Tag: Commodore Ballroom

NRBQ makes a Cabbage Patch Kid do a lowdown limbo after Tom Harrison’s BGM gets loud and tacky

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 24, 1986 By Steve Newton A few songs into their opening set for NRBQ last Thursday, Tom Harrison, lead singer for Bruno Gerussi's Medallion, commented. "We hope we're loud and tacky, like our namesake." Well, his hopes were answered. But despite loud and tacky tunes like their theme song, written by … Continue reading NRBQ makes a Cabbage Patch Kid do a lowdown limbo after Tom Harrison’s BGM gets loud and tacky

The Rockin’ Highliners get a big boost from Duke Robillard on Oh My!

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 18, 1999 By Steve Newton One of my favourite things about the new Rockin’ Highliners CD, Oh My!, is the rip-roaring interplay between guitarists Clayton Sample and Alex Herriot. So when vocalist Robert Tycholis calls from Toronto and explains that Herriot quit the band recently, my enthusiasm drops … Continue reading The Rockin’ Highliners get a big boost from Duke Robillard on Oh My!

That time I told Gene Simmons that I saw Kiss in a Vancouver club on the Hotter Than Hell tour

By Steve Newton Some concert experiences are just seared into memory--if you're lucky--and one of the most unforgettable for me was seeing Kiss at Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom in January of 1975. They were on the Hotter than Hell tour, and they were still hungry. They hadn't earned untold riches yet, hadn't become masters of marketing, … Continue reading That time I told Gene Simmons that I saw Kiss in a Vancouver club on the Hotter Than Hell tour

That time I asked Steve Morse if winning readers-poll awards in guitar mags meant much to him

By Steve Newton There's a good reason I dragged the world-famous Ear of Newt Guitar to Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom one night back in 1991 when the Dixie Dregs were playing on a bill with Ronnie Montrose. It's because Steve Morse was the guitarist in the Dixie Dregs, and I really wanted to score his autograph, … Continue reading That time I asked Steve Morse if winning readers-poll awards in guitar mags meant much to him

Meeting with the Alien: hangin’ with Joe Satriani backstage in Vancouver

By Steve Newton Went and saw Joe Satriani at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver last night, and holy crap was he smokin'! I must have seen Satch live around 10 times over the years--including on various G3 tours--and I don't think he's ever played better. Having such a wicked backing band--guitarist-keyboardist Mike Kenneally, bassist Bryan … Continue reading Meeting with the Alien: hangin’ with Joe Satriani backstage in Vancouver

That time Robin Trower told me that most of the pop music in England was “rubbish”

By Steve Newton Robin Trower is one of my fave guitarists of all time. His string of wicked albums in the seventies--in particular Twice Removed from Yesterday, Bridge of Sighs, and For Earth Below--were a major part of the soundtrack to my teenage existence. He's never gotten the cred he deserves, partly due to the … Continue reading That time Robin Trower told me that most of the pop music in England was “rubbish”

John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers slay Vancouver with smokin’ guitarists Montoya and Trout

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 6, 1987 By Steve Newton John Mayall knows blues guitarists. And it's no wonder since he's played with the best of them--guys like Eric Clapton and Mick Taylor. But the two lead players he brought with him to the Commodore last Thursday (October 29) were so hot that they literally stole the show from … Continue reading John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers slay Vancouver with smokin’ guitarists Montoya and Trout

Remembering Kiss before the reunion tour got Gene Simmons back in diapers

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 29, 1996 By Steve Newton If you were a rock-loving teenager in the ’70s, you probably have some kind of Kiss story to tell. Maybe you made your own outfits and played in a Kiss air-guitar band (“I wanna be Ace!”), or painted a black star around one … Continue reading Remembering Kiss before the reunion tour got Gene Simmons back in diapers

David Gogo drinks “anything that’s liquid” and uses the empty glass for a slide in Vancouver

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 19, 1991 By Steve Newton Does 22-year-old David Gogo have what it takes to become Canada’s next blues-rock guitar hero? Can his name be mentioned along with the likes of Jeff Healey, Colin James, and Tony “Wild T” Springer? That question could be on a few minds these days, especially in … Continue reading David Gogo drinks “anything that’s liquid” and uses the empty glass for a slide in Vancouver

Ronnie Montrose and Steve Morse jam for the first time on the Yardbirds’ “Shapes of Things”

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 29, 1994 By Steve Newton What do ’60s British rock pioneers the Yardbirds, ’70s fusion greats the Mahavishnu Orchestra, instrumental southern-rockers the Dixie Dregs, and cult guitar hero Ronnie Montrose have in common? Not that much, really, but at the Commodore on Wednesday (September 21) the musical legacies of the first … Continue reading Ronnie Montrose and Steve Morse jam for the first time on the Yardbirds’ “Shapes of Things”

The Age of Electric kicks off Canadian tour with killer Vancouver gig

jeff sutherland photos By Steve Newton Everybody's favourite Canadian guitar-rock band from the '90s--well, mine anyway--kicked off its 15-date Canadian tour with a show at the Commodore last night. Last April all four original members of the Age of Electric--singer-guitarists Todd Kerns and Ryan Dahle, bassist John Kerns, and drummer-vocalist Kurt Dahle--reunited for their first … Continue reading The Age of Electric kicks off Canadian tour with killer Vancouver gig