Black Rebel Motorcycle Club / Stone Temple Pilots
Musikfest - Bethlehem, PA
Stone Temple Pilots has been one of my favorite bands since I was in middle school. Last night's show was a part of their reunion tour, and they performed an excellent set.
Some of the folks in attendance uploaded video to YouTube, including clips of Wicked Garden, Big Bang Baby, Vasoline, Lady Picture Show, Creep, Interstate Love Song, Sex Type Thing, and Trippin' On A Hole In A Paper Heart. The video above is a playlist with the songs in order that they came in the setlist. Speaking of which, here are the setlists for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Stone Temple Pilots.
For as happy as I was to be lucky enough to see Stone Temple Pilots in concert, the venue was pretty disappointing. Musikfest is a very cool festival with lots of food and vendors in the hours before the show, however the concert itself may have been most quiet rock show that I've ever been to. We had lawn seats, so I didn't expect it to be insanely loud, but my girlfriend and I were able to speak at a regular volume during the music and still understand each other perfectly. I'm not sure if there's a sound ordinance in town, but if that's the case, they'd be better off finding a different venue altogether for the live performances of Musikfest.
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| The Morning Call - Allentown, PA (August 7, 2008) |
I'm sure the show was louder for the folks who were closer to the stage. The problem is that you have to be an ArtsQuest member to even have the right to buy seats near the stage. Between the poor volume and their exclusionary ticket selling practices, I might think twice before buying a ticket to see another live performance at Musikfest. At the very least, I'd investigate the other stops on the band's tour and choose another show nearby before I'd return to see a show at the Straub Riverplace. Even if it's a few hours away, it would be worth the drive to attend a rock concert the way that it's meant to be.
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| The Morning Call - Allentown, PA (August 8, 2008) |
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| The Morning Call - Allentown, PA (August 10, 2008) |
