Crue Fest 2 crowd and other things noticed

The Crue Fest 2 crowd had what most would expect: multiple tattoos, shirtless men and scantily clad women (both with tattoos), a lot of alcohol and even more people who looked to be having a great time.

The San Manuel Amphitheater was noticeably empty however (this includes the main stage, the Monster Energy stage and the vendor booths) until a little before Rev Theory went on.

Around 6:45 p.m. I saw five San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department officials talking to each other in a group near the food vendor area toward the main entrance and they looked bored to death.

A little bit earlier numerous KCAL 96.7 radio station people were standing around waiting for someone to act interested in their booth.

Some people attributed the emptiness to fighting traffic on a Friday night or they simply didn’t know why. Others said the attendance looked OK to them but they hadn’t been at the venue for the first Motley Crue festival.

I was at the first Crue fest last year and that show looked more packed to me. How can I say that? Well, any seat near me looked filled from my vantage point.

On Friday, instead of seats there was a pit and it was close to half empty just before Motley Crue started. Also, there were at least three rows full of empty seats where I was at in the orchestra section until people moved to sit in them when the Crue started.

The grassy general area looked packed to me this year, which was the same as last year.

Crue Fest 2 Motley Crue

The headliners of Crue Fest 2, Motley Crue, came out strong with the intro to Dr. Feelgood titled “T.N.T. (Terror ‘N Tinseltown).”

While this was playing, a woman in lingerie wheeled out what looked like an oversized wheelchair and a tall, skinny man popped out who looked a lot like drummer Tommy Lee in a Straitjacket. Some people dressed up as doctors then appeared to put an IV in him and wheeled the thing off stage.

Then the band went into the title track “Dr. Feelgood” but singer Vince Neil was dropped out many of the words of the song and slightly off key before he got back in the grove halfway through the song.

I think the band’s tremendous live sound usually overrides most of Neil’s hit and miss moments on the microphone and they came through tonight from what I saw. And to be fair, the Crue has nights where their instrumentals don’t hold up their end either.

At least on this night the band’s version of “Kickstart My Heart” was much better this year than at last year’s Crue Fest. Neil seemed to remember most of the words and the band sounded better, including guitarist Mick Mars’ opening drag-racing gear changing sound guitar riff.

 

Crue Fest 2 Godsmack set

Crue Fest 2’s Godsmack, who played on the main stage, performed a nearly flawless set that went with their classic material and one new single.

The Lawrence, Massachusetts group ended with crowd pleaser “I Stand Alone” and began (I think as I was rushing from Rev Theory over to Godsmack’s set) with a long and pulsating version of “Awake.”

Before “I Stand Alone” was the profanity laced and punishing track “Whatever” which really got the crowd in the mood for the finale.

One of the highlights of the set was watching vocalist Sully Erna and drummer Shannon Larkin both play drums at the same time for an extended time. Erna started off with the congas and then switched to playing the drums while Larkin played along the whole time.

Crue Fest 2 quick update on Rev Theory

Rev Theory played a great set on the Monster Energy drink second stage at the Crue Fest 2 at the San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore before Godsmack’s main stage set.
Despite there being a limited number of fans (I easily walked up to the front of the stage), the band put a lot of enthusiasm and presence in their high energy songs like “Slow Burn,” Hell Yeah” and “Light It Up.”

The Dead Weather listening party and pre-buy Saturday at Rhino Records in Claremont

Rhino Records will host a listening party for The Dead Weather at noon Saturday followed by a special live performance DVD.
The Dead Weather, an alternative rock band, features The Kills’ vocalist Alison Mosshart, The White Stripes and The Raconteurs vocalist and band drummer Jack White, guitarist Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age and bassist of The Raconteurs and The Greenhornes Jack Lawrence.
There will also be a pre-sell at 10 a.m. of the group’s debut album “Horehound” which includes a poster, lithograph, sticker and voucher to pick up a copy on or after July 14.
The CD is $13.99 or 2-LP is $19.99.
Rhino Records is at 235 Yale Avenue. 

Crews to take their skills to Pomona’s Glass House on Saturday for intense Breakfest competition

Like the Wayne Newton story, I wrote this too but I will post it here in case the story gets taken down.

Giovanni Avelar,
promoter of the Breakfestival Crew vs Crew Event at Pomona’s Glass
House, has 18 breaking, or breakdancing, crews lined up to try and
out-dance each other.

“You have crews from San Diego, Las Vegas, San Francisco,
the greater Los Angeles area, international folks from Japan and from
Korea,” Avelar said.

The battles will take place from 7 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday.

“What makes the battles happen is music,” Avelar said. “The music has to be on point. It’s all due to the music.”

After the competitions, music DJs will spin music until 2 a.m., Avelar said.

“We are going to play everything from funk, soul, reggae, salsa, break and early ’90s hip-hop,” Avelar said.

Pomona
was chosen for a reason. “I feel that Pomona is the middle from L.A.
and people from the I.E. and people from San Diego can make it out,”
Avelar said.

Avelar expects 1,200 people for Saturday’s event.

The first Breakfest took place in 1996 in Downey. The second took place at Eagle Rock in 2008.

This
year, the event in Pomona will feature DJ Abel from the Circle Kings,
DJ Franki Flave from Killafornia and DJ Mark Luv from the Zulu Nation
playing the music.

Events taking place include popper battles with the winning
crew getting $2,000, house battles with the winner taking $500 and
locking battles with the victor getting $500.

Crews taking place include Furious Soldiers, Body Poets, LA
Breakers, Mellow Drama, Suicide Kings, Dip & Sip, Underground Flow,
Brainixe, Anarchy Tribe, Killafornia, Concrete Allstars, Battleholix
and Nuetroniks Crew.

Avelar said some celebrity dancers in the industry will
also be in attendance. He hopes the festival will be held at the newly
renovated Fox Theater in Pomona next year, he said.

For now, though, he’s concentrating on Saturday’s event.

“I’m
expecting a really good positive vibe with amazing dancers, so you can
come and enjoy yourself. It’s going to be pretty exciting,” he said.

BREAKFESTIVAL CREW VS. CREW EVENT

Where: Glass House, 200 W. 2nd St., Pomona

When: 7 p.m. Saturday

Cost: $15

Information: www.ticketmaster.com; www.breakfestival.com.

Wayne Newton to bring act to Highland casino

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Newton to bring act to Highland casino

By Wes Woods II, Staff Writer

Las Vegas legend Wayne Newton, 67, will make his first appearance at the San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino on Thursday.

“I
guess it’s not too far from San Bernardino,” Newton said in a recent
phone interview. “I thought we’d drive as opposed to go by air.”

Newton will perform for an hour and 45 minutes to two hours with a live band.

“Our
show has been a work in progress,” Newton said. “I tell the band what
the opening number will be and maybe the closing number. In the middle
I call it as I go. I try to ascertain what the audience wants to hear.
That’s what we try to give them.”

With the recent deaths of television personality Ed
McMahon, actress Farrah Fawcett, musical artist Michael Jackson and
comedian and impersonator Fred Travalena, Newton said this last week
had been “one of the toughest weeks of my life.

“You hate to wake up to see what the program is for tomorrow,” Newton said.

Newton said he tries to look at the deaths in a different way than other people deal with them.

“I’m
not terribly religious but spiritual,” Newton said. “I think people who
live here go to a different place. So leaving here does not mean the
end of the spirit. I think they’ve gone on to a different place for the
rest of us to come.”

For his future, he is talking about possibly doing a television show that involves Howie Mandel or Ryan Seacrest.

“If
maturity teaches you anything, I believe it teaches you to enjoy those
things that you’ve enjoyed doing and do more of those,” he said. “Be
selective in not doing things you don’t enjoy. For me, that’s where
it’s at.”

Newton wants to continue doing motion pictures and albums.

“I
love working,” he said. “I’ve been doing this since I was 4 years old.
I want to work and bring people the best show we can bring them.”

He believes his work ethic has saved him falling into drugs and excessive alcohol abuse.

“If
I drank too much – we’ve all been there – or stayed out partying, it
never occurred to me I wasn’t going to work when 8 p.m. came the next
night.”

He said artists like the Rat Pack, Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson will never be duplicated, only imitated.

“The
cool part of the Rat Pack is they’re doing what they wanted to do. They
wanted to sing, do the shows and then went to party and that’s what
they did,” he said of the group made up of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin,
Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford. “They truly loved what
they were doing.”

Newton has said in the past, he was not a fan of talk-show host Johnny Carson for making fun of his masculinity.

“He
absolutely was a mean-spirited person,” Newton said. “He absolutely
fooled the public. I always ask people, name one thing Johnny Carson
ever did philanthropically for anyone. And they can’t.” 

WAYNE NEWTON

Where: San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino, 777 San Manuel Blvd., Highland

7:30 p.m. Thursday

$40, $30, $20

www.ticketmaster.com

Flavor Flav to visit The Pines on July 16 after Wayne Newton is in the showroom

Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav (I will always know him as Chuck D’s hype man over the VH1 “Flavor of Love” reality star, sorry) will be at the San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino’s The Pines.
The San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino is at 777 San Manuel Blvd. near Highland.
Flav, known for wearing the large clock and also starring in shows like “The Surreal Life” and “Strange Love,” will be at The Pines after Wayne Newton performs in the casino’s showroom on July 16.
He will sign autographs and pose for pictures also.
The Pines, which like the casino for those age 21 and over, is open for dancing at 10 p.m. and cover charge is $15 or $10 for Club Serrano members.
The Pines also serves dinner on Wednesday through Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m. with reservations accepted at (909) 425-4889.
Flav’s appearance at The Pines’ comes on the heels of Playboy Playmate Bridget Marquardt, who made an appearance within the same week.
Tickets are still available for Wayne Newton, who performs at 7:30 p.m., and those can be found at www.ticketmaster.com

Today (July 8) Wednesday is $29.99 lawn ticket, hot dog and soda for Live Nation shows …

You can spend $29.99 for a lawn ticket, hot dog and soda today for the 2:15 p.m. Sunday Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival featuring Marilyn Manson, Slayer, Killswitch Engage, Bullet For My Valentine, Cannibal Corpse and more at the San Manuel Amphitheater.

The same $29.99 deal is in place for:

*the 5 p.m. July 31 Crue Fest 2 at the San Manuel Amphitheater with Motley Crue, Godsmack, Drowning Pool, Theory of a Deadman and Charm City Devils.

* the 7:30 p.m. Aug. 8 Journey concert at the San Manuel Amphitheater.

*the 2 p.m. Aug. 8 Rock The Bells 2009 concert with Nas, Damian Marley, The Roots, Big Boi from OutKast, Ice Cube and more San Manuel Amphitheater.

*the 7:30 p.m. Aug. 15 concert with Toby Keith and Trace Adkins at the San Manuel Amphitheater.

*the 7 p.m. Sept. 6 concert with Def Leppard, Poison and Cheap Trick at the San Manuel Amphitheater.

Go to www.livenation.com for more information