Todd Rundgren Brings Still ME/Still WE To Artpark Main Stage
7/3/2025 - Lewiston, New York - Today, I headed back down Route 104 West bound into Lewiston, New York for the second time in three days, on this night I was on my way to see the incomparable Todd Rundgren perform during his Still ME (Still WE) Tour at Artpark's Main Stage. I headed to the show early and stopped at Pizza Oven for slices that I ate in the parking lot at Artpark talking with a nice local couple waiting for brother Mike to arrive. I purchased tickets for this show weeks ago and managed to get fifth row dead center for this show that was tremendously under sold. Todd would play a similar set on this night to the show we saw him perform last year at the Riviera during his ME/WE Tour. His band included Kasim Sulton on bass, Bruce McDaniel on guitar, Prairie Prince on drums, Gil Assayas and Bobby Strickland. He opened with I Think You Know and threw in a couple Utopia songs including Secret Society and Rock Love. They did a nice jam on Buffalo Grass and closed the set with Worldwide Epiphany. They came out for a three plus song encore, first a Medley of Hits (I Saw The Light / Can We Still Be Friends / Hello It's Me) to the small crowds delight. Then a nice version of The Last Ride and closing the show with Fade Away. A good show again that replicated the show last year as Todd always plays what he wants but I still prefer the hits. See you next time Todd...Slideshow[]
Robin Trower Returns To Sold Out Asbury Hall For Jam Session
Deja Vu When George Thorogood & 38 Special Return To Artpark
7/2/2025 - Buffalo, New York - Today, I headed to downtown Buffalo, New York to Asbury Hall to see the master guitarist Robin Trower perform. This was Trower's return to the Hall having played a great sold out show there in 2019. Today's show was again a sell out and I arrived to Asbury Hall early and found a small line waiting for entry to the general admission seated show. The doors opened and I was able to secure front row seats directly in front of Trower. Trower and his band ,consisting of Chris Taggart on drums and Richard Watts on bass and Vocals, played a great set. He opened with The Razor's Edge and jammed classics like The Day Of The Eagle, Bridge Of Sighs and Daydream. The eighty year old guitar master Trower put on a clinic with his signature licks and tone. The mix was guitar heavy although it may have been us being front row directly in front of Trower. He closed the set with a Little Bit of Sympathy. The sell out Asbury Hall crowd loved it and they came out for a two song encore of Rise Up Like The Sun and Birdsong. Another great show at a good venue, please keep these good acts coming.Slideshow[]
7/1/2025 - Lewiston, New York - It's another beautiful Summer Tuesday in Western New York and today, I headed to Lewiston, New York to catch a double dose of classic rock from George Thorogood & the Destroyers and 38 Special at Artpark's Outdoor stage. It was deja vu all over again as I saw this exact same lineup perform at Artpark almost 8 years ago. Today, it was a hot day, and I arrived pretty early to small lines that grew quickly awaiting for the doors to open. I managed to get my normal spot just behind the premier seating left stage. The opener was 38 Special, with only original member Don Barnes on lead guitar and vocals, winging thru a very good set of thier classics. The set included Wild-Eyed Southern Boys, If I'd Been The One, Fantasy Girl and closing the set with Caught Up In You. They came out for not one but two separate one song encores, first was Chain Ligtnin' and the second show closer was Hold On Loosely. The band made up of Bobby Capps (keyboards, vocals), Gary Moffatt (drums), Barry Dunaway (bass), and Jerry Riggs (guitar) were pretty tight on this evening and the quickly filled in Artpark crowd enjoyed them. After the brief intermission George Thorogood & The Destroyers hit the stage and did their typical set. The band included Buddy Leach on sax, original Destroyer Jeff Simon on drums, Bill Blough on bass, Jim Suhler on guitar and 75 year old lead man George. They played their classics like I Drink Alone, Bad To The Bone, Cocaine Blues and a crowd pleasing One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer. A good show that really does not get old for me and gets me nostalgic every time. See you next year George or maybe 8 years from now.Slideshow[]
Samantha Fish Returns To Sold Out Asbury Hall For Annual Jam
6/25/2025 - Buffalo, New York - In a smart last minute decision, I decided to pickup a ticket and drive West down the NYS Thruway down Route 33 into downtown Buffalo and see one of my new favorite artists, Samantha Fish, perform at the soldout Asbury Hall. I was lucky to snag a general admission ticket just prior to the show selling out and hopped in my car and headed to downtown Buffalo early to ensure a decent spot. I managed to get a seat about ten rows back left stage just behind the reserved seating an excellent spot for this soldout show. The show opened on time with a band from Texas called the Texas Headhunters. The band featured three guitarists, Ian Moore, Jesse Dayton and Johnny Moeller longtime guitarist for The Fabulous Thunderbirds. They were pretty loose and jammed a short blues rock set that was well received by the sellout Asbury Hall crowd, a good opener for Samantha Fish. Samantha Fish and her band hit the stage after a brief intermission and played an excellent set. She opened with Kick Out The Jams and went right into her new song Paper Doll. This was Samantha's return to Asbury Hall having performed here just a little over a year ago another excellent show. Samantha and her band consisting of Ron Johnson on bass guitar, Jamie Douglass on drums, and Mickey Finn on keys were pretty tight on this evening. Samantha did a great cover of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' I Put A Spell On You and jammed the cigar box guitar on Bulletproof. She did awesome jam filled versions of Dream Girl and the set closing Black Wind Howlin'. The sellout crowd absolutely loved the show, cheering extremely loud for the encore. Samantha and band came out for one encore being joined by the Texas Headhunters for a guitar jam filled Goin' Down South to closeout a great set. I was front row for the encore and shook her hand and praised her for a great show as she exited. Samantha's performance on this night was excellent with great guitar work and passionate vocals. I hope she comes back next year, if so I will be there, again great show !Slideshow[]
Gary Clark Jr & Grace Bowers Entertain Summer Artpark Crowd
6/24/2025 - Lewiston, New York - It's an extremely hot summer Tuesday in June and historically that means a concert at Artpark and today it was no different with artists Gary Clark Jr and Grace Bowers performing at Artpark Amphitheather. It was pretty hot today and I managed to get into Lewiston early enough to get in the small line in the shade at Artpark. The show was not a sellout and I was able to secure my spot directly behind the reserved seating. The show opened with young phenom guitarist Grace Bowers and her band the Hodge Podge. She played a good set of some originals and covers including Lucy, Scuttle Buttin' and Tell Me Why U Do That. The 18 year-old Bowers entertained the small Artpark crowd and traded guitar licks with lefty backup guitarist, Prince Parker. I am sure we will being this band again in the near future. After a brief intermission, Gary Clark Jr and his band hit the stage. They played a good set opening with Catfish Blues. He played his hits When My Train Pulls In, Don't Owe You A Thang and closed the set with Bright Lights. Clark Jr delivered plenty of jams in his set and also entertained the Artpark crowd. A good first show of the Artpark season for me seeing two good artists, see you next week.Slideshow[]
Last Day In London Includes Trek To Tottenham Hotspur Match
Eric Clapton Night Two At RAH And Exploring London Town
5/25/2025 - London, England - Today our last full day in London started as usual with views of Big Ben and Parliament from the suite and an excellent breakfast at our hotel the Park Plaza London Westminster Bridge. We had no official plan today and since it was Sunday tours to Paris and Liverpool do not run so we decided to attend a football match in London. We had options to see a match at Wembly or Tottenham and decided to make the trek to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to watch the home team Tottenham Hotspurs F.C. take on Brighton & Hove Albion. After breakfast, I struggled to get tickets on Stubhub International but was finally successful in picking up a couple tickets at a decent price. We hopped on the Tube at Westminster catching the literally packed with football fans like sardines Victoria line heading to Seven Sisters. Arriving at Seven Sisters, we began the 30 minute walk or pilgrimage thru the streets of Tottenham with literally thousands of fans. The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was impressive and the real reason we decided to see a match here was to check out the stadium that is the model for the new Buffalo Bills stadium set to open next year. We made our way to the seats in the upper deck that seemed very close to the playing field. The 62,000 seat stadium was packed to watch the Premier League match and then celebrate the Tottenham Hotspur's as 2025 UEFA Europa League Champions. The stadium and fans again were very impressive. It was super clean, extremely loud, fans were chanting, singing and waving flags and the fans were also very gracious to us obnoxious Americans. The NFL will have three games played here next season. The Hotspur started the scoring with a penalty kick but Brighton dominated the rest scoring four unanswered goals to win the match 4-1, spoiling the Europa League Champions victory party. We made it back to the hotel late and decided to have a late dinner of fish and chips back at the Westminster Kitchen since it was close and convenient. We picked up some last minute gifts on the street and went back and packed up our stuff. In the morning we had our last breakfast and headed to Heathrow via the Tube. We attempted to get another comfort upgrade for this flight but were denied because the flight was completely booked. So we sat in steerage one of the worst flights ever for me as I caught some sort of virus and was totured for the seven plus hour flight. We made it thru Canadian customs without issue and drove back to the US. Another fantastic UK adventure in the books, we will be back.Slideshow[]
5/24/2025 - London, England - Today, we started our London day with suite views of Big Ben and Parliament then downstairs for an excellent breakfast at our favorite London hotel the Park Plaza London Westminster Bridge. We headed to the Waterloo Tube station but on the way stopped at the Graffiti Tunnel to view some impressive street art. The smell of spray paint was in the air as people were working on stuff as we were there, again very cool. We caught the Tube and headed to Tottenham Court Road stopping to see the impressive Outernet London digital art display. The sound and video were impressive almost felt like a mini Sphere experience. A very cool idea in the middle of the city, these need to happen in the US. We walked a block down and made it to Denmark Street and shopped the block of guitar stores. We got to play some very nice acoustic and electric guitars at Hanks Guitar Shop and I even got to play some nice pianos at the Roland Store. We headed back to Westminster via the Tube and had an nice early dinner at Westminster Kitchen, then back on the Tube heading back to South Kennsington for Clapton night two at Royal Albert Hall. We arrived early at Royal Albert Hall and went in early to our seats, which tonight were in the Grand Tier in Box 6 left of the stage. Great seats but I think I prefer the lower bowl, unless you are front row of the box. Again, the sellout show started on time with Andy Fairweather-Low and the Low Riders opening the show. They played for about and hour some covers and some original stuff. He was well received by the sellout crowd. Eric Clapton and band hit the stage after a brief intermission and played an hour an forty minute classic set. This was Eric's last of three shows at the Hall in 2025. He opened with White Room and played I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man closing the first electric set with Sunshine of Your Love. The acoustic set opened with Kind Hearted Woman Blues and included new song Golden Ring and classics Can't Find My Way Home with bass player Nathan East on lead vocals and closing the set with Tears In Heaven. Doyle Bramhall II played some tasty lead, rhythm and slide all evening and Sonny Emory was on drums with Chris Stainton and Tim Carmon on keys, Sharon White and Katie Kissoon on backup vocals. The band appeared a little tighter on this night than the night prior. The second electric set opened with Badge and then another excellent jam on Old Love. The jams continued with some Crossroad Blues and closing the show with some Cocaine. They came out for the single encore of Before You Accuse Me. A great show at a great venue I guess will have to come back in ten years to celebrate his 90th. Mr. Slowhand, EC still has it at 80! We managed to get some cheap shirts after the show and headed back to Westminster via the Tube closing out another awesome London day.Slideshow[]
Return To London Ten Years Later For EC At Royal Albert Hall
Vegas Trip To Celebrate Dom's Wedding & Dead & Co At Sphere
5/23/2025 - London, England - Our return trip to London, England started a day earlier, driving from Hilton to Lockport, to pickup brother Mike, then over the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge being playfully questioned by the most gorgeous female border guard I have ever encountered, then finally onto YYZ Toronto Pearson Airport to catch a red eye Air Canada flight direct to London Heathrow. Mike payed to upgrade our seats for more leg room for the 7 hour flight. We had a smooth flight that included complimentary drinks and new release movies the flight arrived late morning in London. We made it thru customs painlessly and caught the Tube to our favorite hotel in London the Park Plaza London Westminster Bridge. We arrived early for checkin and luckily our Big Ben view suite was ready. The suite was excellent and provided fantastic views of Big Ben and Parliament and included a full living room. We rested for a while and then headed to Picadilly Circus on the Tube for a nice steak dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe at Picadilly Circus. This trip was literally ten years to the day of our trip in 2015 to see Eric Clapton for his 70th Birthday now we are here to see his 80th Birthday celebration. We started our first full day with the great breakfast at the hotel, then we explored the Westminster area including Big Ben, Parliament and the London Eye. We walked the streets and headed to the newly renovated National Gallery and took in some amazing artwork from the likes of Van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci, Micelangelo, Raphael, Monet and Renoir to name a few. We then hopped on the Tube and went to Abby Road Studios and made the same walk the Beatles made some 56 years earlier. We were back on the Tube heading from Westminster to South Kenningston to Royal Albert Hall to see Slowhand, Eric Clapton, perform. We stopped at Five Guys for a quick bite and walked to the Hall. We entered early and for this night we would be seated on opposite sides of the hall but both excellent seats. The show opened promptly at 7:30PM with Andy Fairweather Low and his band the Low Riders. He played an almost hour set of some originals and some covers including Tequila and the Theme From Peter Gunn. His set was well received by the quickly filled in crowd, I thought he was just okay. After a short intermission, EC and his band hit the stage and performed an excellent set. He opened the first electric set with White Room, then Key To The Highway and closed with Sunshine of Your Love. He opened the acoustic set with a surprise of Let It Grow which had not been performed since 78. His band included Nathan East on bass, Sonny Emory on drums, Chris Stainton and Tim Carmon on keys, Sharon White and Katie Kissoon on backup vocals and Doyle Bramhall II on guitar. He played Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out and closed the acoustic set with Tears In Heaven. He opened the second electric set with Tell The Truth and played one of my favorites Old Love. He closed the show with Cocaine and came out for the one encore of Before You Accuse Me. A great show at a fabulous venue and we get to do it again tomorrow!Slideshow[]
5/15/2025 - Las Vegas, Nevada - The small getaway trip to Las Vegas started the day earlier, catching a flight from Buffalo Niagara Airport to Atlanta then onto Las Vegas. All flights were ontime getting me to Vegas just after midnight. I picked up my car and headed to the house Dom & his buddies rented for the Dom Bachelor party which was just 10 minutes from the strip. The house was excellent with inground pool and hottub. Highlights of the trip included stopping at my favorite Vegas store Planet 13 to pickup some treats. We hung by the pool during the day and I hit the strip with the boys doing some gambling and site seeing in the evening. The first night included going to see Dead & Company at the Sphere during their Dead Forever - Live at Sphere residency. Dom & I had great seats for this show front row of the 400 level with several of his buds just a few rows behind us. Dead & Company came out a little late past the start time but the first set was just amazing. They opened with Good Times and played classics like Shakedown Street, Uncle John's Band, Friend of the Devil and a nice cover of Eric Clapton's Lay Down Sally. The sound was good but Bob Weir was a little off on this night and John Mayer carried a little more of the load I would say. After intermission they opened set two with Bertha and played a nice I Know You Rider. The sound was great and the graphics were awesome with some of the same as last year but some new ones also. More highlights from set two included a good Drums, Brown-Eyed Woman, Hell In A Bucket and closing the show with Turn On Your Love Light. Again, another great Sphere show, I know we will be back next year. I was able to visit my good friend Chilly Willy who recently moved to Las Vegas and checked out his awesome new home. A good trip and time was had with Dom and his buddies celebrating his up coming nuptials, they did it up right. I caught a red eye flight back witout issue, Vegas to Detroit to Buffalo. I will be back again soon Vegas....Slideshow[]
Metallica Takes Over Rogers Centre On Night Two Of M72 Tour
Obituary: Jeffrey DeFilippo (61)
4/26/2025 - Toronto, Ontario - I decided at the last minute to head north of the border to see metal legends Metallica perform at the Rogers Centre in downtown Toronto. It was a nice spring day for a drive and I encountered no issues getting over the border at the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge heading into Canada but encountered a large amount of traffic entering the city and due to scheduled closures was unable to use the TTC to get into the city, fortunately I left early enough to make it in plenty of time before the show. I was able to park right next to the stadium for a decent price. I picked up a cheaper ticket the morning of the show on Ticketmaster and was sitting right behind home plate. It was a just okay spot for this show. Opening the night, Ice Nine Kills set the tone with an electrifying performance that seamlessly melded the theatrical and heavy beats, with tracks like Ex-Mørtis and Hip to Be Scar, this showcased their signature horror-themed lyrics and dynamic instrumentation. Limp Bizkit was next and they played classic hits like Nookie and Break Stuff with high energy set that transported the crowd back to early 2000's. The unexpected inclusion of a snippet of Metallica’s Master of Puppets thrilled fans and reminded everyone of the legacy these bands share. Frontman Fred Durst’s charisma and crowd engagement kept the energy high, and reminded everyone why these metal icons dominated the 2000’s metal scene. As night fell in Toronto, the main event of Metallica built up the excitement as prior to their entrance they played video of Ennio Morricone's Esctasy of Gold. They opened the set with Whiplash and then navigated through their iconic catalog that featured an entirely different setlist than their April 24th show, as they hammered through timeless staples like For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Unforgiven, Wherever I May Roam and Ride the Lightning. Highlights included Kirk Hammett and Rob Trujillo’s doodle segment where they payed tribute to Canada's classic trio Rush covering La Villa Strangiato and YYZ. Lar Ulrich did not miss a beat and James Hetfield’s vocals were still very good despite the poor acoustics in Rogers Centre. They closed the show with two classics that included a bomb and gunshot filled One and finally closing the show with an excellent crowd pleasing Enter Sandman. A good show that was well worth the trip the Tallica Boys still get it done.Slideshow[]
4/17/2025 - Saint Charles, Missouri - Jeffrey DeFilippo, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend, passed away on April 17, 2025, at the age of 61. Jeffrey was born on July 23, 1963 to Josephine and Dominick DeFilippo in Lockport NY.
Jeffrey lived a life full of love, laughter, and dedication. He was a ” Family Man”. He spent his life being an amazing husband to his wife Valerie for 35 years (38 years total together). They raised three beautiful daughters (Madison, McKinsey and Grace) and was given two grandsons (Blake and Carson). He was the best dad and papa in the world!
Jeffrey adored his siblings along with his brother and sister in-laws Dick, (Terry) Ron, (Liz),Joanne (Sam), Betty,(Azam) and Dave (Ann). He enjoyed all of the trips he shared with them over the years meeting so many places on his Bucket List. Jeffrey was loved by all of his nieces and nephews.
Jeffrey a dedicated employee at AT&T for 23 years where he was known for his hard work and commitment. He retired in 2023 and started a new adventure shortly after with MODOT.
Outside of his professional life, he found joy in boating, skiing, fishing, camping, bowling, and playing bocce ball. His passion for these hobbies was matched only by his love for spending time with family and friends. Jeffrey was a great love we shared and will forever be in our hearts. ObitSlideshow[]
Experience Hendrix Tour Entertains Sellout Massey Hall Crowd
3/15/2025 - Toronto, Canada - Today, I decided to head north of the border to gorgeous Massey Hall in lovely downtown Toronto, Canada and see some classic rock performed by a number of artists celebrating the music of Jimi Hendrix during the Experience Hendrix Tour 2025. I picked up an excellent front row balcony ticket the morning of the show and hopped in the car and headed to Toronto. It was a nice March day for a drive and I encountered no issues getting over the border at the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge into Canada but encountered massive traffic ten miles out of the city. I arrived later than expected due to the traffic but was able to park at Eaton Centre right next to Massey Hall and had time to grab a nice dinner at Red Lobster prior to the show. After dinner, I headed to Massey Hall and my excellent front row balcony seat for this soldout show. The show started promptly at 8PM and for the next two and a half hours the crowd would hear a set of classic covers of Jimi Hendrix tunes. The show opened with some words from Hendrix sister Janie Hendrix. The first act was Mato Nanji from Indigenous and Henri Brown with a nice cover of Foxy Lady. They would then be joined by Dweezil Zappa for jams on Stone Free and Freedom. Next up was one of the highlights of the evening an energetic performance of Fire by young blues guitarist, Alley Venable, that brought the crowd to their feet. The next performer was Devon Allman, son of Gregg Allman, who played excellent versions of Little Wing and Manic Depression. The headliner for me was next up, Christone Kingfish Ingram, who played a great set that included covers of Killing Floor jamming with Alley Venable and Mato Nanji, Catfish Blues and Hey Joe with Mato Nanji and Red House with Devon Allman and Mato again. Guitar master Eric Johnson was up next playing a nice version of One Rainy Wish then being joined by Eric Schenkman ex Spin Doctor's guitarist for a great cover of Spanish Castle Magic. The closer for the show was Kenny Wayne Shepherd whose set included Gypsy Eyes and closing the show with Voodoo Child (Slight Return). An excellent night of music in tribute to one of the greatest guitarists of all time at a fantastic venue.Slideshow[]
Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)
