Skid Row Review

Ok people, here is the story of Mistress and I seeing Skid Row at Birch Hill Friday night. So, we get to the Birch Hill and park the car. There is a small crowd hanging outside, but nothing major. We start to walk up and we realized the front door had a turnstyle, but we figure they probably have a regular door too. Anyway, this beautiful-tall, thin, long haired blonde (who knew?) roadie comes over to us and says "You know you might have some trouble at the front door" so I asked what he thought we should do, and he said, "Here, come in the band entrance(ramp)"and we were like cool! So, we get inside, and there's the stage, and bars on either side, and in the back. So, we go to the back one and lean there. Then mr. gorgeous says to me "Need to get your tix...come w/ me" I'm thinking-anywhere baby! So he takes me downstairs where I pay and get my wristband to drink. Go upstairs and we just hang out.

Little by little people start to come in, and they introduce the first band. They were GREAT!!! The bass player was really hot, but I was kinda intimidated-his hair was longer and prettier than mine---can't have that!! So, there are obviously a good deal of people there to see the opening act-fam & friends. So after they're done it's like 9:45 and they say the next band will be on in a few. So then I'm realizing skids aren't coming on until late. So, knowing we are going to be there a while I decided to get a drink. So, happily I return to Chris w/ a Molson in my hand! (I swear on my hair it has nothing to do w/ Sebastian-it's literally the ONLY beer I like) So, band #2 sucks, but we are just hanging out leaning against the back of the bar while the crowd grows.

So, after the next break this guy comes over and taps my arm. So I look up, and w/ the music of course I had no idea he was talking to me. So, he's holding this cd and telling me about the band, saying they are up next, and its' autographed by all the memebers, etc. So I look at him and getting ready for the catch ask how much, he leans over and says "Oh no honey, this is for you!" So I take it, say thank you very much, and give him a half hug/handshake. So he smiles and walks away. Then I see that they were actually SELLING the cds to everyone else. After repeating this info Chris goes-well, obviously he thought you were cute! So, the band (named Jester) comes on, and they are pretty damn good! (I listened to the cd today-it kicks ass!!!)

Then, yet another break, and a second Molson for me-and I say that's it. 2 drink maximum when I drive. And since Skids still weren't even on yet, I knew it would be a long time since that second drink that I'd be anywhere near the car. So...now we've got a full crowd-but by NO MEANS AT ALL is the place packed-no way near sold out. Lots of good-looking guys w/ tons of flying hair! I was in heaven!!!!! There was a baz look-alike who I could NOT take my eyes off of all night! mmm mmm

So, finally, Skid Row is annouced and they come on the stage and break right into RIOT ACT. They have a new drummer(again!), Snake & Rachel look like shit! Seriously, they look OLD and really bad. Scotti always looked like shit, so that was no surprise. Johnny isn't bad on the eyes, but his receding(sp?) hairline takes away from his look. So....they switch back and forth from new songs to old. The old were: 18 &Life, Quicksand Jesus, Get The Fuck Out, Mudkicker, Beat Yourself Blind, Monkey Business(no godzilla), I Remember You. The new songs were pretty good, and I respect them, cause it shows they are not just trying to make this guy a baz clone.

Now...on the old songs, Johnny is totally reaching for those high notes, that he just can't hit. Maybe if they transposed the music into his key it would help. Well...after he sang Get The Fuck Out(after telling the crowd that was his favorite off of the Slave To The Grind album) he goes, "man! didn't they make a great fuckin album w/ that?" He seems like a decent guy-very into the crowd getting as close as security would let him, posing for pics while singing, and kept saying things like"I have alway heard that jersey fans were the best and rocked the hardest! being a redneck texan I am so jealous of you people! You've had this band right here for so many years"

Well..I can't really say with much detail about Johnny's voice becasue the bass was up so high you could barely understand him or hear him for that matter. So, in all honesty I was able to get into the show a little bit. I mean these WERE the songs we love, ok so it was SEBASTIAN who made them what they are, but the music is the same and how could I stand there while my favorite songs are being played and keep still. Not possible. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't much more than me tapping my foot-not like I'd be at a bach show. So anyway, I give much credit to Beat Yourself Blind, because Johnny totally made his own version. Not to the point of it being like a different song, but to where there is no way to say he was copying Baz. I respect him for that. If he'd come out swinging the mic chord and trying to do the rest like our boy, I'd have been pissed.

So, the inevitable comes. I hear the acoustic guitar strum that opening. So, for the next 5 and a half minutes I stand frozen as I hear my favorite song in the world be butchered and completly put to death. For almost the whole last verse, and the ending choruses he had the audience singing cause he just Could NOT hit the notes. So, they end w/ a new song, but come back for encore. I was surprised to hear them break into Slave To The Grind.(i'm so used to baz opening w/ it i was shocked to think of it as an encore) So, it's very hard to be bad on that, and actually it sounded good. Then, as he's thanking the crowd he said "What song do you think is next?" and the crowd yells youth gone wild,so he goes, "this is for you YOUTH ::drum:: GONE ::drum:: WILD" then gets into it. people are jumping, pumping fists. so many people tripped over chris, and most apologized. this one big biker guy came over, and felt so bad he was hugging her, and kissing her hands offering to buy her a drink. he even hugged me and said sorry! after the show came back and was hugging her again asking if she was upset or anything cause people kept knocking into her. so...other than that, no one even gave us a dirty look. and there was a guy wearing a baz shirt too! and of the whole place only 3 skid shirts-all old ones w/ baz on them!!!

so...after the song, while they are saying thanks yous for some reason the crowd in front of me-just the direct line-parts like the red sea! snake is directly in front of me onstage, and i had just pulled my hair back cause i was hot and he's staring right at me. then, his eyes got wide and he did a quick double take. i glance away and back and he nods and gestures "shirt" by mouthing the word and tugging on his shirt sleeve. i am looking him right in the eye(from 20ft away) and he points to me and goes "sebastian bach!!! then, INTO THE MICROPHONE says very sarcastically-while still pointing-yeah, nice shirt lady!!" so i start to laugh, look at chris and say mission fuckin accomplished! so we are both hysterical at this point, and they are leaving the stage. we decide to wait til the crowd moves a bit to go back out the band entrance. so our biker friend yells to security to make the crowd move. lol

so we get outside and are still laughing. back in the car we discuss the show and johnny and both agree to rate them at a 6 on a scale to 10, giving a point to johnny's personality, and a point to him attempting to make his own niche in the songs. another point for them playing mostly new stuff, and the other two points because after all the songs we love were written mostly by them. then we agree that at places like this, w/ the whopping $12 to get in(lol) we'd see them again. at an arena or more than $15 bucks no friggin way!


	\| home back Skid Row Review 7-1-01 Ok people, here is the story of Mistress and I seeing Skid Row at Birch Hill Friday night. So, we get to the Birch Hill and park the car. There is a small crowd hanging outside, but nothing major. We start to walk up and we realized the front door had a turnstyle, but we figure they probably have a regular door too. Anyway, this beautiful-tall, thin, long haired blonde (who knew?) roadie comes over to us and says "You know you might have some trouble at the front door" so I asked what he thought we should do, and he said, "Here, come in the band entrance(ramp)"and we were like cool! So, we get inside, and there's the stage, and bars on either side, and in the back. So, we go to the back one and lean there. Then mr. gorgeous says to me "Need to get your tix...come w/ me" I'm thinking-anywhere baby! So he takes me downstairs where I pay and get my wristband to drink. Go upstairs and we just hang out. Little by little people start to come in, and they introduce the first band. They were GREAT!!! The bass player was really hot, but I was kinda intimidated-his hair was longer and prettier than mine---can't have that!! So, there are obviously a good deal of people there to see the opening act-fam & friends. So after they're done it's like 9:45 and they say the next band will be on in a few. So then I'm realizing skids aren't coming on until late. So, knowing we are going to be there a while I decided to get a drink. So, happily I return to Chris w/ a Molson in my hand! (I swear on my hair it has nothing to do w/ Sebastian-it's literally the ONLY beer I like) So, band #2 sucks, but we are just hanging out leaning against the back of the bar while the crowd grows. So, after the next break this guy comes over and taps my arm. So I look up, and w/ the music of course I had no idea he was talking to me. So, he's holding this cd and telling me about the band, saying they are up next, and its' autographed by all the memebers, etc. So I look at him and getting ready for the catch ask how much, he leans over and says "Oh no honey, this is for you!" So I take it, say thank you very much, and give him a half hug/handshake. So he smiles and walks away. Then I see that they were actually SELLING the cds to everyone else. After repeating this info Chris goes-well, obviously he thought you were cute! So, the band (named Jester) comes on, and they are pretty damn good! (I listened to the cd today-it kicks ass!!!) Then, yet another break, and a second Molson for me-and I say that's it. 2 drink maximum when I drive. And since Skids still weren't even on yet, I knew it would be a long time since that second drink that I'd be anywhere near the car. So...now we've got a full crowd-but by NO MEANS AT ALL is the place packed-no way near sold out. Lots of good-looking guys w/ tons of flying hair! I was in heaven!!!!! There was a baz look-alike who I could NOT take my eyes off of all night! mmm mmm So, finally, Skid Row is annouced and they come on the stage and break right into RIOT ACT. They have a new drummer(again!), Snake & Rachel look like shit! Seriously, they look OLD and really bad. Scotti always looked like shit, so that was no surprise. Johnny isn't bad on the eyes, but his receding(sp?) hairline takes away from his look. So....they switch back and forth from new songs to old. The old were: 18 &Life, Quicksand Jesus, Get The Fuck Out, Mudkicker, Beat Yourself Blind, Monkey Business(no godzilla), I Remember You. The new songs were pretty good, and I respect them, cause it shows they are not just trying to make this guy a baz clone. Now...on the old songs, Johnny is totally reaching for those high notes, that he just can't hit. Maybe if they transposed the music into his key it would help. Well...after he sang Get The Fuck Out(after telling the crowd that was his favorite off of the Slave To The Grind album) he goes, "man! didn't they make a great fuckin album w/ that?" He seems like a decent guy-very into the crowd getting as close as security would let him, posing for pics while singing, and kept saying things like"I have alway heard that jersey fans were the best and rocked the hardest! being a redneck texan I am so jealous of you people! You've had this band right here for so many years" Well..I can't really say with much detail about Johnny's voice becasue the bass was up so high you could barely understand him or hear him for that matter. So, in all honesty I was able to get into the show a little bit. I mean these WERE the songs we love, ok so it was SEBASTIAN who made them what they are, but the music is the same and how could I stand there while my favorite songs are being played and keep still. Not possible. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't much more than me tapping my foot-not like I'd be at a bach show. So anyway, I give much credit to Beat Yourself Blind, because Johnny totally made his own version. Not to the point of it being like a different song, but to where there is no way to say he was copying Baz. I respect him for that. If he'd come out swinging the mic chord and trying to do the rest like our boy, I'd have been pissed. So, the inevitable comes. I hear the acoustic guitar strum that opening. So, for the next 5 and a half minutes I stand frozen as I hear my favorite song in the world be butchered and completly put to death. For almost the whole last verse, and the ending choruses he had the audience singing cause he just Could NOT hit the notes. So, they end w/ a new song, but come back for encore. I was surprised to hear them break into Slave To The Grind.(i'm so used to baz opening w/ it i was shocked to think of it as an encore) So, it's very hard to be bad on that, and actually it sounded good. Then, as he's thanking the crowd he said "What song do you think is next?" and the crowd yells youth gone wild,so he goes, "this is for you YOUTH ::drum:: GONE ::drum:: WILD" then gets into it. people are jumping, pumping fists. so many people tripped over chris, and most apologized. this one big biker guy came over, and felt so bad he was hugging her, and kissing her hands offering to buy her a drink. he even hugged me and said sorry! after the show came back and was hugging her again asking if she was upset or anything cause people kept knocking into her. so...other than that, no one even gave us a dirty look. and there was a guy wearing a baz shirt too! and of the whole place only 3 skid shirts-all old ones w/ baz on them!!! so...after the song, while they are saying thanks yous for some reason the crowd in front of me-just the direct line-parts like the red sea! snake is directly in front of me onstage, and i had just pulled my hair back cause i was hot and he's staring right at me. then, his eyes got wide and he did a quick double take. i glance away and back and he nods and gestures "shirt" by mouthing the word and tugging on his shirt sleeve. i am looking him right in the eye(from 20ft away) and he points to me and goes "sebastian bach!!! then, INTO THE MICROPHONE says very sarcastically-while still pointing-yeah, nice shirt lady!!" so i start to laugh, look at chris and say mission fuckin accomplished! so we are both hysterical at this point, and they are leaving the stage. we decide to wait til the crowd moves a bit to go back out the band entrance. so our biker friend yells to security to make the crowd move. lol so we get outside and are still laughing. back in the car we discuss the show and johnny and both agree to rate them at a 6 on a scale to 10, giving a point to johnny's personality, and a point to him attempting to make his own niche in the songs. another point for them playing mostly new stuff, and the other two points because after all the songs we love were written mostly by them. then we agree that at places like this, w/ the whopping $12 to get in(lol) we'd see them again. at an arena or more than $15 bucks no friggin way! ~A Dirty Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste~ Evil Angel *****Go Read Krista's Skid Row Review In The Guest Writer Section******