Per Iron Maiden 2022 North American Tour Dates, once again, a great tour is going around Iowa and, of the two dates closest to me - in SD & in Chicago - they play on a Monday and a Wednesday, which is not going to work. I have never seen Iron Maiden in concert and I would like to see both Iron Maiden & Judas Priest before they cease touring.
Iron Maiden 2022 North American Tour
Sept. 11 - El Paso, Texas @ Don Haskins Center
Sept. 13 - Austin, Texas @ Moody Center
Sept. 15 - Tulsa, Okla. @ BOK Center
Sept. 17 - Denver, Colo. @ Ball Arena
Sept. 19 - Salt Lake City, Utah @ USANA Amphitheatre
Sept. 21 - Anaheim, Calif. @ Honda Center
Sept. 25 - Chula Vista, Calif. @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
Sept. 27 - Concord, Calif. @ Concord Pavilion
Sept. 29 - Seattle, Wash. @ Climate Pledge Arena
Sept. 30 - Spokane, Wash. @ Spokane Arena
Oct. 03 - Sioux Falls, S.D. @ Denny Sanford Premier Center <-- a Monday
Oct. 05 - Chicago, Ill. @ United Center <-- a Wednesday
Oct. 07 - Columbus, Ohio @ Nationwide Arena
Oct. 09 - Detroit, Mich. @ Little Caesars Arena
Oct. 11 - Toronto, Ontario @ Scotiabank Centre
Oct. 12 - Hamilton, Ontario @ First Ontario Centre
11:19 Metallica - Blackened 17:59 Accept - Starlight 21:52 Anthem - Venom Strike 26:40 W.A.S.P. - King of Sodom and Gomorrah 30:31 Razor - Cross Me Fool 33:47 Dokken - Into The Fire 38:17 Cacophony - Savage 44:08 Black 'N' Blue - Chains Around Heaven 48:09 Running Wild - Freewind Rider 53:30 Metal Church - Ton Of Bricks 56:31 Savatage - Power of the Night 1:01:46 Fates Warning - Without a Trace 1:06:36 Carnivore - Male Supremacy 1:14:04 Elektradrive - Secret of the Holy Grave 1:19:36 Crimson Glory - Eternal World 1:23:29 Norden Light - Legends
Honestly, it makes me giggle when I read marketing materials for someone I've never heard of that are written in the tone of "You are not a real metal fan if you've never heard of this person / band." Case in point, the text of an email I received today at 5:59 AM. I've never heard of "Leather Leone" in my life. Not ever before today. I must not be a heavy metal fan if I've never heard of "Leather Leone." Words arranged in the following order also made me giggle:
" . . . only female vocalist to be compared to Rob Halford of Judas Priest, Bruce Dickenson of Iron Maiden and Geoff Tate." So, you're going to name-check Rob Halford, and say that he is in Judas Priest, and you're going to name-check Bruce Dickenson, and say that he is in Iron Maiden, and you're going to name-check Geoff Tate but NOT mention that he is the former lead singer of Queensryche? I would argue that it's more likely to know who Halford and Dickenson are and to know what band they are a member of than it is likely to know Geoff Tate was in Queensryche, but Queensryche isn't name-checked? Wow. And that's not even mentioning that Leather Leone is "the only female vocalist to be compared" to Halford, Dickenson, and Tate. The ONLY female vocalist that has been compared to those three? Really?
Anyways, read on.
SAUSALITO, CA (AUGUST 23, 2019) — LEATHER LEONE is hailed by many as one of the most powerful and most influential female vocalists in history of Heavy Metal music. LEATHER is excited to announce she has signed with Michael Brandvold Marketing for management, stating "Moving forward with Michael Brandvold is a natural progression for me. He has been offering support and advice for years. I am extremely excited to move forward with his knowledge and love of METAL!!!" Michael Brandvold added, "Everything I do is about helping artists find their fans and help them connect with those fans,” Michael says. “LEATHER wants nothing more than to create and play music for her fans and I admire her dedication."
LEATHER's immediate plans... working on a new album. "Vinnie Tex and I are continuing our writing wizardry toward another Leather record."
Oft-championed alongside Wendy O. Williams, Betsy Bitch, and Doro Pesch as a leading torchbearer for high-power heavy metal frontwomen, LEATHER LEONE is perhaps best known for her outstanding work alongside legendary guitar shredder David T. Chastain—having performed on no less than four of CHASTAIN’s full-length albums prior to releasing her solo debut, Shock Waves, in 1989. However, after another stellar outing with CHASTAIN the following year with For Those Who Dare, a lengthy hiatus occurred, and it would be 20 years before LEATHER's inimitable vocal force would resurface.
2011 found LEONE once more joining forces with early-'80s Rude Girl bandmate Sandy Sledge for the Sledge Leather project, resulting in the 2012 full-length Imagine Me Alive. Subsequent albums with CHASTAIN followed in Surrender to No One (2013) and We Bleed Metal (2015); and touring under her own name throughout South America and Europe over the past two years, LEATHER and her current lineup of Vinnie Tex and Daemon Ross (guitars), Thiago Velasquez (bass), and Braulio Drummond (drums) have harnessed their newfound fire into a brand new album that was released in 2018. The scorching 11-song outing—titled simply II—was mixed and mastered by the WiesÅ‚awski Brothers (VADER, BEHEMOTH, etc.).
Leather II was release worldwide through High Roller Records in Europe, Rubicon Music in Japan, Divebomb Records in North America, Urubuz Records in Brasil, Pacheco Records in Argentina and GOH Records in Peru.
In 1984, she was connected to metal guitar virtuoso David T. Chastain, who was known at the time for his band CJSS, featuring bassist Mike Skimmerhorn. She joined his new band, CHASTAIN, as the Lead Vocalist. The first lineup, which was featured on the album Mystery Of Illusion (1985), had Skimmerhorn on Bass and Fred Coury as Drummer, who would go on to Cinderella shortly after this. She recorded 5 albums with Chastain, Mystery Of Illusion (1985), Ruler Of The Wasteland(1986), The 7th Of Never (1987), Voice Of The Cult (1988), and For Those Who Dare (1990) with other members of Chastain who went on to bands including: Ken Mary with House of Lords, Fifth Angel, Alice Cooper and Accept; John Luke Herbert and David Harbour with King Diamond; Pat O'Brien with Cannibal Corpse.
After Chastain's: For Those Who Dare tour finished in 1991, the world waited for more. Then Leather disappeared. For years fans searched and wondered what had happened to the “Voice of the Cult”, the only female vocalist ever to be compared to Rob Halford from Judas Priest, Bruce Dickenson from Iron Maiden and Geoff Tate.
Sounding awesomely better than ever. - Tony Dolan, Venom Inc
One of the all time great metal vocalists... male or female! - David T Chastain
Seeing Iron Maiden & Judas Priest would satisfy the requirement of seeing those two iconic heavy metal bands prior to my death. Testament would be awesome while Obituary? Not on the top of my list. I've never heard of "The Raven Age" but if they are being selected to be on this tour, more power to them!
May 03 – Hollywood, FL – Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino May 06 – Nashville, TN – Nashville Municipal Auditorium May 08 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre May 09 – Biloxi, MS – Beau Rivage Resort & Casino May 12 – Washington, DC – The Anthem May 14 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount May 15 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount May 16 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena May 18 – Albany, NY – Palace Theatre May 19 – Albany, NY – Palace Theatre May 22 – Milwaukee, WI – Riverside Theater May 23 – Milwaukee, WI – Riverside Theater May 25 – Rosemont, IL – Rosemont Theatre May 28 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at The Moody Theater May 29 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at The Moody Theater May 31 – Dallas, TX – The Bomb Factory Jun. 01 – Little Rock, AR – First Security Amphitheater Jun. 03 – St. Louis, MO – Stifel Theatre Jun. 05 – Colorado Springs, CO – Broadmoor World Arena Jun. 08 – Saskatoon, SK – SaskTel Centre Jun. 10 – Lethbridge, AB – ENMAX Centre Jun. 11 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place Jun. 13 – Dawson Creek, BC – Encana Events Centre Jun. 14 – Prince George, BC – CN Centre Jun. 16 – Kelowna, BC – Prospera Place Jun. 17 – Abbotsford, BC – Abbotsford Centre Jun. 19 – Airway Heights, WA – Northern Quest Resort and Casino Jun. 21 – Kent, WA – Accesso Showare Center Jun. 22 – Portland, OR – Moda Theatre of the Clouds Jun. 24 – San Francisco, CA – Warfield Theatre Jun. 25 – San Francisco, CA – Warfield Theatre Jun. 27 – Los Angeles, CA – Microsoft Theater Jun. 29 – Las Vegas, NV – The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel
The equivalent of The Onion for heavy music fans is MetalSucks.net which I have linked to elsewhere on this blog. The latest funny thing that they posted is this article: Clickbait Magazine Says These are the 25 Best Metal Albums of All Time. In case you don't want to leave this page to view their Top 25, here they are:
25. Sunn O))) - Monoliths and Dimensions
24. Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
23. Napalm Death - From Enslavement to Obliteration
22. Black Sabbath - The Eternal Idol
21. Mastodon - Crack the Skye
20. Tool - 10,000 Days
19. Slayer - God Hates Us All
18. Slipknot - All Hope is Gone
17. Ozzy Osbourne - Ozzmosis
16. In Flames - Soundtrack to Your Escape
15. Korn - Korn III: Remember Who You Are
14. Morbid Angel - Heretic
13. Suicide Silence - Suicide Silence
12. Megadeth - The System Has Failed
11. Iron Maiden - A Matter of Life and Death
10. Pantera - Reinventing the Steel
9. Lamb of God - Wrath
8. Judas Priest - Angel of Retribution
7. Damn Yankees - Don’t Tread
6. Mötley Crüe - New Tattoo
5. Anthrax - Stomp 442
4. Guns N’ Roses - “The Spaghetti Incident?”
3. Adema - Topple the Giants
2. Metallica - …And Justice for All
1. Jethro Tull - Crest of a Knave
Just in case you aren't sure that it's meant to be interpreted as satire, there's this clue:
As he approaches 70 later this year, Osbourne said he wanted to spend more time with his grandchildren after five decades on the road. "I love my work, it's amazing ... Jack's three little girls," he said. "They are wonderful, except when they come over to the house, wreck it and leave."
Meanwhile, this is the lineup for Download in Austrailia and, well, 1 - 6, 8, 9, 12 are good... so that's 9 out of 23 - 39% won't get me to buy a plane ticket to go see it.
More and more, seeing Five Finger Death Punch with Breaking Benjamin & From Ashes to New on Tuesday, November 27, 2018, is becoming very appealing. I've been on a "modern rock" kick lately. These bands are routinely in my ears (listed in alphabetical order)
in my Windows Media Player playlist. However, that doesn't mean I haven't been dabbling in "the classic rock bands" like (listed in alphabetical order)
AC-DC (the groove on "Givin the Dog a Bone" & "Shake A Leg" specifically have captured my attention)
Judas Priest
KISS
Metallica
Rush
However, that doesn't mean I haven't forgotten my "favorite bands" like (listed in alphabetical order)
I remember one student in particular who, when I think about her, begins with the thought, "Shet was really dumb." I think about Kelly R. whenever someone says "dumb blonde" or tells a blonde joke.
When I encountered Kelly R, it was in the fall of 1991. She was in my 2nd hour Language Arts sophomore class. I remember my lesson was going to be about editing so I found an article with about 10 sentences published in the Sunday Cedar Rapids Gazette. I split the sentences in the story into numbered items and, as I typed them, I added spelling and grammar errors. I was really excited because editing is one of my (many) passions.
The next day, all excited about my lesson, I remember getting through our weekly spelling word list and being about to start the editing lesson. As I begin to explain what we're going to talk about and what the sheet I'm handing to them contains, Kelly R. raises her hand and says, "We did this sheet last year."
Over the last 27 years, I have thought about her sentence many times. Sometimes, I wonder if what she meant was "We [talked about editing] last year" and was trying to tell me that editing was going to be review and, ultimately, boring to her and her fellow classmates. Nonetheless, because I was a shitty student teacher, I plowed on with my lesson.
I write that I was a shitty student teacher because time has taught me something about myself. I let my passion for the things I love interfere with picking up on the reactions of other people. I have learned that about myself so now I don't talk about rock and roll with my father-in-law because he doesn't care about it - Elvis was the downfall of our society after all. I didn't always realize that about him so many times I would try to tell him about the music about which I am passionate about to, basically, someone who didn't care about what I was saying. To circle back to the graphic, I chuckle when I think about Kelly R on that morning, but I also think about what Kelly R. may have been trying to tell me. Maybe her intent was to warn me about myself and send me a message that said "Hey, you need to listen and not let your passion get in the way of our relationship." It was a failure in communication - she sent a message and while I heard her words, I didn't listen to her message. Even now, all these years later, I attempt to listen not just to Metallica or to the NEW Judas Priest tune embedded below, but to every person with whom I have contact. I think what started the revolution in my head was when I went to a weekly Bible Study at church. We were studying the Book of James and, one week, we discussed what has become my second favorite verse in the Bible: My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry
I realize there are many translations of that verse - as documented on this website - but the above is my favorite version of it. I think about it as a means to 'ground' me in the reality of my surroundings, not the false reality in my head where I can be a proficient drummer by Sunday, February 11, 3 PM, by not practicing drums. Mark, my brother-in-law, razzed me last night as I was sitting on the couch, watching TV. "Why aren't you practicing? You have to have your A game ready!" I will likely find time to practice tomorrow.
