Concert Review: Buckcherry/3 Pill Morning/Monster Truck at the State Fair Center in Minot, ND 02/03/14

Anybody who says glam/hair metal is dead is deluding themselves. The hair styles have changed, but the attitude is still alive. The old guard have found a comfortable place working the bar and casino circuit, and their offspring, bands like Hinder, Black Veil Brides continue to have a foothold on what's left of rock as we know it. Buckcherry used to be counted among those latter bands, but after Monday I'm not sure they can be held up as an example of how lively the subgenre is.

First up though, two bands that don't have a damn thing to do with my thesis statement. I first saw 3 Pill Morning when they opened for 12 Stones at the VFW in Bismarck about a year and a half ago. Since that humble day they've gone on to fairly big things, opening for bands such as Hollywood Undead and Shinedown and touring in general like mad men. They've made by my count about a half dozen appearances in the Minot area since then, but this is my first time seeing them since the VFW. Oddly, they played to roughly the same size crowd, but judging by how it grew and grew as time went on, all that work is starting to pay off for them. I remember thinking this band seemed very confident for what I presumed was a local-ish opener and that confidence has only grown with time. All four members, yes, I believe including the drummer, at least bounced and also ran across the stage like crazy men, all of that movement without sacrificing a note of musical quality. The sound mix was a little rough (and would get worse), particularly when the guitarist attempted to use his pedalboard it seemed, but by the end during songs like "Rain" and "Loser", the issues either seemed to have resolved or the band had overcome them to such a degree that it didn't matter. Probably the latter. Hopefully it won't be two years before I see this band again.

When I saw Monster Truck with Sevendust, In this Moment, and Pop Evil last year (the full review of that show can be found here:  http://jakespeare88.blogspot.com/2013/05/concert-review-sevendustin-this.html), I noted them being an odd choice for that bill but praised them as a pleasant retro act that mixed things up a bit. They made perhaps a bit more sense on this one (in that if Buckcherry are an 80's throwback, Monster Truck being a 70's throwback is contributing to an overall time displaced feel), but unfortunately weren't nearly as fun to watch. Part of this isn't the band's fault, the wonky sound mix started acting up again and the bass was almost painfully loud for the first few songs, but most of it was. What felt refreshing in the time given to the first of four bands came off as very long winded when extended out to the second of three's set. Each song seemed to run about two to three minutes too long, and by the end the crowd was very obviously ready to go, with the band only slightly less ready to stop playing for them. There's something to be said for the truth of the statement "great things come in small packages", but perhaps Monster Truck are just having some growing pains. We'll see in another year.

The sound issues didn't return, and the audience apathy quickly dissipated when Buckcherry took the stage. Unfortunately, even at their most enthusiastic, it was hard to ignore the fact that there weren't many of them. Thankfully, the band, even with a sick frontman, didn't seem to care. Buckcherry's a band that I've heard more about than actually heard, and they delivered on all the promises of sleaze and grit that I was given. They actually went too far in some ways. Watching a crowd chant "CO-CAINE" is one thing, but every once in a while there would be a monologue about a crazy bitch (those who know the band can safely guess which song prompted most of these talks) where I found myself going "Wow, does he know what he's saying?". Even more disturbing was the loud cheers from the women in the crowd that accompanied these. Ultimately though, I came for a throwback to when Guns N' Roses were king, I shouldn't complain too much when the equivalent of "Used to Love Her" happens. Part of the package I guess. Overall it was a very good performance, and the band really can actually play. Both guitarists got cool solos, and the frontman was singing sick and it didn't once seem apparent while he was on stage. It's too bad they didn't have a bigger crowd to see it. If rock is dying, it isn't because of the artists, that's for sure.