It was a musical weekend to be reckoned with and for the PiercingMetal Command it began with HIM over at The Fillmore NY on Friday. The Finnish superstars performed with Dommin, and We Are The Fallen to a packed house and it was amazing. Saturday was the return of those Teutonic Terrors of Metal Accept who played at Gramercy and now just before most peoples work week was to begin it was time for another Finn to take the stage. Yep, the one and only Michael Monroe from Hanoi Rocks was back in action on US Soil for the first time in a very long time. Joining him for the show would be The Last Vegas and The Dirty Pearls and that made for a chock full ‘o Rock evening without question. To see the whole concert report just click the bands logo below to be brought to our article on the main PiercingMetal.com site. We’ve also presented some other shots that you will only see on the blog right after it so keep scrolling.
Accept in Concert (5/2010)
It’s been far too many years since we found Accept on US shores and now with a new lead singer handling the vocal duties and a new CD on the horizon it was time to get back to business and remind the fans about just how important they are to the genre. The show would be at the Gramercy Theatre tonight and you can enjoy our full report by clicking the bands logo below. It will take you to the main concert narrative and all the photos on the main PiercingMetal.com site. This was truly one for the record books in terms of reception and execution.
It’s been a long time since the Accept brand name has been on a NYC marquee so we wanted to make sure to snare the visual for many more people to enjoy. While it’s not noted on said marquee, the event was sold out and packed to capacity. Good for them.
Welcome to NYC Accept!!! It's Been Awhile
When the guys from “That Metal Show” came out to introduce the band one of their number was sporting a custom made license plate. One had to wonder if this was actually someone’s plate or merely something made for the benefit of the show. I imagine that this would sell good at the merchandise booth if they mass produced them.
Metal at the DMV
Welcome Back Irving Plaza; You’ve Been Missed…
So maybe my title is a little bit misleading because the physical space has not gone anywhere at all and still sits firmly where it has stood for decades on Irving Place, just off 15th Street in NYC. Despite that, Irving Plaza did “go away” for a few years but was now back. Let’s continue shall we? I start with a little background history on the place.
HIM in Concert (5/2010)
It’s been a little longer than expected, but that was based on the band recording a new album. Now with “Screamworks: Love In Theory and Practice” in the hands of the bands support structure, a proper tour could commence and what a tour this would be. Headlining of course would be Ville and the merry band called HIM while direct support would come from We Are The Fallen. The melancholy melodies of Kris Dommin and his band Dommin would also be appearing along with Punk upstarts Drive A. The show took place at The Fillmore NY and we were on point for all the performers to bring you the maximum scoop. Click the logo below to be taken to our full article on the main PiercingMetal.com site.
PiercingMetal Artist Focus: Queensryche
My interest in Queensryche goes a pretty long way back and I can say to the readers that the first time I ever caught them in concert was when they were opening up for KISS on the bands “Animalize” tour. They were supporting their soon to be released masterpiece “Warning” and believe it or not, I couldn’t have cared less that night. This was based on the KISS mania setting in and my not being open to this obviously rising star in the Metal world. I was not alone in this view and that was just how a KISS show worked. You often were bored at any opening band while you waited for the Kings Of The Nighttime World to come out and dominate the stage. Moving ahead a couple of years in time, the chance to see Queensryche again happened when Iron Maiden was on their legendary “Powerslave” tour and for me this was a match made in heaven. I say it like this because the band was winning me over note after note and had the many thousands of fans in Radio City Music Hall pushing their fists into the air as singer Geoff Tate told us to “Take Hold Of The Flame” with a soaring and commanding register. I’ve been a fan ever since that time and have followed them as a band in both my personal life and as that of a music journalist. They pushed the envelope a number of times in their releases and we have reviewed many of their recordings and video films on the site as well as supported their touring efforts. To see all of the content that is dedicated to Queensryche just click their logo below to launch the query that will present all of the reviews resident on the PiercingMetal.com website.
Since the band has opened up on a few tours that we have seen over the years as well as headlined at some others, we feel that the easiest way to enjoy all of their live concert photos on PiercingMetal.com is to do so by clicking HERE.
PiercingMetal Ken & St. Baldrick’s Organization
Cancer sucks – plain and simple and I think that many of us have met someone affected by this illness or sadly suffering from it themselves. It’s never a fun experience to my knowledge and that is what brings me to the topic of this blog posting. A few months ago a friend of mine told me of his participation in a Children’s Cancer charity organization called St. Baldrick’s and it sounded like something great to support. The way the organization works is that you can either simply donate money to their cause, or volunteer to be a barber, and yes a “shavee”. You can learn more about the charity by clicking their logo below. This will not only save me some typing, but allow the point to make a lot more sense without the risk of me losing some of the important details. Then of course we invite you to proceed deeper into the narrative.
- Click This Logo To Learn More About St. Baldrick’s
Overkill in Concert (5/2010)
“Killfest” was in NYC and while the guys in Overkill originally hail from New Jersey, it’s pretty safe to call them one of New York’s most popular bands as well. Tonight the band would be bringing their traveling Metal circus to the Nokia Theatre in Times Square and as the night progressed we would learn that the Metal was not the only excitement brewing in the city that evening. The show itself featured Woe Of Tyrants, Evile, Warbringer, God Dethroned and Vader as support for the band and WOW, was that a lineup to sink one’s teeth into. Click the bands logo below to be taken to the complete concert article on the main PiercingMetal.com site.
PiercingMetal Artist Focus: Judas Priest
For as long as I can remember, I have maintained that in my status as a Heavy Metal and Hard Rock fan that my own “Big Three” favorites were KISS, Van Halen and Judas Priest. Over the years I have of course come to appreciate and enjoy a wider variety of acts for the genre because there are so many amazing groups out there, but this list and its ranking has rarely veered off course. If memory serves me correctly, I first heard the band in High School about a thousand years ago (give or take) and the album of note at the time was “Hell Bent For Leather”. Wait, I am wrong in this assumption – the album that I FIRST heard by the band would the live recording of “Unleashed In The East”, and was the album that captured the band in action while on tour to support “HBFL”. I had never heard anything like the vocals of Rob Halford and the twin guitar wizardry of Downing and Tipton and when you put all this together with the powerful drumming of Les Binks I could safely admit that I was a fan from that moment on. From this defining moment I would try my own hand at some of the drum parts, look into the bands back catalog and even become the town crier who hoped to convince other Metal fans to rally behind me in the bands cause. Good times to say the least.
In 2003-04 when I began my own little music journalist adventurers, I began to review the current Judas Priest releases and even tried to find time to do some back catalog commentary for the benefit of those who might not yet be aware of a particular album for whatever reason. With the website under my command it was once again time to take up the charge and let people know about the older recordings. We’ve done quite a bit of their concert coverage when possible and offered up some live action photography as well. To say its exhilarating to photograph one of your favorite bands of all time is an understatement. Click the logo link below to be taken to all of the Judas Priest content on PiercingMetal.com and learn what makes them such an incredible and relevant band to the Heavy Metal faithful and keeps their fans coming back for more. After your done you can let us know what you think about The Priest by leaving us some comments.
RIP: Legendary Record Executive Bill Aucoin Has Died
The Headquarters of PiercingMetal.com were saddened to learn of the death of legendary and beloved record industry executive Bill Aucoin. He died due to surgical complications and was battling prostate cancer. He was 66 years old. Below the photo, which we love as it shows a man of strength and vision, you will find the official press release on this sad news. We received this from one of our most worked with publicists, Carol Kaye, who is someone that keeps our readers in content based on how many articles we have written about her clientele.
The Legendary Bill Aucoin
“William Aucoin, beloved record industry executive, manager, entrepreneur, and creative visionary, passed away this morning, Monday, June 28 at 9:11am EST at the Aventura Hospital and Medical Center in Aventura, FL. Born December 29, 1943, Bill was battling prostate cancer, and passed away from surgical complications.
The man known for masterminding the career of the world-renowned group KISS, Bill Aucoin also managed Starz, Toby Beau, Billy Squier, Billy Idol, and numerous other artists. His most recent venture is Aucoin Globe Entertainment, which he founded in 2007 (www.aucoinglobe.com). In its three years, Bill and his company developed bands in the US and around the world. He leaves behind his boyfriend of fifteen years, Roman Fernandez, and two sisters Betty Britton and Janet Bankowski.
Although I never was blessed with the opportunity to meet the man, I certainly admired the work he put into the band KISS when they were an up and coming outfit. I am pretty certain that his efforts on their behalf was the main reason that so many of us knew of them, and found them to be their favorite band of them all. His visionary guidance was also obviously helpful to the talented Billy Idol and Billy Squire. On behalf of PiercingMetal.com, we wish condolences and heartfelt wishes to all of his friends, family and anyone else whose life Bill touched. It is without question that he was a one in a million type of personality as its pretty safe to say that the words “beloved” and “record company executive” don’t usually find themselves in the same sentence. Bill Aucoin was a rare breed and let’s hope that his memory inspires others to work like he did.
Rest In Peace Bill. Say hello to Ronnie James Dio and Peter Steele for me. Learn more about Bill’s life by checking out his Wikipedia Entry HERE.