PAUL RODGERS & LONG BEACH INDEPENDENT KEEP THE GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH ROCKIN'

The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach has always been about more than just car racing. It has a tradition of ending it's Saturday festivities with a headlining musical act. This year not only was it an action packed weekend  but it included a ton of live music everyday of the event. Paul Rodgers of Bad Company fame provided Saturday's main stage entertainment while The Long Beach Independent also had a stage that included six local bands over the course of the three day event. 

Paul Rodgers- "Rock-N-Roar" Concert

Saturday April 12, 2014

Paul Rodgers, iconic singer, songwriter and founding member of Free, Bad Company and The Firm kicked off his tour in support of his latest solo effort, "The Royal Sessions." The recording was released on February 4, 2014. It is a collection of Blues and R & B songs that inspired Rodger's in his early years. 

Jamming alongside one of the greatest voices in rock for twelve scheduled tour dates ending on June 26th are an equally impressive line-up of musicians like Howard Leese  on guitar and Todd Ronning on bass.

 

Rodger's didn't hold back as he belted out 6 decades of legendary music. The set list included classic rock greats such as "Rock n Roll Fantasy," "Shooting Star" and "Bad Company." Encouraged by Rodger's, the crowd was up and singing along from start to finish of his hour long set. Once again, the Long Beach Grand Prix did a stellar job in providing great entertainment for the race  and music fans alike.



   

The Long Beach Independent Stage

Friday 4/11/14

Local Long Beach favorites Surburban Serfs and Bearwulf opened the entertainment on the Long Beach Independent stage on Friday.

Surburban Surfs recently released a new self titled album back on February 22 and have been gigging around So Cal the past few months. Their sound is alternative rock with a 90's vibe.

Bearwulf have a new live EP coming out later this month and are playing a Battle of the Bands gig at DiPiazza's coming up on April 22nd for a chance to gain a spot on the Warped Tour.

           

                  

                SUBURBAN SERFS

                  

               BEARWULF



Saturday 4/12/14

The Long Beach Independent stage featured The Fallen Stars and Paper Houses on Saturday.

The Fallen Stars are a three piece band from Huntington Beach that play alternative country. The band is getting ready to go on tour.

Paper Houses is a pop punk band from Long Beach. Their debut EP "Life Goes On" is out now.







THE FALLEN STARS

PAPER HOUSES

Sunday 4/13/14

The Long Beach Independent stage featured Space Waves and Redeye Redemption on Sunday.

Space Waves is a three piece band from Long Beach that just released their new EP titled "Sing My Song." They have a shoegaze sound with a little psychedelic mixed in for good measure.

Redeye Redemption is a 5 piece band from Long Beach that mix Reggae, Ska and Rock into a very cool laid back California sound. The band has an EP out now titled "Sample This."

SPACE WAVES

REDEYE REDEMPTION

 

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