|
|
RICO'S REVIEW- CAROLINE BLUE was opening for LoveBone this night! First I have to mention,the band
looked good. No-they looked great! I see that HAM is getting right into the thick of things.Marv was
behind the kit,but he's quite the entertainer-just glad none of those flying sticks hit the band or the
crowd! Musically,things were cool. The new covers were ok-although the feedback on "Rebel Yell" was horrible.I
prefer to hear CAROLINE BLUE do their originals though...leave the covers to cover bands. One thing though...what
happened to "Did I?" Somebody forget to look at the setlist or something? I got a look at the list and
it was on there,but was it played? Nooooo. I have to say that the bass and guitar seemed alittle low
in the mix thru their whole set. And what's with all the icicles that were dangling from the ceiling?
I also have to mention that,although they seemed a tad loose,this version of the band has alot of promise.
Can't wait to see them at The Red Door! RATING *** The band looked and sounded good! I have to take
1 1/2 stars away cause that awful feedback and low mix.
|
|
|
RICO'S REVIEW-CAROLINE BLUE was opening for Flatface & The Shemp-Dells at The Red Door North on 2/22/2003.
The 1st thing ya notice was the lighting wasn't the best here. No back lights at all. In fact,during
their 1st song,the stage almost went completely black! Some other bands might have packed it in,but not
CAROLINE BLUE! They played an originals heavy set and got a very good response. This current lineup is
getting tighter and tighter. Wayne was in good form and sound tonight. Ham was pullin' off some great
moves on stage and actually had a few words to say about the tragedy in R.I. Marv was drummin his heart
out and was fierce! And,in a great move, the band brought back the song "The Queen of Pleasure!" Now
this was soundin t*ts on toast baby! ("Like you've ever tasted one-HA!"-Bucky). Ignorable Bucky...just
like you. Bottom Line-the band was in great form and sound. Definately one of their better shows. Wish
there were more lights. I mean,the guys are all wearing black. What's next-putting white paint on?
Rating
****
|
|
|
RICO'S REVIEW-Finally CAROLINE BLUE gets back on stage-it's been awhile.But let me tell ya-the wait
was worth it! CAROLINE BLUE was opening for Sub-Urban this night and hit the stage at 9:30 with an originals
heavy set. On one of the cover songs they did,Bill Ali-singer for Pretense-got onstage to sing "Piece
of Me" by Skid Row. Everybody was looking good and the music was soundin great.The volume was alittle
loud though-probably cause none of the amps were mic'd thru the PA. In addition,there was this huge wooden
beam right in the middle of the stage-I'm surprised,with all the moving they do,that neither Ham or Wayne
ran into it! The band brought back "Hard Life " into the set and it sounded waaaaaay better than when
it was performed back in February of 2002.In addition,2 more songs made their CAROLINE BLUE debut -"Do
it Again" and "Slave to the Hourglass." The band was kickin major butt-but the main thing was seeing
how their new drummer-Kenny Thunder-would be and he didn't disappoint! Gotta love those double bass kicks!
Definately a welcomed addition to the band.Bottom Line-the band was kickin butt and if they continue
on this path they will be unstoppable!! Rating-****
|
|
|
RICO'S REVIEW-Well,it's been alittle while since we last saw CAROLINE BLUE on stage and when they
reappeared-surprise-there's a lineup change! Is Wayne really that hard to work with? ("You be nice!"-Bucky)...Well,there
were 2 bands with CAROLINE BLUE this night. They were The Threetards-who went on 1st,and Cliffdiver &
6 Lb Bucket-who went on last. Both bands did a great job.CAROLINE BLUE hasn't played in Gatherings since
February of 2002,but they came in with a vengeance! They were blinding everyone with their strobes and
police beacons-totally awesome! And I believe this is the 1st show where everyone was not only wearing
pleather/leather,but everyone was color-coordinated-too cool! Kenny Thunder was nowhere to be found-his
place taken by a man only known as "Small." Let me tell ya,no offense to Kenny,but it was like he was
never there."Small" was anything but musically.It's even more amazing when you find out he only had 1(!)
practice with the band before going on stage! Ham was pullin off moves like there was no tomorrow and
Wayne was puttin things into overdrive! The band had to pull a few covers from their past but due to
the lineup problems,that was understandable. There was a good sized crowd here and they ate the band
up! One of the best shows I've ever seen the band perform. Bottom Line- This was such an awesome
show.A few little errors here and there but that's nit-picking.The band really looked and sounded awesome!
(**** 1/2)
|
|
|
RICO'S REVIEW-CAROLINE BLUE was out in Phoenix again this week opening up for Flatface & The Shemp-Dells
out at 2-Buck's Place. It's kinda like being at The Brickhouse in Fulton in a weird reverse kind of way.
Anyway,The band hit the stage around 10. Now, it seemed kinda dark up there-although there was plenty
of room onstage.I will say this,the guys must of been very hot up there cause they were sweating like
crazy! The band looked good-even though "Small" wasn't in pleather mode this night. But he's behind the
drums so that's ok. Musically,the band did fine-but it wasn't as good as their Gatherings show. They
played the same setlist so I could really compare the 2. Judging by some of the confused looks on the
guys faces at times-maybe they had problems hearing one another. That would explain some of the miscues
that happened. Wayne seemed more animated-but he should save that for when the band gets a 2nd guitarist
so that he can cover up for him. Kudos to Ham though for doing the Blackie Lawless neck twister during
"I'm No Angel" and not severely cramping his neck! Bottom Line-Definately not the worst I've ever heard
the band,but it was a drop from what they did last week.Better luck next time guys.Rating ** (1/2)
|
|
|
RICO'S REVIEW-CAROLINE BLUE did another opener for Flatface & The Shemp-Dells in Fulton this night.
Normally it would be at The Brickhouse,but since that place closed,the shows are now played over at Nasbar.First
of all,outside of the "Incident",the show wasn't that bad. The band basically sounded good.What's up
with those damm railings though? I'm surprised the band was able to move at all! They should have played
on the other,higher stage. The setlist was the same as the last 2 shows,but "Hard Life" was missing.
All I have to say about that is....Wassup Wid That????......Now,the "Incident"-during the very 1st song,"Too
Late",Wayne broke a string just before he started singing the 1st verse! Kudos to him for continuing
to sing while trying to take off the strap lock and getting his backup guitar on. More bad karma hit
him though cause when he played the Explorer (which had fallen to the floor as Wayne was reaching for
it),it was horribly out of tune! Sounded like a toyota was trying blar it horn! After that,the show went
fine and seemed to get a great response. Bottom Line-Gotta take some points off cause of "The Incident"
but overall the show was ok. ***
|
|
|
RICO'S REVIEW-CAROLINE BLUE played their 1st ever show in Syracuse doing a Tribute to KISS wearing
KISS makeup. They were the 1st of 4 bands who played this night. After some really cool intro music (Is
that gonna be a regular thing?-Hope so!) the band blasted onto the stage and totally rocked the house!
1st of all,the band was all color coordinated-awesome! The makeup looked great-although it was starting
to run alittle on certain members. Kudos especially to Wayne for having an almost complete Starchild
outfit circa 1975! Very cool! The band was joined by Paul Kimiak-axemaster for Cliffdiver & 6 Lbs Bucket.
He did a great job with the leads and making sure that when Wayne was prancing around that he was covered.
Ham was Mr.Intensity as The Demon and even spit some blood! Very cool! One of the highlights had to be
when Small-as The Catman-came out to sing "Beth".He was already to go when he pulled out a small tape
recorder and played "Beth" thru the mic-everyone was crackin up with that one! And it was great seeing
Wayne pull off some moves that haven't been seen in quite awhile.More than a few of the ladies (and maybe
some of the guys?) in the crowd seemed to be focused on his outfit-or what was in it. Wayne looked pretty
damm close to The Starchild-all he needed was curlier hair and some chest hair (a perm and spray hair
in a can will fix that!) ! And for a guy who was on the tail end of a cold,his vocals sounded great!
Bottom Line-The band made an awesome 1st impression with their 1st Syracuse show. 2 songs-"Mine,Mine,Mine"
and "Detroit Rock City" were filmed by UMTV and should be on the air soon. We can't wait! **** 1/2
|
|
|
