ZO2 - Showz 10-12
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2/03/07: Stingers, Boonsboro, MD
By David Z
UvAnother show at Stingers and, I have to say, this is turning into one of my favorite clubs to play. Not only are the staff there great and the PA system incredible and the club layout amazing, but we get to dine in the restaurant that’s part of the whole Stingers complex. And if you know anything about us, you know how important food is to us. This time around we played with Back In Black (the AC/DC tribute). They did a great job with the AC/DC catalog and, even better, they're great guys. They really made life a hell of a lot easier for us. It was brutally cold out and we were just about to unload ALL of our equipment when one of the guys from the club came over to us and told us that Back In Black offered to let us use their backline. Now that’s what I call musicians sticking together. The world needs more musicians like them. Professional, talented AND considerate.
We sound checked with “Paper Breakup” because the ZO2 early birds requested it so they got a little mini show before the real thing. And, as far as the actual show when, I feel that it was our best show since I’ve gotten back from the TSO tour. We got to play an hour long set and everything worked perfectly. And, in answer to numerous fan requests, we played “Everywhere”. And to add to the great time, we even had our youngest ZO2 fan there celebrating her birthday with us. Hopefully she will be with us to celebrate many more.
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2/23/07 - ZO2's Rock Asylum - Arlene's Grocery, NYC
By Paulie Z
Wow! What a spectacular night. I hate to sound redundant when I talk about Rock Asylum, but it's just an amazing night on all levels. The Asylum fans - or "inmates" as we call them - are so energetic and dedicated. I love the fact they show up early and leave late. That's the whole idea behind this show: support all the band sand soak in the entire experience.
This show was unique because it was missing some the Asylum family members: Feff and Receptor. Those boyz have been with us since the beginning and their presence on stage was missed; although they did show up to support the other bands that played. Speaking of which, BXF featuring Jesse Blaze (Dee Snider's son) started off the night with an action packed set. Jesse is a great performer and has great charisma and stage presence - definitely a chip off the old block. Next up was local band called More. These guyz not only look and act like rock stars, but they have the songs and musicality to back it up. They played solid set and warmed up the audience nicely for us. And, if I do say so myself, we were on fire that night. It felt great to be back on stage together. The last show we played together was on Feb 3rd almost three weeks earlier so there was a lot of bottled up energy. Needless to say, we let loose big time!
The band that followed us was Underwhelmed. They just released a new CD and were filming the show for an upcoming video. I got a copy of their CD that night and I love it. They put on a great show as well. I highly recommend seeing these guys live. The night ended with a dose of true metal when Zandelle took the stage. I’ve know these guyz forever. We used to play together when Dave and I were in our very first band and it was really great to share the stage with them again. In addition to the bands, there was the erotic and exotic performances by Bellyessence, Dazie Tomatoes and Fifi Dupree. What a night - I can’t wait until the next one!
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2/24/07 - Cook's Café, Naugatuck, CT
By David Z
We've been told over and over again that the ONLY way to have a lasting career is to have a strong "grass roots" following that grows as the band moves forward. Tonight I really understood as I realized what an amazing fan base we actually have. As a band, you never know what to expect when playing a new club but I was blown away tonight at this new venue in a new town when I saw the rows of ZO2 fanz right up front screaming and ready to start the party. And it made such a strong impression that the club invited us back. That's why having a strong following is necessary.
And it was a great night all around, especially getting to play with Facelift (the Alice In Chains tribute) again. There's nothing like playing a show and then getting to sit back and enjoy. "The Rooster" and "Man In The Box" played to perfection. It was also very nice to play in the hometown of so many of our Connecticut friends.
A huge thank you thank you to all the fanz who came out and supported. You can't imagine how much we appreciate you showing up. Seeing that you'll drive to unfamiliar areas to be there for us at new clubs, wearing ZO2 shirts and screaming your support is humbling. We can never thank you enough.
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Stayed tuned for next week’s journal.
SAME Z TIME…SAME Z CHANNEL…OR LINK FOR THAT MATTER!!!