Alice in Chains
Support: the Pack A.D.
Date: Saturday August 23rd, 2014
Venue: Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario
T-shirt worn: Machine Head 'the Blackening' (may actually be the Halo shirt)
I had a pretty bad day leading up to the show. I went swimming with my boys and went under a few times too many. That led to a pretty bad pressure headache. Coupled with that after we got out I had one of the worst diabetic lows I've had in my life (1.6). So for about an hour I was pretty much near death.
Anyway...
Casino Rama is a pretty important place in Ontario's history. As far as I know it was the first non-reserve casino in Ontario. A ton have popped up since then but it was pretty monumental when it opened twenty years ago. It's been holding concerts ever since it opened. I've never been but most of the time it's usually...you know...your moms music (Air Supply, Ringo Starr, Deep Purple). So it mad me feel a little old and sad when it was announced that Alice in Chains were going to play there. But it happens. I'm sure someday Rings of Saturn will be doing the casino circuit. I've wanted to see Alice in Chains for years and it was a toss-up between this or seeing them in Hamilton last night. This won because it's closer. The place is really nice. It has video screens, which is awesome when you're old. The have ushers taking you right to your seat, which is great for me because I need my hand held through pretty much everything anymore. And the sound was nice. But the seats were uncomfortable. I actually hate seated shows anymore. Bill Cosby is performing here next week...and I wouldn't mind seeing him.
I didn't even know there was an opener. Some two piece from Vancouver called the Pack A.D. I've heard of them but I've heard so many opening acts these days that they have to be really good to catch my attention. I typed this review while they were playing. They had some decent songs and they were at least all short. But I've heard their style of blues-rock so much in the days since the White Stripes that it's pretty dead to me (unless Jack White is playing it).
Alice in Chains sounded great. I was really impressed by William Duvall. He was pretty good vocally. He doesn’t quite have that Layne Staley nasally delivery but he’s close enough. But where he really impressed me was on guitar. He did a lot of the leads that I figured were Jerrys. That was awesome. I was glad he played guitar too. The songs where he didn’t (which was most of the pre-Black Gives Way to Blue stuff) sounded just a little empty when Jerry broke for a solo. The harmonies between him and Jerry Cantrell were fucking epic too. They played a great mix of old and new. It was one of those sets where there were enough “hits” and enough of the newer album with not much left out. I really heard almost anything from them that I wanted to hear. There’s a song here and there but I can’t really complain about the set at all. Dam that River, Again, Nutshell, We Die Young, Down in a Hole and Rooster were the highlights for me. When the second verse of Down in a Hole hit I got chills. I don't care if it was in front of a crowd of five thousand people and half of them didn't want to be there, that was awesome.
That brings me to the crowd. They were pretty lame. It was a casino crowd like the guy who saw Megadeth play at the same venue last month and it was really kind of awkward to be a part of. I’m pretty subdued at shows but the rest of the crowd usually offsets me. Not this time. I think I was one of the very few people who actually knew who Alice in Chains was. There were fans there but they were outnumbered by casino patrons. It makes for a shitty experience. I don’t know why the casino does things like that and why the people even go. To tell the honest truth it was the worst crowd I’ve ever seen or been a part of. I’ve been in a casino crowd before but I was one of the outsiders looking in. It was Elton John last year in Vegas. But I at least paid for my ticket, clapped and didn’t LEAVE DURING FUCKING ROOSTER. It’s different when you’re a fan of a band in one of those crowds. I’ll go out of my way to never go to another casino show unless I have to.
Alice in Chains
1. Them Bones
2. Dam That River
3. Hollow
4. Check My Brain
5. Again
6. Your Decision
7. Man in the Box
8. Nutshell
9. Acid Bubble
10. We Die Young
11. Stone
12. It Ain’t Like That
13. No Excuses
14. Down in a Hole
[encore]
15. Got Me Wrong
16. Would?
17. Rooster
I'd see them again but in hindsight I should have gone to Friday's show and been with fans. But glancing on that set at setlist.fm this had the better set.
____________________________________________________________
Follow up:
I still hate this show to this day; all because of the crowd. I'll never forget "Hank Hill" sitting beside me with his hands in his armpits the entire show. Why would you even go? Yes, they were comped tickets and cost him nothing but why would you even go or why wouldn't you leave during the first song if you hated it that much? "Comped tickets". That pisses me off too because I paid sixty dollars to go to this show. And I had a seat pretty far back. Maybe that was my problem? I should have paid the extra and been closer. I bet the actual fans were in the closer seats and all the comped old people were in the back. But I think the closer seats were sold out when I went to buy tickets? Or maybe they weren't? I don't remember. I still want to forget this show.
Which is too bad as Alice in Chains were awesome. I still remember the look of disgust in Jerry Cantrells when he was looking out into this shit crowd. They haven't played here since (I don't think) and I pray that when they do they don't do a casino show again, because I'd see them again.
I have been to Casino Rama for a concert once more since, I saw Styx there a little over a year later. They were really good and I got seats in the third or fourth row. So we were with FANS and it made a world of difference. Plus Styx are more of a "casino band".
Still though this is one of my worst, most hated concerts of all-time.
Support: the Pack A.D.
Date: Saturday August 23rd, 2014
Venue: Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario
T-shirt worn: Machine Head 'the Blackening' (may actually be the Halo shirt)
I had a pretty bad day leading up to the show. I went swimming with my boys and went under a few times too many. That led to a pretty bad pressure headache. Coupled with that after we got out I had one of the worst diabetic lows I've had in my life (1.6). So for about an hour I was pretty much near death.
Anyway...
Casino Rama is a pretty important place in Ontario's history. As far as I know it was the first non-reserve casino in Ontario. A ton have popped up since then but it was pretty monumental when it opened twenty years ago. It's been holding concerts ever since it opened. I've never been but most of the time it's usually...you know...your moms music (Air Supply, Ringo Starr, Deep Purple). So it mad me feel a little old and sad when it was announced that Alice in Chains were going to play there. But it happens. I'm sure someday Rings of Saturn will be doing the casino circuit. I've wanted to see Alice in Chains for years and it was a toss-up between this or seeing them in Hamilton last night. This won because it's closer. The place is really nice. It has video screens, which is awesome when you're old. The have ushers taking you right to your seat, which is great for me because I need my hand held through pretty much everything anymore. And the sound was nice. But the seats were uncomfortable. I actually hate seated shows anymore. Bill Cosby is performing here next week...and I wouldn't mind seeing him.
I didn't even know there was an opener. Some two piece from Vancouver called the Pack A.D. I've heard of them but I've heard so many opening acts these days that they have to be really good to catch my attention. I typed this review while they were playing. They had some decent songs and they were at least all short. But I've heard their style of blues-rock so much in the days since the White Stripes that it's pretty dead to me (unless Jack White is playing it).
Alice in Chains sounded great. I was really impressed by William Duvall. He was pretty good vocally. He doesn’t quite have that Layne Staley nasally delivery but he’s close enough. But where he really impressed me was on guitar. He did a lot of the leads that I figured were Jerrys. That was awesome. I was glad he played guitar too. The songs where he didn’t (which was most of the pre-Black Gives Way to Blue stuff) sounded just a little empty when Jerry broke for a solo. The harmonies between him and Jerry Cantrell were fucking epic too. They played a great mix of old and new. It was one of those sets where there were enough “hits” and enough of the newer album with not much left out. I really heard almost anything from them that I wanted to hear. There’s a song here and there but I can’t really complain about the set at all. Dam that River, Again, Nutshell, We Die Young, Down in a Hole and Rooster were the highlights for me. When the second verse of Down in a Hole hit I got chills. I don't care if it was in front of a crowd of five thousand people and half of them didn't want to be there, that was awesome.
That brings me to the crowd. They were pretty lame. It was a casino crowd like the guy who saw Megadeth play at the same venue last month and it was really kind of awkward to be a part of. I’m pretty subdued at shows but the rest of the crowd usually offsets me. Not this time. I think I was one of the very few people who actually knew who Alice in Chains was. There were fans there but they were outnumbered by casino patrons. It makes for a shitty experience. I don’t know why the casino does things like that and why the people even go. To tell the honest truth it was the worst crowd I’ve ever seen or been a part of. I’ve been in a casino crowd before but I was one of the outsiders looking in. It was Elton John last year in Vegas. But I at least paid for my ticket, clapped and didn’t LEAVE DURING FUCKING ROOSTER. It’s different when you’re a fan of a band in one of those crowds. I’ll go out of my way to never go to another casino show unless I have to.
Alice in Chains
1. Them Bones
2. Dam That River
3. Hollow
4. Check My Brain
5. Again
6. Your Decision
7. Man in the Box
8. Nutshell
9. Acid Bubble
10. We Die Young
11. Stone
12. It Ain’t Like That
13. No Excuses
14. Down in a Hole
[encore]
15. Got Me Wrong
16. Would?
17. Rooster
I'd see them again but in hindsight I should have gone to Friday's show and been with fans. But glancing on that set at setlist.fm this had the better set.
____________________________________________________________
Follow up:
I still hate this show to this day; all because of the crowd. I'll never forget "Hank Hill" sitting beside me with his hands in his armpits the entire show. Why would you even go? Yes, they were comped tickets and cost him nothing but why would you even go or why wouldn't you leave during the first song if you hated it that much? "Comped tickets". That pisses me off too because I paid sixty dollars to go to this show. And I had a seat pretty far back. Maybe that was my problem? I should have paid the extra and been closer. I bet the actual fans were in the closer seats and all the comped old people were in the back. But I think the closer seats were sold out when I went to buy tickets? Or maybe they weren't? I don't remember. I still want to forget this show.
Which is too bad as Alice in Chains were awesome. I still remember the look of disgust in Jerry Cantrells when he was looking out into this shit crowd. They haven't played here since (I don't think) and I pray that when they do they don't do a casino show again, because I'd see them again.
I have been to Casino Rama for a concert once more since, I saw Styx there a little over a year later. They were really good and I got seats in the third or fourth row. So we were with FANS and it made a world of difference. Plus Styx are more of a "casino band".
Still though this is one of my worst, most hated concerts of all-time.
Do you like old people porn? Because I just put enough to fill an old folks home in the wrestling section!