Los Lonely Boys are a family tradition.

The family band is a great rock’n’roll institution - from the Everly Brothers and the Beach Boys to the Black Crowes and Hanson. There's something about the unstudied perfection of sibling vocal harmonies that creates a distinctive, irresistible style.

Los Lonely Boys, three brothers, guitarist Henry Garza, bassist JoJo Garza, and drummer Ringo Garza, Jr., from a tiny town in West Texas, are about to write a new chapter in this compelling saga of America's musical families.

Beginning as their father’s backing band, the boys have come a long way since their debut self-titled album in 2003, and tonight played in from of a packed house; having been opened up for by the mighty Los Lobos.

Culling extensively from 'Forgiven,' the third album from the Grammy Award winning multi-platinum band, Los Lonely Boys didn't have a set list and just (basically) jammed the night away.

Kicking off with 'Hollywood' from their debut album, the evenings tone was immediately set. Henry and Ringo had previously joined Los Lobos in a two song set and so it was only right that later in their own set that they brought out the lead guitarist, accordian player and sax to do a three song set. A set that included such hits as 'Suzie Q,' 'Born On A Bayou,' and 'I'm A Man.'

Los Lonley Boys ended their set with a full ten minute long version of their big hit 'Heaven' which had the entire crowd dancing and singing. Called The Brotherhood Tour, Los Lonely Boys even had time to introduce a buddy named Russ Steel (nicknamed 'Guerro') to the fray before finally leaving the stage for the last time to rapturous applause.

Review & Photos By: Ramon Trevino Jr.

The typical Collective Soul song has a one-word title, runs between three and five minutes, prosecutes a catchy '70s-style melody over warm, burbling '90s-style guitars, frets about the human condition, and dominates rock radio for months at a time.

Tonight they brought their barrel load of one-word title's to the fore and opened up the nights entertainment with songs such as 'Heavy,' 'Listen,' 'December,' and 'Shine.' Indeed, 'Shine' was the first song of the set to get everyone singing along to.

'The World I Know,' 'Gel,' and 'Better Now' all passed the crowd-pleasing test, but it was the latest hit 'Hollywood' that finally got them all up on their feet and singing aloud. The song started off regular then went into a reggae styling, before the guitar riff work to AC/DC's 'Thunderstruck' and then 'Dirty Deeds' finally brought them back into the way 'Hollywood' should be finished off.

Saying their collective thank you to the other two bands for letting them join the tour, then a big thank you to the "good people for being here and listening to us," they ended with a semi-acoustical 'Now.'

Like Phish and Widespread Panic, Blues Traveler emerged in the early ’90s as part of a new vanguard of jam bands in the tradition of the Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers. Early on, the band's reputation was built on relentless touring, marathon sets, and the explosive harmonica solos of oversized front man John Popper.

Tonight they took to the stage as first support to Live, but performed as if they were the actual headliners. Playing a plethora of songs from various albums of theirs, as 'Run-Around' had drawn to a close Popper spied a man in the front row. Listening to what he had to say for a moment he then promised the man (Doug Watson, Shelby Township, MI) that the next time they came around they'd play his requested 'Conquer Me' - instead of 'Run-Around'!

More songs followed before a very animated Popper told the crowd that they were all "f**king awesome" and that he gave his thanks to both Collective Soul and Live for allowing them to tour with them. Toasting them with their raised water bottles high in the air, Blues Traveler brought their show to a close with a cover of Cheap Trick's 'I Want You To Want Me' and a crowd-pleasing rendition of their own 1994 hit 'Hook.'

After making music together for more than half of their lives, touring their way around the world and selling more than 20 million records, the four members of Live - singer, Ed Kowalczyk; guitarist, Chad Taylor; bassist, Patrick Dahlheimer and drummer, Chad Gracey - certainly know how to put on a show.

Stepping out into the main spotlight tonight, the crowd ready to rock after Blues Traveler had more than got their feet tappin', they kicked off the set with 'Simple Creed,' 'All Over You' and 'Waitress.' Live's energy levels are visually pumped, totally on a par for what the crowd expected and demanded. Ripping their way through the night, other hits such as 'I Alone, 'Selling The Drama,' 'The Dolphin's Cry,' and of course a poetically riveting version of the great 'Lightning Crashes' are brought to the fore, one by one.

Throughout his career, John Mellencamp has had to fight, whether it was for the right to record under his own name or for respect as an artist. Of course, he never made it easy on himself. Mellencamp began his career in the late '70s as a Bruce Springsteen clone called Johnny Cougar. As his career progressed, his music became more distinctive, developing into a Stonesy blend of hard rock and folk-rock.

Indeed his musical development coincided with his growth in popularity and tonight, in front of a sold-out out open air crowd he brought his 23rd album 'Life Death Love and Freedom' to their ears - along with some classics, of course.

Taking to the stage behind his group of assembled musicians, Mellencamp wastes no time. With a sharp backdrop that showed a combination of old video footage and images of American life he waits for the one minute standing ovation to cease before opening with 'Pink Houses.' The theme and tone of Americana was off and running and featuring a whole host of lyrical topics - such as family, farming, community, race, politics and more - he continued on in with a rousing 'Paper and Fire,' 'I'm On My Way' and a bathed-in-purple lit set for 'My Sweet Love.'

Dressed smartly in a black vest, black pants, black shoes and a powder blue shirt, Mellencamp then gives us a subtle intro to 'Check It Out' before announcing to the crowd that he'd driven "700 miles to be here tonight" and bringing us 'Worn Out Inside.' "I just released my 23rd album," he tells the crowd, to a warm round of applause. "Do you think Jesus takes emergency prayers? Like when you're throwing up in the commode and saying you won't ever drink any more if he makes it stop?" As the laughter dies away he sings 'A Ride Back Home.'

And as the band leaves the stage and Mellencamp is stood all alone under a bright white spot, his guitar his only musical companion, he takes the moment to sing the chorus from 'Young Without Lovers' before stopping to say: "Ain't that the shits! To be young without lovers and old without friends." Asking the crowd to join in on the chorus they come in weak first time around: "Guys, what is this, 8th Grade?! You can do better than that." They do the second time around.

'Small Town' is next, compete with a cranked up guitar solo and a wonderful ending brought to the fore by both the accordion and the violin. Indeed, they both start off the next song 'Rain on The Scarecrow' - the blood red setting very, very poignant - and follow it with 'Peaceful World' and 'If I Die Sudden.' "Thank you very much," he says at tails end, his hands clasped together. He then tells a story of a young 14 year-old Mellencamp singing soul tunes - such as 'My Girl' - in bars back in the day and how badly his young black singing partner was treated. Finishing that story he sings the racially-toned 'Jena' from the new album.

'Human Wheels' is next followed by a fast-paced, heartfelt 'Crumblin' Down,' before a fantastic 'R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.' and a heartily applauded 'Jack & Diane' bring the set to a close. Oh but the true highlight of the night? Well that was when Mellencamp asked fans during the aforementioned 'Jack & Diane' to all pull out their cell phones and make a call to a family member or a friend. He then patiently waited as everyone scrambled to find their phones, dial their numbers and hold them up to him on stage. Then, once people were ready he said a little message to them all out there in "cell phone land" and got them all singing in unison the chorus once more!

Coming back out for the encore with 'Authority Song' the crowd were still there, although the weather having turned to thunderstorms and heavy rain by now might have had them enjoying the last few bars of the show a little longer than usual - rather than getting soaked heading to their cars early to avoid the usual mad dash parking lot escape game!

As a solo artist and as the lead singer of the Baby’s and Bad English, John Waite was a fixture of album-oriented rock radio stations during the '70s and '80s. Waite had a talent for power ballads and driving arena rock, occasionally touching on new wave-styled power pop, as well. Having hit after hit with songs such as 'Missing You,' the Baby’s' 'Isn't It Time,' and Bad English's 'When I See You Smile,' Waite fast became a radio staple.

Sure those days have gone - with regard the hits and the air play - but as a performer and a voice nothing has been lost over the years. Opening tonight for Survivor, the forecast thunderstorms and lightning having reduced the crowd down to a shameful bare minimum for this open air gig, Waite didn't miss a beat. Kicking off with 'Change' and slowly making his way to 'When I See You Smile,' his vocals are unchanged, as powerful and as passionate as ever.

Indeed, even a few mic screeches cannot put him off his stride, although if looks could kill the soundboard guy must not have made it home tonight! "We're gonna play all the songs you wanna here tonight," Waite explains. "But they will all be Rolling Stones songs," he sarcastically adds! As he progresses into 'Act Of Love' and 'In Dreams' the storm clouds gather, darkening the pavilion area sooner rather than later.

"Anyone like Bob Dylan," he asks, but getting no quick response added, "Well, I don't care 'cause we're gonna play one anyway!" A rousing 'All Along The Watchtower' is then brought to the fore, before a speech about his taste of the Grand Ole Opry concludes with 'Whenever You Come Around.' The crowd pleaser 'Missing You' is next and it's obviously a song he still loves as he broadly smiles his way through it.

He then thinks about introducing the band and just as quickly decides not to, before he says, "A lifetime ago I was in a band called the Baby’s." Removing his jacket he and the band fairly crank out 'Isn't It Time' for a welcoming audience. Admitting that the next song could "get a little ropey so hang on," 'Everytime I Think Of You' is next and is quickly followed by a prolonged, gutsy 'Midnight Rendezvous.' 'I Wanna Be Your Man,' 'Me And Baby' and a cover of Zeppelin's 'Rock And Roll' finally bring the show to a close in some style.

Equal parts blue-eyed soul shouter and wild-eyed poet-sorcerer, Van Morrison is among popular music's true innovators, a restless seeker whose incantatory vocals and alchemical fusion of R&B, jazz, blues, and Celtic folk produced perhaps the most spiritually transcendent body of work in the rock & roll cannon.

Tonight, on a beautiful evening the 62-year-old singer graced our presence with his truly unique mix of folk, blues, soul, jazz, gospel sound. With the lights low, and only black curtains adorning the set with a variance of lighting on them throughout the show, somehow, the music is enough to captivate and mesmerize you. There is clearly no need for bells and whistles to distract you from the pure sound of music at its finest.

Emerging to a standing ovation, Van "The Man" saunters out with his nine-piece supporting cast at the elegant Fox Theatre in Detroit. He then ensured that the following 95-minute set was beyond worthwhile; and yet still contained some rare twists and turns.

Standing confidently in a gray suit and black hat, Morrison's vocals were truly amazing as was the performance of his seven musicians and two female singers. Sarah Jory, a find guitarist seems to pull things together and get the crowd to their feet; clapping during several of Morrison's songs. Indeed, she is a key part of the entire performance and keeps things jumping.

Beginning the night with 'Wild Night' he proceeds on into 'Why Must I Always Explain' - a song culled from a 1993 interview with Victoria Clarke in which he expressed that he didn't "really want to have to explain" himself because he's "not really interested in doing that. If I was I would be somebody else." The sound is remarkable and is similar to watching a mini orchestra play with all the instruments just right on cue. It is noticeable that they have sheet music as Morrison's performance will never be the same two nights in a row. Beating to the rhythm of his own drum, Morrison's talent oozes from the stage; It is quickly apparent to all that are witnessing this performance tonight that Morrison's voice is pitch perfect, that his devotion is on cue, and that we are in for a wonderful night.

He quickly then sails into 'Tupelo Honey' - a great song but just one that didn't have the right amount of impact tonight - and follows it up with 'Saint Dominic's Preview' (where in truth a rousing horn section ala the original was sorely missing), but still the entire band were up on their feet. 'Keep It Simple' from the new album of the same name is next followed by 'On My Way Back' (the audience now clapping along with Jory), and the moment is brought to a close with both 'Wavelength' (a longer than required version, at that) and (lit in blood red) a defining cover of Pink Floyd's 'Comfortably Numb.'

The track, which Morrison originally performed back in 1990 when Roger Waters staged the classic Pink Floyd album 'The Wall' live in Berlin, resulted in some hair-raising, spine-tingling moments on this night. While looking down at a lyrics sheet, he managed to make the song into his own with his unique, powerful range and passion.

By this stage his vocals mixed with the bands music simply pops off the stage like art on a canvas! The harmonica is his next choice of instrument and he begins playing as 'I Just Wanna Make Love to You' (with Jory choreographing everyone to have their fingers snappin' the whole time) is brought to the fore. 'And The Healing Has Begun' is next, it's ending a delicate harmonica bed, before he states to his band "Go tell your mama" and brings us 'Good Morning Little Schoolgirl.'

Further on and 'Domino' brings the crowd back to his feet and is an obvious crowd pleaser, which he follows with ''Rough God Goes Riding' - which he adds: "Just like Billy The Kid, just like Clint Eastwood, just like "Wild Bill" Hickock, ... Yeah, plumb nice day!"

And as the strains of music continued to filter all around him, Van Morrison finally (silently) exited; only to quickly return for 'Gloria,' capping off a night that was far from predictable.

In my opinion though I would have to equate the experience with going to a fancy restaurant. One where the Chef has his exquisite daily specials of which you know you should partake - as he has perfected them over time for the delight of his "audience." And then there's the regular menu of chicken fingers that everyone is familiar with. To my mind Van Morrison has carried out this same theory in his delivery on stage tonight.

For he left the audience wanting for more in his 95 minute performance and not playing the songs everyone was hungering for - 'Brown Eyed Girl,' 'Into the Mystic,' 'Crazy Love,' 'Someone like You,' 'Bright Side of the Road' - I have to admit left people around me wondering why!

I have to say I wouldn't have missed the show and it was worth the price of admission, as steep as it was for the average Joe, but in as much as I like the Chef's special I LOVE Chicken Fingers! Well, I'm sure by now you get the point!

Review by: Lara A. Marcinkowski

Jon Bon Jovi spent from 1983 to 1988 establishing his hard rock band Bon Jovi as one of the most popular in the Western world with multi-platinum albums such as 'Slippery When Wet' and 'New Jersey.' Since then - amazingly a full 25 years in total - Bon Jovi the band has sold over 120 million albums worldwide, including 34 million in the United States alone.

Tonight at the sold-out Palace of Auburn Hills in MI, even before the band come out the stage is noticeably devoid of bells and whistles. Dark in look, bleak in appearance for sure, but as the lights go down and Jon Bon Jovi arises from beneath the stage to join his fellow band members, suddenly the multiple stage lights dazzle and the back video screens illuminate to reveal four images of Jon singing the nights opener, 'Lost Highway.'

His band mates, including guitarist Ritchie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, and drummer Tico Torres are on fire from the moment they feel the warm spotlight hit them. But, and considering Bon Jovi's vast catalog of hits, it was surprising to hear so many covers spliced into their own songs! But more on that later.

Bon Jovi, performing a majority of their songs from their earlier albums, next sang 'Born To Be My Baby' (the second of five singles from the New Jersey album). "Is everyone having fun tonight?", Jon asks, smiling thru the lyrics, swaggering across the stage, he's definitely in the mood tonight. "Detroit on a Monday night. I gotta know. Are you with me out there?" And as the crowd responds with a rapid amount of noise, Bon Jovi bring us 'You Give Love A Bad Name.'

A lazy-day 'Summertime' (from the 'Lost Highway' CD) is next, complete with clouds and shooting stars punctuating the video screens, it's a flashback to those laid back '60s dayz for sure. "Once upon a time, back in 1983 we recorded this ...", Jon states as the band crank out a rip-roaring version of 'Runaway.' Indeed, Bon Jovi performed a majority of their songs from their earlier albums. And throughout the night not only did the audience provided additional background vocals with each and every song on their set list, but also after their conclusions they received a large ovation - that varied in degrees, if truth be told.

But then comes a segment of the night I just can't wrap my head around as they brought forth covers of both 'Twist & Shout' (Beatles) and 'Start Me Up' (Stones) - the latter complete with Jagger swagger and lip pouts! As Sambora puts on a black cowboy hat (which remained on his head for the rest of the night), Jon thanx everyone and then allows a croaky Sambora to sing an extended version of 'I'll Be There For You.' 'Any Other Day' is then sung - which barely drifts across the minds of the semi-static audience - before Jon announces that he's "happy to be back in Motown" and 'We Got It Going On' is brought to the fore.

Claiming it was time to "crank up the volume," 'It's My Life' is next up, before the bass guitar quickly introduces a passionate 'Keep The Faith.' Sambora again is allowed to step up to the mic - asking for forgiveness for this sinus infected vocals - and sings (off key for the most part) 'These Days.' Although the violin / guitar solo jam at the end with Lorenza Ponce was definitely a major highlight.

The final major highlight of the night happened when a freshly attired Jon appeared out of nowhere on a tiny platform for two songs somewhere close to mid-arena on the floor. An amazing experience for us all, let alone the girls whose seats he was now directly in front of, this overly intimate setting proved to be the perfect moment for Jon to perform '(You Want To) Make A Memory' (from 'Lost Highway') and the beloved classic 'Bed of Roses.'

With all the solo dances and kisses finally done with those lucky ladies, he walked back to the main stage and blasted out 'Have A Nice Day' - complete with red smiley face direct from their album cover high above. 'Who Says You Can't Go Home,' 'Bad Medicine,' and as the back stage rises to form one large video screen, Jon vocally winds everyone up before crashing through the '60s dance classic, 'Shout.' With it ending with Jon looking like an extra from 'Footloose' (re: his pose and his now wind-swept, fluffed up hair and red face), Bon Jovi bring the set to a close by sweeping back into 'Bad Medicine' one last time.

Quickly coming back with the encore songs 'Wanted Dead Or Alive' - culminating with Sambora and Jon front stage with guitar salute in full victory pose - they finally bring the night to a close with the hugely popular, 'Livin' On A Prayer.' "Thank you, Detroit. I hope we see you again soon. Goodnight" are the last words from Jon's mouth as he waves goodbye for one last time before heading back under the stage.

So, if you enjoy Bon Jovi’s music and have not seen them perform live, I would encourage you to see them live. Because you will not be disappointed. All Jon's fellow musicians - inclusive of those in the touring band - proved equally entertaining as they culled the Bon Jovi catalog together. Providing a very entertaining experience for fans of any age, between the music, the audience participation, and the storytelling this was a show to be seen.

After starting out as an unsuccessful pop singer (working under the name Vance Arnold), Joe Cocker found his niche singing rock and soul in the pubs of England with his superb backing group, the Grease Band. Indeed, he hit number one in the U.K. in November 1968 with his version of the Beatles' 'A Little Help from My Friends.'

Tonight, opening up for the equally rock iconic Steve Miller, his friends may have changed over the years but Cockers passionately soulful vocal tones are still as perfect and as guided as any known to man. Opening with such songs as 'Feeling Alright,' 'My Baby Wrote Me A Letter,' 'When The Night Comes' and euphoric 'Up Where We Belong' it was when he reached 'You Are So Beautiful' that the crowd was literally now hanging on every spoken or sung word the man uttered.

"It's good to be back in Detroit," he exclaims, in one of his few spoken outbursts with the sod-out crowd. 'Come Together,' 'No One Knows You When Your Down Out,' and 'You Can Leave Your Hat On' - a song that the crowd went NUTS for - all have them on their feet by this stage; the latter tune culminating in a 37 second standing ovation of pure hand clapping sound!

Bringing the show into the station Cocker brought us 'Unchain My Heart' - which received a full 39 second loud standing ovation - and 'A Little Help From My Friends' - which Joe about three-quarters of the way through incorporates his huge, yet deep signature scream off into. A massive one minute and 35 second standing ovation followed before he finally left the stage leaving the crowd baying for more.

Coming back out for the encore his all-time classic 'Came In Through The Bathroom Window' was followed by 'Cry Me A River.' Finally leaving the stage for good, Cocker walks to the mic, smiles a sly smile and says, "Detroit! Goodnight and keep rockin'"

Steve Miller's career has encompassed two distinct stages: one of the top San Francisco blues-rockers during the late '60s and early '70s, and one of the top-selling pop/rock acts of the mid- to late '70s and early '80s with hits like 'The Joker,' 'Fly Like an Eagle,' and 'Abracadabra.'

Tonight he casually strolled out on stage at 8.45pm, and after casually welcoming the crowd to is show by saying, "Good evening and welcome to Swingtown," he follows with "Tonight we have a lil' magic for ya" ... and heads straight into 'Abracadabra.'

"It's great to be back in the Motor City," he exclaims afterwards. "Ya know, walking around backstage I saw a picture of me on the wall. Man I look like I was 12 years-old" he laughs, before heading into 'Shubada' - from 'The Joker' album, side two. 'The Stake' and 'Mercury Blues' are next before he’s back chatting with his fans once again. "While playing three nights at the Filmore in San Francisco earlier this year," he says. "I called Sonny Charles from The Checkmates (Motown Records) to come and join us. I'm proud to say the newest member of the Steve Miller Band is Sonny Charles!"

'Pretty Thing' is next before Steve makes everyone aware that the night is dedicated to Bo Diddley; and then proceeded to chat about him for awhile longer. 'Come On,' 'Ooo Poo Pa Do' - an old Jessie Hill tune - and T-Bone Walker's classic 'Stormy Monday' are next in line, before his own classic 'Fly Like An Eagle' is upon us ... for a good solid 15 minutes or more!

Playing a Sitar Miller purchased in N.Y. in 1965 for $125.00 out of a barrel at Manny's, 'Wild Mountain Honey' has never sounded better. He then goes on to tell us that he got a call and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was sending someone over to talk to him! They wanted to buy this very same Sitar. He told them no thanks, but they said they would pay him $932,000.00 for it. He then asked the crowd "Should I sell it or should I keep it?" several times, before telling them he thinks he's gonna keep it ... much to the crowds mutual approval! After all, he's had it for 43 years!

Next up was 'Wintertime,' 'Dance, Dance, Dance,' 'Rockin' Me,' and 'Jet Airliner' which really had everyone pounding their dancing feet on the floor. Bringing the set to a close with the classic 'The Joker,' Steve leaves the stage, waving and smiling at all his adoring fans.

Coming swiftly back out for the encore, he starts with 'Take the Money and Run' before heading into 'Jungle Love' and then a montage that features: 'Crossroads,' 'Rock Me,' 'Come On,' 'True Fine Love,' and 'Drivin' Wheel.' As he leaves the stage for the last time, his parting words are: "Peace, love, and happiness. Take care of each other. Goodnight every body. Bye bye."

Eddie Izzard's style is heavily influenced by Monty Python, especially in his use of a stream-of-consciousness delivery that jumps between topics as he free-associates onstage. He does not generally work from a script, due to his dyslexia. Instead, he interrupts himself with new joke ideas, the characters he portrays turn into other characters, and he nonchalantly leaps from historical analysis to musings about household appliances. This often results in brief pauses in the routine which he fills with 'so, yeah,' and other verbal tics that have become his trademarks.

Weaving historical tales together of events and thoughts spanning the course of all time into one entertaining stand up event named 'Stripped,' Izzard calmly walks out on stage to a packed, applauding house. And for this latest show he does not don his platform heels and sparkly, tight pants, but instead opts for more comfy sneakers, relaxed jeans, and a black tuxedo jacket with tails; with an underbelly of fire red linen.

Bringing his traditional excitement and charisma instantly to the fore; tools that enable him to reach such a varied audience, his historical wanderings began in Ancient Egypt (which was apt as that was the foundation of his stage set - together with a weird cut out square at its top where an eye and glowing sun slowly passed on by during the near two hour show), and followed on through to the times of Christ, Ancient Greece and Rome, and even up to the post-WW II era in discussions of religion - a topic mostly avoided by comics.

Izzard has such a light touch to traditionally avoided "hot" topics that he is able to joke about them while still being careful not to cross any offensive boundaries. Sure a few of his jokes - probably spur of the moment improv ones - didn't land as well as he'd hoped, but instead of becoming a deer in headlights he jokes that they didn't hit and that they need to be reworked!

The first third of the show covers such anecdotes as Lions, President Bush, his ruminations on Wikipedia (and Jam!), an improv'd Snake and its scales joke that was old, tired, weak ... and yet got the whole audience laughing; even the comedian himself, TV channels, YouTube, 2050 (where there would be no dictators and a minimum wage around the entire world), God's creation of the universe game plan ("Nothing but Volcanoes and Dragonflies"), those once "Bat-shit crazy Germans", the Bible, and even Dinosaurs and their eating habits!

Izzard's style is that of the world's most hyperactive dinner guest! There's wildlife charades: some that involve Tigers and Giraffes, some that involve Badgers (who in the case of the overlong crème brulee skit seemingly "... can be choosers!"), and some that include Buffalo ... or was it Bison?!

The next third of the show was taken up by his ruminations on the Ice Age, the fear of saying aloud the name of 'Macbeth' on stage (which he then proceeded to do 17 times!), the Gatherers, Scrabble, and his own battle with dyslexia ... and that from here on in all sufferers of dyslexia will spell it 'Kat'! He points out that politicians should be more up for a dance during their speeches, wondered why the Nazi's took it upon themselves to name their military walk the 'Goose Step' (when it was clear that "... geese don't walk anything like that"), and Farming - and the need for all those noisy animals when so many silent ones would have meant many more lie ins!

Izzard then goes into an explanation about being a transvestite and how it’s been kind of a double-edged sword for him in the States because he started stand up in the States wearing men’s’ clothing, not sure he would get gigs in a dress! Moving on he discusses Noah and the filling of the Ark - which included a sly reference to one of the animals not being able to get 'The Riches' on his non-working TV - before explaining to us that the 'Good Ship Lollipop' movie was actually the forerunner of the Sparta movie, '300'!

In the final third he takes us back to Roman times, Hannibal's trip across the Alps, how Latin must not have been the easiest of languages to speak to each other in a crisis even back then, and how the fall of the Roman Empire came about because they all died crammed into the same phone box! So yeah, Izzard's show isn't packed with punch lines, per se, just riffs that grow more and more absurd as the evening progresses!

Closing the show with his thoughts on Tapestry ("The first form of Paparazzi"), Charles Darwin and his monkeys, Gnomes, the big picture of Intelligent Design, he even manages to create an entire monologue from the point of view of a disgruntled appendix! Moses, the Burning Bush, the 10 Commandments (complete with an overly-long Plague of Frogs tale!), he ends the night with what should (in his opinion) have been the only Commandment on the tablet: "Treat all others like you would like to be treated yourself" ... and then, clasps his hands together, bows and leaves the stage with a "And that's all from me, goodbye."

Coming back within 30 seconds for a very quick encore, Izzard tells us that although most of his thoughts never amount to much that sending the cast of Big Brother up into space; having them all in such a confined space would have everyone watching - and that he must talk to someone about that! And then, with several more stage bows, he is finally gone for the night.

All in all Izzard's performance was incredible and well worth the journey anyone will make to enjoy this near two hour experience. There is no other way to say this: 'Stripped' is a hit and makes for an incredibly enjoyable evening!

Reviewed by: Russell A. Trunk

We all know that Santana is the primary exponent of Latin-tinged rock, particularly due to its combination of Latin percussion (congas, timbales, etc.) with bandleader Carlos Santana's distinctive, high-pitched lead guitar playing always leading the way.

Indeed, the group as a whole was the last major act to emerge from the psychedelic San Francisco music scene of the 1960s and it enjoyed massive success at the end of the decade and into the early '70s. In-house personel and musical changes then gradually occured, but by the late '90s Santana made a surprising (and yet monumental) comeback with what was to be their/his best-selling release, winning a boat-load of Grammy Awards, 'Supernatural.'

It may have been because of that one album 'Supernatural' that the vast majority of this crowd here tonight was @ the age of 30, but that aside the house was full and the house was alive!

Beginning with what was called an Aoand Video intro, basically it was a video of a dove flying, talks from what we think was a spirtualist, and towards the end with Carlos himself.

Music wise Santana's guitar leapt straight into action with 'Peace/Jingo' and was quickly followed by 'Life is For Living,' 'Everybody's Everything,' 'Batuka/No One To Depend On' and 'Capri/Maria Maria.' Indeed it was after the fourth song Carlos addressed the crowd to talk about peace and love and how we (as in men) should always take care of our women, because when they're not happy nothing happens!

And yes it might be true that while most people probably didn’t get to hear the old favorites they were hoping for Carlos - and an outstanding band of drummers, percussionists, brass, keys and bass - got a packed house onto their feet and showed that he still has the magic tonight.

Continuing on with 'Foo Foo,' 'Corazon Espinado,' 'Incident At Neshabur,' 'BMW/Gypsy Queen' and 'Oye Vomo Va,' intersperced throughout the night there were video montages of a very young Carlos way back to his teens, still photos of the Santana Bros. Band, and a collection of photos from the 60's up to present day.

Bringing the show around its final bend, Carlos brought out the nights opener Derek Trucks for a rousing rendition of 'Exodus' and kept him there for 'Right On.' And then he brought the whole musical affair to an end with 'Brotherhood.' 'Yaleo' (that included a wicked Bongo & Drum solo!), and 'Apache/Smooth/Dame.'

After an encore that included 'Soul Sacrifice' and 'Angel Chant/ Into The Night' - which was introduced with a back drop video of Woodstock crowd scenes - he and his band had played for a solid 2 1/2 hours ... and which for most of us could have happily extended for another hour or more!

It's been a sensational ride to fame for the 18-year-old who caught the attention of Christina Aguilera and Kelly Clarkson's superproducers Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken. Struck by her combination of dancehall, calypso, reggae and soul, Rihanna recorded her first album 2005's Music of the Sun and this year's A Girl Like Me.

Her show was a Disney-esque choreographed fantasy of non-stop hip-swivelling, sassy attitude and personal endearments and a string of funky, sugar-free hits, such as We Ride, Unfaithful, Kisses Don't Lie and the Soft Cell-inspired SOS that, even by hip-hop standards, was surprisingly forgettable. The music took a back seat to fashion as Rihanna had a hard time singing in tune, while her dancing was little more than strutting back and forth. Meanwhile, her hyperactive DJ kept telling us to make some noise, which I thought Rihanna was already doing sufficiently well on her own!

There are few American musical acts - or, for that matter, many true rock 'n roll bands anywhere - that have matured as well as New Jersey's Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. As the body of Springsteen's work grows, each progressive offering seems to take on its own ageless quality, drawing from rhythms, chord progressions, keyboard lines and guitar leads that often ring out with passing familiarity.

Tonight, here in front of a packed 32,000 aged demographic of avid followers; nay believers, Springsteen allowed the musicola Wurlitzer to finish its merry introductory jig before announcing his arrival onto stage under cover of darkness. "Deeeetroit, is there anybody alive out there?" he screams, as suddenly a main spot is focused in on him; the crowd up on its feet, the "Brooocing" filling the packed house. Tearing into his first single from the new album, lit in green 'Radio Nowhere' kicks of the proceedings.

The rousing 'Night' is brought forth next, but being that Springsteen's often-blistering two-hour-plus set was heavy on new material from the new CD 'Magic,' his latest original recording with the E Street Band, it was no surprise that the majority of tonight's songs all came from said critical spawn. That said, and after a trademark "1, 2, 3, 4 ..." , 'The Rising's violin-infused cut 'Lonesome Day' is followed by 'Gypsy Biker - complete with a familiar harmonica riff opening, before galloping into a full band, and then the hushed tones of the quieter title track ("This really isn't a song about magic. It's about tricks.") bring the trio to a close.

At 58, Springsteen is more urgent than five years ago with the E Streeters and as refreshed as I've ever seen him. Able to balance his various political messages about the deception and despair brought by the Bush administration, The Boss is quite adept at conducting the band with the slightest flick of his Fender Telecaster, his harmonica work an emerging new stage presence in itself.

Bathing albeit quickly in the warmth of the love for a few momentary seconds, Springsteen nods his head gently. "Detroit, thanx for hanging out and coming to see us tonight." The harmonica-driven 'Reason To Believe' (from 1982's dour 'Nebraska') is followed by a pounding 'Jackson Cage,' before bleeding directly into the blood-red lit 'She's The One.' "This next song's called 'Livin' In The Future, but it's really about livin' in the here and now," Springsteen admits, as he and the band create a smile on your face from ear to ear within seconds. Its bright and sassy hook and a too-cool-for-school vibe create a sweet, melodic foundation, to which Clarence Clemons drops in to add some pure sax love to the proceedings.

"Let's bring everyone back home," he next exclaims as the hugely applauded, yet strangely pedestrian-like 'The Promised Land' is sung to his followers. "Do we have any lovers in the crowd tonight?" is the twice repeated question that proceeds the bathed-in-blue 'I'll Work For Your Love' (complete with lyrics sung from an ever-smiling face), but it's his spot-on rendition of 'Tunnel Of Love' that allows those there that haven't purchased 'Magic' to finally sing-along. Complete with its pre-requisite audience participation 'Ooh, Ooh's,' the song's climax also brings both he and wife Patti Scialfa so close to the mic's tip that you'd swear they had snuck a fleeting kiss just prior to the final 'Ooh'!

Mighty Max Weinberg's drum solo, followed by Springsteen drinking water and then spraying it up in the air over himself - just as the light hits him and he starts into his riff - may be a jaded image, but works like it was just invented. The sing-along 'Working On The Highway' - culminating in an Elvis-like guitar hip sway pose - is followed by the quiet, intricate; and yet bold 'Devil's Arcade,' before under bright red spots, 2002's 'The Rising' weaves it nu anthem-like spell over us all.

Unlike classic shows with the E Street Band, this one almost seemed like a Springsteen show with the E Streeters as sidemen. He rarely used Clemons or guitarist Steve Van Zandt as a physical foil. If proof was ever needed, a linear guitar/string line teases us into 'Last To Die,' which is tailed by the keyboard flourishes of 'Long Walk Home.' Bringing the musical juggernaut home with 1978's 'Badlands,' featuring the colossal beats of Max Weinberg’s drums, Gary Tallent’s bass, the chime-topped keyboard chords of Roy Bittan and Danny Federici, Clarence Clemons’s saxophone, Soozie Tyrell’s fiddle and the triple-barreled guitar strumming of Nils Lofgren, Steve Van Zandt and Springsteen himself, the song rose everyone from their seats.

Taking this two hour performance into overtime a breezy slice of '60s pop in the form of 'Girls in Their Summer Clothes' is up next ("This is for all the Michigan girls from a young boy from New Jersey"), and is followed by a powerhaus rendition of 'Ramrod' - a song he admits "... has been unplayed for over five years, but does that matter ... nooooooo,". But it's as the song nears its final curve, and with Van Zandt leaning further into the mic than before, that Springsteen's words echo seemingly louder than ever. "Is it closing time? Is it pizza time? Is it sexy time? I don't know ... what time is it?" To which Van Zandt's screamed reply is, "No, it's Boss time!"

With all the arena lights fully on, a cranked up 'Born To Run' literally rips through the souls of all present. The lazy-pop radio hit 'Dancing In The Dark' is next, but it's the final encore number that truly puts the cherry on the cake. The Irish-embodied 'American Land,' a song so spirited that the words had to be shown on the screens high above the crowd for their vocal participation, was easily one of the highlights of this most exuberant, quite liberating rock 'n' roll extravaganza's.

Culminating in a close up of Springsteen informing the crowd that they had just "witnessed the legend ... that is the E Street Band," paying a final shrug of a lack of knowledge to a small front row banner that posed the question 'Why Isn't Lil' Annie Walker Here Tonight?!,' the band graciously bow, wave, and are finally gone from sight.

Any American Idol fan knows Kelly Clarkson after her 2002 win during the first season of the popular show. But this pop and rock singer-songwriter from Texas has accomplished more than escape the wrath of Simon. Clarkson followed a successful pop album in 2003 with the more rock-oriented album Breakaway in 2004, and then decided to break away from her management team for the angst ridden 'My December.'

Tonight, at one of her hastily rearranged (from the Summer's once-proposed arena tour) smaller club gigs, Grammy Award winner Clarkson is obviously still musically angry, but also exudes the stage presence of a vocal pop star.

Taking the small stage complete with settings and multiple band members, the pounding beats of AC/DC's 'You Shook Me (All Night Long)' resonating around the theatre, the curtains finally part to reveal a bare foot Clarkson seated, quietly posed ala her album sleeve center stage on the steps of a walk up, drapped in a rich red cloth. The screams go higher, the cell phones come out and snap pictures left right and center, their glows reminiscent of monster fireflies!

Kicking off the 80 minute set with 'One Minute,' and following it up with the gut-punching 'Behind Hazel Eyes,' Clarkson has the entire mixed demographic in her small Texan hands. "How y'all feelin'," she inquires, before hitting 'Don't Waste Your Time.' "This is the bitterest song that I've ever written. Not even my old management liked it," she laughs, before heading into the loud, yelled lyrics of 'Never Again.'

The bathed-in-blue-light quieter 'Maybe' is brought to the fore next before the bouncy, everybody jump beats of 'Already Gone' and 'How I Feel.' "This next song is my favorite from the Breakaway album," she admits breaking into 'Addicted.' Following that with her newly-rerecorded duet with Reba McEntire, 'Because Of You' is next, before a white curtain drops to separate her from the soon-to-be-changed stage set - thus allowing her to become more acoustic with the audience.

A cover of Patty Griffin's 'Up The Mountain' is next, then a favorite song of her mothers in the quietly sung 'Be Still' - complete with the entire once-white backdrop curtain now entirely lilac, save for the white hot spot on Clarkson herself. The twirling red sirenish lights together with a main riff that now incorporates both AC/DC and Led Zeppelin, 'Miss Independent' is literally screamed to the masses in remix form. "Thank you for being here with me tonight," she says, clasping her hands together prayer like. "This has been the best stop on the tour yet. I mean it," she then gushes, before going into the crowd sing-along song 'Breakaway.'

Over the course of four studio albums, Train has become nothing if not predictable. Complete with jangly guitars, mid-tempo beats, and occasionally goofy lyrics, it admittedly always left you with a pleasant overall experience. But lead singer Pat Monahan has always been seen as more than just the front to such an outfit. And so with that in mind, and bringing forth his very first solo album to boot, the always-smiling 'Last of Seven' musician took to the singular Michigan spotlight last night.

The Gospel-influenced 'Ripple In The Water' is first up. A powerful piece of music, it literally shakes the cobwebs off the audience and he alike and prepares you for the following 90 minutes of music. “Raise Your Hands” is next and features both the aforementioned gospel vibe, a synthesizer, and some programmed beats that thankfully are well restrained. Lit in blue, 'Great Escape' is next quickly followed by the Train hit 'Meet Virginia.' Mysteriously featuring an all-out rock guitar solo from Luis Maldonado - complete with a playing-it-behind-the-head stint - the now bathed in red track has been wrung dry before the bouncy 'Someday' is sung.

'Two Ways To Say Goodbye' is next up and as he's asked to get the Led out by some front row patrons, he jokes that he should actually record a cover album sometime soon. 'She's On Fire' from the Drops Of Jupiter album is next, inclusive of a human beat box midway break, but it's the album track 'All American Girl' that really kick-starts the show again.

The Argent cover 'Hold Your Head High' leads into a story told by Pat of an ex-girlfriend named Peggy that lives here in Royal Oak, before one of the most amazing things I have ever seen performed live is undertaken: Pat sings acoustic, sans mic and backing, the track 'Midnight' to an absolutely gob smacked audience! Following that with a smoking rendition of Stevie Wonder's 'Superstition.' the man is on fire at this point and continues onwards with his falsetto version of Aerosmith's 'Walk This Way.'

Set filler 'Girlfriend' is next, before a beautiful duet with his female backing singer Sakai on 'Pirate On The Run' brings everyone to the same conclusion: clap rapidly! Another set filler in 'Thinkin Bout You' is next, before the well-received 'Drops Of Jupiter' is sung to a very happy crowd. The new album's lead single “Her Eyes” carries us nicely into the first encore track 'When You Are Near,' before Zeppelin's pounding 'Whole Lotta Love' is played out. Complete with Maldonado's searing guitar riffs, and even Monahan center stage on toms, the set eventually closes with the rapturous 'Oh My My.'

As everyone and any one know, the 48-year-old British vocalist - who came to fame as the leader of legendary modern-rock troupe The Smiths - isn’t known for delivering the most uplifting of evenings. Showing short clips of long-lost weird dance videos, some Elliot Ness reels, along with the wardrobe tests for 'East Of Eden' (and featuring a very sombre/silent James Dean), even before Morrissey took the stage a computerized british voice began listing such seemingly random things as rape, the death of the rainforest, Tiananmen Square, many British TV shows, Nelson Mandela’s imprisonment and Jesse Helms.

Things didn’t get any brighter once the man of the hour actually took the stage either. Morrissey went on to give the crowd songs filled with despair and isolation, complemented by tunes brimming with darkness and trouble. He sang about how bleak it is today and, for the most part, that there isn’t much hope for tomorrow. Good ol' Morrrissey ... at least he hasn't sold out his values to the nu pop generation!

Mind you, the crowd loved every moment of it!

Performing with a five-piece band in front of a backdrop of (a young) Richard Burton's face, Morrissey began spreading the bad tidings and no cheer with the very first offering, The Smiths’ 'Queen is Dead,' as he repeatedly howled out the lyric, “life is very long, when you’re lonely.”

As you can see, Morrissey isn’t for everyone. But he sure worked for this crowd. The audience acted like they were witnessing true greatness as the singer continued through “The Youngest was the Most Loved,” “You Have Killed Me” and “All You Need is Me.”

The crooner was in fine voice, whirling his mic chord around like he was trying to swat a gigantic fly, whilst at the same time exhibiting a vocal range that never even blonked an eye at exhaustion. Between songs he even showed a lot of chatty warmth with the crowd, referencing the ongoing Ellen DeGeneres dog saga, his depressing music, and his desire to have a cigarette mid-set.

As expected, the second half of the 90-minute set featured many of the singer’s best-known works such as The Smiths classic 'The Boy With the Thorn in His Side,' 'Everyday is Like Sunday' and 'How Soon is Now?' As the 30th plus song finally brought the set to a close, Morrissey ended with 'First of the Gang to Die' - featuring the memorable words: “You have never been in love until you’ve seen sunlight thrown over smashed human bone.”

Morrissey - with nurmerous shirt and T-shirt ("Je Suis Morrissey") changes throughout the soaking set - is one artist who may never be, or at least never sound, happy. And for some reason that the rest of us outside the cult may never understand, that makes his fans (such as I) ecstatic!

After nearly a decade off the scene, Loreena McKennitt returned to the performance and recording stage in 2006 and 2007. The Canadian singer picked up exactly where she left off, traveling through the Celtic-Middle Eastern fusions she explored on 'The Book of Secrets' with her latest studio album, 'An Ancient Muse.'

Coming to Detroit on her current tour in support of last year’s An Ancient Muse complete with a decadent tapestry backdrop, oversized candle cages, and an inspired nine-piece band, the concert was a fine return to form for the Celt-inspired, yet Canadian through and through singer.

As the lights dimmmed on the sadly only one-third filled auditorium, the 'blue' smoke that once sat on the still stage now started to quickly twirl and rise as first Loreena and then the rest of her band came out onto the stage.

And so began a quite enchanting musical performance - broken only by a 15 minute interval - that was as much spellbinding as it was magical. From the moment she sits next to her harp and begins to gently strum it, the audience is captivated, mesmerized, caught in the ethearal glare of an impossible talent. "Thank you very much," three songs in she finally addresses the audience. "This theatre you have here is a beautiful piece of architecture", she continues, paying comment to the restored Fox Theatre.

Harp, cello, fiddle, hurdy-gurdy and acoustic guitar share space with oud, bouzouki, lyra, tabla, bodhran, stand up bass, kit drums, hand drums and electric guitar. If it seems an impossible task to fit this diaspora of instrumentation into a single song, McKennitt rises to the challenge. Each composition is a carefully researched work; the end result of her deep interest in all things Celt. As she herself explains, in one of her few - but long - chats with the audience, she traced many Celtic roots along the Silk Road, delving into the landscapes of Turkey, Greece and Spain along the way.

As she is something of a perfectionist, there isn't much deviation from the original studio versions, but McKennitt is in fine voice and the band even gets to rock out a few times on tracks like "The Bonny Swans," where violinist Hugh Marsh and guitarist Brian Hughes trade increasingly frantic leads.

Overall, the 2 1/2 hour show was a heady mix of the intellectual, the mystical, and some hot rock concert-worthy solos. After all, it’s not every day you see a musician finesse both the Irish bouzouki and electric guitar in the same song!

Once a bubble-gum pop star in the manner of early Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears, Mandy Moore now works to be thought of as a maturing singer and actress.

Hip Hop, Booty, Dancehall and Electro. If you want to rock to these tunes and more, then Saint Andrews Hall in downtown Detroit is where DJ Godfather and Paul Martindale perform.

So, put the two described entities together and well, you get imagery that - at least from the moment both worlds collided at 9.30pm - looked and felt like something out of a comic book day dream sequence!

As the All-American pop singer, songwriter and actress took to the small, cramped stage with her four-man backing band, it was clearly obvious that she was not exactly thrilled to be there. As the opening chords of 'Slummin' In Paradise' were cranked out, Moore looks first around the dark, barely lit stage, then at her guitarist. Both times possibly in search of some positive acknowledgement for what she was undertaking on this her (surprisingly after all this time) first ever solo tour!

Somewhat strolling through that and both 'All Good Things' and 'Looking Forward,' it was finally time to greet the 170-strong, hot, sweaty audience. "What's Up, Detroit? We are so excited to be here. This is my first proper tour." Asked by a fan to recite any line from her movie 'Saved,' she freely admits she knows none - until prompted further. "Oh yeah ... I just crashed my van into Jesus," she laughs.

Dressed very causally in a free-flowing, various shades of brown ensemble, the girl that was once trying to outmaneuver fellow junior glamazons Britney, Jessica, and Christina is now more than comfortable in her own skin. Whether it be an acting one or a singing one is still up for discussion. But her voice and stage presence do both get stronger as we head into her wonderful Cat Stevens cover of 'Moonshadow.' This was quite easily one of the top two performances of the night and fully deserved the rapturous applause it received. Although, the fact that anyone in the vastly eclectic Emo-induced audience would know it was a Stevens’s original is neither here nor there.

The arrival on stage of her sometimes co-writing partner - and tonight's opening act - Rachael Yamagata brings forth the tepid 'Ladies' Choice,' but the ultra sensitive title track, 'Wild Hope' (sung under pale green lights) is definitely another set highlight. A snippet of a funky new tune they are all working on is well received, and good, but is over all to quickly before bleeding into 'Extraordinary.'

A cover of Joni Mitchell's 'Help Me' is spot on perfect, and although obviously not a challenge does seem to start to bring some more comfortability to Moore's stage dancing in those instrumental break moments. "I just started playing guitar a few weeks ago," she next admits, her body already adorned with said guitar. "So, don't watch me play, watch them," she pleads before sleeping walking her way through 'Few Days Down.'

But it's as she announces the next song 'Can't You Just Adore Her?' (whilst freely admitting that "It's the angriest song on the album 'cause in my mind, all men f**kin' suck!") that she finally gets the crowd's vocal levels raised. Quite easily the loudest song of the night, she moves swiftly from that to 'Nothing That You Are' ... before everyone mysteriously (and quickly) leaves the stage.

Moore comes back and along with her keyboardist brings us the somber tones of 'Gardenia' before being rejoined by the rest of the band once again midway through. A vastly different, yet incredibly worked ballad version of Rihanna's mega hit 'Umbrella' is pulled out of nowhere and is an instant hit with everyone. Ending the night with a song that is an obvious embarrassment to Moore to still have to play - given that she was 15 at the time when she last probably sang it live on some Mall Tour - the teen dance beat vibes of 'Candy' are unleashed to the now in heaven crowd! Refusing to sing certain parts of the chorus, flirting awkwardly with teen dance moves that once accompanied the song, Moore is so visibly uneasy about the whole show-ending moment. And come its final beat, and with the what's left of the crushed-to-the-front-barriers crowd roaring their hoarse like approval for their idol, she and the band take one final bow and are off into the night.

Review & Photos by Russell A. Trunk

www.MandyMoore.com

Tonight, here at the grand Detroit Opera House there weren't any attendees sporting tuxedos or evening gowns; no diamonds and champagne flutes to be seen spending time together. No, tonight it was the chance for a Canadian singer / songwriter, record producer, and instrumentalist of Portuguese descent to pack the auditorium out ... with screaming young girls and overly-enthusiastic, and slightly-older boys!

Watching as the music struck up, and as a giant glitterball descended center stage, you kinda had this feeling that the diminutive musician could so easily have sprung forth from it. But, it wasn't until the ball was slowly raised back up once again that she was revealed to be standing behind it, back to the crowd, allowing the beats to begin their funky journey through her.

Sporting a short red dress with black leggings, and both shoes and belt in yellow, the songbird comes to greet her beloved fans, a genuine smile on her face that never, ever left the entire night. Kicking off with 'Say It Right,' ("Detroit," she announces. "How are you tonight?"} she quickly follows with 'Turn Off The Light,' 'Powerless,' and a red hot ("I've got a question for you. Do you feel like dancing? I do," she adds) 'Do It,' complete with her two female dancers attired in bright yellow '50s swimsuits!

Tapping into a cozy variety of musical modes such as '80s new wave, hip-hop, informal balladry, and of course world beats, she next brings us 'Wait For You' which bleeds seamlessly into red spot-lit 'Showtime.' Complete with dancers - with respect to both their moves and their costumes - that wouldn't look out of place at a Dinner Theater rendition of Guys & Dolls or even West Side Story, accompanied by just a guitar and tambourine, she brings forth a wonderful acoustic vamp of Gnarls Barkley's 'Crazy.' The track 'In God's Hands' is next, performed for the most part whilst she sits alone on the top step with a white spot illuminating her, before she freely announces that "Detroit was the first show that I ever performed. Thank you, Detroit", following her statement up with 'All Good Things.'

Joined front stage by singers Jasmine and Socrates, rousing renditions of Timberlake's 'SexyBack' and her own 'Give It To Me' (both complete with yet another costume switch, this time into an all-black affair) take the crowd's screams to a whole new level. "We're gonna go way back now," she herself screams, as the band strike up a new jazzy, nu-funk intro vibe to 'I'm Like A Bird' ... which, it has to be said, was clearly not originally built for such a pounding back beat. Lit by a pink and yellow set of lights, 'Blue Jeans' is next, complete with the addition of a disco-version of Blondie's 'Heart Of Glass.'

Nelly's ode to futbol [soccer, therein] 'Força' is next, complete with each of the four dancers kicking out plastic soccer balls into the crowd. At the songs end, Nelly signs - and kisses - a real ball and gently hands it over to a young child in the audience. Bringing the set to a close with a roaring 'Promiscuous,' she eventually waves gleefully goodbye, proclaiming as she does so, "Thank you Detroit. We love you."

To some very loud screams, Nelly's name comes up in lights on the large back drop. This is quickly followed by her arrival back to the stage wearing the last costume change of the night, a beautiful short purple dress for 'No Hay Igual.' Then showing off her infamous musical chirping Vs. a drummer trying to keep up [which he did], she brings us 'Party's Just Begun.' Ending with a simply rip-roaring, stand alone version of 'Maneater' the finale song - full of exhaustive dancing, bright lights, colorful costumes, and so much more - it's all that this crowd needed to finally go home completely satisfied.

Review by Russell A. Trunk

Photos by Chris Schwegler

www.NellyFurtado.com

Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer and songwriter of some great stature. Best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac - although a long solo career has also kept her in the spotlight - they collectively have produced over twenty Top 40 hits. As a member of Fleetwood Mac back in 1998 she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but all those years on since her halcyon days as Mac's gypsy rock goddess she once more brought her musical magic to us all.

Just past 9.00pm, and yet with the evening daylight still quietly evident all around, the band make their way on stage and begin to lay a musical foundation. Then to the guitar strains of 'Stand Back' Nicks appears from out between the two drum sets, a few wafts of stage smoke adding to the illusion that she had quite simply appeared out of nowhere!

Dressed in her requisite black, her blonde hair cascading down her shoulders, she sings and twirls her way through the song, inciting rapturous cheers from the close to capacity crowd, ending it with a high kick. "Welcome, everybody. We're here tonight backing up the new release 'Crystal Visions'," she pays mention to, adding "Thanx for staying with us all these years") before seamlessly flowing into 'Dreams.'

Introducing her 1983 solo hit 'If Anyone Falls' as a song "... inspired by something someone once said to me," bathed in a purple spot Nicks' familiarity with each song allows for them all to come across with such a beloved grace. A lovely piano intro precedes 'Rhiannon,' which also made time for a quick outfit change, before the backdrop suddenly begins to show black and white drawn images of an Angel for the rootsy gem 'Enchanted.'

Introducing 'Sorcerer' as a tune she had written back around the time (and record label confusion) of the Buckingham/Nicks sessions, it may not have been all that well-known to the crowd, but they loved it all the same. The classic 'Gold Dust Woman' - complete with images of mystical women and dancing lights flickering on the backdrop - was next up, a sparkling golden shawl now around her shoulders. The rousing 'I Need To Know' ("... a song written by my favorite rock star, Tom Petty") follows, before the musical tone is brought way down for the ubiquitous 'Landslide' - complete with accompanying photos of her late father on the massive back drop.

Quickly introducing her band, whilst at the same time desperately trying to dislodge an unfriendly mosquito from her throat, Nicks then allows the tom toms to be gently beaten, before the drums get their turn, lastly both making way for the lead guitar intro squeals to the sexually charged groove of 'Edge Of Seventeen' to be brought lovingly to the fore.

Having disappeared off stage for an unofficial encore - and yet purposeful further costume change - she quickly returns adorned in a white ruffled dress and black tails with fringe. Atop her head is her stylish black hat complete with colorful feathers. Conducting her usual meet-and-shake at the front of the stage, handing off many single roses and cards, Led Zeppelin's 'Rock and Roll' is sung loud and proud ... with Detroit's own cigar smokin', wifebeater-wearin', vocal-less Kid Rock accompanying her on tambourine.

Wrapping the show up with 'Beauty and the Beast,' a dramatic ballad accompanied by arresting black-and-white images from Jean Cocteau's 1946 French film, Nicks' still-soaring vocals were truly put to the test one last time ... and past with flying colors.

Review by Russell A. Trunk

Led by British journeyman rocker Mick Jones, rock band Foreigner formed in New York City in 1976, and vocally helmed by then unknown vocalist Lou Gramm managed to bring forth a debut self-titled album that sold more than four million copies in the US and stayed in the Top 20 for a year.

In 2003, and after many band member back-and-forths, Lou Gramm once again left Foreigner leaving Jones - now the only remaining original member of the band - to reincarnate Foreigner one last time.

Tonight's line-up has now been together for the past two years. Touring and recording along the way, they have gelled well and showed tonight that if this was to be the last incarnation of Foreigner that they had truly struck gold. With a young Steven Tyler lookalike in the form of Kelly Hansen now in to replace Gramm as lead vocalist, ex-Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson, early '90s Foreigner stalwarts Jeff Jacobs (piano, organ, keys) and Thom Gimbel (sax, guitar, flute), not to mention the Son of Bonzo (his words after the show!) on drums, Mick Jones' Foreigner circa 2007 came to show the public - and us jaded journos within the business! - just what they were made of.

Kickstarting the night with a rousing 'Double Vision,' one look around the open air pavilion showed that some faces were quite clearly confused by Hansen's presence. The absence of Lou Gramm obviously not having filtered through to them these past few years, it only took but a couple of choruses through the first song to both understand the situation and wholeheartedly accept Hansen.

With a more subdued Mick Jones on guitar - stage presence wise - Hansen prowls the large outdoor stage alone. 'Head Games,' 'Cold As Ice,' ["Hello, Detroit," exclaims Hansen. "This has to be the world's greatest rock 'n roll city. We're so happy to be here tonight"], 'Blue Morning' [lit by a pale blue light] and 'Waiting For A Girl Like You' are all sung with vocal passion that incredibly, majestically exudes a late '70s, early '80s Gramm.

A very powerhaus version of 'Dirty White Boy' is next up, which after his guitar solo has been performed seems to leave Jones somewhat out of breath. A newly-reconstructed 'Say You Will' is next that brings Bonham, Pilson and Gimbel to front stage as harmony providers to the now more laid back, unplugged if-you-will track.

Introduced by Jones ["It's great to be back here. We're gonna go back to our first album now."], a classic rendition of 'Starrider' is next. And although Jones' vocals have never been all that strong, his guitar work is - as usual - formidable. 'Feels Like The First Time' fires us straight back to 1977, before a guitar first, then keyboard, then drum intro to 'Urgent' [complete with a sax break that instantly brought goosebumps to the arms!] nearly brought the house down! In it's extended form it was simply incredible to listen to live after all these years.

But, if that was something to behold then what came next was just the musical cherry on the cake! With a keyboard opening that slipped carefully into a strong drum solo, which all finally culminated into a Jones solo, suddenly the pulsating opening beats of 'Juke Box Hero' were brought to the baying masses. But it didn't end there as halfway through - and courtesy of some monster drumming from the Son of Bonzo - the Led Zeppelin track 'Whole Lotta Love' slipped its way in for a few brief verses! With every word sung by an adoring crowd the track sublimely made its way back to 'Juke Box Hero' before bringing the set to a close on one hell of a high note!

Coming back out the band bring us 'Long, Long Way From Home,' before Hansen goes into Preacher mode for a bluesy-gospel version of 'I've Got Whiskey.' This quick musical interlude is quickly followed by a Preacher-inspired 'raise up your voices and sing' moment where Hansen asks for the crowd's vocal participation on 'I Want To Know What Love Is.' With Hansen's voice now slightly suffering from the nights work, his endless stage prowling probably winding him more than he expected, the show-ending 'Hot Blooded' [complete with Jones intro under a bright red spot] is sung to the still-excited gathering. "Thanx for coming out tonight," Hansen proclaims, as the red / yellow / orange-lit band bring the final bars of the song to an end ... along with the powerhaus of a nights performance.

Review by Russell A. Trunk

Often compared to the Scissor Sisters - which, to be fair is, well, quite fair given their comparative vocal and bass line moments - Under the Influence of Giants (sometimes abbreviated UTIOG) hail from LA ... and boy, do they come packed full of energy!

Mysteriously opening for an artist known only as Young Love - and tucked away in a basement club with no windows, seemingly no adults in the small crowd, and no air to breathe in the slightest - UTIOG take the stage bang on time ... and literally do not come up for air until a solid 45 minutes have flown by!

Taking the stage one by one, there are no stage theatrics (I mean, how could there be on a stage no larger than your own bathroom floor?!), but as soon as the quartet is situated, well, ... Ladies and Gentlemen, buckle up, for it's gonna be a rockin' ride!

Aaron Bruno's vocals (and therein lyrics) are incredible, honed, and primed for this small club performance tonight. 'Lay Me Down' kicks us off royally, but it's David Amezcua on bass - dressed in a Wasp shirt with matching Wasp tie - that steals the show early on with this no-nonsense, head banging bass licks! Drew Stewart on guitar - looking everything like a Nu Romantic from circa '84 - is also finger-lickin' hot tonight, but as much as he tries, his floppy locked quiff just won't give as much as his bass-playing cohort! Drummer Jammin' Wilcox seems to be the only one not dressed too out of sorts and just stays attune to what needs to be done - and not only drum backbeat wise but computer track intro wise also.

The poly-rhythmic groove of 'Got Nothing' hits us next ("Feel free to dance and get loose," Bruno informs the scattering), which is quickly followed by both 'Beautiful and the pulse-pounding 'Ah Ha.' The latter finds Bruno prowling the small stage, like some demented squirrel in search of its lost, once stored-for-the-winter, sack o' nuts!

The incredible ethereal falsettos of Bruno are then brought to their main glory on the beloved 'Mama's Room,' before a seemingly Rage Against The Machine-inspired track is sung - admittedly to a somewhat confused gathering! But the guys get back on track with 'Faces' that also comes complete with a quite-nearly thrashing finale chord meltdown!

Wrapping up the show with the blue-eyed R&B feel of 'In the Clouds,' Bruno and company take their well deserved bow, heartfelt thank you's are heard abounding, and then they are gone ... until they quickly resurface again at the merch table!

Review by Russell A. Trunk

www.utiog.com

Amazingly true, Eric Clapton is still on a World Tour that started in Europe on May 5th, 2006! And yet tonight, in front of a sold-out 32,000 packed house he seems fresh, happy, and far from road weary.

At 8.40pm Clapton's band members - including the electric and multi-talented Doyle Bramhall II - took the stage, followed quietly, and yet eagerly by the man himself. Heading immediately for the sanctuary of his center stage large Persian rug, the thunderous applause rings out and as people get out of their seats and onto their feet, Clapton can't help but strike a random chord or two.

Lit by a backdrop of multi-colored standing lights, he immediately broke into 'Tell The Truth,' followed by a cool version of 'Key To The Highway' from his collaboration with B.B. King. Still without a word to the audience [all he ever does say is "Thankyou" a handful of times!], he follows this up with the smooth 'Got To Get Better In A Little While' and then the Jimi Hendrix classic, 'Little Wing.' This was a truly wonderful moment with Clapton putting his own blues stamp on what has always been a classic in its own right.

Bathed in blue lights for much of the evening (of course), his bluesy set feel made this a very settled, no-surprises event; and yet contained not one ounce of generic feel to it. Sharing the musical spotlight with his band of merry men - a truly great cast of touring musicians, if ever there was - he lets them have their own extended solo moments; whilst the proud 'papa' leans back and contentedly jams along in the 'background.'

Indeed, every member of his band was highly impressive, but it was his shared mic and guitar chord time with the always-tight Doyle Bramhall II that was the true comfort zone of the gig. And where Willie Weeks on bass, Steve Jordan on drums, and Chris Stanton and Tim Carmen on keyboards were also at their finest, it was these two front of stage that kept the motor purring.

Continuing on and before the sit down acoustic set the wonderful 'Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad?' is brought forth. And then, as expected, Clapton takes a seat all alone and brings us an acoustic version of 'Driftin' before he's rejoined in this setting by some of the others for such songs as 'Outside Woman Blues,' 'Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out' and 'Running On Faith.'

Steering the EC set into its final bend, another highlight was hearing the old song 'Motherless Children,' quickly being followed by 'Little Queen Of Spades' and 'Further On Up The Road.' But, just when you were fearing the worst for those classic Clapton hits, out of nowhere he strikes a few gentle chords and 'Wonderful Tonight' is upon us. Indeed, no sooner has the last chord been struck on that song before a deeper, harder one is struck for the opening of 'Layla.' Bringing a severe chill to course down my spine, seeing and hearing it played live is something I'll never, ever forget.

Coming back out after a delay of a few minutes, the first encore played is the classic 'Cocaine' - a heavily extended version, at that! - which everyone sang along to. This is then followed up by Robert Cray joining in and taking lead vocal for the final song of this one hour and 40 minute set, 'Crossroads.' Put plain and simple ... 'Slowhand' still f**kin' rocks!!

Review by Russell A. Trunk

Having met at the University of Dundee in Dundee, Scotland, students Gary Lightbody and Mark McClelland started up a band (originally named, believe it or not, Polar Bear!) and in late 1995 began performing gigs at the University and surrounding pubs. However, due to legal threats from an American band with the same name, they soon became Snow Patrol ... and thank God for that, 'cause (and let's be honest here) how many fans would flock (or admit to flock) to see a band named Polar Bear?!

Taking the stage at 9.30pm, having had L.A.’s Silversun Pickups and the highly-impressive Ok Go open for them, the Scottish-Irish quintet known as Snow Patrol - Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar) Jonny Quinn (drums), Paul Wilson (bass), Nathan Connolly (guitar,) Tom Simpson (keyboard) - know how to rock the house; from the very first chord struck to the very last one plucked, left to infiltrate the night.

Backed by a black backdrop of stringed-together bright white lights and some crazy-spinning color strobes, Lightbody and Co. - now bathed in a deep red rush - introduce 'Spitting Games' as their first song of the night, neatly followed by 'It's Beginning To Get To Me.' Commencing the first of his many chats with the crowd, Lightbody tells everybody that, "It's good to be back here in the heart of Motown. We've been listening to Motown songs all day in preparation, so expect the rest of the show to just be all Motown songs," he jokingly ends, before breaking into 'Chocolate.'

Then revealing a story about Ok Go's lead singer, Damian Kulash's recent hard slap on his "fragile Irish arse," the Snow Patrol spokesman quickly moves into more music with both 'Grazed Knees' and (under the aura of bright yellow spots) 'Headlights On Dark Roads.' 'Shut Your Eyes' is next up followed by a song sung to the "mean-faced" security guard at front stage, 'Wow.'

The new hit 'Chasing Cars' is next - including Lightbody's question to the audience about what face to put on for a lite rock out to the slow, semi-rock chords towards the songs end! - and then 'How To Be Dead,' 'Make This Go On Forever' and 'Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking' all come banging out of the gate. However, it should be noted that just prior to this trilogy of songs that their (male) drum tech comes out dressed as a B-movie hooker (self-named 'Solonge') and tries to make out with Lightbody ... as, after all, it was April Fool's Day!

As the show is brought into the final turn, for the duet track 'Set Fire to the Third Bar' (originally sung with Martha Wainwright), Lightbody chooses an already-known (from the gig the night before in Montreal!) young lady from the crowd to come up on stage and sing Wainwright’s part. Complete with a microphone and a pair of headphones she matches Lightbody word for word, lyrically tone for lyrically tone, never dropping the merest of chords or breath.

The ever-popular, and always-requested anthem song 'Run' is next - complete with mazy, erratically-flashing strobes that light up (geddit?!) the entire stage and crowd therein (so much so that if you had been an epileptic you would have been in fits of shock like you'd never felt before!), before bringing the set to a close with the piano introduced 'You're All I Have.'

Coming quickly back out for both 'Open Your Eyes' and the wonderful 'Tiny Little Fractures,' the show is finally over, the sold-out crowd now blinded by the house lights, all resigned to heading home, mountains of tour merchandise in hand. Unless you were like the lovestruck Daniel Marshall and chose to fly back to Kansas City the morning of this show, then you too missed the whole bloody thing!!

Review by Russell A. Trunk

My Chemical Romance - or as incessantly chanted by the crowd, the shortened MCR - is what we call in the trade an American Alternative rock band. Hailing from Belleville and Kearny, New Jersey, except drummer Bob Bryar, who is from Chicago, Illinois, MCR - and front man Gerard Way in particular - are heavily influenced rockers; performance artists of the highest caliber. With musical winks to The Misfits, Queen (thank you, Mr. B.) and even Adam Ant; and stage theatrics akin to horror films and comic books, Way's storytelling is top notch at all times.

With the entire set hidden behind a huge black drop cloth, the lights go down, the screams go up, and amongst all the chaos Way is wheeled in on a gurney underneath a white sheet. Once center stage, and with the apparatus now blinking red lights by the dozen, the chords (and medical equipment beeps) for 'The End.' are brought forth. Then, as if springing back to life, Way is singing the opening words whilst rising corpse-like from beneath the sheet.

Once those theatrics - and the rise and fall of two oversized black-and-white blimps - are out of the way, The Black Parade (for as they announced more than once, not MCR - two different bands entirely, just with the same members; and a severe case of white face make-up!) take the show on a 13 track, 100mph expressway joy ride. And for those that don't know, whether you were there or not, The Black Parade performed the entire Black Parade album in chronological track order! So we get everything sung from 'The End.' to 'I Don't Love You', and from 'House of Wolves' to 'Famous Last Words.' All sung by a band all uniform in their short black-and-silver jackets: akin to looking like Goth bellhops!

The building may have only been two-thirds full of cheerful teenagers, singing along to every funereal word, but the intensity given by both band and audience was incredible. And with Way being the sweetly solicitous ringleader supreme - a man clearly happy to be singing these grand emo songs in the place they really belong: an arena - it clearly didn't matter to he or them about the obvious lack of filled seats. Accompanied most all times by memorizing strobe lights, booming end-of-song explosions, and a pyro show that would have had Great White running for the doors, Way is always appreciative of the sea of bodies in front of him: "Welcome to The Black Parade and thank you for coming to our show."

In a way that worked for Green Day, given the oddball song structures and dramatic influences that The Black Parade is built on, the sense that this was some form of emo-musical for the disenchanted worked for The Black Parade / MCR / Whatever too. Even with its piano opening, the bombast of 'Welcome To The Black Parade' culled with the beat-swaying, cell phone lit (ala fireflies) unity of 'I Don't Love You,' to the pure rock 'n roll flavored 'House of Wolves' to the mini-opera (Kinks/RATM-style) of 'Mama,' all goes to prove that concept albums about the trip toward death might just be the new norm!

With their finale song 'Famous Last Words' sung, and the recorded words of 'Blood' now pounding through the speakers, a short intermission later and the band comes back out - dressed differently, although each member still swathed in their choice of black. Now freely announced by Way as MCR they return to play several songs from the album 'Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge' - a new guns and revenge logo back drop now in place behind them.

Playing such songs as 'I'm Not Okay (I Promise),' 'It's Not A Fashion Statement, It's a Deathwish,' the ballad-introduced 'The Ghost of You,' the band now known as MCR are just as focused, just as ready to rock. Finally bringing the entire show to an end with both 'You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison' and 'Helena,' Way thanx the audience once more for their love and support, waves fervently goodbye, and then disappears into the darkness beyond.

Up-and-coming (to the US of A, at least) Brit band Starsailor -personally hand picked by main act James Blunt to open up for him on his return North American tour - arrived to the stage tonight quietly, pensive, yet obviously self-confident.

At 7.30pm on the button the lights go down and the band - that sell out their UK tours quicker than a moth finds a flame - began their 40 minute set. Opening with 'Counterfeit Life,' the quartet from Chorley, England don't smile much but man their sound is solid.

"Good evening, Detroit," lead singer James Walsh speaks before the second song. "We are a band called 'Go Tigers!' Well, that's what it says on the front of the theatre anyway," he laughs. [Note: The reference is due to the Detroit Tiger's home baseball stadium being located directly opposite the venue!] The sad lament of 'Alcoholic' is next up, before 'Get Out While You Can' is brought next to the fore.

"It's good to be back," Walsh speaks once more. "The last time we were here was with The Charlatans." Greeted by absolute silence save for one lone clap to their right, he adds, "Well, at least he knows who they are!" 'Hold On To What You've Got' is next, but it's the lack of stage bells and whistles that are really starting to impressive the still-filing in audience. Starsailor just want to rock, just want to impress with their sound, just want to play.

Introducing the next song to have been their #1 smash hit in France, 'Fall To The Floor' is sung, before both 'Keep Us Together' and 'Good Souls' lead us to the final song of the evening. "Thanx for being a great crowd for us tonight," Walsh finally mentions before the Phil / Nicole Spector-inspired 'Silence Is Easy' brings just that to the proceedings ... silence!

Review by: Russell A. Trunk

Always a noted and well-respected dobro player, Jerry Douglas' new album, The Best Kept Secret shows a different side to his wonderful instrumental style. And here tonight at the wonderful, and acoustically perfect Fox Theatre in Detroit he brings proo