Ozzy Osbourne. Man, what an icon for the world of heavy music. There would be no hard rock and heavy metal as we know it today if it weren’t for Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward when they founded Black Sabbath back in 1968. Picture that. The popular bands at the time were groups like The Doors and The Rolling Stones…and then, here comes Black Sabbath. They, quite literally, changed the world; and like so many of their contemporaries, their run at the top of the world was all too brief. For various reasons, Osbourne would be out of the band throughout the 80’s and 90’s before reconnecting and performing with Black Sabbath sporadically since 1997. Osbourne’s passing on Tuesday, just seventeen days after the final Black Sabbath show, truly feels like one of those deaths that marks the end of a chapter of your younger self. Ozzy Osbourne. I’m not sure there has been a bigger individual name in my lifetime that is more synonymous with heavy music.
In honor of his memory, and the killer tunes that he graced us with, now is your turn to choose YOUR favorite Ozzy (solo) tune. I will save Black Sabbath for a different time. Vote for your favorite below and then read on as I reveal my favorites from his wild career.
I was fortunate to see Ozzy perform live one time in 2007. It was at Ozzfest at the old Polaris Amphitheater in Columbus, Ohio before it turned into a Top Golf and a Swedish furniture store. It was a great show and I honestly remember being surprised by that. At that time, Ozzy was still largely in the public eye due to the popularity of his family’s reality TV show but I honestly didn’t think that he would still be able to perform. He proved me wrong. I wish that I had also got to see Sabbath, but it wasn’t meant to be, as Ozzy was sick for the 2005 Ozzfest and Sabbath had to cancel; leaving Iron Maiden to headline instead… Anyway, my introduction to Ozzy came from my dad’s Diary of a Madman cassette tape. That album still holds up and is the one that I hold in the highest regards from Ozzy’s career, although a decade later, No More Tears gives it a serious run for its money. Some of Osbourne’s greatest songs, though, would come towards the end of his life. His later works were introspective and I believe through this music was how he came to terms with his demons. My Top 30 songs from Ozzy’s solo career are below, in reverse chronological order:
Patient Number 9 (2022)
Ordinary Man featuring Elton John (2020)
Under The Graveyard (2020)
Let Me Hear You Scream (2010)
I Don’t Wanna Stop (2007)
Gets Me Through (2001)
Perry Mason (1995)
I Just Want You (1995)
See You On The Other Side (1995)
Mama, I’m Coming Home (1991)
No More Tears (1991)
Desire (1991)
Hellraiser featuring Lemmy Kilmeister (1991)
Road To Nowhere (1991)
Breaking All The Rules (1988)
Fire In The Sky (1988)
The Ultimate Sin (1986)
Shot In The Dark (1986)
Bark at The Moon (1983)
Over The Mountain (1981)
Flying High Again (1981)
You Can’t Kill Rock & Roll (1981)
Believer (1981)
S.A.T.O. (1981)
Diary of a Madman (1981)
Tonight (1981)
Mr. Crowley (1980)
Goodbye To Romance (1980)
I Don’t Know (1980)
Crazy Train (1980)
This weekend, raise your glasses to the Ozzman and turn it up to eleven.
Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to gift a lot of concert tickets to a lot of people thanks to this gig. Often, especially in the earlier days when I was writing for corporate entities, I would be given a “plus one” with my reviewer tickets. It’s always been important to me to share what I consider to be good music with people that I care about. It’s been awesome to be able to take friends and family members along for the ride over the past twenty years or so.
One of those people that I’ve been able to take to a handful of shows over the years has been my eldest niece. She accompanied me to a Cheap Trick show as an early teen. I was able to bring her to a big festival in Toledo a few years later that featured a who’s who of 80’s hair metal. It featured bands like Ratt and Dokken. We’ve seen Lynyrd Skynyrd and in 2019, for the inaugural Sonic Temple Festival (after they changed their name from Rock on the Range) we were able to see her favorite band at the time: Foo Fighters. I tend to think that, over the years, my writing has gotten better. Alas, comp tickets for big festivals like Sonic Temple have become much harder to get a hold of since I no longer do this for a corporation. I’ve been very fortunate to get free tickets to more concerts than most people probably go to in a lifetime, so I’ll never complain about not getting comped for something that I love to do and have been privileged enough to do countless times. It is frustrating, though, that those opportunities have dried up for some events due to the fact that I’m now just a name and no longer a name with a corporate logo attached to it. I digress.
With that being said, Sonic Temple was not going to be in the cards for me this year, even with as awesome of a lineup that they had organized. Metallica. Korn. Alice Cooper. Alice In Chains. Linkin Park. And on, and on. These are some legendary acts and in a sudden twist of fate, that same niece shot me a text that she had picked up tickets for Sunday as a surprise for her and her boyfriend….and that she had gotten one for me as well! The seeds, that I hope I planted in her brain years ago about live music, have become a passion of hers too. I was touched that they had grabbed a wristband for me as well. Typically, her and her boyfriend go to Ohio’s other major festival; Inkcarceration in Mansfield. They recently moved to Columbus, though, and live within walking distance of Historic Crew Stadium. I went down Sunday morning, to their home, and we walked to the stadium in time to catch one of the opening acts for the day: Fame On Fire.
They were a fun show and we stayed there at the “second” stage for most of the early afternoon. We caught sets by The Plot In You, From Ashes to New, and Badflower. From there we separated for awhile. I was ready to get into the stadium for Chevelle, while they were more interested in seeing Asking Alexandria who has long evaded them. Chevelle was great, as always, and performed for the second largest crowd of the day besides the headliner.
Initially, the band after Chevelle, was supposed to be the iconic Alice In Chains. Unfortunately, due to a medical emergency, they had to pull out two days before the gig. That didn’t leave the festival organizers much time to find a replacement…especially one with the kind of draw that Alice In Chains brings in. They did, however, especially on such short time do an admirable job by adding hometown heroes Beartooth to the lineup. I’ll be the first to admit, that I am not what you would call a huge Beartooth fan. I think they are fine. It has definitely been cool, though, to see them grow over the years. You used to be able to see this band in small venues and this past winter they headlined a show at Columbus’ Schottenstein Center. That’s big time. It was also quite clear that the moment was emotional for the band as well. Lead vocalist Caleb Shomo stopped multiple times to thank the crowd and even towards the end appeared to be shedding some tears. To open an enormous show in your hometown for the biggest band in the world has to be one of those bucket list moments for them.
Outside of maybe AC/DC, there are no current bands in the rock/metal stratosphere that are as big of a draw as the festival headliner: Metallica. They are far and away the largest act that this festival has booked and it’s doubtful, honestly, that that will change. Just as they did when they headlined Rock on the Range in 2017, they absolutely filled the stadium. I’m a huge Metallica fan, but they are not my favorite band. That does not change the fact that they are massive, and at least in the United States, there is nobody else that can do what they are doing. They are bigger now, in 2025, than they even were in their “prime”. The only other act, that I’m aware of, that is playing football stadiums for multiple nights per city is Taylor Swift. I mean no disrespect to her when I say this, but she isn’t playing two completely unique sets each night either where there are zero songs repeated. That is legendary.
And so it was. Metallica came and conquered Columbus yet again. Their Sunday set was a perfect blend of classics and a few tracks from their most recent album 72 Seasons. One of the highlights for me was hearing a stadium full of people echoing back the outro to “The Memory Remains”. Getting to see the biggest band in the world, again, with my niece and her boyfriend at our hometown festival was awesome. Gene Simmons famously stated that “Rock is dead.” Sometimes it feels that way, and the up and comers definitely have their work cut out for them if there is ever going to be a new band to be on that same level as a Metallica or a Led Zeppelin or an AC/DC. But rock isn’t dead. Events like this couldn’t happen if that were true. This festival has grown from a one day affair to a four day event with four stages and 100 performances since 2007. Younger generations of fans and newer bands will have to continue to keep it alive but hearing 50,000 people in a stadium singing along to “One” and “Enter Sandman” has me very optimistic that the legends of yesteryear and the legends of today have laid a more than solid foundation for the legends of tomorrow.
Metallica Set List Columbus, OH Sonic Temple Festival May 11, 2025
As is the case every year in these parts, May is the big dog as far as major rock & roll happenings in Ohio. Columbus is home to the Sonic Temple Festival (formerly Rock on the Range) and always brings in some of the biggest names in rock and metal music. This year is certainly no exception. We are going to start with that festival as they are bringing in the biggest metal band in the world and we will end in Cleveland with the biggest hard rock band in the world.
Next week, May 8-11, will mark the return of the massive Sonic Temple Music and Art Festival to Columbus at Historic Crew Stadium. In recent years it was expanded to four days and now even offers four stages of music. There will be over 100 performances over the course of the four days. The event is 97% sold out and it is definitely not cheap. If you haven’t already secured tickets, they can be purchased here. They do offer a “pay later” option if that is up your alley. If the event does not sell out, you will likely be able to score good deals on the days of the shows. I’ve bought from the long-time scalpers that stand on 17th Avenue before and they are usually pretty negotiable. Highlighting the four days will of course be Metallica. They will headline on Friday and Sunday and will play two entirely different set lists. No songs will be repeated. They will be supported on Friday by the legendary Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie. On Sunday, when they close out the festival, they’ll be supported by Alice In Chains. All of these bands put on phenomenal live shows.
Wednesday May 14th brings Nazareth to my favorite small venue; Columbus’ The King of Clubs. The 70’s rockers will be appearing there for the first time. Tickets are still available and range from $30 for general admission to $60 for floor seating. There are also tables available from $200-$300 depending on how many seats. I’ve never seen Nazareth, but think this should definitely be a show worth checking out.
May 19th brings two of the bigger hard rock acts of the 2000’s to Blossom Music Center up in Cuyahoga Falls. Six days later they will also visit Cincinnati’s Riverbend Music Center. The tour features Staind and Breaking Benjamin. I’ve seen both of these bands a number of times and they both sound great live. There are plenty of tickets available for both shows and those can be purchased right here.
On May 21st Billy Idol and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts will come to Cincinnati’s Riverbend Music Center. I haven’t seen Billy Idol live, but Joan Jett was great at the very first Sonic Temple back in 2019. There are plenty of tickets available in all sections of the large venue. They range in price from $22-$270 depending on location and can be purchased here.
May 23rd will bring another classic rock veteran to the Buckeye State. Pat Benatar will visit The Ohio State University’s Mershon Auditorium. Tickets are pricey and range from $65-$270. They can be bought here. I saw her open for Journey once and her show was fine. The tour will make stops in Sylvania (Toledo-ish) the next night and down on the river in Marietta on the 27th.
There is only one active band right now that could top the Metallica visit next week. Short of Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin reuniting, that band is AC/DC. It’s been a long time since the boys from Down Under have played in Ohio and it very well could be the last time that they do. They will be playing in Cleveland for the final night of their tour on May 28th at Huntington Bank Field; home of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns. The show is nearly sold out and the few remaining seats range in price from $221-$360. If you can swing it, buy your tickets here, and go see one of the greatest rock acts of all time for possibly the final time. I’ve been fortunate enough to see AC/DC twice and can’t recommend it enough!
That’s all for May! June has some good stuff coming up too, but May is definitely the time to go see some live music!
Quiet Riot. The members that are continuing to carry on the legacy of the very important heavy metal outfit headlined the annual Picktown Palooza festival in the Columbus suburbs last weekend. The band was fantastic and were touring on their ongoing 40 Years of Metal Health (41 now) tour that began in 2023. Their story is one of triumph and tragedy alike, and they were sure to pay homage to their former band members that aren’t with us anymore; namely an iconic trio of rock stars that left this world too soon: guitarist Randy Rhodes, drummer Frankie Banali, and lead vocalist Kevin DuBrow. Anyone that dares refer to themselves as a metal head, ought to know the importance of 1983’s Metal Health record and what it meant for the future of the genre. Metal Health was the first metal album to every top the Billboard charts. Ever. It’s a great record from start to finish and I strongly encourage anyone to put it into their rotation regularly.
For starters, the festival has definitely grown tremendously since the last time that I attended. I believe that it was in 2019 when Dokken headlined and the event was held in the middle of town. It is now held on the campus of one of their huge high schools and was certainly much larger than in the past. Sponsored by local rock station, QFM 96, the concert attendance numbered in the thousands by my estimation. The show was highlighted not only by the hits but by deeper cuts like “Love’s a Bitch” and “Run For Cover” but the absolute highlight was being able to finally see “Thunderbird” performed live. You can check my video of that performance below.
Quiet Riot performing “Thunderbird” live at Picktown Palooza
The last time that I’d seen Quiet Riot was in 2007 at The Ohio State Fair when they played the Celeste Center with Slaughter. While classic era members DuBrow and Banali were still in the band at that time and the show was great, the set list was very short (only 8 songs for a headliner?!) and didn’t have enough stuff from their iconic album. Sadly, DuBrow would leave this world just three months after that gig at the young age of 52. The current era of the band righted those wrongs in Pickerington with a 15 song set that featured a heavy portion of the Metal Health record. Afterall, when you have an album that went 6x platinum, it’s wise to feature it in your live show. With that being said, however, I always encourage new music and I was happy to see the band play a song that wasn’t released until 2022; “I Can’t Hold On”. The song was a lost demo track written by DuBrow and Grossi back in the early 2000s that had been forgotten about until it was found on an iPod in 2021. The current band constructed the track from its demo status and released it two years ago.
They did that and more. The current lineup was energized and lead vocalist Jizzy Pearl (who has also sung for contemporary acts L.A. Guns, Ratt, and Love/Hate) had great control of the crowd. Drummer Johnny Kelly (formerly of Type O Negative, Kill Devil Hill, and Danzig) had the unenviable task of trying to fill the enormous shoes of Frankie Banali. Banali famously held the spot behind the drum kit from 1980 until his death in 2020 and poured his life into keeping the band’s legacy alive after DuBrow’s death in 2008 as was documented in the 2014 rockumentary: Quiet Riot: Well Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back. It is a fantastic film that documents the real life struggles of a band that seemingly had it all, lost it all, and the lifelong grind of trying to climb back to keep the dream and the music alive. It’s seriously a great film and a must stream if you haven’t already. Like I said, no small task for Kelly to sit in Banali’s seat. However, he played great and combined with iconic bass player Rudy Sarzo, the rhythm section was on point all night. Sarzo is one of those guys that has been around the heavy metal and classic rock band block, general good guy, and is well respected not only for his work with Quiet Riot but also in the following bands: Ozzy Osbourne, Dio, Blue Oyster Cult, Whitesnake, The Guess Who and Geoff Tate’s Queensryche. The last of those, with Queensryche, I felt he was the star of the show when they played Columbus’ famed Newport Music Hall about a decade ago. The dude is a legend. Lastly, lead guitarist Alex Grossi, has held down that spot for nearly 20 years now. His playing did justice to those Cavazo riffs of the heyday era but he also made sure to pay homage to the all to brief career of the bands founding member; Randy Rhodes, as well. I hope that this incarnation of the band continues to tour for many years and perhaps for the 45th or 50th anniversary of Metal Health, they can play it in its entirety!
Quiet Riot Set List – July 13, 2024, Pickerington, Ohio
1. Run For Cover (1983)
2. Slick Black Cadillac (1983)
3. Mama Weer All Crazee Now (1984) (Slade cover)
4. I Can’t Hold On (2022)
5. Sign of the Times (1984)
6. Love’s a Bitch (1983)
7. Condition Critical (1984)
8. Thunderbird (1983)
9. Party All Night (1984)
10. Blackout in the Red Room (1990) (Love/Hate cover)
Avenged Sevenfold made their second visit to Ohio’s capital city last night in support of their latest offering; 2023’s Life Is But A Dream…, a project that was five years in the making. They made their initial Columbus stop last May as the Friday night headliner at the Sonic Temple Festival. Admittedly, I was concerned after watching them last year at a festival that has become like a second home for them. Perhaps, it was just the long layoff after the pandemic that had made them seem somewhat rusty. Whatever rust they may have had last May has surely been shaken off by now. Last night at Nationwide Arena the band were in top form. Their proper headlining, fifteen song set saw them focus on their latest record but also dust off some of their more obscure back catalog.
The opener for this tour is alt-pop-metal outfit Poppy. Admittedly, I was unfamiliar with her or her band prior to last night and I didn’t have high expectations. I’m glad that I went into it with an open mind, however. I’m sure that I am not the target demographic for her music and will admit that it was certainly not in my wheelhouse of something that I’d normally listen to. With all of that said, there was something about the performance that drew me in. I can’t explain it. There were elements of techno, metal, and pop that fused into an oddly enjoyable blend of music. All I can say is I had never heard or seen anything quite like it before last night. I would explain it as if you mixed Rob Zombie with In This Moment and K-Pop. I’m generally not one that would be described as a very artistic person, but her performance was certainly art. I can and do appreciate that. While I might not understand it, I was entertained and drawn into it, and in retrospect there were things about her performance that fits with the experimentation and progressive path that A7X has been on since Hail To The King was released.
Poppy Set List Columbus, OH 3/26/2024
1. Bloodmoney
2. Church Outfit
3. Bite Your Teeth
4. I Disagree
5. X
6. Hard
7. Sit/Stay
8. V.A.N. (Bad Omens cover)
9. Fill The Crown
10. Anything Like Me
11. Scary Mask
12. Concrete
Shortly after 9 p.m. the lights dimmed and Kvinsky’s Nightcall played over the speakers as the intro before Avenged Sevenfold took the stage to kick off the night with a pair of songs from the new album. It’s no secret that over the course of the past two albums the band has been experimenting with new sounds. Like bands before them (Rush, Iron Maiden, Metallica, etc.) they’ve been pushing the boundaries into new territory. Avenged Sevenfold no longer fits into a cookie cutter box of a proper metalcore band. They’ve grown. They’ve evolved. That’s okay, too. How boring would it be, for them, to continuously make the same record over and over again? Do I have a fondness for their earlier work? Absolutely. I do enjoy seeing a band grow, though, and both The Stage and Life Is But A Dream… have grown on me with each listen.
The new tracks held up well in the live setting and of course the crowd went nuts for the songs from the “classic” era of this band. For a band that I worried about potentially being lost less than a year ago; those fears have been put to rest after seeing them last night. M. Shadows in particular seemed to be having fun again and his vocals were stronger than they’ve been in a long time. With eight studio albums now under their belt, during a career spanning twenty five years, there is always going to be a gripe with any set list that they choose to perform. Of course I want to hear “Beast and the Harlot“, but I’ll gladly trade that for a band that is still challenging themselves to make new music. That means the fire still burns within them. If that fire still burns, then you’ve got a band that is going to continue to create. Bands that create, want to share their art and perform it live. Give me that. Bands that become bored, don’t last. I need live music more than I need to hear a particular song. I’m thankful that Avenged Sevenfold is still driven to create and bring us their live show. Inspiration breeds motivation, and has led this band back to being on top of their game. They were on top of their game last night.
Avenged Sevenfold Set List Columbus, Ohio 3/26/2024
K.K.’s Priest performing at The King of Clubs, Columbus, Ohio 3/16/24 Photo by Chad Hobbs
K.K.’s Priest invaded the comfy confines of Columbus’ venue The King of Clubs on Saturday night. The all-star cast that Judas Priest legend K.K. Downing has put together to represent both his storied Priest career as well as two albums of new heavy metal made their first visit to Ohio on this tour and brought a pair of bands with them to warm up the crowd. The tour package paired several heavy metal legends with several legends in the making as well.
Switzerland’s (minus one, Philly guitar virtuoso Courtney Cox) Burning Witches made their second appearance at the music venue that has quickly became the local favorite for a variety of music, but has specialized in giving headbangers a place to feel at home. Last time they visited, they were on tour supporting Cox’s former band; The Iron Maidens. While she admittedly made a comfortable living in the world famous Iron Maiden tribute act, the lure of creating original music with like minded people led her to accepting a full time gig with the Witches last summer.
As is the case with most metal music, this band brings a powerhouse rhythm section with Jeanine Grob on bass and Lala Frischknecht on drums. The aforementioned Cox has assumed lead guitar duties while founding member Romana Kalkuhl handles rhythm guitars. They are led out front by the next great siren in heavy metal, Laura Guldemond. Her stage presence is what sets their performance apart from many of their contemporary counterparts. They play heavy, heavy metal yet haven’t forgotten the idea that performing live should be fun. Guldemond’s confidence while commanding a crowd is reminiscent of the legends of the genre. Even while there were issues during the first song with her microphone and the documented physical struggle that this tour has been for Kalkuhl, they soldiered through and refused to let their performance be hampered. This is a band that is only going to continue to grow its fan base as corporate radio continues to die and more avenues become available to get real metal music to the masses.
Burning Witches Set List
1. Unleash The Beast
2. Wings of Steel
3. Hexenhammer
4. Lucid Nightmare
5. The Dark Tower
6. Burning Witches
Burning Witches performing at The King of Clubs, Columbus, Ohio 3/16/24 Photo by Chad Hobbs
Burning Witches performing at The King of Clubs, Columbus, Ohio 3/16/24 Photo by Chad Hobbs
Los Angeles’ heavy metal staples L.A. Guns were up next. I always love seeing bands from the 80’s era that got pigeonholed into the “hair metal” scene unjustly. Firstly, most of the bands from the era are great anyway and the “hair” label cheapens their contributions to heavy metal music. A lot of them have their metal “cred” challenged on the basis of cheesy music videos for the newly founded MTV or because they happened to write a ballad or two. L.A. Guns are no exception to the rule, but this being the second time seeing them live in the past few years, I’m happy to say that they are just a kick ass heavy metal band that are even better live. The key to most of these bands that paved the way for the heavier stuff that would come in later years, is that when you see them live, you hear these songs the way they were actually meant to be heard. Live, loud, raw. The casual metal fan may only know this band for their radio friendly hit, “The Ballad of Jayne”, (which is a great song by the way) and completely may not be aware that this band is actually much closer to Motorhead than they ever were to Bon Jovi.
Tracii Guns is one of the most well known guitarists to come out of the 1980’s metal scene. In fact, while Ozzy Osbourne’s “Diary of a Madman” was blaring over the speakers as the band was taking the stage, Guns played along in what is one of the coolest ways to kick off a concert I’ve ever seen. While it’s pretty obvious where the “Guns” in L.A. Guns comes from; his namesake is also where the “Guns” in Guns N’ Roses comes from too as for a brief time L.A. Guns merged with Axl’s band Hollywood Rose. The pairing didn’t last long, however, and L.A. Guns forged ahead. Handling lead vocals since 1987 (save for a four year stretch in the ’90s), is Mr. Phil Lewis. His vocals were on point all night. He informed the crowd prior to the performance of “Jayne” that he’s been struggling with his vocals but that he would try hard to get through the song. He sounded great and one could not be blamed for thinking that he was full of it. In fact, Ripper Owens of the evenings headlining performers would later playfully call him out for being full of shit.
L.A. Guns Set List
1. Cannonball
2. Electric Gypsy
3. Over The Edge
4. Sex Action
5. Speed
6. Hell’s Bells (instrumental jam of AC/DC)
7. Never Enough
8. The Ballad of Jayne
9. Rip and Tear
L.A. Guns performing at The King of Clubs, Columbus, Ohio 3/16/2024. Photo by Chad Hobbs
At about 9:45, the headlining act for the night took the stage. K.K. Downing is a founding member of Judas Priest. The same Judas Priest that is quite obviously on the Mount Rushmore of heavy metal bands with Sabbath, Maiden and Metallica. Don’t try to argue. His decades of playing twin harmonizing guitar with Glen Tipton in Priest formed one of the most iconic and recognizable sounds in metal music. In 2011, Downing’s time in Priest came to an end and after many years of not performing the beginnings of what would become K.K.’s Priest began to take shape right before and during the pandemic.
The new project, K.K.’s Priest, would be a combination of both some of his best work from the Judas Priest heyday as well as fresh and new music that would remain true to what his vision of the band was. Who better to recruit for lead vocals than Akron, Ohio’s Tim “Ripper” Owens who actually was in Judas Priest for a pair of albums when they reunited without Rob Halford briefly around the turn of the century. His vocal parallels to Halford are eerily close and his work with Iced Earth was my favorite that they put out. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see him perform with Iced Earth, so I’ve been looking forward to seeing him live and combined with Downing whom I hadn’t seen since 2009’s Judas Priest tour; you might say that Saturday night was a show that I was excited for.
Rounding out the band are guitarist A.J. Mills, bassist Tony Newton, and drummer Sean Elg. The hard hitting quintet opened the night with the first single from their first record; 2021’s Sermons of the Sinner. From the opening riff of “Hellfire Thunderbolt” to kick off the set and through second encore song; this was just a classic, old school metal show. With Owens piercing vocals ripping right through you and heavy riffs and plenty of double bass pedal holding it all together, the show surpassed all of my expectations and has now taken over the top spot for shows that I’ve seen at The King of Clubs. It was also a fantastic way to kick off my 2024 concert run. The night was a celebration. A celebration of the legacy of K.K. Downing and his work over the past 50+ years. It was a celebration of the legacy of Tracii Guns. It was a celebration of the future of all three of these bands. It was a celebration of the 3rd year anniversary of Columbus’ new favorite music venue. The show was sold out. Towards the end of the show, Owens remarked that after the end of this tour that the band would reconvene in England to work on the follow up to 2023’s The Sinner Rides Again album. I’m excited for that and hope that they will once again spend an evening with the headbanging faithful in Columbus, Ohio when they inevitably tour in support of whatever comes next.
K.K.’s Priest Set List
1. Hellfire Thunderbolt
2. One More Shot at Glory
3. The Ripper (Judas Priest cover)
4. Reap the Whirlwind
5. Night Crawler (Judas Priest cover)
6. Burn in Hell (Judas Priest cover)
7. Beyond the Realms of Death (Judas Priest cover)
8. Hell Patrol (Judas Priest cover)
9. Brother of the Road
10. The Green Manalishi With The Two Prong Crown (Fleetwood Mac cover)
11. Breaking The Law (Judas Priest cover)
12. Victim of Changes (Judas Priest cover)
*Encore*
13. Strike of the Viper
14. Raise Your Fists
K.K.’s Priest performing at The King of Clubs, Columbus, OH 3/16/2024. Photo by Chad Hobbs
K.K.’s Priest performing at The King of Clubs, Columbus, OH 3/16/2024. Photo by Chad Hobbs
K.K.’s Priest performing at The King of Clubs, Columbus, OH 3/16/2024. Photo by Chad Hobbs
K.K.’s Priest performing at The King of Clubs, Columbus, OH 3/16/2024. Photo by Chad Hobbs
The King of Clubs, located on Columbus’ northern side, has quickly made a name for itself for all of the right reasons. Time and again, seemingly week after week they are announcing new concerts for their venue that are meeting a need in the city. The Al Rosa Villa is gone and The Newport and Kemba Live venues have largely ignored metal and hard rock acts for the past several years. The King of Clubs has risen to the challenge and filled that void for the most loyal fans in music.
The Iron Maidens, the world famous “only female tribute to Iron Maiden”, returned to the club for their third visit in as many years on Saturday night. While it may have felt like deja vu for most of the band, one member was making her debut for the Columbus venue. Shani Kimelman is currently filling in as one of the guitarists while Courtney Cox is doing the same for the Swiss metal band Burning Witches. Having only been on the road with the Maidens for a week or so, Kimelman handled her duties wonderfully and traded off some of heavy metal’s most famous guitar solos with long time lead guitarist Nikki Stringfield. As always, bassist Wanda Ortiz had the tall task of handling Steve Harris’ iconic bass lines. Lead vocalist Kirsten Rosenberg brought the “Air Raid Siren” screams to new highs and on some of the most challenging songs, I thought that she was at her best. This quite possibly may have been her best performance of the five times that I’ve caught this band.
Photos taken by Sydney Hobbs
I must say, though, as my wife has started to dabble in the world of drums herself; I have started to have an even greater appreciation for the work that goes on at the back of the stage. Drummers tend to get forgotten or taken for granted, but percussionist Linda McDonald really does hold it all together. With the famous riffs, one of the world’s greatest vocalists, and heavy metal’s greatest bass player; it’s easy to kind of forget about the drumming in the Iron Maiden catalog. I spent some time watching and listening to McDonald’s drum work in particular and she flat out kicked ass up there. While she might not be front and center of the stage, her role and performance cannot be minimized.
As usual, the ladies played a nice mix that represented a large portion of the Maiden catalog. Typically, they do play at least one of their more modern tracks (post-1995), this time they did not. This year’s visit was all about the classics and they pulled it off flawlessly. Highlights included the first of the Iron Maiden “epics”, “The Phantom of the Opera” from their 1980 debut album; as well as “Deja Vu” (a criminally underrated track) and of course the greatest metal song of all time; “Hallowed Be Thy Name“.
To celebrate the upcoming Bret Michaels band and Night Ranger concert appearance with special guests Jefferson Starship at Freedom Fest Ohio in tiny Mount Gilead, Ohio tomorrow night; lets take a stab at ranking the most essential songs from Bret’s main band Poison. Those classic, hair metal anthems are sure to be peppered throughout the set list and it’s high time we rate the best of the best!
Poison performing their traditional opening song; “Look What The Cat Dragged In” in St. Louis, Missouri
The following are my rankings of the 15 Greatest Poison tracks! Agree? Disagree? Vote at the end of the article!
There are still tickets available and can be purchased here! Having seen Poison five times or so and the Bret Michaels band once before, Mount Gilead, Ohio ought to be ready to party. While Poison, and hair metal in general gets a lot of grief for being cheesy, Michaels always puts in a genuine performance that will have you singing along and leaving with a smile on your face. You can check out my review of Poison’s Cleveland performance last summer right here. Also while there, make sure to visit our friends at Legend Records at their downtown shop for all of your music needs until 4pm on Friday and also at the festival. Hit up King’s Krossing Food Truck for your hunger needs during the concert as well! Lastly, make sure to vote below for what YOU think is the greatest Poison song of all-time!
With the recent release of their new single, “Nobody”, and their new upcoming album Life Is But A Dream…; Avenged Sevenfold seems like the proper place to pick up my series on the bands that are going to be playing at this year’s Sonic Temple Music Festival. A7X is no stranger to Columbus’ Historic Crew Stadium, they’ve played this event under its former moniker, Rock on the Range, in 2009, 2011, 2014, and 2018. They headlined a night of the festival during those three most recent appearances. This will be their first time back since the name changed to Sonic Temple, but they will once again be headlining the evening. They’ll likely also be supporting the new album when they take the main stage in May. With the record set to come out in early June, Sonic Temple seems like a logical time to try out the new tunes on the 40,000 plus that will be in attendance.
Avenged Sevenfold has always held a special place to me, as they are one of the metal bands that I grew up with. I was still pretty new in the world of metal as a 17 year old kid when I first heard “Chapter Four” while playing Madden NFL 2004 on my PlayStation 2. I remember thinking that they sounded unlike anything that anybody else was doing at the time. Two years later, when they once again appeared on Madden NFL 2006 with “Bat Country”, I was hooked. After hearing “Bat Country”, I decided to start going back into their catalog and discovering their earlier work. I’ve always enjoyed whenever I’ve been able to find an up and coming band before they break through into the main stream. Of course, a few years later, they would absolutely explode and crossover from metalcore favorites to mainstream giants with the release of Nightmare in 2010.
Similar to Metallica and the grief they get about the “black” album, A7X had a noticeable change of sound as well as the tragic death of one of their bandmates. I tend to disagree with those that disparage either band. Yes, their sound changed with the “black” album and Nightmare, but both records flat out rock. They are still heavy. I often try to rationalize with the detractors by telling them that musicians are artists first. An artist doesn’t make a living by painting the same picture over and over. As a band ages and their experiences change, it is natural for their sound to change. That has nothing to do with “selling out” and everything to do with life’s greatest truth: growing up. If KISS wrote “Christine Sixteen” at this point in their life; that’d be pretty weird. Likewise, why should we expect a band like Avenged to write a song like “A Little Piece of Heaven” in their forties?
While Nightmare broke them into the mainstream, it also put them under the intense microscope of heavy metal fandom. In the world of heavy metal, there are only two bands currently that are bigger draws than Avenged. Iron Maiden and Metallica. And like those two bands, every song and album that Avenged releases will be endlessly scrutinized. For Hail To The King, a record that paid homage to their influences, they would hear criticism of ripping off of those bands. When they released The Stage they suddenly were too progressive for some. As expected, there were plenty of mixed reviews and opinions on “Nobody” upon its release last week. At first listen, it’s a far cry from their metalcore days. However, it has grown on me with each subsequent listen. I enjoy the progression of most of the bands that I listen to. At some point, bands have to decide whether they are content playing their greatest hits night after night like Journey; or do they want to continue to create and evolve. Some bands change their sound and it isn’t always for the better. I don’t believe that is the case most of the time, however. Some fans might fall off along the way, as has happened to all of the modern metal giants; but they’ve also gained more fans along the way. You can bemoan an album like Nightmare for marking a change in sound; or you can appreciate that an album of its stature opened up the band to millions of other people whom would have never heard them and then go back and discover their back catalog.
I leave you with my Top 15 Avenged Sevenfold tracks of all time! I’ve also linked them for your listening pleasure!
Headlining the first night of Sonic Temple 2023 is Tool. The legendary band hails from Los Angeles, California and are made up of eccentric front-man Maynard James Keenan, guitarist Adam Jones, drummer Danny Carey and bassist Justin Chancellor. One of the most mysterious and private bands in rock music, Tool has released five albums to date. Their first studio album, Undertow, was released in 1993; while their most recent effort, Fear Inoculum, came out in 2019. Their works have certainly been created with quality in mind, rather than quantity. Nonetheless, Tool remain one of the most popular bands with one of the most die hard fanbases in the game. I once met a girl in a college music course, that was such a Tool fanatic that she argued that every album we discussed was somehow a ripoff of Tool. Even music by bands that predate this one by decades. I digress.
While she may have been a bit kooky with that take, there is certainly a reason that the band has sold over 14 million albums worldwide and sells out concerts everywhere they go. I’ve ranked my favorite Tool tracks and linked them for your listening pleasure below. When they make their second appearance at Historic Crew Stadium in May, which song will you be most hoping to hear? Vote in my poll or add a comment if I didn’t include your favorite Tool song!
Rock Lives Here 