All of us were watching the local radar via our phones to see if and when the rain was going to come.  Just as Fitz & The Tantrums took the stage, the rain came in hard.  Didn’t matter.  People were there to see the group and they hung in there like true fans would.

I had a quick few moments backstage with the group and they show no signs of slowing down.  They are about to settle down for just 3 weeks to start recording a new CD and then pick right back up where they left off on the road.

Next up was MUTEMATH.  If you have yet to experience their show, move that up to the TOP of your list. Even without the added video wall/production, which had to be taken down due to the rain, the show I saw Friday ranks up there among the top 10 shows I’ve seen in almost 30 years of going to concerts.  They went on about an hour late, but I stayed for every note. Yes, it was cold, rainy (even though I was under a tent), and most of all, I hand’t sat down for a total of 4 hours.  My legs were killin’ me.  I was being held up by the spirit of a group who give 150% onstage.  Darien, their lighting tech, was in sync with every song, which added so much excitement to the show.  Coupled with the rain coming down, the lighting added an almost music video-like quality to the show.

I can’t say it enough….GO SEE MUTEMATH!

“End of Line”

Ryan

Rob Halford commands the cover spot in this issue, in which editor Cory Lorentz reminisces about his father teaching him to keep up with what’s cool in music. Times have changed since Columbia House packages came in the mail, but the need to discover great new music persists.

View and download the full On Tour With Shure Winter 2012 Issue on shure.com.

The Cannery Ballroom – Nashville, TN

OK, I know they just played here in July but I can’t get enough of this group.  It is so cool to watch and hear their vibe coming off the stage.  If you aren’t moving and grooving to this band, they will CALL YOU OUT! That doesn’t happen too often though because the crowd is there and they are into it.

Since exploding onto the scene, Fitz & The Tantrums has been touring like crazy, implanting their Motown infused pop into current and new fans.  They have 3 sold out shows in Chicago coming up on this run.  If you have not seen them live, this is the ONLY way to experience them and be reminded of just how much FUN music can be.  Crowd participation is not an option with this band, it’s required.  During the encore, which was the unforgettable “Moneygrabber”, they make the entire crowd – sound man included, get down low to the floor and then build it back up to a hopping fest as they bring us to the end.

Noelle Scaggs and her tambourine are one throughout the entire show.  I do not see many tambourine players on the road, especially ones that play the way she does – old school!  It awesome to watch!  Her voice works so well with Fitz’s.  Both of them are on Shure UHF-R wireless – Noelle on the Beta 58A and Fitz on the SM58.

Multi-instrumentalist James King is using the PGXD14/98H for his tenor sax and all are loving the freedom of wireless.  Noelle has just stared using the PSM900 ear system and enjoying the control it gives her over her volume leves.  Drummer John Wicks is enjoying some new mics as well: Beta 98AMP on his toms, KSM137 on overheads, and the Beta 52A on his kick.

After soundcheck, I got a great video interview with Fitz and Noelle. Fitz discussed his minimalist approach to recording Pickin’ Up The Pieces in his living room.  No label pressure, no deadlines, just a few mics and experimenting with mic placement.

Keep up with this group and where they are going.  Their show is well worth your money!

The Cannery Ballroom – Nashville, TN

OK, I know they just played here in July but I can’t get enough of this group.  It is so cool to watch and hear their vibe coming off the stage.  If you aren’t moving and grooving to this band, they will CALL YOU OUT! That doesn’t happen too often though because the crowd is there and they are into it.

Since exploding onto the scene, Fitz & The Tantrums has been touring like crazy, implanting their Motown infused pop into current and new fans.  They have 3 sold out shows in Chicago coming up on this run.  If you have not seen them live, this is the ONLY way to experience them and be reminded of just how much FUN music can be.  Crowd participation is not an option with this band, it’s required.  During the encore, which was the unforgettable “Moneygrabber”, they make the entire crowd – sound man included, get down low to the floor and then build it back up to a hopping fest as they bring us to the end.

Noelle Scaggs and her tambourine are one throughout the entire show.  I do not see many tambourine players on the road, especially ones that play the way she does – old school!  It awesome to watch!  Her voice works so well with Fitz’s.  Both of them are on Shure UHF-R wireless – Noelle on the Beta 58A and Fitz on the SM58.

Multi-instrumentalist James King is using the PGXD14/98H for his tenor sax and all are loving the freedom of wireless.  Noelle has just stared using the PSM900 ear system and enjoying the control it gives her over her volume leves.  Drummer John Wicks is enjoying some new mics as well: Beta 98AMP on his toms, KSM137 on overheads, and the Beta 52A on his kick.

After soundcheck, I got a great video interview with Fitz and Noelle. Fitz discussed his minimalist approach to recording Pickin’ Up The Pieces in his living room.  No label pressure, no deadlines, just a few mics and experimenting with mic placement.

Keep up with this group and where they are going.  Their show is well worth your money!

Bridgestone Arena- Nashville, TN

I’ve seen them before, and I will see them again – every chance I get!  Maroon 5 is such a great band to see/hear live.  They are tight, energetic, and well “schooled” in playing so many styles of music. After all, that’s what they are all about and it shows in their music. So many different influences come together in music that makes you move.  Everyone in the band has their part in each song, well orchestrated to let each part shine equally.

I was seated with my 15 year old son side stage, which forced us to watch the musicians more than the video screens, which were hard to see from our angle.  While I can appreciate great graphics and visuals that always add to the performance, I really enjoyed this angle.  As some of you may have gathered, I’m a drummer. So naturally, I tend to be drawn in to that person in a band quickly.  I must, therefore,  start out by citing that M5 drummer Matt Flynn is a MONSTER player.  Everyone has their place in a group but the drums provide the foundation.  Matt provides that so well in this group as this music demands it.  He was “on” all night and Adam Levine was right “on” with him.  I love watching a drummer who commands his drum kit.  Watching Matt land hits crashes so tightly and with such cool force all set long was inspirational.

Back to the rest of the band.  Adam Levine had a great time last night.  “You’re wearing me out, Nashville” he yelled out after one song.  He is a great front man and wonderful vocalist.  He and James Valentine’s guitar playing compliment each other so well.  Michael Madden on bass locks in on Matt’s solid foundation and Jesse Carmichal’s keys provide a harmonious counterpoint for each song.

Changing directions is in this bands nature but it always sounds like Maroon 5.  That’s their magic.  It’s no wonder why they took an immediate liking to fellow new endorsers Fitz & The Tantrums early on.  Both band provide a fresh approach to honoring those who came before them but in their own unique ways.

Adam sounds awesome on his UR2/KSM9 champagne colored wireless mic.  FOH engineer Jim Ebdon loves this mic on Adam’s voice and had the band dialed in nicely!  I also was introduced to one of the groups recording engineers for the past 2 records, Noah Passovoy, who stated that the SM7 has been the mic of choice for Adam’s vocals, beating out much more expensive and typical competitors for that spot.

I look forward to every new project from this group and wish them nothing but the best on their road to continued success.  Speaking of the road, here’s a link to catch them while they are out on tour:  http://bit.ly/oRtiOv

When you go to their show, feel free to write back and tell us about your evening.

Also, check our MySpace page and our Artist site regularly as we will be editing the video interview I got with Adam and James backstage.  I included a few photos from last night including a shot of the groups “recycling center” in each of the dressing rooms.

Enjoy!

Ryan

Maps & Atlases were decent; they drew a crowd that could broadly be described as jam band fans (in spite of the fact that they played songs rather than meandering solos over long stretches of background comping…you know, practice!).  The vocalist had an unusual timbre that was somehow familiar, yet I cannot recall of whom it reminds me.

After the show I was to split off and head to the Kidz stage again to see if I could catch Shure endorser Ralph’s World before his set.  In walking and talking with Ryan I somehow ended up in the South backstage area listening to another new Shure endorser, Fitz & the Tantrums.  The next thing I knew I was being introduced to Matt Pinfield of MTV’s newly resurrected legacy show, “120 Minutes”. We chatted briefly and then he and Ryan caught up while I picked the brain of one of the C3 production crew.

I had been curious as to whether Lollapalooza had a designated radio frequency (RF) coordinator.  With nearly 141 performing acts that may or may not have wireless mics, in-ear monitors, and hundreds of crew, security, 2-way radios, and 90,000 cell phones (give or take a couple thousand), not to mention the giant antennas topping Chicago’s tallest skyscrapers pumping out HDTV it would seem a necessity.  In spite of an ever-increasing need for a designated RF Coordinator, it’s a position that is seldom filled on most large tours these days.  I had heard that even Lolla had done without one in years past.  Whether or not that is true, I couldn’t say.  However, I was told that there was an over-watch on the wireless world on site this time around.  Good to hear.

After our unplanned stop, Ryan and I parted ways.  I jumped on a golf cart (the “Fest Express”) and got let off behind the Kidzapalooza stage to see the last few numbers by Ralph’s World.  I stayed after the set awaiting to see what the next act, billed as “Special Guest” on the schedule, would be.  Blues-rock duo Little Hurricane filled that role for a fifteen minute show for the kids and parents.  I caught two, then hoofed it Northward.

Behind the stage for Little Hurricane at Kidzapalooza

I wanted to catch a bit of Death From Above 1979 at the Bud Light main stage.  I was pretty taken with You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine when it came out, but did not go see them prior to their break-up.  On the way I was able to drop by the PlayStation Stage (which faced the Bud Light stage) where longtime Shure endorsers Deftones were due up next.  They had the same idea as I – watching DFA’79 from a slightly elevated, less crowded spot.  I stopped and caught up for a few minutes with Frank Delgado, the Deftones’ DJ and keyboardist.  We chatted briefly about gear, mostly about DFA and how they were a band that caught fire in the dance music category in an unusual way, sounding like they do.

I caught Deftones from the Front Of House position for the Bud Light stage for the same reasons we were watching DFA from the PlayStation stage.  Also, I was there to visit with one of my favorite FOH mixers in all the world, my friend Hutch.  Deftones tore it up as Hutch got ready to mix Ween.  Chino Moreno, one of the more unique singers on the planet, has got his mic technique down pat.  It may frustrate engineers to no end when an artist puts a fist over the mic grille: it’s classic bad mic technique.  But in Moreno’s hands it’s hard to argue with the results.  Chino gets his Beta 58s to do what he wants.  The band sounded tight; they even had me singing along for a few tunes.

Ween from FOH/lighting position (note: dude ? Hutch)

About two songs in to Ween’s stellar set Hutch turned around with a huge grin on his face.  “I’m mixing WEEN!”  It was finally something he could check off his to-do list.  That level of engagement absolutely shone through the show.  After their set Hutch went to close up shop and I went off to catch a few by another artist with good buzz, Lykke Li.  She put up some solid tunes and had quite the reception for it.  The crowd was larger than what I imagine the supposed capacity would have been.  Alas, some loud mouths in front of me ended up drowning her out after a while, so I departed.

Seeking refuge from the crowds, I closed out the evening at the park behind Eminem’s stage.

Richard

UPDATE: Day 1, Day 3