Tower of Power

If a mere few words could best sum up the ethos of Tower Of Power, affectionately known as T.O.P., they would be East Bay Grease, the title of their debut record in 1970. It salutes their origin and the fact that they have the punch and ferocity of a mean muscle car cruising the streets of Oakland. It’s one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S. to do so, but then this band is quite a threat as well. Forty-two years after being founded, the guys are playing in top form, although not moving around on stage quite as much as they did in their twenties, especially on the relatively small stage of the crowded but intimate setting of BB King’s.

This is a band that’s all about the music. For minimal visual effect, the horn section will occasionally sway their instruments in unison for a few seconds, which helps to punctuate their lines. During a minute or two of one song,  (I don’t recall which) baritone saxophonist “Doc” Kupka does a frantic and funny dance. Other than these sorts of brief excursions, there’s little in the way of any real “show” elements. Singer Larry Braggs talks to the audience only a bit, which is all that seems appropriate. Original members Francis “Rocco” Prestia (bass) and David Garibaldi (drums) make a highly formidable and admired rhythm section, and lay down an intricate foundation for everyone else to perform over. Garibaldi can hardly be seen behind his good looking, custom Yamaha kit and array of shiny symbols, and Prestia is at the back of the stage, just to the right of the drums from the audience’s perspective. It’s clear that he’s concentrating intently and hardly moves, as his job is quite demanding. He’s a quiet and rather shy man anyway, so this surely suits him fine. While this dynamic duo are behind the others in physical placement, it’s them that propel everything. They’ve both said that they instantly meshed together extremely well upon first getting together, and continue to have a musical relationship that’s mutually rewarding.

Shinedown

When I heard that Shinedown was doing an acoustic tour I thought, “Well this could be interesting”. Having worked on tours with bands doing acoustic songs I knew it could be hit or miss in a big way. By the time the first song had finished I knew this Shinedown show was going to be something special. The show on November 30th at the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee, WI, was not only well performed, but was a rare, open book about the band and the story behind the songs. The show also felt like a rebirth for singer Brent Smith, as he described his struggles with drug addiction and his new found sobriety. There was no doubt that Shinedown loves what they do, at times being called the hardest working band in Rock and Roll. There is something to be said when the crowd is brought to their feet during an acoustic show, but when you take into account the list of hits Shinedown brings to the table, it’s no wonder the crowd at the Riverside clearly loved every minute of it.

Jamey Johnson

Often credited as the Outlaw Country singer who will save Country Music from the “new country” that Nashville is pumping out, Jamey Johnson came to Milwaukee and proved he is much more than that.
Johnson opened his set with crowd favorites “High Cost Of Living”, “Angel” and “Lonely At The Top”. These hits brought fans to their feet where many stayed for most of the show.

With two back to back Grammy nominated albums, “That Lonesome Song” and the recently released double album “The Guitar Song”, this singer/songwriter has more than enough of his own material to fill a concert set. But instead of playing only from his own impressive song list, Johnson sang several covers. These included songs from country greats like Merle Haggard, Ray Price, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams and Waylon Jennings along with rousing renditions of rock songs made famous by ZZ Top (“La Grange”) and Bob Seger (“Here I Am On The Road Again”).

Lifehouse

When you think of bands with longevity, you may easily forget that Lifehouse has been releasing music since 2000. With their latest release, Smoke and Mirrors, the band adds to an already impressive list of well written, catchy songs. Its easy to see why the fans love Lifehouse. Between an endless list of songs that stick in your head to a polished live show they give you every dollars worth, and I would argue even more.

Sevendust

There are few things worse than being excited about a band who has a great CD but when it comes time to deliver it live they fall short. With Sevendust, I am happy to say that is never a problem. In the tradition of other legendary touring bands such as Pantera, Sevendust brings the music to a new level during their live shows. From the stage at Woodstock, to the smaller sized venues like First Avenue, its all about the music and the fans. Sevendust gives 100 percent to their fans, and by the reaction at First Avenue, the fans loved every minute of it. With crushing songs like Denial, to the pit fueling Black, it is one solid song after another.