Thursday nights in the Clem will never be the same! What a tremendous turnout for the first week of Dr2 Presents "Thursday Night Live" from The Emerald Theater with over 300 local music fans filing through the doors of the historic theater in downtown Mt Clemens, making for one festive night of music! We've also hooked up Metro 37 Recording Studio to record these events live as it happens, just check back each and every Tuesday following the show to download select tracks for free right here @ DetroitRockReview.com!

With four bands on the bill, there was a little of everything for everyone as OverTow kicked off the night with their ferocious blend of rock & roll, bringing the then mingling crowd towards the stage with an all out assault on the senses lead by vocalist Heath, who was superb in his delivery tonight! Great set to open this new weekly series! Check them out right HERE!

 

Down For Now hit the stage next, ripping through a 30 minute set of high energy rock & roll that had the front of the Emerald Stage swarming with bodies as lead singer Mike once again proved he has the chops to move any crowd big or small with a bevy of tunes, including Dr2's favorites 212, and Falling Down, before ending their set with the balls out Into My Own! Be sure to jump on over to the website to catch their next show, you won't be disappointed!

 

For all the hardcore metal fans who stopped into Thursday Night Live, Front Line Mentality was there to shake their tree, dropping another explosive set that sent the nights first mosh pit into overdrive! With fist flailing flair, FrontLine Mentality fed off the rage in front and proceeded to push the mosh pit into the red zone as some of the band jumped right on in and kept on playing, swinging & moshing without missing a beat!

 

Headliners, Hell Rides North, certainly has a slew of fans, evident by their recent winning of 89X's I'm With The Band V3.0, taking home the $10,000 first place prize, and by the looks of it, most of those fans slithered into the Emerald tonight in support of this heavy hitting metal band. Currently "residing" inside Metro Recording Studio working on their sophomore release, Hell Rides North not only brings the fans, they always bring the "A" game whether playing in a small club or rocking the huge crowd that filled the Emerald. Look for these guys Halloween Night as they bring their popular "Metallica Rides North" show to The Hayloft for what will surely be a night of Metal Mayhem in Da Clem!

 

Thursday Night Live wouldn't be complete without mentioning the FREE After Party that goes down over at The Hayloft! That's right, once you see your favorite band "Play Like Rock Stars" you can slide on over to The Hayloft to hang out & "Party Like Rock Stars", just show'em your Emerald bracelet at the cover charge is waived! Be sure to come on up to The Emerald Theater this Thursday Night, October 8^th, when Dr2 Presents "Thursday Night Live" from The Emerald Theater welcomes StellarDrive, Akrylik Sun, Track Fighter, & Curbstone Beauty in what will surely be a night of mayhem with an After Party that will "cleanse" your soul as The Hayloft will feature their final "FOAM PARTY" of the season! Don't miss your chance to catch some awesome live music AND an equally awesome After Party, only from your friends @ DetroitRockReview.com - The Only Place For Local Music News & Reviews!

We usually do not cover “Nationals” on our website, but last weeks “reunion” down at Cobo Arena will always hold a special place in my memories of what was once called one of the premier concert venues in North America. Yes, not just Michigan, or the US, but as Creem Magazine noted back in the mid ‘70’s, Cobo Arena’s acoustics stand out as one of the best, 2nd only to Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. We should know, we spent many an evening down at Cobo, taking in concerts on a weekly basis during my early years, when tix where like $6.50 each, usually somewhere within the first few rows, courtesy of one of the most unique ways of ticket selling called “Mail Order Only”, where slipping in a $20 bill with your money order all but guaranteed the best seats in the house! Boy those were the days, being privileged enough to see such acts as Alice Cooper, The Guess Who, Styx, ZZ Top, Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush, Emerson, Lake, & Palmer with an 80 pc orchestra, The Cars along with The Babies, J.Geils Band with The Romantics, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band (yes that night), as well as Ac/Dc. But it was the very first time that I stepped into Cobo Arena for a concert back in May of 1975 that I will cherish forever. That night, as we found out early on, was being recorded for a live album that went on to be released in September of that same year, cementing Detroit as the real Rock & Roll Captial of the world, not only in the eyes of the 13 year old kid from the east side, but for a whole generation across the entire world. Alive went on to be the best selling live album of all time, that is until another live album came out, ironically recorded within months of Alive, inside the same building, and even more ironically, by a Detroit native himself Bob Seger. All of this was short lived though as Peter Frampton Comes Alive was released a few more months later, taking over as the top live album of all time, and still is one of them today.

 

Fast forward a few decades. To be able to go back into that same arena some 35 years later, to see that very same band (almost) perform that very same show (almost) is a feeling that not many people will ever get the chance to experience, and believe me, those emotions overcame me as the lights went down, the pa now silenced, a lone shadowy figure appearing at center stage holding a camera (I’m sure digital this time) snapping pictures of the crowd, exactly how it was done that fateful night! As this figure slowly slipped out of site, another figure appeared, this time with a microphone in hand, again returning to center stage, again no lights what so ever, only a deep tantalizing voice echoing out with that all too familiar “you wanted the best, you got the best…..the hottest band in the land….KISSSSS!”. OMG, it was all over for me at that very point as the stage exploded into view amongst a myriad of lights, pyrotechnics, and a huge marquee with 4 simple letters emblazed in simple bright white light bulbs that read KISS. Then there they were, rising out from the stage via a hydraulic lift, platforms and all, launching right into Duece, Strutter, Got To Choose, before throwing in their latest single Modern Day Delilah. An extraordinary moment came right after Strutter, when Stanley, with his prolific banter, simply stated “Cobo Hall!!, This is the Holy Land for us, it’s where it all started!” prompting the already dazed crowd to respond with one of the most deafening roars I’ve heard! The night became like déjà vu from there, Kiss playing “Alive” track for track, Hotter Than Hell with Gene Simmons breathing the fire, Stanley strutin’ his stuff across the stage during Com’n And Love Me, hell even the Ace Frehely stand in Tommy Thayer got in on the action, re-enacting the “flame throwing guitar” during his solo, while the Peter Criss stand in, Eric Singer was bombastic as he played 20 ft above the stage! Except for the omission of Rock Bottom & Firehouse, along with a flip or two near the end in order to ensure that Rock

The Last Song Ever To Be Played At Cobo Arena - Detroit Rock City, Sept 26th, 2009

& Roll All Night was the final song of the set, Kiss pulled off an amazing repeat of history in a city that so desperately needs to do so itself, in front of what Stanley repeatedly referred to as “we’re all family here”, before exiting the stage for a few moments, only to return to the stage to explain how “usually people clap and we come back out for a song or two. Not tonight, we will now all be witness to the longest encore in Kisstory!” as the band then launched into a six song encore of post-“Alive” hits that started with Shout It Out Loud & Lick It Up, before finding Stanley zip-lining from the top of the PA out to the middle of the crowd to perform Love Gun atop a spinning platform! But the defining moment of the night came as Stanley zipped lined back to the stage, swaggered up to his mic at center stage and began to tell us that “there was a hell of a lot of people in this building last night that thought they were seeing the last show ever at Cobo Hall. I’m here to tell you tonight that they were all wrong. Tonight it is you who are not only seeing the last show ever in this building, but the last song ever to be played inside Cobo Hall……You know, family is special. Every last one of you here are special to us, and for those of you who were here way back when, we wanted to tell you that we never wrote a song about New York, ya know. There’s only one place in the world that we wrote a song about, and I think you all know what I’m talking about don’t you?” Again maybe the loudest roar from 12,000 people I have ever heard in my life, and believe me it was not only deafening at that very moment, but I was overwhelmed with emotion as I realized that this night was as close as possible to reliving a moment in my life, one that had just found a new meaning, one that will live on forever not only in my memory, but will live on for 11,999 more of you forever as Stanley continued, “…..this will be the last song ever played here, and that song is DEEETROOOIT, ROCK CITY!” Long Live KISS, Long Live The City of Detroit, but most of all, Long Live Cobo Arena….damn we love this city…..

 

The AP Fall Ball Tour kicked off last Friday in Detroit, well actually Pontiac at Clutch Cargo's with a slew of today's hottest bands including co-headliners The Academy Is & Mayday Parade. With the Detroit Area being the undisputed king of rock & roll, it came as no surprise to Dr2 that AP chose Clutch Cargo's to kick-off this ferocious tour. It also came as no surprise that when support act, Set Your Goals, had to cancel their first four appearances on the tour that they turned to you guessed it, the Detroit area, once again, calling on local heroes Every Avenue out of Marysville to fill the vacated spot, sending an already exciting concert right over the top for Dr2 & Crew! Being called upon late in the afternoon on the day of the show, a lot of bands, who tour as often as Every Avenue, just may have turned this one down as the guys were back home for a few days resting up for their extended flight the following morning, heading across the pond once again for a 1 week tour through the UK!

 

After some fine sets by Secret Handshake and Set Your Goals in front of the rabid crowd that filled CC's, it was Every Avenue's turn to take charge of the sold out room! Proving their worth, Every Avenue turned what was a rabid crowd into nothing short of pure mayhem as they blasted through a 3o minute set of favorites that included Think of You Later, then sent the crowd into a frenzy by finishing out their set with their mega hit Where Were You?

 

What a sight to see, 1,000 plus jumping, surfing, & moshing to a home grown

Michigan band on what will surely be a successful tour, setting the stage for The Academy Is & Mayday Parade to ride out the wave that Every Avenue sent rolling their way.

 

If you are of the mindset that no one goes to live shows anymore, then you are dead wrong, just take a look at the photos over at the Dr2 Photo Gallery for proof positive that "live" music is alive and well, you just need a product that people want! Every Avenue will be back in the D October 14^th to, you guessed it, kick off another tour in Detroit, this time "The Traveling Talent Show" featuring The White Tie Affair & Every Avenue at Saint Andrews Hall, and if that's not enough to keep these guys busy, they drop their latest album, "Picture Perfect" on November 3^rd! DetroitRockReview.com - The Only Place for Local Music News & Reviews!

Last weekend the 1^st Annual Mt Clemens Music Festival invaded downtown Mt Clemens and from all reports and experiences, was an absolute huge success! Dr2 not only hosted a stage during the MCMF, but we had a horde of Dr2 Crew Members out on the prowl moving from venue to venue checking out all the action, not to mention the quick cell calls to bands as they were loading out, or the one on one chats with the venue owners themselves, and the overwhelming response was ".....awesome, we love it!". We thought you would, as Dr2 had been stirring that pot for some time now, our hats off to MCMF Organizer, Mike Mitchell for a fabulous job of pulling off such an event for all of us local music fans!

 

Things got off to a thunderous start last Thursday at The Emerald Theater where the 1^st Annual Mt Clemens Music Festival got under way with a Music Discussion Panel that allowed attendees to randomly ask questions to a dozen of so "industry" types that included artists like Vinne Dombrowski & Hush, entertainment attorneys, managers, record label exec's, promotional wizards Dana Forrester & Kathy Vargo of On The Rocks-Detroit, and radio personality Cal Cagno from 89X! The hour and a half discussion was so successful and insightful, that we can see this portion greatly expanded upon in coming years as topics included everything from what you should expect from good management & pr firms, to what denotes the ultimate in an EPK, to how to get your music licensed to TV & film! It appeared that the full house was as enthralled by the responses to their questions as was Dr2, especially the portion on planning your shows so that they become an "event" as opposed to "another show this weekend", and that is exactly what we got tonight (as well as all weekend long) as Cody Stagefright, StellarDrive, Band With No Name rocked the room before giving way to the night's dual headliners Hush & Crud!

 

On both Friday & Saturday nights, the party moved to the streets of Mt Clemens, filling 10 venues through out the downtown area with bands, many of whom normally do not host live music, making for some unique settings for live music. What a great site to see as hundreds of people were out walking from venue to venue, slipping inside to catch a band before moving onto the next in what was certainly an ideal layout for such a fest! Having been veterans of many of the "blowout" fests in Hamtramck that required you to actually get in your car, drive through piles of snow, attempt to find a parking space, all within a 15 minute time constraint in an attempt to catch the next band, before doing it all over again! At the MCMF, the greatest amenity was the ability to park ONCE, then proceed to walk from venue to venue, in mild weather, never more than a five minute walk from the furthest of venues, and that was exactly what our Dr2 Crew was able to do, stopping in to check out the likes of Michael Seger & Everybody's Favorite Band @ Orleans, to an awesome solo acoustic set from Don "Doop" Duprie at Little Lorraine's, or the fantastic crowd at Barleycorn's to see Jiva, or the surprising line we had out the door to get in to the Dr2 Stage @ Madison's, all of this and it was only Friday Night! We had a great line-up ourselves at Madison's, which may just of been the most unique venue of the week! With an outdoor stage, garden type setting, all with a clear view of the Mt Clemens skyline that when coupled with a packed patio translated into awesome sets by Black Irish and their blues driven rock & roll, pushed over the top with a genuine Hammond V3 organ calling out to everyone, along with the southern rock of Dismantle, who were amazing just for agreeing to play our stage, even though they had their own fest going down that weekend! One of our favorite Michigan Made Music peeps, Bad Side, actually traveled all the way from Sault Ste Marie to play our stage, then had to travel back home that same night so they could participate in an early morning Lung Cancer Fundraiser back at the Sault, so it was an "extra" special night of straight up rock & roll from these guys. A heartfelt thanks to you two for making the trip and helping to make the MCMF the success that it was! Rounding out the first night on The Dr2 Stage was Detroit Pony Express who not only put on a great set, but had everyone inside Madison's flowing outside to see what all the fuss was about; cementing the fact the live music lives, as Dr2 drew the tickets for the night's prize of FREE tickets to the Down concert the following night at The Emerald.

 

Saturday's version was just as fun, damn we love multi night events, bringing in an entirely stoked up crowd that had the streets of The Clem beaming with excitement. Of course having a multitude of tour buses, motor homes, and vans parked all around, there was no escaping that "festival mood" as the municipal parking lot was deemed full to capacity by 7:30 pm! Whoa, what beginning to an awesome night! Again we had a slew of Dr2 Crew members Out ‘N About checking out the scene as it went down all over town, heard some great reviews on some packed sets, especially over at Orleans with Bury Your Burden, Electric Playground, and Robots In The Garden that had our crew, and the bands themselves, ogling over the turnout! Caught a first hand glimpse of Ray Street Park rocking out at Johnny G's, while all reports from Barleycorn's & Fritts' were extremely upbeat on their turnout, and the report out of The Detroit Pub was that not only was it their best night since opening, it was their best weekend period! Back at The Dr2 Stage @ Madison's, things couldn't have been any better for us with another night of lines to get into the place and a host of bands that were ready to rock the night away! Mound Road Engine brought their feme fronted metal to the Stage to get things rolling, dropping a fine set and acquiring some new fans from the Dr2 Crew camp! Almost Free continued the raucous night, dropping a "key board-less" set on the MCMF crowd that was at this point just warming up for our headliners of the night, 60 Second Crush, who not only are one of Dr2's favorites, but judging by the crowd gathered in front of the stage, they're a favorite of a hell of a lot of you! The highlight of the night, other than their drummer "Schim Dawg" performing with his kilt on, was when singer Tommy T invited all on stage (of course we did!) to join in on "Street Corner of Fear", literally bringing down the house in a flurry of balls out shouts of.....Get Ready, Get Ready.......from the now on stage crowd, awesome! We couldn't have asked for a better end of the night, so as we promised, we gave away a FREE set of Tickets to the October 10^th Best Of Detroit concert at the Emerald Theater feat Ty Stone, Paradime, Dirty Americans, & Lies Unknown before we drew the winning ticket for that{mosiamge} Authentic Brandon Inge jersey, sending home some lucky winners before we shuffled off to catch the Festival ending sets at The Hayloft. With all the activity, the streets of the Clem were bustling with people everywhere, especially in and around the Hayloft where it seemed everyone was heading to finish out their night where JTX, Bat On Fire, and Pillar of Autumn had just played before Dr2 dropped in on a fantastic set from the newly re-named MaB (formerly the Matt Austin Band). With a fresh new name & a fresh new drummer, Chris Castro, MaB not only rocked a huge Hayloft crowd, but Matt Austin himself surprised the hell out of Dr2 by actually setting down his guitar, proceeding to become a true frontman like we've not seen from these guys ever! Amazingly fresh, amazingly good, but beyond all else, MaB proved beyond a doubt that they are for real! Turning a crowd into a rabid mob just in time for the Festival Ending Headliner Richy Nix, a relative newcomer on the scene who has taken his own career from the basement of his home in Windsor, to the stages across the river with nothing short of a spectacular set that turned the Hayloft into a sea of waving, fist pumping arms, as Nix blew away what was left of the 1^st Annual Mt Clemens Music Fest, setting the stage, if not the bar, for a return of what will surely be the 2^nd Annual Mt Clemens Music Festival 2010! Be sure to keep an eye on the Dr2 Photo Gallery where we will be adding photos from the event daily! DetroitRockReview.com - The Only Place For Local Music News & Reviews!

 

The Hayloft in Mt Clemens was the place to be this past weekend where the 89X Presents The X-Fest, a three day local music love-in, brought Dr2 to its knees by Sunday night with a sensory overload of the area's best local music topped with a National Act or 3! Heading into the Clem Friday Night, you would have thought that the Stars & Stripes Fest was back in town, every parking space filled, people walking the streets, all apparently heading to the Hayloft for a Friday Night Smack Down! Sliding into the fest after a bit of a late start, the first thing that struck Dr2 eyes was the ginormous first class tent sprawled out over top of the entire Hayloft parking lot. Combined with hundreds of people milling about in and around this awesome temporary music venue, where live music was blaring from an exceptionally sized PA, complete with ravishing lights, completing the festive mood. Walking towards the entrance, Dr2 was met with a jubilant crowd hanging out in the Hayloft Garden, cold drinks in their hands; it was nice to see so many bands & fans mingling amongst all the festgoers. Inside, the mood was starkly different, bands hawking their merch, fans ogling over the shirts, and hundreds of people moving through the Hayloft's front bar making their way towards the Main Stage where The Matt Austin Band was just beginning. Dr2's jaw dropped upon the realization the man behind the kit for MAB was, none other than, Chris Castro (Radiocraft, Ugly), totally reinvigorating the Matt Austin sound. 

Smile Empty Smile Headlined Friday Night

Quite a nice surprise and yet another step forward for The Matt Austin Band.  Lithium pulled off another of their astounding sermons in front of a few hundred of their closet disciples while Hell Rides North flew in and blew us all away giving way to those Dirty Americans, who still amazes Dr2 every time see them. These guys bring the true meaning of rock & roll where ever they play, even dropping a couple new tunes from their upcoming album, closing out their set with a crowd pumping cover of Copper's Eighteen, prompting chants of "one more song...", not surprising since they've not only played some huge crowds overseas, but have opened even opened for Kid Rock himself! With the room all primed and ready to rock, the first night's headliners, Smile Empty Soul, hit the stage, not only did they shake the rafters, but actually partied the night away, opting to hang out in Da Clem one more day to see exactly how a hometown band rips up the Hayloft.

Saturday brought an early 3pm start to the outdoor stage, where Dr2 witnessed an awesome array of Michigan's best that included the hard hittin' Mound Road Engine, an all out party with Cody Stagefright (you need to see these guys), and a completely "obscenery" blow out with the outdoor headliners, Houghton Lake's very own HERD, who literally blew the poles out from beneath that tent! Inside was definitely a mob scene with a barrage of hot ass rock & roll from Facture, and Ghosts of August, both of who laid down the foundation for what was to become one of thee hottest shows the Hayloft has hosted. Recently re-focused, Band With Name, has definitely been making a name for themselves once again as Jeff Gutt (vox) has returned from LA where his Dry Cell band has taken a hiatus, and was also ASKED to audition for Velvet Revolver not once, but was called back a second time....... Lucky for us, as these guys can turn any crowd "Animal Like" with the ferocious riffs of Gary P clearing the way for Gutt's awe-inspiring vocals that are on par with any vocalist out there. Chants of BWNN filled the room when the guys launched into a new song that will be featured on their upcoming new release, Empty, showing Dr2 that BWNN may just be on the verge of something big here. StellarDrive has been elevating their game every time we see them, a true sign of dedication, and tonight they stepped it up again in what can only be described as a head shaking, earth rattling, straight up rock & roll show. What was cool about the X-Fest is that not only did it feature the areas best in local music makers, but it also included a night capping national headliner each day. But what was REALLY cool about Saturday's headliner was that it is not only a National Act, but a Mt Clemens based hometown band! Not many cities can claim having local favorites that are also homegrown National Acts like Mt Clemens can, that list in unbelievable to say the least. Look at tonight's headliners, Critical Bill, who's signed to Westbound Records, Critical Bill is not only a local favorite, but a National favorite as well, filling rooms across the country from Detroit to Iowa and from Cleveland to Portland. Touting a huge fan base in numerous US Cities, Mt Clemens will always remain home to these guys as they packed the hayloft this night with 1,000 people who came to get "Critical" with their heroes. From the opening to the close, there was no mistaking who this weekend would belong to, as Critical Bill not only ripped through our stalwart fav's, but also threw in the latest soon-to-be single, Beam Me Up, from their upcoming CD, in fact, they just shot the video a couple days prior in anticipation of a September release. What an amazing good time as X-Fest wound down its second day, hundreds milling about looking as if they were just ran over by a train, not quite ready to leave yet even with the 2am warning upon them. Well Dr2 was ready to hit the road, HERD Tour Bus in tow, even had HERD's head of security, Tito, riding shot gun as we rode off into the night, destination Dr2 Afterparty........man what a night.....ahh morning!

In what can only be described as a marathon, we awoke Sunday and headed back to the Hayloft for the final installment in the trilogy.  Groggily navigating down Gratiot, we arrived to a scene of more crowds, obviously not slowed down by the rain that was occasionally falling. All attendees were happy for the huge tent when Whiplash began tearing it up outside.  This trio of 13-year-olds keep on expanding their set and even had Joe Coppola (Angelo's Dad) sit in on drums so Angelo could roam the stage.  It kept rockin' outside, despite the weather, with Curbstone Beauty impressing us, again, with how much they have turned up the heat onstage recently.  We will definitely be keeping an eye on them.  As the day wore on the crowd inside began to grow with diehard fans claiming their spot for the lineup to come.  Maceri poured it on inside with their unique brand of pop/alt rock. Tearing through a great set.  It was up to Impossible Tuesday to carry the torch and they handled it well.  These veteran rockers showed their polish and presence, segueing nicely into The Pilz set.  Dani Katastrophe (vox) is not "Hard To Swallow" as she pours her heart soul into her music with flare and passion, delivering some of the city's best straight up, in-your-face, rock & roll that had the Hayloft floor packed tight up front, reminding us of those days back inside Cobo Arena! Outside was rocking just as hard with the headlining band Infrastar slamming it down to packed tent that was rocking just as hard the band! Just as we were hitting aural overload, our head swimming with the weekend of sheer musical mayhem, we were hit with a haymaker as Lies Unknown took the stage to an Intro from 89X's Jay "Hud" with their usual off-the-charts intensity, leaving everyone in the place on their ass, some literally, as the mosh pit was in full effect!  At this point we were truly wondering what else we could take when Dismantle stepped up on stage, teasing us with the tunes from their soon-to-be-released disc! Boy if you didn't seen the pure debauchery going down in the Hayloft Garden, you missed one wild scene when those 89X Girls challenged some local rock stars.... you need to check out these! The final blow was Framing Hanley, with their Alt rock assault that made it clear who many of the thousand or so fans where here to see, literally turning them rabid, jammin' & slammin' to every pounding beat.

By the time the dust settled and the last note was played, we had a chance to get some final thoughts from Michael Scott, owner of the Hayloft and X-Fest organizer, on what he thought about the weekend. Claiming to be as "numb" from the weekend as we felt, Scott opened up on where he sees the X-Fest going from here. "Having over 4,000 in paid attendance showed me that this fest has a life all its own", referring to the non-stop line out the door. "I see the X-Fest developing into a traveling show, a set of headliners who will remain constant, yet we'll take it on the road, hooking up with those cities local bands, hopefully recreating what we did here this weekend". Big goals, become big plans, and from what we're hearing, everyone had an awesome time as Scott tells us "I want to take this thing on the road, like not only Mt Clemens, but say Cleveland, Chicago......" Well Dr2 can attest to the fact that X-Fest was eXtremely suXcessful here in Mt Clemens, and with Michael Scott driving the bus, we can surely bet that the X-Fest will be a hit no matter what town it arrives in! Be sure to hit up the Dr2 Photo Gallery where you'll find a ton of pictures from the X-Fest and all the debauchery that went down the entire weekend! DetroitRockReview.com  DetroitRockReview.com - The Only Place For Local Music News & Reviews!

Michigan Bands Shine @Vans Warped Tour

Several Detroit area bands had their day in the sun during last week's Vans Warped Tour down at Comerica Park in an all day marathon that was nothing short of spectacular! A great day to be in The D, this year's event, now in its fifteenth year, featured an array of different artists across many genres, including the Warped Tour staple of punk, yet also featured everything from electronica, metal, country, rap to hip-hop to straight up rock & roll! Dr2 just loves this festival style event, with up to 8 stages of non-stop action on, as well as in front of, each , as one continuous sea of bodies jumped and crowd surfed till their hearts were content, truly an amazing site! Michigan-based bands dotted the schedule this year and Dr2 was lucky enough to catch quite a few of them, starting with an all out, blow out on the Local Stage where Lies Unknown shook the rafters of Comerica, turning the heads of quite a few new fans, followed by an amazing set from The Maine, a band out of Tempe Arizona, recently signed to Warner Brothers, who've been tearing up the Hurley Stage at every stop! One of Dr2's favorite Michigan Bands, Every Avenue!, took over the Smart Punk Stage to a thunderous hometown crowd, treating the 1,000's of crowd surfing maniacs to one of the best 30 minutes sets we've seen. This Marysville based band cranked through both their Fearless Record releases, finishing up with our favorite, Where Were You. Every Avenue has been taking the scene by storm of late, hitting the road across the pond, before spending 2 months headlining their tour in the US. As if that wasn't enough, Every Avenue! Toured Japan for a month, returning to ride the entire Vans Warped Tour party bus before heading back overseas for another month long European Tour! Look for Every Avenue to return to Saint Andrews Hall later this year wsg The Maine, should be a good one! A bevy of Michigan connected bands were splattered across the Warped Tours various stages including the Country Rock of Shooter Jennings featuring Detroit's own Bobby Emmett on guitar, Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte out of Grandville played the Ernie Ball Music Man stage, giving Dr2 some time to talk them up afterward, What Happened In Vegas, Hiding in Thailand and The Silent Years all from The D followed, before Dr2 headed on over to the Vans Main Stage to catch a Warped Tour Favorite, from Davison, MI, Chiodos, who had a headlining slot immediately before Bad Religion & 3oh!3. Chiodos, currently trekking cross country for the entire Warped, has risen to lofty heights via this annual event, using it as a springboard to headlining tours worldwide. Ripping it up on the main stage, Chiodos' fans came out in force, shutting down the photo pit after two songs, bringing with them a waterfall of people ending their ride across 20,000+ outstretched arms, pure chaos! Dr2 anticipates this tour every year. We've been attending the Warped Tour since it's inception, and this years event featured some great sets across the grounds as bands like AlexisOnFire, All Time Low, Versa Merge, InnerPartySystem, even rapper P.O.S. who performed his entire set in the middle of 5,000 fans. This is what keeps Dr2 coming back. One of the coolest aspects of the Vans Warped Tour is the ability to get up close and actually meet most of these guys and gals in these bands in their merch tents, or it's not unheard of, if you keep your eyes open, to run into these same people carousing the festival themselves and usually are more than eager to talk with us. In fact, one of our very own Dr2 Crew members spotted DJ Wilson, bassist for the band Scary Kids Scaring Kids, who caught our eye during last years event, literally tearing up the Hurly.com Stage this year in front of 10,000+ crowd surfing maniacs, as we were walking down the streets of Detroit afterwards. Getting the scoop on the band, DJ had high praises for our city, explaining how "neat this city is, most stops on the tour don't even come close to this!" before asking "so where is a good place to eat? The guys sent me out to find a place." As always, Dr2 gave him a number of choices from Greektown, The Hard Rock, but it was the Hockeytown Café that they decided to try. Be sure to stop by the Dr2 Photo Gallery for all the pic's from the event and remember that Great Music, Great Times, & Great People are always on the menu at the Vans Warped Tour, check it out yourself as the 2010 version will certainly be rolling through The D next summer! DetroitRockReview.com - The Only Place For Local Music News & Reviews!