The Final Big Day Out

I learnt to play guitar because of this guy

Jimmy Jangles Reviews the Final Big Day Out

20th January, Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland, NZ

Well, the 2012 BDO turned out to be the final Auckland one as the economics of the event were no longer there. The immediate response to that was book better bands.....

This year the BDO organisers changed things up by reducing the main stages to only one with a second, smaller stage for 'in between' acts. This was an epic fail and totally ruined the feel and vibe of the event when compared to past years. Living End aside, there were no truly quality bands until  Kasabian, Soundgarden and Noel Gallagher made their marks on the day.

This is not to say other bands like Cage the Elephant weren't great, it was more of where's the bands like New Order, Placebo, Rage Against the Machine, Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails on the set to support Soundgarden on the mainstage??

Here's my thoughts on the bands I saw:

 Soundgarden - loved them - they played a greatest hits package with a few less well known songs. Kym got all the right notes, Cornell was in fine form, that drummer from Pearl Jam was stonkin' and the bass was heavy as a rock to your head.

Kasabian - never listened to their music before but they sounded like they were the business. The crowd loved them and they had a sweet sound. 

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Noel was the reason why I went to BDO and I went home a happy man. He played a good mix of Oasis and solo songs in his set but the inclusion of three b-sides was enough to make this fan die happy.

My Chemical Romance - I love these little fuckers (despite their emo tag) it was a real shame they had terrible sound. The Black Parade was a real highlight. 

Cage The Elephant - nice, fiesty band from Kentucky. Played their guts out - sounds like they had some tunes I'd better check out!

Gin Wigmore - she's got the sass and the tunes to back it up. Like MCR she suffered a terrible sound mix. Her cover of The Animal's House of the Rising Sun was a most bizzare thing but it kind of worked, and at the least was a performance that will stick out in the memory.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra - saw one song and they were shit. The Mint Chicks should never have broken up.

Battles - Saw two songs, they had a damn good groove going on. 

Cut Off Your Hands - who the fuck booked this band?

Mariachi El Bronx - who the fuck booked a Mariachi band? Completely the wrong music for a main stage BDO band but the lead singer was entertaining and the music sound good. 

Beastwars - utter fucking rubbish. Not mainstage material. The front man must have taken too many drugs in his youth. You'd have been better off getting a locally popular covers band.

The Living End - I love this band so was pleased they played a few classic hits. Good energy all round and they did a cover of Nirvana's Breed with Jon Toogood (from Shihad) - an absolute classic BDO moment, one I'll never forget. 

Tony Hawk Skate Jam Show - Tony and his boarders got some great air time and actually had a big audience than Midnight Youth which is not thattttt surprising.

I Am Giant - we got filmed for their video they were doing but didn't appear to make the cut. Sad face! Never heard them before but they played some good songs at the end of their set after a same same start. Lead Singer seemed have what it takes to be a good show man - they suffered from being on shitty smaller main stage.

Cavalera Conspiracy - I don't care if these were the boys from Sepultura, this kind of music sucks.

Regurgitator - I like their old stuff better than their new stuff but these guys were pretty shit live. They sound nothing like their recorded music - playing rap songs about licking assholes has it's place but when you have bigger hits and you're not playing them, you've missed the point of Big Day Out. 

Parkway Drive - music was a similar style to Cavalera Conspiracy but was was impressed that they were a pretty tight unit. 

Midnight Youth - I thought this band was over-rated before I heard them and nothing changed for me. Lead singer seems like a real dick. 

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds Review by Jimmy Jangles

The second song on Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds is titled ‘Dream On’. It’s a punchy tune that suggests Oasis fans can dare to dream on that Noel can continue to produce great music without the vocal contribution of estranged brother Liam (and vice versa as Beady Eye’s debut album wasn’t too shabby).

If you’ve ever wondered what Oasis would be like without Liam, you only ever had to listen to some of that band’s classic b-sides like The Masterplan and Talk Tonight. Now, High Flying Birds however is your chance to here some A-side material in quantity. Similar in tone to Dig Out Your Soul, High Flying Birds runs along at an even pace backed by a crew of usual suspects such as Dave Sardy and Marc Rowe.

Noel appears to have progressed as a lyricist – they seem to be slighty more introspective than standard Oasis fare – whereas Wonderwall and Champagne Supernova’s lyrics were meanders slowly down the ‘hall of whatever’, songs like The Death of You and Me and X strongly hint at real moments that have occurred in Noel's life.

The Death of You and Me (lyrics) is a nice wee tune, harking back to arguably Oasis’ last genuine hit, The Importance of Being Idle. Underneath the song is a nice basic guitar chord progress but it's wrapped in the usual sounds of Beatles-esque horns and trumpets. The more you listen, the more you’ll perhaps come to enjoy this as a classic Noel Gallagher song.

‘AKA What a life’ is a cracking single. Governed by a strong piano riff and drum beat, Noel is in fine form. If one had to compare it to a prior Oasis track, Falling Down jumps out, though I feel this is a better song. It has a good video too – The Death of You and Me has a matching video. Watch them together for an interesting story featuring Noel’s buddy Russell Brand.

Stop the Clocks (remember that name?) is a fine album closer - clearly written  by Noel when Oasis was still Oasis and it should have been a song sung by Liam - it's screaming out for his vocals.

Thanks to the development of the MP3, these days artistic output is often consumed song by song – fans would be doing themselves a dis-service if they only listened to the singles – this is a fine album, consistently enjoyable the whole way through – with no filler tracks as the odd recent Oasis album has been guilty of.

Noel should be proud of his debut solo effort, positive sales suggest so as well. 

I'm hanging out to see Gallagher's Big Day Out show Auckland next week!

Originally published on The Swampsong as: JJ Reviews: Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds debut album

Fathers and Mothers - What U2 has to say about them

U2 songs about Mothers and Fathers

All good song writers tap their family tree for lyrical inspiration now and then. There's been plenty of popular songs that feature lyrics about parents and their children. A classic example is Cat Steven's Father and Son.

It's with no great surprise then that Bono has chosen to reveal insights to his feeling about his family in a few of U2's songs. Here's some thoughts about a selected few...

Mofo

Mofo was sixth single flogged from the supposedly terrible Pop, album the lyrics in part refer to Bono's beloved mother, whom he lost at the age of fourteen.


Mothers of the Disappeared

The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, is a unique organization of Argentine women who have become human rights activists in order to achieve a common goal. For over three long decades, the Mothers have fought for the right to re-unite with their abducted children. It was this work that inspired Bono's lyrics.

Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own

The lyric was written by Bono as a tribute to his father, Bob Hewson, who died in 2001. Bono sang this at his funeral. In the video for the song it was prefaced with the following from Bono "My father worked in the post office by day and sang opera by night. We lived on the north side of Dublin in a place called Cedarwood Road. He had a lot of attitude. He gave some to me - and a voice. I wish I'd known him better." On Your Own song shares similar parental sentiments as found in Kite from the All That You Can't Leave Behind album.

Tommorrow

The October album was definitely Bono on channeling and challenging his spiritual side - Tomorrow sees him exploring his thoughts around his mother's death and the spectre of her possibly meeting Jesus.

The First Time 

A song from the Grammy Award winning album, Zooropa, The first verse of this the First Time hints sentiments of falling in love for the first time or perhaps truly, madly, deeply falling for someone - the lyric "I have a lover, a lover like no other" suggests the later perhaps is true.

The second verse refers to the love of a brother who would do anything for his sibling - the word brother could easily stand in for friend here as well. 

The final verse talks of the love between a father and son that perhaps has gone sour. Collectively these three different settings make for a great story and makes you wonder what kind of person is telling this story and how do those elements relate to one another? Indeed, there's almost a hint of the Prodigal Son story surrounding the entire fabric of the song. 

I believe in Father Christmas

Written by Greg Lake, I Believe in Father Christmas with a view to making a critque about how Christmas had changed from being a celebration of peace on earth and goodwill to all men, into one huge and disgusting orgy or shopping.

Done with this page? Want to know more about some other U2 lyrics? Check out 10 U2 Love Songs.

Real meanings of 5 U2 lyrics

The Real Meaning of 5 U2 Song Lyrics

To my mind, a really good song is one which has hidden depths - and those depths can usually be found in the lyrics. A classic rock song, can say anything and mean everything. Look at Oasis's Wonderwall lyrics for example. It's basically a love song but without really actually meaning anything - Here's 5 U2 song lyrics that have some real meaning, and with perhaps some devilish bite to them.

God Part II

People often wonder why this song is called Pt II as they've never heard of a U2 song called God before. It's actually intended as a sequel to John Lennon's song called God. John Lennon's song refers to things he didn't believe in such as Hitler - Bono's version also refers to things that he also doesn't believe in but also goes on to refer to how pissed he was at the author Albert Goldman who wrote an unflattering biography of Lennon (and also a bio of Elvis, and given U2's love of Elvis, I'm not surprised Bono made the reference).

Sunday Bloody Sunday 

This one is a pretty obvious song, but newer U2 fans may not realise the real meaning of this song. It's an exploration of the conflict that can exist between the State, it's people and when religion gets thrown into the mix. Inspired by two terrible occasions where soldiers shot civilians in Northen Ireland - the lyrics capture these moments crisply by invoking the cross fire that occurred between Ireland's conflicting religions and the military acttion that was taken - an by extension the State's role in the massacres.

Walk On

This is one of those songs that stray into the say anything, mean anything territory but U2 have but some real context around it to to ensure that it's lyrics are not misunderstood. Dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi, this song is a freedom song, dedicated to the exponent of democracy and freedom in Mynamar. Poignantly during the 360 degree tour, U2 played this song at every concert and had supporters of Amnesty International come out on to the stage to show their support for Aung San Suu Kyi and U2's support for the people of Mynammar and their efforts to become a truly democratic society.


Spanish Eyes

Despite stealing lyrics from "She's a rainbow" by the Rolling Stones, Spanish Eyes is a love song to Bono's wife Ali - and she is actually Irish thus confusing the heck out of many U2 fans. This b-side from The Joshua Tree era kind of complements The Sweetest Thing in the sense that it was also a b-side and also a love letter to Ali.

Zooropa

Zooropa is a really crazy song that opens the album of the same name. Some fans have been confused by the lyrics of the song - they seem so mumble jumbled and make no sense. The real meaning of the song can be determined when you realise the lyrics are a hodge podge of slogans from famous brands. Zooropa's lyrics have a running theme of irony, tying in the "media overload" themes of the Zoo TV Tour into the context of a post-Berlin Wall Europe. The song's lyrics touch on how modern technology can unite people as well as separates  them from each other.

Want more? check out U2 lyrics that explore Jesus, Yahweh and The Good Book.

The Best of Gears of Halo 2011

I've really enjoyed writing for Gears of Halo this year – ocassionally I even wrote some original articles!

Sometimes I simply copied cos play pictures from the internet, wrote some gobble-de-gook around them and you loved them. It’s true what they say about the internet and commerce – sex sells eh?

Originals:

What could Gears of War 4 offer gamers? - What becomes of the Gears franchise now the Trilogy is done?
Quit bitching about paying for DLC you already have - and just play the game sucker.
Two Cranes and a Halo short film - Wellington. It rocks. So does PJ.
Have you noticed? - well have you?
I heart you Bungie - I declare my love for Bungie. To date my love is unrequited. Did I spell that right?
Gears of War 3's Insane Mode – I wax lyrical about the awesomeness that is Gears of War’s Insane Difficulty setting. Do try it.

Popular posts cosplay posts:

Mystique Nude Cosplay Photos
Harley Quinn Cosplay Costumes
Body Painted Mass Effect Girls Nude
Body Painted Super Heroines - Does it mean they are nude?
Power Girl Cosplay Outfits
Jean Grey / Dark Phoenix Cos Play Photos

Game Reviews:

I only buy very few new games – I tend to stick to what I know – suffice to say here’s the new games I played this year:

Bioshock 2 – the sequel to Bioshock did the deed and held up as a very solid sequel.
Gears of War 3 – Gears 3 come out and kicked some ass.
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary – Halo CE Redux has a lot going for it!
Mass Effect 2 – I was late to the party on this game but it was a great party!

Concept Art work:

I love concept art – seeing where ideas have come from and how they ended up in a game (or movie etc) is pretty cool.

Turned out Issac Hannaford knows how to draw a good Cortana
Halo Concept Art by various Bungie Artists - A round up of some Halo concept art
Levi Hoffmeier's Halo Concept Art
Halo 4 Concept Artwork by 343 – concept art as a promotional piece for Halo 4? Brilliant and novel marketing approach.
Mark Goldsworthy Reach Concept Art
Halo artwork by Paul Russel

Favourite Posts:

These posts are favourites because they are amusing or perhaps represented a cool thing that happened in the gaming universe this year.

Should Sheppard and Ashley Williams get back together? - This is a real issue people!
Star Trek Fans Nude Bike Ride WTF? – Trekies seem to love this page….
Top 10 Worst Cos Play Costumes Fails
Halo 4 announced at E3
Bungie's MMO is ONI
Destiny: Is Bungie making a MMO?
HBO indirectly confirms Destiny ;) 

So what was your favourite post this year - and that can be from any where! See you in 2012 - now doubt with some full halo glory in the vein of Halo 4!

'ello Guv

Blacks Caps amaze everybody, including themselves

Nice try lads. 

For the first time since 1993 the Black Caps have beaten Australia in a test match! After a first innings collapse for a total of 150 runs, me and the rest of NZ's long tormented fans wrote off the team expecting another hiding from the Aussies. I even tweeted "you hurt me #blackcaps, you hurt me" but there's no pain now, just a bit amazement and happiness for NZ cricket.

NZ has a history of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and it looked like they were at it again when they collapsed again in their second innings but the Black Cap bowlers made great use of a swinging ball to run through the Australian order.

Despite a fantastic effort from David Warner who made a confident century, the defiant last wicket stand of 34 was just 7 runs shy of winning and when Brendon Bracewell bowled Nathan Lyon, the result was a fine win for NZ and as it turns out, the 9th closest victory margin in the history of test cricket.

Well done Black Caps, just when I thought you couldn't do any worse, you couldn't have done any better!

It's the Bono leading the blind blondes

What rhymes with achtung?

The one thing that truly stands out for me when thinking about the brilliance of U2 is not their songs, the drums, or riffs. Nor is it the hype and hyperbole of one of the world's most popular bands but their lyrics.

Bono has written the vast majority of U2's lyrics and in many of them you can find some true gems of penmanship, little sparkles of lyrical bliss that took a good song and put it into the territory of musical greatness.

I suggest that while some non U2 fans take any chance to diss Bono, they would be really grumpy buggers if they denied that Bono was a great lyricist.

Like a good poet, Bono's lyrics feature a whole range of subjects - love and loss, drugs, faith, faith in drugs, gods, Elvis and other monsters and of course, politics and it's prisoners. This work leaves ample room for an inquiry into U2's lyrics, especially when The Edge chips in the odd song.

So what are Bono's best lyrical moments and qualities? What's his inspiration for putting pen to paper.  What makes Bono's lyrics so well received by millions of listeners and readers around the world? I can't speak for any one else but I thought I could share 10 U2 songs which I think highlight Bono's mastery of his craft. Some of thing are simply clever word plays, others are stories of delight and irony - a thing which Bono and the boys were very heavy on in the 1990's. Trabants on stage anyone?

10 songs that show Bono's lyrical qualities

One

Perhaps second only to With Or Without you in terms of popularity, it is arguably U2's finest song and I believe the lyrics are what make this so - I think this is because it's one of those songs where the lyrics can mean anything and everything to anyone.

At work last week a manager did a pop quiz and asked what this song was about. The answers varied from 'it's about a gay couple' or 'two torn lovers'. I think Bono's actually on record in the U2 by U2 book as One being a song about a couple that's breaking up. But that doesn't matter as its words are universal and have been taken to heart by so many U2 fans - indeed some have even had it as their wedding song which I'm sure would be a delicious irony for Bono. 

The Wanderer

"They say they want the kingdom but they don't want God in it". I think that's Bono perfectly capturing the wishes of so many of us. We want the nice things, but aren't prepared to put in the effort. Or something. For me, The Wanderer always seemed like some post apocalyptic dream - and it's perhaps a sign of a great song where it allows you to shape your own thoughts and fantasies around it (well when Bono mentions the 'atomic sky', that's nice nudge). Indeed, the whole of Zooropa's lyrics seem to take me to a strange other world, where in some places it's OK to feel numb or taste the lemon but spit out antifreeze.

Original of the Species

The title is suggestive of what's to come in this song, a play on Darwin's epic work about evolution - the song's lyrics are possibly a father looking at his daughter's own evolution from - child to woman. The second half is more likely Bono singing to his wife (and the message in the first half could also before her) - either way both, themes are heartwarming.

If God Will Send His Angels

'Blind leading the blond' is perhaps my favourite U2 line ever. It's just a cleverly simply play on words. Bono does that trick a fair bit in the Pop album - an almost too cute example is from The Playboy Mansion which opens with the lyric "If Coke is a mystery, and Micheal Jackson, history..." which was a nice play on the failing career of Jackson and a play on the name of his Greatest Hits album.

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Bono defiantly wears this song's lyrics on his sleeve. A song about soldiers shooting civilians in Northen Ireland - the lyrics capture the moment crisply by invoking a cross fire between religion and the military (and by extension the State) and the sad consequences when both collide.  Featuring a fine use of  a marching drum beat by Larry Mullen, the song's chorus is a defining moment for Bono - it was one of U2's first truly popular 'classic' songs and it many ways this song defined U2 as a band that could carry some political weight.

Until the End of the World

"In my dream I was drowning my sorrows
But my sorrows, they learned to swim
Surrounding me, going down on me
Spilling over the brim

Waves of regret and waves of joy
I reached out for the one I tried to destroy
You, you said you'd wait
'Til the end of the world"

Simply one of Bono's finest song writing moments. Water is commonly used as a metaphor life yet here's Bono drowning in his sorrows. The song can be seen as a obvious story about how Judas betrayed Jesus and thus seen as one of those "U2 going on about God and spiritually" type songs but as with all good lyrics they can mean anything. I tend to see this one more of a dramatic break up between two lovers where the relationship perhaps has been bit one sided.

The Wanderer

"They say they want the kingdom but they don't want God in it". I think that's Bono perfectly capturing the wishes of so many of us. We want the nice things, but aren't prepared to put in the effort. For me, The Wanderer always seemed like some post apocalyptic dream - and it's perhaps a sign of a great song where it allows you to shape your own thoughts and fantasies around it (well when Bono mentions the 'atomic sky', that's nice nudge). Indeed, the whole of Zooropa's lyrics seem to take me to a  strange other world, where in some places it's OK to feel numb or taste the lemon but spit out antifreeze.

Please 

Not a hugely popular song on release as a single but I think time has shown that Please was a fine song from U2's Pop album. Lyrically it was a political plea, invoking the captains of Irish politics to sort their messes out. The listener would perhaps know the song had political connotations if they had seen the cover which featured Gerry Adams and other elected leaders - however this stanza effectively leaves no stone unturned as Bono thows a rock in the air to hit home the issues:

Your Catholic blues, your convent shoes
Your stick-on tattoos, now they're making the news
Your holy war, your northern star
Your sermon on the mount from the boot of your car

Strong stuff from an album many people were quick to write off.

Get on Your Boots

One could be forgiven for thinking that Get on Your Boots was simply a throw away song by U2 ( indeed one wonders why they released it as the first single from No Line on the Horizon when Magnificant probably would have given them a hit single) however the lyrics of this song run deep. Almost a stream of consciousness, tripping through it's seemingly nonsensical words but when Bono writes "I don’t want to talk about the wars between the nations" he's saying everything.

All I Want is You

This is Bono's finest love letter he has ever written. The closing from Rattle and Hum is simply a man tell a woman how he loves her - it's perhaps not the happiest song with undertones suggesting things may have gone awry - indeed the tremendous coda at the end suggests a passionate love affair being ripped apart by uncaring forces. A good lyric deserves a fine musical backing and All I Want is You has it in spades.

Summary

So that was my attempt to highlight some of the fine lyrical qualities and charms that Bono and U2 have to offer. Of course with any interpretation of songs, the whole exercise is a subjective journey, indeed a musical journey that could have stopped at a completely different set of songs.

Bono is a bit of a lyrical magpie. He steals lines from the bible and riffs on the work of others (such as when he tried to write a sequel of sorts to John Lennon's 'God') to make his point. But he does that and gets his unique messages across to the listener very well.

If someone hasn't already printed a book featuring all of U2's lyrics, they surely will as they serve as some fine literature in their own right. Throw in some politcal rallying and a little love making and there's a best seller book of poetry on your hands....

What are your favourite lyrical moments from U2?


Other pages you may be interested in:

• U2 commentary on American politics
• 10 U2 Love songs
• U2: politics and nuclear bombs
• Bono on Jesus in U2 lyrics

Piranhas eat Brazilian swimmers at beach

This picture has no relevance to the story other than being awesome

This news report suggests there's a school of hungry pirahnas running round beaches terrorising swimmers. No word on how many toes have been eaten.....

News Story

Thousands of flesh-eating piranhas have appeared along a river beach popular with tourists in western Brazil, attacking unwary swimmers.

A spokesman for the municipal government of Caceres in Mato Grosso state says at least 15 people have been bitten in the past two weeks off Daveron beach.

Nobody has died, but some swimmers have lost toes, and spokesman Gonzaga Junior says others have lost chunks of their legs and ankles.

Junior says piranhas are common in rivers on the outskirts of the city. But this is the first time they have appeared in waters off the beach inside the city.

Large posters have been posted on the beach to warn swimmers about the fish.

Aussie 47 all out score board

Did I mention the All Blacks beat Aussie in the RWC as well? 

U2's Blow Your House Down Lyrics

Blow Your House lyrics by U2

Blow Down Your House was released by Ireland's Finest Export since Guiness, U2 to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of their classic album, Achtung Baby. The song was from the recording sessions of that album. It was released as part of a super dooper reissue of Actung Baby.

Burn Your House down features all the familiar sonic elements of Achtung Baby - Edge riffs, appeggios, slide guitar, backing vocals and lyrics that feature a woman as a central character that's being out of control - kind of like The Lady with the Spinning Head (which was a U2 B-side but came from the same sessions).

Blow Your House Down Lyrics:

You've been along this road so many times
Nothing should be a surprise to you
Seen every premeditated crime
From every possible point of view

Why, if it's so wrong, does it feel so right?
Why, oh I've got your gun?
Do I want you tonight?

She, she's gonna blow your house down
She's gonna turn your head around
She's gonna blow your house down

What of chaos is the thing you crave
Is it the taste of self-inflicted pain
And what of losing is your drug of choice
Is it what keeps you coming back again

Why, if it's so wrong, does it feel so right

She, she's gonna blow your house down
She's gonna turn your head around
She's gonna blow your house down

She blow your house down
She's gonna turn your head around
She's gonna blow your house down

Run fast, fast as you can
Run fast, fast as you can
Fast, fast as you can
Run as fast, fast as you can
Fast as you can
Run as fast, fast as you can

The wave, it have its
She was saving it
What makes you think you can
Oh, they're craving
Deals for breaking
Your old devil's hands

She, she's gonna blow your house down
She's gonna turn your head around
She's gonna blow your house down

She gonna blow your house down
She's gonna turn your head around
She's gonna blow your house down

Check out the lyrics to U2's Oh Berlin.

Rock and Roll and Brew, nothing compares to Meatloaf

Bring me a gin

Meat Loaf Review and Set List Wellington New Zealand

26 October 2011

Venue: TSB Arena, Queens Wharf

Opening act: The under rated Luga Boa

Fresh from a stint in Australia where our Peter Pan fan Meat Loaf learnt aussie rules fans just don't fucking get him, Meat Loaf and his band of truly talented players hit Wellington for a one night only show.

Meat is 64 years old and in ill health with a voice that's had better days. And he knows it so he plays with that and makes it a part of his set to good effect with fun humour - his band thus has to carry him a fair way but the Neverland Express is a great ride.

The ever sexy Patti Russo (now at Cougar status) shone brightly s as his foil for so many of the vocals - and as when I saw Meat Loaf in the same venue in 1997 (?) the highlight was her efforts during Paradise By The Dashboard Light. For some strange reason I liked it when she kicked Meat Loaf in the nuts.

Generally speaking, fans go to see Meat Loaf play classics from Bat Out of Hell and the odd hit from his comback years in the late 90s. So we got a rocking Bat out of Hell that featured some absolutely dire vocals, an excellent Rock and Roll Dreams and a pretty damn good Two Out Of Three Aint Bad.

Three songs from Hang Cool Teddy Bear were played all in a row to good effect - and as they were recently recorded Meat Loaf's live vocals filled those songs well.

To counter Meat's fragile health, the band plays loud and does plenty of musical interludes to let the big fella rest up a little (kind of reminds of what Axl Rose does these days!) - the violin and piano duel during Aint Bad was a great example and a fine piece of musician ship.

Meat Loaf was brilliant as he played up to the crowd, cracking jokes and rambling through a story about acid and teletubbies which made no sense until the end of the show when we were visited by actual Teletubbies and Alice in Wonderland characters. It only makes sense if you don't want peace on Earth and were actually there.

A fine night out was had by the crowd - their sing alongs showed it and despite the shortcomings, the mighty Meat Loaf proved once again he is a great showman and entertainer.

Hang Cool, Teddy Bears.


Meat Loaf Wellington Set List:

Hot Patootie/Time Warp (from Rocky Horror Picture Show)

If It Ain't Broke, Break It

Bat Out Of Hell

Peace On Earth

Living On The Outside

Los Angeloser

You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)

Acoustic guitar solo (by Paul ‘Full Metal Jacket’ Crook)

Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through

Stand in the Storm

I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)

Acoustic guitar solo (Randy ‘Nashville’ Flowers)

Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad

Paradise By The Dashboard Light

Set Encore 1

Let it Roll  (The Doors cover) / Free Bird instrumental

All Revved Up With No Place To Go

Set List Encore 2:

Mercury Blues

Meat Loaf heads to Tauranga next and then on to Auckland.

Fine words to live by

Fine words to live by:

Be an optimist Prime and not a Negatron

Repeat as necessary.

Lulu Lyrics Metallica and Lou Reed

Metallica and Lou Reed looking cool as fuck

Check out out lyrics from 'Loutellica's' album Lulu. Lou Reed and Metallica have teamed up to produce a collaborative effort that explores the work of Frank Wedekind. Lulu tells the story and drama of a young and nubile abused dancer’s life and relationships as found in Wedekind's plays “Earth Spirit” and “Pandora’s Box”

Lulu features the following songs. Click on the links will take you to the lyrics for the song.

Brandenburg Gate
Cheat on Me

Frustration
Dragon
Junior Dad
Little Dog
Mistress Dread
Iced Honey
Pumping Blood
The View