By Steve Newton On November 6, 1993, I saw the Total Recall tour at the Commodore Ballroom. No less than four of my fave bands from the ’70s were on the bill. Here’s the review that ran in the Georgia Straight the following week. In last week’s Straight we ran a little panel discussion wherein various … Continue reading It’s ’70s-rock heaven as Blue Oyster Cult, Wishbone Ash, Uriah Heep, and Nazareth play Vancouver
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, SEPT. 19, 2007 By Steve Newton Rock musicians aren’t known for giving away their last beer, so it comes as a bit of a shock when Matthew Good offers up his lone Pilsner Urquell. It’s a muggy Friday afternoon, though, and I’m just parched enough to accept it. “I gotta leave … Continue reading Dark times inspired Matthew Good’s Hospital Music
By Steve Newton Guns N’ Roses were probably the biggest rock band in the world–or was fighting it out with U2 for that title–when this telling photo was snapped backstage in the early ’90s sometime. The thing I remember most about meeting Slash was when he offered me a guzzle from the bottle of Jack … Continue reading That time I turned down a swig of Slash’s JD at a Guns N’ Roses gig
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, JAN. 12, 2006 By Steve Newton This time last year, few people knew the name of Canadian rock vocalist J.D. Fortune. A lot of them were familiar with INXS, but at that stage in the group’s career–eight years after the death by apparent suicide of its enigmatic frontman Michael Hutchence–they wouldn’t … Continue reading J.D. Fortune went from living in a car to fronting INXS
By Steve Newton On January 19, 1984, Black Sabbath was scheduled to play the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver. The British metal legends were touring behind their new album Born Again, their first and last one to feature Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan. Also in the lineup–though not on the album–was former Electric Light Orchestra drummer Bev Bevan. The show … Continue reading Black Sabbath cancels Born Again show in Vancouver, Tony Iommi says “If I go deaf I go deaf”
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, MARCH 31, 2005 By Steve Newton When the remnants of Guns N’ Roses-guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Matt Sorum-went looking for a vocalist to front their new band, the first name that came to mind was the Stone Temple Pilots’ Scott Weiland. The problem at the time, though, was … Continue reading Slash on Velvet Revolver: “We’re doing pretty fucking well for ourselves.”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 5, 1993 By Steve Newton Whatever happened to Steve Hackett? Good question. Considering how visible all four of his former bandmates in Genesis have been, Hackett has been conspicuously absent from the music scene. Or at least it seems that way here in North America. But in actual fact, the 43-year-old … Continue reading Steve Hackett says that everyone he’s ever played with in Genesis has managed to write at least one incredible song
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 5, 1993 By Steve Newton Big Country? You mean those guys from Scotland who had the guitars that sounded like bagpipes? Didn’t they have a hit song back in ’83 called “In a Big Country”? Yeah, I remember the chorus: “In a big country dreams stay with you, like a lover’s … Continue reading Big Country’s Stuart Adamson plays just what he feels
bev davies photo By Steve Newton On January 21, 1984, B.B. King was in the midst of a two-week stand at the Plazazz Showroom in North Vancouver, and I got the thrill of my blues-loving life when I sat down with him in his hotel room and asked him a bunch of questions. Some of … Continue reading B.B. King plays Vancouver in 1984, Newt gets the scoop (and a photo)
By Steve Newton I’ve interviewed a lot of incredible bluesmen over the years, including Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King, Albert Collins, and Roy Buchanan. But far and away the nicest was B.B. King. Famed Vancouver punk-rock photographer Bev Davies snapped this shot of me ‘n’ B.B. in his hotel room at the Plazazz Showroom in … Continue reading B.B. King: The nicest bluesman I ever met
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 11, 1983 By Steve Newton Eddie Van Halen calls him “fantastic”. Gary Moore says “he’s frightening. He’s definitely dangerous and getting better all the time.” Carlos Santana gives him “more credit than anyone for just pure expression in soloing.” Journey’s Neil Schon says: “If you play guitar and ever think you’re … Continue reading Guitar phenom Allan Holdsworth says he’s not impressed by flash
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, OCT. 28, 2004 By Steve Newton Much has been made of the Sam & Dave controversy in regard to American hard-rock legends Van Halen. There are those who scoff at the idea of the band existing without original vocalist David Lee Roth, while others feel that his replacement, Sammy Hagar, has … Continue reading Van Halen still brings the dynamite in both hands
So, yeah, I’ve reviewed a few shows over the years. IRON MAIDEN at Rogers Arena, Sept. 3, 2019 SONNY LANDRETH at the Rio Theatre, Aug. 24, 2019 BAND OF FRIENDS at the Fox Cabaret, Dec. 18, 2018 DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS at the Imperial, Feb. 2, 2018 ROGER WATERS at Rogers Arena, Oct. 28, 2017 GUNS N’ ROSES … Continue reading concert reviews
