David Felix: On Saturday October 6, 2007, fans representing over seven countries and at least 34 states flocked to South Bend, Indiana. Actually, that doesn’t sound that unusual as South Bend is the home of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish… but on this particular evening, the fans weren’t flooding into Notre Dame Stadium. Instead, they were heading downtown to the Morris Performing Arts Center for what would surely be a once in a lifetime experience… Melodicrock.com’s 10th Anniversary Rockfest!
The brainchild of Melodicrock.com’s founder Andrew McNeice, not only did the event attract fans from all over the world, but a collection of some of the best musicians in the business as well. The line-up included an opening set by the MELODIC ROCK ALL-STARS (so-named because it was literally thrown together just days before the event) composed of drummer John Parker (TALON), Doug Odell (CRUNCH/ TNA) on bass, keyboardist Eric Ragno (Ted Poley/ AMERICAN ANGEL), EDEN’S CURSE vocalist Michael Eden and the always amazing Vic Rivera (ADRIANGALE/ CRUNCH) on guitar, Kivel Records recording artists GOODBYE THRILL, former MTM recording artists the MARTIE PETERS GROUP, 7th Heaven, Kevin Chalfant (THE STORM) and Jeff Scott Soto. And if that wasn’t enough, rounding off the evening was SCRAP METAL featuring Mark Slaughter (SLAUGHTER), Gunnar & Matthew Nelson (NELSON), Kelly Keagy (NIGHT RANGER), and Eric Martin (MR. BIG) along with Christian Cullen, Joel Hoekstra and very special guests Jimi Jamison (ex-SURVIVOR), Jack Blades (NIGHT RANGER), Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW/ DEEP PURPLE), and Jim Peterik (ex-SURVIVOR/ PRIDE OF LIONS). Whew… that’s one HELL of a line-up! Andrew McNeice definitely knows how to throw a party!!!
Now before I go off on one of my four-paragraph tangents detailing every little tid-bit of information, I’m going to try something new and jump right into my review of the show itself. After all… I have a feeling simply trying to cover the event itself is going to be long enough!
So first up, as I mentioned earlier, were the MELODIC ROCK ALL-STARS. What a trip! I mean, some of these guys never even met before and were virtually thrown to the wolves just hours after their flights arrived. As you can imagine, they weren’t as tight as they could have been had they at least had the chance to rehearse even once. But still, on some of the songs you’d never know it.
They opened their set with Sammy Hagar’s “There’s Only One Way To Rock” which actually sounded quite good! Then they continued on with “Immigrant Song,” a really riveting version of VAN HALEN’s “Panama,” “We All Die Young” from the ROCK STAR soundtrack and another good rendition of RATT’s classic hit “Round and Round.”
Michael Eden really did a great job with a lot of these showing off his versatility as a vocalist while Vic just shredded through the guitar parts like they were nothing. They were actually pretty good up to this point… so much so that on some of the songs, even the most seasoned musician couldn’t tell these guys had never played together before.
Here’s when it started to get a bit “shaky.” Next they tackled DOKKEN’s “Alone Again” which was “ok” but being as big a DOKKEN fan as I am… I tend to be a bit nit-picky when I hear someone else trying to reproduce their material. But it was enough to get by…
Then as sort of a tribute to HAREM SCAREM, who were suppose to play but had to cancel at almost the last minute, Eden and crew attempted “Honestly.” While the music itself wasn’t all that bad and Ragno doing his best to hold it all together, Eden just always seemed to be about a half step behind. He sounded good, but it’s a bit of a challenge unless you really, really know the song and all its hits and accents.
Finally rounding off their set were BON JOVI’s “Livin’ On A Prayer” (which they did a pretty good job with up until the end when they simply gave up on the vocals) and, what even the band itself referred to as a “train wreck,” FOREIGNER’s “Juke Box Hero”… and quite a “train wreck” it was. LOL! Again, here’s another song I don’t think they should have even attempted. You reeeeallly have to know the song to be able to perform it correctly and it was very apparent that they didn’t. Trying to sing lyrics off a sheet just doesn’t cut it when it comes to a song like this but hey, it was all in good fun, the audience enjoyed it and overall, the guys did a great job with the time they were given.
Regrettably, after just about two songs into GOODBYE THRILL’s set, my wife and I stepped out for a little break. So instead of reviewing “just” what I saw, I am going to turn the keyboard over to someone who was there for the next three bands… Mark, take it away!
Mark Balogh: Kivel Records recording artists GOODBYE THRILL were the 2nd band of the day. They are a band who just recently broke onto the melodic rock scene and the very first place I read about them was on melodicrock.com. So it was only fitting they would play their very first live show for Andrew’s celebration! I had been told just hours before by the head of GOODBYE THRILL’s label, John Kivel, to make sure to check these guys out and that they actually had a brand new member playing with them. Bassist Dario Sexias, who formerly played with FIREHOUSE, was to be making his debut with the band on this afternoon.
The band exploded onto the stage (after a cool little intro. tape) to the song “Super Perfect World”. You would never have guessed this was their first show together as they displayed a confidence and energy that some veteran acts don’t even display!
The band then blazed through some other tracks off their Kivel Records self-titled debut; tracks like “Ticket To Paradise”, “Gotta Be”, “Fallen Heroes” and my personal favorite “Rainy Days” got the crowd good and warmed up.
The band then tackled the JOURNEY classic “Don’t Stop Believin’.” I actually got to witness a couple members of the band rehearse the song acoustically backstage earlier in the day and it was even better to hear it done plugged-in and with a full band for the audience this time around!
GOODBYE THRILL then ended their set with “Let Me Sleep,” again off their new album, and the crowd really seemed to enjoy these guys. They even appeared at the Kivel Records table out in the lobby after their show to sign some CD’s for the fans.
Definitely keep an eye on this group, as hopefully they’ll be making some waves on the scene for years to come.
The 3rd band of the day was somewhat of a nice surprise for me personally. The MARTIE PETERS GROUP traveled all the way from Denmark for the show… and from what I heard, these guys even paid their own way! The bands’ enthusiasm showed through as they hit the stage with all the professionalism and rock star attitude you could hope for.
I had actually been familiar with singer Martie Peters’ former band PUSH who put out four albums… starting with their 1996 debut “Maximum Entertainment”. But since the bands last album, “For the Love of The Game” (2002), Peters has gone on to release two solo albums under the MARTIE PETERS GROUP (MPG) moniker. I had only ever briefly heard the first self-titled MPG release back in 2005, so this show which featured mostly songs from the brand new CD “Road to Salvation” was new and fresh to me. They opened their set with “Riot on the 5th Floor” which comes off the first MPG release and the song rocked big time with some killer guitar work from Martin Slott. The great thing about MPG’s music is it is updated and current sounding but always retains its melodic roots.
From there the band touched on some songs from their new “Road To Salvation” album. “Chosen” was a melodic, catchy song and “Wish” was a little tougher but just as melodic. Great songs indeed! “Waitin’ In Line” had a cool classic WHITE LION vibe to it while “The Clown” slowed things down to give the crowd a little break in the action. “Beast Inside” again flashed back to the first MPG album and was catchy as Hell! The band then ended their set with “Swimming In Your Blue Eyes” and this song, just like all the rest, didn’t disappoint. It was another song with that WHITE LION vibe but it was also purely MPG!
I was a bit disappointed that their set was over at this point as I was hungry for more. I actually got the chance to talk with Martie in the theater lobby after his set and it was a pleasure to speak with him. He and the band were genuinely excited to be there and it certainly showed with their performance on stage. I heard rumblings these guys may try to make it back to the US in the future for more shows and I’d have to say that if they ever came within striking distance of New Jersey, ROCKEYEZ will certainly be there.
Look for a review of the new MARTIE PETERS GROUP album “Road To Salvation” here on ROCKEYEZ.com soon!
After a short break in the action, a “local” act was up next… Chicago’s own 7th HEAVEN! Unfortunately after seeing their 1st song and snapping a couple pictures, fellow ROCKEYEZ photographer and CEO Brian Rademacher and I decided to head backstage and grab a bite to eat. Regrettably, I wasn’t able to witness these guys play but from what I heard from some audience members after the show, the band put on quite an entertaining set. I was even told they did what can only be described as a “hair band medley” that lasted about a half hour and contained some great 80’s hard rock covers. The band actually has a CD release containing a hard rock medley so I can only assume that this is what was played in their set. It’s a shame as I would have loved to seen that.
By the time the next act, Kevin Chalfant, was ready to take the stage, staff writer David Felix had returned to the action. So I’ll now hand it back over to him to take you through the rest of the night’s activities and also so I would be able to get back to taking pictures of this awesome show!
David Felix: Yes, yes… we finally made it back and not a minute too soon because just as we passed through the doors into the seating area, Kevin Chalfant and his band hit the stage. What a rare treat! Being a long time fan of THE STORM, I was really looking forward to this.
To my surprise, Chalfant opened up with a real blast from the past. Reaching way back into the archives and some of his first work with the band 707, Chalfant and company ripped right into the title track off the third 707 album “Mega Force.” This hot rocker brought everyone to their feet as Chalfant’s magnificent voice echoed through the auditorium.
This led straight into “River of Destiny”… another gem for his days with TWO FIRES.” But the best was yet to come as original STORM guitarist Josh Ramos joined the band for the next two songs; “You Keep Me Waiting” and an incredible rendition of “Show Me the Way”… both off THE STORM’s debut, self-titled release. What a great start to an awesome set of music.
Next was a cover of the JOURNEY classic “Don’t Stop Believin’”… thus beginning the JOURNEY segment of the Chalfant set. When the first STORM album hit the shelves back in 1991, due to Chalfant’s (Steve) Perry-esque style and sound, the band was almost immediately dubbed the new JOURNEY. And, when the time came, there were even “whispers” that Chalfant was going to get the job as JOURNEY’s new front man! That, of course, never materialized but still… no one sings Perry like Chalfant and moreover, the fans love to hear him sing the old classics. Hey… maybe he should put out an album of just JOURNEY songs! Well, that’s exactly what he did on his latest release titled “Fly2Freedom: The Songs of JOURNEY” and the songs he was performing were all from the release.
The thing that amazed us most about Chalfant is how he’s able to capture almost every accent and every vibrato of Perry’s voice as he tore through such classics as “Who’s Crying Now,” “Stone In Love” and “Any Way You Want It.” All crowd pleasers which kept everyone on their feet.
Then, taking a break from the JOURNEY stuff for just a few moments, Chalfant entertained the crowd with “Runnin’ With The Wind” (from his same-titled solo release) and “Don’t Give Up” from THE STORM’s second release “Eye of The Storm” before re-energizing the crowd once again with JOURNEY’s “Just The Same Way” and “Lights.”
Finally, before taking his final bows, Josh Ramos joined the band once again to finish up the set with two more STORM favorites “My Love Will Be There” and “I’ve Got A Lot To Learn About Love.” What a thrill to see Chalfant perform and a set that had something for everyone. Kevin Chalfant and his band are certainly a tough act to follow… but then again, who better to try and top him than a former JOURNEY front man… Mr. Jeff Scott Soto himself!
As the lights dimmed, you could almost feel the energy flowing off the stage and electrifying the crowd. Then with one swift punch… BAM!, Jeff Scott Soto and his band burst right into “Soul Divine.” This guy is a true front man in every sense of the word and man, can he sing his ass off!
With a career now approaching its third decade and a battery of material that would just about make James Brown cry, this veteran rocker sunk his claws deep into his archives performing songs like “Stand Up & Shout,” “21st Century,” “Colour My XTC,” “New Position” and “Drowning” representing past works ranging from TALISMAN to SOUL SIRKUS through his solo releases. He even graced the crowd with some new material he’s been working on with fellow singer/ song-writer Sam Grow who joined Soto on stage for a couple of new songs from Jeff’s upcoming solo release with the titles “Broken Man” and “Hey.”
A true highlight of the set was when Soto invited a long time influence of his, none other than the extraordinary Joe Lynn Turner, up on stage with him to perform the RAINBOW hit “Since You’ve Been Gone” which, truth be told, wasn’t even one of Joe’s songs! But what the Hell! After hearing them both perform it live together, it made you all but forget about Graham Bonnet who sang it originally with RAINBOW.
Then next up was a song that Jeff’s been doing for the past couple of years now… his version of the Seal hit “Crazy.” Another crowd pleaser and classy rendition which not only compliments the original, but the artist himself as well.
At this point, Soto slowed it down a bit (but not too much) with an acoustic medley consisting of such classic hits like “If This Is The End,” “Nobody Said It Was Easy,” “Purple Rain,” “Shed A Tear Goodbye,” “Send Her My Love” and “Gin And Tonic Sky.” This was just an incredible moment and really showed off Soto’s versatility and he tackled all different styles of vocalists.
Now this was funny. After the medley, Jeff and the band (looking for some audience participation) went into “I’ll Be Waiting” from the debut, self-titled TALISMAN release. But, just about half way through Soto stopped the song after realizing that not that many people knew the words! (Come on people!) But anyway, his guitarist Howie Simon simply looked at him at this point and said, “Plan B?” Just then the opening chords to “Separate Ways” began to resonate from the keyboard. Now THAT’S an audience participation song!
Finally Soto’s set ended with yet another medley! This one was quite plugged, though, and started off with some classic QUEEN and what just could be the rock & roll national anthem “We Will Rock You.” This led right into another rock anthem, Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock & Roll” but then the medley took a rather strange turn as it continued on with (now get this!) “Play That Funky Music,” “Brick House,” “Shake Your Booty,” “Kung-Fu Fighting,” “Macho Man,” “Stayin’ Alive” and finally ending with a reprise of “Play That Funky Music.” Yes, a bit odd but still, Soto and company actually pulled it off and moreover… plain and simple, it was fun for not only the musicians themselves but the audience as well.
Simply seeing Chalfant and Soto back-to-back was worth hauling our asses all the way out to Indiana… but it wasn’t over yet! After a brief intermission and drawing of the raffle winners, the night’s headliner was poised to hit the stage… SCRAP METAL!!!
One by one they took the stage… Gunnar Nelson, Matthew Nelson, Mark Slaughter, Kelly Keagy, Christian Cullen and finally Joel Hoekstra… what a line-up! When do you get a chance to see a gathering like this? Not only is every one of these guys a gifted and talented musician and songwriter, but an accomplished vocalist as well making the harmonies sound that more full and intense.
Barely giving the roaring crowd a chance to breathe, SCRAP METAL kicked it right into high gear with the NELSON hit “Love & Affection.” Talk about an audience participation or sing-a-long song! Hell, the whole set was a sing-a-long-song! It was great to hear the old hits again and not only performed by the original artist but, in some cases, with a more talented group of musicians backing them up.
For the first portion of the set, the band found themselves swapping hit after hit after hit representing songs from all three of the original artists bands, SLAUGHTER, NELSON and NIGHT RANGER. This included “Up All Night,” “Sing Me Away,” “More Than Ever,” “Fly To The Angels” and “Mad About You.” Mark Slaughter was just fantastic not only adding to the fullness of the sound with his rhythm and lead guitar parts, but his voice has definitely withstood the test of time as well as he tackled the old SLAUGHTER songs with ease… yes, even the high parts!
Some real highlights of the “base” set also included and absolutely stellar rendition of NELSON’s “After the Rain.” This was so good that all I remember is my wife and I just looking at each other at one point and literally having goose bumps! This was always just a great, great song but after hearing it live, there’s just nothing like it. I don’t care what anyone says, the Nelson brothers can still rock with the best of them!
Then, of course, how could I go any further without mentioning the emotion-filled redaction of NIGHT RANGER’s “Sister Christian.” Keagy was truly on the vocals as the crowd sang along virtually word for word. “Sister Christian” also marked the first appearance of very special guest Jack Blades who joined his old friend Keagy and the band to really blow the roof off the place.
That pretty much wrapped up the “base” SCRAP METAL set, but let me just interject a little side note here about some of the “lesser-known” musicians on the stage, Christian Cullen and Joel Hoekstra. These guys were just amazing. With Cullen on the “keys” holding everything together and Hoekstra tackling just about every solo through out the set, I don’t think it would have been the same without them.
You want special guest? We got your special guests! First up and fresh off his performance with Jeff Scott Soto was, once again, the incomparable Mr. Joe Lynn Turner! Performing the RAINBOW classics “I Surrender,” “Street of Dreams” and, of course, “Stone Cold,” Joe’s voice couldn’t have sounded better and although through out the evening we were witnessed to many accomplished vocalists, Turner is just on a whole other level. Bottom line, when you think back to all the male vocalists in this genre, I just can’t imagine any list being complete without at least mentioning Joe Lynn Turner.
Now speaking of great vocalists, another one of my favorites was up next… Jimi Jamison from SURVIVOR. Also joined by his long-time SURVIVOR cohort Jim Peterik, Jamison and company opened with a heart-felt version of the SURVIVOR mega-hit “The Search Is Over.” Just another crowd pleaser in a night filled with crowd pleasers… as was their next selection “I Can’t Hold Back.” But nothing… and I mean NOTHING stirred this crowd more than when they burst into the rock anthem “Eye of The Tiger.” Also re-joining the jam for this were Jack Blades, Joe Lynn Turner and various other performing musicians to really blow the doors in!
Wow! Enough already! Let us catch our breaths after that at least!!! But, of course, they didn’t as another SCRAP METAL vocalist, Eric Martin (MR. BIG) exploded onto the stage performing the MR. BIG rocker “Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy.” Martin is quite the showman, let me tell ya, and really has the knack for keeping the crowds attention no matter what he’s singing.
Finally a quick breather as the band changed tempo a bit for the MR. BIG radio hit “To Be With You” followed shortly by the bluesier grooving “Alive & Kickin’.” This was just the change of pace this crowd needed as the band warmed up for a finale to end all finales!
With all the previous layers of icing being laid on this cake, what came next was certainly the cherry on top! Once again, the band welcomed the legendary Jack Blades for his last stint with the band. His set included the hard-hitting NIGHT RANGER tune “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me” and the power-ballad “High Enough” representing his time in DAMN YANKEES.
By now, just about everyone and anyone who had performed with the band were on stage for the closing number “(You Can Still) Rock In America!” How apropos because after a night like this, it was abundantly clear that despite how bad things seem to get with the state of American music, as long as there’re performers like this, you can indeed “still rock in America!”
At this time, I would just like to extend a HUGE thank you on behalf of myself, my wife Judy, Brian Rademacher, and Mark Balogh to everyone involved with this event. This includes Melissa Merritt, Denise Zigler and all the staff and security at The Morris Performing Arts Center who were just great, John Kivel form Kivel Records, Martin Popoff from “Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles,” Matt Tritico (MPG staff), and, of course, all the musicians we had the pleasure of meeting and conversing with. This includes, but is not exclusive to, Mark Slaughter, Joe Lynn Turner, Eric Ragno, Doug Odell, our dear, dear friend Vic Rivera, Jack Blades, Jimi Jamison, Kelly Keagy, Michael Eden, all the guys from GOODBYE THRILL, MARTIE PETERS GROUP and 7th HEAVEN, Kevin Chalfant, Eric Martin, Jeff Scott Soto, Jim Peterik, Gunnar & Matthew Nelson… the list just goes on and on. But seriously, thank you ALL for your professionalism, hospitality and kindness. ALL of you are class acts and not only a credit to the music industry, but genuine examples of the comradery which can exist between all of us.
And finally, our deepest and most heart-felt thanks has to go out to the man himself… Mr. Andrew McNeice from melodicrock.com for organizing the event, sponsoring it, and for all your hard work and dedication surrounding it. Right from the start and despite everything that was going on around you, you treated us all with dignity and respect and your hospitality and selflessness was just incredible. We are so glad everything was such a great success for you. So from the bottom of or hearts, thank you! Thank you for all your efforts, for all your hard work and sacrifices, and for keeping the music alive! I think I can speak for everyone when I say it was an absolute honor to meet you and… just one more time… thanks for having ROCKEYEZ along for the ride! It was truly a spectacle that none of us will ever forget. Here’s to another successful ten years!
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