of their career - The Devil You Know.

The album is 10 tracks (11 if you get the version with the bonus track, which I recommend) of gritty, trashy, perfectly played hard rock that's hook laden throughout. It's aces from the opening notes of the lead track, Rage, a rave up rocker, to the melancholic, yearning heartache of the closing ballad, Another Season In Hell.

And what lays in-between is excellent grooves and guitar work, and sing along choruses that harken back to the best of 80's style hard rock/metal...without feeling dated.

So what's my problem with the show? They only played two songs from this gem of an album - the album title track, and the fantastic Gone Honey, ignoring the previously mentioned album opener, Rage, and coulda/shoulda played Stay Away, Loaded Bomb, and Needle To the Bone.

I know, I know...most fans of bands whose most popular days were decades ago mainly go to the shows because they want to hear the hits they know. And when a group's new material sucks, I feel that way too. But when it doesn't, give it to me! This is the kind of album I'd like to hear in its entirety. At the very least, this album deserves more exposure than it got (see setlist, and full gallery below).

The good news is LA Guns still have magic left in the tank, and the old fans got the hits they desired. The show at the Apollo in Belvidere showed the band to be loose and seemingly having a good time on Halloween night, despite a stage monitor problem on guitarist, Tracii Guns', side of the stage that started during the first song and was still irking Guns at the end of the night, when he took matters into his own hands and tried yelling across the venue to the soundboard engineer to get his attention.

That gremlin notwithstanding, the show was notable for the exceptional performance by the band, which consists of the aforementioned Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns, along with rhythm guitarist Ace Von Johnson, bassist Johnny Martin, and drummer Scott Coogan. Phil's unique vocal tone and inflections and Tracii Guns' leads and solos were highlights, as were the group's strong backing vocals that added great texture and punch to the choruses. The band played with good energy, especially bassist Johnny Martin, and singer Lewis had fun with the crowd, donning a few Halloween inspired masks throughout the night.

SETLIST
1. Over The Edge
2. Mercy
3. S*x Action
4. The Devil You Know
5. Electric Gypsy
6. Some Lie 4 Love
7. Kiss My Love Goodbye
8. Gone Honey
9. I Wanna Be Your Man
10. Never Enough
11. Crystal Eyes
12. The Ballad of Jayne
13. One More Reason
14. Speed
15. Rip And Tear