Hard Rock
Bon Jovi Kick Off Spring 2022 Tour in Omaha: Photos, Recap + Setlist
Arena rock is a genre of music that will never die, as long as crowds convene inside hockey arenas around the country to sing along to our favorite anthems from our favorite artists. That’s exactly what took place when Bon Jovi kicked off their 2022 tour in Omaha, NE at the CHI Health Center on Friday, April 1st, for their first public in-person concert since the pandemic started. Ione, a singer from Sioux City, IA, was the contest winner of the opening slot for the Omaha tour date. With a full backing band — two guitar players, a bassist, a drummer, and a keyboardist — Ione filled the arena with her soulful voice, reminding one of ‘70s singer-songwriters like Linda Ronstadt and Stevie Nicks. She emitted a free-spirited energy on stage, and captivated the audience with her pure, unadultera...
Willow Smith Unleashes Heavy New Single “Purge” Featuring Siiickbrain: Stream
Willow Smith has released a heavy new single titled “Purge,” featuring Siiickbrain, along with an accompanying music video. The daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith released her fourth album, Lately I Feel Everything, in July, but is already putting out new songs that weren’t included on the LP. The singer, who just goes by the artist name WILLOW, appeared on Machine Gun Kelly’s single “emo girl” in February. Now, she’s unleashed “Purge,” which builds up to an intense chorus that finds both WILLOW and Siiickbrain singing at the top of their lungs, with the latter even delivering some powerful metalcore screams. The eye-catching video matches the intensity of the song, with WILLOW and Siiickbrain both wearing striking outfits as they bash a car with baseball bats and engage in othe...
Yikes! Machine Gun Kelly Unwisely Covers System of a Down’s “Aerials”: Watch
Either Machine Gun Kelly is trying desperately to alienate himself from metalheads, or is just trolling all of us. First, he insulted Slipknot, and now he’s butchered a cover of System of a Down’s “Aerials.” The rapper turned pop-punk singer was a guest on The Howard Stern Show this week. For some odd reason, MGK thought it would be a good idea for him and his band to perform the System of a Down track as part of his visit. It’s no easy task for any singer to match Serj Tankian’s soaring operatic vocals, let alone one who’s range is limited like MGK. While his backing band did an admirable job on the instrumentation of the Toxicity song, MGK’s singing was rough right from the first note, and sounded like one continuous vocal strain throughout the entire performance. Seriously, if you can v...
Contestant on The Voice France Performs Obnoxious Rendition of Nirvana’s “Come As You Are”: Watch
A contestant on a recent episode of France’s edition of The Voice performed an obnoxious rendition of the Nirvana classic “Come As You Are” for his blind audition, but somehow got two of the judges to turn their chairs around. First off, unless there’s something lost in translation, we’re pretty sure that Stephen Di Tordo starts the performance by saying “Let’s f**k” into the microphone — leaving a confused look on the judges’ faces. From there, the opening verse sounds a little rough as Di Tordo delivers Kurt Cobain’s lyrics in a low tone. However, when he kicks into his upper register around 45 seconds into the performance, it impresses two of the judges, who promptly hit their buttons to turn their chairs around. Advertisement Related Video Then it gets really awkward, as Di Tordo gyrat...
Wolfgang Van Halen’s Mammoth WVH Perform Foo Fighters’ “My Hero” in Honor of Taylor Hawkins: Watch
Wolfgang Van Halen’s band Mammoth WVH paid tribute to Taylor Hawkins on Saturday night (March 26th) in Boston, performing the Foo Fighters classic “My Hero” in honor of the late drummer. Mammoth WVH are currently on a co-headlining tour with Dirty Honey. During the gig at Boston’s Big Night Live, Wolfgang took time out toward the end of the set to address Hawkins’ tragic passing, which occurred a day earlier in Bogotá, Colombia. “We lost somebody really important yesterday,” Wolfgang said from the stage. “And he was a hero to me, and a hero to all of us [pointing to his band], and a hero to countless people out there. So, we feel this is necessary. We worked this out this morning, so please excuse any rough edges, but we just had to f**kin’ do this.” Advertisement Related Video From there,...
Rush Pay Tribute to Close Friend Taylor Hawkins: “He Was Such an Incredibly Positive Source of Music”
Rush members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson have honored Taylor Hawkins following Friday’s tragic passing of the Foo Fighters drummer. Hawkins had a close bond with the legendary prog-rock band over the years, as he, Dave Grohl and producer Nick Raskulinecz even dressed up as ’70s-era Rush to perform “2112” at the latter’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2013. Late Rush drummer Neil Peart was one of Hawkins’ musical heroes. In a 2020 interview with radio station 94.9 The Rock Toronto, Hawkins said, “There can never be another Neil Peart. No way. He had the craziest hands, and he just had such a unique thing. … I hope that Geddy and Al play together, and I hope they can find someone to do something with them. But no one will ever be Neil Peart; it’s just impossible.” Sadly, Lee and Li...
Taylor Hawkins: A Musician’s Musician, A Fan’s Fan
Shortly after sound checking his “70s dirt rock cover band” Chevy Metal for a performance on the eve of Metallica’s second Orion Music + More festival during June of 2013 in Detroit, Taylor Hawkins spoke — effusively, as was his nature — to this writer about his musical ventures and adventures to that point. “Man, I just wanted to play music all the time, and I’m doing it and it feels great,” said the multi-faceted performer. At that point, Hawkins was five albums into his career with Foo Fighters, after tenures with Alanis Morissette and Sass Jordan, and had also launched another band, the Coattail Riders — thus stacking up a resume of high profile collaborations. “Y’know, I wanted to be in a great band. I’m in one,” Hawkins said. “I wanted to play with great people. I am. I wanted a life...
Beyond the Boys’ Club: Dorothy
Beyond the Boys’ Club is a monthly column from journalist and radio host Anne Erickson, focusing on women in the heavy music genres, as they offer their perspectives on the music industry and discuss their personal experiences. Erickson is also a music artist herself and recently released a new single, “Scars,” with Upon Wings. This month’s piece features an interview with singer Dorothy. Dorothy (full name Dorothy Martin) has crafted the album she always wanted to create with Gifts from the Holy Ghost. The set highlights Dorothy’s powerful, emotive vocals, as she sings about breaking free from oppression, saying farewell to demons and maintaining power in an uncertain world. The name of the new album is inspired in part from a wild experience Dorothy had on a tour bus three years ago. Aft...
Tour Bus on Korn’s US Outing with Chevelle and Code Orange Hit by Gunfire
A tour bus on the current US outing featuring headliners Korn and support acts Chevelle and Code Orange was reportedly hit by gunfire overnight in Davenport, Iowa, where it was parked outside a hotel. Thankfully, no one was hurt, as the bus was empty at the time, but the single bullet penetrated the outside wall of the bus and was found inside the cabin. The tour is set to make a stop at Moline, Illinois, tonight (March 25th), following a show two nights ago in Saginaw, Michigan. Last night was an off night, and it appears the bands and the crews made a pitstop at a Davenport hotel. As TMZ reports, the Davenport Police Department received a call Friday morning that one of the busses was hit with a single bullet. TMZ could not confirm which band’s bus was hit by the bullet. Heavy Consequenc...
Dee Snider Shares “Stand (for Ukraine)” Music Video, Launches Support Campaign: Stream
Dee Snider has shared “Stand (for Ukraine),” a re-worked music video for his 2021 Leave a Scar track “Stand.” The Twisted Sister singer also launched the World United Live support campaign to aid the country. Snider recently made headlines when he voiced staunch support for the Ukrainian’s use of Twisted Sister’s anthem “We’re Not Gonna Take It” as a rallying cry against the invading Russian forces. However, Snider has also lambasted the song’s appropriation for less noble causes, such anti-mask rhetoric and questionable parody usage. “About a month ago, someone on social media told me people in Ukraine were using Twisted Sister’s ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ as a battle cry and asked if I was cool with it. Of course I was,” Snider remarked in a statement. “My response elicited someone asking...
Heavy Culture: Oxymorrons on Queens Upbringing, Haitian Heritage, and Fighting Stereotypes
Heavy Culture is a monthly column from journalist Liz Ramanand, focusing on artists of different cultural backgrounds in heavy music, as they offer their perspectives on race, society, and more as it intersects with and affects their craft. The latest installment of this column features Deee and KI of the band Oxymorrons. Oxymorrons are keeping busy in 2022. After kicking off the year on the ShipRocked cruise, the band is currently wrapping up a tour with Grandson and Royal & The Serpent. Heavy Consequence recently caught up with brothers Deee and KI of Oxymorrons to discuss all things music and culture. The vocalists spoke candidly about their upbringing in Queens, New York, their Haitian roots, and how that shaped who they are and their music. They also discussed their 2021 release, ...
Greta Van Fleet Postpone Remainder of Spring US Tour as Guitarist Struggles with Pneumonia
Greta Van Fleet have decided to postpone the remainder of their spring US tour as band member Jake Kiszka continues to struggle with pneumonia. The guitarist is home after spending four days in the hospital, but the “healing process is long and slower than anticipated.” Originally, both Jake and his twin brother Josh (lead vocals) fell ill last week, forcing Greta Van Fleet to postpone a show in Flint, Michigan, one of five planned gigs in a row in their home state. Then the band announced that Josh had mostly recovered but that Jake was hospitalized with pneumonia, resulting in the postponement of two more shows. Now, the rest of the Spring jaunt has been called off. As it stands, Greta Van Fleet only played the first three shows on what was supposed to be a 13-date outing, including the ...
