Girl In A Coma Concert Review- Alex's Bar- Long Beach, CA-4/28/12

At the sold out show on Saturday night we were blown away by the power and intensity of the Girl In a Coma trio. With searing vocals and just 3 instruments, these ladies from San Antonio, Texas can really rock. Their Smiths-inspired sound is a unique combination of punk and indie rock with a few ballads mixed in for good measure.

The band formed when drummer, Phanie Diaz and bassist, Jenn Alva met in a Jr. High art class. The lineup was complete when Phanie's little sister Nina joined as the lead guitarist and vocalist. Their mutual love of The Smiths was taken to the next level when they decided that the name of their band would be an homage to the song "Girlfriend in a Coma."

Tonight's Long Beach show at Alex's Bar was the sixth stop on their west coast headlining tour which lasts through May 10th. They are touring in support of their November 2011 release Exits & All the Rest which is out on Joan Jett's Blackheart Records.

 The crowd was electrified when the band took the stage and opened the show with the dynamic "One Eyed Fool."  From the first note we were both in awe of singer Nina Diaz's unbelievably powerful voice. She has a sultry, seductive quality to her vocals which draws the listener into her very personal lyrics.

One of the highlights of the evening was the song "El Monte." We were convinced that singer Nina Diaz was channeling the ghost of Patsy Cline. The song encompasses everything that is great about the band. The atmospheric tone and the incredible melody sticks in your head well after the song ends. Here's the video for the song.

The band played a 17-song, 2 hour career-spanning set. In addition to all the bands originals, they also covered Selena's "Si Una Vez" and ended the show with an amazing cover of the Velvet Underground's "Femme Fatale" both from their 2010 album "Adventures in Coverland." This was our first time seeing the band and we were blown away by the unbelievable musicianship of the trio. They have a confidence and stage presence of a band that has been playing together for 20 years. It was also obvious that the band has a real connection with their audience. Nina's lyrics seem to speak directly to many of their rabid fans.

The future is bright for the band. They've already toured with Morrissey, The Pogues and the Go-Go's just to name a few. It wouldn't surprise us a bit if Girl in a Coma were headlining their own arena shows soon.

Set List:
One Eyed Fool
Adjust
Control
Si Una Vez
BB
Their Cell
Pleasure and Pain
She Had A Plan
Knocking at Your Door
El Monte
Sly
Smart
Pink Lemonade
Static Mind
Ven Cerca
Encore:
Simple Man
Femme Fatale

Because it's our blog and we can do whatever we want, here's another cool video from Girl In a Coma for the song "Smart." You can hear The Smiths influence in this song.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Concert Review- Long Beach Grand Prix-Long Beach, CA 4/14/12

I always believed that if you looked up the definition of rock n' roll in the dictionary there would be a picture of Joan Jett. No one embodies the spirit of rock more than Jett. I've seen her perform several times over the past 25 years and she just seems to get better with age. This year she was playing as part of the Long Beach Grand Prix's Saturday festivities.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts at the Long Beach Grand Prix

The outdoor venue was packed to capacity with several thousand fans. She took the stage with the Blackhearts and ripped right into "Bad Reputation" and "Cherry Bomb" which sent the crowd into a frenzy. Jett's vocals and guitar playing were superb. After 30 plus years in the biz she is a seasoned pro. Her 20 song, 2 hour set covered all the phases of her career. She went as far back as "You Drive Me Wild" which is the first song she ever wrote while a member of the seminal all girl group, The Runaways.

She dedicated the song "Victim of Circumstance" to all the cops that that used to hang around outside the Licorice Pizza Record Store, (for all of us old enough to remember that place). She played several of her biggest hits including "Do You Wanna Touch," "Light of Day," "Crimson and Clover" and "I Hate Myself for Loving You." The highlight of the show was without a doubt "I Love Rock n' Roll," her huge hit from 1982 that spent over a month at number 1 on the Billboard charts . The crowd went absolutely nuts and everyone was singing along at the top of their lungs, while many played along on air guitar. After 30 years it was easy to see that the song still strikes a chord with multiple generations of fans.The band finished the show with a three song encore which included "Little Liar," "AC/DC" and a cover of Sly & the Family Stones' "Everyday People."

Jett's band, The Blackhearts, deserve a lot of credit for their musicianship and well as their backing harmonies which added a nice layer of texture to many of the songs. The Blackhearts are Thommy Price on drums, AC Slade on bass, Dougie Needles on guitar and Joan's longtime collaborator, Kenny Laguna on keyboards.

Joan Jett proves time and time again that she is a true original. She never caters to current trends but also never comes across as a nostalgia act either. Her straight forward, no-frills rock n' roll is still as kick-ass today as it was 30 years ago. Ask any of the thousands of fans that watched the show tonight.

Set List

1. Bad Reputation
2. Cherry Bomb
3. Light of Day
4. Do You Wanna Touch Me
5. Go Home
6. You Drive Me Wild
7. The French Song
8. Love is Pain
9. T.M.I.
10. Hard To Grow Up
11. Victim of Circumstance 
12. Naked
13. Fake Friends
14. Reality Mentality
15. I Love Rock 'n' Roll
16. Crimson and Clover
17. I Hate Myself For Loving You
18. Little Liar
19. AC/DC
20. Everyday People