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REVIEW BY DAVID TAYLOR AND PHOTOS BY ROBERT A CHADWICK | Go Venue Magazine

On Saturday, July 18, Mammoth returned to Nebraska to play the Astro Theater for the first time ever in La Vista. Initially, this performance was supposed to occur in November, but due to winter weather, they luckily managed to postpone it. You couldn’t asked for a better night to see one of the best live bands working today.

Big Wreck from Canada opened up. I was not familiar with them and left quite impressed. The lead singer, Ian Thornley, sounded amazing. I loved the band dynamics, especially between bassist Dave McMillan and guitarist Paulo Neta. They’re heavy and melodic, reminded me a little bit of Alter Bridge, which is who they will be touring with later this year. I saw like two different families with children who were singing along to them, which I was really cool to see an opener have fans like that. Solid set from Big Wreck and go check out their latest album, The Rest Of The Story.

Finally, after an eight month delay, the crowd was ready for Mammoth. I want to preface that this was my sixth time seeing these guys, so it already felt like coming home. Wolfgang Van Halen is talent encarnate. The best part of the performance was him being the keyboard on “Stone” to begin with in a slow, moody version backlit light the opening of a Looney Tunes cartoon and then eventually the whole band comes in and rips it up. I was quite impressed with the upgrade of their live performance of the video backdrop, showcasing these insane visuals that thank goodness wasn’t made with A.I., Wolfgang promised us that. I appreciate that Wolfgang isn’t the best public speaker, he sometimes says too much and that’s just shows how human he is. A very talented human, that is. I got really emotional when they performed “Distance”, showing old home videos of Wolf and his dad, Ed. I’m so glad Mammoth pulled such a large crowd for their Omaha area headline debut. They deserve all the love they receive and I can’t wait for their next album. And be sure to check out their latest album, The End.

Mammoth

[See image gallery at www.govenuemagazine.com]

Big Wreck

[See image gallery at www.govenuemagazine.com] All images © Robert A Chadwick | Robert Chadwick Photography

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The post Concert Review: Mammoth and Big Wreck Rock the Astro with an Unforgettable Performance appeared first on Go Venue Magazine.

A previously unheard tape of an early Guns N’ Roses rehearsal has surfaced online. The 40-year-old recording contains early – often significantly different – versions of several songs that featured on the band’s debut album, Appetite For Destruction, including Nightrain, My Michelle, Out Ta Get Me and Rocket Queen, as well as Move To The City, which appeared on the band’s debut EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide.

“Here is a completely unreleased rehearsal tape from 1986 of Guns N’ Roses,” says uploader Red’s GNR Videos! “Some of the recordings are incomplete, unfortunately. Once again, this tape has been hoarded for a long time by select members of the GNR community who believe hoarding these rarities for no good reason is better than letting the community hear them. For the love of God! Please release the rarities!”

It’s not clear when the recording was made. The cassette is dated January 1, 1986, but the writing has been crossed out, suggesting that the songs may have been taped on another date. However, it’s likely they were recorded at the Gardner Studio, a rehearsal space behind the Sunset Grill on Hollywood Boulevard, where Guns N’ Roses spent several months working on their songs in late 1985 and early 1986.

“We stole wood, we built a loft and slept above the equipment,” frontman Axl Rose told Hit Parader in late 1986. “But, you know, we almost miss it. Every weekend, the biggest party in LA was down in our place. We’d have 500 people packed in an alley and our old roadie was selling beers for a buck out of his trunk. It was like a bar and everyone had their whiskey. We could get away with whatever we wanted, except when the cops came.”

Guns N’ Roses signed to Geffen Records in March 1986, and Appetite For Destruction emerged in July 1987.

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