I just returned from the incredible rock extravaganza that is the Moondance Jam in Walker, Minnesota. This was my first time attending the full 4 day event and I was reassured of the fact that the Moondance Jam truly is America's premier classic rock festival. The combination of great bands and great people makes for the best concert atmosphere anywhere. Seeing some of my favorite bands live on stage from the front row was a blast and every minute of the Jam experience was enjoyable. The Jam will continue to be my concert tradition for years to come.
On Thursday, The Guess Who began a bit late at about 5:13 and ripped into their set. The band sounded very good, and they covered the well known songs like "Bus Rider", "No Time", "No Sugar Tonight", "American Woman", and "These Eyes". After The Guess Who finished, the wait for the highly anticipated Sammy Hagar began. A red banner came down in front of us and it dropped when Sammy roared on stage with his signature hit "I Can't Drive 55". The crowd went wild for the Red Rocker, and he delivered an awesome set. Sammy turned 60 last year but he doesn't look a day over 40, and he sounds fantastic. He began with a great mix of his own hits and then worked into some Van Halen and Montrose material. Sammy did a great job of getting the crowd excited and of course paid plenty of attention to his eager fan club members behind him.
The crowd thinned significantly when Sammy finished his last song since Boz Scaggs and Crosby, Stills, and Nash were all that remained. After the fast-paced, party rock of Sammy Hagar, it was a different setting entirely for Boz Scaggs. The sky grew dark, and Boz Scaggs emerged on stage with his 8 piece band. Scaggs sounds just like he did back in the 1970s on hits like "Lowdown", "JoJo", and "Georgia". Lowdown sounded great as his opening song, but unfortunately some microphone problems emerged during Georgia. Scaggs tried to grab a different mic on the floor but it wasn't turned on, and it was tough to hear him through the rest of the song as technicians came on stage to fix the problem. The evening's slower pace continued with Crosby, Stills, and Nash at 11:20. Although I'm no CSN fan and I stand on the opposite side of the political spectrum, there was a lot more guitar jamming than I expected.
Friday was the big day at the Moondance Jam. Poison was headlining, and the anticipation began to build as soon as the local band Mountain Ash finished their set at 4:00 in the afternoon. Great White finally emerged at 6:10 and ripped into their set with "Call It Rock and Roll". Great White is one of my favorite bands and it was my second time seeing them live. Jack Russell once again sounded great on some of my favorite songs like "Face the Day" and "Can't Shake It". Both songs are very demanding vocally in parts, but Russell was able to hit most of the high notes which is quite impressive 20 years later. He is a very active front man and he did a great job of warming up the crowd.
Sebastian Bach rolled onto the stage next with an incredibly loud and energetic set. Bach first played his new cover song "Back in the Saddle", and you could hardly keep your eyes on him because he was constantly moving around, banging his head, jumping, or swinging his microphone wildly in the air. The crowd loved his onstage antics, and he was quite a sight to see. You really couldn't hear him a whole lot, but he still sounds quite good on "I Remember You". One memorable moment during the show was after Bach sang "I Remember You" when he addressed the Minnesota crowd by saying: "We Love You Wisconsin". The Minnesotans booed this quite heavily, but I have a feeling Bach wasn't sure which state to correct himself with so he just continued on and ignored it. It has to get crazy on the road, but he really should get his states straight if he wants to say them during the show!
Sweet played their set from 9:10 to 10:20 and I have to say that I just wasn't impressed. This version of the band has one original member, Steve Priest, and the other 4 musicians were assembled by Priest this spring for the band's maiden voyage across the United States. They were good musicians, no doubt, but the vocalist for the band was extremely hard to hear and it seems like his microphone was barely turned up. After Sweet, the crowd knew it was time for POISON. The band finally roared on stage with an elaborate introduction complete with pyrotechnics and projection screens and of course the opening track "Look What the Cat Dragged In" in which Bret emerged from behind Rikki Rockett's drum set on a large platform. Fire blasted and explosions bursted throughout the entire show as Poison rolled through their catalog of hits. Bret Michaels and C.C. DeVille received the loudest crowd response as they sang and soloed respectively.
The show was very fun overall and C.C. is an incredible guitarist who was constantly jamming out during the entire set. Bret dedicated a song to the troops and invited the center camera man, who was a Marine, onto the stage to film from behind. It's always great when a band acknowledges the service of our armed forces. Friday was a huge night at Moondance and Poison did a great job of finsihing it off with their array of hits, huge stage presence, and true "rock star" personas.
Saturday was the grand finale to the incredible Moondance Jam Sizzln' 17. It was a slow build up for me since I'm not a fan of the Gear Daddies or Kenny Wayne Shepherd, but both acts put on a nice show. The Gear Daddies aren't my style at all so I really can't write an objective review here. (I'm a melodic rocker, not a folk rocker.) Kenny Wayne is an incredible talent and his band helps him showcase his amazing skills on the stage.
Then at 8:59 PM, the madness began with the legendary Styx taking the stage. The band opened with one of rock's best keyboard riffs - "Blue Collar Man", and they continued through the night with a parade of hits including "Suite Madame Blue", "Lady", "Foolin' Yourself", and so many more. The band is a well-oiled touring machine and every member is very animated on stage. Tommy Shaw's voice was incredible as always, but great also were the voices of James "JY" Young and last but certainly not least Lawrence Gowan, who had the tough job of covering the DeYoung tracks. Nearly every Styx hit involved the three guitarists: Shaw, Young, and Ricky Phillips, getting together for a great jam in the middle of the stage.
This was my second time seeing Styx in just a month - the first was at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minnesota. I was amazed both times, particularly at Moondance when they added three more songs to the set: "Suite Madame Blue", "Lady", and "Everything All in One". The band's performance of Madame Blue was amazing; Lawrence Gowan is an incredible vocalist with a great stage presence. Throughout the show there were plenty of guitar picks to be had, but most were blown right back at the band by the fierce and cold wind. The wind was so cold that while Tommy Shaw was out talking to the crowd, keyboardist Gowan could be seen trying to warm up his nose by holding his hands to his face.
As usual, Lawrence Gowan also was the band's photographer - he walked around and took pictures and then threw them into the crowd. Since I was front and center he tried to throw one to me, but it blew away with the wind right back up on stage. Fortunately, Lawrence didn't forget about me! When the band walked out for the encore with Styx frisbees and other items that blow easily in the wind, Gowan brought his heavy water bottle marked with "GOWAN". He came out, looked right at me and threw it, and I was able to catch it. It was such a fun moment, and thank you to Lawrence Gowan for giving me my first piece of concert memorabilia.
You can't ask for more than a band that loves their fans and puts on a tremendous show every time, and that is exactly what you get with Styx. My friend said that it was the most incredible show he's ever seen, and I can see why. There was never a dull moment with Styx on stage at Moondance. Whether you were watching Lawrence Gowan play the keys while facing away from the keyboard, Shaw, Young, and Phillips jamming out and playing each others guitars, or Todd Sucherman pound his heart out on the drums, you were being entertained! Styx is a band that should be invited back again and again because they always deliver.
Although it was near impossible to top the performance of Styx, George Thorogood had a great set as well. He is a very unique front man who wowed the Moondance crowd with his stage maneuvers and crazy guitar licks. He was prepared for the bitter cold evening as he sported a poncho and pranced around the stage with his guitar. The show was very relaxed and consisted of a nice mix of Thorogood's hits over the years. "Bad to the Bone", "Move It on Over", "I Drink Alone", and "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" were all completed before the encore.
The Destroyers sounded great as well, and the Saxophone was fantastic. I think the Sax could be turned up even more for maximum effect during songs like "I Drink Alone". Even though most of Lonesome George's songs are about alcohol and he advertises The Destroyers as "The World's Greatest Bar Band", he made it a point to discourage drinking and driving. George still looks good even at 57 years old and he was truly the life of the party at Moondance as he closed an incredible weekend of rock.
The whole festival is incredibly organized and fun. The people are great and the atmosphere is like no other. I will be back at Moondance for years to come, thank you to Bill and Kathy, the Jam's organizers, for creating such an awesome event. Jam 18 here we come!
Check out the pictures I shot from the front row here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/melodicrockconcerts/
Here is a link to the videos I shot: http://youtube.com/profile_videos?user=melodicrockconcerts
