This past Friday I, along with several hundred other 20-somethings relived our childhood when seeing the Backstreet Boys’ show at the House of Blues in Atlantic City. Having been performing for the past 15 years, the majority of them now in their 30s, those Boys proved that they still have it goin’ on.

Read more…

On the night of October 1st, 2005, I found myself inside the Hollywood Bowl enjoying one of my favorite bands, Queens of the Stone Age, as the main support to Nine Inch Nails. As smoke from the rampant forest fires across the Southland choked the autumn air, I witnessed a quick and clever set from Queens. It was also the only time I would see keyboard player Natasha Shneider perform in any capacity.

Natasha lost her battle with cancer on July 2nd of this year. To honor her memory and help recover some to the expenses from her fight, Queens of the Stone Age, along with some very special friends, put on a one-of-a-kind memorial Saturday night in Hollywood.

During the two-hour wait between doors and show, we were entertained by a DJ spinning rock over some European cinema. A common idea amongst the crowd was the idea that the film may have been a favorite of Natasha’s. Shortly after 9 p.m., we were greeted by the acoustic comedic heavy metal duo Tenacious D. The D played a very loose set, which lead axe slinger Kyle Gass dubbed their “Bonnaroo set.” With no planned set list, the five -song gig featured classic D songs like “Kielbasa,” “Wonderboy” and “F— Her Gently.”

Read more…

Dear members of Skeletonwitch, Early Man & Valient Thorr,

On behalf of the City of Angels, I feel it is my duty to apologize to all of you. I apologize that this city is filled with stupid scenesters who would rather act cool than be cool. Friday night, you came to the corner of Doheny and Santa Monica to share with us your various takes on the art of heavy metal. While some were thankful, most stood and looked on like a dog who was just shown a card trick. Even I was somewhat guilty of being one of these tools on this hot August night. What can I say? Even I sometimes fall victim to group think.

Now guys, I am the first to admit that I don’t know much about your bands. The little I do know was quick research done on the Internet during my last few hours of work. You see, one of my music-biz pals suggested to this movie-studio cubical warrior that we should celebrate the end of a long work week getting sloppy at your party.

Read more…

Shaun Morgan’s guitar fretboard has “Kill Me Now” written on it in aluminum-colored ink.

Every once in a while the lights would reflect off it and catch my eye.

It was a quirk of irony that the very next day I was to shoot the Darrell “Dimebag” Abbott tribute at Ozzfest. One artist very much alive, gunned down onstage, and the other so angst-filled he seemingly invites the same fate.

Read more…

One of the big events of Saturday’s Ozzfest was a four-song performance of song tributes to “Dimebag” Darell Abbott, the former Pantera/ Damageplan guitarist gunned down onstage by a wacked-out fan at a club in Ohio in 2004. Each song was performed by a different all-star tribute group, many artists making special provisions to appear.

I was able to positively identify all of the artists involved except the drummer on songs 1 and 2, who I suspect was Vinnie Paul Abbott, but I can’t prove it with a picture (it was tough to see the drummer from the pit). I also can’t prove Lars was there with a picture either. Below is the song list and the roster of each supergroup that performed:

Read more…

Just days after headlining two dates at the All Points West festival in Jersey City, Radiohead continued their tour by playing one last New Jersey date Tuesday night at Camden’s Susquehanna Bank Center. The venue was packed with fans who had started lining up hours before the show. By the time the band took the stage, the excitement could be felt everywhere, from the pit to the lawn.

Cheers resonated throughout the center as Radiohead took the stage and started the night with “15 Step,” the opening track from their latest album, In Rainbows. Fans danced and sang as frontman Thom Yorke bopped around the stage — and the energy only escalated as the band pulled out a “triple-drum attack” for its next song, “There There.”

Read more…

Is it rock? Is it techno? Does their recent departure from the indiest of labels, Saddle Creek, mean anything for their “new” sound? For the Omaha born and bred dance-rockers the Faint, a lot has been up in the air in anticipation of their newest album, Fasciinatiion, which dropped last week.

And naturally, there’s been a huge amount of speculation regarding their current tour. Well, all those fleeting thoughts were put to rest this weekend when the Faint took the stage, including frontman Todd Fink rocking a lab coat and goggles, bearing a strange resemblance to Doogie Howser. But I digress.

Read more…

I want to be embarrassed about the fact that I attended the Jonas Bros. concert last night. Really, I do. It was the first time I ever stood on the floor of the Garden and had to worry about the sight lines of the person behind me. And hey, I’m not saying I wouldn’t have gotten through it without a couple beers, but the boys put on a show. A real good show.

I was 12 once — I remember *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys and screaming inconsolably while my mother sat and quietly watched the show. So I won’t be a hypocrite and pretend I don’t know why these girls love the Jonases or that these kids aren’t talented and don’t deserve their success — just don’t expect an album collection or Nick Jonas poster on my wall anytime soon.

Check out all of bpe2101’s uploads at yourhere.mtv.com…

Want to see your photos and concert reviews here? Register at yourhere.mtv.com and start uploading!

Ozzfest 2008 landed in Pizza Hut Park just north of Dallas on Saturday, and the venue’s nickname of “The Oven” proved true as the near-sold-out crowd baked in the heat to check out bands like Witchcraft, Drowning Pool and Rigor Mortis, along with major headliners like Metallica, Serj Tankian and, of course, Ozzy Osbourne.

Though Ozzy’s set wasn’t the headliner slot, he proved to be a tough act to follow, thanks to a blistering 30-minute Zakk Wylde guitar solo and a set-closing fireworks display high above the arena. That’s not to say that Metallica were slouches with the pyro during their set.

Read more…

	Ozzfest went from being a tour to a one-off show this year, so for those of you who couldn’t make it to Frisco, Texas, the photographers of Club Kingsnake have got you covered.

Check out all of clubkingsnake’s uploads at yourhere.mtv.com…

Want to see your photos and concert reviews here? Register at yourhere.mtv.com and start uploading!