ZO2 - Showz 4-6
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1/13/07: Stingers, Boonsboro, MD
By Paulie Z
Well, this was definitely an interesting show. After only two shows at
Stinger's we were invited back to headline. Great for us because we could play an extended set, which we don't usually get to do. But a little daunting at the same time. We weren't sure how well we'd draw considering we're not from that area. We knew we had a good following, but was it good enough for us to be the main act?
The night started out great. Stingers always treats us well and the food is incredible (which of course is our main priority)! We highly recommend the restaurant to anyone whether you're going to see a show or not. The opening act was Niki Barr and they were great. Niki has a wonderful voice and the band played a solid set. Being the headliner, we were able to enjoy the luxuries of the backstage dressing rooms where we chilled out for a while and then changed into our stage clothes. We also had an argument over the proper way to toss a water bottle to someone, but that's a different story... Back to the show. We hit the stage and were pleasantly surprised to see a big crowd of rabid fans thirsty for a rock n' roll show ZO2 style. We couldn't have asked for a better crowd.
The show starts off with a surge of adrenaline. Everything's going strong. We're pumped, the crowd is enthusiastic and the expectations are high for a great show... until... my in-ear monitor started to go crazy. All I heard was a thumping sound in my ear and I quickly pulled them out. Good thing the stage monitors were loud otherwise I wouldn't hear myself. Ooops... the stage monitor just blew. I try desperately to get the soundman's attention as he finally realizes what has happened. I can't hear what I'm singing, but eventually the problem is fixed. Whew, that was a close one. Wait a second, why is my guitar sound going in and out? My wireless isn't working! Better switch to other guitar. Dave, start the intro to Radio while I figure this out. Now I can chuck the wireless and plug in with a cable. Hold on, now my pedal board's not working. Maybe if I kick it a few times - there, that should do it. Meanwhile, David and Joey have been playing the intro to Radio for three minutes straight! I finally get things in order, but the damage has been done. It was technical nightmare!!! On the bright side, the show itself was great and the crowd was with us the whole way, but don't expect to see this show on DVD anytime soon, lol.
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01/14/07: The Crazy Donkey, Farmingdale, NY
By David Z
Well, what goes around really does come around. Last night in MD, Paulie’s equipment kept going out on him randomly. And that black cloud apparently followed us all the way to Long Island. Unfortunately, this time it was over me.
Everything was set for success at this show. We followed a great band, "Almost Queen", and we haven’t visited our friends in Long Island for quite some time so the crowd was definitely stoked. It all started so well. Suddenly, after a couple of songs and out of the blue, my sound cut out. Now every musician knows the step-by-step procedures to follow when this happens. First, I removed my wireless and plugged in using a cable. That didn’t work. Next, I took out the tuner and plugged directly into the amp head. That wasn’t the problem either. Step three was changing to a different bass. NO GO. I decided to check the speaker cables thinking it had to be a bad connection... NOTHING! Then, I improvised choosing a more violent approach, which was to kick, shake and bang my equipment. That only made me look unstable. Having exhausted all other options, I did what any seasoned professional would do - I threw my hands up and said “Fuck It!” Sure enough, a couple of seconds later my sound came back on. I don’t recommend trying this at home. Clearly this worked because I'm a professional.
Once my sound was back on I thought my troubles were over. WRONG!!! The bass I switched to was out of tune and it was nearly impossible to hear the it on stage so I turned the tuning peg, prayed and hoped for the best. Once again, do not follow my example. This is a very dangerous approach best left to only the most professional musicians.
It was a shit feeling but the show must go on and so it did. Once everything was back in order, I felt we finished strong. And to boost my flagging ego, we got to talk to our friends and fans who had come out to see us and we even converted another new batch of people into the Z world and sold a lot more “Ain’t It Beautiful” CDs along the way. World domination is just around the corner. lol.
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1/20/07: The Viper Room, Los Angeles, CA
By Joey C
It was time for our annual trip to NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) and our show at the infamous Viper Room. NAMM was great, as usual. We got a chance to hang out with Paul Stanley for a while and we also saw Rikki, CC and Eric Singer from the Rock the Nation tour (it made us feel like we have a little rock history of our own already). It was great joking with them about the tour. We also met up with Mark “The Animal” Mendoza and Jay Jay French from Twisted Sister. They are really great guys. Mark gave us some passes to see them perform later that night. Naturally, it was a great show. Like Twisted ever delivers anything less.
So, on to the show at the Viper...
We pulled up in front and the first thing was saw was... A ZO2 MOBILE!!!! It was nuts! Some of our favorite (and most ardent) supporters, Karen and Tina, flew in from NY for the show. They rented a red convertible Mustang and cover it in ZO2 flyers (who’s got better fans than ZO2?!). They promoted up and down the strip for 2 days straight – and it paid off. The show was amazing and so was the crowd (due in no small part to our “lead team”). The Viper Room is one of my favorite places to play. It has that perfect LA vibe that just what you imagine when you think of the LA music scene. And the sound is amazing.
After the show, we went to the legendary Rainbow Bar & Grill (anyone who knows rock and roll has heard of the Rainbow!!!). Mike, the host, greeted us at the door and made us feel like rock stars (he knows us from our past trips to The Viper Room) and he sat us at the table where the Gods themselves used to sit whenever they came in... LED ZEPPELIN!!! We ate, talked in between, ate some more, talked a little, kept eating, ate and ate again. They even played the entire "Ain't It Beautiful" CD over the house speakers. That part of the night might have been in one of the coolest hangs in the world but we did what we do pretty much everywhere we go.
What a great couple of days.
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Stayed tuned for next week’s journal.
SAME Z TIME…SAME Z CHANNEL…OR LINK FOR THAT MATTER!!!