Archers of Loaf at the Troubadour

Check out my photos of Archers of Loaf at the Troubadour over at Stereogum.

Sleigh Bells at the Mayan Theater

Check out my photos of Sleigh Bells at the Mayan Theater over at Stereogum.

Craig Finn at the Troubadour

Check out my photos of Craig Finn at the Troubadour over at Stereogum.

Ryan Adams at the Walt Disney Concert Hall (2/17/12)

With a devout love for such metal bands varying from Ratt to Celtic Frost, Ryan Adams and I would have got along well back in high school. We could discussed Morbid Tales and argued whether Warren DeMartini or George Lynch was the better guitarist over a game of Dungeons and Dragons. Adams's latest album Ashes and Fire on his label PAXAM Records sounds nothing like his favorite metal bands but sounds exactly like Ryan Adams.

 I was fortunate to catch Ryan Adams at his tour opener at the Balboa Theater in San Diego and his amazing intimate KCRW session, so I basically knew what to expect in terms of song selection. Understanding that the auditory experience of attending a concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall is the best in the city, I had this concert circled on my calendar for quite awhile.

Strolling onstage with his black leather jacket and grabbing one of his Harmony Buck Owens acoustic guitars, Adams lightly strummed the opening chords of "Oh My Sweet Carolina" and immediately grasped the entire audience within seconds in the palm of his hand. The acoustics of the venue worked well to Adams's advantage as they hung to every spoken word and guitar note. Even when Adams was tuning his guitar, there was a hushed silence amongst the crowd.

While the songs are stellar, the stories Adams infuses before the song makes them that much more enjoyable as his shows morph into almost a storyteller atmosphere as he talked about making a drinking game out of one of his songs "Dirty Rain" by taking a drink every time he sings the word "rain". One of my favorite songs "My Winding Wheel" was phenomenal in its open tuning in which before he played it Adams plucked out a harmonic and mentioned that it was more like George Lynch.

"Invisible Riverside" conjured images of driving down Sunset Blvd just like Adams jokingly told the audience before diving into the song. The hits just kept coming as he worked through "Firecracker", "English Girls Approximately", and dedicated "Chains of Love" to his "boo". It was delightful to hear Adams masterfully tickle the ivories for "New York, New York" and his hilarious improv/ode to his cat "Mr. Cat". I think it is fair to conclude that Adams wins the award for the most cursing on the Walt Disney Concert stage.

Adams strategically stacked his setlist and his cover of "Wonderwall" perfectly blended in with his other material as he managed to add some extra shades of wistfulness to the song. I was hoping for a heavy metal cover and my wishes were granted when he took on "Holy Diver"' by Dio pausing in the middle of the song to mention that "this is the part when Warren Demartini would walk on the stage" during the solo portion of the song.

After leaving the stage to a standing ovation, Kiss "Lick It Up" proceeded to be the exit music for the show. Adams's wife Mandy Moore later would tweet that "Holy Diver" was playing on the radio when they were driving home. The stars were definitely aligned on this particular night and I'm sure Ronnie James Dio would throw up his trademark devil horns in salute.

Setlist for Ryan Adams (2/17/12)

"Oh My Sweet Carolina"
"Ashes & Fire"
"If I'm A Stranger"
"Dirty Rain"
"My Winding Wheel"
"Sweet Lil Gal (23rd/1st)"
"Invisible Riverside"
"Everybody Knows"
"Firecracker"
"Let It Ride"
"Please Do Not Let Me Go"
"English Girls Approximately"
"Chains Of Love"
"Two"
"Lucky Now"
"Mr. Cat"
"New York, New York"
"Happy Song"
"Wonderwall"
"16 Days"
"Come Pick Me Up"
"Holy Diver" 

Motley Crue at the Joint

Check out my review of Motley Crue at the Joint over at OC Weekly.

Van Halen at the Forum

Check out my review of Van Halen at the Forum over at OC Weekly.

Crosses at the Glass House

Check out my photos of Crosses at the Glass House over at OC Weekly.

Wilco at the Wiltern

Check out my photos of Wilco at the Wiltern over at Stereogum.

Wilco at the Hollywood Palladium

Check out my photos of Wilco at the Hollywood Palladium over at OC Weekly.

Anthrax at the House of Blues Anaheim

Check out my photos of Anthrax at House of Blues Anaheim over at OC Weekly.

Angels and Airwaves at the House of Blues Anaheim

Check out my photos of Angels and Airwaves at the House of Blues Anaheim over at OC Weekly

NAMM at the Anaheim Convention Center

Check out my photos of NAMM at the Anaheim Convention Center over at OC Weekly.

Zakk Wylde Roast at the Grove of Anaheim

Check out my photos of the Zakk Wylde Roast at the Grove of Anaheim over at OC Weekly.

A brief review of NAMM and the Roast are also over at OC Weekly.

Wu Tang Clan at the Grove of Anaheim

Check out my photos of Wu Tang Clan at the Grove of Anaheim over at OC Weekly.

Tool at the Mandalay Bay Events Center

Check out my photos of Tool at the Mandalay Bay Events Center over at OC Weekly.

My review is also over at OC Weekly.

M83 at Club Nokia Night 2

Check out my photos of M83 and Big Black Delta at Club Nokia over at OC Weekly.

M83 at Club Nokia

Check out my photos of M83 and Big Black Delta at Club Nokia over at Stereogum.

Incoming: White Rabbits new album "Milk Famous"

Having last ventured upon White Rabbits when they opened for Interpol back in October 2010 (picture above is from their Greek Theatre performance), the Britt Daniel endorsed collective have a new album Milk Famous due out on March 6th with an stop off at the El Rey Theatre on March 28th.

Stereogum posted their new track "Heavy Metal" here.

Here are the tour dates:
March 6: Philadelphia, PA / Union Transfer *
March 7: Washington D.C. / Black Cat *
March 8: Charlottesville, VA / Jefferson Theater ^
March 9: Raleigh, NC / Lincoln Theatre ^
March 11: Atlanta, GA / Variety Playhouse ^
March 12: Birmingham, AL / The Bottletree ^
March 13: New Orleans, LA / One Eyed Jacks ^
March 14: Houston, TX / Fitzgeralds ^
March 19: Denver, CO / Bluebird Theater
March 20: Salt Lake City, UT / Urban Lounge
March 22: Portland, OR / Doug Fir Lounge
March 23: Vancouver, BC / Biltmore Cabaret
March 24: Seattle, WA / Crocodile Cafe
March 26: San Francisco, CA / The Independent
March 28: Los Angeles, CA / El Rey Theatre
March 29: San Diego, CA / The Casbah
March 30: Phoenix, AZ / Crescent Ballroom
March 31: Tucson, AZ / Club Congress
April 3: Lawrence, KS / Jackpot Music Hall
April 4: Columbia, MO / The Blue Note
April 5: St. Louis, MO / Plush
April 6: Madison, WI / High Noon Saloon
April 7: Minneapolis, MN / Triple Rock Social Club
April 8: Chicago, IL / Metro
April 12: New York, NY / Webster Hall
April 13: Northampton, MA / Pearl Street Downtown
April 14: Boston, MA / Paradise Rock Club
 * with Tennis ^ with The War On Drugs

Lab Report 2011: The Year in Review

2011 was a very difficult year for me to say the least. When I took my medical hiatus in February of 2011, I honestly didn't know if I would come back. Fortunately, I was able to return and it has helped in the healing process. Some milestones occurred this year in that I celebrated my fifth anniversary of the site and surpassed one thousand posts.

Previous years in review: 2008, 2009, 2010.

Total number of concerts in 2011: 110 (Out of 293 eligible days).

Number of days on medical hiatus: 72 days.

Average of a concert every 2.6 days.

Total number of photos/reviews for Amateur Chemist: 15

Total number of concert reviews to OC Weekly: 40

Total number of photo slideshows to OC Weekly: 31

Total number of contributions to Stereogum: 49

Total number of photos in print at the Guardian: 1

Total number of contributions to Brooklyn Vegan: 1

I would like to thank you for still reading and sticking with me.  Looking forward to making 2012 a better year.

Strung Out at the Observatory

Check out my photos of Strung Out at the Observatory over at OC Weekly.