Al's Blog-o-Sphere

Just a quick post… today the TV news announced that the major sponsor of the Saturday concerts in North Tonawanda, Labatts Brewing, had withdrawn from the concert series. That pretty much seals the deal for ending the shows for the rest of the season.

Well, at least they still have the Wednesday and Friday concerts. That ought to be enough for any city, right?

In fact, that’s downright greedy. There is a certain synergy between these concerts, offering free shows to bring people into a certain place. Buffalo has Thursday at The Square. Lockport has the Molson Concerts on Friday. Lewiston has Jazz on Mondays. Artpark has, well Tuesday and Wednesday… NT had Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Continue Reading…

After the North Tonawanda Police cited vendors at the Gateway Park concert two weeks ago, the State Liquor Authority has pulled the liquor license putting the event in jeparody for the rest of the season and forcing the promoters to move this weeks headline act to Buffalo. [Tonawanda News article]

The story really begins–like much misery in my life–with the overzealous North Tonawanda Police Department. A few weeks back they dispatched an underage, undercover girl to buy beer at one of the Labatt Blue Light canal concerts. The dumbass working the tap sold the girl beer, and as a result, the state liquor authority revoked the promoters’ alcohol license, making it impossible to raise enough money to pay Mr. Hornsby’s appearance fee. While the NT police still haven’t caught the Booby Bandit that has been loose in the city for the last week, they wrapped up “The Case of the Girl We Hired To Buy Beer” lickety-split. [Middleman web site]

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Another great concert this Friday and this time all of the billed acts were there. Opening the show was Lockport’s own Handsome Jack who had a good sized crowd of early arrivers to cheer them on. They put on a great show with their own unique updated version of 70’s hard rock. I love their stuff. Continue Reading…

Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Lynrd Skynrd move over, your heir-apparent is here!

The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band brought their blistering blues style to Lockport this week and warmed up an already hot summer night crowd.

I stayed up front close to the stage for this one. I couldn’t have moved if I wanted to, there were so many music fans packed in front of the stage to see the self-taught, Louisiana guitar prodigy Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

Front man, Noah Hunt, sang and got the crowd into it and the rest of the band was top-notch too, but the highlight was guitarist Shepherd. They put on a show that would have been huge in any of the area venues right here in Lockport. I couldn’t judge the crowd pinned to the front of the stage area, but I must have been the biggest so far.

See all the photos from last night.

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