ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 26, 1990 By Steve Newton Why, oh why, did the B-52’s have to get booked into the Orpheum? As one of the prime providers of bouncy, shake-your-booty pop-rock, the band would have been so much better in a place where it’s okay to move around, and where concert-goers have the option … Continue reading The B-52’s make a triumphant return to Vancouver in the wake of Cosmic Thing
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 7, 1985 By Steve Newton Last year’s Vancouver appearance by Quebec jazz/fusion quartet UZEB was one of my picks for the Top Ten concerts of 1984–right up there with Scorpions and R.E.M. Now the group is returning to the Commodore Ballroom for two nights, next Friday and Saturday (June 14 and … Continue reading UZEB may be “the Van Halen of jazz”, but they sure don’t get paid the same
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 26, 1990 By Steve Newton If Alice Cooper‘s concert at the Coliseum last Thursday (January 18) were a horror movie–and in a way it nearly was–it might have been called The Return of Alice, Part 10: The New Blood. On his latest tour, the king of nasty rock … Continue reading Alice Cooper’s youthful band breathes fire into the shock-rock king’s classics in concert
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 21, 2002 By Steve Newton On their latest CD, Southern Rock Opera, alt-country reprobates the Drive-By Truckers combine sociology, history, and musicology to deliver a concept album about southern rock, and the band they focus on to get their ideas across is Lynyrd Skynyrd. For the uninitiated, … Continue reading Gene Odom’s Lynyrd Skynyrd book lacks literary grace and gory details
By Steve Newton As you’ve most likely heard by now, B.B. King, the beloved “King of the Blues”, passed away last night at the age of 89. He was receiving hospice care at his home in Las Vegas, where the longtime diabetic was recovering from dehydration. You can read all about the great man’s numerous … Continue reading R.I.P. B.B. King: the nicest bluesman I ever met
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 20, 1990 By Steve Newton What do squeaky-clean teen idols Loverboy and the crude ‘n’ demented Cramps have in common? Sweet-bugger-all, you say? Pretty close, but the Cramps did borrow Loverboy’s barricade to use in front of the Commodore stage last Thursday (April 12). With a house full … Continue reading The Cramps borrow Loverboy’s barricade to keep crazed Vancouver fans at bay
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 9, 2003 By Steve Newton I was a tad taken aback when the press release came in announcing the lineup for Joe Satriani’s 2003 G3 Tour. It wasn’t a surprise to see long-time G3er (and former Satch student) Steve Vai’s name on the bill. But I didn’t expect to see Yngwie … Continue reading Steve Vai on cocky G3 tourmate Yngwie Malmsteen and tormented “genius” Devin Townsend
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 4, 1997 By Steve Newton Those ’70s-rock fans sure are a devoted bunch. Even if one of their fave old bands hasn’t produced a hit in two decades, they’ll stick with it and flock to its concerts to hold Bic lighters on high and relive the halcyon days of 8-tracks, mag … Continue reading Spine-tingling guitar solos light up Lynyrd Skynyrd’s first-ever Vancouver show
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 21, 1990 By Steve Newton Halifax, Nova Scotia: Could those three words possibly conjure up images of a city full of alluring possibilities and untold enchantment? Well, when Mick Thomas of Australia’s Weddings Parties Anything first heard them, his imagination was piqued, and he couldn’t wait to see what the city … Continue reading WPA’s Mick Thomas recalls seeing AC/DC, Cold Chisel, and Midnight Oil play a pub in Geelong
By Steve Newton On May 6, 1985, Vancouver blues legend Jim Byrnes was in the midst of a week-long stint at a nightclub in the West End. That’s no big whoop as far as Vancouver music history goes, but considering how much Byrnes has contributed to the city’s blues scene since then, I figured it … Continue reading Jim Byrnes on the Vancouver blues scene in ’85 and his idol Magic Sam
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 23, 1990 By Steve Newton Boy, the nerve of those Aerosmith guys! They stay in our city for months on end, tie up our world-class studios, use our best producers and engineers, hog all the seats in our strip bars, and then deny the city’s top entertainment rag a crummy phone … Continue reading Steven Tyler screeches like a budgie from hell as Aerosmith rocks Vancouver on the Pump tour
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 16, 1982 By Steve Newton It’s a hard road, and often a long one, that leads to success in the world of heavy metal. With the exception of a few bands that luck out on their debut recordings because radio is good to them, most hard rockers fight an uphill battle … Continue reading Scorpions inflict deadliest sting yet as lead guitarist Matthias Jabs helps cause a devastating Blackout
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 17, 1988 By Steve Newton Most successful recording bands like to put an album out every year. Sometimes they’ll skip a year, to vacation in the Bahamas or release a live or best-of LP. After three years their fans start to get a bit worried, not to mention the band’s record … Continue reading Def Leppard’s Steve Clark on the long wait for Hysteria and the legacy of Pyromania
