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“The Show Must Go”
“I’m sorry for the nights I can’t remember.” - I’m sure some of us are guilty of saying that at one point or another…maybe after having a little too much fun at the bars. While we might have said it, I’m sure we didn’t sing it. That’s the difference between us and Vancouver-based rock band, Hedley.
I’m definitely guilty of having their album, Never Too Late, on repeat. Their latest album, The Show Must Go, should be hitting the US soon, and I’m sure I’ll be listening to it just as much. In the meantime, Hedley is currently on their US tour and on October 6th, they stopped by Altar Bar. They are definitely some of the nicest guys you will ever meet, with some of the catchiest songs.
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Mushroomhead
The owner of Altar Bar insists that he needs a water drum, and I blame Mushroomhead for that. The metal band blew through Pittsburgh on September 20th and put on a show like nothing I had ever seen. Seriously. There were a lot of masks and a lot of moshing. Essentially it felt like Halloween had come early, especially considering that one of the band members was dressed like something straight out of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, apron and all. With that said, bring on the scary movies this month.
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Shopping at a Giant Eagle Market District at 10am on a Steeler Sunday is like sitting in rush hour traffic. I learned that while doing the hospitality shopping for Ed Kowalczyk, the lead singer of Live. After maneuvring my heavy cart through the store and standing in line for twenty minutes, I managed to make it to Altar Bar by noon to greet the tour’s crew and the Altar production staff. Hours later, the show went off without a hitch, and Ed K played all the Live hits, including “All Over You” and “Lightning Crashes”, along with some of his solo work.
Fun Fact: Ed K sells his own brand of coffee called Eddie’s Coffee “Songwriter’s Signature Expresso Blend”. That’s definitely one of the more interesting items I have seen at a merchandise table during a show.
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Hank III and Assjack
Were you ever at a show that was so crowded that you had no choice but to make friends with the person next to you? Well, that was the situation at Altar Bar for Hank III and Assjack on September 15th. With a sold out crowd packed into the venue, it was impossible to get from Point A to Point B without feeling like you were a human bumper car. Add that to the fact that Hank III kicked ass, and I would say that it was a super successful night. When a venue is that packed with fans, you know the artist must be doing something right.
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Semi Precious Trendsetters
Pop cans in people’s hair, leather, studs, and lobsters - that can only mean one thing…Lady Gaga’s in town. When the queen of music herself came through Pittsburgh for the Monster Ball Tour on September 5th, Altar Bar had the only official after-party. The night boasted a performance from Gaga’s openers, Semi Precious Weapons. Lead singer, Justin Tranter, showed up in a loose fitting oversized tank, barely there stockings, and heeled boots. It’s also possible that he has better makeup skills than I do.
Besides being fashion forward, Tranter has his own chic jewelry line called Fetty. Along with being trendsetters and super cool guys, Semi Precious Weapons crushed their second performance of the night at the after-party. Hopefully, Pittsburgh will be lucky enough to see them come back through in the next few months.
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When the Backstreet Boys first hit the scene in 1997 with singles like, “All I Have To Give” and “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)”, I was eight years old. Talk about a throwback. Now, I’m 21 years old and learned on August 25th at the Trib Total Media Amphitheatre that I still know all of the words to their songs….13 years later.
August 25th was also the first time I had seen them live, so you better believe the eight year old version of myself made a guest appearance, if only for one song. For all of you BSB fans who couldn’t make it to the show and are wondering how it was. I have this to say to you….”Backstreet’s Back, alright”. They’ve still got it…boyish looks and all.
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“Shout It Out”
On August 20th, Hanson performed at the Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead. Being true practical jokers, their tour manager decided to send me out to the waterfront to pick up a couple of essentials. The list was as follows: Dehydrated water, non-adhesive tape, double-sided toilet paper, and a travel coffee mug.
My initial reaction: What the heck is dehydrated water? Is there something that I don’t know about? I don’t think that I’ve ever looked so confused in a Target before. Dehydrated water is pretty much an empty water bottle, right? (Fun fact: Google “Dehydrated Water” and you’ll find that the stuff actually exists. Weird. I think that might go against the laws of science.) Anyway, a quick call to their tour manager about the list after a couple of minutes and all I could hear was laughter on the other end of the phone. I have to give it up to Hanson and their crew…Their prank was definitely successful.
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Wash, Rinse, Spin, Dry.
Sometimes as a runner you have to do laundry. Sometimes it’s a little, sometimes it’s a lot. Because after 12:00pm on a show day, you can’t just call on the fluff and dry experts at the local cleaners. You have to do it yourself.
When I recently walked into a Southside laudromat to wash clothes for Heart, I was met with three different types of washers. Now, is that really necessary?! The funny thing was, there was only one type of dryer. After choosing a washing machine wisely, I got down to business and applied all the laundry knowledge I had gained from my first year of college dorm life. Luckily, on this particular day there was only one load that needed to be done, and after an hour and a half, I rejoined the concert world back at the Trib Total Media Amphitheatre. If there is one thing I learned that day, it’s to always make sure you have work to keep you busy wherever you go, because watching a dryer spin at the laundromat for thirty minutes is not the most productive use of your time.
