2018 was an exceptional year for listening to live music. And I did my part to support my favorite bands.
February 9, a Friday. House of Blues, Cleveland, In This Moment. Took Number Two Son with me. Wow, their music is harder live than on their albums (is that how you refer to their downloads?). An outstanding stage show, which I wasn’t expecting but thoroughly enjoyed. Maria is a helluva performer and singer.
February 10, Saturday. Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center, Ypsilanti, Michigan. About 2-1/2 hours from Cleveland. Halestorm opens for Stone Sour. Went with Number One and Number Two Sons and my friend Matt. Came for Lzzy and Company, stayed for Stone Sour. Have seen and heard Halestorm on many occasions and they are one of my favorite bands. Stone Sour is a band that is much harder live than on their releases. That is not a bad thing. Pretty surprised by them as I’m not much of fan but I do know their music. Halestorm performed for only about 30-40 minutes, but ripped through many of their hits. The acoustics in the Convention Center are terrible. Oh, and it snowed whilst we were in the venue. A lot. Leaving wasn’t at all a good time. But we had a great time inside the venue.
Summer. Number One Son and I attended Halestorm, In This Moment, and New Years Day in Toledo. First time at Centennial Terrace. Really nice outside venue. They are very helpful when you park your vehicle. There is no one around to direct traffic when it’s time to leave. Perfect. But, the concert was awesome! Got to listen to a full set from both In This Moment and Halestorm and was introduced to New Years Day (downloaded their music when I got home). Beautiful evening and hard rock with my son. What more could I ask?
By now, you might be sensing a trend in my 2018 live music choices; female led hard rock bands.
Wait, what’s this?
Seether at the Cleveland Agora, with Number One Son. My first time seeing Seether, my first time at the Agora. Damn, the Agora is beautiful! It’s now my favorite venue in Cleveland, putting House of Blues into second place. Seether comes out and plays five songs in a row, no breaks between songs. Loved it! I’ve been a fan of theirs for quite some time, hard to believe this is the first time I’ve seen them live. It won’t be the last. Just an amazing time with an awesome band.
Finally, a few days after Thanksgiving, took Number One and Number Two Sons to see Halestorm, In This Moment, and New Years Day at Cleveland Masonic Auditorium. Same show as I saw in the summer, but much closer to home. The bands did not disappoint. It was another fine evening listening to hard rock and a great way to close out 2018 musically.
I don’t know who I will be seeing in 2019, but I am hoping that I have a lot of opportunities in the new year to hear more live music.
Rock on! \m/
Gregg Eldred 