Concert Review: Halestorm & Bullet For My Valentine Send Stage AE Into A Frenzy

The Hard Drive Live 5 Tour roared into Pittsburgh last night, bringing to Stage AE four bands that could be considered "hard rock," but certainly ran the gamut within that continuum, from pop-rock to neo-thrash.  Regardless of the diversity among the bands, the combination made for a night of beginning-to-end fun with no shortage of mayhem.

First up was Stars In Stereo, a new female-fronted pop-rock band whose sound is what I'd imagine Avril Lavigne to sound like if she didn't care about radio play.  The band started off their set with some deep cuts from their debut album in a sort of feeling-out process between the crowd and the band.  The band didn't look confident and the crowd didn't seem receptive.

But that all changed when Stars In Stereo ripped into their cover of Aerosmith's "Dream On." The crowd responded with a roar which, in turn, seemed to energize the band to bring their A-game.  Their next several songs, including my personal favorites "All Together," "Violence," and "The Broken," featured some amazing stage presence, including some crazy-high spinning jumps from guitarist Jordan McGraw. 

Concert Photos: Bullet For My Valentine Performing at Stage AE in Pittsburgh, PA on May 17, 2013

 

Concert Photos: Halestorm Performing at Stage AE in Pittsburgh, PA on May 17, 2013

 

Concert Photos: Young Guns Performing at Stage AE in Pittsburgh, PA on May 17, 2013

Concert Photos: Stars In Stereo Performing at Stage AE in Pittsburgh on May 17, 2013

 

About Us

Hello fellow rock fan!
We are Sharon and Chip, the founders of Helping Hands Rock Reviews.  There are two things we have a passion for:  rock music and charitable work.  So, we have decided to combine the two to bring you Helping Hands Rock Reviews.

Helping Hands Rock Reviews is a publication featuring exciting concert photography and in-depth reviews of the latest rock albums and shows.  We proudly cover both national and independent artists to help rock fans like you find the best music on the planet.

The "Helping Hands" part comes in as we donate 100% of the net income from this publication to charitable causes.  The two charities that Helping Hands Rock Reviews is currently supporting are ABOARD (the Advisory Board on Autism and Related Disorders), Sage's Army (an organization dedicated to raising awareness of drug abuse) and The Autumn Leaves Project (Butch Walker's campaign to raise money for pre-screening, coping medication alternatives and, ultimately, to find a cure for pancreatic cancer.

Being consistent with our charitable mission, Helping Hands Rock Reviews is all about the positivity in the rock music world.  Our goal is to showcase all of the excitement in rock music today.  Though we may occasionally mention some of the negatives of a concert or album alongside the positives in order to provide balanced journalism and a voice with integrity, if we don't like something, we simply won't write or talk about it. 

We would welcome the opportunity to cover any concert in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania vicinity or any album, whether a major label or independent release.  To inquire about concert coverage and to arrange for press passes, please contact us at chip@helpinghandsrockreviews.com.  To have us consider a review of an album, please send a physical press kit to:

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We hope that you enjoy Helping Hands Rock Reviews!

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Sharon & Chip

Concert Photos: Art Of Dying Performing at the Rex Theater in Pittsburgh, PA on May 5, 2013

 

Concert Review: Cheap Thrill Thrills Cinderella Fellas' Home State

After a long and exciting evening at Pittsburgh's Deadhorse Cantina and Music Hall the night before for the Love/Hate show, I was back at the club on May 2 to catch Cheap Thrill.  Cheap Thrill is a three-piece, acoustic project featuring Jeff LaBar (guitar) and Eric Brittingham (bass) of Pennsylvania-based hair metal legends, Cinderella.  Rounding out the lineup is Brandon Gibbs on vocals.

Concert Review: Love/Hate Treats Pittsburgh to a Sweaty Good Time

I'll be the first to admit that, with the constant flow of great music that has been coming out in the last few years, I don't often make playlists with my favorite bands from yesteryear.  Sometimes, this makes me feel a little bit disloyal, but there are only so many hours in the day to listen to music.

That being said, there is one band from the '90's that draws me back to their catalog more than others.  That band is Love/Hate.