Kenny making plenty of hoops.

 KennyHoopla at The Rave Milwaukee - 11-26-2021

From rags to riches it seems as KennyHoopla has gone from an online artist to a new rock star. Although KennyHoopla can delivered songs with hooks and passion it was, in my mind Travis Barker that has helped to push KennyHoopla to were he is today by delivering him to the world stage. Rightly so as tonight’s show proves.

The doors of the venue are flung open early to welcome in charity donors, simple bring a new toy to donate and you get a meet and greet with the Rolling Stones, ones to watch artist. A slightly introvert man who is very friendly with all that come by him. After this short stent the warm up band graces the stage, ‘Shoobie’ are just like Kenny, being local to the area and it shows as fans are joining in with their punk rock chants. Great energy and showmanship from this younger group.

Then it is a casual transition to the main act KennyHoopla, welcomed in by his own friend and DJ hit the ground running delivering older and newer songs. There was a lot of technical difficulties with sound and mics leading to a less than streamlined show. However, when the songs hit they hit hard, with the crowd going crazy for his songs and antics. As he paused to talk to the crowd he looked vulnerable and shy, surprisingly considering his recent rise and wild shows seen online. I am sure that playing to a local crowd once again has him on the back foot, this will be something that will develop over time and as he becomes more experienced will become more of the stage manager not just the artist.

KennyHoopla can once again add another accolade to his belt tonight with a sold-out hometown (kind of) show. Although it was short it was certainly sweet.

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones at US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis – 10-24-21

A band that needs no introductions but here it goes anyway, after 50 years these aged rockers are still filling stadiums. However, on this tour they are without one of the pivotal members, drummer, Charlie Watt who passed away just a few months prior to it kicking off. Up until the age of 80 Charlie still helped to shape the sound of rock music and The Rolling Stones and will be sadly missed by many. The band decided to carry on the rescheduled tour with blessings from Charlie before passing, echoing ‘the show must go on’.

The show certainly did go on tour after being delayed almost 18 months it was kicked into gear by the support act, Black Pumas. Enigmatic and powerful they powered through a set of ambient blues/rock style of music. The sound did not exactly connect with me, but you could feel the passion and energy from the band as they effortlessly played with instruments.

As for many tonight it was a show all about the headliners, who all aged in their 70’s played a two-hour blistering set of songs on this ‘No Filter’ tour, they hit as many hits as they could. The lighting effects with videos and screens was key to energizing all the stadium members. They played on stop and certainly make some younger bands look weak in comparison to the set length. At one point they had a random music generator to pick an older song for them to remember. Tonight’s song was ‘Money Man’ on the selection and after a minute or two they hashed out their old song without playing it for years. Many highlights from the show can be found online but for me, my favorite still has to be ‘Paint It Black’. From first track to last The Rolling Stones were a tight unit, putting all their energy and years of practice into every ounce of the show. They were more than happy to still be doing what they do on stage tonight like any other. It was an exciting and remarkable show that will be forever looked back on. 

Frank Turner Hard Core Forever

 

Frank Turner at Majestic Theatre, Madison – 10-20-21

“From the east, from the east”, Frank Turner is back again for another round of shows in the USA. Frank is no stranger to playing Madison and for good reason, his punk rock ethics matches well with the free minded views of locals. The love of Frank showed in Madison as not only did it sell out in advance, but every song was a wall to wall singing along.

However, the show had a very different vibe to a normal Frank Turner (Hard Core)/punk rock show. Both the Frank and the opener, Nathan Gray played entirely acoustic shows due to maybe a shortage of drummers and travel restrictions. This made for an interesting and refreshing view on songs new and old, as it made you focus more on the lyrical content behind the songs. Nathan won the crowd over from the first note, his raw and poetic songs were written and performed with a deep passion for what he does. To paraphrase him, music is not a product for sale but a way of connection to other human beings. This is what they did for so many at the show tonight as he gains a broader fan base.

Acoustic shows also have a different advantage, shorter set changes between acts. This meant that it was not long before the crowd was in hysterics for the English punk star to hit the stage. Frank rolled through many of hits from his nine-album catalog, ‘Rivers’ and ‘Recovery’ were sensational along with new songs like ‘Having Been doing So Well’. His new album maybe a few months away but he flexed a lot of the content tonight from highs to lows.  Practically everyone was “stroking his ego”, as he liked to call it tonight by making sure to sing every chorus and lyrical back to him. The emotion and connection with the audience was strong tonight, not just because of the return of live music but for the personal appreciation Frank takes to everyone in life.

Be you an old fan, a newbie or a hater, Frank Turner pulls no punches at speaking from his heart about most matters, with the emphasis on being more kind. Most people left the show tonight feeling not only pleased for the experience but rejuvenated to see the world in a different light. This was my third time seeing Frank tonight and hopefully will not be the last.