The opening act for Miss Clarkson was the Graham Colton Band at the Cricket Arena in Charlotte, NC, July 24, 2005. Nothing special about GCB honestly and I think that a lot of the audience saw them as a lot different than Kelly Clarkson’s music. Both are rock-oriented though. GCB were fine, but nothing spectacular. They came right on at 7:30 and were off right at 8:00, which is perfect for an opening act.

Then Kelly came right out at 8:30. The set was pretty cool. There was a little part of the stage that jutted out into the middle of the audience. Several horizontal light bars that could change colors (kind of like those new Aqueous TVs) werea ll over the stage. The main lights spanned vertically up the stage on four diagonal towers covered with curtains. Then above that, were two flat panel screens that off and on showed Kelly’s eyes blinking, looking up, down, left and right. That was kind of weird.

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One of the so-called benefits of writing for NandoNext is the fact that we get to keep the CDs that we review. This is great if you are reviewing a band you already know about.

But NandoNext also gets its share of discs from record companies to check out. The companies are looking for some publicity for their unknowns. The only publicity they’ve gotten from me is negative — up until now.

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Few guitarists can claim such a vast catalog as Eric Clapton. Even fewer can boast an audience that spans generations. And fewer yet can claim to still have the skill and voice to play their classic tunes and make them still sound like classics.

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All I can say is wow! For the umpteenth time this summer, I’ve been blown away by a live performance. This time, it was the V-Jam, the benefit concert for the Jimmy V cancer foundation that featured Edwin McCain, Athanaeum, and members of Cravin’ Melon and Hootie and the Blowfish.

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It’s been five years since No Doubt’s “Tragic Kingdom” hit stores, offering a unique blend of rock, pop and ska. Although No Doubt’s third major release, “Return of Saturn,” is a bit lighter on the rock and ska elements, it’s still a worthy purchase.

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It’s pretty rare to go to a concert and like both the opening act and the main performer, and even less likely when there are three bands. But the September 21, 1999 B.B. King Blues Festival at the Greensboro Coliseum showcased three top-notch blues acts, spanning generations of blues.

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Sept. 9 was really hyped, with the date being 9-9-99 and with two big events in the entertainment industry — the release of Sega’s new video game system, Dreamcast, and the 1999 MTV Music Awards. I have yet to see the Dreamcast system, except in commercials, but if it’s anything like the MTV Music Awards or the uneventful date of 9s, it will be a huge disappointment and a complete waste of time.

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I thought that picking my top 10 albums of 1998 was going to be a breeze. But as I perused my CD purchases of the past year, I realized 1998 wasn’t a great year for music. A lot of songs were out there, but not a lot of good albums.

I ended up narrowing it to the top eight of ‘98, and even that was tough. This past year wasn’t the best for the music industry. It seems there were a lot of decent songs, but few decent albums.

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I’ve been to my share of concerts: a band or two opening for a bigger act. An all-day live show, though, is a little different than one or two bands: more music (good and bad), more friends, more sun and just an overall different, but completely enjoyable, experience.

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There’s a reason that July 30’s Van Halen show in Charlotte was my third. The band consistently puts on a great live show, whether David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar or Gary Cherone is the frontman.

The band opened with “Unchained,” an old Roth-era tune. This one has been left out of the catalog since Dave left the band. Welcome back! The guitar was amazing and lead vocalist Cherone’s vocals meshed well with bassist Michael Anthony’s.

Throughout the evening, the band played a good mix of songs, giving enough sampling of the current album, along with songs from the Hagar and Roth eras. In all, the band played five songs from the new album, four from the Hagar era and nine from the Roth days. Although it would seem the concert was a little Roth-heavy, it was actually refreshing. Like “Unchained,” most of the Roth songs hadn’t been done live for years. I feel sure it was as refreshing for the band to mix up the set as it was for the band.

Edward Van Halen still has the power and dexterity he’s had since the band first made it back in the late ’70s. He can still dive-bomb through “Panama” and play the powerful riffs of newer tracks such as “Without You” and “Fire in the Hole.” The guy’s honestly getting up there in age, but his playing hasn’t deteriorated at all. I think the thing that’s even more amazing is that he still seems to be having a good time. That’s true for the whole band. Everyone seems to enjoy being up there.

Drummer Alex Van Halen still also has his power at the drum kit. From the opening beats of “Without You” to the catchy beat of “Panama,” he still is a fine percussionist. I’m not a big fan of drum solos, but his solo is pretty impressive. The drummer is surrounded by a huge drum kit and uses every snare and drum to its fullest potential. The only thing that shows his age is the close-ups that reveal only wisps of hair left and the fact that he is again wearing a neck brace during the tour. Take away the visuals and the talent speaks for itself with a strong kick-drum rhythm.

Anthony still meshes really well vocally and on the bass. A lot of times, the bass is fairly invisible in the band, overshadowed by Eddie’s playing, but at times, the bass really comes out. In “One I Want,” for example, there are some little bass lines that are quick and powerful, where Anthony gets to show off his talent. My only complaint is that he didn’t get to do a bass solo like he did the two tours before.

The entire show was awesome, but if I had to pick my favorites, I think they’d have to be “Mean Street” and “Josephina.” Just like the two previous Van Halen shows I had seen, I found myself glued to the video screen often, mouth open in awe at the way Eddie Van Halen made the guitar sing. During “Mean Street,” I was totally amazed at the way both hands tapped the fret board and picked the riffs out alternately. It was quite a sight to see.

“Josephina” was really cool for other reasons, though. Cherone and Eddie Van Halen came out and sat down on one of the circus risers setup, and I realized that Eddie had an acoustic guitar. As far as I know, this is a new thing for Edward on tour. Sure, he’s used one on numerous studio albums in songs such as “316″ and “Ice Cream Man,” but it was awesome to hear his guitar playing stripped down live, without the distortion. The song is great on the studio album, but even cooler live. For being a new song, the crowd was surprisingly into it.

Originally posted atNandoNext