I think that I missed the whole 90’s grunge music era. I
was stuck in the 80’s during the 90’s except for the songs that hit the top 40
charts. Since this blog is all about trying something new, I accepted an invitation to “The 90’s Grunge Experience" at the Cleveland House of Blues to hear three 90’s tribute bands: Hollow (playing Alice in Chains), Seven Circle Sunrise (playing Nirvana) and STP2 (playing Stone Temple Pilots). I
thought that it might be fun to experience the music
of an era that seemed to have
passed me by!
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| Hollow playing Alice in Chains tribute |
As I said in Day 220, tribute bands are popular because they give fans the live
musical experience that they crave but that
they can no longer have. In this 90’s grunge genre, several bands’ lead singers met an early demise and thus there was an early
end to the music. The bands “Alice in Chains” and “Stone Temple Pilots”
lost Layne Staley and Scott Weiland from
drug use in 2002 and 2015 respectively, and
Kurt Cobain of “Nirvana” from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 1994. The music now lives on with tribute bands.
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| Seven Circle Sunrise |
Hollow played Alice
in Chains hits like, “Man in the Box” and “Rooster”. I have to admit that I did
not remember most of their songs, but I enjoyed the energy from the crowd as
they were played. Seven Circle Sunrise's music
set included Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, “All Apologies” and
“Come As You Are”. This band seemed to have a following and they also played
some good originals. I was impressed with their fantastic female drummer.
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| STP2 |
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| STP2, Mick Blankenship |
STP2 not only recreated the sound of Stone Temple Pilots with
songs like “Interstate Love Song”, “Sex
Type Thing” and “Plush” but they had the stage presence of the original
band. SPT2’s lead singer, Mick
Blankenship, made at least 4 costume changes and he even
wore lipstick and women’s
attire reenacting the “shock value” trademark of rock icon Scott Weiland for the audience.
The House of Blues is a great intimate setting to hear bands
(see events). The Cleveland House of Blues has theater seating in the upper balcony or you can get VIP seating for a few dollars more, which I recommend for the stage view and food and
bar service. Also, I have to admit that the food was much better than I expected. We tried the Cajun popcorn
shrimp and chicken wrap which were both excellent.
It was fun to “rock in the 90’s” for the first time in 2017 thanks to these tribute
bands and the House of Blues' “90’s Grunge Experience"!
Other Sources
House of Blues Cleveland http://www.houseofblues.com/cleveland/concert-events